When Earth Awakened, I Became a Sword Saintess

Chapter 79 : Battle Against Shenwu

79: Battle Against Shenwu

Dozens of steps away, on the stone path of the mountaintop, Shenwu’s stern eyes looked straight at Yuyin.

For Xia Yuyin to be standing here, unless something unexpected had happened, she must possess at least the strength to defeat someone at the Mid-Stage of Spirit-Seeking Realm.

This woman… Shenwu felt he had underestimated her before. Of course, it could also be luck, for instance, his own people having fought each other until their life values were extremely low, only to be ambushed by Yuyin.

In any case, he could no longer be careless.

Shenwu had never imagined that such a major flaw could appear in this seemingly certain Direct Disciple position. He had to obtain this position; there was no room for failure!

"Junior Sister Yuyin, you are a girl, after all. In a competition, blades are blind. More than this position, I am worried about you. So, I must tell you first: I am at the late-stage of the Spirit-Seeking Realm."

Late-stage of the Spirit-Seeking Realm? Yuyin basically believed what Shenwu said. After all, she was only at the early-stage of the Spirit-Seeking Realm and had never fought an expert more than two minor cultivation cycles above her. As for how it would go, she had no confidence in her heart.

"So, Junior Sister, if you feel you have no chance of winning, you might as well withdraw now, to avoid me accidentally injuring you when we cross blades later." Shenwu advised confidently. These words were a warning, but even more so, a test to see if Yuyin had survived this far purely by luck.

"Senior Shenwu, you don’t need to worry about that. If I were afraid of getting hurt, I wouldn’t have participated." Yuyin said calmly.

Shenwu’s thick eyebrows twitched. "Good, you have guts! Our Lingdu Source Martial Academy truly produces one talented newcomer after another."

Shenwu carried himself with an air of superiority, the bearing of a leader. His steps were extremely steady as he advanced toward Yuyin.

Yuyin stood her ground, not moving an inch.

How strong was the late-stage of the Spirit-Seeking Realm? She wouldn’t know until they fought.

When Shenwu’s tall, mighty body closed to within ten paces of Yuyin, the early morning mist around them was pushed away to all sides as Shenwu radiated a powerful Primordial Energy.

Now!

Yuyin, however, braved the pressure of his Primordial Energy. While he was still confidently erupting with his aura, she suddenly launched her attack.

For the first time within the Lingdu Source Martial Academy, Yuyin exploded with her full strength. Her speed was astonishing. Even Shenwu was taken aback, his Primordial Energy vibrating within him.

But Yuyin was already upon him. Her black longsword, aimed at Shenwu, chopped down with a heavy sword strike as she leaped into the air!

You said you were worried about injuring me, so I suppose there’s no need for me to hold back, right?

Shenwu immediately raised his sword to meet the attack.

Clang!

A heavy, muffled impact echoed through the mountains.

Both Shenwu and Yuyin felt how heavy the other’s sword was. Their arms went numb. Shenwu staggered back several steps, while Yuyin was also forced to jump back by the impact.

Shenwu’s eyes widened. He stared in shock at his still-trembling large hands. Xia Yuyin’s sword force had exceeded his expectations. In this clash, even though she had been the one to attack, he, a tall, burly man at the late-stage of the Spirit-Seeking Realm, was actually slightly at a disadvantage in a direct contest of strength with her?

"Late-stage of the Spirit-Seeking Realm? Truly powerful. The sense of power from a clash of swords is so much stronger than at the mid-stage!" From this strike, Yuyin also felt Shenwu’s strength.

However…

It wasn’t a battle she couldn’t win!

Yuyin’s Primordial Energy erupted from her Yaochi. After only a few seconds of pause, she attacked Shenwu again.

Although the black sword’s edge was slender, it was as heavy as a great sword.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Her sword danced and struck, flowing like moving clouds, yet each blow was heavier than the last.

The continuous onslaught caught Shenwu somewhat off guard. He retreated step by step, barely able to parry.

Yuyin’s relentless attacks finally exposed an opening in Shenwu’s defense.

Tch!

A sword stabbed into Shenwu’s collarbone. A sharp pain shot through him, and he staggered back violently. He only avoided falling by dropping to one knee and supporting himself with one hand on the ground. The intense pain came from his chest and collarbone, and his Primordial Energy was nearly disrupted by the stab.

"Ugh…" Shenwu clutched his chest and collarbone, staring at Yuyin in shock. He had considered various ways to deal with Yuyin, but he had never imagined that her strength would actually surpass his own!

Yuyin’s Primordial Energy was far more abundant than that of others at her level. Her physique was extraordinary, and her breakthrough secret technique was superior. These major advantages allowed her to explode with a strength that overwhelmed Shenwu, who was at the late-stage of the Spirit-Seeking Realm!

"I told myself not to be careless, but I was still too careless! She seized the initiative!"

Shenwu saw his vibrating device. He only had 70 life points left. He wished he hadn’t deliberately lost any life points earlier while putting on an act.

"Senior Shenwu, it’s your turn to strike." Yuyin, however, did not press her advantage. Instead, she waited for Shenwu to make his move.

"You!" Shenwu was shaken and furious. This was less about Yuyin’s sense of honor and more of an insult to him, Shenwu, the number one person in the second-year Swordsman Department!

