His gaze returned to the battle in the arena.
Qi Hao's wrist was already trembling slightly. That lightning strike had carried far too much force, and he had exhausted all his strength just to evade it.
Su Changqing was not faring much better either. He had only recently grasped the lightning technique and was still unfamiliar with it, yet he had forced himself to unleash it with everything he had. That single move had drained more than half the spiritual energy within him.
Yet even now, neither of them had any intention of admitting defeat. After taking a few breaths to recover, they exchanged glances once more, and their figures flashed as they clashed again.
For half a day, the two fought without pause. The arena had long since been blasted apart by their Divine Abilities, forcing them into the sky, where they traded move after move. They used every technique and cultivation art at their disposal. Snow drifted through the skies one moment, lightning crashed down the next, and countless lights flickered in succession, leaving everyone in continuous amazement.
Was this the battle between prodigies?
It truly was terrifying beyond belief!
At the very last moment, after another exchange, one of them finally fell straight from the sky. But the light obscured the figure, and no one could make out who it was.
"Is it Junior Brother Su, or Senior Brother Qi Hao?!"
The crowd cried out and guessed wildly.
The disciples could not see clearly, but the Peak Lords seated on the raised platform saw everything. Cang Song Zhenren took a step forward and flew swiftly toward the falling figure, catching him and allowing him to descend slowly.
Only when he reached the ground did everyone see that the one who had fallen was Qi Hao.
Qi Hao's face was deathly pale, and his entire body had gone limp from exhaustion. After coughing painfully twice in Cang Song's grasp, he said with sorrowful frustration, "Master, I lost."
"You already gave it your all. This is not your fault."
Though Cang Song was furious inside, after seeing the serious injuries Qi Hao had suffered, the reprimands that had nearly left his mouth several times never came. In the end, they became words of comfort.
"Senior Brother Qi Hao lost! Senior Brother Qi Hao actually lost!"
"Wow! Junior Brother Su won again! He defeated Qi Hao and became the champion of this Seven Meridians Martial Arts Tournament!"
"I knew it! I knew we couldn't underestimate Junior Brother Su! I'm going to be rich! I'm finally turning things around! The odds were twelve to one!"
Everyone looked up.
Su Changqing still stood proudly in the air. Though his face was weary and pale, and his body swayed slightly, he remained upright. The gentle breeze stirred his robes, making him look every bit like a peerless expert of the current age!
Only after receiving word that Qi Hao had been defeated did Su Changqing slowly descend from the sky. The moment he landed, he could no longer stand steadily. He planted his sword against the ground and barely managed to remain on his feet.
"Junior Brother!"
Concerned cries rang out from the stands erected by Little Bamboo Peak. A figure in white flew out and landed beside Su Changqing, intending to support him.
Su Changqing waved his hand to indicate that he did not need help. A faint smile appeared on his exhausted face. "Senior Sister Lu, don't worry. I'm fine."
Immediately afterward, someone flew down from the Peak Lord's platform as well. Her concerned gaze settled on Su Changqing as she slowly walked toward him.
"Master, I won!"
Su Changqing smiled confidently at Shuiyue.
"Yes, you won!"
A rare, beautiful smile appeared on Shuiyue's cool face, though the concern in her eyes could not be concealed. "Don't talk anymore. Rest properly first!"
With that, Shuiyue flicked a thread of spiritual energy onto Su Changqing's brow. He could no longer suppress his exhaustion. The moment he closed his eyes, he fell into a deep sleep. The last thing he saw was Shuiyue holding him in her arms. As for what happened afterward, he knew nothing at all.
When Su Changqing woke again, he opened his eyes to find several senior sisters bustling around beside him. A medicine pot steamed nearby, occasionally giving off the bitter scent of medicinal herbs as though it were brewing some medicine.
"When Junior Brother stood proudly in the air, he was unbelievably handsome!"
"More than just handsome! He fought for so long without falling, standing firm as the breeze stirred his robes. He looked just like a true banished immortal!"
"This time, Junior Brother really brought honor to our Little Bamboo Peak!"
"By the way, Senior Sister, it's my turn to feed Junior Brother his medicine today. Don't try to steal it from me again."
"I remember it being my turn!"
Listening to them chatter among themselves, Su Changqing smiled helplessly and rubbed his forehead. He silently sat up from the bed and asked, "Senior Sisters, you..."
"Junior Brother, you're awake?!"
"Quick, quick! Our Junior Brother is finally awake! I'll go notify Master and the others first. You stay here and look after Junior Brother."
The senior sisters had still been chatting when they suddenly heard Su Changqing's voice. They all turned around at once, and upon seeing that he was awake, they were both delighted and concerned.
"Senior Sisters, how long have I been asleep?"
From what they were saying, it seemed that after he had fallen asleep that day, he had slept for quite some time. But he did not know exactly how many days had passed.
"Three days. Junior Brother, you slept for a full three days!"
One of the senior sisters answered Su Changqing.
Three days?!
Su Changqing silently shook his head. He had thought that he had slept for perhaps one or two days at most, but he had not expected it to be a full three days.
"Then Senior Sisters, what are you doing?"
Su Changqing turned his gaze toward the medicine pot again and asked them curiously.
"We're brewing medicine for you. Junior Brother, you were unconscious for these three days. Master said you had injuries inside your body and needed to recuperate properly, otherwise she was afraid they might leave lasting complications."
"That's right. These past three days, several of us senior sisters have been taking care of you, brewing spiritual medicine and feeding it to you while you were unconscious. No need to thank us. Just give each of us a kiss."
The senior sisters smiled brightly as they teased him.
"Cough, cough. Senior Sisters, you're teasing me again."
Su Changqing coughed twice. Fortunately, he had spent enough time at Little Bamboo Peak that he had become accustomed to these senior sisters occasionally saying such outrageous things.
Having learned what he wanted to know, Su Changqing used spiritual energy to examine his body. That battle had truly taken a toll on him. His spiritual energy had been depleted, and his entire body had felt as though it had been pulverized, every inch of it wracked with agonizing pain.
But now, his entire body felt comfortable, completely free of the suffering from that day. He did not know whether it was due to the powerful restorative breathing ability of the Wuji Xuanqing Dao he cultivated, the medicine his senior sisters had brewed for him, or both working together that had allowed him to recover so quickly.
Hmm?
As he continued his examination, Su Changqing discovered something strange within his body.
At his dantian, there was unexpectedly a golden orb. It lay quietly within his dantian, utterly unmoving. All the spiritual energy in his body flowed toward it, and after being refined by it, that spiritual energy became even purer and more concentrated.