CHAPTER 28
— Promotion Hanging in the Balance —
Just as Tong Tong had finally managed to survive the last month under Su Yan's rigorous training—though she hadn't mastered any grand techniques, she could now pull off a few basic tricks to dazzle and impress the ignorant common folk—Ding Ding, who had shamelessly lingered on Lichen Peak under the pretense of "recovering from injuries" while actually taking advantage of the situation, also declared that his secluded cultivation had succeeded. Returning triumphantly to his old stomping grounds, he vowed to battle the self-proclaimed "reborn" and "unbeatable" heroine Tong Tong for three hundred rounds to settle their score and avenge that elbow strike!
Seeing Ding Ding's smug, infuriating expression—clearly having benefited while pretending otherwise—and comparing it to her own three months of miserable "abu$e," Tong Tong's jealousy and resentment flared. Mimicking Su Yan's cold, skin-deep smile, she accepted the challenge. With a flip of her right hand, she made a "please" gesture, then strode ahead of him with her hands clasped behind her back toward the usual training ground, her expression stern, exuding a hint of a master's demeanor.
"Heh heh!" Ding Ding let out an exaggerated, strange laugh. He threw a punch with his left, a palm strike with his right, kicked his legs in succession, and shouted "Hyah! Ho! Ha!" as he struck what he thought was an imposing pose. Lowering his voice, he warned, "I'm ready. You'd better watch out!"
"I seek your guidance!" Clasping her fists, Tong Tong responded with grave seriousness. She lifted the hem of her robe with her right hand, intending to flick it back with flair, but whether due to excessive force or poor fabric quality, it tore with a sharp "rippp!"...
"Awoo~" Jiya, sprawled lazily on the grass basking in the sun, narrowed its golden eyes and let out a light, unsupportive cry, as if cheering her on yet also carrying a hint of mockery.
Curled up beside Jiya, Cookie completely forgot who its actual owner was. Its round little head suddenly buried itself in Jiya's chest and abdomen, as if regretting its poor choice of master.
Tong Tong's face flushed slightly, but under Su Yan's indifferent gaze, she straightened her posture defiantly. Glaring at Ding Ding, who was doubled over laughing so hard he could barely maintain his stance, she roared, "Ignorance is truly terrifying! Haven't you heard of 'cutting one's robe to sever ties'? I'm merely emulating the ancients to ensure this duel is fair, open, and just—temporarily drawing a line between us so I won't go soft or hold back, unable to give my one hundred percent!"
"Hehe, Little Seven's ideas are truly unique." He Gu, who had followed Ding Ding, chuckled behind her hand.
"Sophistry," Su Yan bluntly exposed someone's little scheme, though a faint smile flickered across her frosty, snow-like face.
T/N: [In simple terms, sophistry is the use of clever, deceptive, or misleading arguments that sound correct but are actually designed to deceive or win a debate regardless of the truth.]
"Oh man, I'm dying of laughter..." Ding Ding rubbed his aching stomach, one hand on his hip and the other on his belly, glancing sideways at Tong Tong. Seeing her face flushed crimson, one hand still raised in the motion of flicking her robe—now trembling slightly as if about to explode—he quickly changed his expression.
Suppressing his laughter, Ding Ding waved his hands in a conciliatory gesture. "Alright, alright, let's just drop this! No one is allowed to mention it again! Understood?" He turned with feigned authority to warn the two bystanders and two beasts—though in reality, he was just turning away to stifle his giggles.
Once he had laughed his fill, he caught sight of Tong Tong's patience reaching its limit from the corner of his eye. Deciding to cut the chatter, he raised his hand and summoned the Longquan Sword. With a swift step, his movements sharp and fierce, he charged toward her, delivering a diagonal slash with three-tenths of his strength, shouting, "Watch my sword!"
