chsdbacks Chapter 82 Semifinals
Chapter 82 Semifinals
Lu Xueqi kept her word.
She really did go and tell Tian Buyi.
Tian Buyi was immersed in the joy of securing a place in the top four.
Upon hearing that Lu Xueqi wanted to give Jiang Xiaochuan "special training," he readily agreed.
He patted Jiang Xiaochuan on the shoulder and earnestly advised, "Seventh Brother, learn well from Junior Nephew Lu! Opportunities like this are something others would kill for!"
Su Ru's gaze swept between Lu Xueqi's calm, expressionless face and Jiang Xiaochuan's utterly dejected expression. She hesitated, then finally just sighed softly and said nothing.
Tian Ling'er watched from afar, biting her lip, her nails digging deep into her palms, her eyes reddening again, but she stubbornly turned her head away, refusing to look any longer.
Thus began someone's "imprisonment" life.
Lu Xueqi requested a quiet, secluded room in the female disciples' accommodation area of Xiaozhu Peak.
The room was small and simply furnished, with a bed, a table, a chair, and a meditation cushion.
The air was filled with Lu Xueqi's unique, cool plum blossom fragrance—clean and crisp.
"You sleep in the bed." Lu Xueqi pointed to the wooden bed covered with a plain white sheet and a light blue quilt, her tone as natural as if she were assigning a task.
"And what about you?" Jiang Xiaochuan looked at the only bed and felt a chill run down his spine.
"I can simply meditate."
Lu Xueqi walked to the prayer mat, sat down cross-legged, closed her eyes, adopted the posture of facing the sky with her five hearts facing upwards, and ignored him.
The moon-white Taoist robe shimmered with a cool, clear luster under the dim light.
Jiang Xiaochuan stood in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do with his hands and feet.
Sleeping in Lu Xueqi's bed?
Is this...is this appropriate?
Is it okay to let him sleep on the floor?
The quiet room was spotless, without even extra bedding.
Moreover, Lu Xueqi had already entered a meditative state, leaving him no room for negotiation.
He dawdled for a long time, but in the end he couldn't overcome his physical exhaustion and Lu Xueqi's silent yet omnipresent pressure.
She carefully moved to the edge of the bed, lay down fully clothed, and tried to shrink herself to the outermost edge of the bed, with her back to Lu Xueqi, even her breathing became soft.
The bedding and pillow were filled with her cool, refreshing fragrance, which seeped into his nostrils and enveloped him completely.
He lay there stiffly, not daring to move, but his ears were perked up, trying to catch the faint, long, steady breathing of Lu Xueqi on the futon behind him.
Time passes little by little.
The room was so quiet that you could hear your own heartbeat.
After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Xiaochuan's tense nerves finally succumbed to exhaustion and slowly relaxed, his consciousness beginning to blur.
Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, he suddenly felt the bed dip slightly.
He jolted awake, instantly becoming alert, his body tensing.
It's Lu Xueqi!
She had ended her meditation at some point and quietly got into bed, lying down behind him.
There was a hand's width between them. He could even feel the coolness emanating from her, which was even more distinct than the warmth of the prayer mat, and her steady breathing, gently brushing against the skin of the back of his neck.
She didn't touch him, she just lay there quietly. But that presence made him more uneasy than any physical contact.
Jiang Xiaochuan froze, not daring to even move his eyes.
My mind is racing:
How did she get up here?
Didn't you say to meditate?
What does she want to do?
What should I do?
Pretending to be asleep? Or...?
Just as he was struggling with his inner turmoil and almost suffocating, he heard Lu Xueqi's extremely soft and low voice behind him, carrying a barely perceptible sigh of satisfaction:
"Go to sleep."
Just those two simple words seemed to possess some kind of magic, strangely calming his wildly beating heart and taut nerves.
He suddenly remembered that during his years at Qingyun Sect, it seemed that she was the only one by his side.
Under her seemingly cold but actually airtight "protection," he could find a moment of true peace, without worrying about the secret of time travel, without agonizing over the plot's direction, and without having to deal with those complicated people and things.
