Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 807 Feather Scales (Part 10)

By the time of Shen Shi (3-5 PM), all the other feather-based duels had concluded.

There was a two-quarter-minute gap on the Winter Sword Platform before the last two figures emerged.

Ming Qitian remained as divine as ever. The first two battles left no marks on her body, and the bloodstains brought by the red pearl seemed like an illusion.

Wang Jiuqiao looked like he had just washed his face. He walked onto the stage, his hair still in a hairpin and his shoes worn, looking like an ordinary person.

The man held the top spot on the list of successful men for nine years, but people's feelings about this figure remained mysterious and unpredictable, because he never showed himself in public. Legend has it that he had been traveling on foot for many years, cultivating in the mountains and living in the caves he encountered. Some people said they saw him begging for water and food in the city, while others said they saw him stripped to the waist and pulling a millstone like a donkey from morning till night.

In short, apart from some scattered rumors, Yu disappeared without a trace after the test, and the rumors became increasingly strange and bizarre.

Even in the Feather Scale Trial, which takes place only once every three years, he only fought two matches, always within ten moves, and left again after winning.

The previous opponent was Ming Qitian, the one before that was Li Shenyi, and the one before that was a senior who has now reached the top. Opponents have changed again and again, but the men always take the stage as promised, and their names are always displayed on the stage, as if it has become a routine.

Now that he has come up again, viewers from nine years ago should be able to see some signs of aging on him, but he is really no different from three years ago.

When Ming Qitian defeated Li Shenyi with a single mysterious technique in the morning, people had a premonition that he would win the championship. But now that Wang Jiuqiao was slowly walking onto the stage as usual, people's excitement subsided.

To defeat him is really not a very realistic thing.

Before the Immortal Platform Yu Jian could speak, three bell tolls echoed through the sky, and almost nine out of ten spectators who had been watching the sixteen arenas gathered around the Winter Sword Platform.

This is the only one that doesn't need any evaluation from the Immortal Terrace. The winner is number one, and the loser is number two. This year, there are only two of them in the world.

However, the two on stage did not immediately start fighting, seemingly unconcerned about going first.

"Sword Master, after three years of observing the world, have you gained anything?"

"To possess the sword of the world, to have no desire for anything, and to have a dear friend."

“Very good, very good.” Wang Jiuqiao nodded. “Three years have passed since we parted. I have been heading south, passing through Huainan, Qianzhong, and Guanghai. I don’t know what I have gained. I have already completed what I needed to learn. I am still just tempering my heart.”

"The same thing the Taoist priest said when we met three years ago."

"To tell you the truth, to tell you the truth." Wang Jiuqiao smiled and drew his sword. "I have been waiting for this moment to play a game with the sword master. Please."

Ming Qitian, holding his sword, performed a junior's salute and stepped forward.

Wang Jiuqiao had no "Chun Body". Yun Jing descended completely onto the sword platform in two breaths. He and Hongzhu could only hold one move in it. Now, this unreasonable true energy overwhelmed Wang Jiuqiao.

Ming Qitian transformed into Gu She, soaring into the air, her spine straight, her sword hanging down, causing the clouds to ripple, as if the entire Winter Sword Platform had suddenly acquired a monarch.

"Zhuangzi Sword Interpretation" - [Emperor's Sword]

Wang Jiuqiao looked up, took a step back, waved his sleeve, raised his finger, and the two hundred feet of cloud dissipated rapidly, turning into pure air in an instant.

When the emperor lost his country, Ming Qitian's sword passed by him. Wang Jiuqiao was holding his sword to block it, and then gently raised his palm to strike from a distance. In an instant, a violent gust of wind swept across the entire sword platform, and Ming Qitian was suddenly knocked dozens of feet away.

The woman in white was like a bird in a storm, her wings fluttering and folding. The sword that cut through the wind was the mast that guided her, drawing a huge arc that swept across half of the sword platform. Amidst countless gasps, Ming Qitian once again pointed her sword at Wang Jiuqiao's throat. Wang Jiuqiao once again raised his sword and deflected it, guiding the woman to the other side.

It was at this time that people came across "The Sword's Secret".

