78: Chapter 78: In just five breaths, the outcome was decided!

Yue Qing thought to herself.

But in the next instant, her expression suddenly changed.

The long whip in her hand lashed out, just as it was about to strike the figure lunging with a sword, only to see that figure vanish instantly like a phantom.

Immediately after, she abruptly sensed a strong threat of death coming from her rear right.

No longer caring about concealing her strength,

She subconsciously used her trump card.

Instantly, the Aura on Yue Qing's body surged violently like a volcanic eruption,

And it continued to climb.

Her cultivation, which was originally only at the Zizai Earth Realm, rose rapidly. A violent current of air exploded along with it, and using this force, she quickly pulled back and retreated.

This was a secret technique she had obtained by chance through an Opportunity.

Its effect was similar to the Blood Burning Secret Art of the Sacred Cult,

Yet it wasn't as filled with evil intent as the Blood Burning Secret Art.

In the blink of an eye, Yue Qing reached the Peak of the Zizai Realm.

A domineering pressure permeated the area, causing even the people outside the hall to widen their eyes.

As expected, this young girl truly had some real skill to dare challenge the martial arts hall.

At the very least, this current Aura was something others could only hope to achieve.

A hint of blood-red appeared in Yue Qing's eyes as her gaze locked onto the position where the crisis had just come from, sharp as a knife.

However, there was no one there.

Her heart jolted. Just as she was about to search for the enemy's tracks, she swung her long whip, creating the sound of breaking wind and weaving a defensive barrier around herself.

But that familiar sense of crisis struck again.

She hurriedly dodged, yet she still couldn't shake it off!

Su Ziyi had originally intended to use the Blink Sword Technique to end the fight quickly, but seeing Yue Qing's strength suddenly surge, her interest was piqued.

Instead, she was in no hurry to finish.

She executed the Blink Sword Technique, her figure constantly flickering behind Yue Qing, using Killing Intent to continuously provoke her emotions.

Before long, Yue Qing was teased into a state of restless anxiety.

This was simply too bizarre.

Exactly what kind of Cultivation Technique was this!

Yue Qing could clearly perceive the opponent right beside her, yet she could never capture her figure.

Even with the whip protecting her body, that suffocating danger followed her like a shadow.

Furthermore, she always felt that the opponent seemed to be targeting her left ribs,

As if every strike was aimed toward that spot.

The crowd outside the hall watched as Su Ziyi's footwork shifted, quietly appearing behind Yue Qing,

While Yue Qing seemed to have lost her judgment entirely, unable to find a trace of her at all.

Many people in the crowd turned pale, clearly having experienced similar situations.

Su Ziyi's Blink Sword Technique had become increasingly refined,

Almost merging with light and shadow; toying with Yue Qing was effortless for her.

At this moment, Yue Qing was truly at a loss.

She considered herself not weak within the Sacred Cult,

Believing that aside from those experts who had stepped into the Carefree Heaven Realm, no one could easily suppress her.

Even facing the Carefree Heaven Realm, she was confident she could put up a fight.

But this feeling of being toyed with in the palm of an opponent's hand was something she had never experienced before.

Knowing the enemy was right behind her but being unable to lock onto her position caused a sense of powerlessness to rise in Yue Qing's heart.

"Enough!"

Suddenly, a voice rang out. That shadow-like pressure vanished instantly, and a cold light flashed in Yue Qing's eyes.

Sensing that the figure had appeared behind her, she immediately lashed out with her whip.

Su Ziyi's eyes turned slightly cold. With a light flick of the short sword in her hand, she severed the long whip into several pieces, then raised her foot and kicked Yue Qing's buttocks, sending her stumbling forward a few steps.

Yue Qing whipped her head around, staring deathly at Su Ziyi, her eyes filled with rage and shame.

Su Ziyi ignored her and bowed to the newcomer along with Wang Yuyan.

Su Rui walked into the main hall, followed by several young girls.

He naturally knew what had happened in the front hall but hadn't paid it much mind.

However, that secret technique that had caused a sudden explosion of blood and Qi earlier had made him slightly curious.

Having finished his guidance for the day, he decided to stop by and take a look.

It happened that he ran into Su Ziyi toying with a strange woman.

Li Hanyi and the others looked curiously at the young girl who was clutching her bottom with one hand, while Mu Liangyue and Su Hongxi even covered their mouths and chuckled.

This made Yue Qing's expression look even worse.

"Greetings, Teacher."

Su Ziyi and Wang Yuyan spoke in unison.

"Mm."

Su Rui nodded slightly, then turned his gaze toward Yue Qing.

When he saw her face clearly, his expression froze momentarily.

How did she end up in Snow Moon City?

That highly recognizable face allowed him to identify her at a single glance.

He activated his Spiritual Perception Eye.

【Yue Yao: Eighteen years and nine months old; Aptitude: 91; Evaluation: Exceptionally gifted, firm will, bones nourished by a large amount of precious medicinal herbs since childhood; Suggestion: Include in the martial arts hall's priority training list】

The half-length whip in Yue Qing's hand shook slightly, its cut as clean as if shaved. Her gaze darkened as she looked at Su Ziyi's short sword.

As expected, the opponent had been toying with her from beginning to end.

This whip was a gift from her father—the King of Beique at the time—when she was a child.

The Materials were extremely precious; even divine Sharp Weapons would find it difficult to damage it in the slightest.

Now, it had been easily cut into several sections.

Looking at the ruined state of the whip, Yue Qing took several deep breaths to suppress the shame and anger in her heart.

The crowd outside the martial arts hall broke into a commotion the moment they saw Su Rui appear.

This legendary figure actually showing himself in person made the many youths who had come seeking entry very excited.

