Chapter 48

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Chapter 48: Xuan Yuan True Method

Yu Youwei reacted a moment too late. Although she avoided a fatal wound, Yi Qianmo’s sword grazed her, leaving a cut on her body. Blood stained her garments, and a sharp pain flickered across her face.

“You are too slow!” Yi Qianmo smirked, retreating after his strike.

“Don’t get too proud!” Yu Youwei’s calm facade cracked, her anger boiling over as she swung her sword in retaliation.

Yet, as Yi Qianmo had predicted, she was too slow. His mastery of the Wind Word Sword Technique gave him unmatched speed. Though his spiritual power couldn’t rival Yu Youwei’s, his agility and technique far outshone hers.

“You think too highly of yourself, Yu Youwei. Turns out, you’re only so much. I’m truly disappointed!”

Yi Qianmo dodged her attack with ease, sidestepped to her flank, and slashed his sword. Another wound appeared on Yu Youwei’s body, slicing her robe and leaving a trail of crimson behind.

The injuries were shallow, far from lethal. Yet, the humiliation of being outmatched by someone at a lower cultivation level gnawed at Yu Youwei. Her frustration deepened as Yi Qianmo’s mocking words echoed in her ears like barbed needles.

Unable to land a single strike, Yu Youwei abandoned her offense, shifting to a purely defensive stance. Her composure returned, albeit with a shade of bitterness.

Now in defense, her advantage as a cultivator of the fifth level of the Qi Refining Stage became clear. Without the opportunity to exploit an opening, Yi Qianmo’s relentless attacks began to falter.

“Yu Youwei has switched to defense? Against someone at the second level of the Qi Refining Stage?”

The spectators were visibly stunned. The idea of a prominent disciple of the Xuanyuan Sect taking a defensive stance against a weaker opponent was unthinkable.

Even the cultivators of the Xuanyuan Sect were ill at ease. They had always prided themselves as leaders of the four great sects, their disciples embodying the highest skill and dignity. Yet now, Yu Youwei—an elite among them—was struggling against a rogue cultivator.

“If I were her, I would exhaust my opponent’s spiritual power and then counterattack,” Su Muyu observed, a hint of mockery in her tone. “But for someone at her level to take this approach… how utterly disgraceful.”

Her comment stung the Xuanyuan Sect disciples, who bristled with indignation.

“That’s an unfair remark! This duel was his choice, not ours!”

“Exactly! If he lacks the skill to sustain a prolonged fight, it’s his problem!”

Despite their defense of Yu Youwei, the situation was clear. With every passing moment, Yi Qianmo’s relentless attacks drained his spiritual power faster than he could recover it. Beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead, his movements becoming less fluid.

Yu Youwei smirked, her confidence restored. “I underestimated you, Yi Qianmo. But if I were you, I would have trained diligently at Tianyuan Academy before daring to challenge me. To do so now is pure foolishness!”

Suddenly, Yu Youwei’s spiritual power erupted. A wave of heat surged from her, intermingling with the icy aura she previously wielded. Cold and heat merged seamlessly, their union creating a new energy—potent, steady, and enduring.

“Clang!”

Their swords clashed again. This time, the power emanating from Yu Youwei shattered Yi Qianmo’s spiritual energy. His body trembled as he staggered back, barely steadying himself.

“Xuan Yuan True Method…” Zhou Lanting murmured, astonishment lighting his face. “How can she know this technique? It is reserved for the sect master of the Xuanyuan Sect!”

The spectators, particularly the Xuanyuan Sect disciples, were equally shocked. The Xuan Yuan True Method was legendary, known only to the sect’s highest-ranking members. That Yu Youwei had mastered it after less than a month in the sect was beyond comprehension.

Yu Youwei’s voice dripped with mockery. “Your Nine Yang energy allowed me to master this technique, Yi Qianmo. The strength you once possessed is now mine!”

Yi Qianmo’s grip on his sword tightened, his body trembling with fury. “I told you,” he said, his voice ice-cold, “I will reclaim everything you’ve taken from me!”

Yu Youwei sneered. “And I told you, no matter what you become, I will always bring you down!”

With a flash of her blade, Yu Youwei launched another attack, her power and speed now multiplied by the Xuan Yuan True Method. Yi Qianmo parried, but the clash left his spiritual energy in shambles, forcing him to retreat step by step.

The Xuanyuan Sect disciples began to regain their confidence. “This is the power of the Xuanyuan Sect!”

Yu Youwei raised her sword, gathering an immense amount of spiritual energy until it shone brilliantly. “It’s over. Accept your fate, Yi Qianmo!”

As her sword descended, an explosion of energy rippled outward. Dust and debris obscured the battlefield, but when the haze cleared, an astonishing sight emerged.

Yi Qianmo stood firm, his sword held tightly. His eyes glimmered with a silvery light, exuding a chilling coldness.

“Xuan Yuan True Method?” he muttered, his voice low yet steady. Slowly, he rose, his gaze locking onto Yu Youwei. “If that’s your ultimate move, I’m not impressed.”

A murmur of disbelief spread through the crowd.

“That strike could have killed a seventh-level Qi Refining Stage cultivator, yet he’s still standing!”

Even Zhou Lanting, at the Foundation Establishment Stage, was visibly shaken.