Ming Qitian twisted his waist and straightened his elbow, and a sharp sword light suddenly pierced through Wang Jiuqiao's throat.

But it was just a phantom.

Wang Jiuqiao strode over from three zhang away, raising his sleeve to wipe the blade of his sword.

Ming Qitian raised her head, and near and far, one, two... ten... dozens of identical Wang Jiuqiao appeared.

It would be quite eerie if they smiled at each other at the same time, but the man's temperament and demeanor were very plain, like the willows by the city or the soil infested with insects, so this scene was very divine, inevitably making people murmur "Immortal Master".

The Quanzhen School's "External Body" method, which involves two or three bodies, never imagined such a scene would occur, and the Taoist disciples were the most deeply shocked.

Without a word, dozens of figures rushed towards the woman, their swords clanging and striking each other on the platform.

One Wang Jiuqiao was terrifying enough, but the shock of dozens of Wang Jiuqiaos charging with swords was indescribable. People didn't know how the woman could possibly withstand them.

But she did accept it.

One sword or dozens of swords seemed to make no difference to her; one sword couldn't defeat her, and dozens of swords would only require a little more effort.

The snow-white clouds tore these bodies apart one by one, turning them back into scattered spiritual energy.

Those Taoist disciples who knew the inside story couldn't help but feel heartbroken—records say that cultivating such a spiritual body takes several months to almost a year.

At this point, the entire amount will be consumed within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

One of Wang Jiuqiao said, "Three years ago, I was evenly matched with the Sword Master in swordsmanship, but now, after exchanging blows, I am no match for him at all."

Ming Qitian did not deny that Wang Jiuqiao's swordsmanship had indeed been surpassed by her, but Wang Jiuqiao's focus was not solely on the sword.

The wondrous techniques of Quanzhen and the mysterious arts of Lingxuan were seamlessly integrated in the hands of this man. Every advantage gained from the sword was erased by the magical imprints. Or rather, for Wang Jiuqiao, sword and art were not two distinct paths; they were mastered to perfection in his hands, complementing each other and causing Ming Qitian to retreat at times.

Pei Ye pursed his lips and watched the two figures go back and forth. When he was fighting Li Shenyi, he could still hold the clapping slave to cheer him on, but this match had his heart clenched from the start.

In the past, no matter who stood opposite him, Miss Ming was always the unfathomable and omnipotent person in his heart. No matter how amazing the opponent's methods were, the woman always had a more powerful and wonderful way to deal with them. And most of the time, that sword alone was enough.

But now the situation is reversed. He already knows most of the methods Miss Ming possesses. They are all divine arts that can be used to make a decisive move, but Pei Ye can hardly expect to win if he uses any of them on this Taoist man.

Instead, the man's figure became even more unfathomable. Every time the woman launched a stunning attack on the sword platform, Pei Ye stared at him, worried, but in his heart he believed that he could come up with a way to deal with it once again.

Indeed, last night, when asked about Wang Jiuqiao, the woman said that she would only know after the incident.

Sword Realm - [Taibai]

With over forty external bodies cleared away, the woman's skills and true energy were mostly depleted. She looked at the only remaining figure, raised her sword in front of her, and a pure white world unfolded behind her.

It's like a scroll unfurled by a celestial being.

Wang Jiuqiao raised his head, his pupils reflecting a look of astonishment. He remained motionless in the face of this method, realizing that escape was impossible no matter what.

The painting encompasses her.

The outcome, which seemed impossible, suddenly materialized.

【The Commoner's Sword】

Taibai is the master of killing; all the chilling killing intent of the entire world is concentrated in a single sword strike. Eight months ago, she used this sword to assassinate Taiyi Zhenlong Immortal Lord, and now it is only stronger than it was then.

The white-clad figure vanished into the sword realm, reappearing behind Wang Jiuqiao.

When the time is right and the world is in cahoots, it is anything but graceful, but violent enough.

The sword, which spanned two hundred feet, struck the sky and earth with a single strike, its crystal tip colliding with Wang Jiuqiao's throat.

It emitted a resonant, metallic sound.

