Chapter 41: The Reckoning Continues

Chapter 41 – The Reckoning Continues

“Fourth Senior Brother—no, Zhang Hanxiao, you lost.”

Li Qingran looked at Zhang Hanxiao, who lay motionless on the ground. The pent-up frustration in her chest instantly dissipated, leaving her feeling lighter than ever.

The entire sect square had fallen into an eerie silence.

Everyone stared in shock.

Li Qingran’s Spiritual Qi fluctuation was clearly at Qi Refinement Perfection.

Yet a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator like Zhang Hanxiao had lost to her?

Yes, Zhang Hanxiao had only removed his self-imposed suppression at the last moment.

Yes, his flying sword had broken.

But still—he shouldn’t have lost so easily.

Even Sect Master Wu Duantian was baffled. He stiffly turned his neck to look at Daoist Qingxuan and asked, “Elder Qingxuan, was Li Qingran really crippled—her Spiritual Root removed, her Dantian destroyed?”

At the time, he had thought such a punishment was a bit extreme.

But since each peak handled its own affairs, and Daoist Qingxuan was the strongest cultivator in the sect, even having ties to Ancestor Qingyun, Wu Duantian had turned a blind eye.

Now, however, he felt utterly confused.

His own personal disciple, Zhao Lingtian, had his Dantian destroyed once—he had lost all combat ability. Any Spiritual Qi he cultivated would leak away, rendering him completely powerless.

Yet Li Qingran, who had suffered the same fate, had defeated a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator?

That was insane!

Daoist Qingxuan glared at Li Qingran in silence.

It wasn’t just her combat strength that shocked him.

It was her swordsmanship.

He clearly remembered how Li Qingran had repeatedly asked him for guidance.

But she had little talent for swordsmanship—no matter how many times he explained, she struggled to comprehend. Eventually, he grew impatient and told her to figure it out on her own or ask Lu Changtian. Ȓ𝙖₦Ố𐌱ΕŚ

When she had left Chixiao Peak, her Little Formless Sword technique was only at entry-level mastery.

Now, she had executed "Dancing Shadows Beneath the Trees"—the ninth stance!

She had at least reached the level of sword mastery!

That shouldn’t be possible.

Even though Little Formless Sword was merely a Mysterious-grade technique, it still wasn’t something one could master in just a few months.

How had she advanced so quickly?

“Senior Brother Zhang!”

“Fourth Senior Brother!”

The Chixiao Peak disciples immediately rushed forward.

Yun Zimo lifted Zhang Hanxiao’s upper body, while Xiao Yifeng shoved an elixir into his mouth, helping him regulate his breathing.

Meanwhile, Mu Baishuang wept into Zhang Hanxiao’s chest, tears streaming down her face.

“Senior Brother… this is my fault! I shouldn’t have taken your sword… If you still had it, you wouldn’t have ended up like this…”

But deep down, her thoughts were completely different.

Good thing he gave me that sword. Otherwise, wouldn’t it have been wasted?

The sword in Li Qingran’s hands was clearly something extraordinary. Even if Zhang Hanxiao had a better sword, he still would’ve lost.

A surge of fear crept into Mu Baishuang’s heart.

What had happened to Li Qingran?

Who was the powerful cultivator standing behind her?

Could he see through her disguise?

No. He must not discover her true identity!

Their Young Lord’s lifespan was nearing its end—she had to give everything she had to secure a chance of survival.

Once the Young Lord broke through his bottleneck and reconnected with their Ancestor, their faction would have a chance to rise again.

She needed to keep a low profile.

Calming herself, Mu Baishuang quickly withdrew from Zhang Hanxiao, hiding behind Lu Changtian while pretending to sob.

“Li Qingran, don’t you think you’ve gone too far?”

Lu Changtian stepped forward, pointing at her coldly.

“No matter what, Zhang Hanxiao was once your senior brother. How could you be so ruthless?”

“Ruthless?”

Li Qingran spread her hands, shaking her head.

“I am merely at Qi Refinement Perfection, not Foundation Establishment Perfection. Wounding him was already my limit. Are you suggesting that I somehow managed to injure him so severely that he fainted?”

Lu Changtian opened his mouth—then fell silent.

He glanced at Zhang Hanxiao, who was supposedly unconscious.

Zhang Hanxiao’s face was bright red.

Of course, Lu Changtian immediately realized—he was faking it.

His injuries were serious, yes.

But they weren’t severe enough to knock him out.

He was just too ashamed to face reality.

“Li Qingran, did your Dantian recover?”

After a long silence, Daoist Qingxuan suddenly spoke.

All the Chixiao Peak disciples froze.

Even Mu Baishuang peered out from behind Lu Changtian.

Li Qingran nodded.

“Thanks to Senior’s mercy, I was able to restore my Dantian.”

She casually tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, one hand resting lightly on her sword hilt.

A faint blush crept up her ears.

For the first time, her composure wavered slightly.

Everyone was too focused on her words to notice her small moment of shyness.

Everyone except Mu Baishuang.

Women understood women best.

Mu Baishuang didn’t know what had happened to Li Qingran during this time.

But she could tell—

Li Qingran had feelings for that mysterious cultivator.

This was bad.

If that cultivator wanted Li Qingran for her Taiyin Dao Body, how could Mu Baishuang possibly compete with such an old monster?

She bit her lip, her mind spinning.

Moments later, she came up with a plan.

“Senior Sister Qingran…”

Mu Baishuang stepped forward hesitantly, her voice timid.

“I heard from Master that restoring a Dantian requires an extremely rare elixir called the Primordial Heaven-Mending Pill. It’s been lost to time—only such a pill could possibly heal a Dantian…”

Her tone was gentle, but her words were poisoned.

“What I’m saying is… Senior Sister, are you sure your Dantian is truly healed?”

“What if some malicious person tricked you—gave you a false sense of recovery while secretly stealing something else from you…?”

“Shut up!”

Before she could finish speaking, a terrifying killing intent surged forth.

It crushed her words back down her throat.

Li Qingran’s knuckles turned white as she gripped Su Xian Sword, her body trembling slightly.

“Senior’s kindness is as vast as the heavens. How dare you slander him?”

Mu Baishuang turned pale, frantically waving her hands.

“A-Ah, I’m sorry, Senior Sister! I was just worried about you…”

Shing—!

A sharp sword hum answered her.

Li Qingran’s blade flashed.

A cold streak of light shot toward Mu Baishuang’s throat.

She didn’t move.

Instead, she shut her eyes, looking utterly helpless.

She knew someone would block the attack before it landed.

That way, she wouldn’t reveal her true strength.

Clang!

The strike was indeed blocked.

When she opened her eyes, Yun Zimo was standing in front of her.

The Third Senior Brother, who had once protected Li Qingran, was now glaring at her with hatred and disgust.

How ironic.

But Li Qingran didn’t care anymore.

She no longer lived for anyone else.

She was herself—Li Qingran.

She brushed a finger over the red tassel of Su Xian Sword, memories flashing through her mind.

A cold smirk curled her lips.

“Yun Zimo. Since you’ve stepped forward…”

“Let’s start with you.”

“The reckoning continues.”