Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 457

Volume 3 - Chapter 135: The Ninth Tier of Sword Dao, Li Hao's Anger! - Part 3

Li Hao looked at the woman sitting alone in the courtyard. Today, she wasn’t meditating on swordsmanship but instead staring blankly at the bright moon.

Carrying a plate of snacks, Li Hao walked over and sat beside her, smiling as he said, “Don’t stress too much. Have something to eat.”

Lin Qingying withdrew her gaze from the moon, turning to look at Li Hao. Her eyes lingered on his smiling face for a moment. She couldn’t understand why he was always so carefree and cheerful.

But this feeling made her heart stir faintly with envy.

“Tomorrow, I will lose to Haoyue Holy Son, but I still want to give it my all in battle,” Lin Qingying said suddenly.

Li Hao was slightly taken aback as he looked at her.

Clearly, she had already discerned the gap between herself and Haoyue Holy Son—one that couldn’t be bridged by perfecting her sword intent.

After all, Haoyue Holy Son had also achieved perfection in his sword intent.

“Either break through at the limit or perish at the limit. I don’t want to let down my sword. Before giving my all, I don’t want to concede defeat,” Lin Qingying said.

Her words seemed directed at Li Hao but also at herself.

Li Hao nodded and said, “It’s just a spar. Do your best in the fight.”

Lin Qingying glanced at him and nodded slightly before her gaze fell on the snacks in his hands. She gracefully reached out, picked one up, and began eating. Her tone suddenly became lighter.

“These are delicious. Where did you learn to make them?”

“I figured it out myself,” Li Hao replied with a smile as he ate one himself.

The moonlight shone down, casting their shadows together.

Lin Qingying asked, “I’ve noticed you haven’t practiced swordsmanship recently. Have you given up?”

She knew the path of cultivation was arduous, but Li Hao possessed exceptional talent in swordsmanship, and it seemed a waste to abandon it.

“I’m practicing in secret,” Li Hao said with a smile.

Lin Qingying was momentarily at a loss for words. She didn’t press further, simply stroking the sword in her hand and murmuring, “Ever since my parents passed away, this sword has been my companion.”

Li Hao glanced at the sword in her hand and said softly, “Then it must be a very loyal and understanding partner.”

Hearing this, Lin Qingying’s lips curved into a smile. She turned her head slightly to look at Li Hao. Under the moonlight, his youthful features were half-lit, his profile deep and striking.

She glanced at him briefly before looking away.

There was more she hadn’t said.

About the past.

And about the present.

Now, she wasn’t just accompanied by her sword anymore.

When the snacks were finished, under the tranquil moonlight, Li Hao bid farewell to Lin Qingying, and they each went to rest.

...

The next day.

The final battle of the Sword Deity Battle had arrived—a duel that would determine the bearer of the title Sword Deity!

Before even reaching the Sacred Mountain, the fiery atmosphere atop it was palpable.

Li Hao followed Lin Shanhai to the venue. Among the disciples below, the air was filled with excited chatter. Everyone was speculating whether anyone could challenge Haoyue Holy Son’s dominance or who would claim the second and third places.

Although the previous matches had been intense, no one knew if any contestants were still holding back their ultimate techniques.

Today’s duel would still follow the rule of mutual selection.

Unexpectedly, both Linghuan Holy Son and Haoyue Holy Son chose Lin Qingying.

According to the rules, this meant Lin Qingying would have a bye in the first round. Linghuan Holy Son and Haoyue Holy Son would face each other first. The victor would then challenge Lin Qingying, while the defeated contestant would compete for second and third places.

When Linghuan Holy Son and Haoyue Holy Son began their duel, everyone expected an intense battle. Instead, it ended swiftly. Linghuan Holy Son’s sword intent was perfectly countered by Haoyue Holy Son. With his Sun and Moon Divine Eyes perceiving the intricacies of Linghuan’s illusory sword intent, Haoyue quickly claimed victory.

This battle sealed Linghuan Holy Son’s fate—he could only compete for second or third place, leaving the first place out of reach.

The anticipated dark horse did not appear. The overwhelming power displayed by Haoyue Holy Son seemed to crush all hopes of miracles.

Next came the duel between Lin Qingying and Haoyue Holy Son.

“Do you know why I kept choosing you?” Haoyue Holy Son asked, smiling as he looked at Lin Qingying. However, his gaze grew increasingly cold.

Lin Qingying frowned slightly, sensing the shift in his demeanor. Previously, despite her repeated rejections of his pursuit, he had maintained his composure. But now, something felt different.

“Uniting with me to sever attachments and forge an emotionless sword heart—it’s a mutually beneficial arrangement. After I attain sainthood, I would even pave a saintly path for you. But you’re too foolish,” Haoyue Holy Son said, his voice transmitted directly to her, inaudible to those outside.

“If you truly have the ability to attain sainthood, why do you need my help? You should be able to achieve it on your own,” Lin Qingying retorted with a frown.