Wang Jiuqiao's clothes fluttered like wings, his disheveled hair flew wildly, his robe was torn in the shattered fragments of the Sword Realm, and the depths of his two pupils were dyed entirely gold.

Using the man's body as a boundary, a barrier of pure energy rose up, seemingly reaching the sky. The swirling clouds and fragments of the sword realm crashed against it like giant waves and then rolled back, but Wang Jiuqiao did not retreat an inch.

Golden Customs

He indifferently raised his hand, and all the spiritual energy he could touch surged toward his body, as if it were a swamp, and then solidified within his body.

Jade Lock

The supreme cultivation scripture of Quanzhen, which has not been revealed to the public for nine years, is like Yun Lang's "Gushe Heart Sutra." For many years, only one person has been able to cultivate it, and the realm he has reached now leaves even the disciples of the Daoist sect bewildered.

A body so pure it couldn't be pierced by glass descended onto the stage, but Ming Qitian gently sheathed her longsword, and the swirling clouds and fragments suddenly rippled, all turning into soft, drifting catkins. The constant shifts between strength and gentleness were dazzling, and in a fleeting moment, countless snow-white fragments transformed into fluttering butterflies.

Ming Qitian disappeared, leaving only a silent expanse of snow on the entire sword platform.

Pei Ye was stunned by the silence, and suddenly realized—that was the [Commoner's Sword], and also the [Butterfly].

They were already in the same mental state as each other.

Wang Jiuqiao took a deep breath, his clothes and hair slowly fell down, his golden eyes disappeared, and his body, which was locked in a jade lock and golden gate, also vanished.

He bent down, sat cross-legged on the ground, and tossed his sword aside.

"Am I dreaming, or is the Sword Master dreaming?" The man looked up and sighed softly.

There was complete silence on the stage.

He looked around and could clearly see the expressions on everyone's faces below the stage. They were astonished as he was by the woman's disappearance. It seemed that only the sword master was different, but Wang Jiuqiao knew that it was because those who were watching were all affected by this Heart Sword technique.

He had heard of Yun Lang's "Butterfly" before, but he did not expect it to be so seamless, without even a trace of flaw.

Every sword of the heart is a duel between two hearts.

As the name suggests, the Heart-Questioning Sword of the Butterfly is recorded in the Zhuangzi. It has no mysterious mechanism, but it is still one of Yunlang's most powerful Heart Swords.

The butterfly dreamt of me, or I dreamt of being a butterfly?
Thirty-seven years of life, a fleeting dream; or a fleeting reality, a long dream spanning thirty-seven years.

This doesn't seem like a problem, but now he's trapped in this Heart Sword.

Then we have to answer the question: Is the person I am now real or an illusion?

He stood in the front, and Ming Qitian stood in the back. He saw Ming Qitian as a butterfly, and Ming Qitian must have seen him in the same way.

If you choose the wrong path, you'll be trapped in an illusion forever.

Wang Jiuqiao was quiet for a while, then closed his eyes and revealed a satisfied smile.

In reality, it doesn't test my luck in gambling, but rather my understanding of my own heart.

At his other end lies the heart of clarity and impartiality.

You have to have a battle of wits with her.

Wang Jiuqiao closed his eyes for a long time, perhaps a dozen breaths, perhaps an hour.

He stood up and used "The Great Dream of Spring and Autumn Sword" on himself and the butterflies covering the stage.

The only Heart Sword of Quanzhen, used by the founder for "enlightenment." Nine years ago, he used this sword to make that senior close his eyes and fall asleep. After returning to reality, he thought he was still in a dream.

He used this sword to observe Ming Qitian's self-identity.

If Ming Qitian stands in the human world where she has lived for thirty-seven years, then she will dream of becoming a butterfly. To break the sword of "The Great Dream of Spring and Autumn", she will surely return to that reality. If Ming Qitian is already a butterfly in her dream, then after receiving the sword, the dream of the butterfly will still return to reality.

She will certainly be attacked by the sword, because everyone is each other's dream.

Therefore, as long as one can see her, then one is currently on the human side; if one cannot see her, then one can consider it an illusion.

