CHAPTER 55: ULTIMATE PEAK

Sect Master Su Qing sat meditatively in a clearing.

He then slowly opened his eyes and exhaled deeply, dissipating remnant qi. He clenched and unclenched his fist experimentally.

"This strength... it’s the ultimate peak," he thought.

The ultimate peak was a realm just a step below the next realm. It mostly meant that one was invincible in the same realm. He thought to himself that after refining those cores, his combat power had probably reached the Golden Core realm - he just needed to break through.

With this, that girl’s strange yin energy shouldn’t be able to cause him trouble.

Speaking of, he raised his gaze, looking at the Twin Secret Tombs. He wondered where those two had gone. It had been a while since they went in - why had they still not come out yet?

As he thought of this, he noticed the twin tombs suddenly let out a golden glow. "What the hell is that?" he wondered, rising and flying closer to the scene. The tombs flashed a few times and then disappeared, leaving behind only golden light particles.

His eyes widened as he witnessed the scene. What was the meaning of this? He wondered if the tombs had disappeared because the inheritance inside had been claimed. Some inheritance sites had such a feature where the site would be destroyed after the inheritance was claimed.

Then, did this mean that those two... He exhaled to calm himself. So what if they gained an inheritance? The tombs were just an inheritance site for formations and talismans. Even after receiving the inheritance, one would still need time to study to be able to use it effectively.

At the moment, it shouldn’t be of any danger to him.

He then saw Yu Tian and Xueling appearing at the site where the tombs had been. He smiled. "You’re finally out," he thought before rushing towards them.

"He’s coming. Get ready," Yu Tian said, rising from his position.

Xueling held her sword steadily before her.

"Remember, it’s all about the timing. Even if I have engraved the runes, we still need to wait until the right moment to use them," he said. "For now, he believes we just received the inheritance and probably can’t use it already," he said.

"Even so, he’s still wary. We need to sell the illusion that he’s right. Until the moment he lets his guard down and we strike at full power," Yu Tian explained.

Xueling nodded. "I understand."

"You brats, you finally decided to leave your hiding place!" he shouted as he descended toward them from above.

Xueling concentrated. "It’s my power. I just need to feel it," she thought. "Then summon it." Suddenly, her hair transformed into pure white and her eyes turned silver. Her qi flowed into her sword and she jumped to meet the enemy.

Yu Tian watched her with a smile. This looked much more stable. He had helped her come up with a way to more easily and effectively use her saint body’s power. It seemed to be working fine.

Although the sect master had gotten stronger since their last exchange, Xueling had also improved.

...

Xueling rushed towards the sect master, her battle instinct activating easily this time.

She looked at him - he was still covered in red lines, but this time, they were much fewer than before. Besides, she wasn’t alone this time.

"~Feint to the right then swing low," Yu Tian’s voice cut through her mind.

She smiled, shifting her weight right before suddenly dropping low and sweeping her blade toward the sect master’s legs. He jumped back, avoiding the strike by mere inches.

"~He’s going to counter with an overhead strike. Drop left and come up with an upward slash," Yu Tian instructed.

Just as predicted, the sect master’s sword came crashing down. Xueling lost altitude and moved to the left, the blade barely missing her shoulder, and sprang up with her sword aimed at his ribs. The sect master twisted, but not fast enough - her blade grazed his side.

"Impressive," the sect master said, touching the shallow cut. "But you’ll need more than that."

He launched forward with even more power than before.

Xueling parried his first strike, then the second, her blade moving in perfect harmony with Yu Tian’s guidance.

"~Duck and sweep his legs," came the next instruction.

She dropped low, her leg sweeping out, but the sect master leaped over her attack and brought his sword down toward her exposed back.

"~Dive forward and spin attack," Yu Tian instructed urgently.

Xueling dove forward just as the blade whistled through the air where she’d been. She then spun around and swung her sword, causing ice crystals to begin forming in the air, slowing down the sect master and forcing him to step back.

The battle continued in this spirit...

The sect master caught her blade with his bare hand during one exchange, but ice immediately spread from the point of contact up his arm. He cursed and released her sword, jumping back and shaking the frost from his fingers.

"That yin energy is troublesome," he thought. How had she gained control of it so fast? It wasn’t like this before.

As the fight progressed, Xueling noticed her battle instinct actually improving. The red lines representing the sect master’s attacks became clearer and more defined. She could see not just his immediate moves, but the follow-ups he was planning.

Even so...

"~Diagonal slash to his left shoulder, then immediately guard high," Yu Tian commanded.

Yu Tian’s was still much better.

Her blade found its mark, leaving another shallow cut, but the sect master’s counter came just as fast. Their weapons locked, both straining against each other.

From his safe vantage point, Yu Tian watched the battle intently. With his help, she was able to somewhat match the sect master, but if someone looked closely, they could see that she was on the losing end.

Although she was managing to keep up with his guidance, her energy was nothing compared to that of the sect master.

As the minutes passed, Xueling’s movements began to slow. Her breathing became labored, and the ice effects from her attacks grew weaker. The sect master, meanwhile, seemed barely winded.

"~He’s noticed you’re tiring. Guard stance and conserve energy," Yu Tian advised.

But the sect master pressed his advantage, his strikes becoming more aggressive, forcing Xueling to give ground step by step.

A powerful overhead strike broke through her guard, the flat of his blade slamming into her shoulder and sending her stumbling backward.

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth as she struggled to maintain her defensive stance.

The sect master raised his sword, gathering qi.

"Time to end this," he declared.

Xueling’s eyes blazed with determination. Despite her exhaustion, she gathered the last of her strength, ice crystals swirling around her blade as she prepared for one final clash.

Both fighters charged toward each other...