The moment he spoke, the whole crowd erupted!
The disciples watching looked at one another, all thinking they had misheard Xiao Bai.
Even Mu Yun was startled.
Anyone who did not know better would have thought some hidden master stood before them!
She swept her divine sense over Xiao Bai for quite a while and confirmed that he had not even reached Qi Condensation, possessing only Fetal Breath Second Layer cultivation. There merely seemed to be some of their master's medicinal power outside his dantian wall.
Heart-Returning Powder...
Could that be why he had chosen to fight?
"Are you sure you choose to fight?"
The girl still could not believe it.
Not until Xiao Bai drew the talisman-covered sword at his waist.
"To be precise, we are comparing swordsmanship."
A flying sword covered in talismans?
The watching disciples exchanged glances, barely holding back their laughter.
Even the Onmyoji, who had been observing from afar at the Pill Pavilion, hurried over to mediate.
Leaning close to Xiao Bai's ear, she whispered softly:
"Martial Granduncle, this sword is mainly for Sword Riding Flight. It gives you no advantage in battle."
Xiao Bai shuddered as he heard her.
He had to admit, this girl's whispering voice... was far too sultry.
Disgusting.
Xiao Bai remained calm and unruffled, still as a mountain. He waved his hand.
"I don't need an advantage. As long as the sword does not hold me back, that is enough."
"..."
The Onmyoji choked on her words and could say nothing.
Mu Yun found it a little strange. Xiao Bai seemed to have some confidence.
"Are there no additional conditions for your battle?"
Xiao Bai nodded.
"Since I have not yet begun Qi Refining, we will only compare sword techniques... Senior Sister, can you seal your cultivation to the Fetal Breath Realm?"
"That is very fair."
Mu Yun guessed that this fellow must have had some foundation in swordsmanship before entering the sect.
Perhaps he had even been part of Chaoge City's Imperial Guard reserve.
Among the Imperial Guard, many Mortal Experts believed cultivators could only bully others with spiritual pressure, that swordsmanship was merely an embroidered pillow, and that swordsmanship without spiritual power was no match for the Imperial Guard.
She had once thought the same.
Until she began cultivating...
The boost spiritual power gave to one's understanding of swordsmanship was carved into every inch of the body's sinews and bones.
Even with spiritual power sealed, those sinews and bones would not forget. Her swordsmanship could still crush Mortal Experts with ease.
With that in mind, she solemnly warned Xiao Bai:
"Do not think my swordsmanship is only for sewing clothes and hoeing fields. I will poke you full of holes before you even feel pain."
Well, well. You were skilled in the Butcher's Sword Technique too?
Xiao Bai's confidence suddenly soared.
If Senior Sister had used some other sword technique against him, he truly would have been somewhat afraid.
But if they were comparing the Butcher's Sword Technique, hehehe...
"Then please, Senior Sister, show mercy."
Xiao Bai clasped his hands in a respectful salute, every inch the gentleman.
Mu Yun pursed her thin lips and drew her sword with a flourish.
"Begin."
Seeing that they could not stop Martial Granduncle from making a fool of himself, the Onmyoji could only lay out detailed rules for stopping at the proper point—
First, using cultivation above Fetal Breath counted as a loss.
Second, any part of the body leaving the designated battle area counted as a loss.
Third, drawing blood counted as a loss.
Fourth, falling to the ground counted as a loss.
Fifth, admitting defeat counted as a loss.
At this moment, most disciples of Hundred Herbs Peak had gathered in the Hundred Herbs Garden, sitting cross-legged atop the pavilions to watch from afar.
Everyone felt the outcome was already decided. No one was nervous, and the atmosphere was fairly harmonious.
At the center of the plaza, the Onmyoji used a blue-green light seal to mark out a square arena ten zhang across.
At the center of the arena.
The sword match had already begun.
Blades flashed, sword shadows danced.
Two weaklings pecking at each other.
