As the tips of his hair fluttered in the scorching fire snakes rushing toward him, the Azure Edge Sword on Bai Yi's back trembled violently.
Buzz!
The sword rang as it left its sheath. Just as the fire snakes were about to reach Bai Yi, a streak of azure light struck first and severed them in half.
Bang...
The sparks burst apart and scattered, then went out on either side of Bai Yi.
Beneath the veil of sparks, a violent aura erupted from Bai Xiaojing. She formed a Dao Seal with both hands, and rich fire Spiritual Power gathered into blazing flames that curled around her.
"Fury Art-Blazing Flame Seal."
A smug look appeared in Bai Xiaojing's eyes. Though she had Five Spiritual Roots, her sensitivity to fire Spiritual Power was the highest among the Five Elements.
On top of that, she had the Fury Art, a Qi Refining Higher Vehicle technique with considerable power. At school, she had defeated her fair share of upperclassmen.
As Spiritual Power surged, the Dao Seal pressed downward.
The flames around her swelled and burst forth once more, faintly gathering into a Blazing Flame Palm Seal that came crashing down with her movement.
Amid the surging flames, strands of Dao Resonance stirred the world around them, boosting the flames' power by several notches.
As her primary fire-type Dao technique, the Fury Art had already reached Dao Resonance Minor Accomplishment. With a flip of her palm, she could spread raging fire across the ground.
The surging sea of flames sent waves of heat rolling out, as if scorching the air. Wrapped in scarlet fire, the Blazing Flame Seal swept down.
"What an impressive fire technique."
Feeling the might of the sea of flames, Bai Yi merely marveled inwardly. He had to admit, Bai Xiaojing was now strong enough to rank among the top ten Third Year of High School students at No. 2 Middle School.
"Still, it's too scattered."
Bai Yi's gaze sharpened, and fierce Sword Qi burst from his body. The Azure Peak Sword shimmered as it coiled around him like a winding dragon. The Sword Qi it unleashed stirred up gusts of wind, severing and blocking all the scarlet flames sweeping toward him.
The sword rang out!
A streak of light flashed. Dao Resonance followed the Azure Peak Sword, and countless sword gleams gathered along its blade, forming a phantom Sword Gang that charged straight at the advancing Blazing Flame Seal.
Firelight flickered. Continuous Clearwind Sword Qi pierced the Blazing Flame Palm Seal like fine threads, snuffing out the flames strand by strand.
A flash of cold light!
The sword light drove straight through the Blazing Flame Palm Seal. Bai Xiaojing's expression turned panicked, and she hurriedly urged the Fury Art, firing one burst of scarlet flame after another to try to stop it.
Facing the scarlet flames Bai Xiaojing hastily sent to block him, Bai Yi remained calm. Amid the gentle breeze, the Azure Peak Sword drifted and slipped past them with ease. As Bai Xiaojing watched in terror, it came to a stop at her throat.
In the biting chill, two strands of black hair slowly fell before her.
"You let me win."
At Bai Yi's thought, the light faded from the Azure Peak Sword. Like a swallow returning to its nest, it flew back to him, circled once, and slipped into its scabbard.
"How could this happen..."
"Didn't our teacher say that sword cultivators were only middle-of-the-road in the Immortal Alliance..."
Watching the sword light fade with her own eyes, Bai Xiaojing's surging fire Spiritual Power died away. She looked completely dazed.
Just one sword!
The Blazing Flame Palm Seal she had been so proud of had been instantly crushed. She hadn't even been able to do anything when the sword light reached her.
Such a crushing defeat...
"Your older brother Bai Yi's Sword Qi and Spiritual Power are contained and solid, while the world's Spiritual Energy drawn in by his perfected Dao Resonance boosts the power of his sword gleams several times over."
"Your Blazing Flame Palm Seal may look overwhelming, but your Spiritual Power and Dao Resonance are scattered. That's why it crumbled to pieces in an instant beneath that one strike."
Bai Luo walked over to Bai Xiaojing. He glanced at Bai Yi, who seemed completely unruffled, quietly suppressed his own shock, and comforted her.
He had to admit, even though he had anticipated this, he hadn't expected Bai Yi's command of sword techniques to have reached such a level. His daughter's Blazing Flame Palm Seal was indeed rather scattered.
