After the white-robed young man's sword strike, the merfolk vanished without a trace. Just as he was about to set off in pursuit, he suddenly seemed to sense something and turned to look in Song Zhizhi's direction.
Author's Note:
Female Lead: I want to become the strongest woman in the Cultivation World!
Dao of Heaven: The strongest woman in the Cultivation World? Received!
Selection Begins
Song Zhizhi's brow twitched. Before he could look over, she slammed the window shut with a bang.
Her instincts told her she could not let him see her.
Sword Venerable Mingxiao's cold phoenix eyes swept across the silent Ten Thousand Swords City. A cultivator of his level was extremely sensitive to auras. Just moments ago, he had sensed a familiar trace of one.
Was it her? An image surfaced unbidden in Sword Venerable Mingxiao's mind: a slender, frail-looking figure, seemingly weak and languid, yet carrying a streak of stubbornness deep in her bones.
But when he turned to search for her, he found nothing.
Was it an illusion?
Sword Venerable Mingxiao frowned. He put away his natal sword and was about to enter the city to search when he suddenly received a voice transmission from the Sect Master.
"Junior Brother, Sea Demon Tides have erupted in Extreme Sea City. The locals have sought help from the Sword Sect. Go deal with it at once."
Sword Venerable Mingxiao halted at the city entrance. Putting away his Communication Stone, he turned and departed from Ten Thousand Swords City on Sword Flight.
Cold moonlight spilled over his ink-black hair. One man, one sword—his back was cold and lonely, touched with a thread of solitude.
Song Zhizhi knew nothing of any of this. After witnessing what had happened outside the city, she could no longer sleep, so she sat cross-legged on her bed and cultivated diligently.
With her eyes closed, the white-robed man's sword strike replayed in her mind again and again. It looked simple, yet it contained countless marvelous transformations. Unconsciously, she began to simulate its opening stance, angle, force...
She seemed to gain some insight, and the spiritual energy around her began circulating much faster.
The next morning, she went downstairs for breakfast. She listened deliberately for a while, but did not hear anyone discussing what had happened the night before.
There had been such a huge commotion last night. Had none of them heard it?
Though Song Zhizhi heard no one talking about last night, she did witness some juicy gossip on the street: a scumbag cheating on his fiancée, getting caught by her, and causing a scene right there in public.
After wandering around outside, Song Zhizhi returned to the inn, only to run into that quarrelling engaged couple again in the inn's corridor.
The red-clad female cultivator pointed at the blue-clad man's nose and cursed, "Zhang Xing, how long have you been fooling around with that bitch surnamed Bai? If I hadn't seen you hugging each other today, would I still be getting fooled by you two like an idiot?"
Zhang Xing frowned impatiently. "Chang Fei, is it interesting for you to make such a fuss for no reason? I already told you, Bai Qian and I are only ordinary senior and junior disciples. Her cultivation has not been going smoothly lately. I hugged her to comfort her. I see her as a younger sister. Can you stop making our relationship sound so filthy?"
"Enough! Zhang Xing, do you think I believe your nonsense? I'm going back to tell my father about this right now! Our engagement is void. From now on, you marry your wife and I marry my husband—we'll have nothing to do with each other!"
"Can you stop making trouble?" Zhang Xing's face was full of disgust. "You only have a Triple Spirit Root. You're spoiled, temperamental, and unable to endure hardship. Other than me, who else would be willing to marry you? Our engagement was arranged by both families' parents. Your Liu Household only has what it does today because of my Zhang Household. It isn't something you can cancel just because you say so."
"Isn't it just because you're jealous that Junior Sister Bai is prettier and gentler than you? Fine, I'll keep my distance from her in the future."
Hearing Zhang Xing's textbook scumbag PUA tactics, Song Zhizhi's blood pressure shot up. Then she saw the red-clad girl's face filled with pain and hesitation, as though Zhang Xing's words had her firmly in his grasp.
Unable to hold back, she stepped forward. "Sister, don't think a scumbag like this will change. If there isn't Junior Sister Bai today, there'll be Junior Sister Wang or Junior Sister Li tomorrow. A man can't change his wandering heart, just as a dog can't stop eating shit."
Zhang Xing stared at Song Zhizhi with a dark expression. "Who are you calling a dog?"
Song Zhizhi glanced at him and gave a light snort. "Whoever reacts the biggest is the one."
She turned to the girl. "Sister, don't let him scare you. Your happiness matters more than anything. A scumbag like this deserves a kick straight out the door. He isn't even married to you yet, and he already dares to flirt around right in front of you. He clearly doesn't take you seriously. And you still expect a man like that to support your Lineage?"
The girl clenched her fists, enlightenment flashing through her eyes. She said to Song Zhizhi, "You're right! I'll tell my father right away and have him come annul the engagement. A man like this isn't worth keeping!"
An anxious look appeared on Zhang Xing's face. "Fei'er, don't listen to her nonsense, I..."
Slap! Before Zhang Xing could finish, the girl swung her hand across his face. "Get lost!"
"You!" Zhang Xing covered his face in disbelief, instinctively raising his hand to strike back.
Song Zhizhi stepped in front of the girl. "What are you trying to do? Cause trouble in Ten Thousand Swords City? Let me tell you, an Enforcement Squad is patrolling right downstairs from this inn. Do you really want to make trouble?"
Fighting was forbidden within Ten Thousand Swords City. Those who broke the rule would be seized by the enforcers, sent to mine, and then driven out of Ten Thousand Swords City.
Zhang Xing gritted his teeth and stared at Song Zhizhi with a sinister gaze for several seconds. At last, he flicked his sleeve and left. "Just you wait!"
Song Zhizhi was not afraid at all. She would not leave the city gates for the next half month—was Zhang Xing going to keep waiting for her forever?
After Zhang Xing left, the girl took a deep breath, composed herself, and thanked Song Zhizhi.
Song Zhizhi did not take the incident to heart.
Time passed quickly while cultivating. In the blink of an eye, the day of the selection had arrived.
On the morning of the selection, Song Zhizhi happened to break through the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining and enter the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining.
The Sword Sect's selection accepted disciples aged fifteen and above, regardless of their Spiritual Root. In other words, even those with Five Spirit Roots could participate.
On the day of the selection, Ten Thousand Swords City was utterly deserted. The Sword Sect removed its mountain-protecting grand formation, and without its concealment, Song Zhizhi discovered that the Sword Sect's mountain gate stood not far outside the city.
Looking out from Ten Thousand Swords City's gates, several towering, magnificent peaks shrouded in clouds and mist within the Sword Sect could be seen clearly. Several Sword Cultivators in white disciple robes flew back and forth among the peaks on flying swords, their movements drifting like clouds and flowing like water.
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