The moment Pei Ruyi initiated her challenge against A-Qing, the System’s voice rang out in Ye Luqing’s mind.
【Ding, immense Obsession detected. Triggering Special Task.】
【Task Objective: Win the battle against Pei Ruyi. Reward: A special Battle Title upon success.】
Hearing the System’s prompt, Ye Luqing paused for a moment, then immediately read between the lines.
This was a special task, meaning there was no penalty for failure.
Most importantly, the System stated, “Battle and defeat Pei Ruyi.” In other words, whether she accepted the challenge or not, Pei Ruyi would attack her.
This battle was already unavoidable.
So, Ye Luqing decided to raise the stakes.
“I refuse.”
She hopped lightly off the arena, pretending as if she were about to leave.
“Could it be that Senior Sister Ye is afraid?”
Pei Ruyi’s eyes narrowed. Her longsword still coalesced Sword Might, as if she would strike at Ye Luqing’s back at any moment.
“That’s not it.” Ye Luqing smiled faintly and turned her head to look at Pei Ruyi. “Accepting the challenge earlier was just to give the Azure Sky Peak disciples an explanation. Now that you’ve apologized, there’s naturally no reason to continue fighting.”
Hearing this, Pei Ruyi nodded, understanding Ye Luqing’s meaning.
Then I’ll give you a reason.
“If you win, I’ll agree to anything you ask.”
“But if you lose, you must stop clinging to Senior Sister Xiao.”
Ye Luqing’s eyes instantly lit up.
“Anything?”
“Yes, anything.” Pei Ruyi replied evenly.
A slight curve tugged at the corner of Ye Luqing’s lips. She turned and sauntered back onto the arena.
It seemed that besides the System’s reward, she would be getting an extra treat today.
A Battle Title, huh… She was already looking forward to seeing what effects it would have.
She remembered that many titles in the game were independent multiplier damage buffs. She hoped for a powerful one.
And even in the worst-case scenario, if she lost, she could say there was practically no loss.
The System had no failure penalty, and as for Pei Ruyi’s demand, Ye Luqing didn’t care if she had to comply.
Her not clinging to Xiao Qingxuan ≠ Xiao Qingxuan not clinging to her. The inequality solved everything instantly.
Furthermore, fighting a strong opponent like Pei Ruyi would allow her to test her current combat strength.
To defeat Xiao Qingxuan, she first had to get past her Junior Sister.
Watching Ye Luqing be tempted by self-interest, the disciples below the arena grew worried again.
“Senior Sister Ye, you’ve already won back face for Azure Sky Peak by beating Hua Sheng.”
“Exactly, Senior Sister Ye. There’s no need to fight this one…”
As fellow Array Cultivators, they could sense the power of the arrays Ye Luqing had deployed.
But the more powerful the array, the greater the consumption. Having fallen a major realm in cultivation, Ye Luqing would likely struggle to deploy a second one.
Golden Core against Nascent Soul—even avoiding the fight wouldn’t invite criticism.
“So, you all think I, your Senior Sister, will lose?” Ye Luqing raised an eyebrow.
“N-no… that’s not it…”
Though their mouths said that, worry still lingered in their hearts.
Just then, a sudden cheer rang out.
“Senior Sister Ye, you can do it!”
Everyone instinctively looked toward the source of the voice. Ying Qianqian’s small face was flushed red, her eyes filled with complete trust in Ye Luqing.
The Azure Sky Peak disciples immediately felt a pang of shame. Right, Senior Sister Ye had stepped forward on her own accord; how could they speak such discouraging words?
“Senior Sister Ye, you can do it!”
“Victory is certain!”
Seeing this scene, Ye Luqing couldn’t help but grin.
Being trusted… felt really good.
“Then watch closely. See how Azure Sky Peak’s Second Senior Sister defeats Heavenly Sword Peak’s villainous Sword Cultivator.”
Upon hearing this, Hua Sheng of Heavenly Sword Peak grew somewhat nervous. Initially, he didn’t think Ye Luqing could possibly be Pei Ruyi’s match, but seeing the soaring morale on the other side, his conviction wavered for a moment.
He looked worriedly at Pei Ruyi on the arena. To his surprise, the Inner Sect Head Disciple seemed as if she possessed Sword Heart Clear Insight, staring intently at Ye Luqing, entirely unaffected by the Azure Sky Peak crowd.
Hua Sheng’s throat tightened. This battle today… likely wouldn’t end simply.
Ye Luqing walked step by step toward Pei Ruyi. The closer she got, the more she felt that Pei Ruyi was deliberately imitating Xiao Qingxuan.
Aside from those different icy-blue eyes, everything—her attire, hairstyle, facial features, even that aloof detachment—bore a certain resemblance.
So utterly obsessed with Xiao Qingxuan… What a pity the Cold Fairy didn’t reciprocate her feelings.
Looking at this Pei Ruyi, who was fifty to sixty percent similar to Xiao Qingxuan, a bold idea suddenly sprang to life in her mind.
A sly curve tugged at her lips. She compressed her voice into a thin line using True Qi and secretly transmitted it to Pei Ruyi’s ear.
“If I win, you’ll come to Azure Sky Peak and be my stool.”
Receiving the transmission, Pei Ruyi’s expression visibly froze. Even her towering Sword Intent faltered slightly.
“Ye Luqing, just how far do you intend to humiliate me?”
She replied using the same True Qi transmission, inaudible to cultivators below the Spirit Transformation Stage.
She, the dignified Inner Sect Head Disciple of Heavenly Sword Peak… becoming a stool for Ye Luqing? Such an absurd notion was worse than death to her.
