Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 733 Passing Through
This young disciple of the Shenxiao Sect had already made a name for herself in the capital. Unlike other sects that typically have two or three pillars, this young woman was the sole disciple of the Shenxiao Sect's leader, serving as both the founding and final disciple. The Shenxiao Sect had never entered the capital, and its reputation there was almost entirely built by her alone.

Therefore, many people recognize her. Since being admitted to the hospital, she has made a name for herself. Since last winter, she has won more than she has lost in sword competitions. Although she may not be among the top-tier swordsmen, she has certainly impressed many people.

Mysterious, beautiful, perceptive, and exceptionally talented... these are the impressions this Taoist girl left on people.

But she was indeed too young, and her lack of experience was visibly apparent in many previous sword fights. Moreover, there was never any killing intent emanating from her sword.

Such a naive young girl is not suited to accept a sword that is mixed with self-interest and murderous intent. She simply stood up because she saw injustice, but her opponent had planned ahead and was well-prepared.

Yan Rigong dared to boast that he could challenge a swordsman of his own rank, which means he must have already considered Jiang Yin'er. Perhaps, even more deliberately, he had her in mind from the start, using her as a stepping stone for Chen Mishuang's entry into the capital.

However, she had never seen the sword of Yanri Palace before, and besides, the girl was skilled in swordsmanship but not in combat.

So although Jiang Yin'er is now more famous, she is like a peacock on a branch by the water. It is only because many admiring eyes are on her that she can stir up enough noise when she is suddenly pulled down by the water python.

Many people vaguely foresaw that the contest would end after a few fierce sword strikes, and that Chen Mishuang would not give the girl a chance to familiarize herself with the Yanri Palace Sword.

Moreover, this talented young man who just arrived in the capital is solidly ranked in the top fifty, while the girl, despite her rapid progress, is now outside the top one hundred.

Chen Mishuang stared at the girl opposite her and drew her sword without saying a word.

Jiang Yin'er stood upright, and although she did not look at the young man in front of her, she still bowed to the people of Yanri Palace with her sword lowered, and said in a solemn voice: "Jiang Yin'er of Shenxiao. I would like to learn from your family's high skills."

Chen Mishuang sneered: "The sword is named [Catch the Sun]. Let me see just how good this so-called first-rate swordsman really is."

The sword was thin and sharp; sunlight shone into it without reflecting off it, as if it were absorbed into the light.

With a flick of his wrist, the sunlight he had been holding back was released all at once, and the entire sword suddenly shone brightly. Jiang Yin'er squinted at the light and took a step back, but Chen Mishuang had already pounced on her like a startled shadow.

Many people didn't actually see him defeat five people in one fell swoop last time. Today, most of them came just to see how this pillar of the Yanri Palace would fight. At this moment, they were all in awe.

What a swift sword! What a fierce killing intent!
It's unclear which move from "Six Blades Cutting the Sun," but the intense sunlight concealed a chilling killing intent, and many immediately understood why their opponents always crumbled under his sword.

Facing such a sword, you can only retreat and defend, and then, almost predictably, there will be no room for maneuver; once you collapse, you will be utterly routed.

Even knowing this, they still had to retreat, because they were truly unable to deal with this sword strike, one of the signature killing swords of Kunlun Yanri Palace, and there were very few people in the world who could decipher it.

But surprisingly, Jiang Yin'er did not dodge.

Abandoning her usual "know before you act" style of swordsmanship, the girl turned her wrist and raised her sword, her clear eyes calmly looking directly into Chen Mishuang's eyes. Like a crane, she leaned forward to meet the sword. Fresh blood bloomed on her left arm and neck in an instant. To everyone's surprise, she actually withstood the sword and rushed in front of Chen Mishuang!
Of course, no one expected this, not even Chen Mishuang—the girl suddenly made this move, and the blade missed her throat by a hair's breadth!

He suddenly lowered his eyes, but the girl in front of him still looked at him calmly. A sense of panic flashed through his heart, but Chen Mishuang's movements were not flustered. The girl's response was different from his expectations, but the second sword still came out.

At this distance, she had no way to avoid it!

But Jiang Yin'er suddenly became deaf and blind. She seemed completely unaware that the second sword was coming towards her. With a flick of her wrist, a sharp sword light appeared out of thin air between the two of them.

"The Jade Terrace: A Thousand Tribulations"

The only powerful offensive sword of Shenxiao, tempered by heaven and earth, has nowhere to escape, and its killing intent is especially chilling at this distance.

Chen Mishuang's heart tightened, and for a moment he was somewhat dazed, because his sword was clearly faster and more dangerous. The girl should have lost in the sword fight, but she completely ignored it and went ahead and unleashed such a sword strike.

Chen Mishuang's sword pierced the girl, and the girl's sword pierced Chen Mishuang.

The outcome seemed imminent. Suddenly, Jiang Yin'er's longsword trembled slightly, as if all her killing intent had turned into ripples and flowed away with the water.

Spring waters reflect images, and ice mirrors reveal the spirit.

