When Earth Awakened, I Became a Sword Saintess

Chapter 78 : 24 Hours (Part 1)

78: 24 Hours (Part 1)

Under an old camphor tree hundreds of years old, Yuyin leaned against its trunk.

She was in no hurry to search for opponents.

"Six people, and I'm the only new student. The others are all second-years. I can't rule out the possibility of them teaming up. Besides, from what I've seen, Shenwu is clearly a leader among the second-year swordsmen."

"Just here to accompany the prince in his studies?"

A glint flashed in Yuyin’s eyes.

She truly didn’t have much confidence in this test, but how could ordinary cultivation ever be enough for her? When the time came, could an ordinary, excellent third-year female Source Martial Practitioner fight back against the Ghost King? Was that possible?

This was an opportunity she had to fight for!

"But I can’t be too passive in hiding. As the active area keeps shrinking, there's a possibility of encountering two second-years at the same time."

Yuyin completely retracted her aura, making her extremely difficult to detect. She planned to wait until at least noon.

The sky was overcast. Yuyin quietly hid on a hillside until noon.

"A little thirsty…"

Girls needed a lot of water, especially a vibrant girl like Yuyin.

The test was 24 hours long; it was clearly meant to test everyone’s ability to fight and survive in the wilderness for an extended period. Besides combat, survival was also a trial.

Yuyin saw that the map on her device actually marked the locations of water sources.

"This is just a small mountain. It wouldn’t be that hard to find water on your own. Marked water sources? Hmph… it might be intentional." Yuyin keenly realized this. Carnivorous animals often ambushed prey at watering holes.

The water source might be a spot where someone was lying in wait.

"An ambush?"

Yuyin began to carefully approach the water source.

After crossing half a hillside, the sound of water came. Through the bushes in the distance, she saw a clear mountain spring.

But Yuyin didn’t get any closer. Instead, she combined the map on her device and began to observe the surrounding terrain.

"If I were to set up an ambush at the water source, where might I choose?"

Yuyin had a few places in mind. She began to circle the outer perimeter of these potential ambush spots, moving forward very cautiously.

The first ambush spot, an excellent drinking position behind a huge bluestone slab in a thicket. Yuyin circled around quietly from a distance behind. No one was there.

She resisted the urge to drink and continued to take the long way around.

"Hmm?"

Yuyin stood on a hillside and saw something move. Her heart beat faster.

On a high ground overlooking the entire spring, the figure of a male student was crouching.

So someone was ambushing after all.

Little did he know, Yuyin was right behind him.

Yuyin adjusted her state of mind, suppressing the feeling of excitement, and carefully got closer, and closer…

There were only a dozen or so steps left between her and the male student. They were both Source Martial Practitioners. No matter how careful she was, she was afraid of being discovered.

The male student also seemed to have sensed something and began to look around warily.

Now!

Yuyin suddenly erupted with Primordial Energy, rushing towards the male student without hesitation, at full speed.

The second-year male student also felt the danger and whipped his head around.

But it was too late. Yuyin was already behind him. Her black longsword stabbed toward his back.

Although it was a training sword, its power was not insignificant.

Thud!

With one sword, she stabbed the male student, causing him to stumble forward off the high ground and roll toward the spring.

Yuyin stepped on the edge of the high ground, leaped into the air, and gave chase. Since she had made her move, she had to end it quickly and see it through. Just injuring him would be doing someone else a favor.

As the male student rolled, he landed in the spring. He staggered to his feet and saw in astonishment that Yuyin was already flying towards him, striking down with her sword.

The male student immediately raised his sword to block.

Clang!

Their wrists both trembled. This second-year male student was at the Mid-Stage of Spirit-Seeking Realm, one of the top eight experts among the second-years in the department. His Primordial Energy, strength, and sword skills were all outstanding.

However, the clash of this one sword clearly shocked him even more. The force of Yuyin’s sword slash was astonishingly great. He, at the Mid-Stage of Spirit-Seeking Realm, was completely at a disadvantage in parrying it.

The male student was sent staggering back by the slash, his longsword knocked towards the lower side of his body.

Yuyin landed in the water, her long, slender legs splashing up a spray of water.

Swish!

Yuyin’s longsword cut through the water spray, slicing across the male student’s chest.

