“Your swordplay’s still too sloppy. Go train another decade or two before trying me again,” Lu Mingyi said with a laugh.
Xie Wenxin’s technique was clearly the Taiqing Sword Art. But her footwork was too floaty, her strikes too hasty—full of flaws.
How did someone at this level even become an inner disciple of Sword Peak?
But compared to death, Xie Wenxin seemed even less able to stomach Lu Mingyi’s attitude. Her pretty face flushed crimson.
She roared, “Who the hell are you to put on airs and lecture me?! Do you even know who I am? Just you wait—I’ll tell my cousin…”
Before she finished, pain exploded in her knee. She crumpled to the ground, kneeling.
Lu Mingyi’s smile deepened, though her eyes turned icy.
She withdrew the foot she’d lightly kicked out with. “Does who you are stop me from taking your life? If I hadn’t held back just now, do you think you’d still be yapping? Since you have family in the secret realm, perfect—let them come ransom you!”
Tears and sweat poured down Xie Wenxin’s face in agony. Clutching her leg, she collapsed and wailed, “Waaah… Cousin! Cousin! Someone’s trying to kill me! Cousin, come quick!”
Lu Mingyi stared in disbelief.
She rarely resorted to force, and that kick had been light—just a lesson.
But Xie Wenxin acted like her leg was broken. Are Sword Peak inner disciples this delicate nowadays?!
She had no idea which family this Xie Wenxin hailed from to be so spoiled and arrogant. If her cousin really showed up, Lu Mingyi was curious to see just who could raise such a temperament.
As if to fulfill Lu Mingyi’s wish, the moment her thoughts settled, her hair stood on end—she sensed a killing intent so tangible it nearly solidified!
Lu Mingyi’s pupils contracted. She immediately retreated, but a sudden burst of sharp sword qi still sliced a gash across her wrist.
Her reaction was swift. In less than a breath, she retrieved a bottle of low-grade golden wound medicine from her Storage Ring, applied it, and roughly bandaged the injury with a strip of gauze. The wound on her wrist was no small matter; if not treated promptly, it could lead to severe bleeding or even a chronic injury in her wrist.
At the same time, Lu Mingyi’s heart sank slightly—the attacker was beyond her current ability to handle.
Though she was merely at Qi Refining Great Perfection now, the cultivation experience from her previous life was etched in her mind. Lu Mingyi figured she could hold her own against even a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
But the one who had just struck? Their sword momentum was overwhelming and ferocious, leaving a wound on her most vital wrist. It spoke volumes about their profound cultivation, exquisite swordsmanship, and ruthless hand.
No wonder Xie Wenxin had been so fearless. It seemed her cousin was truly a vicious character!
Thoughts raced through Lu Mingyi’s mind as her smile faded from her face. She began scanning the surroundings for the best escape route while calling out loudly, “Fellow Daoist, who might you be? Why not show yourself? There seems to be a misunderstanding here—we could talk it out?”
“Cousin! She’s trying to kill me!! Kill her quick!!”
Over there, Xie Wenxin, who had been rolling on the ground, abruptly sat up and shouted at the top of her lungs.
No sooner had the words left her mouth than three streaks of cyan sword qi hurtled straight toward Lu Mingyi!
Lu Mingyi cursed inwardly. Spiritual power surged madly from her Dantian, allowing her to dodge the first two, but the third was unavoidable—a bloody gash appeared on her calf, blood splattering onto the undergrowth.
“Fellow Daoist! Your clan’s child is young and foolish—surely you won’t act without distinguishing right from wrong? Is this the way of Taiqing Sect and great clans?” Seeing she couldn’t break through by force, Lu Mingyi shifted to psychological warfare. “Fellow Daoist, you’ve stayed hidden this whole time—are you someone renowned in the Cultivation World? I made plans to meet others upon my return. If they can’t find me, they’ll investigate thoroughly! Surely you’d want to consider your reputation!”
Sure enough, no more sword qi came after those words.
Xie Wenxin grew anxious and shouted again, “Cousin! She already knows about me now—sparing her life means she’ll spread it everywhere! Better to finish her off here!!”
What vicious words.
Lu Mingyi couldn’t help furrowing her brows.
She had cultivated in Taiqing Sect for a century. Regardless of rank, every disciple had to attend ethics and etiquette classes.
The very first lesson was to harbor compassion for all beings under heaven, to show mercy and sympathy, never to bully the weak with strength, but to uphold justice, punish evil, and promote good.
Looking at Xie Wenxin like this, had she just had someone take the exam for her?
Xie Wenxin was the one who had lost fairly yet still wanted to rob her spoils—Lu Mingyi hadn’t even planned to do anything to her, yet this girl was so insistent on killing her!
But Lu Mingyi’s heart sank further. Anyone who could raise a clan member like Xie Wenxin probably wasn’t much better themselves.
Reconciliation seemed impossible. She began calculating the odds of escaping with everything she had.
The wrist wound had stopped bleeding, and the leg injury wasn’t deep— it would slow her down, but nothing fatal. The real problem was her spiritual power; the fight with the Profound Turtle had depleted over half her reserves in her Dantian. What remained likely wouldn’t sustain prolonged high-speed movement…
Just as Lu Mingyi gritted her teeth, steeling herself for an all-or-nothing gamble, a gentle breeze wafted through. A soft, low voice echoed across the clearing:
“Clans and sects may care about reputation, but the Cultivation World is a place of the strong preying on the weak. Fellow Daoist, if your skills fall short, you can’t blame others.”
