Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 453

Volume 3 - Chapter 134: Defeat and the Ninth Stage of Painting Dao - Part 2

Bian Ruxue gently shook her head. By then, they had already ascended to different realms. The childhood games of the past had ultimately faded away with time.

She drew her thoughts back, noticing that Lin Qingying had already turned and stepped down from the battle platform. Without a word, Bian Ruxue turned and flew away, returning to the holy platform.

As the two returned, the other Holy Sons and Holy Daughters' eyes flickered. Comparing the power the two had displayed, they each weighed their own strength against it in their minds.

The expression of the Dragon-Slaying Holy Son darkened. Earlier, he had hoped to draw Lin Qingying as his opponent today, to avenge his previous defeat. But after witnessing this battle, he realized it was fortunate they hadn’t faced each other—otherwise, the humiliation would have been even greater.

One loss could be dismissed as a fluke. Two defeats? That would be undeniably conclusive.

And this time, the loss would have been even swifter.

Her mastery of sword intent, combined with the perfect harmony of her dao fetus, made her utterly invincible in that state.

Lin Qingying sensed the gazes of the others but maintained a calm expression, showing no reaction. She was aware that this battle had exposed her strength, and many would now regard her as a formidable rival.

But the path of a true expert never fears the biting winds or piercing cold...

...

“Qingying won!”

“She’s incredible! What was that just now? That blizzard of sword energy couldn’t even scratch her!”

The alchemists, including Lin Shanhai, were ecstatic, their faces filled with joy.

Though Bian Ruxue was young, as the personal disciple of the Sword Saint, her reputation commanded respect and made her an opponent to be reckoned with.

Bian Ruxue had indeed displayed extraordinary skills. However, Lin Qingying seemed to completely surpass her level, achieving a crushing victory.

Many alchemists cheered, offering their congratulations to Lin Shanhai.

Sitting quietly to the side, Li Hao’s expression remained calm. He hadn’t expected the opening match to feature these two, but now, he regarded it as just another ordinary clash. Whoever fought whom made no difference.

Victory and defeat were commonplace. One could only blame their own lack of skill. If you’re weak, train harder.

“Snow Maiden lost. As expected, she’s still too young!”

“She’s already very strong. To reach this level at twenty-seven is no small feat. At twenty-seven, I was still wandering around the True Person Realm.”

“What? You reached the True Person Realm at twenty-seven? At twenty-seven, I was still stuck in the Fourth Pillar Realm!”

“Don’t even mention it. My cousin was still in the Three Immortals Realm at twenty-seven.”

“…”

The discussions from the audience below were endless. For many, it was their first time witnessing this youngest Holy Daughter in action. Although she lost, they could clearly see Bian Ruxue’s strength and knew not to underestimate her.

Meanwhile, Lin Qingying’s performance astonished everyone. Many top inner sect talents felt a bitter pang in their hearts, realizing for the first time what level these Holy Sons and Holy Daughters were on.

Now, in addition to the Haoyue Holy Son, another Holy Daughter with perfected sword intent had emerged.

That final special state she achieved was virtually unstoppable. If they were in her opponent’s place, they could only surrender.

With this victory, Lin Qingying advanced to the top eight, while Bian Ruxue was relegated to the loser’s bracket. To rejoin the top ten, she would need to achieve consecutive wins—a far more arduous challenge.

Before long, the new round of matches began.

This time, the fight between two Holy Sons was evenly matched, resulting in a hard-fought battle. Their mastery of the Five Extremes Realm techniques left the audience spellbound. In terms of sheer excitement, this match surpassed the previous two.

After all, the first two battles had a clear disparity in strength between the opponents, making them seem less intense.

When the fight concluded, the entire battle platform had been reduced to a massive crater. One Holy Son lay unconscious, covered in blood, while the other was equally battered, his battle body on the verge of collapse.

Such a brutal clash left the disciples watching from the sidelines shaken to their cores. This was the level of combat between saint-level disciples.

Li Hao watched the matches quietly, carefully recording the unique techniques of these Holy Sons and Holy Daughters, passed down from their masters. These were techniques created by Semi-Saints, not included in the Sword Tower’s collection.

Though they were now recorded on his panel, Li Hao knew better than to use them recklessly. Such methods of stealing techniques were taboo.

However, once recorded on the panel, they could be integrated with other techniques, allowing Li Hao to deduce entirely new methods. Even if he used them, they would appear different, making it unlikely anyone would notice.

These recorded techniques would also enrich his collection of dao domains.

Not long after, the fierce battles for the top eight concluded, granting three days of rest.

Up next was the competition in the loser’s bracket, where eight contestants would vie for two slots to join the top ten, followed by the final top ten showdown.

After observing today’s matches, Li Hao felt that if Lin Qingying performed at her best, she had a strong chance of securing a spot in the top three.

Aside from the Haoyue Holy Son, the Linghuan Holy Son was also a formidable opponent with perfected sword intent.

