A girl with such poor aptitude had actually reached the fifth layer of Breaking Sun in just over half a year. This would have been understandable, as Qingfeng only had her as a new disciple. As long as Qingfeng was willing to spend the resources, it was still possible to raise her cultivation by a few realms.
But the Sword Dao was different. It required comprehension; it required practice. If one did not have a certain talent for Sword Dao, they would have to spend a great deal of time cultivating to be able to manifest Sword Intent.
With her poor aptitude and mediocre talent, how did she manage to wield Sword Intent?
The Wanjian Peak Master simply couldn't believe his own eyes.
"The Cultivation Technique left by Master is quite peculiar," Chen Pingping said calmly. "The Tao it contains encompasses the Ten Thousand Forms. It's understandable that Junior Sister inadvertently displayed Sword Intent. However... Sword Intent born of luck might not necessarily appear next time."
Is that so? The Wanjian Peak Master was half-convinced.
When the fourth match came, Guang Xiaoyu's sword slashed out, and her majestic Sword Intent burst forth rapidly.
She was completely dumbfounded.
The Wanjian Peak Master was stunned on the spot.
The result of luck? Have you ever seen anyone whose luck enables them to showcase such powerful Sword Intent without practicing Sword Dao?
Baili Jiansan, the Master of Snow Storm Peak, the Jiuli Peak Lord, and the Wanjian Peak Master once again turned their gaze toward Chen Pingping.
Chen Pingping raised an eyebrow. "Junior Sister, your luck is a bit too good, isn't it?"
Luckily, Guang Xiaoyu didn't hear this remark, or she would surely have retorted, "It has nothing to do with me." As soon as she grasped the wooden sword, a powerful Sword Intent threatened to erupt. It was impossible to stop. She seriously doubted that the wooden sword contained Sword Intent. But wasn't it just an ordinary wooden sword?
Mo Wuwei, who possessed a strong Sword Dao heart, suddenly trembled. Not only that, the Ice Seal behind him was also quivering. He recalled the scenes from before. It turned out that the Ice Seal wasn't eager to battle; it was 'fearful'. This little girl was not simple!
「On the other side.」
Zhuge Wushuang was intently watching the battlefield. Compared to Mo Wuwei's concern, he was relatively composed. The Peak Master's proposal to expand the battlefield to five hundred meters was a significant advantage for him. With such an advantage, even when facing any genius, he could remain calm and collected during battle, even against this peculiar little girl.
Nangong Jue narrowed her eyes. "A powerful Sword Dao. But... I am armored, and your wooden sword can't break through."
The middle-aged Steward regained his senses and shouted loudly, "Victory for Qingfeng's Disciple Guang Xiaoyu!"
...
This? Baili Jiansan couldn't help but ask, "Chen, what technique does she cultivate?"
"Just a high-grade Cultivation Technique," Chen Pingping replied. "The one Master left behind before he departed."
"What is it called?"
"One Qi Turns into Three Clarities!"
One Qi Turns into Three Clarities? What kind of Cultivation Technique is that? Baili Jiansan furrowed his brows.
The Master of Snow Storm Peak said, "Among high-grade Cultivation Techniques, are there any that contain Attack Skills?"
Cultivation Techniques are methods for circulating spiritual energy through the Zhou Tian and cultivating the Dantian; they are the foundation for a Cultivator. An Attack Skill is a skill for attacking. The two are incompatible, unless...
The Peak Masters spoke in unison, "Could this Cultivation Technique be... an Earth Rank technique?"
Cultivation Technique grades include: low-grade, high-grade, Earth Rank, Heaven Rank... King Tao... Emperor's Art, Saint Tao, and the supreme Emperor's Art. Cultivation Techniques of low and high grades cannot integrate Attack Skills. Only those of Earth Rank and above possess this potential.
Baili Jiansan seemed to have realized this too and stared intently at Chen Pingping.
Chen Pingping opened his mouth slightly, a look of confusion on his face. "I don't know!"
It's a Cultivation Technique from the System; who could possibly know its rank!
The three Peak Masters grew uneasy.
With Guang Xiaoyu practicing such a technique on top of her fifth-layer Breaking Sun strength, eliminating her in the third round of Reincarnation matches would be far from easy! And only a few matches remained in the third round of Reincarnation. This meant that to eliminate Guang Xiaoyu, they had to take the upcoming matches seriously.
Unfortunately, merely being serious didn't seem to be enough. Without deploying a true genius, they would only be adding to Guang Xiaoyu's string of victories.
She then won several more matches in a row.
The three Peak Masters grew anxious. The Jiuli Peak Lord secretly transmitted, "Junior Brother, your Snow Storm Peak needs to show some real strength!"