It had always been him, Shenwu, who was magnanimous and yielded to others. Since when was there a principle of being yielded to by a Junior Sister?

It was humiliating.

Where on earth did this Xia Yuyin get this kind of strength?

Shenwu realized that if he tried to overpower her with brute force, he might not be able to win. As for sword arts, he had cultivated in the Swordsman Department for a year and had received personal guidance from Chen Qian'ning on multiple occasions. He could only compete with her on sword arts.

If he lost now, he would truly be too ashamed to face anyone. He had to win with experience and sword arts!

Shenwu suddenly stomped his leather shoe hard against the ground, erupting upward. A sword slashed from his left side toward Yuyin’s neck, the blade carrying a faint current of misty air.

Yuyin, however, swung her sword backhand like flowing water. Shenwu’s slash was faster than a chop, but Yuyin didn’t need to exert force; she used a more sudden method of parrying.

The Polaris Sword Art. Yuyin’s parrying had already been cultivated to the second level of mastery. It was exquisite.

Bang!

This unconventional strike effectively hit the front side of Shenwu’s longsword, precisely at its weakest point. It deflected Shenwu’s sword to one side. The movement was so sudden that Shenwu was completely unprepared. He was still charging full force at Yuyin, but his sword had already been deflected.

Yuyin adapted to the situation, pushing a palm toward Shenwu’s chest, which was now wide open. Although Yuyin hadn’t practiced palm techniques, her absolute strength was undeniable. This palm strike made Shenwu’s chest feel stuffy, and he nearly lost his breath.

He clutched his chest and staggered back, looking extremely disheveled. His life value was down to 50.

Yuyin, however, took a few swift steps forward and charged, her sword striking horizontally toward Shenwu’s midsection.

Thwack!

She hit Shenwu’s soft ribs. Shenwu clutched his side and rolled, enduring the pain. He actually managed to take a few steps up a rough, large tree.

This was practically an escape, but Shenwu had no choice. Yuyin had caught him completely off guard. The gap in their strength wasn’t this large; he needed to readjust.

For a moment, Yuyin didn’t understand Shenwu’s intention and didn’t rashly choose to jump up into the tree, which could invite a counterattack from above.

Shenwu, too, was ashamed to stay in the tree. He took a few deep breaths, rallied his spirits, erupted with full force, and leaped down, his heavy sword chopping down toward Yuyin.

"Foolish."

Jumping down from a tree five or six meters high, his intention was too obvious. Yuyin dodged back to avoid Shenwu’s heavy chop. As she landed, her flexible and powerful ankles pushed off, and she made a swift little jump back.

Thud!

She kicked Shenwu on the shoulder, sending him flying backward to crash into a large tree.

Falling leaves drifted down from the sky.

Shenwu’s glasses were shattered. He threw them away, his face completely red. At this point, he no longer cared about his image as a senior. He howled and charged at Yuyin. Shenwu was fighting with desperation.

His longsword, fueled by a reckless expenditure of Primordial Energy, attacked Yuyin frantically. But Yuyin had been honed in the underground fighting arena. This kind of ferocious aura couldn’t scare her. She calmly and lightly retreated, sometimes parrying, sometimes dodging. Shenwu’s frantic attacks yielded little result.

But the late-stage of the Spirit-Seeking Realm, after all, had powerful Primordial Energy. The device couldn’t judge Yuyin’s comprehensive strength and actually ruled that she was losing small amounts of life value while parrying.

Yuyin’s life value -2, -1, -1, -2, -1…

Shenwu attacked like a tempest, but Yuyin’s life value decreased extremely slowly. However, Shenwu’s Primordial Energy was being consumed much faster.

"If I can hit her, I’ll win! I have to hit her!" Shenwu’s eyes were red with fury. Riding on his frenzied momentum, he fiercely chopped down at Yuyin’s chest. He had long forgotten the principle of stopping short of a kill. If his target hadn’t been Yuyin, an ordinary Junior Sister would have been in mortal danger from this strike.

Yuyin’s eyes narrowed. She had been waiting for this all-out strike of his!

Yuyin had parried more than a dozen consecutive sword strikes, losing over a dozen life points in the process. But for this strike, she suddenly sidestepped to dodge. Shenwu’s Primordial Energy was too depleted, and his movements were severely distorted. After his sword sliced through empty air, he lunged forward.

Whoosh!

Yuyin struck backhanded with her sword. The blade fell, chopping against Shenwu’s left lower jaw.

Bam!

In truth, Yuyin hadn’t used her full force for this strike, but it landed on a vital point… Shenwu felt a terrifying, bone-shattering pain in his jaw. His head spun, and his eyes rolled back.

He didn’t even have time for a defensive reaction. He fell face-first into the bed of dry leaves.

Leaves drifted down, landing gently on Shenwu’s back.

Shenwu had lost consciousness.

The device at his waist began to beep continuously.

"Whew, it’s over… Facing the late-stage of the Spirit-Seeking Realm, if not for my advantages in sword arts and movement techniques, and just a contest of strength, my edge wouldn’t have been that great…" Yuyin thought to herself as she looked at the fallen Shenwu.

Just then, the loudspeakers installed at several points on the mountain crackled to life, transmitting Senior Liu Xing’s standard broadcast voice.

"East Yushan Test A is concluded. The victor is…. Xia Yuyin."