Chapter 208: Champion!

Ling Xiaoyou looked at Qian Xueqing’s confused expression, let out a smug snort, and decided not to explain further.

She waved her little hand, and the ice-colored longsword danced in her grip like a lotus blooming in the snow.

Then, a dazzling sword qi carrying frost and chill shot straight toward Qian Xueqing, aiming for her vital points.

Qian Xueqing’s expression changed. She clearly recognized this sword qi—the same one that had easily defeated Monk Huijue in the previous match.

She didn’t dare to underestimate it. She manipulated the fox phantom to dodge in a flash, narrowly escaping the sword qi’s attack.

But the next instant, Ling Xiaoyou’s figure appeared in the direction Qian Xueqing had dodged. Flames coiled around her hand, enveloping the ice-colored blade.

Of course, this wasn’t the Yang Flame that Bai Shuanglian often used—just ordinary fire.

After all, Ling Xiaoyou was still a spirit in nature; she couldn’t unleash the pure, righteous Yang Flame. At most, she could only produce normal flames.

But even so, under the enhancement of her spell overclocking technique, those flames were already terrifyingly powerful.

The surrounding air twisted and burned in the flames’ embrace. The sword qi surged forward with rolling heat, piercing through the fox phantom’s protection to strike directly at Qian Xueqing’s face.

However, the fox phantom’s defensive power truly lived up to the legacy of the Fox Clan bloodline. Even as layers of it were scorched away by the flame sword qi, at the last moment before the blade could cut into Qian Xueqing, the phantom expelled the attack from her body, taking the hit itself.

The spell vanished on the spot.

Qian Xueqing reacted quickly, too. The instant she broke free, she cast Swift Wind, wrapping it around her legs. Her figure flickered and disappeared.

Seeing this, Ling Xiaoyou frowned slightly. She wanted to continue chasing Qian Xueqing with sword qi, but she raised her little finger, then let it fall, looking at the ice-colored longsword in her hand.

Under the dense, dark clouds, the ice-colored blade appeared utterly translucent. It gradually melted in Ling Xiaoyou’s hand and vanished.

…Bai Shuanglian’s skill template had run out of time.

‘Bai Shuanglian’s skill template ran out of time,’ Ling Xiaoyou muttered inwardly.

Another longbow appeared in her hands—a water-blue one, the Cloud Water Bow.

She drew an arrow and nocked it, scanning her surroundings, trying to catch sight of Qian Xueqing. But that figure flickered in and out of view, impossible to track.

If Ling Xiaoyou wasn’t mistaken, Qian Xueqing was currently in a high-speed state. Worried that she might use the sword qi again, she probably wouldn’t stop moving anytime soon.

So if she wanted to catch Qian Xueqing’s figure, she’d have to use some tricks.

Thinking this, Ling Xiaoyou extended her little hand, palm facing upward, then gently lifted it.

Like the rising tide, following her movement, water began to seep out of the ground in the surrounding area. Not long after, the entire environment turned into a Water Marsh Kingdom.

Ling Xiaoyou surveyed the flooded area. Every patch of water contained her own Spirit Power. She could clearly sense every region—everything around her was now under her control.

Whether Qian Xueqing was on the water’s surface or beneath it, Ling Xiaoyou could find her.

With that thought, Ling Xiaoyou sensed around, then a smile curved at the corner of her mouth.

Found you!

Her figure instantly dissolved into water and merged into the marshy ground beneath her.

The next moment, a greatsword crashed down with both hands, but it struck only empty space, sending a huge splash of water into the air.

Qian Xueqing was startled. She hadn’t expected her ambush to be evaded.

Wait—could it be that this surrounding marsh wasn’t just set up to restrict her movement? Did it serve another purpose?!

The moment that thought crossed her mind, Qian Xueqing realized something. Her expression changed, and she immediately tried to flee.

But even though she had reacted, it was already too late.

Layer upon layer of vortexes had firmly latched onto her feet, making it impossible for her to move.

Then Qian Xueqing looked up in shock and saw a torrent of water cascading down on her like the Galaxy Breach, washing her into the marsh.

The water, like steel brushes, tore bloody wounds across her body. Blood spread through the liquid.

Yet even so, Qian Xueqing could do nothing. The once-churning currents had turned into something like glue, pinning her firmly in place.

And then, Qian Xueqing saw it.

Her eyes wide, she stared at Ling Xiaoyou, who stood not far away, moving without any hindrance.

Ling Xiaoyou gave Qian Xueqing a friendly smile, then waved her little hand and said in a crisp voice that still carried clearly through the water:

“Goodbye. I hope next time, you won’t think about inviting your opponent to dinner.”

With that, Ling Xiaoyou ignored Qian Xueqing’s struggling movements and expression. Her waving little hand clenched tightly.

With a thunderous boom, the water explosion ended.

There was no trace of Qian Xueqing left—she had likely been teleported away after losing the match.

Ling Xiaoyou thought this and let out a long sigh.

This match wasn’t particularly thrilling. After all, her stats had reached the peak of the Soul Gathering Stage, and she had the spell overclocking technique, a powerful defensive spirit tool, and a tool that allowed her to temporarily swap her combat template.

If she still lost under those conditions, Ling Xiaoyou felt she might as well go back and start cultivating from scratch. It would be too embarrassing.

The only truly dangerous part of this final match was when she had fallen into the illusion.

If she hadn’t reacted in time and realized it was an illusion, even with her defensive spirit tool, Qian Xueqing would have probably worn her down to death.

That said, it would have been pretty hard for Ling Xiaoyou not to realize it was an illusion.

Normally, this kind of illusion would cloud the victim’s mind after they were caught, making them overlook the inconsistencies. It could be difficult to realize you were under an illusion.

But using illusions on someone who was already a spirit specialized in illusions—that was like trying to kill a monster while ignoring its resistance in a game. Hard to say it wouldn’t work, but the effect wasn’t great.

Yeah, so this story teaches us: before fighting a monster, always check its resistances. Otherwise, it’s really hard to win!

Ling Xiaoyou was lost in these random thoughts as she looked at the Light Gate that had appeared after her victory, then walked through it.

When she returned to the rest chamber, she didn’t see Qian Xueqing. She had probably already left.

After all, having been defeated by her, she wouldn’t want to stay and talk.

Ling Xiaoyou also left the chamber and headed toward the spectator seats, ready to cheer for Bai Shuanglian before her match began.

Oh, and she’d also call Miao Miaomiao and Bai Xiqing. They were very much needed for the cheering squad for Bai Shuanglian!