On the arena.
The wind howled, stirring up a few stray blades of grass that danced between the two swordsmen.
A scene of a fierce duel between two top-notch swordmasters, while the autumn wind howled (isn’t it still early summer?).
“Today’s wind is rather loud, isn’t it?” Wu Chushu said, his long sword cradled in his arms, looking a bit melancholic.
“It’s a perfect day for a sword duel!” Xie Xuan remarked, hanging upside down with his sword, wearing a straw hat, and chewing on some grass, looking quite helpless.
Wu Chushu sighed dramatically, squinting his eyes. “I’ve long heard that the Tianshan Sword Manor is a holy land of swordsmanship. For me to bear this title, it’s a matter of pride for my Hengyun Sword City. I’m not here to prove I’m stronger than you, but to tell the world that I will reclaim my title with my own hands!”
With that, he struck a rather dashing pose with his sword.
“Please!”
“Uh, no, you first.” Xie Xuan felt that the pose was oddly familiar, like he had just seen it not long ago.
“No, you first!” Wu Chushu changed his pose again.
“….You don’t really have to pose anymore.”
Xie Xuan twitched the corner of his mouth, dropped the grass he was chewing on with a thud, and pointed around them, “You learned from Brother Ke, but it’s pointless. Look around—are there even any spectators?”
“Anyone there?~ Anyone?~ Is anyone…..”
His voice echoed emptily. Wu Chushu froze, turning around to realize they were completely alone.
He recalled Ke Mo’s earlier stance, swords raised with countless swords in the air, and felt his scalp tingle, his brain quaking. So, he had earnestly rehearsed for a long time.
Now he had the pose down, the wind was roaring, but where was the crowd?
“Why is this happening?” Wu Chushu felt like he’d been struck by lightning.
“Are you telling me you don’t want to see Ke Mo and Ying Bing fight? You run here to watch us?” Xie Xuan pulled out his sword in frustration.
“Just get on with it! I’m waiting to go see them too! Instead of all this pleasantry, I’ll stab you with a sword!”
“…….”
Wu Chushu was internally crying rivers.
With Ke Mo, why did we even have Wu Chushu?
…
On the opposite side of the arena stood two extremes. People were packed like sardines, whispers flowing non-stop as countless eyes stared at the two on stage.
The focus was solely on you.
A young man stood tall, his youthful charm shining bright, his previous baby face somehow grown up to look more valiant under the sunlight. He exuded an aura of kindness, like a gentleman with a good heart.
In contrast, under the hues of dusk, Ying Bing had an ethereal grace—her face caught in the interplay of light and darkness, chilly yet lovely, with a touch of the divine.
If one were to describe it, it would be like a heavenly being who accidentally stumbled into the mortal realm and fell in love with a poor mortal.
The two stood on stage, and instead of the tense atmosphere one would expect from a duel, there was an oddly harmonious vibe.
“Get together, get together!”
“I suggest you kiss first.”
“Be serious; this showdown could determine the champion of this year’s Qianlong Conference!”
Among the murmurs of the crowd and wandering martial artists, many had been swayed by Shang Qin Qing into shipping the two, especially among the many young ladies in waiting across the Imperial Capital.
Most were more concerned with who would claim the top spot on the Qianlong List.
Which one of these two would emerge victorious?
Shang Qin Qing thought for a moment and exclaimed loudly, “Yes, this is related to their future family status!”
“So whether one’s a champion fan, an ice fan, or a couple fan, they’re essentially the same. Why must we make a fuss about it?”
“To be honest, that’s true.”
“Is it really?”
Many people, after their moment of confusion, gradually displayed expressions of understanding.
“Alright then.” Ke Mo looked serious, appearing ready for battle.
Well… at least it looked that way.
Actually, he was totally drained of energy, consciousness, and physical stamina.
This wasn’t something a little rest could fix; others needed at least ten days to recover, while he would need three or four days at least to bounce back.
