Chapter 48: Battle Against Lu Changtian

Chapter 48: Battle Against Lu Changtian

The moment the pill shot into Daoist Qingxuan’s mouth, two people visibly shuddered—

One was Sect Leader Wu Duantian.

The other was Chen Huai’an, who sat frozen in front of his phone screen.

Just now, the game had popped up a prompt: "Would you like to actively hand the normal pill to Daoist Qingxuan?"

He had clicked "Yes."

So… this was their interpretation of "handing it over"?

That hardcore?!

Would this NPC really not fly into a rage?

Was this going to trigger a Bad End?!

Wu Duantian, meanwhile, was left in shock at how brutally direct Chen Huai’an had been. A grand cultivator, shoving a pill straight into another person's mouth…

Absolutely disgraceful.

Utterly scandalous.

And yet…

Delightfully satisfying.

Li Qingran was completely dumbfounded.

A single strand of hair on her forehead stood straight up in disbelief.

Daoist Qingxuan’s throat bobbed as he involuntarily swallowed the Great Rejuvenation Pill.

Just as he was about to explode with rage, the pill’s medicinal effects spread through his body—pure, untarnished. Not a trace of pill poison.

As the mysterious cultivator had said, there was no deceit.

Xiao Yifeng’s miserable state… was entirely self-inflicted.

A complex storm of emotions surged through Daoist Qingxuan’s mind.

His rage-fogged brain cleared a little.

He couldn’t possibly twist the truth now and claim the pill was poisoned—everyone had just seen him take it. His reputation was already in tatters.

Moreover, the mysterious cultivator’s true cultivation level was still unknown, and they remained hidden in the shadows.

If he attacked and ended up losing…

He might as well leave Qingyun Sect forever.

Fine. He’d endure this… one last time.

Daoist Qingxuan took a deep breath. His stiff expression twitched, and he forced out a few words:

"Indeed, this Great Rejuvenation Pill contains no poison… It seems I have failed in teaching my disciple properly, allowing him to make a fool of himself before Senior."

"But my disciple, Xiao Yifeng, has extraordinary talent in alchemy. Given time, he will surely achieve greatness. Perhaps one day, he will be able to seek guidance from Senior."

His words were polite on the surface.

But the hidden message was clear—"Thirty years east, thirty years west, the tides will turn. My disciple will surpass you one day."

Chen Huai’an instantly caught the meaning.

He scoffed.

"By the time your disciple has achieved anything, I’ll have already poured enough money into Qingran to make her a Sword Immortal."

···

"Master, there’s no need to wait that long."

"I'll challenge her today."

A series of steady footsteps echoed through the square.

The crowd turned to look—

Lu Changtian ascended the steps, stopping before Li Qingran.

Slowly, he drew his sword from its sheath. His aura surged, his sharp gaze locking onto her.

Lu Changtian, the First Disciple of Chixiao Peak.

Foundation Establishment Peak.

Among cultivators under thirty, this was already considered heaven-defying talent.

The two stared each other down in silence, their tension taut as a drawn bowstring.

Lu Changtian’s robes billowed, as if filled with an unseen wind. His deep pupils burned with anger and hatred, yet as his aura reached its peak, he suddenly… suppressed it.

He lowered his cultivation level—to Qi Refinement Seventh Layer.

"Shimei, I am still willing to call you my junior sister."

"But I am speaking to the you of the past. Not the despicable person you’ve become."

"If not for you, Zhang Hanxiao, Yun Zimo, and Xiao Yifeng wouldn’t be so gravely injured."

"Chixiao Peak and Master wouldn't have suffered such disgrace!"

Li Qingran slowly unsheathed Su Xian, its tip angled toward Lu Changtian.

In the sword’s polished reflection, her frost-covered eyes gleamed coldly.

"I do not wish to call you ‘senior brother.’"

"The day I fell from the dueling platform… Lu Changtian was already dead."

"You hurt Junior Sister Mu Baishuang—this is your just punishment."

"If I had truly intended to harm Mu Baishuang, none of you would’ve been able to stop me."

"I was in Foundation Establishment. She was in Qi Refinement. What made you think that if I wanted to kill her, any of you could have stopped me?"

"The elders and the sect leader weren’t there. It was just you lot—and a mere Golden Core outer sect elder."

"Enough excuses! Let’s see if your sword is as sharp as your tongue!"

Lu Changtian lunged forward. His sword gleamed like fresh snow, exuding a chilling aura.

Frost Gathering Snow.

A move frequently used by Mu Baishuang.

It came from the Lesser Non-Phase Sword Style—the same style Mu Baishuang had used against Li Qingran in the past.

That day, Mu Baishuang had been at Qi Refinement Seventh Layer.

So now, Lu Changtian had restricted himself to Qi Refinement Seventh Layer.

He had mastered every move of the Lesser Non-Phase Sword.

Every technique Mu Baishuang had used that day—he would use them all.

To see for himself whether Li Qingran’s claim was true—

That if she had wanted to, they wouldn’t have been able to stop her.

Li Qingran instantly understood his intent.

She evaded the sweeping sword energy, her figure flickering. Su Xian lashed out—

Not at Lu Changtian, but at an empty patch of air.

In the next instant, Lu Changtian, who had transformed into drifting snow, reappeared right there.

His brow furrowed.

‘When did her reactions become this fast?’

Sensing danger from above, he immediately raised his sword to block—

A crushing force slammed into his blade before vanishing just as quickly.

He instinctively lashed out with a counterattack—a whip-like kick—

But Li Qingran had already drifted three steps back.

Before he could retract his leg—

She thrust forward.

Sword light rained down like a storm.

The strikes grew faster, heavier—

She was using the same move she had once used against Mu Baishuang.

Lesser Non-Phase Sword’s Sixth Form—"Pouring Rain."

Lu Changtian had suppressed his cultivation too much. His body couldn't keep up with his mind’s reactions.

And he never expected—

Li Qingran’s sword was this fast.

Even with his deep knowledge of the Lesser Non-Phase Sword, he was forced into a desperate defense.

The highest mastery of "Pouring Rain" allowed forty-nine consecutive thrusts.

In his memory, Li Qingran had never surpassed thirty.

‘If I can just hold out past the thirtieth strike—’

SHKRRRK—!

No time to think.

A dazzling sword light burst before his eyes—faster than anything before.

Descending from above.

A slender silhouette followed behind it.

A torrential downpour of sword strikes.

Even within the storm of slashes, a faint trace of Sword Intent began to take form.

On the forty-ninth thrust—

A single, decisive stab—unstoppable as a breaking tide.

CLANG!

Lu Changtian’s sword flew from his hands.

He fell to his knees, pupils trembling.

He stared blankly at the girl before him—

A girl both familiar and foreign.

The icy blade of Su Xian rested against his throat.

"How… how were you able to unleash the final strike of ‘Pouring Rain’?"

"Why?"

Li Qingran sighed.

Or perhaps she mocked herself.

"Lu Changtian…"

"I could always do it."

"You just never had the patience to let me finish."