The Young Lady Only Wants to Cultivate Immortality Chapter 17

“Look quickly at the sword in Gu Jingyang’s hand, what an amazing sword!”

“What a spirited sword spirit! What kind of sword is that? Does anyone recognize it?”

“Why have I never seen Gu Jingyang use it before!”

A’Ling looked towards the person shouting excitedly and realized it was the gray-clothed man who had asked Gu Jingyang if she could win earlier that morning at the academy gates.

His eyes were full of excitement, and he gesticulated wildly, speaking somewhat incoherently: “I heard long ago that the Gu family forged a new treasured sword for Gu Jingyang, and it’s true!”

“I heard it was reforged using melted Wind-Swept Dust Eradicator, Sparrow’s Tail Grasp, Grand Brahma Bead, and Profound Particle Meteorite. It certainly looks extraordinary.”

“Hahahaha, excellent! Gu Jingyang has a chance to win this round now!”

Everyone’s gaze fell upon the sword in Gu Jingyang’s hand. The treasured sword glowed with a dark, dull black-green hue, its body sleek and its tip sharp. A Soul-Settling Ice Bead was even embedded in its hilt; it was truly a fine sword.

After seeing Gu Jingyang’s sword, everyone tacitly turned their gazes to Shi Qingqian, wanting to see how she would respond to Gu Jingyang’s treasured sword.

Shi Qingqian paid no mind to the eager gazes around her, casually taking out her competition sword.

The crowd was disappointed to see that Shi Qingqian was still using her usual sword, an ordinary one, the kind that could be bought for ten spirit stones at any roadside weapon shop.

Naturally, murmurs arose from the crowd.

“Shi Qingqian is too casual. Gu Jingyang has taken out such a good sword, why isn’t she using a better one? I bet on her to win, don’t let me lose the spirit stones I’ve accumulated for half a year.”

“Don’t worry, Shi Qingqian daring to use such an ordinary sword means she’s confident. Gu Jingyang isn’t skilled in the sword anyway.”

“Exactly, how could Shi Qingqian lose? She probably just doesn’t want Gu Jingyang to lose too badly.”

Those nearby nodded in agreement. Even Gu Jingyang thought the same, knowing that Shi Qingqian had several decent swords.

However, she also knew that none of the swords in Shi Qingqian’s possession could compare to her own Moonfall Sword. Her father had painstakingly searched for the materials to forge it for her.

He knew she was somewhat lacking in the path of the sword, so he intended to use a good sword to compensate.

“Aren’t you going to switch swords? My Moonfall Sword is no ordinary treasured sword.” Gu Jingyang pointed her sword tip at Shi Qingqian. The chilling glint on its surface seemed like a ready-to-strike divine Azure Dragon, eager for a fight.

Shi Qingqian casually performed a sword flourish, meeting Gu Jingyang’s sword from a distance. The ordinary iron sword showed no fear, exuding the same composure as its master.

Though Gu Jingyang felt this was somewhat unfair, she couldn’t dwell on it when she thought of the spirit stones A’Ling had wagered for her. She had to win, and she had already warned Shi Qingqian.

The bell rang, signaling the start of the match. Gu Jingyang was the first to activate her Moonfall Sword, launching an offensive.

The formidable Moonfall Sword, imbued with unstoppable momentum, drew a straight, dark green streak of light across the air.

To everyone’s shock, this streak of light was abruptly intercepted mid-air by the unremarkable iron sword before it could even cross half the spiritual energy arena.

Gu Jingyang was greatly astonished. How could this be?

Even more incredibly, no matter how hard she tried to reactivate it, the Moonfall Sword remained utterly still.

Fine beads of sweat beaded Gu Jingyang’s forehead. How? Why isn’t her sword moving?

Just as she pondered, her Moonfall Sword unexpectedly turned, against her will, and lunged towards her.

“Watch out!” A’Ling cried out in alarm.

Gasps of shock rippled through the crowd.

Gu Jingyang was about to leap aside, but saw the iron sword, swift as lightning, cross half the spiritual energy arena to block her Moonfall Sword, striking it away to the ground with a single blow.

“Ah!” Exclamations of awe erupted from the crowd.

Everything happened too fast, too quickly for anyone to react. It wasn’t until the cultivator instructor presiding over the match rang the bell and announced Shi Qingqian’s victory that everyone collectively gasped in stunned disbelief.

“Huh? She won just like that? No way!”

“Yeah, what happened? What was wrong with Gu Jingyang’s sword?”

Gu Jingyang looked at her Moonfall Sword on the ground, her eyes trembling. What just happened? Why couldn’t I control my sword?

Shi Qingqian…

Gu Jingyang looked up at Shi Qingqian, who was across the spiritual energy arena. Shi Qingqian had already withdrawn her sword, her face showing neither the joy of victory nor any reaction to the surrounding cheers.

She simply gazed at her with calm composure.

Gu Jingyang’s heart skipped a beat. So her sword control was already this powerful. She smiled bitterly to herself.

In past matches, they would always exchange seventy or eighty blows before she would be defeated. She had thought the gap between them wasn’t significant. It turns out Shi Qingqian was going easy on me.