The mere sound of that voice made Lu Mingyi’s pupils shrink and her heart skip a beat.
A slender yet frail figure stepped slowly from behind an ancient spirit tree. She wore robes of white embroidered with gold patterns, her features gentle and refined, but her eyes held a cold, indifferent chill.
As eye-catching as the white hair gently stirred by the wind.
“Cousin!” Xie Wenxin cried out, scrambling toward her on hands and knees. She clutched at the woman’s pristine sect robes, sobbing hysterically, “You don’t know how terrifying this person is… She tried to steal my spoils! She wanted to kill me! You have to avenge me properly!”
If it had been earlier, Lu Mingyi would have applauded Xie Wenxin’s talent for twisting facts.
But now, glancing at the approaching woman, a storm surged in her heart. She didn’t dare look too long and quickly averted her eyes.
The words of defense on her lips died unspoken.
How could it be Xiao Yuxie?!
This woman had already competed in the Nine Provinces Grand Competition before Lu Mingyi even joined Taiqing Sect in her previous life—why was she here again? She was even wearing Taiqing Sect robes, not entering as a clan representative. What was she doing?! And she was only around four hundred years old—why was her hair completely white?
Moreover, Xie Wenxin was someone Xiao Yuxie had mentored? Xiao Yuxie, who always wore that gentle mask—how could she produce such an arrogant, despicable junior?
This couldn’t be her newly acquired cousin with the surname Xie!
Emotions churned in her heart as questions piled up one after another.
In the past one hundred eighty years, Xiao Yuxie must have reached the Nascent Soul Stage. Killing a Qi Refining cultivator like her would be effortless.
Lu Mingyi’s brows knitted tightly as she pondered how to escape.
However, Xiao Yuxie drew closer, her Flying Light sword blazing with light.
She stopped before Lu Mingyi, looking down at the woman half-kneeling on the ground with her head bowed, face obscured, and said softly, “However, taking your life would be excessive. If Fellow Daoist kowtows and apologizes to my cousin, I won’t pursue this further.”
Lu Mingyi’s grip tightened fiercely on the spirit tree branch, the rough bark scraping her palm raw and red.
She let out a light chuckle and raised her gaze to the woman before her.
In the past one hundred eighty years, Xiao Yuxie had matured into an even more poised and dignified figure—every smile, every gesture exuding refined courtesy. Yet the subtle pressure radiating from her revealed the hidden edge beneath that jade-like poise.
But one hundred eighty years ago, Sword Peak’s senior sister and Xiao Family young mistress had waist-length black hair.
Now, paired with her exceptional beauty was a stark head of white hair and an excessively gaunt frame.
In an instant, countless memories flashed before her eyes.
The senior sister’s gentle smile at their first meeting, her soft call, the warmth of fingertips brushing her brow.
Finally settling on that sword thrust in Lingxiao Pavilion.
That blade pierced her abdomen and etched Xiao Yuxie’s cold, emotionless face into her heart.
And now—this soft smile paired with indifferent eyes, uttering words demanding she kowtow to the bullying Xie Wenxin.
The nonexistent wound in her side seemed to throb faintly again.
Lu Mingyi’s brows arched high, a mocking smile curling her lips. “I admit my skills are inferior, but this level of humiliation is truly going too far!”
With the final word, her wrist flicked—she lunged straight at Xiao Yuxie!
Xiao Yuxie’s pupils narrowed slightly, surprised that this Qi Refining woman dared strike at her directly. She didn’t even draw Flying Light, merely gathering a bit of spiritual power to disperse the attack.
But this was a feint from Lu Mingyi!
In the instant Xiao Yuxie diverted focus to gather power, Lu Mingyi seized the chance, kicking off the ground and darting to the side!
Such swift reflexes caught even Nascent Soul Xiao Yuxie off guard.
She watched the fleeing figure, brows furrowing faintly. Flying Light unsheathed, sending several sword lights streaking after Lu Mingyi!
Hearing the whooshes behind her, Lu Mingyi knew she couldn’t stop—stopping meant no chance of escape. She judged their paths by sound alone, dodging as best she could.
Yet the cultivation gap was too vast. Despite her agile form, three sword qi still grazed her, drawing blood from her shoulder, waist, and calf.
Looking up, Xiao Yuxie had already landed gracefully ahead, blocking her path, expression calm.
Lu Mingyi stared at the woman before her—elegant as an orchid, even “mercifully” offering her an “opportunity”—feeling the stinging pain from her wounds, her fisted palms slick with red.
Was Xiao Yuxie always this protective of her own?
Or was this indiscriminate, reputation-be-damned shielding reserved only for blood kin like the Xiao and Xie Families?
As for outsiders, they were mere props for her performance, to bolster her fame!
The past grudges Lu Mingyi had suppressed began bubbling up.
“Fellow Daoist, I advise you to…” Xiao Yuxie began, still smiling faintly as she moved to sheath Flying Light.
But when her gaze fell on the blade, her expression froze.
“Cousin! Why waste words? Just chop her down!” Xie Wenxin staggered over, emboldened by Xiao Yuxie’s presence, strutting arrogantly.
Lu Mingyi’s expression had turned ice-cold, her Dantian spiritual power boiling, ready to erupt.
