Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 61: Fellow Disciples Sparring

Before the gates of the Cold Palace Sword Mansion, a silver-haired young woman in white was teaching a petite, nimble girl how to practice with her sword.

The two graceful figures, one tall and one small, danced amidst the snowy mist, the ringing of their swords echoing the howl of the cold wind.

Perhaps because Pei Yuhang had channeled his Yang Fire the day before to disperse the endless dust and fog, the weather today was exceptionally clear. Sunlight struck the blades of their swords, creating a dazzling silver glint. This light, in turn, reflected off the countless specks of snow dust floating in the air, making them sparkle like stars in the night sky.

After finishing a set of sword forms, Qing Yueqiu flicked her hand, conjuring a cyclone that shot toward the sky. The vortex swept up the accumulated snow within a hundred-meter radius, clearing a wide, flat, snowless area.

She brushed her silver hair, shaking off the specks of snow dust caught within its strands, then fixed her crimson, gem-like eyes on Yu Xiaoyan.

"Junior Sister, the morning warm-up is over. Now, attack me with your full strength. Let me see what level your Swordsmanship has reached."

Yu Xiaoyan put on a pitiful expression. "Senior Sister, will you be using your Golden Core Stage Cultivation? Xiaoxiao's Cultivation is low right now. Against a Senior Sister at the peak of the Golden Core Stage, I'm afraid I won't even last a single move."

Qing Yueqiu shook her head. "I will suppress my Cultivation to the Foundation Establishment level. I'll also only use Swordsmanship, no Daoist Skills. You can rest assured, Junior Sister."

"Oh, is that so~"

Yu Xiaoyan heaved a long sigh of relief and patted her own barren Little Dao Fruits.

"In that case—forgive me, Senior Sister!"

In the very next instant, Yu Xiaoyan twisted her ankle, her body shooting forward like a silver arrow. Her speed was so great that she left a blurry afterimage in the air.

She sank her qi to her Dantian, lunged, raised her sword, and thrust it at the throat of the very senior sister who had been so diligently teaching her just moments before.

The series of movements was as smooth as flowing water.

This was no spur-of-the-moment sneak attack, but a secret killing blow that had long been in the making.

She was like a bamboo viper, moments ago lazing on a branch, suddenly lunging and baring its lethal fangs at its prey.

Even a Golden Core Stage Cultivator would have found it difficult to perfectly block this strike without using their Spiritual Perception to anticipate it.

But Qing Yueqiu was, after all, the new generation's Sword Dao leader, famed throughout the sect. After her initial surprise, she immediately calmed down, instantly spotting the flaw in Yu Xiaoyan's movements and making her counter.

Without even gripping her sword, she stirred the air with her two slender hands, intending to face the coming, frigid Sword Aura bare-handed.

A flash of ridicule crossed Yu Xiaoyan's eyes, as if mocking her senior sister's arrogance and overconfidence.

'Trying to stop my sword bare-handed, without Spiritual Qi reinforcement or a defensive Daoist Skill to support her body? It seems those beautiful, jade-like hands are destined to be scarred today.'

'When Master sees his eldest disciple's hands dripping with blood, he'll surely be heartbroken, won't he?'

'Then, I'll just act cute in front of Master and cry about how I accidentally hurt Senior Sister. Maybe he'll even hold me and comfort me~ Tee hee~'

'You brought this on yourself, Senior Sister!'

Just before she came within ten meters of Qing Yueqiu, Yu Xiaoyan exhaled a puff of white air, pouring even more of her Spiritual Qi into the edge of the sword in her hand, causing its cold glint to intensify.

A second burst of speed!

VMMMM—!!

The sword's edge pierced the air, letting out a sharp screech.

But the expected crimson beads of blood did not trickle down the cold, white blade.

Yu Xiaoyan only felt a sharp pain in the wrist of her sword hand, and in the next second, the hilt slipped from her grasp.

As it turned out, long before the blade reached her, Qing Yueqiu had taken a step forward. With one hand, she had grabbed Yu Xiaoyan's sword arm, and with the other, she had struck her wrist with a sudden burst of force, instantly dislocating it and knocking the Iron Sword from her hand.

SWOOSH—

The dislodged Iron Sword flew straight, tracing a white line through the air before finally piercing through a massive, three-meter-thick bluestone behind Qing Yueqiu.

"Cough, cough..."

Yu Xiaoyan knelt on the ground, half-supported. Because the Spiritual Qi-infused technique had been disrupted, she had suffered minor internal injuries and couldn't stop coughing.

