Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 241 - 202: Mountain Stronghold Finals

December 30, 2017

Dusk, outside Shen Garden in the Green Willow Alley of the East City District, the evening glow accompanied a gentle breeze, casting the last warm golden-red hues upon the land. Within the garden walls, an ancient tree with dense leaves extended half its crown beyond the wall, its verdant leaves adding a rare touch of lively vitality to this harsh winter day. Yet the quietness of the alley meant that this winter beauty went unnoticed.

Outside the wall lay a tranquil and serene winter night. But within the walls of Shen Garden, the sharp sound of clashing metal echoed incessantly, carrying a sense of indomitable fighting spirit that seemed capable of shattering Chen Mu's winter night.

In the exquisite training ground of Shen Garden, two young girls engaged in a fierce battle, wielding their weapons with all their might. The scene was a spectacular display of sharp Sword Qi and ever-changing powerful Immortal Techniques exchanging blows.

Shen Qingming wielded a broad, heavy Bright Steel Heavy Sword with astonishing momentum, making the weapon, weighing hundreds of pounds, move as lightly as a dagger. The sword emitted dazzling, intimidating light that wove into a Heaven and Earth Net, enveloping her opponent with an impenetrable Sword Stance, fully maintaining the initiative.

However, in stark contrast to her complete command of the scene, the girl's expression grew increasingly grim.

Sweaty bangs clung to her forehead, and together with her furrowed brows, painted a picture of frustration and reluctance. Despite her dominance on the field, Shen Qingming felt increasingly despondent.

This battle seemed unwinnable.

No matter how hard she tried, no matter how she changed Sword Techniques, no matter how many flashes of inspiration burst forth in her mind, evolving her Swordsmanship in unexpected, magical ways... her opponent simply used a two-foot short sword to block her devastating assaults.

No extra force was exerted, nor did superior Sword Intent come into play. That ordinary short sword seemed like an insurmountable mountain.

The woman wielding the sword maintained a smile that never changed, akin to the vastness that holds the mountain, possessing unattainable Realm and strength.

Sister Wanqing... truly incredible, beyond reason.

Though she had suppressed her strength to the same Wind-Rising Realm level as Shen Qingming, binding her Divine Sense with the God-Binding Earrings and not using a single Armor Plate of the Yuqing Taoist Armor... Shen Qingming still couldn't defeat her, seeing no hope of victory.

Clang clang clang clang clang...

Amidst a series of sword strikes, Shen Qingming adjusted her stance, launching fierce attacks from all directions, only to have each strike inevitably blocked.

Shen Qingming spent all her strength on Sword Techniques, took a slight step back to recover, transforming a small amount of True Essence into simple Illusion Techniques to conceal her retreating Body Technique, ensuring she wasn't counterattacked in the changing rhythm—though Li Wanqing showed no intention of countering at any moment.

After two breaths, Shen Qingming felt her once-depleted strength filling up again, with the Immovable Tyrant Body's Divine Techniques once again demonstrating extraordinary power, providing her with physical capacity far beyond that of other Cultivators.

Yet... does such endless stamina truly matter? Shen Qingming flashed a bitter smile, glancing at the ground beneath her.

Nearby, around Li Wanqing, her sweat had soaked the surrounding soil, resembling a light spring rain.

How long has this monotonous and dull offensive and defensive battle continued?

Half an hour? One hour?

Even the heavy Bright Steel Heavy Sword, as bulky as a warhammer, showed notches from thousands of full-force impacts, whereas Sister Wanqing hadn't moved a single step.

The disparity in their strength was truly despair-inducing.

Clang!

Another resonant collision echoed, as Shen Qingming suddenly felt a formidable reverberating force coursing through her wrist and spreading throughout her body, making her bones crackle and forcing her to helplessly fly backward...

Yet Sister Wanqing merely casually switched the short sword from her right hand to her left... never mind the steady-rooted steps, she hadn't even twisted her waist!

An intense sense of defeat surged within her.

This was her strongest attack utilizing the Physical Divine Techniques of the Immovable Tyrant Body combined with the Pounce Technique from the Spirit Cat Swordsmanship... yet Sister Wanqing applied no techniques from the Cloud Surge Realm, merely opposing her with equal force.

No longer guided by Wang Jiu's remote control, relying solely on her own power... am I truly so easily defeated?

…Actually, this result isn't surprising. More than half a year ago, she was just an incompetent girl at a loss against the Wind Barrier, a Li Family abandoned daughter famous in the entire QingCyan Cloud yun City, and back then, Sister Wanqing was already recognized as an unparalleled genius rivaling Li Fengyun.

Their gap was already as vast as the clouds and dirt.

If not for that May morning when she passed by that weapon stall, inexplicably using all her pocket money to buy that Whiteboard Sword... now, she'd probably still be the girl in Shen Garden who seethed in anger at the Li Clan.