But even at the same cultivation level, with a Qi Refining Higher Vehicle technique at Dao Resonance Minor Accomplishment, it had been broken through with a single sword, and she hadn't even had time to react.
If this had been a fight to the death, she would probably already have lost her head.
What a pity.
Bailuo sighed inwardly; if Bai Yi had been born into the main family, passing the preliminary selection for the Four Academies and Ten Palaces would have been all but certain, and he might even have truly entered one of the Ten Palaces.
The VIP membership reading experience has been optimized. Tap the middle of the screen to bring up the menu, where you can easily "Settings," "Previous Page," "Next Page," or "Back to Top."
After taking care of everything, Bai Luo prepared to leave with Bai Xiaojing, whose eyes were red.
Just before leaving, Bai Luo seemed to think of something. He turned back to Bai Yi and said seriously, "Do your utmost to pass the Four Academies and Ten Palaces Preliminary Exam."
"Even if it's only the preliminary exam, crossing that threshold means the difference between heaven and the abyss!"
"Thank you for the reminder, Uncle Luo."
Watching Bai Luo and his daughter leave, the smile on Bai Yi's face slowly faded, replaced by a grave and serious expression.
Though it had looked as if he had won the fight with overwhelming ease,
Bai Xiaojing was only a new First Year of High School student who had just entered Advanced Dao Studies. Even so, he hadn't had the slightest advantage in cultivation level.
In fact, if the Dao-Deriving Mirror hadn't appeared, he probably would have been no match for this younger sister of his.
If Bai Xiaojing was already this strong as a First Year of High School student, how formidable were the Third Year of High School students at Muyuan City No. 1 Middle School, where she studied?
"I have to raise my cultivation level as quickly as possible."
"I also need to speed up nurturing my Enlightenment Glimmer!"
Bai Yi glanced at the balance of over two hundred thousand in his Terminal. After exchanging a few words with his parents, he turned and entered the Cultivation Room.
Night hung overhead.
In the Cultivation Room, the Spiritual Energy surging around Bai Yi settled. He opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of white mist.
With four hours in the Cultivation Pagoda, his Spiritual Power accumulated somewhat faster.
But without taking a Qi-Boosting Pill, it was impossible for him to break through to Qi Refining Fifth Layer in two months.
"It all depends on how things go tonight."
Bai Yi made his calculations inwardly. A pill worth fifty thousand Spirit Value Coins would naturally be better taken after the Minor Five Elements Art advanced further.
[Time: 22:09]
"About time. I should get going."
He glanced down at the time on the Terminal on his wrist, then stood and walked out of the Cultivation Room.
Wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, Bai Yi told his parents he was going out to get some fresh air. Then he left the residential complex, flagged down an Unmanned Special-Frequency Car, and headed straight for the southernmost part of Lanshan City.
The car sped along, and the brightly lit streets gradually grew dim.
The buildings on either side of the road were dilapidated. Damaged, mottled neon signs flickered on and off, while sparks from short-circuiting wires added a few more points of light.
One after another, electric vehicles from the old era, as ancient as antiques, were overtaken. Shouts of taunting came from inside them.
Crackle...
[You have entered the Old District. Please obey city regulations.]
In the air above, numerous hovering surveillance drones darted through the various neighborhoods like dragonflies. Red warning projections shone into the depths of the corners.
More than ten minutes later, the unmanned car pulled into the station.
A faint smell of urine drifted in the breeze. The stench of rust mixed with an inexplicable smell of sewers, making Bai Yi wrinkle his nose.
He took a mask from his pocket, put it on, and got out of the car, walking into the platform.
Before he could even step inside, several men with metal chains hanging all over them stood beside the metal pillar in the middle of the platform. They eagerly tossed aside the powder-filled cigarettes in their mouths and staggered toward Bai Yi.
"Well, well, a young master who rode here in a special car."
"Your buddies haven't eaten in ages. How about you help us out?"
The man at the front sneered at Bai Yi. Beneath the dim lights, his raised right arm was clearly a metal prosthetic, while his black left eye had been replaced by a mechanical eye that emitted a red scanning beam.
Several men behind him who had also undergone mechanical modifications immediately crowded around.
The VIP membership reading experience has been optimized. Tap the middle of the screen to bring up the menu, where you can easily "Settings," "Previous Page," "Next Page," or "Back to Top."
Before you continue