CHAPTER 168: TERRIFYING SHORTY [2]

The shorty’s figure blurred. In an instant, she closed the distance, her qi flaring and wrapping around the cane like a dragon coiling its prey. With a deceptively casual swing, she aimed at Lingluo.

Clang!

Lingluo raised her sword to parry, silver light bursting from her blade, but the force behind the cane still sent her stumbling several steps back, her boots carving grooves in the dirt.

Yu Xuan’s face twisted.

’Shit, goddamn cultivation realms.’

It wasn’t skill alone — her realm was leagues above theirs, giving her raw, overwhelming power even when she didn’t use any techniques.

The shorty didn’t give him time to think. She shot toward him next, her cane whistling down in a clean arc.

Instead of blocking, Yu Xuan twisted his body aside, barely dodging as the ground where he stood cracked under the cane’s impact. Using the momentum, he lashed out with a counterstrike.

The shorty’s lips curled in approval. "Hmm. Not bad. Dodging and striking back. better than wasting strength blocking."

She tilted her cane and effortlessly slipped past his blade, her movement smooth as flowing water.

But Lingluo was already back in the fight, her starlit sword darting toward the shorty’s side.

The siblings pressed together — Lingluo’s piercing thrusts and Yu Xuan’s heavy follow-ups weaving into a rhythm. Their coordination grew sharper with every exchange, blades singing as they cut through the air.

Yet the shorty was unshakable. Whether she deflected with her cane or twisted her body to dodge, her defense was seamless, like a mountain standing against the tides.

No matter how fast or how fierce their attacks became, she met each one as though swatting away fireflies.

The shorty’s cane blurred, deflecting Yu Xuan’s sword while her footwork slid her past Lingluo’s piercing thrust. Again and again, she countered their rhythm as if she had already seen it all before.

Yu Xuan clicked his tongue.

’This isn’t working. If we keep going like this, she’ll just toy with us until we collapse.’

As if reading his mind, Lingluo called out, "Xuan’er ,let’s use that."

His eyes widened, then he replied. "Got it."

They split apart in perfect sync. The shorty raised an eyebrow but didn’t chase she wanted to see what was coming.

Lingluo raised her blade skyward, silver sword intent condensing until it shimmered like a falling star. At the same time, Yu Xuan crouched low, his own blade glowing faintly as a pulse of energy gathered around him, spiraling toward his sword tip.

The ground trembled faintly. Two different intents yet their resonance overlapped.

The shorty’s eyes looked amazed. "...Combined sword intent?"

"Together!" Yu Xuan roared.

Lingluo slashed downward, her starlight tearing open the air like a meteor crashing through the sky. Yu Xuan thrust upward, his blade bursting with condensed will that ignited into a radiant arc.

The two attacks intersected — light and force fusing, their wills overlapping into a single devastating strike.

BOOOOM!

The explosion of qi shook the entire training ground. Dust billowed, chunks of stone flew, and the ground cracked in a spiderweb pattern around them.

When the smoke cleared, the siblings stood shoulder-to-shoulder, their swords still glowing faintly.

And in front of them stood the shorty, unharmed, her cane planted in the ground like a mountain. But the floor beneath her feet was fractured, a crater sunken where she had braced herself.

Her lips curled into the faintest of smiles. "...Now that was worth blocking seriously."

Yu Xuan and Lingluo both exhaled heavily.

The shorty tapped her cane, cracking her neck casually.

"Not bad, brats. You’ve finally shown me something real. But if you want to beat me," her aura suddenly surged, an oppressive wave pressing down on them like a tidal force "you’ll need far more than just flashy move."

Yu Xuan’s breath hitched.

’This pressure... It’s no joke. She’s probably at Soul Nurturing Realm or above.’

He wasn’t entirely certain, but from the way her qi resonated with the world, her movements blending with nature itself, and the crushing weight of her presence, his estimation felt accurate.

And that was terrifying.

In Soul Nurturing Realm, body and soul reached unity, becoming refined enough to touch the Laws themselves.

Beyond that was the Supernatural Realm, where Laws bent at one’s will. If the shorty was truly at that stage, then this wasn’t even a battle it was a plaything match where their lives dangled on her whims.

’So this is the gap between realms...’ Yu Xuan clenched his fists tighter around his sword hilt.

His own power felt small, flimsy like paper against steel. Even though he could fight against opponent till Nascent Soul, he didn’t feel satisfied.

’I need a method...’ he thought. ’Something that can let me bridge this gap. Even just for an instant. A lifesaving technique that I can bring out only at the most impossible moments...’

But nothing came to mind. He had no divine technique tucked away, no ancestral inheritance waiting to be unlocked. He did have a small but powerful background.

And the will not to fall here.

Yu Xuan exhaled sharply, his gaze firmed.

Even if he knew defeat was inevitable, experience like this was invaluable.

And then he charged.

Lingluo was already clashing against the shorty, her silver sword light flashing like falling stars, but she was clearly straining against that overwhelming pressure. Yu Xuan took a steadying breath.

’If I can’t overwhelm her with strength... then maybe perception will give me an edge.’

He shut out distraction for a brief moment. His spirit sense unfurled. After his breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm, he had gained a small spirit sense.

It was clumsy at first, like trying to stretch out a muscle that had never been used but slowly, steadily, his awareness extended outward.

The world sharpened in startling clarity. Every swirl of qi, every twitch of Lingluo’s stance, every faint ripple of the shorty’s cane as she moved... it all fed into his mind.

His vision and spirit sense overlapped, and suddenly he wasn’t just seeing the battle. He was feeling it.

***

[A/N: Just wait a day, I am launching new Privilege and a small reward to the 10 fastest readers in the upcoming Chapters. I hope you like it.]