"Ugh!" The male student felt a sharp pain in his chest and retreated in a panic, trying to adjust his posture. But Yuyin took a step forward, another sword strike directly deflecting his desperate parry and stabbing him in the chest. The male student was knocked down into the water by the stab.

Just as Yuyin was about to stab again, the male student’s device let out a short, continuous series of beeps, accompanied by a red flash.

His life value had reached zero.

Yuyin immediately retracted her sword. Her gaze swept down at him with detached ease. She flicked her long hair, turned, and quickly ran ashore, disappearing into the bushes.

The second-year male student stared in astonishment in the direction Yuyin had disappeared, leaving behind only a faint, feminine fragrance… His mouth was still agape. If that had been a real sword, he would have been dead by her second move.

Several hundred meters away.

"What!? A beeping sound? Someone has been ‘killed’?" Yang Ke heard the beeping and immediately became highly vigilant.

"Who was it? Our own people shouldn’t have started fighting so soon. After all, there are two outsiders. Did Xia Yuyin get to him first? Or was it that honest Dongming, taken out by one of our people?"

Information was scarce. Although they had an arrangement with Shenwu beforehand, they couldn’t have predicted the specific situation. Yang Ke quickly ran in the direction of the beeping sound.

Several hundred meters of mountain path was but a moment’s run for a Source Martial Practitioner.

By the spring, Yang Ke saw Dongming, the only second-year student who hadn’t colluded with Shenwu and the others, dragging his sword, looking dejected, as he headed down the mountain.

"So it was this waste. He’s out already? Who did it? Brother Shenwu? Or…"

Just then, Yang Ke, who had been born in a shantytown before entering the Lingdu Source Martial Academy and had never lost a street fight, felt a dangerous chill behind him, an animal-like sharp intuition.

He spun around while simultaneously drawing his longsword.

He saw… a tall girl with flowing long hair walk out from the bushes, her fair legs striding forward. In one hand, she held a black sword. Her eyes, which were usually captivating, were now looking at him coldly.

"Senior Yang, did you have something you wanted to say to me just now?" Yuyin asked calmly.

78: 24 Hours (Part 2)

"Xia Yuyin!?" Yang Ke was startled, subconsciously tightening his grip on his longsword.

According to his original plan, if he encountered Yuyin in the forest, he would knock her down and take advantage of her, giving her a "lesson." But now, he hesitated.

"You’re the one who defeated Dongming?" Yang Ke’s eyes narrowed. Although Dongming was honest, he was no weakling. Even Yang Ke would have to expend considerable effort to defeat him.

"What do you think, Senior Yang?" As she spoke, this stunningly beautiful woman, Yuyin, was actually closing the distance on Yang Ke step by step.

After defeating Dongming, Yuyin had not actually run far. Instead, she had quietly hidden in ambush. She had suddenly thought that the sudden sound of a device might attract people nearby. And this Yang Ke, upon discovering Dongming’s defeat, had been completely unguarded. This confirmed Yuyin’s hypothesis: he must have assumed Dongming was defeated by a "companion."

Over the past few days, while seemingly obediently accepting her training, Yuyin had also paid attention. Of the people who signed up, with the exception of Senior Dongming, the other four were very close.

The situation looked grim. Yuyin had defeated Dongming, but she might now face the other four working together. She had to end this quickly, before the others arrived. Yuyin resolved in her heart.

"Hmph, the great beauty Xia… Tell me, how did you defeat him? Your sword? Or… those long, milky-white legs of yours!"

As he spoke, Yang Ke suddenly kicked off the ground with force, charging at Yuyin. The longsword in his hand swept directly toward Yuyin’s lower body! He wanted to knock her down with one sweep, and then he could have his way with her.

However, Yuyin’s vision and reflexes were incredibly sharp. She saw the path of Yang Ke’s sword and was about to parry, but her body suddenly had another kind of intuition. She leaped into the air.

Whoosh!

Yang Ke’s sword swept through empty air.

Yuyin’s long, beautiful legs followed her body as it landed and turned, kicking out in a snapping strike.

"Not good!"

Yang Ke’s reaction was fast. He sharply raised his left arm to block by his face.

Thud!

Yuyin’s legs were not just long and beautiful; they were also exceptionally powerful. This kick was far heavier than he had imagined! It sent Yang Ke tumbling to the ground, rolling over and over.

