Seeing that there was no response for a long time, the disciples of Lingjian Sect all believed that Gu Shenzhi must be too afraid to accept the challenge, and so they mocked and ridiculed him without restraint, their faces truly detestable.
“Didn’t you used to claim to be the number one sword cultivator among the younger generation of Muyun Continent, Young Master Gu? Why is it that now you don’t even have the courage to draw your sword?”
“That’s not all. He probably wanted to set himself up as the number one prodigy of Muyun Continent and forced both inner and outer sect disciples to kiss his stinking feet.”
“Watch your mouth!” Mo Lin shouted sternly.
He had always admired Gu Shenzhi’s swordsmanship. If he hadn’t suffered a crushing defeat at Gu Shenzhi’s hands during the sect competition and let a heart demon take root, he would never have done something so despicable and shameless as to kick a man when he was down.
But to walk further along the Immortal Path, and to eradicate his heart demon, today he had to defeat Gu Shenzhi head-on and wash away his past humiliation.
Of course, everyone knew that Gu Shenzhi was no longer the peerless prodigy he once was. After being crippled by Fairy Bai Qi, his cultivation had regressed to Qi Refinement Level Three, never to recover, and his swordsmanship had fallen even further.
At least in the eyes of most Lingjian Sect disciples, Gu Shenzhi was now nothing but a cripple.
Suddenly, with a loud bang, the door of the small blue-tiled building was flung open. A handsome, delicate-featured young “lord” emerged, sword in arms, strolling out with an air of ease.
Su Linghuang swept her gaze over the crowd and saw that most of them were at the mid-stage Foundation Establishment level, with the leader at best at the early Spirit Convergence stage. His foundation was solid, not a mediocre sort.
But these people—let alone fighting Gu Shenzhi fairly one-on-one—even if they all attacked together, might not be able to harm him in the slightest. She really wondered where they got their confidence.
“Which one of you is Mo Lin?”
The Red Lotus Saintess cleared her throat, doing her best to imitate a man’s voice, and asked arrogantly.
At this moment, a late-stage Foundation Establishment disciple of Lingjian Sect, seeing her fair, delicate skin and petite, slender figure, looked down on her and immediately sneered, “You neither look like a man nor a woman, what right do you have—”
Before he could finish, a white figure flashed before him. Without even unsheathing her sword, Su Linghuang struck his dantian hard with the hilt. She moved so quickly that even Mo Lin could barely catch her movements.
In the next instant, spiritual energy burst forth. That disciple seemed to be struck by a rampaging beast, sent flying over seven zhang, crashing heavily into the courtyard wall. His face was now as pale as paper, blood constantly seeping from the corners of his mouth; if not dead, he had at least lost half his life.
This blow clearly left the Lingjian Sect disciples in awe of the Red Lotus Saintess. Those who had been so arrogant moments ago now lowered their heads, lips sealed, looking like mice confronted by a cat.
The Red Lotus Saintess gave a cold laugh and asked icily, “Who is Mo Lin?”
“I am!”
Mo Lin, dressed in the robe of a core disciple, stepped out from the crowd. He was tall and imposing, with a Xuan-grade spirit sword [Qiu Niu] at his waist, making him stand out among the ordinary inner sect disciples.
“Your strength is remarkable, and your movement technique exquisite. May I ask your name?” He cupped his hands respectfully.
Hearing this, the Lingjian Sect disciples were even more shocked. This seemingly frail pretty boy had actually made Senior Brother Mo Lin personally inquire after his name—a privilege reserved only for his true rivals.
Looking at the respectful Mo Lin, and the man embedded in the wall with a twisted face, all the disciples wiped cold sweat from their brows, grateful they hadn’t spoken out of turn.
Su Linghuang used her phoenix eyes to size him up carefully but found nothing extraordinary. If this was his true strength, he wasn’t even as good as Mo Renxie from the Blood Blade Sect.
