Internal Strife

‘Had I… lost again?’

Zheng Rong lay sprawled on the ground, her armor shattered.

Though her opponent appeared equally breathless, Zheng Rong found herself utterly devoid of strength to continue the fight.

She had once reached the finals, even securing the runner-up position, but now she couldn’t even advance to the championship match.

Despite all her arduous training, was she truly destined to fall short of a prodigy’s innate talent?

The referee had already declared the match over, yet Zheng Rong had no desire to rise.

‘I am so weary.’

‘Perhaps I should just lie here forever.’

On the other side of the arena, Su Yue, who had been preparing to leave, observed the scene, a slight frown creasing her brow.

Suddenly, a figure materialized before Zheng Rong, casting a shadow that obscured the sunlight.

“You fought remarkably well; you were truly impressive,” Su Yue began, her lips parting as if to utter more, before a somewhat helpless smile touched her face. “My apologies, I’m not particularly skilled at comforting others.”

The girl, silhouetted against the light, extended a hand to Zheng Rong. “Get up.”

Taking the offered hand, Zheng Rong rose to her feet, only to blink in slight surprise as the girl had already darted away.

Turning her head, she saw Luochen holding Su Yue’s hand and waving at her.

Feeling the flames within her heart rekindle, Zheng Rong’s face once more brightened with a smile.

“Just you two wait,” she declared, “I will prove myself one day!”

Having loudly proclaimed her resolve, she departed, brimming with renewed vigor.

Luochen and Su Yue exchanged a knowing smile.

“Let’s go, let’s go.”

Zhu Qing appeared behind them at some unknown moment, wrapping an arm around each of them.

“I haven’t slacked off a single moment today, you know; I watched every one of your matches right here.”

“You both fought splendidly.”

“So, how about we decide tomorrow’s champion with a game of rock-paper-scissors tonight?”

She leaned in, a lighthearted chuckle in her voice.

“Shhh,” Luochen shushed, raising a finger to her lips. “The referee is still here.”

“Zhu Qing!” The Peak Master of the Artifact Forging Peak, who was officiating the match, had already overheard her words and offered a helpless reminder.

“Ahaha, what are we having for dinner tonight?” Zhu Qing feigned deafness, whisking the two girls away at light speed.

****

That night.

“Little Junior Sister, what brings you here?” Luochen asked, a hint of surprise in her voice as she gazed at the girl standing in the twilight.

It was rather uncommon for Su Yue to visit her room unprompted.

“Tomorrow, Senior Sister, you must fight seriously.”

“Why?” Luochen’s heart gave a start.

‘Had her intention to deliberately slack off and lose tomorrow actually been seen through?’

“Because I want to see if my current strength is enough to protect Senior Sister.”

Su Yue’s clear eyes fixed steadily on Luochen.

“Very well, as you wish.”

A warmth spread through Luochen’s heart, and as was her habit, she gently pinched Su Yue’s cheek.

“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow, Senior Sister.”

“See you tomorrow.”

****

The following day.

A vast, bustling crowd had already gathered in the central arena of the stadium.

This competition, showcasing the strongest disciples of the Feibai Sect, had drawn numerous disciples from other sects who had come specifically to witness it.

Many supporters of Luochen and Su Yue had even unfurled banners.

“So many people,” Yun Qing sighed.

“By the way, who do you actually hope wins? It’s not really going to be rock-paper-scissors, is it?”

She looked at Zhu Qing beside her, her interest piqued.

“I don’t particularly care who wins, but I’d wager that given Chen’er’s nature, she’ll definitely go easy on Yue’er.”

“Is that so?” Yun Qing placed her hands behind her head. “Regardless, this is undoubtedly the most gifted showdown between two disciples the Feibai Sect has ever seen.”

“Well, look whose disciples they are,” Zhu Qing chuckled proudly.

Yun Qing rolled her eyes, about to retort, but was interrupted by the referee’s booming voice.

“Let the match begin!”

The previously boisterous arena instantly fell silent, countless pairs of eyes fixed intently on the two young women on the stage.

Luochen, abandoning her usual defensive style, shot forth like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, her sword in hand.

Su Yue raised her sword to block, spiritual energy gathering in her hands.

“Firefly Blaze!”

Instantly, the blade ignited with flames, forcing Luochen to retreat.

Su Yue flicked her wrist, and the sword flew out in pursuit.

Luochen narrowly evaded the attack; no sooner had she regained her footing than Su Yue surged forward.

A graceful flying kick aimed directly at Luochen’s chest, which she barely managed to block by forming a spiritual energy shield.

The flying sword, which had been behind her, returned at some point; as if sensing it, Luochen once again dodged out of its path.

With her sword back in hand, Su Yue pressed her advantage.

“Shattered Jade!”

The blade glowed with an amber hue, approaching with an unstoppable force.

“Sword of Wind and Thunder.”

Knowing she couldn’t evade it, Luochen, for the first time, infused spiritual energy into her sword.

Luochen was keenly aware of her body’s limits; for her, fighting earnestly meant giving her all without exceeding her spiritual energy’s overload threshold.

Flashes of lightning sparked along the Lihen Sword, faintly accompanied by the rumble of wind and thunder.

The instant the two swords clashed, an unparalleled surge of energy caused the arena’s spiritual energy shield to tremble.

“Is this truly the destructive power a Fifth Revolution cultivator can wield?” Li Jin murmured to himself.