She couldn’t even last a single move against Shi Qingqian.

I wonder if Shi Qingqian went easy on me before because she found it amusing, or if she didn’t want to reveal her true strength.

“Too strong! Gu Jingyang couldn’t even last a single move against Shi Qingqian. Shi Qingqian’s sword control is truly incredible.”

“Of course. Shi Qingqian decided to walk the path of the sword cultivator long ago.”

“We knew she was strong before, but we never imagined she was that strong.”

“Tsk tsk tsk, Gu Jingyang lost this round so badly. A high-quality treasured sword, yet she couldn’t even block a single move, heh.”

A’Ling frowned and looked at the person speaking, recognizing them as the one who had spoken up for Zhao Diqing in the classroom earlier. They were usually a fervent supporter of Shi Qingqian. Zhao Diqing, standing beside them, excitedly chimed in, “Exactly! And they said she was on par with Shi Qingqian? They’re far from it.”

The adoration in Zhao Diqing’s eyes was practically overflowing; she looked ten thousand times more excited than Shi Qingqian, who had just won the match.

A’Ling shot a scathing look at them: “If you’re so capable, why don’t you go up there? Oh, you’re not qualified, are you? Regardless of winning or losing, Gu Jingyang’s cultivation is among the best in Hongjian Academy. She’s not someone any filthy worm can point fingers at.”

After speaking, she forcefully kicked the muddy ground in front of her, raising a cloud of dust that flew towards their faces.

Only when she saw them all covering their mouths and noses did A’Ling withdraw her gaze, too lazy to look any further at these toads who couldn’t achieve anything themselves yet mocked the second-best for not matching the first.

“Gu Jingyang, don’t be discouraged! That was just one round. Spiritual arts are your strong suit!” A’Ling waved vigorously, cheering Gu Jingyang on with full spirit.

The gray-clothed man beside her also snapped out of his dejection. Whether out of a desperate struggle or touched by A’Ling’s determined gaze, he also began cheering.

Gu Jingyang had already picked up her Moonfall Sword from the ground and saw a hairline crack on its surface. Her pupils trembled. Too strong. Shi Qingqian truly crushed her in the path of the sword.

She heard A’Ling’s shouts and turned her head to see her vigorously directing her few supporters to cheer her on.

“Gu Jingyang will win! Spiritual arts must win!”

“Gu Jingyang will win! Spiritual arts must win!”

…

Gu Jingyang put away her Moonfall Sword and gave a slight smile to A’Ling, who was shouting energetically. She really, really wanted to win.

Gu Jingyang adjusted her mindset. She was still burdened by A’Ling’s ten thousand spirit stones. She hadn’t been confident in this first round to begin with; she had just lost rather embarrassingly.

She felt this was also a warning. Since she had decided long ago to pursue the path of a magic cultivator, which was different from Shi Qingqian’s sword cultivation, she hadn’t put much effort into the path of the sword.

To lose so embarrassingly today, it must be because she had neglected this path.

The presiding cultivator instructor rang the bell for the second round of the match.

Gu Jingyang waved at A’Ling, smiling openly. The first round was lost, so be it. She would definitely win the second.

A’Ling saw no dejection on Gu Jingyang’s face, feeling both surprised and that it was only natural. Her worry just now had been narrow-minded.

Through these few interactions, she had discovered that Gu Jingyang looked like a delicate, tender peach blossom in March, but was actually like the morning sun in March; no gloom could obstruct her light and warmth.

How wonderful. A young girl should be so vibrant and full of life.

A’Ling didn’t know why, but she always felt this way when facing Gu Jingyang.

Perhaps in her previous life, she lived for a hundred years and never met such a lovely girl.

You must win, A’Ling silently cheered in her heart.

When it came to spiritual arts, Gu Jingyang had a high chance of winning. Others didn’t know, but A’Ling did: in her previous life, Gu Jingyang was a Soul Transformation Realm magic cultivator. Spiritual arts were definitely her forte.

As the second round began, Gu Jingyang closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Shi Qingqian held back in the path of the sword, not showing her true abilities in their past matches, which Gu Jingyang understood.

Because she also hadn’t revealed her full strength in spiritual arts.

But this time, whether for A’Ling’s spirit stones or for her own pride, she would use all her strength.

Gu Jingyang formed hand seals, conjuring a blank talisman that flew upwards into the spiritual energy arena. Streaks of golden light, like the rising sun, burst forth around the Chaotic Stone Bell.

A wind rose from the spiritual energy arena, whipping and roaring. Except for cultivators at the Core Formation stage, everyone else found it hard to open their eyes, having to cover them with their hands and peek through their fingers.

Gu Jingyang held her hands level, and a cluster of purple lotus flames flared from her palms, rapidly shooting towards the blank talisman.

In an instant, golden light exploded, and a dragon’s roar, carrying the momentum of overturning clouds and stirring rain, swept down from above!

A’Ling’s pupils instantly constricted then widened. She clutched her trembling chest with one hand, her face filled with disbelief.

That’s… Spiritual arts: Dragon Manifestation?!