"Junior Sister, your move was stealthy, and its momentum and power were both top-notch, but your killing intent is too heavy. An expert can easily sense your next move."

"Besides, it's too direct. The opening is massive."

As she spoke, Qing Yueqiu extended her right hand toward the kneeling Yu Xiaoyan, intending to pull her up.

Yu Xiaoyan remained silent for a moment. After stabilizing the Spiritual Qi in her body, she stood up on her own.

Qing Yueqiu's hand, still hanging in the air, paused. Thinking her junior sister was angry at being hurt, she said, a little flustered:

"Junior Sister, let me set your dislocated wrist..."

Yu Xiaoyan didn't answer. She twisted her own wrist, producing a cringe-inducing CRACK. She had actually set the bone herself.

Then, looking at Qing Yueqiu's slightly guilty face, she spoke in a flat tone that was a far cry from her usual cute and delicate act:

"I'm fine, Senior Sister. A little pain is unavoidable in sparring. I'm not that fragile."

"Besides... I think what you said makes a lot of sense. Xiaoxiao has learned her lesson this time."

Qing Yueqiu nodded. Seeing that her junior sister wasn't angry and had even praised her teaching methods, she sighed in relief, a flicker of joy rising in her heart.

'Junior Sister approved of my teaching.'

'This means I didn't fail Master's expectations. I actually helped lighten his load!'

Yu Xiaoyan watched the faint blush appear on Qing Yueqiu's usually cold, pretty face. She didn't even have to guess what she was thinking about.

'Who else could it be but that man?'

'Tsk, Senior Sister is getting all lovesick again for no reason.'

For some reason, Yu Xiaoyan felt very irritated.

At the same time, ripples spread across her Heart Lake, and a female voice, somewhat similar to her own but far more hoarse, rang out.

["Xiaoxiao, why didn't you just give your body to me? If your big sister had been the one to act, your senior sister would probably be bleeding by now~"]

'Shut up, I don't want to talk to you right now!'

Just as an expression of disgust was about to form on Yu Xiaoyan's face, she caught sight of the corner of a white robe in the sky out of the corner of her eye.

"Ah, Master, you're here! Xiaoxiao hasn't seen you all day, I missed you so much!"

Whether out of genuine emotion or an unconscious reflex to put on her mask, the gloom in her eyes transformed into joy and innocence, and a bright, sunny smile spread across her pretty face.

At that moment, the White-clothed Sword Immortal had just descended from the sky. Sensing the residual Sword Intent in the air, he looked at Qing Yueqiu and Yu Xiaoyan and smiled.

"Were you two just practicing your swords?"

Qing Yueqiu nodded. Just as she was about to give her master a serious answer, she saw Yu Xiaoyan—who had been so cold-faced just moments ago—throw herself directly into Pei Yuhang's arms.

"Master, my wrist was just dislocated! Senior Sister is so strict, it hurt Xiaoxiao so much..."

Yu Xiaoyan buried her head in Pei Yuhang's chest, pouting as she spoke with an aggrieved tone.

Qing Yueqiu: "..."

Pei Yuhang patted his young disciple's head and said comfortingly, "Your senior sister is strict for your own good. A Cultivator doesn't have to be bloodthirsty, but they absolutely cannot be unskilled in combat. The Cultivation Realm is far more cruel and terrifying than you can imagine."

As he spoke, the Jiezhi Storage Ring on Pei Yuhang's finger flashed, and two objects enveloped in white light floated before Yu Xiaoyan.

The White-clothed Sword Immortal explained to the young disciple in his arms, "In this Golden Toad Wooden Box are three Spirit-Storage Pills that I asked Elder Lu of the Dan Yun Pavilion to refine. Two are Upper Grade, and one is Top Grade."

"If Elder Lu and I weren't martial brothers, you couldn't buy an Elixir of this quality even with Spirit Stones—they're priceless. Xiaoxiao, if you run into Elder Lu in the future, you must greet him warmly."

"As for the other item, it's a secret technique for Divine Soul Demon Refining, exclusive to the Nine Nether Palace, which I seized from one of their Divinity Transformation Great Powers on the battlefield of the Great War between the Righteous and Demonic paths."

"This Secret Technique is far too evil, so I removed seventy percent of the harmful content that would damage one's Merit. The remaining thirty percent is all beneficial content for cultivating the Divine Soul and increasing its strength."

"Cultivate it well. With your aptitude and the help of the Elixirs, you should be able to achieve initial success in just over a month."

"When that time comes and you face your Golden Core Celestial Tribulation, the Celestial Dao Will won't see you as two separate individuals and increase the intensity of the Thunder Tribulation."