Chapter 25: Chap 25

“Li Cao (superior/high). And Dong Yun An.”

 

“Who do you think will win?”

“Dong Yun An, isn’t it?”

“Yin Yu and Li Cao’s cultivation are at the same level, but Yin Yu is more quick-witted at using her cultivation and technique. So Yin Yu is stronger than Li Cao, but Dong Yun An has defeated Yin Yu. It’s obvious, isn’t it?”

“Think so too.”

“Li Cao may have an edge against Dong Yun An.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Yin Yu has a better head, but Li Cao has better sword technique.”

“Now that you mention. Li Cao has many weaknesses in comparison to Yin Yu, but his Invisible Sword is definitely better.”

“So Li Cao will win?”

“Maybe.”

“There is more.”

“Like what?”

“The first thing is Dong Yun An didn’t defeat Yin Yu. Yin Yu surrendered because junior master Fang Yun told her to...”

 

They immediately recall the event and nod slowly. The junior master did say something along the line that they both would sustain more injuries. 

 

Yun An attends for the fights. She has no reason not to go further. Even if she received more wounds, she wouldn’t stop. Unlike other disciples who were busy making a name for themselves, Yun An can always recover.

 

Yin Yu is a higher cultivator though. Being heavily injured will greatly impact her cultivation. It can’t be compared to Yun An whose goal is merely breaking through to the third level. The junior master must have decided not to persuade her to surrender but told Yin Yu instead. Yin Yu is also his disciple. It’s far easier to convince her.

 

“…Even if Dong Yun An is as strong as Yin Yu, her injuries would make Li Cao the advantageous one.”

 

The memories of Yun An swiping blood from her mouth corner, or the scratches from the Invisible Sword, or the bloody finger makes its way back to their mind. Those are injuries that could twist their face.

Needless to say, Li Cao is wary of Yun An. Anyone that can force Yin Yu to concede is a threat. Still, he understands that there is a good chance at winning.

 

During the fight between Yin Yu and Dong Yun An, Yin Yu’s palm strikes can reach Yun An but it didn’t have enough power to make her submit. On the other hand, her Invisible Sword isn’t fast enough to hit Yun An. Li Cao doesn’t have this problem.

 

Li Cao spent his training on Lightning Slash and Invisible Sword. He can dish out those two techniques almost as swiftly as Yin Yu’s palms. These two techniques are guaranteed to deal critical damage to Dong Yun An. If she is too badly wounded, the senior master will interrupt in his favour. He only needs to take the opportunities and not let Yun An adapt.

 

“Fight!”

 

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Unlike the previous matches, Yun An has adopted a new stance. The right leg is behind and so is the right torso which holds the sword. It is a stance as open as her old one but is more readily to move. 

 

The previous tactic of Yun An is reactive. This change indicates Yun An has anticipated to be more active.

 

As with every contestant before him, Li Cao takes the initiative against Yun An. While cutting down the distance, his sword launches three successive crescent blades at the younger cultivator.

 

Yun An sidesteps them with little difficulty. When the last crescent blade is behind her, Li Cao has entered melee.

 

Yun An struggles to defend just as she did against Yin Yu. Yin Yu’s palms are truly less alarming than a qi-imbued sword in the hands of a diligent swordsman. Her weaker qi forces her to avoid the edge of her enemy. Despite her advanced perception, his adept swordsmanship makes it difficult for her. Even when her left hand shoved the blade away by its broad side, Li Cao knew to use the weapon’s flexibility to return its trajectory. The sword isn’t too long but its reach keeps her at bay. Unable to attack, the onlookers whisper at Yun An’s imminent defeat.

 

Kicking the tile, she jumps back a short distance. Li Cao immediately follows. He has seen enough to conclude that Yun An hasn’t reached Mid Qi manipulation. This means she couldn’t amplify more than one part of her body with qi. Thus, the only worthy attacks can only come from her sword which is currently highlighted with qi.

 

Li Cao is at the fourth level of Qi Forming stage, so qi skin, qi vessel, qi flesh, and qi bone have already been formed. These parallel qi tissues which occupy the same space as normal tissues enhance the flow of qi as well as the performance of his body. Non-qi attacks can not overcome this constructed defence.

 

Everyone holds the same opinion that Yun An poses no threat to Li Cao. The one who understands this the most is the young girl herself. Hence, she made the distance to change that. At sufficient range, Yun An makes a one-hand swing from the hip that travels upward diagonally.

 

That swing explodes into a thick crescent blade that dilates Li Cao’s pupils. Sweats form into droplets on his forehead as he manages in time. The howling wind silences the courtyard.

 

As they snapped out of it, voices of speculation break out like a disturbed beehive.

 

“What!?”

“How could she make a blade that big?”

“Didn’t she just know how to use qi the other day? How could she learn Invisible Sword that fast?”

“That’s not Invisible Sword.”

 

Cultivator’s martial techniques place higher emphasis on qi flow than physical practicality of the move. Non-qi martial arts of ancient time focus only on reserving momentum, accuracy against vital points, and maintaining a stable and beneficial stance for offence and defence purpose. To make an analog, practising qi martial arts without qi is the same as practising writing without actually writing a stroke.

 

Li Cao stumbles away from Yun An. While he was being disoriented, she just stood there, checking the blade. Li Cao has no idea what she is doing. What he does know is that wasn’t Invisible Sword. She is the first senior grandmaster’s disciple so there is a chance it was a secret technique of the Shadowless sect. It could also be a technique invented by the first senior grandmaster. Of the two speculations, he is leaning more toward the latter than the former.

 

As seconds ticked away, a third explanation took a foothold onto him. Shadowless sect’s techniques focus on sharpness and high speed to finish the opponent before they can react. This is the justification for them to be called Shadowless. If the first senior grandmaster did invent a new move, it should follow this principle. However, Yun An’s technique is almost the opposite. It is crude. There should not be a howling wind. The power of the strike deviated from the blade instead of forming into oneness like Invisible Sword. The chaos of sound and wind is the testament. Hence, in spite of its size, the blade didn’t travel far. While Shadowless sect’s technique does make sound, only an extremely large Invisible Sword can do so, Dong Yun An’s is far below that.

 

Li Cao did consider it to be an unskilled Invisible Sword, but another aspect tells him otherwise, the qi. Her blade wasn’t made out of qi. If there was qi, he should have seen it. There isn’t. Her blade was formed purely from brute force and subpar sword skill. The qi on her blade is likely not to make a qi blade like Invisible Sword, but to reinforce the metallic weapon from the stress. Could this be the answer for her strange action of checking on the blade?

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