Having accumulated too much resentment from his earlier rudeness, it finally erupted in this strike. Tong Tong let out a sharp cry in response, her fair hand summoning a jade-green sword aura that met the attack head-on—she had actually reached the realm of ethereal sword energy. Though the faint aura dispersed upon contact with the Longquan Sword's edge, it produced a crisp clang of metal. Not only did Ding Ding, her opponent, startle, but even Su Yan and He Gu, who were watching from the sidelines, were taken aback.
Of course, the most astonished person on the field was Tong Tong herself, who had unleashed this powerful move.
She stared blankly at the Biling Sword in her hand, then tightened her grip. Whether it was a psychological effect or not, she felt the spiritual energy of heaven and earth filling her dantian and meridians, flowing through her right arm and straight to her palm, as if she possessed boundless power. She laughed wildly, "Ahahaha, see that? I can use sword energy too! Young Master Ding, you might as well admit defeat, ahaha..."
Just as she was about to show off with a flourish of her sword, Su Yan calmly said, "Do it again."
"Huh? No problem! Easy peasy... Ha, haha... Huh?" She nodded carelessly, drawing energy into her body and channeling it to her palm, then swung another slash at Ding Ding, who had already assumed a defensive stance. The sword wind swept past, rustling the leaves it brushed against, but Ding Ding's Longquan Sword showed no reaction at all.
Refusing to believe it, Tong Tong channeled her energy and swung over a dozen more times, but she couldn't produce the sword aura like before. Even the sword wind grew weaker with each strike, as if that fleeting display of power had been nothing but an illusion.
"Wh-what's going on? Didn't I master it? Why isn't it working anymore?" Ignoring the chill that swept toward her, Tong Tong grabbed Su Yan's sleeve as if clutching her last lifeline, asking pitifully.
"You're the one who slacks off, who else is there to blame?" Su Yan shot her a cold glance, but seeing her genuine distress, she added softly, "Switch to mystic arts."
"Oh, oh! You're right! I almost forgot— this lady's specialty!" The sparkle instantly returned to Tong Tong's flickering eyes. She held her sword behind her back with one hand, spread her left palm wide, and five flickering orange-red flames danced at her fingertips, casting a rare, stunning glow on her delicate, fair face.
—Attacking the enemy's weakness with your own strength is the true way! I may not match you in swordsmanship, but magic is my forte!
"Hehe, then let Young Master Ding show you what it means to have god-like controls, ghost-like footwork, and unpredictable, crowd-k!lling magic skills look like!" Ding Ding laughed heartily, sheathing his Longquan Sword. He crossed his hands, fingers crackling with golden arcs of electricity, then cupped his palms together, gathering a swirling purple-gold electric sphere. As he poured more energy into it, the sphere grew like a rolling snowball, reaching the size of a human head in just a few blinks.
"No way... You're taking this so seriously?" Tong Tong gasped, taking half a step back. She stared warily at Ding Ding, whose face was pale and forehead beaded with sweat as he forced a smile. The five flames at her fingertips seemed to have a mind of their own, extinguishing with a "whoosh" as if cowering before a greater threat.
At this moment, He Gu finally sensed something amiss and urgently cried out, "Junior Brother Ding, stop now!"
—If this continued, not only would Tong Tong be unable to withstand such a powerful strike, but even the caster's own spiritual energy would be exhausted.
"I... can't... stop..." Ding Ding gritted his teeth.
—It wasn't that he didn't want to withdraw, but he could no longer control the torrent of spiritual energy pouring uncontrollably from his body.
This Lightning Ball Technique was far too overbearing—it felt like it was about to drain him dry! If only he hadn't been so reckless earlier...
In this critical moment, Su Yan snapped her fingers with a crisp "click." Instantly, a layer of ice visibly formed over the surface of the fully formed lightning ball in Ding Ding's hand. In the blink of an eye, the once-active electric sphere turned into a lifeless ball of ice.
"Crack—Crash!" The frozen lightning ball lost its connection to the arcs of electricity in his hand. Deprived of its energy source, it immediately plummeted from mid-air, crashed to the ground, and shattered into a pile of icy debris.
Meanwhile, the fine beads of cold sweat that had densely gathered on Ding Ding's forehead dripped down one by one, splattering as they fell.
