Defeated in Three Swords

Ancient Tomb Mansion, in the deepest underground hall.

Lin Xuan and Ling Qingzhu stood facing each other. Above the Stone Coffin nearby hovered an illusory, refined-looking man, smiling as he observed them both.

Ling Qingzhu held a cyan longsword, its blade already gathering an astonishing surge of Origin Power. Strands of clear light also emerged from the Azure Lotus beneath her feet.

Lin Xuan, standing opposite her, floated in the air without the slightest aura fluctuating from his body. Even the Nameless Longsword in his hand remained sheathed.

Yet as Ling Qingzhu stared at Lin Xuan, she did not dare let down her guard in the slightest. In her perception, his entire body seemed full of openings, but in the next instant, all those openings vanished. When she sensed them again, they seemed to have shifted elsewhere.

That elusive, impossible-to-grasp feeling gradually made Ling Qingzhu's expression turn solemn.

"Buzz!"

Origin Power continuously circulated within her body as Ling Qingzhu waited for an opportunity to attack. Meanwhile, Lin Xuan's eyes had taken on an unfathomably clear look. The circulation route of Origin Power within Ling Qingzhu's body was completely within his perception.

Suddenly, Lin Xuan's gaze sharpened. In the next instant, his longsword left its sheath.

"Clang!"

The instant the Sword Cry rang out, Ling Qingzhu's eyes narrowed. Then, she swung her sword toward her side.

From the previously empty space, a sword edge swept forth in an instant. Ling Qingzhu's strike carried not a trace of hesitation—decisive and razor-sharp!

Just as her longsword sliced through the air, a black sword tip abruptly appeared the next moment, striking precisely against her blade.

"Ding!"

Powerful Sword Qi erupted from the sword tip at once, passing through the opposing blade and directly into Ling Qingzhu's body, causing the Origin Power within her to stall for an instant.

Not far away, the Tomb Master, who had been watching the battle, flashed a look of shock after witnessing that strike.

Lin Xuan's sword had directly scattered Ling Qingzhu's Origin Power, obstructing its circulation within her body. Clearly, Ling Qingzhu had suffered a hidden injury before, which was why her Origin Power could not circulate smoothly.

However, what the Tomb Master found even more unbelievable was Lin Xuan's perception.

Even his primordial spirit, once belonging to a Nirvana Realm Peak expert, had failed to detect anything unusual about Ling Qingzhu's Origin Power. He had only discovered it after Lin Xuan's strike obstructed her Origin Power.

This showed just how keen the young man before him truly was.

But immediately afterward, an even greater look of shock flashed through the Tomb Master's eyes as he stared in horror at the section of Lin Xuan's sword tip.

The originally black, blunt sword tip gradually turned bright white under the urging of Lin Xuan's Sword Qi. A sharp edge even emerged from that dull tip.

What shocked the Tomb Master most was the terrifying aura emanating from that edge. It was countless times stronger than the Heaven-Rank Spiritual Treasure he had once possessed.

A Pure Origin Treasure!

Ling Qingzhu, standing opposite him, felt it even more directly. She had never expected Lin Xuan to seize upon the weakness in her Origin Power's circulation and render her temporarily incapable of fighting back with a single strike.

Lin Xuan raised his head and looked at the edge of the cyan longsword before him. The next moment, he twisted his wrist and exerted force through his arm, directly knocking the sword from Ling Qingzhu's hand.

Without giving Ling Qingzhu a chance to recover, Lin Xuan immediately thrust his longsword toward the clear light rising from the Ancient Azure Sky Lotus.

"Crack!"

Before that exceptionally sharp sword tip, even the protective clear light of the Ancient Azure Sky Lotus shattered in an instant.

Fortunately, the Ancient Azure Sky Lotus bought a brief moment of time. Just as Ling Qingzhu circulated her Origin Power again and prepared to counterattack, she dejectedly lowered her slender hand.

Because that sword tip had already silently stopped before her chest. Though it had returned to black, Ling Qingzhu could faintly sense traces of sharp Sword Qi upon it.

Yet that barely perceptible edge made even breathing difficult for Ling Qingzhu. Lin Xuan's sword tip was aimed directly at the point where her Origin Power circulated most slowly—the location of her Heart Meridian.

If that Sword Qi grew even slightly stronger, Ling Qingzhu would suffer severe internal injuries. Her meridians might even be severed by the Sword Qi.

Looking up at the man whose eyes had once more transformed into an inky black, Ling Qingzhu felt bitterness fill her mouth. After a moment of hesitation, her crimson lips beneath the thin veil finally parted softly.

"I lost. How did you detect where my weakness lay?"

"Miss Ling, thank you for letting me win!"

After Ling Qingzhu spoke, Lin Xuan slowly returned the divine sword in his hand to its Sword Sheath. He cupped his fists toward Ling Qingzhu in salute before explaining.

"The sword path I cultivate makes me rather sensitive to auras. Miss Ling must have encountered some mishap during cultivation, causing the Origin Power in your body to circulate unevenly. That was why I was fortunate enough to defeat you by a move. Otherwise, I fear I would have found it difficult to overcome Miss Ling today."

Ling Qingzhu did not reply after hearing Lin Xuan's response. She naturally understood her own condition. That slight abnormality was not even obvious when she cultivated normally. For an outsider to detect it, such insight was likely enough to rival even her master's.

As for Lin Xuan's claim that it was merely luck, Ling Qingzhu did not believe a single word of it. This man's mouth was far too good at deceiving people.

According to her master, the slight abnormality within her would have almost no effect before she broke through to the Revolving Wheel Realm, so long as her Heart Meridian was not harmed.

Yet Lin Xuan's very first sword strike had seized upon that point, directly using Sword Qi to injure her and leave her unable to resist. If not for the Ancient Azure Sky Lotus, she would have already been defeated by his second strike.

"If Qingzhu has lost, then she has lost. This Nirvana Heart now belongs to Sword Saint!"

Geniuses all possessed their pride. A loss was a loss; there was nothing to be unable to accept. If one lost, one simply cultivated harder and won it back in the future!

If one could not accept one's own defeat, how could one ever speak of becoming strong?

"Thank you, Miss Ling!"

After cupping his fists toward Ling Qingzhu, Lin Xuan turned to look at the emerald-green Nirvana Heart that radiated vigorous vitality.

However, what puzzled Ling Qingzhu was that Lin Xuan did not immediately take the Nirvana Heart. Instead, he turned again toward the Tomb Master beside them, who let out a strange chuckle upon seeing this.

"Quite sharp perception, little fellow!"