Chapter 8 Master's Wager, Your Disciple Has Earned It Back For You.
"This Jiang Qingyi is formidable."
"I heard that when Jiang Qingyi was first brought to the Dragon Spring Sword Sect by Elder Xiao, she couldn't even enter the Qi Cultivation Realm for several months."
"Isn't that right? At the time, it was said that Jiang Qingyi was like a cripple, but who knew she suddenly enlightened, progressing so quickly."
"Elder Xiao's foresight is truly excellent."
In the spectator stands, those around Xiao Mo were discussing Jiang Qingyi.
Xiao Mo looked at Qingyi, who was receiving treatment, and also felt a little dazed.
Xiao Mo never expected that Qingyi could actually make it into the finals.
What was this feeling like?
Qingyi was like the Protagonist of a novel; whenever she was on the verge of defeat, she would comprehend something at a critical moment, or her Realm would temporarily Breakthrough.
For example, in the semi-finals, Jiang Qingyi refused to surrender in her moment of crisis, and in the end, she actually achieved a Breakthrough into the ninth level of Qi Cultivation!
Xiao Mo began to suspect whether the 'Experiencing Life' in the Book of Hundred Lifetimes meant that every life experience was the struggle of a Protagonist, and he was merely playing a supporting role.
If that were truly the case, Xiao Mo felt it was fine; at least Qingyi had the Protagonist Halo, so at least nothing would go wrong so easily.
"Finals! Lingqian Peak's Jiang Qingyi versus Yunhaitang's Xiao Yan!"
As an attendant shouted.
Jiang Qingyi stood up and walked towards the largest array in the center of the plain.
The moment she entered the array, Jiang Qingyiturned her head, looked in Xiao Mo's direction, and smiled brightly.
Xiao Mo frowned and mouthed the words, "Don't push yourself."
Before the finals, a Master could surrender on behalf of his Disciple.
But in the finals, only the Disciple himself could surrender.
However, who among those who could reach the finals wasn't an arrogant Genius?
They wouldn't surrender unless they were too injured to stand.
In fact, in previous New Blood Tournaments, there had even been deaths in the finals.
Jiang Qingyi seemed to have not heard her Master's instructions and stepped into the array.
As the match began, Xiao Yan truly lived up to his reputation as a favorite to win and the most promising Genius of the new generation.
Having already absorbed three types of exotic flames, he was half a step into Foundation Establishment, and his Realm's quality was incredibly exaggerated.
Each type of exotic flame on Xiao Yan carried different properties, and as he wielded his Longjian, its power grew even stronger.
Jiang Qingyi had no room to retaliate; she could only continuously flee, searching for an opportunity.
"Do you only know how to run?"
Xiao Yan sneered, raising the Longjian in his hand high.
A Sword Wave carrying the properties of the Bone-Chilling Cold Flame slashed down.
Jiang Qingyi was too late to dodge, and Xuanshuang Longjian forcefully blocked it.
The girl was sent flying twenty meters away.
With her Longjian stuck in the ground, Jiang Qingyicoughed a few times, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.
Xiao Yan would not give Jiang Qingyi a chance to breathe.
In an instant, Xiao Yan's Longjian arrived again, pointing directly at Jiang Qingyi's glabella.
Jiang Qingyi parried with a single sword stroke, unleashing the second form of the Caocijian Jue—Free-Flowing Dragon Serpent.
The girl's Sword Moves were like wild cursive calligraphy; each move was unpredictable yet gave a sense of fluid naturalness.
Her Sword Qi left ink-like afterimages in the air.
Although Jiang Qingyi lacked power, her movement technique was agile.
Using her movement technique in conjunction with her Sword Moves, the attack angles of each move were incredibly tricky.
Even when Jiang Qingyi attacked, afterimages remained in the air, subtly deceptive and able to temporarily persist, compressing the opponent's movement space.
In less than ten rounds, Xiao Yan's body was covered in cuts.
Some people felt that Jiang Qingyi had turned defensive into offensive, even gaining an advantage.
But in reality, Elder Xiao Mo and the other Elders and attendants knew clearly that Jiang Qingyi's offense against Xiao Yan was limited, and Xiao Yan was brewing a major move, aiming for a single-strike kill!
"Interesting, but a pity, it's still not enough. The first place in the New Blood Tournament is mine."
After Xiao Yan created some distance, he felt it was about time.
He stepped forward, and one Sword Lotus after another bloomed on the ground.
The scorching flames brushed against Jiang Qingyi's long hair.
"As a fellow Disciple, I'll give you one last chance: surrender! Otherwise, if I unleash this move, you will die!" Xiao Yan's body erupted with waves of fire.
He was clearly a Cultivator in the Qi Cultivation Realm, but at this moment, Xiao Yan was like a deity.
Jiang Qingyi took a deep breath, stood up, and drew her Longjian: "Come on!"
"You have guts!"
Xiao Yan roared, and Sword Lotuses bloomed at Xiao Yan's feet.
Each lotus flower developed cracks.
The next moment, the Sword Lotuses burst apart.
"Qingyi! Surrender!" Xiao Mo shouted.
Although it was just an experience of life, Xiao Moknew that everything in the Book of Hundred Lifetimes was fake.
But after spending so much time together, how could he not have feelings for Qingyi?
It was like watching a drama; when one saw Ran Bing from 'Ling Long' turn into an ice pop, it was still upsetting.
Xiao Yan's Sword Qi, spiritual energy, and exotic flames were mixed together.
As each lotus flower shattered, a ripple of aftermath surged towards Jiang Qingyi.
When nine Sword Lotuses shattered, Jiang Qingyibled from her seven orifices; she knelt on one knee, unable to stand, but she still refused to surrender.
The last Sword Lotus was also about to shatter; this was also the most powerful Sword Lotus.
Looking at that Sword Lotus.
Jiang Qingyi remembered several bandits breaking into her home, her parents stuffing her into a cabinet, and through the cracks of the cabinet, she could only watch helplessly as her parents died before her eyes.
She remembered being taken away by the bandits to a magnificent mansion, where they spoke of taking her bones.
She remembered waking up, being thrown onto a hillside, where there were only corpses.
She remembered begging on the streets, living one day at a time.
Finally.
The girl remembered stealing a few steamed buns and almost being beaten by the bun shop owner when her Master stood in front of her.
Because she met her Master, she was able to live.
Because she met her Master, she was able to cultivate.
I cannot disappoint Master!
Master is my everything.
The girl took a deep breath, stood up, and the Xuanshuang Longjian in her hand bloomed with one Sword Intent after another.
A total of nine.
"This is... the fourth form of Caocijian Jue, Nine-Leaf Sword?"
"Boom!"
The moment the last Sword Lotus burst, the girl thrust her sword forward.
A huge sound erupted from the array, and dust billowed more than ten meters high.
Xiao Mo quickly flew down from the spectator stands and rushed into the array.
Xiao Mo waved his hand, and the dust cleared, revealing Qingyi standing in place.
On the other side of the array, Xiao Yan had fallen to the ground, completely unconscious.
"Qingyi!" Xiao Mo called out.
Jiang Qingyi heard the voice, turned around, smiled faintly at her Master, and then fell forward.
Xiao Mo quickly stepped forward and embraced Jiang Qingyi.
"Master..."
In Xiao Mo's arms, Jiang Qingyi said weakly.
"The money Master wagered, your Disciple has earned it back for you..."