Naturally, the Linghuan Holy Son’s Phantom Sword techniques had also been recorded on Li Hao’s panel. Once fully deduced, they contributed to his understanding, enriching his Sole-Self Sword Intent and making it even sharper.

...

During the three-day rest period, Lin Qingying remained in her courtyard, meditating on her swordsmanship. Li Hao observed her and thought she was overly tense.

“These few days, why not take a break and relax?”

He noticed that aside from eating and drinking, she spent almost all her time clutching her sword, even more engrossed than he was in chess.

Lin Qingying opened her eyes and saw that Li Hao seemed ready to leave. For once, she asked, “Where are you going?”

Usually, Li Hao often went out, but she never inquired.

“To the Sword Tower, to go fishing with someone. Want to come along?”

Li Hao smiled.

Lin Qingying was surprised. The Sword Tower? That was where the Sword Lord resided—a sacred place.

After a moment of thought, she stood up and said, “Alright, I’ll go with you.”

Li Hao was slightly taken aback. It had been a casual invitation; he hadn’t expected her to agree.

“Sure, let’s go together,” Li Hao said with a smile. Continuous sword practice could lead to a bottleneck in thinking. Taking occasional breaks, like playing chess or painting, helped him stay flexible. It was the same for her. Over-immersing oneself in one thing could make one overlook other aspects of life.

Sometimes, observing a different scenery could spark new inspiration, leading to profound insights.

With that, Li Hao soared into the sky, leading the way.

Lin Qingying followed behind, her expression slightly odd. Li Hao had only been at this holy site for a year, yet he already moved through it with the familiarity of a long-time resident.

By contrast, despite cultivating here for many years, she hadn’t seen much of the holy site. Most of her time was spent eating, drinking, and practicing her sword in her courtyard.

Soon, Li Hao brought Lin Qingying to the Sacred Mountain. Along the way, many disciples recognized Lin Qingying and gasped in surprise.

Li Hao sighed inwardly. Walking around with a Holy Daughter felt like escorting a celebrity—drawing a bit too much attention.

Fortunately, the Sword Tower was a sacred ground where disciples didn’t linger, ensuring it remained serene.

A sword attendant spotted Li Hao and noticed Lin Qingying behind him. Surprised, he asked, “What’s this?”

Lin Qingying recognized the sword attendant. When she had come to the Sword Tower to choose techniques, she learned that he was a disciple of the Sword Lord. Exceptionally strong, he was a master of the Dao Law Realm. Even they, as Holy Sons and Holy Daughters, might not be able to defeat him.

After all, he was a saint-level disciple from a previous generation, now hundreds of years older than them, making his cultivation far more profound.

“Here to fish, and I brought her along for a stroll,” Li Hao replied with a smile.

The sword attendant glanced at Lin Qingying, who remained calm but subtly averted her gaze, looking slightly uneasy.

With a chuckle, the sword attendant said, “Alright, go ahead. The Sword Lord has been waiting for you. He said fishing without you isn’t as fun.”

Li Hao chuckled to himself. Though he and the Sword Lord were usually quiet while fishing, the thrill of catching a fish was an entirely different experience. Fishing alone lacked that competitive edge.

After exchanging a few words, Li Hao led Lin Qingying past the bamboo grove of the Sword Tower, heading toward the Sword Cliff.

Lin Qingying followed behind, her heart filled with curiosity and surprise. Was he really going fishing with the Sword Lord?

Moreover, he seemed very familiar with this place. Could it be that his frequent outings before were to come here?

A strange feeling surfaced in her heart. The Sword Lord was a Saint-level figure, someone even Holy Sons struggled to approach. Yet Li Hao, who had only been here a year, appeared to have formed a close relationship with him. It was incredible.

Soon, they arrived at the Sword Cliff, where Lin Qingying noticed not only the Sword Lord but also Qiu Wuhen present.

Her gaze narrowed slightly as she caught sight of Qiu Wuhen.

“Greetings, Sword Lord,” Li Hao stepped forward and cupped his hands in respect.

The Sword Lord turned slightly, his gaze falling on Li Hao, then naturally shifting to Lin Qingying. His brow raised slightly as he remarked, “This little one came to fish as well?”

Lin Qingying felt an almost instinctual tension as the Sword Lord’s gaze fell upon her, her hairs standing on end as a powerful sense of pressure enveloped her. She immediately bowed and greeted him, “I merely accompanied him to observe. I did not expect to meet you here, Sword Lord.”

“Observe, hmm? Then observe,” the Sword Lord replied nonchalantly, making no further comment.

Qiu Wuhen turned his attention toward Lin Qingying and gave her a small nod before speaking.

“I saw your last battle. Reaching mastery in sword intent—impressive!”

Lin Qingying responded evenly, “I saw your battle as well. Your Thousand Threads Sword technique was outstanding!”

Qiu Wuhen’s lips twitched slightly. After all, that particular battle had ended in a crushing defeat at the hands of the Haoyue Holy Son.

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