“Didn’t you say ‘anything’? Are you going back on your word now?”
“Or does something as trivial as this already shake your resolve and devotion to Xiao Qingxuan?”
“…”
“Fine. I accept.”
Pei Ruyi’s gaze gradually hardened. To return to Xiao Qingxuan’s side, she would pay any price, even this.
Ye Luqing cleared her throat lightly and spoke.
“Your cultivation is higher than mine. You don’t mind if I attack first, right?”
Array Cultivators were inherently unsuited for such arena matches. Without prior preparation to set up arrays, their combat power was the weakest among all cultivators.
“I’ll let you attack three times.”
Pei Ruyi raised a defensive sword stance. This suited her just fine; it would prevent Ye Luqing from making excuses if she lost afterward.
Within these three moves, she would only defend, not attack.
Ye Luqing nodded in satisfaction, then began deploying arrays.
Diamond Array, Light Body Array, Mighty Strength Array… A dazzling array of various arrays instantly enveloped Ye Luqing.
These arrays had originally amplified Xiao Qingxuan’s power; now, Ye Luqing was experiencing them herself.
On the other side, Pei Ruyi was a bit speechless. Though she’d agreed to let Ye Luqing attack three times, what was the deal with just standing there buffing herself?
“Playing petty tricks…”
Watching the multicolored, flashy Ye Luqing covered in array techniques, Pei Ruyi couldn’t help but make a move after all.
If she let Ye Luqing continue stacking buffs, her aura would soon surge to the Peak Nascent Soul Stage.
“Face my sword!”
Surging Sword Qi instantly shot forth. The moment Pei Ruyi struck, even the audience below felt their hairs stand on end.
If Hua Sheng’s sword was a surging ocean wave, then Pei Ruyi’s sword was a white dragon churning a raging sea tide.
The greatest feature of the Nascent Soul Stage was condensing the Primordial Spirit, granting meticulous control over Mental Energy.
Bolstered by the Primordial Spirit, True Qi utilization efficiency far surpassed the Golden Core Stage, and the effects of cultivated techniques reached a higher level.
Even a strike unleashed with equivalent Sword Qi resulted in a vastly different level of power.
Yet, faced with such a formidable sword strike, Ye Luqing made no move to dodge whatsoever.
She charged straight forward, throwing out the arrays she had prepared in advance.
First came a viscous, water-blue sphere of light. The best way to counter a Sword Cultivator’s sharp Sword Qi was to wear it down with thick True Qi—simple, yet effective.
Marrow Mist Array.
The Sword Qi was engulfed by the water-blue sphere. It seemed to be corroded and melted away, disappearing simultaneously with the light.
A second array quickly shot toward Pei Ruyi’s feet. The moment the green glow touched the ground, it transformed into countless tree vines that firmly bound Pei Ruyi.
Sumeru Tree Array.
From the very instant she received the System’s prompt, Ye Luqing had been condensing these arrays.
Her hopping off the arena and sauntering back, her dawdling words with Pei Ruyi—all those moments were secretly spent preparing her arrays.
Those gaudy, colorful buffs were merely feints. The true killing move was still the trump card she had just learned:
Profound Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Art — the eight-strand Profound Yellow True Qi version.
This was her final reserve of Profound Yellow True Qi, two strands more than when she had fought Hua Sheng.
The ground beneath Pei Ruyi’s feet caved in, as if a mountain had descended from the heavens to suppress her.
Although she was on guard, she was still pinned down, unable to move.
“Hua Sheng indeed didn’t lose unfairly…”
Let alone a peak Golden Core cultivator, even an ordinary Nascent Soul Stage cultivator would likely be crushed on the spot.
“But… I am not Hua Sheng!”
Boom!
A powerful burst of Sword Qi suddenly erupted around her, accompanied by a series of sonic booms.
Profound-Tier Superior technique, Sword Art: Rending Sky.
“Break for me!”
The soaring, cloud-piercing Rending Sky Sword Qi directly cleaved the Earthly Sha Force apart. The Profound Yellow True Qi also shattered into fragments of golden light, scattering across the arena.
The crowd below held their breath. They had witnessed many battles at the Nascent Soul Stage, but such an intense clash was a first.
Even Ye Luqing herself was somewhat surprised. According to her calculations, the Earthly Sha Force triggered by eight strands of Profound Yellow True Qi should have been more than enough to suppress an Early Nascent Soul Stage cultivator.
Especially since she was currently amplified by multiple arrays, unleashing an effect several times stronger than when she fought Hua Sheng.
This Pei Ruyi… was truly a formidable opponent.
“Hah… hah…”
Pei Ruyi panted heavily. Breaking the Profound Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Art had cost her significant strength.
Her body was utterly exhausted, but her eyes remained exceptionally clear.
On Heavenly Sword Peak, there was an Elder who wielded a heavy sword; the Earthly Sha Force within it was exactly the same as Ye Luqing’s technique.
She had comprehended that Elder’s Sword Intent, which was why she could use Rending Sky to cleverly break the situation.
An ordinary Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator faced with Ye Luqing’s three arrays unleashed simultaneously would have been blasted out of the arena long ago.
Earthly Sha Force required the Spirit Transformation Stage, communicating with Heaven and Earth, to refine. Ye Luqing must be using some kind of Earth-Tier array.
Though she was loath to admit it, Pei Ruyi understood: wielding an Earth-Tier array at the Golden Core Stage meant Ye Luqing’s talent in Formation Arts could be called genius.
However, using an Earth-Tier technique at the Golden Core Stage consumed an enormous amount of energy. If she wasn’t mistaken, that last strike had been Ye Luqing’s full power.
Now… was the best time to defeat her.
