Qian Renxue was shocked, but her hands never slowed.
"Interesting."
"Looks like you really haven't been slacking off these past two years."
Excitement flared in Qian Renxue's eyes.
She stopped holding back.
Golden Soul Power surged over her body, and a faint golden glow shrouded the wooden sword in her hand.
Her assault instantly grew fiercer.
Chop, thrust, lift, sweep.
Her sword moves came one after another, a raging storm sweeping toward Lin Qiu.
The courtyard was filled with golden sword shadows.
At their center, Lin Qiu was like a fallen leaf tossed about in a tempest.
No matter how fierce the storm, he always moved with the wind, narrowly evading each attack.
Or he would give a light flick of his wooden sword, effortlessly dissolving Qian Renxue's assault.
The feeling was so strange.
Lin Qiu didn't even need to use the divine power within him.
The instincts bestowed upon him by the Dao Scripture alone were enough to handle it with ease.
This was a dimensional beatdown.
In the Shrouding Heavens World, combat techniques prized simplicity, cutting straight to the heart of the Great Dao.
By comparison, the sword moves of Douluo Continent seemed far too flashy to him.
Riddled with openings.
If he'd wanted to, he could have struck a fatal blow at least ten times just now.
But he hadn't.
After all, he was indulging his older sister. He had to let her enjoy herself.
The two traded blows, battling through dozens of exchanges in the courtyard.
The longer Qian Renxue fought, the more alarmed she became.
She felt as if she were punching cotton.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't land a solid hit.
Lin Qiu was like a slippery loach, impossible to catch.
"Can you do anything besides dodge?"
Qian Renxue was getting impatient.
She abruptly retreated a step, putting some distance between them.
Then she took a deep breath, gripped her sword with both hands, and raised it high.
Soul Power poured furiously into the wooden sword.
Though it was only a wooden sword, under the infusion of Soul Power it rang out with a crisp sword hum.
"Take this!"
Qian Renxue cried out.
Her sword came crashing down.
The strike was as imposing as a rainbow.
It sealed off every avenue of escape for Lin Qiu.
Lin Qiu looked at the mighty sword strike and narrowed his eyes slightly.
That should do it.
If we keep going, I'll give myself away.
I need to let this girl taste a little victory, then turn the tables.
With that in mind,
Lin Qiu deliberately stumbled.
He seemed to have run out of strength and lost his footing.
His body lurched to the left.
The stumble conveniently exposed an opening at his right shoulder.
Qian Renxue's eyes lit up.
An opening!
So this kid really is running out of stamina.
Her heart leapt with joy.
The sword she had been bringing down changed direction in midair.
With a turn of her wrist, she swung the blade toward Lin Qiu's right shoulder.
She only wanted to win, not hurt him.
"Hehe!"
"Little brother, you lost!"
A victorious smile spread across Qian Renxue's face.
It shone like spring sunlight, touched with a hint of smugness and a hint of slyness.
The wooden sword was just about to smack Lin Qiu's shoulder.
Just then,
the panic in Lin Qiu's eyes vanished, leaving them calm as still water.
His stumbling motion flowed into a strange sliding step.
Like a ghost, he darted straight into Qian Renxue's arms.
Too fast.
So fast that Qian Renxue's thoughts froze for an instant.
Then,
she felt a cool touch at her throat.
It was the tip of a wooden sword.
It was now resting steadily against her throat.
Meanwhile, her own sword had missed its mark when she failed to change its direction in time.
Time seemed to stop.
The courtyard fell utterly silent.
Only the wind rustled through the leaves.
Qian Renxue froze in place, still holding her sword in mid-swing.
Her beautiful eyes were wide with shock.
She stared at Lin Qiu, who was right in front of her.
Lin Qiu held the wooden sword, its tip resting lightly against her snowy-white neck. The slightest pressure would pierce her skin.
He looked up.
His dark, clear eyes were full of laughter.
"Big sister."
"Looks like you lost this time."
His voice was soft.
But in Qian Renxue's ears, it rang like thunder.
She had lost?
She had actually lost?
To a little brat who hadn't even awakened his Martial Soul?
And after she'd unleashed all her Soul Power and had nearly won?
Qian Renxue's mind went completely blank.
Several seconds passed before she came to her senses.
That stumble just now... was fake!
It was a trap!
That kid deliberately left an opening to lure me in!
A surge of embarrassment and indignation welled up inside her.
Qian Renxue's cheeks flushed in an instant.
The blush reached all the way to her ears.
"You... you tricked me!"
Qian Renxue slapped away the wooden sword at her throat and glared angrily at Lin Qiu.
"Anything goes in war."
Lin Qiu withdrew his wooden sword and grinned.
"Besides, big sister, you let your guard down just now."
"If this were a battlefield, your enemy wouldn't give you a chance to regret it."
He had a point.
But Qian Renxue still couldn't swallow her pride.
She was the esteemed young mistress of Spirit Hall, a genius with Innate Full Soul Power at rank twenty.
And she'd been tricked by a little boy.
If word got out, where would that leave her pride?
"I refuse to accept it!"
Qian Renxue gritted her teeth and raised her wooden sword again.
"I just let my guard down."
"It doesn't count."
"Again!"
"This time, I absolutely won't fall for it!"
She looked so indignant, like a little cat with its fur standing on end.
Proud, yet adorable.
Lin Qiu only shook his head.
He tossed the wooden sword in his hand onto the weapon rack.
"No more, no more."
"I'm exhausted."
"You're a Soul Master, and you've got so much stamina. I can't keep up with you."
"If we keep going, I'll collapse from exhaustion."
As he spoke, Lin Qiu pretended to pound his lower back.
Not a chance.
Winning once is enough.
If we keep going and really get this girl riled up, she might unleash her Martial Soul and use a Soul Skill. Then I'll have a headache.
Seeing that Lin Qiu absolutely refused to fight again,
Qian Renxue stamped her foot in frustration.
"You scoundrel!"
"What kind of skill is it to win and then run away?"
She dropped her wooden sword and rushed up to Lin Qiu in three quick strides.
She reached out with both hands and grabbed his head.
Then she ruffled his hair wildly.
"Hmph!"
"That's for tricking me!"
"That's for deceiving me!"
"Let's see if you dare to do it again!"
Qian Renxue messed up Lin Qiu's neatly combed hair until it looked like a bird's nest.
Seeing his disheveled state, she finally felt a little of her frustration fade.
"Hehe."
Lin Qiu didn't fight back, letting her bully him.
He just wore that silly grin on his face.
Qian Renxue looked at his smiling face, and her hands gradually stopped moving.
She looked at Lin Qiu.
Her expression grew complicated.
She wouldn't admit it aloud.
But deep down, she knew perfectly well.
The speed and reflexes Lin Qiu had shown with that last strike were beyond what an ordinary person could manage.
Even most Soul Masters couldn't do it.
This kid...
What kind of monster was he?
He was already this strong before awakening his Martial Soul.
What would happen once he awakened it?
"You really are an annoying guy."
Before you continue