Chapter 131: Tang Clan's Paper Flower

A sunset-colored Sword Energy enveloped Qing's Moonlight Sword, causing it to gleam brilliantly.

At that precise moment, Commander Cho Gwak’s mind raced, analyzing his opponent.

Burning sunset-colored True Energy… A known characteristic of the Divine Maiden Sect’s signature Divine Art, the Nourishing True Soul Sutra. Her claim of being Daoist Elder Ximen Surin’s disciple is clearly not a lie.

The martial artists serving the Imperial Palace were elite warriors, specifically nurtured by generations of Emperors who gritted their teeth with the ultimate goal of subduing the often-unruly martial world.

They possessed encyclopedic knowledge of all major martial arts circulating within the Central Plains, including their inherent weaknesses and effective countermeasures.

The Yue Maiden Sword itself poses no significant problem.

The Yue Maiden Sword Technique was, fundamentally, an ancient martial art originally developed for common soldiers of the State of Yue. Though refined over centuries, it had eventually become a standard introductory martial art taught widely within the military establishment.

Naturally, an expert like Cho Gwak could likely perform its basic forms blindfolded.

However, this ‘Divine Maiden Palm’ she mentioned… I have never heard of such a technique. Could it be a unique martial art created personally by Ximen Surin? If she dared to name it ‘Divine Palm,’ it must surely possess extraordinary qualities.

Still, Cho Gwak reasoned, how dangerous could the mere Hand Arts of a Peak Realm master possibly be against an Unrestrained Realm master like myself, especially one protected by a fully manifested Energy Aura?[^(Peak(Qing) -> Transcendent -> Unrestrained(Cho Gwak) -> Profound -> Life/Death -> Celestial -> Natural)]

Overall, this shouldn't be too tricky. The only real potential complication is that unknown old Buddhist fellow standing over there. (A thought that both Choi Leeong and any actual Buddhist martial artist present would likely take great offense to.)

Anyway, that was the conclusion Commander Cho Gwak swiftly reached.

In truth, a duel between a Peak Realm martial artist and an Unrestrained Realm master was generally considered no different from a fight between a young child and a fully grown adult.

Although accepting a life-and-death duel just because a child acted (extremely) rudely might seem petty, actually subduing her should merely be somewhat troublesome, not genuinely difficult. He felt confident.

That’s what he thought, anyway…

Suddenly, the Sword Energy radiating from Qing’s blade surged dramatically, extending a full chi [^(approx. 33 cm or 1 foot)] beyond the physical edge of the sword itself.

This was a feat considered absolutely impossible using mere Sword Energy alone; it required the principles of Sword Force.

If one could freely extend basic Sword Energy far beyond the blade like this, wouldn't every martial artist simply carry a small, concealed dagger and wield it like those fantastical 'lightsabers' from certain famous fictional works, rather than bothering to lug around heavy swords all the time?

Therefore, it wasn't simply Sword Energy rising from Qing's blade.

If one looked closely, truly observed the phenomenon, they would realize it wasn't a solid projection of Sword Energy at all, but rather an incredibly high density of minuscule Sword Threads clustered tightly together, creating the illusion of a solid, extended blade.

While the full effects of the Inverse Marrow Washing Sutra were still largely unknown to Qing, at least one result was now undeniably clear: the Eight Extraordinary Meridians—the deeper channels through which True Energy flowed—had been massively expanded and fortified. This effectively turned her energy pathways into ultra-high-output True Energy spray nozzles.

In terms familiar to someone from Qing’s modern world, the effect felt something like: Double the energy consumption yields maybe one and a half times the actual power output? Kinda shitty efficiency, really. However, Qing’s raw capacity for Qi Accumulation had already far surpassed the normal limits of her current cultivation realm. Furthermore, simple Sword Energy that hadn’t yet been compressed or refined into true Force didn’t actually consume that much True Energy to manifest anyway.

“First Move!”

Qing shouted, lunging forward as she drew a perfectly straight, simple line through the air with her glowing blade.

The thick projection of Sword Energy collided heavily with the shimmering Energy Aura surrounding Cho Gwak’s sword.

Although the physical blades themselves didn't meet, eliminating the clang of steel, a powerful shockwave instantly burst outwards from the point of impact, sending a tangible gust of wind sweeping across the training ground.

