"By a stroke of luck... I beat you by half a sword's length."
And then—
"The Sword Sect, Xi Qingyi wins!"
Hearing this, Xi Qingyi collapsed to the ground.
By now, a collective gasp filled the air, as if it carried with it the sound of countless hearts breaking.
The Sword Sect could win?
The final arena now only had Su Bei remaining.
BOOM!
The heavens and the earth rumbled and roared.
Su Bei's lips curled into an ugly smile as he murmured to himself, "With this sword strike, I'm afraid I'll pass out..."
At No-Sword Peak, he had once said that he hated those manga protagonists who, after a big fight, simply collapsed to the ground. He didn't want to fall to the ground in front of everyone. How lacking in style would that be?
"This is the last sword."
"If that's the case, it should be made to look beautiful."
.....
As his words fell, Su Bei smiled, the Qingping Sword soaring into the sky. Suddenly, a buzzing sound erupted, and everyone involuntarily looked up.
Under the evening sky, countless little black dots rapidly grew larger.
Only when they drew closer did the crowd realize that those were swords.
A majestic, torrential rain of swords descended from the heavens, their metallic cries merging into a powerful song.
"Sword Three, Tread the Tune of the Tipsy Quest!"
SPURT—
Blood spurted out as his last rib snapped. Su Bei knelt on one knee on the stage, supporting himself with his sword.
Behind him—
—Two, three, ten, a hundred streams of Sword Qi surged like a never-ending river.
The dense Sword Qi formed layers upon layers, creating a tremendous presence.
As far as the eye could see, Sword Qi filled the entire view, aiming straight at Hu Yun!
BOOM—
THUD.
A muffled thud resounded.
The Da Dao tried to stop Hu Yun's retreating momentum, but it was still futile.
Moreover, he was the only one left on the Blade Sect's stage. Forcibly blocking Su Bei's sword strike would leave him severely injured. Dan Wulan still possessed combat strength, and in that condition, he knew he wouldn't be able to defeat her.
Hu Yun gave a bitter smile, stopped resisting, and let his figure fly backward, closing his eyes.
Let's grant a favor to the Sword Sect...
...
Su Bei's lips showed a smile.
"The Sword Sect, Su Bei wins!!"
"The Sword Sect advances to the next round: Xi Qingyi, Su Bei, Dan Wulan..."
BOOM—
A familiar fragrance wafted over, as if he had landed in a gentle, warm embrace.
Drops of warm tears fell on Su Bei's cheeks. He could sense that familiar fragrance, one he had known for hundreds of years.
It was his senior sister.
Wenren Pingxin stretched out her jade-like arms to support his back and hoist him onto hers. She then flew towards the Sword Sect's residence, unconcerned by the intimate posture.
Su Bei kept his eyes closed, allowing her to arrange his arms around her shoulders as he leaned heavily against her. He could feel her hair brushing his arm, his chest pressed to the surprising softness of her back. As they flew, the constant, intimate contact was a deeply felt sensation...
Wenren Pingxin felt his bloodstained hand twitch slightly. Did he want to say something?
As she carried him on her back, she discovered that his shaky hands had gently grasped her pale hand, his fingers trailing over her palm, leaving behind a shocking trail of blood.
Then she heard his voice, soft as a mosquito, whispering in her ear, his breath weak, "Senior Sister's... Palm Reading says... The Sword Sect will have... a great victory today..."
"I wasn't wrong, was I..."
...
And then he completely passed out.
Tears streamed freely down the corners of Wenren Pingxin's eyes. Her vermillion lips were exceptionally bright in the twilight. Her light muslin robe was stained crimson by Su Bei's blood.
She touched Su Bei's cheek, looking at his unconscious face, his long eyelashes, the smile at the corner of his mouth.
Under the setting sun, she seemed to see once more that seven- or eight-year-old boy, who had also slept so sweetly that night.
—Her lips kissed his forehead.
She wiped his bloodied mouth and gently said, "Yes, the Sword Sect has won a great victory today."
Her tears dampened her crimson lips.
"That old gentleman was really reliable."
...
But in her heart, she thought, This is your great victory.