"Fourth Senior Brother—no, Zhang Hanxiao. You've lost."
Li Qingran looked down at the motionless figure on the ground.
All the resentment that had been festering in her heart dispersed with those words. She felt free—lighter than she had in years.
The entire sect square was silent.
Everyone stood frozen, wide-eyed.
Qi Refining perfection realm… defeated Foundation Establishment mid-stage?
Even if Zhang Hanxiao only released his full power at the end, even if his sword was broken—
It still shouldn't have ended like this.
Sect Master Wu Duantian turned his stiff neck slowly toward Qingxuan Daoist.
"Elder Qingxuan, are you certain Li Qingran had her spiritual root removed and dantian destroyed?"
Back then, Wu had felt that the punishment had been too severe. But in Qingyun Sect, each peak handled its own affairs, and Qingxuan Daoist—being both the strongest elder and distantly connected to the Qingyun Patriarch—was given a wide berth. Wu had simply turned a blind eye.
Now, however, he was confused.
His personal disciple, Zhao Lingtian, had his dantian ruined.
His spiritual energy leaked uncontrollably—completely powerless.
How could Li Qingran, with a similarly destroyed dantian, defeat a Foundation Establishment cultivator?
Qingxuan Daoist didn't answer.
His eyes locked tightly onto Li Qingran.
What shocked him wasn't just her combat strength, but also her mastery of the Minor Formless Sword.
He still remembered how she had asked him for guidance countless times.
But her sword comprehension was poor.
He had explained several times, but she just couldn't grasp it.
Eventually, he'd lost patience and told her to figure it out herself—or go ask Lu Changtian.
When she left Chixiao Peak, she had only achieved minor accomplishment in the sword technique.
Yet now—
She could execute Tree Shadows in the Wind, the ninth and most difficult form. That meant at least major accomplishment!
Even though Minor Formless Sword was only a low-tier profound-rank technique, no one should be able to improve that fast in just a few months.
"Senior Brother Zhang!"
"Fourth Senior Brother!"
Lu Changtian and the others rushed forward.
Yun Zimo lifted Zhang's upper body.
Xiao Yifeng quickly popped a healing pill into Zhang's mouth and began circulating energy to help him.
Mu Baishuang clung to Zhang's chest, tears streaming down like falling petals.
"S-Senior Brother, this is my fault… I shouldn't have accepted your sword… If you had your sword, this wouldn't have happened…"
But in her heart—
Thank the heavens he gave me that sword.
If he'd used it, it would've ended the same way.
At least now, she still had it.
Her gaze flicked toward Li Qingran—then to the sword in her hand.
That was no ordinary weapon.
She felt a chill creeping up her spine.
What happened to Li Qingran?
Who exactly is the cultivator standing behind her?
Would that mysterious expert see through her disguise?
No. She couldn't afford to be exposed.
Her Young Lord had little time left. She had to gamble everything to win him another chance.
If he could break through, and the slumbering ancestor awakened again, they still had hope!
She whispered three times in her heart:
Stay low. Stay low. Stay low.
Then she got up from Zhang Hanxiao's chest, lowered her head, and hid behind Lu Changtian, sobbing quietly.
---
"Li Qingran, you've gone too far," Lu Changtian accused coldly.
"Zhang Hanxiao was still your senior brother once—how could you go so hard on him?"
"Too far?"
Li Qingran spread her hands and shook her head.
"I'm just a Qi Refining cultivator, not even Foundation Establishment. Hurting him was already beyond my limit. What—do you think I was capable of leaving him unconscious and half-dead?"
Lu Changtian opened his mouth… and said nothing.
He turned to look at the "unconscious" Zhang Hanxiao.
The man's face was red as a brick.
Clearly not unconscious.
Yes, his injuries were serious—but far from life-threatening.
He just didn't want to accept the fact that he had lost to Li Qingran.
---
"Li Qingran… has your dantian recovered?"
The voice came coldly from Qingxuan Daoist, who had been silent until now.
Everyone from Chixiao Peak froze.
Mu Baishuang peeked out from behind Lu Changtian.
Li Qingran gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, holding her sword's scabbard with one hand, eyes lowered to the ground.
A faint blush crept up her neck to her ears.
"Thanks to a senior's kindness, I've been able to restore my dantian."
No longer cold and composed—she suddenly looked shy and gentle, like a young girl with a secret.
No one noticed—except Mu Baishuang, who narrowed her eyes.
Women knew women best.
She didn't know what had happened to Li Qingran during her absence—
But she could see it.
Li Qingran had developed feelings for the mysterious cultivator.
The real question was: what were his intentions toward her?
That… could be trouble.
If that senior was also after Li Qingran's rare Taiyin Physique,
what chance would Mu Baishuang have of competing?
She bit her lip and her eyes darted, hatching a plan.
---
"Senior Sister Qingran…"
She stepped out timidly, voice soft and sweet:
"I heard from Master that the only pill capable of restoring a broken dantian is the legendary 'Primordial Mending Pill.' It's said to be lost to time… If someone gave it to you, could they be using that as a disguise—to take advantage of you for something else…?"
"Silence!"
Before she finished, a surging killing intent struck like a tidal wave, cutting her off.
Li Qingran's hand clenched tightly on the Su Xian Sword. Her knuckles turned white, her body trembled slightly.
"That senior's kindness to me is beyond measure. You think you can just slander him?"
Mu Baishuang paled and backed away.
"I—I didn't mean that, Senior Sister! I just… I was worried about you…"
Sshhhhhnk—!
The sound of a sword unsheathing sliced the air.
Li Qingran's head was down, a strand of hair fluttering beside her cheek.
Her sword was drawn.
A single slash of light flew straight toward Mu Baishuang's throat.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
It was a kill move.
Mu Baishuang didn't flinch.
She simply closed her eyes like a frightened flower.
Because she knew—
Someone would move before she needed to.
That way, her real identity wouldn't be exposed.
Clang—!
As expected, the strike was intercepted.
Mu Baishuang opened her eyes.
Yun Zimo, Chixiao Peak's third inner disciple, stood before her.
His blade blocked Li Qingran's.
Li Qingran looked at him—
A man who once protected her.
Now glaring at her with hatred and disgust.
How… ironic.
But she no longer cared.
She didn't live for any of them anymore.
She lived for herself.
She was no longer anyone's little junior sister.
No longer Chixiao Peak's discarded disciple.
She was not someone's this or that.
If her life was meant to bloom—
It would only bloom for him.
Her fingers brushed the sword tassel gently.
The icy fire in her eyes rose once more, ignited by every painful memory flashing past.
Her lips curved into a cold smile.
"Yun Zimo…" she said calmly.
"Since you've stepped forward—"
"Let's start with you."
"The reckoning continues."