However, Qing’s expression immediately contorted in a grimace, while Cho Gwak’s face relaxed slightly. The result of the first clash was clear.

Ah shit! Qing thought, frustrated. So Sword Threads still aren’t enough to punch through his defense, huh?

Cho Gwak’s sword didn't just penetrate Qing’s dense Sword Energy projection; the force of the impact actually managed to slightly chip the physical blade of her Moonlight Sword underneath.

Force Compression—forming a tangible energy sphere—was merely a basic long-range technique available to Unrestrained Realm masters.

Unless one specialized specifically in advanced Energy Projection Arts, the power of a simple sphere often wasn't even as potent as imbuing a hidden weapon with Force and throwing it.

Thus, the true terror of facing an Unrestrained Realm master lay not in their ability to form simple energy spheres, but in the fact that they could emit Force compressed to a much higher degree directly around their weapons—an aura so dense it became visible to the naked eye, vastly increasing both offensive power and defensive capability.

As if to demonstrate, a vibrant purple Force began to ripple and coalesce around Cho Gwak’s sword, visibly increasing the thickness and potency of his Energy Aura.

(It was a sight that would likely make any attending Daoist Masters from Mount Hua foam at the mouth with righteous indignation.)

This was the signature energy of the Imperial Grace’s Violet Mist Arts —the Imperial Palace’s secretly modified, perhaps degraded, version of the original Violet Mist Divine Arts.

Startled by the sudden surge in power and the ominous purple glow, Qing quickly withdrew her sword. But it was too late; a large, noticeable chip had already been taken out of the blade’s edge.

My Moonlight Sword! she wailed internally.

I barely even got to use it!

Now she’d have to track down Moonlight Sword No. 9 after only using this one a few times! Forcing an awkward smile, Qing tried a different tactic.

“Uh. Since you’re clearly such a superior Master, how about magnanimously giving me a ten-move handicap?”

“Nonsense!”

Cho Gwak retorted instantly, his sword already moving again with blurring speed.

He unleashed the Imperial Grace Demon Subduing Sword technique—a vicious killing art forged from the ruthless determination to utterly subjugate all forms of perceived evil.

However, there was a slight incompatibility in this situation. The Demon Subduing Swordplay was renowned as one of the martial arts possessing the absolute strongest killing intent among all Orthodox Faction techniques.

Trying to execute such a purely offensive, lethal sword art while consciously needing to avoid striking the opponent’s vital points felt inherently awkward and constrained.

For Commander Cho Gwak—whose entire family’s fate now potentially rested on Qing surviving this duel—the enemy’s vital points had effectively become his own most critical vulnerabilities.

“Whoa! Eek! Ack! Ah, ah! Ah! Kyaak! Ack!”

Qing was busy just trying to dodge, continuously letting out a chaotic cacophony of breathless exclamations mixed randomly with yelps of surprise, screams of feigned terror, and occasional gasps of apparent admiration for her opponent’s skill.

If she allowed their blades to clash directly again, her already chipped Moonlight Sword surely wouldn’t survive another impact against his Force-imbued weapon.

For now, her only strategy was to distract him with noise and erratic movement, desperately looking for any kind of opening.

However, no matter how carefully Cho Gwak tried to avoid striking her vital points, he was still an Unrestrained Realm master, an expert swordsman wielding a peerless Divine Art.

(If Qing had bothered to check her Martial Arts Window during the fight, she would have seen the dazzling Purple Border surrounding the Demon Subduing Sword technique listed there.)

Qing twisted her waist acrobatically, dodging another Force-imbued slash by a paper-thin margin.

But the sharpness of projected Force often extended slightly beyond what was visible to the naked eye.

The passing energy instantly sliced through the fabric of her clothes at the waist, along with the skin beneath, causing a thin red line to blossom and spread slightly.

“Ack! Wait! I really got cu— Kyaa!”

Small cuts gradually began accumulating—on her thighs, her sides, her shoulders—causing her previously pristine Daoist robes to become patchy and stained in just those areas.

Okay, clearly dodged that one too, she thought, feeling the sting, yet my skin still split? Weird. The stinging pain made her momentarily worry about her condition—Was that actually a deep cut? Am I bleeding badly?—but then, the aching sensation from the wounds oddly didn't feel… entirely unpleasant?

“Ack!! Ack! Ack!? Hm? Huh? Why? What?”