"Your Aptitude is acceptable, but your heart is not upright. You do not meet the martial arts hall's standards for accepting Disciples!"

Su Rui spoke while looking at Yue Qing with a calm gaze.

Yue Qing was stunned, and her face instantly turned unsightly.

She had originally felt a slight shred of goodwill toward this elegant and handsome man, but it vanished instantly at this moment.

"You are the Martial Arts Hall Master? Didn't you say that as long as one's Aptitude meets the standard, they can enter?

Since you say my Aptitude is good, then why won't you let me join?"

She steadied her emotions, her tone carrying a hint of testing.

"Could it be the Hall Master is going back on his word?"

Between her words, there was a faint intent to incite the crowd.

Su Rui looked at the stubborn girl before him, feeling a slight headache.

"In my martial arts hall, I have the final say!"

He flicked his sleeve and sat on a nearby chair, staring at Yue Yao.

"I have already seen through your identity. To dare show yourself in Snow Moon City, you have quite the nerve."

Yue Qing was just about to speak, but upon hearing this, her expression changed drastically.

Her expression shifted several times before she finally forced out a smile.

"I have only just entered the Jianghu, what background could I possibly have?"

"Playing these little tricks before me is useless, and I don't particularly care about your identity.

Since you want to join, then pick one of my Disciples. If you can last a hundred breaths, you will pass."

By now, Su Rui had adjusted his mindset.

Ever since escaping the life-and-death crisis, he had been pondering the path ahead.

There was no rush to raise his Realm.

With his current strength, there was likely no one in this world who could rival him.

After all, the abilities he possessed far exceeded the level this world should have.

Moreover, this world was a Fusion in itself. Occasionally 'tormenting' the original characters might also alleviate the boredom of his life as a teacher.

"A hundred breaths? Are you looking down on me?"

As soon as Yue Qing heard this, her temper flared up.

Hearing that she only needed to last a hundred breaths to enter, she almost jumped in indignation.

Her beautiful eyes glared at Su Rui, her face full of anger.

Her gaze swept over the young girls standing beside Su Rui. She cursed 'lecher' in her heart and then began to observe them one by one.

She skipped over Li Hanyi, Wang Yuyan, and Su Ziyi directly.

She knew her own strength. The sharp Sword Intent on Li Hanyi had not yet dissipated; she must be the rumored eldest Disciple of the hall.

Having just lost to Wang Yuyan and Su Ziyi, she had no confidence in whether she could defeat them.

As for the others—

Her gaze passed over Xu Weixiong. Although the other was dressed in male clothing and had an ordinary appearance, the steady temperament she exuded made Yue Qing instinctively choose to avoid her.

Su Hongxi's Aura was similar to Su Ziyi's, so she didn't choose her either.

Since the Hall Master himself had spoken, she needed to be prudent.

Win one match first, then talk about other things.

Lest she be looked down upon.

Her gaze landed on Sikong Qianluo and Mu Liangyue, eventually choosing the former.

That girl was the youngest and held a long spear.

There weren't many people who used spears to begin with.

"I choose her!"

Yue Qing pointed at Sikong Qianluo.

The latter's eyes instantly lit up, as if she had already won. She excitedly scanned the crowd, a look that made Yue Qing's anger surge once more.

What was the situation?

Was it an honor to fight against her?

Sikong Qianluo stepped forward. Without even raising her eyelids, she held that red spear, her posture arrogant.

"Go get a weapon; I don't fight empty-handed people."

As soon as Yue Qing spoke, Sikong Qianluo gave a light snort. The former immediately pulled out a coiled soft whip from her waist, her movements crisp and neat.

The shadow of the whip tore through the air, aimed straight at Sikong Qianluo.

"Prairie Fire Hundred Strikes!" Sikong Qianluo gave a light shout.

She had long since practiced this spear technique to perfection, and now its execution was as smooth as flowing water.

The phoenix blood spear turned into countless red shadows in her hand, like a surging angry tide, pouncing straight at Yue Qing.

Before the whip shadow could even get close, it was shaken away by the airtight spear shadows, deviating from its original trajectory.

Facing the wave after wave of attacks like a tide, Yue Qing could only retreat repeatedly, having no power to strike back.

And this was exactly the rhythm Sikong Qianluo desired.

Despite her young age, her practical combat experience was exceptionally seasoned.

Before entering the martial arts hall, she often practiced with experts like Sikong Changfeng; after entering the hall, she had Su Rui's guidance and Li Hanyi as a sparring partner.

Nowadays, in terms of frontal combat strength, others would likely find it hard to win against her except for Li Hanyi; even Wang Yuyan, who had already comprehended the Dao, was not her match.

At this moment, Yue Qing took one wrong step back and fell into the encirclement of Sikong Qianluo's spear momentum.

Faced with the surging offensive, her soft whip flew out of her hand and landed on the ground.

It wasn't a hundred breaths; in just five breaths, the outcome was decided.

Yue Qing stared blankly at the phoenix blood spear tip right before her. That cold gleam seemed capable of piercing to her marrow, making her subconsciously shudder.

Sikong Qianluo retracted her spear and stood, pouting slightly.

"I thought you were quite strong, but it ended so quickly."

She shook her head and walked back into the crowd with a look of disappointment.

Su Rui, looking at Yue Qing who was still in shock, spoke in a calm tone:

"A match is a match. Since you lost, please go back."

Yue Qing, however, found it difficult to accept this result.

She hadn't expected Sikong Qianluo to be strong to this extent, and her heart still held a shred of hope—thinking it was just her own insufficient preparation.

"No, I want to fight one more match!"

As soon as her voice fell, not just the people in the martial arts hall, but even the passersby watching at the door showed expressions of disbelief.