Chapter 105 (2/2): I’m Really Strong Now!

On the subject of fighting, she admitted Fenghua Venerable’s superiority.

Better leave it to the professionals. She kept silent.

Once she saw the two girls in the distance had already taken their stances, Fenghua Venerable quietly explained,

“Hua Jian’s Illusory Dream Flower requires time to activate, and its spread is slow. If used directly in front of an enemy, it’s hard to achieve the desired effect.”

The Magic Mist of the Illusory Dream Flower was indeed a terrifying move.

Even Spirit King cultivators a rank above Hua Jian would quickly fall under its power and be dragged into her soul-space wrestling ring.

But the buildup and spread of Magic Mist wasn’t fast. If the enemy was prepared, it was easy to avoid.

And Linglong knew Hua Jian’s abilities.

If she still got caught, Fenghua Venerable would be happy to report this battle to the Yaochi Sect Leader, maybe even tease her own senior about the quality of her disciples.

Knowing Hua Jian’s trump card and still falling for it—wouldn’t that deserve some serious reflection?

As the two discussed, Linglong and Hua Jian had already begun.

The first to attack wasn’t Linglong, but Hua Jian. She waited for a start signal that never came and then launched an assault.

Colorful clouds billowed forth, striking straight at Linglong.

Of course, this couldn’t hit Linglong.

The little dragon girl blinked away in a flash of lightning, standing in the air above.

She was about to unleash her signature Thunder-Smiting Linglong, when Hua Jian had already pulled out her Lingqi Gun and fired at Linglong’s head.

Linglong knew Hua Jian’s skills, and Hua Jian certainly knew Linglong’s fighting style.

Linglong liked to seize the high ground and suppress the battlefield with her powerful thunder techniques.

Once she fell into her battle rhythm, Hua Jian had no doubt she’d lose quickly.

After all, she was a specialist in sneak attacks and poisons.

Forcing her to stand in the open and face lightning was like making a rogue brawl a warrior—she’d be slaughtered.

She absolutely couldn’t let Linglong settle into her preferred rhythm.

She had to break up her movements, tangle her up, compress her space to maneuver, and eventually turn her into…

A word flickered through Hua Jian’s mind, but she felt little emotion about it.

However, deep in her multi-colored eyes, an almost imperceptible red tint appeared—unnoticed by all.

Dragon’s blood must taste delicious, right?

Linglong felt uneasy under Hua Jian’s gaze. This Hua Jian seemed a little unfamiliar, though she couldn’t say exactly how.

Maybe it was the influence of those spices? That was all she could guess.

Once the battle began in earnest, Linglong quickly fell for her own preconceived notions.

She’d remembered Hua Jian as a sneaky, opportunistic fighter, focusing on ambushes from unexpected angles.

But the current Hua Jian was much more aggressive.

Though still relying on sneak attacks, her offensive force and decisiveness far surpassed before.

Linglong knew full well how insidious and potent Hua Jian’s moves could be.

Confident as she was in her Dragon Race blood, she dared not take Hua Jian’s attacks head-on, only dodging whenever Hua Jian struck.

“Hua Jian’s doing pretty well.” Fenghua Venerable’s eyes lit up.

Just at the beginning of the battle, Hua Jian had already given her a pleasant surprise.

To actually suppress Linglong, even for a moment, was far beyond expectations.

After all, Linglong was the core talent of her generation in Yaochi, taught personally by many elders, undisputed first-tier among Saint Sect disciples.

Any young person who could last a few rounds against her would be considered a genius!

Yet not only was Hua Jian matching Linglong, she was temporarily suppressing her. That was no small feat.

If she could suppress Linglong, how would other geniuses fare against this version of Hua Jian? Surely worse than Linglong!

Especially with that peculiar Lingqi Gun in Hua Jian’s hand—the projectiles it fired were nearly impossible to dodge.

If not for Linglong’s proficiency with escape arts, she’d have been hit several times by now.

Hua Jian, for her part, had complaints.

Linglong came with a built-in, cooldown-free blink—how was she supposed to fight that? There was no way to predict it!

But Linglong wasn’t just playing defense. As Hua Jian pressed her attacks, Linglong waited for her own opportunities to counter.

Whenever Linglong used her Ling Sword to release thunderbolts, Hua Jian dared not block directly, responding instead with Feihua Dun to evade.

Their duel was the purest tip-for-tat—one mistake from either side, and the tide would immediately turn.

Ultimate glass cannons, that’s what they both were—only, Hua Jian was truly fragile, while Linglong just seemed that way against her.

