“Song Xueyuan? The true disciple of Di Sha Valley, Song Xueyuan?”
A voice suddenly sounded from behind her, making Song Xueyuan shudder all over. She turned around and thrust her sword straight at Lin Guiming.
“Why do young girls like to wield swords so much? Always ready to kill at the slightest provocation?” Lin Guiming reached out and grabbed her wrist firmly.
“Who are you? How do you know my name?” Song Xueyuan tried to break free but couldn’t.
Frowning, she asked.
“Look at these delicate hands of yours. Fighting and killing is hardly suitable, isn’t it?” Lin Guiming ignored her struggles and continued speaking.
“You’re asking for death!” Song Xueyuan’s anger flared instantly as she kicked fiercely at Lin Guiming’s vital points.
“Whoa!” Lin Guiming was startled by the ferocity of the girl.
He quickly dodged aside.
Taking advantage of the moment, Song Xueyuan broke free.
She raised her sword again and stabbed straight toward Lin Guiming’s heart.
“You really are from the Magical Sect, ruthless in your strikes!” Lin Guiming growled in frustration.
It was truly a pity to see such a beautiful face wasted on violence.
Di Sha Valley, one of the Six Demonic Lineages, was among the top sects, incredibly powerful and on par with Bixiao Palace.
The true disciple of Di Sha Valley was Song Xueyuan.
Known for her ruthless nature and exceptional talent from a young age, she had quite a reputation in the cultivation world.
So when Lin Guiming heard her name, he immediately recognized her.
“What’s wrong with the Magical Sect? Has the Magical Sect eaten your rice?” Song Xueyuan said while repeatedly thrusting her sword at Lin Guiming.
Fortunately, Lin Guiming was no pushover and wasn’t easily injured by her attacks.
“You righteous cultivators always talk about the Magical Sect like it’s some villain, yet behind closed doors, who knows what dirty things you’ve done!”
“Hey, little girl, I’m warning you, don’t go too far. If you keep stabbing at me, I’m going to have to fight back!” Lin Guiming said, struggling to block her incoming strikes—it was quite exhausting.
“Fight then! Do you think I’m afraid of you?!” Song Xueyuan said boldly.
Before Lin Guiming could make a move, she launched a serious attack.
A faint black aura swirled around her palm as she slapped toward Lin Guiming.
Her Lingqi surged freely within her body, and the attack carried Lingqi, a clear sign of someone at the Innate Meridians Stage.
“Yin Sha Palm?” Lin Guiming recognized the move, but his expression remained calm.
Song Xueyuan was at the Innate Meridians Stage, while he was at the Illusory Spirit Stage—one realm higher.
A pale blue Lingqi surrounded Lin Guiming’s entire arm.
He struck out with a palm, and a faint afterimage appeared, easily blocking Song Xueyuan’s attack.
“Bi Xia Palm, Lingqi projection, Illusory Spirit Stage?!”
Song Xueyuan was shocked and took a few steps back, her expression filled with surprise.
“Are you Ye Yinfeng or Lin Guiming?”
Just as Lin Guiming recognized the Di Sha Valley’s techniques, Song Xueyuan also recognized Bixiao Palace’s “Bi Xia Palm.”
Considering Lin Guiming’s cultivation level and age, guessing his identity wasn’t difficult.
“Who I am is none of your business,” Lin Guiming rolled his eyes and said, “Behave yourself and hand over the treasure map, or I’ll have to spank you.”
“You!”
Song Xueyuan was furious.
Without caring if she could defeat Lin Guiming, she swung her sword horizontally at him, as if trying to cut him in half.
Lin Guiming quickly drew his artifact from behind and blocked her slash.
Song Xueyuan pressed on with her attacks, and soon the two began to entangle in combat.
Though Bixiao Palace’s swordsmanship wasn’t as extraordinary as Juejian Manor’s, it was still renowned far and wide.
Moreover, Lin Guiming had spent considerable time perfecting the sect’s entry-level sword art, Bi Kong Sword Art, to a great extent.
In contrast, Di Sha Valley focused more on Magical Arts fueled by Yin Sha Energy rather than specialized sword techniques, most of which required intense concentration to unleash their true power.
Adding to that, Lin Guiming’s cultivation was a whole realm above Song Xueyuan’s, making it impossible for her to defeat him.
Within less than half an incense stick’s time, Lin Guiming caught her flaw and seized her in a firm grip…
***
PS: A few things to say. First, many may not know that several authors who released works on June 1st, including those with A-grade author status, have all seen their works fail miserably, as did two authors with S-grade status from May. Subscriptions have been bleak. This may be due to the low traffic these past two months, but judging from the increase in recommendation rankings, traffic hasn’t dropped so low as to cause total failure. So why is the subscription so poor for authors who had strong initial results?
I’ve analyzed it: first, the unavoidable pattern of high start but steep decline. The start was too good, but there was a noticeable drop in quality and consistency later on. Also, “watering down” content is unavoidable in every work, but widespread filler inevitably hurts performance.
In short, the bottom line is that the authors disappointed their readers. The story later on wasn’t good enough, so readers lost interest.
I wonder if I’ll end up the same way.
I can’t guarantee otherwise because I don’t have great confidence in the later plot. What scares me most is that the current popularity might just be from the early chapters’ memes and jokes, with few people genuinely liking the story. If that’s true, I will almost certainly fail.
However, the plot is already set in stone. No matter what I do, I can’t change the outcome. Whether it soars or crashes, I can only try to write each chapter seriously. I want to avoid disappointing everyone as much as possible.
I’m not aiming for S-grade status anymore, just hoping to reach 1,500 monthly votes to secure an A-grade and have a chance to promote to S-grade in the first month. As for the story, this is what I can write. If you like it, please support it. If not, there’s nothing I can do.
Finally, I can tell you the core of this book is to write touching and heartfelt love stories. The overall tone will be serious, not light or casual, which is also my biggest concern.
Do your best, and leave the rest to fate.
Maybe I’m rambling, but these are truly the heartfelt words of a weak author. I write with my heart laid bare before you, sincerely.
Thank you all for your monthly votes and rewards. Time is tight, so I can’t reply to everyone personally—sorry…