This realization stirred up a complex mix of emotions within him.
He slowly relaxed, closed his eyes, and let himself sink into the safe darkness enveloped by the cool fragrance of plum blossoms.
I slept without any dreams.
Day 5, the semi-finals.
The atmosphere at Yunhai Square reached its peak.
Everyone wanted to know which two exceptional geniuses would face off in the final showdown.
In the "Qian" position, Lu Xueqi will face Zeng Shushu.
Zeng Shushu was "sent off" by Lu Xueqi yesterday, and he was still grimacing when he went on stage today, but his cynical smile remained unchanged.
He bowed deeply to Lu Xueqi, his tone exaggerated: "Senior Sister Lu! Please go easy on me! My butt still hurts from what you did yesterday!"
A suppressed murmur of laughter rose from the audience.
There's probably not another person in the entire Qingyun Sect who would dare to speak to Lu Xueqi like that.
Lu Xueqi remained expressionless, merely nodding slightly as a greeting.
The competition begins.
Zeng Shushu knew how terrifying Lu Xueqi was, so he went all out from the start.
The Xuanyuan Sword emitted a brilliant purple light, and with a single sword incantation, three solid purple sword shadows materialized and shot out in a triangular formation.
At the same time, he swayed, using strange and agile techniques to rapidly move around the arena, leaving behind afterimages.
Clearly, he intended to use speed and unpredictability to counter Lu Xueqi's unfathomable cultivation and fierce swordsmanship.
However, Lu Xueqi simply stood still, without even drawing her Tianya Sword.
She watched the three purple sword shadows that attacked and Zeng Shushu's elusive figure with a calm and unwavering gaze.
Just as the three sword shadows were about to strike her, she moved.
Without any extra movements, he simply raised his right hand, pointed his fingers like a sword, and gently slashed forward.
"Whoosh—!"
A condensed, solid, and only one finger wide, azure sword aura emanating a chilling aura appeared out of thin air. Like a paper cutter slicing through silk, it silently and cleanly cleaved the three approaching purple sword shadows in two!
The sword shadows dissipated, turning into specks of purple light that vanished.
Zeng Shushu's pupils contracted sharply, and his wandering figure suddenly stopped!
He felt a chilling sword intent that had locked onto him. No matter how he changed his position, the sword intent followed him like a shadow, as if it had already predicted all his movements!
This feeling was a hundred times more terrifying than when I faced Jiang Xiaochuan yesterday!
He gritted his teeth, and the true form of the Xuanyuan Sword erupted with dazzling purple light. Man and sword became one, transforming into a brilliant purple streak.
Instead of pacing around, he adopted an offensive strategy, charging straight at Lu Xueqi with unstoppable momentum!
Concentrate speed and power at a single point, striving to defeat the enemy in one strike!
Faced with this overwhelming attack, Lu Xueqi finally drew her sword.
When Tianya was drawn from its sheath, there was no earth-shattering sound, only a clear and melodious sword cry, like a phoenix calling from the heavens.
The azure blade gleamed with a cold light, reflecting off her exquisitely aloof face.
She simply handed the Tianya Sword forward flatly.
The movements are simple, direct, and even somewhat clumsy, like the first thrust of a child learning to sword.
However, this seemingly ordinary sword strike caused the air in front of the sword tip to freeze and time to slow down the instant it was thrust out.
The fierce purple swan collided with this ordinary sword strike, like a raging wave crashing against an unyielding ancient reef.
"bite--!"
A crisp, clear sound of impact!
The purple rainbow suddenly stopped, revealing Zeng Shushu's horrified figure.
The tip of the Xuanyuan Sword in his hand was pressed directly against the tip of the Tianya Sword, unable to advance an inch!
An indescribable, icy, and powerful force traveled along the sword, making his arm numb and tingling, his blood churning, and his internal organs feeling as if they had shifted!