‘So this is their true strength.’

Zheng Rong watched in a daze.

”My apologies for not being able to make these two formidable figures use their full power before!”

On the stage, the two figures intertwined and separated, the clash of their weapons serving as a percussive accompaniment to their graceful, dance-like combat.

They moved like startled swans and graceful dragons.

After yet another clash, Luochen was thrown back dozens of steps by the residual force, while Su Yue remained standing firm in her original position.

”It seems… I can’t win.”

Luochen offered a wry smile.

”Is this truly the destined daughter? To defeat me at just seventeen, immediately after breaking through to the Fifth Revolution?”

If she were to unleash her full spiritual energy, Luochen believed she could still secure a victory.

However, this was not a life-or-death battle, and her opponent was none other than her beloved junior sister.

Taking a deep breath, she channeled her remaining spiritual energy into her sword.

”Let this one move decide the victor.”

The audience below held their breath, their gazes fixed, awaiting the final moment.

“Nine Swords.”

Luochen moved, executing the nine sword techniques she had practiced countless times.

After three strikes, Su Yue was forced to retreat by the sword qi.

By the sixth strike, a strained expression had appeared on Su Yue’s face.

When the ninth sword was unleashed, Su Yue, despite her full resistance, was still thrown back by the residual force, retreating dozens of meters before finally managing to steady herself.

“Cough, cough, cough.”

A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of Su Yue’s mouth.

“Little Junior Sister!”

Luochen instinctively moved to check her injuries, but after taking half a step, she remembered they were in a match and awkwardly pulled back.

‘To withstand my current killing move with merely a surge of qi and blood, Little Junior Sister is truly formidable now.’

‘Tonight, I’ll treat Little Junior Sister to an extra drumstick as a reward for being champion.’

With that thought, Luochen prepared to surrender.

‘Because if I continued fighting, I would only be utterly dominated!’

Just as she raised her hand to speak, a profound and mysterious sensation suddenly permeated Luochen’s entire body.

‘Oh no, I’m about to break through!’

Perhaps the intense duel had granted her significant insights, as Luochen’s long-stagnant cultivation finally showed signs of advancement.

Breaking through during a battle was, by all accounts, a rare and fortunate occurrence.

However, having experienced it five times before, Luochen knew this was far from good news for her.

In this world, every major cultivation breakthrough for a cultivator was accompanied by a marrow cleansing and meridian refining process.

New spiritual energy would course through and nourish every inch of the body.

Yet for Luochen, spiritual energy of such intensity would inevitably rupture her already fragile meridians.

‘One’s nectar is another’s poison.’

Her previous five breakthroughs had all been meticulously prepared for by her master; this sudden, unprepared one was a first.

The instant she advanced to the Sixth Revolution, a soul-piercing agony struck, a torment akin to ten thousand ants gnawing at her heart, instantly draining the color from Luochen’s delicate face.

Her back was drenched in cold sweat at some unknown point, and Luochen curled into a ball, her expression contorted in pain.

She felt the spiritual energy within her body rampage wildly, ravaging her already battered form.

“Senior Sister!” Su Yue rushed forward as if mad, tightly clutching Luochen’s small hand.

“I’m… I’m fine,” Luochen stammered, her gaze unfocused; she could barely make out her junior sister before her.

She reached out, seemingly intending to pinch her junior sister’s cheek as she usually did.

But her hand found nothing.

“I’m here, I’m right here,” Su Yue said, pressing her own face against Luochen’s hand.

A wave of even more intense pain washed over her, and Luochen’s lips trembled, but no words escaped.

The next second, the hand resting on Su Yue’s face dropped limply.

Without a moment to spare, Zhu Qing unleashed her full power, shattering the spiritual energy barrier, the colossal sound making the disciples present shudder.

She flew to Luochen’s side, slowly infusing spiritual energy into Luochen’s body.

Yun Qing followed closely, extracting one gleaming, iridescent pill after another from her storage ring and feeding them into Luochen’s mouth.

Yuxi’s solemn voice resonated: “This martial arts competition has concluded. The final victor is Su Yue from Zhu Qing Peak.”

“Visiting disciples may proceed to Ruoshui Pavilion for temporary rest. This evening, our sect will host a fellowship banquet in your honor.”

Having concluded his speech, which usually took an hour to deliver, with unprecedented speed, Yuxi also arrived at Luochen’s side.

“I’ll go prepare the Spiritual Gathering Array,” he stated without a word of unnecessary explanation, departing in haste.

Shuanghua also flew to Luochen’s side. Gazing at the unconscious girl, Shuanghua felt a pang of sadness.

However, she could offer no help, nor could she even utter a single word of comfort to anyone present.

‘Truly… useless.’

Beside Luochen, Su Yue’s voice was already thick with tears.

“It’s my fault. It was my willfulness in making Senior Sister seriously contend with me that caused this.”

“It’s all my fault.”

Tears, clear and continuous, fell upon Luochen’s cheeks, dampening her face.

“Yue’er, look up,” Zhu Qing’s voice resonated.

Su Yue dazedly lifted her tear-streaked face.

“This is not your fault. None of us could have anticipated this.”

“Look up. This is not your fault.”

Zhu Qing repeated herself, her tone earnest.

“It’s ready.”

Yuxi’s voice echoed around them.

Zhu Qing ceased her spiritual energy transmission and patted Su Yue’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry, I will bring your Senior Sister back to you, whole and unharmed.”