The Wanjian Peak Master also transmitted, "Indeed, we can't let this girl advance to the fourth round. Otherwise... there's a good chance she'll break through our defensive line, and entering the top ten would be troublesome. I propose that you have Nangong Jue from your Snow Storm Peak face Guang Xiaoyu."
The Master of Snow Storm Peak rolled his eyes. "Why don't you let Mo Wuwei fight? At worst, I'll concede the upcoming match and let Mo Wuwei advance to fight Guang Xiaoyu."
The Wanjian Peak Master was exasperated. "That girl has cultivated a formidable Cultivation Technique and possesses such mastery in the Sword Dao! Even if you want Mo Wuwei to fight, he must be able to defeat Guang Xiaoyu!"
He felt like spitting blood. From the Sword Intent Guang Xiaoyu had unleashed earlier, it was clear that Mo Wuwei's Sword Dao was no match for hers. The only thing he might be able to contend with was the third-rank weapon, Ice Seal, in his hand.
He continued transmitting, "Nangong Jue has an Attribute Body and engages in Physical Cultivation. Guang Xiaoyu's wooden sword won't be able to breach Nangong Jue's physical defense. Nangong Jue can win... Besides, don't think I don't know you also gave Nangong Jue that protective armor."
"Absolutely not!" the Master of Snow Storm Peak objected. "If Nangong Jue loses, with what will Snow Storm Peak compete for first place?"
Each peak had a genius, a trump card, and a key weapon for the Three Peaks to compete for first place. Who would be foolish enough to play their hand at this time? Setting aside whether they could defeat Guang Xiaoyu, what if Nangong Jue's strength was depleted in the process? Wouldn't that just play into the hands of the other two peaks?
The negotiation failed. All three Peak Masters had stern faces, and none of them spoke to each other.
Soon, the last match arrived.
The middle-aged Steward announced loudly, "Wanjian Peak's Disciple Wu Dahai versus Qingfeng's Disciple Guang Xiaoyu! Begin!"
If Guang Xiaoyu won this match, she would advance to the fourth round. However, after several matches, her condition had clearly declined. Her face was somewhat pale, and her eyes were no longer as clear.
Many people noticed this.
Wu Dahai chuckled lightly. "I am at the Sixth Heaven of Breaking Sun. You might as well concede!"
An opportunity arose. The three Peak Masters kept their composure. Guang Xiaoyu's condition wasn't good, while Wu Dahai was in his prime. Not only that, but he was also a minor realm higher than her. It was a chance.
She rolled her eyes. "Why should I concede?"
"Your condition is poor, your Dantian's energy has been greatly depleted, and I am a minor realm higher than you. You are bound to lose this battle," Wu Dahai said confidently.
"Who told you I'm in poor condition?" Guang Xiaoyu scoffed.
In fact, her internal condition was constantly recovering, even faster than usual. It was just that after so many matches, her spiritual energy consumption was quite high. Her spiritual energy expenditure outpaced her recovery rate. But one thing was certain: the recovery had something to do with her Senior Brother. It wasn't due to One Qi Turns into Three Clarities. Was it the wooden sword? Or... that cow? The dress she wore was just protective armor; it didn't have this kind of capability.
She glanced at her Senior Brother above, who remained composed.
"Just concede," Wu Dahai said indifferently.
The three Peak Masters smiled.
But in the next moment, Guang Xiaoyu took out a Spirit Pill and swallowed it. In the brief span of a few breaths, her condition instantly recovered.
The smiles on the faces of the three Peak Masters froze.
If they weren't mistaken, that Spirit Pill... was one that surpassed the high-grade category. Was it third-rank? Fourth-rank? Or even fifth-rank?
Such a priceless Spirit Pill! Even they would find it difficult to procure one, let alone see it used so casually. How could tiny Qingfeng possibly possess it? And that little girl, she didn't even blink before consuming it? Such extravagance!
Guang Xiaoyu smiled. "Alright, now you're only one minor realm higher than me. No problem." With that, she gripped her wooden sword and charged forward.
Her long dress billowed around her, fluttering in the wind, creating an indescribably ethereal yet somewhat comical sight.
Wu Dahai composed himself, gritted his teeth, and unleashed his full strength. Although he couldn't manifest Sword Intent, his sword was incredibly heavy and powerful. Slashing head-on, he was confident he could injure Guang Xiaoyu. Unless she retreated to defend.
To his surprise, Guang Xiaoyu had no intention of defending.
His heavy iron sword struck Guang Xiaoyu's slender figure. CLANG! Sparks flew everywhere.
It was blocked.
It was... blocked by that shabby-looking dress.
Wu Dahai was dumbfounded.