Even after sealing her cultivation to Fetal Breath Second Layer, Mu Yun's waist and arm strength and the agility of her movement technique far surpassed Xiao Bai's.
Nor did she limit herself to the Butcher's Sword Technique. Instead, she interwove several different sword techniques.
Xiao Bai could only endure in silence.
He kept a low profile, never showing his hand. His movement technique barely evaded Mu Yun's blade, and several patches of his clothes had already been slashed apart.
The Onmyoji narrowed her eyes slightly, giving nothing away.
The spectators all thought Senior Sister Mu Yun was teasing Martial Granduncle, playing him until he was miserable enough before determining the victor.
Yet Mu Yun was not going easy on him.
She began using the Butcher's Sword Technique more frequently.
Her mist-green skirt fluttered like bamboo leaves, her bamboo shoes tapping out hoofbeats, her petite figure dancing gracefully like a bee or butterfly.
Especially those smooth, slender white silk stockings, which dazzled Xiao Bai until he could barely keep his eyes open, forcing him all the way into the southwestern corner.
Just as one might say it was slow, it happened in a flash!
Xiao Bai suddenly spun and leapt, unleashing the Butcher's Sword Technique at the perfect realm from an overlooked angle—
His sword pierced through the girl's thin, mist-green blouse beneath her chest.
It also pierced through her petite body...
The sword aimed at the same spot on Xiao Bai stopped.
The Bluestone Plaza fell deathly silent.
A gust of wind passed, yet the plaza remained utterly silent, as though the air had frozen solid once more.
The watching disciples atop the pavilions were collectively dumbfounded.
How was that possible...
The Onmyoji still had her eyes slightly narrowed, but beneath that narrow slit, her gaze churned with undercurrents.
The girl's proud, delicate face froze in an instant.
This was the first time someone had pierced her body.
She did not bleed.
Nor did she feel pain.
—There was no doubt about it. This was the Butcher's Sword Technique!
Though there had been an element of surprise, in terms of the Butcher's Sword Technique alone, this man's swordsmanship was likely above hers.
Could this be why Master had chosen him?
Xiao Bai withdrew his sword.
Though the hole in the girl's body did not bleed, the blade was stained bright red.
A white sword went in; a red sword came out.
He had won!
Xiao Bai sheathed his sword and clasped his hands in salute.
"Senior Sister, thank you for letting me win."
Up in the pavilions, the watching disciples thought it over and still felt Senior Sister had gone easy on him. After all, she did not seem to be in pain at all.
Perhaps their master had secretly instructed her to establish the new Martial Granduncle's authority.
Yet when they thought of it that way, they sensed their master's deep love for the young Martial Granduncle...
Damn it, now they were even more jealous!
Xiao Bai sheathed his sword and bent down. Seeing that Senior Sister Mu Yun had not moved for a long time, he asked:
"Senior Sister, where are my clothes?"
When he looked up, Senior Sister's proud eyes had suddenly reddened, as though tears and fury had intertwined within them.
Mu Yun lowered her head to stare at Xiao Bai's stomach, and the spiritual pressure she had been suppressing burst forth!
Her little Bai had died beneath this man's Butcher's Sword Technique, and she still had not fully digested him...
Xiao Bai was still immersed in the joy of victory and had momentarily forgotten about the rabbit.
He thought his strike had wounded either Senior Sister's pride or her body.
He hurriedly held her petite shoulders, asking with concern:
"Senior Sister, what is wrong?"
That touch was no small matter. It was as though heaven and earth changed color in an instant, and the spiritual pressure that had nearly driven the girl berserk suddenly deflated.
Mu Yun's ears grew hot. Her expression turned strange, and she violently shook off Xiao Bai's hand.
As if struggling to restrain something, she said nothing and turned to return to her cave abode.
Xiao Bai: ???
I have noticed that every time I write a tsundere-type Female Lead, people criticize her. But it is fine—chapters 69–70 will punish her severely!
Before you continue