The shikigami's beautiful sword finally struck, and the girl was like a fleeting shadow in the spring breeze, vanishing in an instant.

Chen Mishuang recognized this sword strike, as did many other swordsmen watching. It had almost become the girl's signature move. Every time she saw through her opponent's sword, she would use this strike to expose all of her opponent's resistance and thoughts, letting them flow away with the spring water, thus securing a victory that was truly amazing.

But now this sword is only used as a stepping stone.

With this sword strike, she balanced the difference in speed between herself and Chen Mishuang.

The person was already within three feet of Chen Mishuang.

The veins on Chen Mi's arms bulged. In fact, he was already furious because he couldn't guess the girl's thoughts. He clearly felt a kind of provocation from her. But when it comes to sword fighting, who is afraid of whom?
Even if you've already inflicted a sword wound and a sword intent, at this distance, what sword can you use to counter the blazing, icy killing intent of "Six Blades Intercepting the Sun"?
Suddenly, a bright light shone from the longsword, as intense as a surging fire. Chen Mishuang used the Great Sun to break through the spring water. The clash between the two sword intents flashed by, and the realm was formed and shattered like a shadow in the eyes of the observer. On the sword platform, the sharp tip of Chen Mishuang's sword was already pointing straight at the girl's throat.

Even though they are only a year apart, the difference in strength is already quite evident. The greater inner energy, the additional sword technique learned, and the more room for maneuver are all enough to solidify their victory.

Chen Mishuang was indeed powerful enough. After Yang Zhenbing tested the sword on Yu Lin, he was indeed qualified to sweep through the sword students of his level. Several Dao Qi had also witnessed the outcome of this battle. They had been teaching in the academy for a long time and were very familiar with the girl's sword style. When she stood up a few days ago, they knew that she could not cope with such a sword.

Of course, no one would stop her. A swordsman should be able to choose his own opponent and face them directly. Besides, perhaps under pressure, the girl could learn the second part of "Phoenix Wandering" in a few days, just like that boy who had been away for days but returned today.

Only Chen Mishuang felt a chill run through her body.

A chill he had never experienced before rose from the depths of his heart, rushing straight to his lungs and then flooding his brain, taking over his body without warning—only then did he realize it was fear.

There was no hint of defeat in her eyes; those eyes that were staring straight at him remained clear and calm.

His fierce sword strike remained straight; she should have been defeated, but she met the gleaming blade head-on with her throat.

It is already within two feet.

In an instant, a chilling thought rushed into his mind. All the girl's actions since she entered the arena connected, and the premonition of death had never been so close—she was going to kill him!
The sword's edge was within three inches of the girl's throat, yet her "Jade Platform Thousand Calamities" move remained straight, steady, and unstoppable. At this distance, there was no turning back.

For the first time, Chen Mishuang didn't focus on the distance between her sword and her opponent's vital points. Instead, she maliciously speculated about the panic in her opponent's eyes. The sharp, cold blade was so close to his rolling throat... This strange girl wasn't a sparring partner for her teachers; she was going to kill him!

Chen Mi's twin swords were an inch from Jiang Yin'er's throat, and Jiang Yin'er's sword was an inch and three-tenths of an inch from Chen Mi's twin swords—it was a split second.

Chen Mi abandoned his offensive stance and hastily used the swords in his hands to block the girl's blade. Jiang Yin'er's wrist twitched, as if severing a flower branch, and with a clear "clang," she knocked his sword, which had lost its balance. [Catch the Sun] clattered to the ground. Despair filled Chen Mi's face. The girl stepped past him, her thin blade slanting down to avoid his throat, and from his shoulder blade, a trail of bright red blood appeared.

It was in the same spot where Zhang Chao was injured that day.

Chen Mishuang staggered two steps, her expression stiff, her face pale with shock.

The swordplay field fell silent for a moment.

Jiang Yin'er sheathed her sword, her shoulder stained with crimson, but the girl still looked like a young crane, and said in a calm voice: "You cowardly rat, you are not worthy to play swordsmanship with me."

"..."

There was silence for two breaths. The girl finished speaking and casually turned her body halfway to steal a glance at Pei Ye sitting next to her.

Pei Ye quietly gave her two thumbs up.

A hint of a smile flashed across Jiang Yin'er's eyes.

Chen Mishuang took a long time to lower her head and pick up her sword. She stared stiffly at the girl in front of her, her face still deathly pale.

In fact, he had come to his senses—how could she really kill him?
But when the real blade was at his throat, not retreating meant certain death, and the girl did not retreat at all, so he fearfully dodged it.

Just then, the words "cowardly rat" entered his ears, causing his face to turn pale and uncertain, and he dared not look directly at the girl beside him.

He's just a seventeen-year-old boy.

After a moment of silence, a voice came from the direction of Yanri Palace. It was Xu Wensang clapping his hands and laughing, "The true disciple of Shenxiao is indeed quick-witted. He risked his life to force my junior brother to retreat. The Taoist saying 'overcoming the strong with the weak' also has the wisdom of 'one force can subdue ten techniques.' The true disciple of Shenxiao has won this sparring match."