Plus, he had just broken through a realm.
This wasn’t a video game where leveling up refills your health. Instead, he needed to solidify his newfound level.
So he planned to…
“Mm.”
Ying Bing slightly nodded, raising her Taiyin Sword.
However, what came before the Taiyin Sword was the serene and pure glow of the Taiyin.
“Your reliance on that Golden Armored Divine Intent is getting too heavy, and while you have the Taiyin Consciousness, you haven’t unlocked its true potential.”
The graceful voice fell in sync with the Taiyin Sword.
Instinctively, Ke Mo raised the Divine Sword of the Celestials.
When the swords clashed, a refreshing coolness, yet pleasantly comfortable energy surged from the handle.
“Ice Chunk….”
“Stop being dazed.” Ying Bing lowered her gaze at him.
Seeing this scene, those with slightly higher realms who understood what was going on couldn’t help but lean back slightly.
What duel!
The Cold Fairy was clearly using this duel as an excuse to help him solidify his realm! Nurturing his consciousness!
“Though this is a bit different from what I expected…”
Shang Qin Qing suppressed the urge to roll on the ground, her eyes sparkling. “No doubt, I’m standing on the path to invincibility.”
“But we need to find out who wins, right? How on earth do we determine who wins or loses?”
“Buddy, wake up! They’ve already won, guess who’s losing?”
“Uh……. me?”
“Seriously? You brought us here just to d*e? I was all set to go home for dinner!”
The eager crowd watched the swirling duel on stage, utterly bemused.
In this intense and thrilling Qianlong Conference, if you two don’t want to fight, then just don’t!
What does hitting the audience even mean?
The expressions of the audience morphed in an instant into various “Pigsy.jpg”.
Just then, someone suddenly shouted, “Little Dominator… uh, Wifey’s Spirit seems to be losing!”
The crowd hurried to look.
Was it because they had just been through great battles that they couldn’t continue?
Ke Mo was pushed back by a sword, nearly teetering off the edge of the arena, about to tumble down.
Yes, Ke Mo intended to follow through with the plan.
To put it bluntly, according to the rules of the conference, he was supposed to lose this round to the Ice Chunk.
Luck was part of skill, after all. He had been drained beforehand, so it couldn’t be helped.
The Phoenix Sky Empress, the fated Ice Chunk.
Wasn’t it only natural for her to become the first of the Qianlong?
“Should I watch the black or the purple tonight…?”
As he was about to fall back, Ke Mo stared at the brilliant dusk stained with rose-red, lost in thought.
Wait, why even distinguish between the two?
Can’t I have both black and purple?
Geez… the more I think about this, the messier it gets… Ke Mo felt an itch at the tip of his nose, warmth beginning to surge.
Look, I’ve even bled!
Who dares say this duel isn’t intense?
Smack.
“Ke Mo has fallen off the stage. Ying Bing… huh?”
The purple-robed eunuch was about to announce the winner when suddenly his eyes widened like he’d seen a ghost.
Even he had failed to notice that he had just made a big discovery.
“Huh?”
Feeling the incredible softness and bounce from the back of his head, Little Ke looked up in confusion.
Only to see under the combined glow of sun and moon, that breathtakingly beautiful face, her expression cool and calm, yet her eyes shimmering with a gentle smile:
“I’ll come down first. I lost.”
Though she claimed to have lost.
Ke Mo felt that in every way, Ice Chunk looked like a proud kitty who had gotten her way.
Little Ke knew she had won but somehow felt like she lost.
So…
Ke Mo couldn’t quite figure out whether he had won or lost, while the Ice Chunk claimed she had lost.
As for the audience… well, let’s not even go there. They had never been hit with this much “lemon” before and entirely wished to be left alone.
So who won?
“Hahahahahaha!!”
Shang Qin Qing threw her head back and laughed heartily, looking utterly pleased!
