Who is the protagonist?

The single sword strike defeated over a dozen outer sect disciples at the Qi Refining first stage, a truly astonishing feat. Chen Xuan had not anticipated that this young girl, who had once clashed with her, would have already mastered the profound mysteries of the Luoshen Sword Art. After all, Chen Xuan herself had only managed to learn a few moves.

“One Sword Transforms into Luoshui? She actually learned the profound mysteries? This is insane!” Chen Xuan murmured.

“This young girl is only at the first stage of Qi Refining, yet she’s mastered the entire Luoshen Sword Art. It’s utterly bizarre, and judging by her proficiency, she doesn’t seem like someone who just became a cultivator. Could it be that she was already a cultivator to begin with? No, that’s impossible. The last time I saw her, she was just an ordinary person.”

Although all her subordinates had been defeated in one fell swoop, Chen Xuan didn’t take it to heart. These newly advanced Qi Refining cultivators had virtually no combat experience, and it was perfectly normal for them to lose to an experienced cultivator of the same realm.

She was merely astonished by Bai Lan’s combat prowess and comprehension ability.

After the defeated disciples recovered, they gazed at the peerless, solitary sword-wielding girl before them, their eyes filled with fear. Only then did they realize that despite being at the same first stage of Qi Refining, their combat prowess was simply not on the same level.

They dared not advance again.

“A bunch of useless trash,” Chen Xuan said coldly, then glanced at her six personal guards.

These six individuals were far from simple; all of them were cultivators at the fifth stage of Qi Refining. They had been meticulously selected and trained by the imperial family to protect its members.

Their combat experience was naturally leagues beyond that of these newly advanced outer sect disciples.

As Bai Lan watched the six step forward, she knew these were the real opponents. Each stage of Qi Refining typically granted about a ten percent increase in strength, meaning these six cultivators at the fifth stage were at least forty to fifty percent stronger than Bai Lan.

And there were six of them.

However, Bai Lan felt no fear, for the Snow Divine Scripture she cultivated was a Divine-tier technique. Within the same major realm, its power intensity surpassed that of cultivators practicing lower-tier techniques.

This meant that while Bai Lan appeared to be only at the first stage of Qi Refining, she possessed the combat prowess equivalent to someone at roughly the fourth stage.

Coupled with the various techniques she had mastered, dealing with these six individuals would not pose a significant problem. It was at this moment that Xue Linglong suddenly moved to Bai Lan’s side.

“Sister, I’ll help you. It will be very strenuous for you to face all six of them alone,” Xue Linglong whispered.

Bai Lan glanced at Xue Linglong, not attempting to act tough. Instead, she nodded to Xue Linglong, cautioning her to be careful as well.

Xue Linglong nodded slightly in agreement and drew her own sword. As for Li Yunxi, she was not yet a cultivator, and could only stand by, fretting anxiously.

“Damn it, if only I had broken through to the Qi Refining realm, I could at least help hold one of them off. I’m truly useless,” Li Yunxi muttered, her heart heavy with self-reproach.

“You two, how dare you defy Her Royal Highness?” the leading girl among the six declared coldly. “While we have no desire to bully anyone, protecting the Princess and obeying her commands is our duty. If you must blame someone, blame yourselves for being so ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth.”

The leading girl among the six declared coldly, then charged forward with the other five. Their movements were agile, and their attacks flowed seamlessly, utterly incomparable to those inexperienced outer sect disciples.

Bai Lan frowned, then swiftly retreated towards the nearby sea. Xue Linglong, for her part, immediately fell back.

As the two separated, the six opponents instantly split into two teams: one pursuing Bai Lan, and the other surrounding Xue Linglong.

The moment Xue Linglong saw the three attackers charge, she seemed to have predicted their routes, responding several seconds in advance.

Even more bizarrely, Xue Linglong’s eyes seemed to have turned a faint golden hue, exuding a sacred power.

In her eyes, the three individuals’ attacks slowed considerably. Stranger still, she seemed to perceive their weak points.

Just as the three were about to reach her, Xue Linglong suddenly launched an offensive, meeting their charge head-on. Her movements were eerily precise, as if she knew their every step in advance, striking first with her sword.

Before the three could even react, Xue Linglong’s sword was already thrusting towards their bodies. It was a continuous assault, formed in an instant.

“Impossible? What is going on with this girl?” the three exclaimed, quickly halting their advance to defend against Xue Linglong’s preemptive attack.

Xue Linglong, meanwhile, flashed a peculiar smile. Then, suddenly and unexpectedly, she attacked another guard from a different direction.

This guard, caught off guard, was sent flying by a flash of Xue Linglong’s sword light. While Xue Linglong’s attacks were cunning and strange, her power was insufficient to truly injure the three of them.

As for Bai Lan, she led the other three pursuers to a rocky reef area. Once the distance was sufficient, she raised the Cold Soul sword, swept it towards the sea, and unleashed a wave at the three pursuing figures.

In an instant, under the influence of Bai Lan’s chilling Yin power, the seawater transformed into a multitude of ice shards, piercing towards the three.

“What?”

Clang, clang, clang…

The three watched the incoming ice shards, forced to halt their pursuit and rapidly swing their swords to shatter them. However, the sheer number of shards and their sudden appearance were overwhelming.

Such an attack was not something a Qi Refining realm cultivator should be capable of. This technique of transforming seawater into ice crystals was known in the cultivation world as ‘Condensing Qi into Matter,’ converting energy into physical attacks.

This was a technique of the Foundation Establishment realm, and Bai Lan’s ability to use it was naturally beyond their comprehension.

The three were scraped by numerous ice shards, drawing blood and tearing their clothes.

Of course, Bai Lan was utilizing the power of her Chaos Body. Indeed, she was not at the Foundation Establishment realm and should not have been able to condense Qi into matter.

However, the Yin power of the Chaos Body contained the purest and most potent chilling energy in the world, allowing her to directly condense water into ice without expending much effort. This was precisely why she had fled towards the aquatic area.

For in areas with water, her combat power would be significantly enhanced. After repelling the three, she glanced at Xue Linglong in the distance, observing that she was actually suppressing the other three opponents.

Bai Lan inwardly marveled at the formidable power of the Linglong Body, regretting even more her choice not to select another powerful physique, instead settling for this ‘Chaos Body.’

I regret it more and more. This Linglong Body is truly too bizarre, isn’t it? Bai Lan thought, a wave of imbalance washing over her.

This young girl is clearly fighting for the first time, cultivating for the first time, yet why is her progress so rapid? She masters cultivation techniques the moment she learns them. I, with Xue Yue’s memories, already feel like I’m cheating, but compared to this girl, why do I feel like she is the protagonist?

“Damn it, girl! We don’t know what’s going on with you, but facing the three of us, you still have the audacity to look at others? You’re finished!” Chen Xuan’s three guards, having regrouped, appeared utterly furious.

After all, being wounded by a single strike from someone significantly weaker than themselves was nothing short of a humiliation. The three exchanged glances, then attacked Bai Lan from three different directions.

Bai Lan could only withdraw her gaze and continue to parry the three attackers.

With every sword strike, she stirred up the seawater. The water instantly transformed into ice crystals or ice shields, serving both for defense and offense, making her appear remarkably at ease.