Haoyue Holy Son sneered. “Don’t spout such grand ideals. Cultivation is inherently an act of seizing—whether consuming pills or food, everything involves external aid to strengthen oneself. How can this be considered borrowing?”

Lin Qingying fell silent, offering no response.

“No matter. Even if you refuse, I have my ways,” Haoyue Holy Son said with a faint smile.

Seeing his expression, Lin Qingying felt a chill and an ominous sense of foreboding.

Even so, she chose not to surrender immediately. Taking a deep breath, she resolved that since she had stepped onto this solitary path of the sword, she would fight to the end. Even in defeat, there would be lessons to learn. To give up without trying would be a true loss.

As the formation solidified, the battle erupted.

Boom!

Haoyue Holy Son suddenly struck, divine light surging from his body. In an instant, he closed the distance between himself and Lin Qingying, shattering her dao domain with the overwhelming force of forty-nine layers of dao domain.

Following that, his sword intent flared, and the Sun and Moon Divine Eyes locked onto her, unleashing a strike infused with the destructive force of yin and yang. This was Haoyue Holy Son’s true sword intent.

Boom!

Lin Qingying’s Supreme Soft Sword Intent shattered instantly. Against the world-crushing force of the Sun and Moon Sword Intent, her delicate and fluid defenses dissipated into nothingness, leaving her thoroughly suppressed.

With one strike, Haoyue Holy Son sent Lin Qingying flying against the formation, causing her to cough up blood.

“I intended for us to unite, sever our emotions, and forge the ultimate sword heart. Since you refused, I can only resort to more extreme measures. Only by breaking you entirely can I achieve absolute detachment!”

Haoyue Holy Son’s voice transmitted coldly to Lin Qingying.

Her pupils contracted as she sensed his malicious intent. She instinctively tried to flee, but her dao domain was entirely enveloped by his. His domain far surpassed hers in strength.

“You!”

Lin Qingying’s voice trembled with anger and fear. She hadn’t expected such malice from him—to use her downfall as a stepping stone for his swordsmanship.

“I con…”

Before she could voice her surrender, she realized her words were being blocked by his dao domain.

Haoyue Holy Son’s gaze turned icy as he said, “You no longer have the chance. From the moment I chose you, I had already planned this. Before all these witnesses, destroying the one I cherished most—such a deep wound will inflict immense pain on me. That pain will sever my ties completely, helping me attain ultimate detachment!”

Hearing his words, Lin Qingying felt a chill spread through her entire being, accompanied by a wave of nausea.

...

Haoyue Holy Son strode toward her, his gaze filled with satisfaction as he noticed the hatred in her eyes.

“Yes, that’s the look I want—the deeper your pain, the more it wounds me, and the more thorough my detachment will be!”

He thrust his sword toward her abdomen, aiming to destroy her dao embryo.

Terrified, Lin Qingying tried to defend herself, but the overwhelming power of Haoyue Holy Son’s domain left her utterly restrained. His Sun and Moon Sword Intent infused the domain with power far beyond that of any other holy son.

At that moment, Lin Qingying fully grasped the gulf between their strengths.

In an ordinary spar, she would have accepted defeat by now, conceding with no regrets. But this time, she was utterly constrained, unable even to admit defeat.

“Hmm?”

In the stands, Yao Zu and the other elders began to notice that something was amiss. Haoyue Holy Son’s overwhelming dominance left Lin Qingying completely suppressed, with no room to maneuver.

Unless she had some hidden trump card, she was bound to lose.

But Lin Qingying hadn’t conceded and was still resisting. Yet her struggle seemed more like the actions of someone utterly trapped.

“What’s going on? Haoyue wouldn’t possibly…”

One elder frowned as he noticed Haoyue Holy Son’s sword heading toward Lin Qingying’s dao embryo, sensing something unusual.

The Sword Saint also observed the situation. His brows furrowed slightly, but his gaze flickered, and he remained silent.

In the floating stands, Li Hao also realized something was wrong. Haoyue Holy Son was displaying techniques akin to his full power, and Lin Qingying clearly stood no chance of victory.

Li Hao knew her abilities well. She had anticipated defeat and had mentioned that she would give her all to see the gap between them. Now, she should have already acknowledged the difference. There was no reason for her to keep pushing.

Swoosh!

Li Hao’s figure flickered as he appeared near the formation, moving to Lin Qingying’s side.

Lin Qingying noticed his presence outside the formation and sadness flickered in her eyes.

She knew she couldn’t hold out any longer.

Boom!

Haoyue Holy Son’s sword pierced through Lin Qingying’s abdomen, shattering her dao embryo.

“Stop!!”

Seeing the look in Lin Qingying’s eyes, Li Hao immediately understood. His pupils contracted as disbelief washed over him.

A spar between disciples had turned into such malicious cruelty!

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