His words were laced with harshness, clearly implying that the girl was deliberately using tricks and fighting to the death in the "sparring," that "strength can overcome skill," and that Chen Mishuang's skills were superior, but she was forced back by her shameless fighting style.

Jiang Yin'er was about to leave, but upon hearing this, she frowned slightly, turned to look at him, and said seriously, "Master Xu, isn't Chen Mishuang's fighting style 'overpowering all techniques'?"

"..."

"Since your sect also knows it's just a friendly spar, why did you injure my fellow cultivators?" she said in a clear voice. "Chen Mishuang's victory was due to the ferocity of his swordsmanship, which made people fear injury and death. If it's just a friendly sword spar, why didn't he exchange moves when he fought Zhang Chao, but instead directly attacked with his sword?"

Xu Wensang narrowed his eyes slightly.

The girl remained unfazed, calmly looking at him: "In the end, he relies on his greater ability to kill to bully the weak. Today, when he failed to bully them, he accused his opponent. It turns out that Yan Rigong also has the wisdom of 'throwing a tantrum'."

The room fell silent for a moment. Xu Wensang remained silent for a while, then burst into laughter.

“Jiang Zhenzhen is indeed sharp-tongued. I, Yan Rigong, will take this on—Mi Shuang, come back now.”

Chen Mishuang walked back with her head down. At this moment, some whispers arose in the quiet sword arena. As usual, the spectators discussed the gains and losses of this match in order to improve each other. However, there were inevitably some laughs and surprises mixed in.

Pei Ye leaned lazily against the stone bench, watching the girls on the field with a smile, rubbing his two cat ears in his hands: "Yin'er is really good at talking, I couldn't say so much - how about it, isn't Yin'er amazing?"

He turned his head to the side.

Wang Shousi, who was already sitting next to him, was quite surprised: "How did Jiang Zhenchuan suddenly learn to use a sword like this? This is truly opening up a whole new realm."

But before the discussion could continue, the room fell silent again, interrupted by Xu Wensang's next words.

He gripped his sword, closed his eyes, composed himself, and lowered his voice: "However, Master Jiang's strength lies in swordsmanship, and he has no opportunity to display it today. Therefore, this sword-hunting event was poorly prepared by my Yanri Palace. My seniority is not right, but since Master Jiang feels that my junior brother is not worthy to play swordsmanship with you, I will bind my own arm to apologize to you."

Before the girl could answer, he stood up, sword in hand, and surveyed the crowd: “You sword students are all the same. After Jiang Zhen has finished his game, you can all come and seek me out for sparring.”

The room fell silent for a moment.

Anyone could hear the sharp edge in his words.

Xu Wensang was ranked eighteenth on the list of top scholars, and it was indeed inappropriate for him to make a move today, as there was no suitable opponent among the swordsmen in the courtyard. But it was even more inappropriate for Yan Rigong to leave like this.

Before Jiang Yin'er could go down, Xu Wensang had already lowered his eyes and stared at her, clearly leaving no room for refusal.

But a voice rang out from the edge of Jian Sheng's body, interrupting him: "Oh? You really want to fight someone?"

Xu Wensang raised an eyebrow and looked over, only to see the boy who had come with the girl.

He didn't recognize the face. The boy wasn't even wearing his sword-training uniform, and looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old. He had a black cat on his lap and a long sword lying across his chest. At that moment, the boy was gently tapping the scabbard and looking up at him with a smile.

He spoke bluntly, and Xu Wensang also lowered his brows, his tone slightly cold: "...Master Jiang injured my junior brother and insulted Yanri Palace. I have no choice but to learn from his superior skills. Do you have any advice for me?"

"The true disciples of Shenxiao will intervene when they see injustice, regardless of whether it's Yanri Palace or Yanri Cave, so what?" The young man chuckled lazily and said gently, "Yin'er, come back."

The girl who had just spoken so sharply turned around, nodded, and walked back without saying a word.

Whispers arose in the room. Many people were unfamiliar with this young man in plain clothes. They had seen him behaving intimately with Jiang Yin'er before, and wondered if the leader of Shenxiao Dao had taken on a new disciple. But he spoke like a senior brother, so it was unlikely that he had been hiding for several years.

Xu Wensang's face turned completely cold: "And who are you? What do you mean by that? If Jiang Yin'er won't fight, are you going to fight for her?"

“Okay, I’ll fight.” The boy stood up, sword in hand, and smiled. “I’m eighteen this year, so I’m your peer, okay? That way you won’t have to lower yourself to bully a little girl.”

“My meaning is very simple,” he looked at the man opposite him, his smile vanished, and he spoke indifferently with a blank expression, “What are you bunch of trash doing here at the Sword Cultivation Academy? If you can’t beat them, then get lost.”

"..." The entire room fell truly silent at this moment.

Xu Wensang pursed his lips, and the veins on his sword-wielding hand bulged for a moment, but the next instant his expression froze, and the only sound on the field was the young man lazily drawing his sword:
"Feng Huai, Pei Ye. I'd like to learn from your superior skills at Yan Ri Palace."

(End of this chapter)