"Clap, clap, clap—" Tong Tong, having narrowly escaped disaster, immediately began clapping enthusiastically, her face beaming with a smile. Even though Su Yan only gave her a cold glance, it couldn't shake her immense admiration and gratitude for her ever-reliable senior brother, who had repeatedly come to her rescue—whether clearing the way forward or providing a solid defense, acting as a stand-in bodyguard, he was truly indispensable for both daily life and adventurous travels, a perfect companion for any endeavor!
Ding Ding, spared from being drained dry, was also overwhelmed with gratitude and nearly lunged forward to embrace Su Yan. Fortunately, at the last moment, his instincts kicked in, and he twisted his trajectory at an almost impossible, bizarre angle just before making intimate contact with Su Yan's poised and formidable presence. Instead, he turned and flew toward He Gu on the other side—successfully reaching his target and clinging tightly!
Thus, this sparring session came to an early end in a harmonious and friendly atmosphere, following the strong request of both thoroughly exhausted participants...
One a half-baked amateur, the other a shallow show-off, one habitually lazy, the other always eager to flaunt—when faced with true experts, they could only surrender. Truly, they were a pair of misfits, making it impossible not to worry about them!
Su Yan and He Gu exchanged a glance, both sighing softly, feeling an unprecedented sense of helplessness.
No matter how worried or helpless these two felt, time inevitably marched on, arriving at the day of the inner-sect minor competition.
In a major sect like Chonghua, internal tests were held every three to five years, involving nearly ten thousand disciples across the entire sect. However, a formal Sect competition like this was held only once every thirty years, each time offering substantial rewards.
This generation's eligible participants for the minor competition were all disciples at the White Robe level or above, including the direct disciples under the peak masters. The competition began with matches between peers of the same level, followed by a final cross-level challenge. From this, the most promising disciples would be selected—they would earn the opportunity to enter the Abyssal Secret Realm for training.
—The so-called Abyssal Secret Realm was one of the three most renowned secret realms in the cultivation world, specifically suited for young disciples with shallow cultivation. It opened only once every fifty years and was a shortcut for disciples from prestigious families and sects to enhance their cultivation and make a name for themselves. Similarly, it was also a stage for scheming and settling grudges.
It was easy to imagine how difficult it would be to stand out in a place like Chonghua, where talents abounded!
But contrary to everyone's expectations—though anticipated by some—all seven direct disciples of Qiuye Peak effortlessly passed the first trial, commonly known as the preliminary selection, and advanced to the next round.
Yes, that's right. These seven naturally included the inseparable pair of misfits, Ding Ding and Tong Tong.
If Ding Ding managed to defeat his opponent largely due to sheer luck, then Tong Tong's advancement was entirely thanks to luck as well—her opponent, rumored to be a junior disciple from Xiangzhu Peak, had... taken a leave due to her "monthly visitor."
No matter how astonished and bewildered the crowd looked when the arbiter [referee] announced Tong Tong as the winner by default, the girl herself breathed a sigh of relief—Xiangzhu Peak! After all the elixirs she had swiped from them, if she had actually faced one of their disciples, they would have torn her apart! Thank heavens, Aunt Flo truly knows how to read the room!
T/N: ["Aunt Flow" (or "Aunt Flo") is a common euphemism for a person's menstrual period, often used to describe the onset of menstruation as a "visit" from a relative. ]
Unfortunately, she celebrated too soon—
Often, the one who stabs you in the back isn't the enemy standing opposite you, but the teammate standing behind you.
By the time Tong Tong remembered this timeless truth, she was already standing on the arena for the second round. And across from her stood none other than Rong Miaoyin, a fellow white-robed disciple of Qiuye Peak—the very same "Granny Rong" whose lush hair she had once shaved off with a single sword stroke.
The elegant, white-robed girl wore a faintly upturned smile that held no trace of friendliness.
Gripping her sword, Biling, tightly, Tong Tong thought: Running into this girl is really, really not good!
Comments
Post a Comment