The device at his waist vibrated continuously.

Yang Ke rolled all the way to the edge of the spring before stopping. The arm that had been kicked was almost numb. He propped himself up and looked down. This one kick had deducted 22 points from his stamina!

"This woman!"

A fierce glint appeared in Yang Ke’s eyes. He took advantage of the momentum to roll toward Yuyin, then suddenly bounced up, very agile, and slashed at her from mid-air. Although Yang Ke and Dongming were both at the Mid-Stage of Spirit-Seeking Realm, Yang Ke’s reaction speed, ferocity, and combat experience were much greater than Dongming’s.

Yuyin was also slightly surprised. This guy was so fierce. She took a step back and, taking advantage of her height and long arms, parried with a backhanded sword strike.

Clang!

In terms of sword force and technique, Yuyin was superior. This strike in mid-air disrupted Yang Ke’s form, and he fell to the ground.

Thud!

Yuyin followed up with a moon-arc-like kick, heavily striking Yang Ke in the stomach. The kick sent the wiry, fierce Yang Ke flying into the air.

Yang Ke, life value -30.

Yang Ke was dazed by the kick. The area of his Source Crystal in his abdomen felt as if it were churning.

Yuyin, now holding her sword with both hands, used one foot as an axis. As her slender body turned, she delivered a heavy, horizontal slash through the air at the airborne Yang Ke.

Whoosh! A terrifying sword wind rushed toward him.

"Ah, no!" Yang Ke’s eyes bulged.

Thud!

Yang Ke was sent flying by the slash for a dozen meters, crashing headfirst into the mountain spring. Perhaps by misfortune, although the water cushioned his fall, he landed squarely on a stone in the shallow part of the stream. A heart-wrenching, sharp pain shot through him!

"Aah-aaah-!" Yang Ke’s mouth gaped open as he clutched his groin, rolling back and forth in agony in the stream, completely unable to get up. The device at his waist let out a shrill, continuous beeping sound.

Yang Ke, life value 0.

Yuyin, who had once been a boy, had a complicated expression on her face at this moment. But since this was a competition, blades were blind. Yang Ke had fought fiercely and was strong; she hadn’t had the ability to hold back.

After "killing" Yang Ke, Yuyin didn’t dare to linger and left immediately.

Fighting Yang Ke had been somewhat dangerous. If his accomplices had come to surround her, she might have lost. Moreover, from the fact that Dongming didn’t try to leave any warning after being defeated, he wasn’t one of them. But Yang Ke definitely was. Trying to ambush the others in the same way would no longer work.

At one o’clock in the afternoon, the active area shrank again.

At the same time, the current number of "survivors" would be refreshed.

"What? Four people?" Shenwu was a bit surprised. He was too far away, on the other side of the mountain, and didn’t know about the fight that had just occurred.

"Two people are out? Who was it? It’s very likely that Xia Yuyin and that Dongming were both defeated by Yang Ke and his group. I just hope that kid Yang Ke didn’t go too far with Xia Yuyin, otherwise, I might get dragged into it too."

"Senior Lian only told us to teach her a lesson, not to molest her. But that lecherous idiot Yang Ke, there’s no guarantee he wouldn’t do that! Oh well… I probably won’t be blamed for it." Shenwu clenched his fist and thought to himself. He also felt a little regret. Originally, he had wanted to "educate" Yuyin properly himself, but if he had made a move, he would have naturally done so without violating any school rules.

Of course, Shenwu didn’t know that Yang Ke probably wouldn’t be able to be "lecherous" for a while.

Only four were left, but no one knew who the remaining survivors were.

In the afternoon, everyone was more cautious. Yuyin didn’t make any rash moves either.

"If I were one of the colluders, a second-year who knew the content of the test, wouldn’t we have agreed on a meeting point in advance? But, we’re carrying these devices. Our positions should be monitored by Teacher Chen Qian'ning and the others. They probably wouldn’t be too obvious about it."

As night fell, it began to rain.

The mountain spring swelled, providing more water sources. It was also harder to be detected in the rain. Yuyin’s water problem was solved.

At this point, the active area shrank again, forcing Yuyin to move. She became even more cautious.

At this time, the display refreshed: 3 survivors.

"A fight broke out somewhere else too? Strange… aren’t they on the same side?"

