Fairy, Don't Be Afraid, I Am Blind

Chapter 147 - 116: Baxi’s Divine Soul; True Heir of Lotus Peak

"Shi Yan... being able to withstand this sword, you have already made remarkable progress; do not lose your composure."

Faced with the persistent Shi Yan, Mr. Liu gently dissuaded him, as if advising a wayward youth to turn back.

"Mr. Liu! I really haven’t lost yet! Let me continue fighting!"

Hearing this, Mr. Liu sighed helplessly and looked at You Su. You Su sensed the glance and knew Mr. Liu was asking for his opinion.

This Shi Yan appeared honest, yet clung to You Su like stubborn glue, not attacking first, but simply pestering You Su for a beating.

At this moment, You Su couldn’t help but feel some resentment, guessing which important figure had intentionally sent this person to annoy him. He absolutely couldn’t believe that someone capable of taking his Sword Intent head-on could only be an outer disciple.

He stepped forward with his sword, his expression somewhat unpleasant, and asked in a low voice:

"Who exactly sent you?"

"Mr. Liu, is he talking to me?" That Shi Yan scratched his head foolishly.

Mr. Liu gave him a glance and quietly explained on his behalf:

"You Su, no one sent him. Continue fighting; unless you knock him down, he won’t admit defeat. Once the fight is over, I’ll explain to you in detail."

You Su was stunned for a moment and realized it was his own misunderstanding. He then steadied his mind and focused on his opponent.

Mr. Liu nodded slightly and stepped out of the arena, leaving the two inside continuing their tense standoff. That Shi Yan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, still eager to fight.

In a short time, it was difficult for You Su to gather Sword Intent again, unless he used the Sword Nurturing Spell to unleash the spirit he had accumulated these past days. You Su sensed that Shi Yan’s steps were somewhat unsteady and decided to hold back. By relying solely on the Mandarin Duck Sword Thirty-Six Forms, he could defeat this stubborn brute.

A few more sword flashes passed, and although Shi Yan still blocked them all, he was no longer as smooth as he had been at the start.

You Su could tell that he was at the end of his strength.

But You Su really didn’t understand; what exactly was sustaining this person in a mere ordinary spar, such that he had to fight until exhaustion?

Seeing Shi Yan fall under the sword and rise again, You Su suddenly thought of himself back in Chuyun City, facing invincible foes yet gritting his teeth and persevering.

If he had easily given up because his opponents were Mr. Ling, Mr. Qi, or Mr. Liou, how could he have fought for even a sliver of a chance to live?

In the face of powerful enemies, refusing to give up isn’t solely his privilege. In this world, there are certainly others who persist to the end for their own obsessions.

Thinking of this, You Su also felt respect for this opponent, and a sense of mutual sympathy welled up in his heart.

But even so, he absolutely could not hand over victory in this fight.

Like footprints in the snow.

Like a fragment of precious light.

Like a cry from a crane over a pavilion.

These three moves aren’t considered the most powerful in the Yuan Sword, yet when combined, they are relentless and hard to resist.

The sword wind howled, and Shi Yan gradually showed signs of decline. Clearly, it was just a spar aimed to stop short, but he carried several wounds, and no one called to stop.

Among the onlookers, many recognized the oddity that was Shi Yan, who repeatedly challenged true disciples year after year, only to be completely defeated each time. The true disciples he challenged despised him, and the outer disciples he represented looked down on him even more. Initially, some praised his courage to challenge upward against authority, but the repeatedly defeated Shi Yan now appeared to others as nothing but a ridiculous joke.

So was Mr. Liu, in charge of the true disciples’ affairs, naturally well-acquainted with Shi Yan. Yet unlike others who grew increasingly disdainful of Shi Yan, he instead grew more appreciative in his heart.

In every challenge, Shi Yan displayed the same unwillingness to admit defeat, and even if treated as a punching bag by the infuriated true disciples, he bravely withstood it, exchanging blows for injuries and ridicule, then quietly healing himself in a corner, awaiting the next aspiring true disciple to appear.

Yet few could see that this "punching bag" was becoming tougher. It seemed each hit he withstood was absorbed and transformed into his own strength! His keen insight into others’ moves didn’t stem from instinct but because he had suffered enough strikes!

Based solely on Shi Yan’s defensive skills, he had long surpassed the standard of typical true disciples. The reason no elders had yet promoted him to true disciple, besides all his talents being focused on defense, involved another inconvenient reason...

Mr. Liu sighed quietly and watched the stumbling Shi Yan, struggling at the edge. He could no longer resist stopping the spar. Yet in the blink of an eye, his old eyes flashed, keenly detecting something unusual!

In the arena, Shi Yan’s legs had sunk into the cracked stone surface, and his arms were raised high and crossed as a wall of Profound Qi fiercely resisted You Su’s determined strike, yet was on the verge of collapse.

Behind Shi Yan, the Hexagram Array that had aided him in blocking You Su’s Don’t Be Afraid Sword Intent reappeared! The difference now was that this time, the Hexagram Array operated in the reverse direction!

Mr. Liu didn’t recognize this Cultivation Technique, but he understood what Shi Yan was doing.

The first time it appeared, he clearly saw the array dissolve most of the sword’s power for Shi Yan. And now, with the reverse of the array, a vast and complex Profound Qi surged from the array into Shi Yan’s entire body. Every vein and muscle in his body swelled almost to the point of explosion!

What filled his robust body was not only You Su’s Sword Intent but also every strike he had ever endured!

Shi Yan was like a rubber ball bouncing back after hitting the bottom, like a volcano amassing power before eruption. This seemingly always beaten down and solid youth finally revealed his fangs today! And the way he struck back at his opponent was to return every pain he had endured!