Chapter 40: Win and Get a Hundred Thousand – Kicking the Sword Out of the Arena

A few days after the discussion about competing with Luo Qianxue, she came looking for Lian Mu. Speak of the devil.

That day, Lian Mu had no classes, and she planned to take the opportunity to go to the Star-Picking Tower and melt down the sword from the Sword Pavilion.

Although this sword couldn’t compare to her Fortune-Maker, after examining it closely, she found that it wasn’t entirely useless. There was a reason it had been stored in the Sword Pavilion—it was crafted with materials from Magical Beasts that were blended to near perfection, seemingly even incorporating high-tier Magical Beast components. However, since the other materials used were of relatively lower grade, the high-tier materials couldn’t fully unleash their potential.

The fact that mismatched materials could still produce a relatively stable sword in all aspects meant that aside from the Magical Beast materials and system metal, something else must have been added to compensate for the grade gap.

The sword’s core material was Water Metal, which didn’t align with her spiritual root, so she definitely couldn’t use it. Her only option was to melt it down to analyze the materials—she might even learn something from it.

If there was a substance capable of bridging the gap between high-tier and low-tier spiritual materials, and if she could refine it further on that basis, wouldn’t that make it possible to both save money and enhance the effectiveness of spiritual weapons?

The premise was that such a substance wasn’t expensive.

Excited by the idea, Lian Mu decided she needed to figure out what that substance was.

As soon as the thought occurred to her, she closed her book and set off immediately.

But just as she stepped out of the Library Pavilion, she was blocked by a group of people.

“Finally found you.”

The one leading them was none other than Luo Qianxue, with a whole group of senior brothers and sisters behind her. Dozens of eyes fixed on Lian Mu, giving off a distinct “gang fight” vibe.

Lian Mu guessed their intentions. They even brought their swords—clearly here for a fight. She sighed, “…Senior Sister, thirty against one isn’t exactly fair, is it? That’s not a competition, that’s bullying.”

The senior brothers and sisters: “…”

Luo Qianxue: “…They just came to watch.”

What was going on in her head all the time? Did she seem like that kind of person?

In truth, back during the entrance reexamination, when Luo Qianxue heard Lian Mu say she didn’t want to encounter Di Xing, she had hesitated for a moment, considering whether to withdraw her challenge. But the moment she saw Lian Mu defeat Di Xing, her opinion of her changed.

Later, Luo Qianxue obtained the memory mirrors of both competitions and rewatched them several times. She realized that although Lian Mu’s moves were a bit chaotic and she had a tendency to dodge a lot, every one of her attacks landed where it mattered. Amidst the chaos, there was a faint trace of structure, and she had even managed to suppress the dual-spiritual-rooted Di Xing in some exchanges.

Most of all, the way she secured victory at the end fascinated Luo Qianxue.

She wondered—if she had been in Lian Mu’s place and an opponent had pulled a dirty trick on her at a critical moment, would she have been able to react in time?

And so, Luo Qianxue felt it was necessary to fight Lian Mu. She had seen enough righteous opponents—she wanted to experience a different kind of adversary.

Lian Mu said, “Senior Sister, I have urgent matters today. Can we reschedule?”

This time, she really did have something important to do.

Luo Qianxue assumed she was just making excuses. “You said the same thing last time. I don’t believe you.”

She had already inquired about Lian Mu’s interests over the past few days. “If you fight me, I’ll pay you. Win, and you get a hundred thousand spirit stones. Lose, and you still get fifty thousand.”

Lian Mu: “…Where are we competing? Please lead the way, Senior Sister.”

The people behind her: What a junior sister who knows when to bend and when to stand tall!

Lian Mu suddenly thought of something and looked at the silent Zuo Jue nearby. “Senior Brother Zuo, I remember you wanted to challenge my companion?”

Zuo Jue hadn’t expected her to bring that up. “He has a master now. I don’t know where he is.”

Lian Mu kindly reminded him, “He’s under Elder Xuanji’s tutelage, Senior Brother. Don’t forget to seek him out.”

Zuo Jue: “…”

Luo Qianxue intended to fight her openly and fairly, so she naturally chose a public location. News of their upcoming match spread quickly.

Lian Mu wasn’t one to pass up any opportunity to make money. Before the duel, she kept her word and called Bai Li Que and Xu Xianxing over.

In the competition arena, Luo Qianxue and Lian Mu stood opposite each other, exchanging formal greetings.

Outside the arena, Xu Xianxing and Bai Li Que had arrived, along with other senior brothers and sisters who were curious to watch. However, everyone had a tacit understanding—not to let this news reach the elders.

The wind was strong that day. Lian Mu, having stayed up all night, felt her eyes sting as the wind blew. She raised her hand to shield them and casually pulled a sword from the rack.

Luo Qianxue noticed her movement and asked, “What’s the meaning of this? Where’s the sword you used in the entrance reexamination?”

Lian Mu hadn’t intended to use Fortune, but since her senior sister had brought it up, she could only take it out from her Spatial Pouch.