Against anyone else, Linglong would’ve been a tanky warrior—the value of Dragon Race blood is no joke.

But Hua Jian’s attacks didn’t play by those rules, aiming straight to make her opponents dizzy.

Her crowd control was nothing like others’. Linglong’s bloodline immunities were useless.

One hit from Hua Jian, and everyone became equal—out like a light.

So this duel was entirely due to Hua Jian’s unique traits.

She was all offense, no defense, able to drag every opponent down to her own level.

My defense is glass against you, your defense is glass against my attack.

We’re both glass cannons—whoever slips first, loses.

“Hua Jian is building up her advantage,” the Lingcaifeng Master murmured, frowning.

The colorful mist on the battlefield was growing thicker—a clear sign Hua Jian was controlling the terrain.

Her trademark was this multicolored mist, and no one knew if it was harmless, a knockout dose of Illusory Dream Flower Magic Mist, or even the demonic mist she’d never revealed.

The latter two were her most powerful weapons—if Linglong got caught by either, it’d be an instant loss.

In a real battle, Linglong’s best tactic would be to keep her distance and kite Hua Jian with her superior speed, never playing a stationary battle in a confined space.

She was unmatched at dancing around, but if Hua Jian lost her terrain advantage, her fighting strength would be cut in half.

But today, Linglong had no such option—she was forced to duel in this circled-off arena.

As the mist thickened, Linglong held her breath and even popped a detoxification pill.

Though she knew it probably wouldn’t work against Hua Jian’s ultimate moves, it was better than nothing.

Ah!

Two streaks of colorful Magical Vines shot from the mist, straight for Linglong’s chest.

She twirled her Ling Sword, slicing both vines in midair.

These vines were new—Linglong noticed at once that they were much finer and marked with faint colored patterns, quite different from the green vines Hua Jian had used before.

Where had she learned this new spirit technique?

“See that?” The Lingcaifeng Master nudged Fenghua Venerable.

“I’m not blind. These vines are almost identical to the ones from yesterday.”

Fenghua Venerable certainly recognized them; she and the Lingcaifeng Master had spent all of yesterday studying those Magical Vines.

Now, seeing Hua Jian wield them in battle, she wasn’t surprised.

“But look at how she used them—they sprang directly from her hands, unlike ordinary wood elemental techniques,” the Lingcaifeng Master insisted.

Just look at the way she released them! Who ever saw a Wood Elemental Technique released straight from the body?

With Hua Jian’s move, the vines burst forth from inside her.

After they were sliced down, her face turned obviously pale for a moment.

This attack style wasn’t like a normal technique—it resembled a Magic Path life-force technique.

“Well, that’s true… huh, she pulled the vines back.”

After her sneak attack failed, Hua Jian retracted the two vines back into her body—again, totally unlike a normal spirit technique.

Other cultivators never absorb their released techniques back into themselves.

“Who do you think will win?” the Lingcaifeng Master asked, arms folded.

Fenghua Venerable answered without hesitation. Even though Hua Jian was her favored disciple, she instantly picked Linglong.

“Of course, Linglong. Hua Jian’s offense won’t last. Though Linglong is on the defensive now, she’s not without ways to fight back.”

Linglong was waiting for the chance to launch a thunderous strike.

Her current dodging was just a way to wear Hua Jian down.

Once Hua Jian’s energy flagged and she couldn’t dodge anymore, Linglong would finish it in one blow.

It looked like Linglong was being pushed back, but overall, she had the advantage.

After all, Hua Jian’s endurance was always an issue.

Their backgrounds were totally different—Hua Jian couldn’t match Linglong in this aspect.

Gradually, Hua Jian’s attacks lost their initial ferocity, and her dodges against Linglong’s moves grew riskier.

Everything unfolded just as Linglong expected.

Was it time? Linglong remained cautious. She knew Hua Jian was full of tricks—this could all be a ruse.

Only when one of her thunderbolts hit Hua Jian mid-Feihua Dun, forcing her out of stealth, did she know for sure—Hua Jian was truly running out of steam.

Time for the final strike!

Linglong narrowed her eyes, gripping the Ling Sword in both hands and aiming at the now-unstable Hua Jian.

“Thunderbolt Subdues Evil!”

Bolts of lightning surged from her sword, hurtling toward Hua Jian.

The powerful thunder energy ripped through the colorful mist, letting Linglong clearly see Hua Jian’s expression.

It was a wicked grin, as if she’d just pulled off some mischief.

Hua Jian’s hand was empty of her Lingqi Gun, but in the next instant, pain exploded across Linglong’s back.