Everything she possessed now was granted by external forces; without such aid, she wouldn't even have the qualification to spar with Sister Wanqing in the training yard today!

So, isn't it normal to be weaker than her?

However, despite the rational thoughts that keep emerging in her mind, each telling her how natural it is to be defeated, she cannot think of any reason to refute them. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Yet, on the other side, there's an indignation within her chest, driving her to charge forward recklessly even though she knows there's no chance of winning.

Fail ten thousand times, then try for the ten thousand and first time, even if it means humiliation, even if it holds no meaning, she will never concede, absolutely not!

With a roar of fury in her heart, Shen Qingming again summoned her Qi Blood, regrouped, and wielded the heavy Bright Steel Sword single-handedly, while her slender waist swayed left and right like a Spirit Cat about to pounce...

The next moment, her figure launched forward, the girl darted like lightning towards her opponent, the Bright Steel Sword pointed straight at Li Wanqing's brow.

This Spirit Cat Swordsmanship had transformed remarkably compared to a few months ago, whether in speed or explosiveness, growing several, even tenfold from before. If she took such swordsmanship to the Mountain Shifting Sword Dao Club for evaluation, it would undoubtedly achieve the highest rating.

However, Shen Qingming knew clearly that facing Li Wanqing, the highest rating meant nothing; this meteor-like sword strike would not yield any result.

Because before, this perfect Spirit Cat Sword had been used dozens or even hundreds of times already, each time effortlessly blocked by Li Wanqing, with each block executed differently! It seemed like a gorgeous demonstration of swordsmanship.

Sister Wanqing... Truly worthy of a Sword Dao prodigy, despite pausing swordsmanship training since leaving Cyan Cloud City for Yuqing Mountain three years ago, she picked it up again in just a month and even surpassed her past self. Such talent is simply despairing.

In an instant of thought, Shen Qingming suddenly felt an emptiness within, as if a twisted void had drained the previously brimming physical energy... for a moment, she was hardly able to maintain the already initiated Spirit Cat Swordsmanship.

It seems this battle is over.

Her physical stamina is finally exhausted. The Immovable Tyrant Body, though mystical, possessing seemingly infinite stamina, isn't truly infinite. After her lavish use, it reached its limits.

After this sword strike, she could barely keep standing, probably unable to even lift the several hundred pounds heavy Bright Steel Sword.

Yet Sister Wanqing... as at the beginning of the duel, remained composed, without a single drop of sweat.

This sword, halfway through the attack, weakened in power, no longer a perfect Spirit Cat Sword, nor would it have any effect, but Shen Qingming suppressed these rational thoughts and forged ahead relying solely on indignation within her chest.

Clang!

Another loud clash of metal, the sound familiar yet strangely unfamiliar—the thousands of explosive collisions never yielded such sound, leaving Shen Qingming momentarily bewildered.

The next moment, she widened her eyes, incredulous, seeing Li Wanqing retreat half a step backward, her hand unsteady, the short sword falling to the ground.

Then followed a sigh.

"Ah, I lost."

Li Wanqing shrugged with a hint of regret, then bent over to pick up the short sword, fiddled with it in her hand, and looked up at Shen Qingming with a sincere smile.

"Qingming, congratulations, you won."

"I..." Shen Qingming stood frozen, her mind blank, after a while, an indignant feeling surged, causing her to frown and say angrily, "I don't need this kind of consolation! Losing or winning, I'm not so ignorant that I can't tell them apart!"

"I'm not consoling you; this duel truly is your victory, I... didn't hold back either."

"But you obviously..."

"Obviously not retreating even half a step, sweatless? Haha, this is the Unmoving Mountain Sword, a technique I devised at Yuqing Mountain. Facing the enemy in battle, it connects the True Essence to the earth, the body unmoving like a mountain, using the earth as a shield, leveraging the internal True Essence's circulation to negate forces and impacts. Overall, though its defensive capabilities aren't particularly outlandish, its practical effect usually is unusually effective. For most people, seeing such swordsmanship, after a few unsuccessful attempts, they quickly concede themselves," Li Wanqing said, shrugging again with helplessness. "After all, not everyone is willing to attempt the hundred and first time after failing a hundred times... Honestly, I didn't expect Qingming, you'd break through my Unmoving Mountain Sword with such stubborn persistence."

Shen Qingming was speechless for a while, then gently made a sound, "Ah?"

Li Wanqing explained, "To be blunt, it's a tricky disguise sword technique; as long as the sword path isn't broken, no matter how struggling I am internally, no matter the chaos of rampant True Essence, the outward appearance is calm and composed. But once the sword path is disrupted, even the slightest body movement leads to total collapse. I couldn't even hold the short sword just now, literally unable to resist, so this duel indeed is your victory."

"Is this how it is?" Asking while looking back, Shen Qingming sought confirmation from the Celestial Divine Sword that served as referee.

Soon came an affirmative response.

Instantly, a complex sensation, indescribable yet undeniable, welled up in her heart.