"You're right, Master... it feels similar to that man's."
The Dragon Queen had calmed down enough to observe more carefully now, and she caught something strange about the wild boar. Its magic power was flowing from within, slowly healing the faint wound on its back left by Sword Master Zheng Renyi.
"Mm... though similar, the way they use power is different from yours."
Bai Fanxian suspected that demonic beasts had their own cultivation paths. Among those she'd encountered, some used qi like the Dragon Queen, while the creature before her fought with magic power.
Comparing the two would be pointless. Each had its own principles and distinct strengths.
From studying Barbatos and now watching this boar's fighting style, she was beginning to form a clearer picture of magic's strengths.
Magic was a discipline focused on "external" release. Summoning fireballs, raising stone pillars — the kind of thing this giant boar was doing. She guessed it worked by releasing mana to respond to the world's life force, then shaping that energy into elemental attacks.
Qi, by contrast, worked "internally." Cultivators could only release qi from their bodies at Martial Master level and above. They absorbed life force to build energy currents within themselves, which made them stronger in close combat and in using qi to enhance their physical power.
Still, that was only speculation. If magic users pushed their training to the peak, those distinctions would probably cease to matter. They could surely reach a level where they could clash with Semi-Immortals as equals.
"Will those two really be okay?"
Little Red couldn't help asking. While they talked, Liu Yianfei and Zheng Renyi were down on the beach fighting that giant creature at full capacity.
"...They're fine. They can still handle it." Bai Fanxian sized them up and went back to her tea. Fighting opponents at your own level is how fighters grow. Besides, since those two reached Sage, they'd been getting a little too comfortable.
"Hmph!"
On the beach, Liu Yianfei moved like flickering light, weaving through small sand bullets shooting up from the ground. The boar was skilled with earth element abilities. Every stomp released another spell. He dodged an earth spear lunging at him and sent back a sword wave.
CRASH!
Before it reached the boar, the creature roared and raised both front feet into the air. It stomped down with full force, raising a thick wall of earth to shield against all attacks.
"...Purify."
Liu Yianfei's Intent surged. His sword wave blazed brilliant white and slammed into the earth wall. The wall, reinforced by the wild boar's magic power, crumbled almost instantly. More importantly, the attack had penetrated its thick, hard fur!
SNORT!!
The giant beast roared in pain. It looked at the wound on its side with furious eyes. The beast had never expected an attack could actually penetrate its shield.
"That's excellent!"
Zheng Renyi called out. But Liu Yianfei, after releasing that tremendous burst of Intent, was already breathing heavily.
"...That was more tiring than I thought." He felt the power in his body drop by nearly half. He circulated his qi to recover while the Sword Master moved to the front to cover him.
"It seems like Intent is the only thing that can get through its armor."
Liu Yianfei voiced his theory. Zheng Renyi nodded. Normal Sage-level qi couldn't wound it at all.
The wild boar's eyes turned blood-red. The magic power churning around it grew violent and chaotic. Wind currents tore through the air, pulling dust and sand from the ground into a massive sandstorm with the beast at its center.
"This is bad... Master."
Little Red sensed the severity of what was coming and felt alarmed. For her and Master, it wouldn't matter. But those two Sages couldn't withstand power at this level.
This wasn't the time for slacking.
"..."
Bai Fanxian said nothing. The power level she was sensing was beyond what two beginner Sages could realistically handle. She readied herself to pull them out the moment the attack came in.
However —
"...Isn't this exciting?"
Sword Master Zheng Renyi tightened his grip on his sword. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he settled the sword at his waist and held it firm.
"If we need my lady to help this time, we'd be worthless." Liu Yianfei said the same. He sheathed his companion sword and moved to stand beside the old man, both of them facing the churning wall of magic power head-on.
Rumble...
Both their Intents erupted from their bodies at once, two qi waves surging into the air, one pure and one sharp, slowly merging according to their will.
The combined Intent crashed against the wild boar's magic waves. Neither side gave ground. The clash of energies made the entire island tremble.
SNORT!!
The wild boar roared at the sky. Its sandstorm rapidly expanded, drawing in seawater as it grew, swallowing the beach from view.
It glared fiercely at the two humans. These tiny creatures could actually wound it. The magic power within it exploded in layers, pushing the attack to greater severity. The boar prepared to crush its enemies to pieces.
However —
"...Sword Dance: First Form."
Liu Yianfei's voice rang out through the chaos. He drew his sword only halfway from the sheath. The blade blazed brilliant white. His body moved like a flash of light as he charged straight into the storm.
The moment it saw him coming, the wild boar thundered both front feet into the ground. The sandstorm lurched forward, aimed at tearing him apart.
"Purifying Light..."
Slash!
The sword — drawn only halfway — swung upward, the blade finally clearing the sheath in one full pull. A white sword wave split that fearsome sandstorm clean in two!
Yes, the storm was truly being cut in half!
The moment Liu Yianfei's blade touched the magic storm, the severed halves began to dissolve. The wind, the force, the magic power at its core — all of it faded almost simultaneously.
Meanwhile, Zheng Renyi had been watching from behind as the storm vanished at his companion's hand, a faint smile on his face. He had been standing perfectly still the whole time, as though resting. But the qi and Intent around him had been quietly draining away, bit by bit, until nothing remained. The old man simply stood on the beach, gripping the hilt of a sword that had yet to leave its sheath.
"Solitary Sword Intent…"
The wild boar stared in disbelief as its most devastating attack dissolved like smoke. Its fur stood on end. It whipped around toward Zheng Renyi, who had not a trace of qi left on his body.
An ordinary old man shouldn't have frightened it. But what it feared wasn't the man.
It was the sword in his hand.
SNORT!!
The wild boar turned and ran. Every instinct screamed that the next attack was something it could not survive. However —
"Sever."
Flash!
The instant the boar looked away from the Sword Master, it felt as though the world had split in two. It tried to take a step forward and keep running — but it couldn't. Because its massive body, ten meters tall, had been cleaved in half!
Those blood-red eyes widened. Its final thoughts were nothing but confused bewilderment as the massive body went rigid and fell.
Liu Yianfei and Zheng Renyi looked at each other. They had done it — defeated a high-level magic demonic beast on their own.
A year ago, they would have thought this was nothing but a dream. They had "her" to thank for letting them both reach this point.
Thud.
But before either could say a word, both their bodies gave out at once, crumpling without managing to catch themselves. Liu Yianfei went down backward into the water with a splash. Zheng Renyi went face-first into the ground, planting directly in the dirt.
"Grandpa!"
Mei Ying rushed down to her grandfather with a shocked expression. Zheng Renyi looked miserable, and couldn't move a single muscle — he'd used up everything. Tang Yeye and Hui'er hurried over too, working together to "salvage" the two helpless adults before the surging seawater could wash them offshore.
"..."
"...Are these two finally proving themselves?"
The Dragon Queen couldn't help saying it. She flapped her small wings and glided down to the beach. Coming from someone like her, it wasn't flattery. She was genuinely impressed.
That Purifying Light, capable of dissolving even disaster-level violent energy, was already remarkable enough. But that final Sever left her even more in awe.
The instant that sword left the sheath, every last scrap of compressed qi and Intent had erupted all at once. The force cut through everything in its path until it reached the giant boar, then cleaved that thick, Sage-level body clean in half with a single stroke.
But seeing how the two of them were completely drained after just one technique each... you two really need to train harder, you know?
Because when things get out of hand...
I'm the one who has to drag myself down there and clean it all up.