Qing’s exaggerated cries of pain gradually began to subside, replaced by sounds of confusion.

What is this?

It clearly hurts, right? But… it also feels unexpectedly… okay?

No, how should I put it…

The stinging wounds felt strangely… hot? Almost… not bad?

The sharp, prickling sensation was odd, mysterious… like the bizarrely pleasurable pain one felt after scratching vigorously at a particularly itchy mosquito bite…

As she processed this strange new sensation, Qing’s evasive movements unconsciously became more concise, more efficient.

With less wasted motion, her gaze steadied. As her vision stabilized, her defensive maneuvers became more streamlined. Though seemingly simpler now, her movements effectively allowed her to avoid the core trajectory of Cho Gwak’s sword strikes without incurring any further significant wounds.

Cho Gwak immediately noticed the anomaly in her movements and reactions.

‘This wench! he thought, surprised and annoyed. Isn’t she gradually becoming more adept at evasion as this fight continues?!’

His anger rising at her apparent resilience, Cho Gwak finally shouted,

“Damn you! What is the meaning of this! Do you plan to simply keep dodging indefinitely?!”

“Then what?!” Qing shouted back defiantly. “What else should I possibly do?! Should I just stand here and let you hit me instead?!”

As she yelled, Qing’s knees suddenly bent sharply.

With her feet still firmly planted on the ground, her upper body dropped instantly, becoming perfectly parallel to the ground, supported only by her arms pressed against the dirt.

Cho Gwak hesitated for a crucial split second, having completely lost sight of Qing’s form as she seemingly sank into the ground and vanished from his direct line of sight.

This was a technique derived from a highly refined Movement Art, but the move known as the Iron Plate Bridge (Technique involving arching the back supported by head and feet, or in this case, a sudden drop)]).

From that low, prone position, Qing pushed explosively off the ground with her arms. To Cho Gwak, it appeared as if she had suddenly, impossibly sprung upwards directly from beneath his field of vision.

Making her surprise reappearance, Qing thrust her sword forward aggressively.

“Hmph! Futile!” Cho Gwak sneered.

However, the fundamental difference in their cultivation realms was simply too vast.

Cho Gwak casually swung his own sword in a contemptuous arc, easily deflecting Qing’s entire sword arm, leaving her completely exposed and wide open again.

At that precise moment, Qing’s eyes flashed with cunning intent. Her left hand suddenly shot out like a striking viper.

Pak! Cho Gwak reacted instantly, hurriedly raising his forearm to block the unexpected close-range attack.

Then, Qing spread her left hand wide, curling her fingertips slightly, assuming the basic form of a Claw Technique known as the Claw Hand, and immediately unleashed a flurry of strikes.

It looked superficially similar to the Imperial Grace’s Divine Wind Claw.

(If a Daoist Monk from the Kongtong Sect had witnessed it, they likely would have screamed in outrage that Cho Gwak had stolen their sect’s hidden True Supreme Technique, the Divine Wind Ghost Claw!)

However, Qing’s White Hand Demonic Arts, even when stripped of its inherently demonic nature, remained one of the most profoundly mystical and effective Hand Arts in the entire world.

By seamlessly stabbing with her fingertips, curling them instantly to scratch, slicing with the edge of her hand like a blade, then immediately striking with the back of her hand, pushing forward forcefully with her palm center, and finally hitting with the raised joint bones of just her index and middle fingers extended—an astonishing six distinct moves were executed flawlessly within the space of a single breath.

Since utilizing the entire hand in such versatile ways was the very definition of Hand Arts, this rapid sequence truly represented the fundamental essence of close-quarters hand-to-hand combat.

As the auxiliary Claw Arts Cho Gwak had learned clearly fell short of this level of sophistication, his Force-wrapped hand found itself completely overwhelmed, barely able to forcibly endure and deflect the relentless barrage of blows it received.

At this exact moment, Qing’s right arm, which had been deflected far out to the side earlier, snapped back into position.

Sword Energy erupted explosively from her Moonlight Sword once again, drawing Cho Gwak's attention momentarily.

The instant Cho Gwak’s gaze flickered towards the sword threat, Qing’s chillingly red-tinged White Hand darted forward, digging deep into his momentarily undefended side.

Using the rebound from that solid strike, Qing instantly leaped backward, widening the distance between them again.