He tried to draw his sword, but found that the blade seemed to be welded to the tip of the Tianya sword, and it wouldn't budge!
The icy sword intent was rapidly spreading upwards along the sword, causing his spiritual energy to stagnate and his meridians to ache wherever it passed!
Lu Xueqi's wrist twitched very slightly.
"Buzz—!"
The Tianya Sword emitted a deep hum.
Zeng Shushu felt an even more terrifying force erupt, and he could no longer hold the Xuanyuan Sword. His tiger's mouth split open, blood splattered, and the Xuanyuan Sword flew out of his hand. With a "clang," it slid diagonally into the blue stone ground in the distance, disappearing all the way to the hilt!
He himself felt as if he had been struck head-on by a giant hammer. His chest tightened, his throat tasted sweet, and he spat out a small mouthful of blood. He flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing out of the ring and sliding several feet on the ground before finally coming to a stop. He was covered in dust and looked disheveled, clearly suffering from serious internal injuries.
The entire room fell silent.
Another... move?
No, it's two moves.
One finger, one sword.
Zeng Shushu, one of the most outstanding disciples of the younger generation of Feng Hui Peak, at the sixth level of the Jade Purity Realm, just like that... lost?
Such a swift and decisive defeat, so... utterly powerless to fight back?
Lu Xueqi slowly sheathed her sword, and the azure light faded away.
She didn't even glance at Zeng Shushu, who was struggling to get up from the stage. Her gaze swept across the crowd and landed precisely on the young man in blue robes who was staring blankly at the "Kan" position near the arena in the distance.
Eyes facing each other.
Jiang Xiaochuan's heart skipped a beat when she looked at him, and he subconsciously looked away, his face flushing.
That sword strike just now... was terrifying.
Wow... he's so handsome.
Lu Xueqi's lips curved slightly.
Then, she turned around and gracefully stepped off the stage.
Wherever she went, the crowd automatically parted to make way for her, and countless eyes followed her, filled with awe, wonder, and deep shock.
On the "Leaving" platform, Tian Ling'er's battle against Chang Jian was also nearing its end.
Chang Jian's cultivation was solid and his swordsmanship was steady, but Tian Ling'er seemed to be holding back an unprecedented ferocity today. Her amber crimson silk danced like an angry fire dragon, fiery and violent, completely abandoning defense and only attacking without defending, exchanging injury for injury.
In the end, despite suffering a deep, bone-revealing wound on her left shoulder from Chang Jian's sword energy, she used her Amber Crimson Silk to coil around Chang Jian's right leg like a serpent, and with a sudden burst of strength, threw him off the stage. Exhausted, she collapsed to the ground and was declared the winner by the referee.
Thus, the two finalists are determined: Lu Xueqi from Xiaozhu Peak versus Tian Ling'er from Dazhu Peak.
The news caused a sensation!
Sisters fighting?
Or... a showdown between love rivals?
Even before the final match began, it was already filled with tension and endless possibilities.
Tian Buyi was overjoyed. The two finalists were his daughter and someone who was practically a daughter-in-law in his heart.
Dazhu Peak really stole the show this time!
While busy bandaging the injured Tian Ling'er, Su Ru glared at him reproachfully, but her eyes were also full of pride.
Jiang Xiaochuan stood in the crowd, listening to the surrounding discussions. He looked at Tian Ling'er, who was receiving treatment from Su Ru in the distance, her face pale but her eyes stubborn. Then he looked at Lu Xueqi, who stood quietly on the other side, aloof and detached, as if everything was unrelated to him. The mess in his heart seemed to have been tied into an even tighter knot.
Tomorrow is the final.
He remained "tethered" to Lu Xueqi's side, like an awkward bystander caught in the middle.
No, perhaps not even a bystander.
Is it... spoils of war?
Or is it still the eye of the storm, that fragile piece of driftwood about to be torn apart?
He looked up at the vast, azure sky, which seemed to be weighed down by heavy dark clouds, and sighed softly.
When will this Seven Sects Martial Arts Tournament ever end?