Chapter 19: Sect Competition (II)

Lu Tanxian exchanged a brief salute with her admirers before gracefully leaping onto Platform Three. Her opponent was the eldest daughter of a minor cultivation family, who also took the stage as soon as her name was called. The two women—one dressed in white, one in red—stood facing each other. The one in white was ethereal, the one in red proud and striking. Both were beautiful and of similar cultivation level, though the lady in red was already over forty years old; thanks to a Beautifying Pill, she could just about hold her own in comparison to her younger rival. After their mutual salute, the contest began.

Lu Tanxian possessed dual wood and fire spiritual roots. With her spatial abilities, she had access to many rare seeds, and so favored wood-attribute attacks. Her opponent, on the other hand, had gold, earth, and water spiritual roots, and mainly attacked with gold-attribute techniques. Lu Tanxian summoned her usual weapon, the Azure Rainbow Sword, and wore a superb robe made from exotic silkworm threads—so exquisite she didn’t even bother to set up a defensive shield. She simply channeled spiritual power into her sword and lunged toward her opponent, simultaneously flicking several seeds close to her foe as she closed in.

Her adversary, whose offensive strength was slightly higher, wielded a spiritual sword as well, though it was of significantly lower quality than Lu Tanxian’s. Unwilling to risk a direct clash, she would break off at the slightest contact. Yet each blow she struck was accompanied by greater force and spectacle. However, while the gold spiritual root was formidable, the gap in weapon quality was apparent. Her less-refined sword consumed more spiritual energy, so despite her slightly higher attack power, she was not favored to win.

Moreover, during their brief exchanges, Lu Tanxian’s seeds had already scattered around her opponent, forming a small formation, ready to be activated at a thought. As expected, Lu Tanxian seized the perfect moment, performed a hand seal, and thorns sprang up wildly, forming a trapping array. Sharp little barbs shot out incessantly, and within moments, her opponent was bleeding from a dozen wounds. Lu Tanxian no longer needed to attack directly; she simply stood serenely, watching her rival struggle within the thorny prison.

Finally, when several barbs pierced the refined features of the lady in red, she could endure no more and conceded defeat. Lu Tanxian bowed and floated elegantly off the platform. On the Spinning Light Mirror of Fate, a “Victory” appeared next to Lu Tanxian’s name, and a “Defeat” beside her opponent’s.

Hanshu watched from the sidelines, heart pounding in secret. Turning to Su Yunmo, she asked, “Sister Yunmo, what kind of thorn plant is that? Even gold-attribute spiritual energy can’t cut through it, and those flying barbs can pierce an eleventh-layer Qi Refining shield!”

From the moment the match began, Su Yunmo’s expression had been strange—a blend of resentment and nostalgia, with a flash of confidence in her eyes now and then. Hearing Hanshu’s question, she smiled faintly, deliberately raising her voice: “Those thorns are called Vajra Thorns. They’ve supposedly been lost for ages. As the name suggests, it’s a gold-attribute plant that can absorb gold spiritual energy; its flying barbs are also gold-attribute, incredibly hard. Not only can they pierce an eleventh-layer Qi Refining shield, they can even break through a Foundation Establishment barrier with ease. But that’s not the scariest part. What’s most terrifying is that once the barb enters the body, it can only be dissolved slowly by a Golden Core cultivator using fire spiritual power. Otherwise, the barb will wander through the body, eventually reaching the brain—at which point, not even a Golden Immortal could save you.”

Those gathered nearby were stunned, whispering among themselves. After all, not everyone had a Golden Core cultivator with a fire spiritual root at their side; in battle, it was all too likely to be struck by such a barb. Didn’t this mean that the poor and powerless would be doomed upon contact? Wasn’t it far too vicious to use such a technique in a sect tournament?

Listening to the murmurs, Su Yunmo finally let herself smile with satisfaction, raising her voice even further: “But, these thorns are most afraid of fire spiritual energy—a single blaze while they’re still seeds will burn them to nothing. Even without a fire spiritual root, a few explosive talismans will do the trick.” Only then did the crowd relax and thank her profusely. Su Yunmo, having used a touch of spiritual power in her voice, ensured her words carried far and wide.

Lu Tanxian heard as well, and her expression darkened. Originally, these thorns were her secret weapon—extremely effective. Now, with this inner sect disciple spreading the word, how could she use them in the coming rounds? Worse still, popular opinion had turned against her; she would have to work hard to change it. What had she ever done to offend this young lady? Was it to avenge that woman from Lingwu Peak?

Hanshu had no idea that trouble was about to find her again, that she’d unwittingly made an enemy while still engrossed in watching the next match. This time, her father had especially encouraged her to observe other people’s duels; even if she wasn’t competing herself, she could still gain experience and insight. As it happened, Aunt Ju had also told her to mingle more with the main characters, so she had invited Su Yunmo to watch together. Su Yunmo was nervous—her previous life’s unpleasant experiences had left a deep mark; although she was confident now, there was still some anxiety. Because Hanshu had reached the seventh level of Qi Refining so quickly, Su Yunmo had marked her as a potential ally. Hanshu’s invitation to watch the tournament together suited her perfectly, so she brought Hanshu along to witness a few of the most memorable matches from her past life, occasionally offering commentary.

In the days that followed, Hanshu spent her days observing and learning, and her evenings attending lectures given by Senior Brother Lin Qing, who was serving as a guest commentator; she gained a great deal. As for the protagonists, Su Yunmo repeatedly exposed Lu Tanxian’s tricks and secret weapons during her duels with others, making Lu Tanxian’s path to victory far more arduous. Many of her hidden moves were revealed, her aces called out, so that she was forced to act with ever greater caution. Most importantly, her state of mind suffered—she grew restless and irritable, and in the end, was compelled to use even her ultimate trump card, which she had intended to save for the finals, just to scrape out a win.

Lu Tanxian grew to hate the pair of them, but for the moment could do nothing to harm them. She could only bide her time, let things go for now, and wait for another day to settle the score.