Although she had managed to land a few nice hits, Qing’s expression remained dark, clearly dissatisfied.

“Agh shit!” she muttered under her breath, vigorously shaking her tingling left arm. “This damn Protective Body Aura. Makes it so hard to actually have any fun, huh.”

In stark contrast, Cho Gwak’s expression seemed to relax slightly more now, a hint of confidence returning.

“Ha. So you did have something hidden up your sleeve after all. Fine,” he conceded grudgingly, “I shall acknowledge the finesse of your techniques. But surely you understand that martial study explicitly divides realms for a reason? Don’t you grasp that the fundamental difference between our cultivation levels is as vast and insurmountable as Mount Tai itself? If you withdraw gracefully now,” he offered magnanimously, “I shall demonstrate the generosity of a senior and allow you to leave— Hmm?”

Cho Gwak, who had been attempting to persuade her to retreat with words, suddenly frowned, his brow furrowing.

A strange, chilling, tingling numbness suddenly began to surge from the side where her red hand had struck him moments ago.

His own left hand and forearm also felt subtly cold and strangely stinging now.

Quickly probing his internal meridians with his senses, Cho Gwak detected the presence of a secretly penetrating Dark Energy.

A chillingly unorthodox, yin-aspected dark energy was currently tearing through his blood vessels, spreading faintly but persistently. Strangely, however, it was simultaneously entwined with an opposing, purely orthodox warmth, significantly reducing the associated pain and making it difficult to notice immediately upon impact.

This unexpected effect demonstrated that Qing’s Divine Maiden Palm—which somehow mixed disparate True Energies—had actually surpassed the inherent viciousness of the original White Hand Demonic Arts from which it derived!

“What… what is this…?” Cho Gwak stammered, alarmed.

Only then did he truly notice Qing’s hands—chillingly white, impossibly long and slender, arguably the most beautiful hands in the entire world.

Wasn’t it just basic human nature to subconsciously assume that if someone possessed a face of peerless beauty, their hands must naturally be equally beautiful? He hadn't paid them special attention before.

But now that he truly saw them, a terrifying martial art immediately sprang to his mind.

“This is… the White Hand—!”

“WAAAH!!! WAAAAAAAH!! HERE I COME AGAIN!”

Qing suddenly shrieked, charging forward aggressively once more.

This was her standard, highly effective method for interrupting people’s potentially dangerous realizations or inconvenient trains of thought.

At the same time, she firmly gripped her battered Moonlight Sword with both hands, pushing it far out to the side of her shoulder. Instantly, its radiance burst forth again, rougher this time, mixing brilliantly in chaotic swirls of red, white, and purple energy.

Anyone watching could clearly see that this was meant to be perceived as a final, desperate move, utilizing all her remaining strength.

Responding in kind, intense starlight also flowed thickly from Cho Gwak’s sword.

He fully intended to cut directly through her blade this time, shattering her weapon and her fighting spirit simultaneously.

The huge sword of multi-colored energy that had seemed to extend far beyond Qing’s shoulder suddenly shot forward like a comet.

A massive streak of vibrant color drew a thick, decisive line through the air.

The Force-wrapped sword raised to meet it seemed almost small and diminutive in comparison, yet everyone present instinctively understood it possessed the more truly dangerous, destructive power—the condensed might of starlight itself.

And just as the two overwhelming energies were about to collide in a cataclysmic explosion—!

Whoosh. Qing’s sword suddenly, weakly, flew upwards into the sky and tumbled away harmlessly.

Of course. When you abruptly let go of an object you were swinging forward with all your might using both hands, it was naturally bound to fly off in a rather uncontrolled manner.

Cho Gwak had been focused entirely on meeting the trajectory of Qing’s attack head-on, intending to shatter her blade completely.

With Qing’s sword suddenly vanishing from the equation, his own Force-imbued sword sliced only through empty air. The momentum carried his clenched hand far out to the side, well past his own ribs, leaving his center completely exposed for a critical instant.

“Opening!”

Qing yelled triumphantly. Her right hand whipped behind her back, firmly grasping the handle of a long, slender object she’d apparently been holding there unnoticed.

It was the end of the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron short staff—the Bokshinjeok—the part with the noisy, miscellaneous sound-making function attached.

