As for Acheron, she never really intended to participate in the full month of festivities anyway.
Aside from joining in for the first couple of days, she had spent the rest of her time practicing her blade in her own courtyard.
The reason she agreed to spar with Jingliu, beyond handling the basics, came down to the reward system.
The previous card had granted her some traits of the original, along with everything she had created using the character card herself.
Given that, Bai Ming had no intention of letting Acheron's masterful sword skills go to waste.
But simply practicing alone probably wouldn't be enough.
So Acheron tried drawing from the Xianzhou's many martial arts traditions to innovate just a little.
The new blade technique didn't need to be exceptionally powerful—it could be on par with her original style, or even slightly weaker.
As long as she could complete it before the deadline, she'd have a chance to make it her own.
So, truth be told, Acheron was actually looking forward to it.
When Jingliu heard Acheron's thoughtful remark, she shook her head slightly.
"Was I that obvious these past few days, wanting to ask for guidance?"
"Ah… well, your eyes were pretty direct."
It seemed Jingliu had mistaken what Acheron was referring to.
But then again, the first time their eyes met, Acheron had sensed the fighting spirit in Jingliu's gaze—that pure, martial desire to challenge someone stronger.
So maybe Jingliu wasn't entirely wrong.
Nearby, Baiheng burst into a soft laugh.
"See? I told you, Jingliu. You might act all aloof, but your eyes give everything away. If you ask me, you should pick out a pretty eyepatch—I bet it'd look stunning."
Jingliu shot a resigned glance at Baiheng.
Acheron wasn't in a hurry to deal with the basics and made an inviting gesture toward Jingliu instead.
Seeing this, Jingliu didn't waste words.
She performed a salute common in the Xianzhou Alliance: "Jingliu, Sword Champion of the Luofu. I ask for your guidance."
Acheron watched her, her own blade still sheathed. She raised it slightly, presenting the scabbard. "Acheron, a Galaxy Ranger. Let's begin."
Jingliu didn't find Acheron's gesture disrespectful.
For her, today was purely about learning.
That glimpse of Acheron's blade from days prior—she had no desire to experience it firsthand.
Ice spread from her hand, coating the longsword and forming a massive frozen blade.
Jingliu pushed off hard with her legs—
Boom!
Her sturdy form tore through the air, pulling a sharp sonic crack as she closed the distance at unimaginable speed, striking toward an opening in Acheron's stance.
But the instant she came near—
The scabbard traced an arc upward from below, effortlessly blocking Jingliu's sharp edge.
A wave of cold traveled up the scabbard, and the temperature around Acheron dropped abruptly.
But low temperatures meant little to Acheron.
She made no attempt to overpower Jingliu, keeping her own strength restrained to a roughly comparable level.
A shift in footing, and she circled to Jingliu's side, this time bringing the hilt down—
Thump—
Right on Jingliu's forehead.
"Hmm…"
Jingliu touched her forehead, stunned by Acheron's speed.
She had always believed her own sword strikes were swift, but this person… she couldn't even track her movements.
"I'm not really used to holding back. I'll control my speed and power."
Acheron truly didn't know how to pull punches—whether the real one did, she couldn't say.
"…"
Jingliu felt her face grow warm.
She'd known the gap was large, but being breached so easily still made her feel a little unworthy of her title as Sword Champion.
"…I ask for your guidance!"
Jingliu took a deep breath and, after repeating the request, launched her most ferocious assault yet!
Blade lights like a storm, carrying extreme cold, rained down on Acheron from all directions.
This time, "Acheron" suppressed her own restless feet, raised the scabbard, and attempted to respond with technique.
Boom-boom-boom-boom—!!
Cold, clear arcs of light burst across the battlefield.
Unbalanced energy transformed into pure shockwaves, exploding against the ground, filling the air with dust and ripples of power, swallowing the two combatants.
The expanding shockwaves forced Baiheng to retreat again and again to a safe distance.
--+--
And at the same time…
Just outside the Luofu Xianzhou, a certain long-haired, directionally-challenged woman with a blade, after days of wandering, finally spotted the presence of the Luofu.
"Hm? Over there, it seems…"
Acheron noticed that one area of the Luofu still bore a massive scar from a blade strike.
The energy lingering on that mark undoubtedly belonged to Nihility.
And also…
"If not for Lady Herta informing me in advance, I might've truly believed I'd come to the Luofu and made this strike myself—and just forgot."
Acheron studied the scar. Its essence felt exactly like her own.
Just by looking, she could visualize the position, the amount of force, the posture she'd have used to deliver that blow.
It was familiar to that degree.
So much so that for a moment, she felt dazed.
If Herta hadn't sought her out, she really would've thought she was the one who did it and simply forgot.
If before she was only somewhat curious and wanted to warn the imitator about the dangers of playing with Nihility, now she felt a genuine spark of curiosity.
She wanted to see what kind of mimic could replicate her to such an extent.
No wonder the famously capricious Lady Herta had gone to such lengths over a copycat.
An imitator like this would indeed make the original curious.
Because of that massive blade scar, the Luofu's defensive network hadn't fully closed over this area.
Instead, the battlefield zone had been temporarily isolated and left as is, waiting for the Nihility energy on the scar to be properly handled before reintegration.
So Acheron only needed to cross over that blade scar to easily, without alerting anyone, enter the Luofu's borders.
Of course, only the battlefield delve was accessible.
To reach other areas, she'd still have to pass through a layer of protection.
And the moment she stepped into the Luofu, Acheron noticed two figures clashing in the otherwise empty battlefield.
And she also noticed that one of them was precisely the imitator she had come to find.
Acheron didn't recognize the Luofu general Teng Xiao observing from the side, but she instinctively sensed a faint threat and didn't approach.
Instead, she quietly concealed herself near the blade scar, closely studying the imitator's sword style.
But the more Acheron watched, the more something felt off.
Similar.
Too similar.
This blade work… it was practically her own.
Wasn't this a little too hard to believe?
Only now did Acheron somewhat understand how Lady Herta must have felt.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.