Luo Qianxue was momentarily stunned. “You’ve been storing your sword in a Spatial Pouch?”

Lian Mu didn’t understand why she was asking. “What else would I do?”

She always used her Spatial Pouch to store things. When she wasn’t using it, she simply stuffed Fortune inside—it could even hold Magical Beast materials. Very convenient.

The others: “???”

What proper sword cultivator would keep their sword in a Spatial Pouch? What if they encountered danger and couldn’t retrieve it in time?

Xu Xianxing turned to Bai Li Que and said, “No wonder her Artifact Refiner friend only hangs out with her. Her habits are just like ours.”

Luo Qianxue was so stunned she fell silent for a moment. Then, without even announcing the start of the duel, she drew her sword immediately.

But this preemptive strike didn’t startle Lian Mu. She stood her ground, fully alert to her surroundings.

In an instant, Luo Qianxue flashed behind her, and Lian Mu reacted almost simultaneously—sidestepping and raising her sword to block the descending blade.

Just from this first exchange, Lian Mu felt the difference—her senior sister was indeed formidable. Although both had dual spiritual roots, Di Xing was nowhere near Luo Qianxue’s level.

Lian Mu instantly became more cautious, dodging Luo Qianxue’s relentless assaults while looking for a chance to counterattack.

She didn’t know much about Luo Qianxue, only having seen her fight Zuo Jue once. Her first impression of her was ruthless.

Luo Qianxue’s movements were light, but every strike carried weight. Her blade lifted as gracefully as a feather, deceiving opponents into thinking they had found an opening—only for them to fall into a hidden trap.

Lian Mu was fooled a few times before quickly retreating to readjust. Sparks flew from her Fortune as she continued dodging, unable to stop—if she did, Luo Qianxue would seize the moment.

The two figures clashed at high speed in the arena—one on full offense, the other on full defense—creating an eerie balance.

“This junior sister is impressive, lasting this long against Qianxue!” a senior brother muttered, sneaking a glance at Zuo Jue.

Zuo Jue remained expressionless. “I noticed in the entrance reexamination—she’s different from other new disciples.”

Though she was a triple spiritual root cultivator, something about her didn’t feel like one. Triple spiritual roots were the bare minimum for joining an immortal sect, and most of them lived cautiously. But she was different.

Not only had she dared to publicly slap a dual spiritual root sword cultivator, but she had even defeated him.

Most triple spiritual root sword cultivators wouldn’t have been able to do either.

And today, she surprised him even further—because even he might not be able to maintain such a near-balanced fight against Luo Qianxue. He had only barely endured until the match time ended.

“Junior Sister Lian has a very stable mindset,” Zuo Jue observed. “She doesn’t seem affected by the flow of battle.”

Most sword cultivators would grow agitated or frustrated under constant pressure.

But Lian Mu remained calm throughout, adjusting herself steadily.

Bai Li Que focused intently, trying to predict Lian Mu’s next move.

Just then, Xu Xianxing suddenly twitched a finger, touching the night-blooming cereus earring on his left ear. He pressed a hidden mechanism and quietly walked toward an empty spot.

In the arena, Luo Qianxue had barely been countered once. She felt like Lian Mu was deliberately avoiding attacking.

Annoyed, she asked, “Why aren’t you fighting back?”

While blocking, Lian Mu replied, “Senior Sister isn’t wearing protective armor. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Heh, so you’re looking down on me?” Luo Qianxue laughed, twisting her wrist and thrusting her sword forward.

In an instant, Lian Mu felt a sense of familiarity with this move. Without thinking, she raised her sword to block.

Unexpectedly, Luo Qianxue didn’t withdraw her sword to launch another attack. Instead, she continued pressing down on Lian Mu’s sword, closing in on her.

Lian Mu vaguely sensed that something was off. Sure enough, Luo Qianxue was channeling spiritual energy into her sword, executing the exact same technique that Di Xing had used to try and destroy her sword.

Lian Mu: “Senior Sister, you—”

She tried to withdraw her sword, but Luo Qianxue had it firmly pinned down.

Lian Mu: “???”

She started to panic. She had just recently repaired Fortune, spending a fortune on it. Her money pouch was already empty, and if it happened again, she might as well declare bankruptcy for the month.

Even if she won, the hundred thousand spirit stones wouldn’t be enough to fix Facai—she’d still end up losing money.

With her upper body restrained, Lian Mu swept her leg sideways, trying to knock Luo Qianxue down. Luo Qianxue reacted quickly, lifting her foot to step on Lian Mu’s.

Lian Mu immediately brought out her other leg. Suddenly, she loosened her strength, letting herself slide down to the ground. Tilting to the right, she avoided Luo Qianxue’s foot and released her grip on her sword, letting it fall to the ground.

Luo Qianxue hadn’t expected her to abandon her sword. She hesitated for just a moment before seizing the opportunity.

But what she didn’t expect even more was that after dodging a few times, Lian Mu, instead of picking up her fallen sword, kicked it out of the arena. It landed right at Bai Li Que’s feet.

Bai Li Que: “…”

The spectators were equally stunned, their faces filled with confusion: What does this mean?