Wang Jiuqiao raised his eyes and looked at the sword platform.

Ming Qitian revealed her figure.

Wang Jiuqiao smiled slightly, but lowered his brows: "Sword Master, I have asked this question."

"Is it?"

"Ok?"

Ming Qitian looked at him quietly: "Daoist, you only broke the [Butterfly] Sword, not the [Heart-Slaying Sword]."

Wang Jiuqiao was slightly taken aback.

"This is... my mental state?"

"This is the Taoist priest's state of mind."

Wang Jiuqiao looked up at her.

"Does the Taoist priest dare not answer whether he is Wang Jiuqiao or a butterfly?" Ming Qitian said, "Then the Taoist priest has lost."

Wang Jiuqiao paused for a moment: "Sword Master, do you dare to answer whether you are Ming Qitian or Butterfly?"

He raised his eyes and looked at the woman in front of him.

Ming Qitian looked at him quietly.

Wang Jiuqiao slowly paused, then a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Everything was withdrawn, for the tip of the glass sword had left his throat. Snowflakes swirled lightly, and the jade lock and golden barrier still stood on the sword platform. A dream was but a fleeting moment.

A thin trickle of blood flowed from Wang Jiuqiao's throat; Ming Qitian had won.

But Wang Jiuqiao laughed, his laughter gradually turning into a hearty laugh. He sheathed his sword and said, "I have waited three years for my sword master, precisely for this matter of mindset. So this is the heart of 'nothingness'... I understand now, thank you."

He closed his eyes and composed himself: "'I' am Wang Jiuqiao, 'I' am a butterfly, what difference does it make, why bother to distinguish? My true nature is just this one thing."

He turned and stepped off the stage with a smile, thus entering the Heavenly Tower.

……

……

Regardless of how the others are ranked, this year's top spot on the Crane List will be renamed [Gushe] Ming Qitian.

People are still reeling from that dreamlike and poetic showdown. Some are discussing every scene they don't understand, while others are speculating how many years this name will remain on the list—some say two, others say three.

Pei Ye knew it wouldn't be long, because after winning first place, the woman would return to the mountain to go into seclusion and directly begin preparing for her breakthrough.

Unlike Wang Jiuqiao, who waited to temper her character, or He Hongzhu, who waited to surpass anyone, she had no ambition to pursue the ultimate in the Xuanmen (mystical arts). At this moment, Pei Ye gazed at her from afar, Li Jian stood beside the woman, and the eyes of hundreds of sword sects were all fixed on her. Cranes flew and bells rang, and the entire sword platform seemed to boil over.

Pei Ye mingled in the crowd and cheered for a while before raising his sword and walking toward the deserted sixteenth arena.

The space felt quite empty at this moment, and Pei Ye looked around and immediately spotted a tall woman.

Zhang Junxue was also standing with her knife, searching for his figure, and their eyes met.

Pei Ye ran over and laughed, "Is this the competition to enter the Duck Ranking? Jun Xue, you're so amazing now!"

Zhang Junxue was slightly embarrassed and said in a low voice, "No, I already lost that match. Now I'm fighting someone who still has a chance. They beat me and have one last chance to compete for the Fu Ranking."

"Then it's fine if you win, right?"

Zhang Junxue laughed: "It's going to be hard for me to win."

"It's okay, just don't lose too badly," Pei Ye laughed. "You specifically asked me to watch."

“…Because back in Bowang, you were the one who told me to learn the sword properly,” Zhang Junxue said. “No one else said those things to me, so, so…”

She pursed her lips, and Pei Ye noticed that she had changed somewhat; she was thinner and more aloof, probably due to the hardships of her journey. Pei Ye nodded: "Jun Xue, you're the first friend I made after leaving Fenghuai. How's life at Bailu Palace...?"

“Pei Ye, don’t ask now. I have some news to tell you.” Zhang Junxue looked at him seriously. “I heard that you and Yong Ji, the heir of the Yan Prince’s Mansion, are enemies. I’ve seen him several times these past few days during the Sixteen Arena competition. He entered the rankings with eight consecutive wins.”

(End of this chapter)