Yuyin didn’t know that on the other side of the mountain, Shenwu had encountered a male second-year student from the Student Council. They exchanged a few perfunctory blows, and of course, Shenwu won. Shenwu even had his life value appropriately reduced by 10. This was what they had agreed on beforehand to avoid leaving any loose ends. If their own people met, they would either flee or deliberately let Shenwu defeat one of them, depending on his signal.

The night grew deeper.

The rain fell harder.

A second-year girl with short hair, wearing a yellow T-shirt and denim hotpants, was soaked through. The outline of her bra was visible through her T-shirt.

In the rain and mist, she gradually let her guard down.

"Only three are left. Unless there’s an accident, they’re all our own people. If I run into Shenwu, I’ll just lose to him. If I run into the other classmates, I’ll have a real match, just for practice. After all, I also have the ambition to one day go to the Prison Abyss, the heart of a strong woman, hmph."

The short-haired girl, with this thought, walked past a tall pagoda tree without much caution.

Little did she know, Yuyin was hiding silently behind the tree. The second-year students were careless, but she had no reason to be. She had spotted the short-haired girl a while ago.

Yuyin quietly used the rain as cover and tailed the short-haired girl, ready to strike at any moment.

But then she saw the girl start looking around. Yuyin immediately dodged back behind the tree.

However, the short-haired girl hadn’t spotted her. Seeing no one around, she simply unzipped her pants, squatted, and relieved herself.

"This…" Although it was unavoidable in a 24-hour survival competition, Yuyin still felt embarrassed to have stumbled upon her. In the rain, Yuyin’s face turned red.

"Attacking her now would be too improper… Forget it. No ambush. I’ll just treat this as training."

Yuyin waited for the short-haired girl to stand up, then walked out from behind the tree.

"Who?" The short-haired girl’s face flushed with fright as she frantically checked to see if the zipper on her hotpants was up.

In the rain, Yuyin’s long hair dripped sharply. The black longsword in her hand was pointed at her.

"It’s you?" The short-haired girl was startled. She hadn’t expected that Yuyin would be one of the survivors.

"Junior Sister, we have no quarrel, but this is a competition. I’m sorry."

With that, the short-haired girl moved her agile legs, splashing "shhh, shhh" in the water as she charged swiftly at Yuyin, stabbing with her sword.

In the rain, Yuyin’s fighting spirit seemed to surge even more. It was as if the curtain of rain itself added a certain artistic conception to her. She dodged the short-haired girl’s sword and, at the same time, struck with her own sword at the girl’s side.

But this short-haired girl, also at the Mid-Stage of Spirit-Seeking Realm, was very tenacious. She countered with a backhanded sword strike. Yuyin, having defeated two people in a row, had been a little overconfident. She failed to dodge in time and was also hit by a sword.

Yuyin’s life value -15.

In the end, Yuyin’s strength and sword skills were still clearly superior to the short-haired girl’s. She didn’t give her another chance, hitting her four times in the next three exchanges and defeating her.

"Just now, I was a bit careless. This free and easy artistic conception in the rain, if I can master it, might be helpful to me, but I can’t get carried away… I must be more careful and control myself better next time." Yuyin reminded herself, her face slightly flushed.

"Are… you alright?" Yuyin looked at the short-haired girl, who was kneeling in the rain, clutching her bruised arm.

"I’m already ‘dead.’ I’m not supposed to talk to you. But… I never thought that a new student like you would be this strong… I have no excuses for my defeat." The short-haired girl said, lowering her head.

Yuyin nodded silently, turned, and disappeared into the vast, rainy mountain forest.

In the wind and rain of the mountain forest, Yuyin quietly kept watch through the night, only moving her position carefully when the active area changed.

At this point, the number of survivors was 2.

Around five in the morning, the rain had stopped. The sky was a deep indigo. Drops of water fell from the trees in the mountain forest, carried by the wind.

The active area shrank for the final time, now covering only the summit area.

Yuyin, holding her longsword, walked up to the mountaintop. On the other side of the summit, that tall, burly man in the black, retro-style school uniform also walked up, holding his longsword.

"Now it’s just the two of us left. I didn’t expect it would be you in the end." A slight smirk played on Shenwu’s resolute face.

"That it would be you in the end, I knew that long ago, Senior Shenwu." Yuyin replied calmly, her soaked hair clinging to the sides of her face.