Even Zuo Jue couldn’t make sense of it and fell silent.

The moment the sword was kicked away, Luo Qianxue felt as if her entire understanding of combat had been shaken. She was completely dumbfounded.

Meanwhile, Lian Mu finally let go of the tension in her heart. Without hesitation, she seized the moment—before the match was officially declared over—and launched an attack.

A sharp gust of wind brushed past Luo Qianxue’s hair, snapping her back to attention. She wasn’t slow either, blocking just in time before Lian Mu’s fist could land on her face.

Sword and fist collided, sending sparks flying. The impact echoed throughout the entire arena.

However, Luo Qianxue had already fallen into a passive position. As she raised her sword, Lian Mu locked onto her retreating movement, gathered spiritual energy in her leg, and delivered a fierce kick.

Spiritual energy waves radiated outward from Lian Mu. Luo Qianxue didn’t have time to block and was forced backward by the impact.

Lian Mu charged forward and threw another punch. Luo Qianxue tilted her head to evade it.

Just as Luo Qianxue was about to counterattack, the gong outside the arena sounded—the match was over.

Only then did Luo Qianxue remember that her match with Lian Mu had a time limit. Once the time was up, they could no longer continue.

“This match is a draw.” Zuo Jue reminded them, “Do you want to continue?”

Lian Mu withdrew her hand. “No.”

It took a while for the spectators to process what had happened.

“Body cultivation techniques? The new disciples these days… are getting stronger and stronger.”

Everyone in the arena had clearly seen that the moves Lian Mu used just now were the kind only body cultivators employed.

“Maybe she was a body cultivator before and later switched to sword cultivation. I have a friend who’s a body cultivator—every body cultivator knows those moves.”

Most sword cultivators here had been training with the sword since childhood. It was rare to switch cultivation paths, as the cost was too high.

As Luo Qianxue watched Lian Mu retreat, a strange feeling rose in her heart. But she was sure of one thing—this Lian Mu was indeed special. She hadn’t misjudged her.

“You’re called Lian Mu? I’ll remember that.” Luo Qianxue sheathed her sword and extended a hand. Deciding to properly introduce herself, she said, “I’m Luo Qianxue. I entered the sect ten years ago, dual spiritual roots. Your moves just now were impressive. I hope we can spar again in the future.”

Lian Mu shook her hand, speaking warmly and getting straight to the point: “Senior Sister, how do we settle the bet for a draw?”

Luo Qianxue: “…I’ll give you a hundred thousand.”

Luo Qianxue was straightforward. Since she said she’d pay, she paid on the spot. Lian Mu left the arena with a warm hundred thousand spirit stones in her pocket, heading off to retrieve fortune.

Facai had been picked up by Bai Li Que. When he returned it to Lian Mu, he couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you abandon your sword? And… were you a body cultivator before?”

Lian Mu inspected Facai—it was intact. Not only that, she had made over a hundred thousand today. Her luck was truly incredible.

“I didn’t want to damage my sword. Sword repairs are too expensive.” Lian Mu replied. “I wasn’t a body cultivator before. I just secretly learned those moves from a body cultivator friend.”

Back when she took on bounties with an eighteen-year-old body cultivator, she often slacked off on the side. After seeing him use certain moves repeatedly, she memorized them and practiced them later.

Bai Li Que: “…”

Sword repairs are too expensive…

Before, he thought Lian Mu was just frugal, like Xu Xianxing. But now he realized that while Xu Xianxing was merely stingy, Lian Mu was genuinely broke.

Was it really possible for a sword cultivator to be this poor?

Bai Li Que’s worldview was shaken.

“Where’s Xu Xianxing? Didn’t he come with you?” Lian Mu finished counting her spirit stones and finally noticed someone missing.

Bai Li Que: “No idea. I looked away for a second, and he was gone.”

Lian Mu: “Alright then. I just finished a match and I’m starving. I’m going to eat.”

Bai Li Que followed her. “I’ll come too.”

The two walked off together, not noticing the silver kite that had been hovering above the arena for a long time.

“Wen Yun, what do you think of the moves she just used?”

A white-haired man stood at the edge of the silver kite, watching the departing figures below.

“She’s imitating quite well.” Wen Yun’s gaze was calm. “Her draw with Senior Sister Luo was purely accidental. Her moves are unpredictable, catching people off guard. Seeing them for the first time, it’s hard to react in time.”

Qin Yuan chuckled. “So you think she should have lost to Qianxue?”

Wen Yun didn’t comment on that. He simply stared silently at her fading figure.

As the two walked farther away, Qin Yuan controlled the silver kite to change direction and remarked, “I think this new disciple is quite interesting, but she’s being held back by the sword. If she could fight without restraint, she’d be even better.”

For new disciples, struggling with their sword control was common. Qin Yuan guessed that since this was her first spar with Senior Sister, she was hesitant—afraid of getting hurt.

But whether facing people or magical beasts, once a battle started, all unnecessary hesitation should be cast aside.

“These kids still lack experience. They need more training.”

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