“Moonshadow Sect, Su Wei,” the Red Lotus Saintess answered simply, her tone cold and full of disdain, a stark contrast to her demeanor in front of Gu Shenzhi.
“Brother Su, I’m here today only to challenge Gu Shenzhi. I have no intention of offending your sect. Please let him come out and fight.”
“I owe Gu Shenzhi a favor. I’ll take this fight in his place,” Su Linghuang said coldly, as [Falling Plum] let out a sharp sword cry.
Seeing the other party giving him no face at all, Mo Lin gritted his teeth and said, “So Brother Su insists on having a match with me!”
In the next moment, early Spirit Convergence pressure erupted, forcing the nearby Lingjian Sect disciples to take several steps back.
Su Linghuang, however, showed no fear. She raised her slender jade finger and gently wiped the blade, saying, “If you can take ten of my strikes, you win, and I won’t stop you from seeking out Gu Shenzhi. But if you lose, from this day on, you are not to trouble him again.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Mo Lin drew his sword. The sword qi was fierce, murderous intent chilling. In the blink of an eye, the blade was already in front of the Red Lotus Saintess.
Her words just now were nothing less than a blatant humiliation to Mo Lin. His pride, cultivated since childhood, would never allow anyone to look down on him in such a way.
Boom—
That unstoppable strike was casually blocked by Su Linghuang. The two spirit swords clashed with a heavy sound, both still exerting force, making it hard to tell who had the upper hand.
With just the first exchange, the onlookers felt the overflowing sword qi sting their faces, drawing sharp breaths and exclaiming at the terror of the scene.
“If this is your full strength, I’m afraid I’ll have to let you have three moves first, or your defeat would be too ugly.” Su Linghuang infused her sword with spiritual energy, suddenly exerted force, and instantly sent Mo Lin flying.
Insulted yet again, Mo Lin was consumed by rage. He activated his technique, the bluestone beneath his feet cracking inch by inch, and a thin layer of razor-sharp qi seemed to wrap around the blade of [Qiu Niu].
“Zongheng Sword Qi! That’s our sect’s secret art. I never thought Senior Brother Mo Lin could master it at his age.”
To be able to entwine such a domineering sword qi around his weapon at his age was truly impressive, showing his solid foundation. Even the Grand Elder of Lingjian Sect praised him for this.
But all of this had a premise: not comparing to Gu Shenzhi. In terms of sword qi mastery, Gu Shenzhi at nine years old was already far superior to Mo Lin now.
Mo Lin gripped the Xuan-grade spirit sword [Qiu Niu] tightly and slashed forward. The surging sword qi tore open the ground, heading straight for Su Linghuang.
For a first meeting, this Zongheng Sword Qi might have been impressive. But after spending so much time watching her own husband’s Zongheng Sword Qi, Su Linghuang found Mo Lin’s version lacking by more than a little.
“Turn it to nothingness, Falling Plum!”
Su Linghuang raised [Falling Plum], the tip pointing directly at the oncoming Zongheng Sword Qi. The pale purple blade shimmered, several plum blossoms appearing out of thin air, blooming and then withering, drifting slowly toward Mo Lin on the breeze.
Though the sword spirit of the plum blossom seemed delicate and frail, it hid deadly secrets. The moment it touched that ferocious sword qi, it assimilated it in an unbelievably strange way. Deep red, dazzling blossoms floated with the wind, dotting the clear blue sky of the afternoon.
In an instant, Su Linghuang shot out from between the plum petals like a bolt of lightning, sword intent layered ninefold, stabbing fiercely at Mo Lin’s vital points.
Boom—
Mo Lin could not resist at all, forced back dozens of steps, his hands trembling as he gripped his sword. Only by burning his blood essence did he barely manage to steady himself—otherwise, he too would have been embedded in the wall by now.
What he didn’t know was that if the Red Lotus Saintess hadn’t held back at the last moment, he’d be preparing for reincarnation right now.
PS: Preparing some drafts, only one update today