As Cho Gwak gritted his teeth, desperately trying to recover his stance while simultaneously raising his Protective Body Aura to its absolute maximum defense, Qing used all her monstrous strength to swing the Bokshinjeok upwards in a vicious, angular strike from below.

WHACK!!!

The Bokshinjeok, imbued with a level of raw, brute strength that even the legendary General Xiang Yu [^(Ancient Chinese warlord famed for immense physical strength)] might have grudgingly acknowledged, struck the side of Cho Gwak’s chest with devastating force.

Cho Gwak’s heels lifted completely off the ground as he lost his balance entirely, staggering backward uncontrollably.

While his Protective Body Aura could absorb or block the internal shock transmitted to the body from energy-based attacks, it could do absolutely nothing to negate the pure, overwhelming physical force pushing against him.

If he had anticipated such a crude, physical attack, he might have withstood it by adopting the Thousand Catty Weight stance.

However, how could he possibly have imagined that this slender young girl—aside from her surprising height and rather ample chest—would suddenly exude such utterly monstrous, inhuman physical strength?!

Qing immediately pressed her advantage, alternately swinging the heavy Bokshinjeok staff and her deadly White Hand left hand with relentless, brute force.

Choi Leeong had mentioned it earlier when criticizing Kicking Techniques:

A true martial artist’s strength ultimately comes from a firmly planted center, drawing power directly from the earth itself.

So Cho Gwak, having lost his posture and his center of mass completely, was now irrevocably pushed onto the defensive.

All he could do was desperately endure, wrapping himself tightly in his Protective Body Aura, hunching his body defensively, and continuously backpedaling, barely managing to survive the onslaught.

Qing, however, was also becoming desperate.

Even amidst this relentless pummeling, she still wasn’t getting that deeply desired, viscerally satisfying sensation of tearing flesh and breaking bones.

Seriously, what the FUCK is this Unrestrained Realm?! she raged internally, frustration mounting with every ineffective blow. Is it supposed to be completely invincible?!

I want Force too! I want to use Energy Aura!

How the hell am I supposed to survive as a mere Peak Realm weakling without Force?! It’s so damn unfair!

But still… if I just keep hitting him like this, he’ll die eventually, right?

Who am I?! she reminded herself fiercely.

I am the genius of the century who is about to kill an Unrestrained Realm master despite being only in the Late Stage Peak Realm!

Definitely have to brag to Master about this later!

Just as Qing was psyching herself up with these thoughts, preparing to raise the Bokshinjeok for another potentially decisive blow…

Suddenly, an intense, unnatural chill ran through her entire body. All the fine hairs on her arms stood straight on end, her skin erupting in goosebumps.

It was the unmistakable killing intent of an Unrestrained Realm master.

Qing’s instincts screamed in alarm, reacting violently to the enormous, focused murderous intent radiating from Cho Gwak—the pure, undiluted Qi response combined with the focused thought: “I will definitely kill you now.”

“You… BITCH!!! DIE!!” Cho Gwak roared, his eyes blazing with newfound determination.

Qing hurriedly planted her feet, desperately trying to push her body in the opposite direction, away from the imminent attack.

But she was already a fraction of a second too late.

The trajectory of pure starlight traced a deadly crescent moon through the air as it swept across Qing’s retreating form.

Slash.

The sensation of her own skin tearing, of a cold blade entering her body, came through with horrifying clarity.

She also learned in that instant that when one is properly, deeply cut, the sound seems to transmit directly through the body itself, not through the ears.

And then, surging up, overwhelming even the sudden agony of the wound, was pure, unadulterated rage, hot as a raging fire.

No! This son of a bitch! How dare he actually cut ME?!

This piece of shit motherfucker, carrying a shitton of Evil Karma!

This fucker who only ever did bad things!

He should have just given me my damn Practice Points and died quietly like he was supposed to!

This shouldn’t be happening!

At the very least, I shouldn’t be cut down by this particular son of a bitch!

This is completely unfair!

Bad guys are supposed to get cut by swords! Good people are supposed to receive fortune and rewards!

And I am clearly the most righteous person in this entire world!

The most important, most precious person! You know?!

Yet this absolute NPC trash, this piece of shit worse than an animal, dares to harm ME without even knowing his proper place?!

Deep within Qing’s pupils, a malevolent, ominous red star slowly stretched awake, beginning to shine with its own cold, terrifying light.