Chapter 82: Worry

She now stood at the ninth stage of Qi Refining, nearly reaching perfection. Dealing with a little girl at the eighth stage was more than enough. Without another word, Ji Jiuxuan summoned the Child Sword in her hand. Her earlier enlightenment had been interrupted, so she simply chose Wang Yumiao as her first target.

Spiritual energy gathered upon her sword, turning it crimson. The tip danced, moving so swiftly that the trailing edge blossomed into sword flowers. Fiery spiritual energy condensed in the air, revealing a faint outline of a formation.

Wang Yumiao hurriedly drew her own sword as well, wasting no words before launching an attack on Ji Jiuxuan.

As Wang Yumiao struck, Ji Jiuxuan instantly activated Shadow Step, darting swiftly to the other side. At the moment she left, the tip of her sword executed a final flourish.

With a booming sound, a fiery formation instantly materialized, trapping Wang Yumiao. Flames assaulted her from every direction.

Ji Jiuxuan's eyes flashed with delight—it really worked!

She failed to notice the faint light appearing on her body, weak but enough to startle the powerful cultivators observing. They rose to their feet in shock.

The Path of the Book!

Throughout history, few had entered the Path of the Book. Anyone who did was destined to become a great power. This aura signaled the beginnings of the Book Path.

Those who had gained the Book Path were rarely provoked, for a single sentence from them could enlighten others more than decades of study.

The Path of the Book was difficult, yet it inspired envy and reverence. If their sect produced another who entered the Dao through literature, the Xuantian Sect would flourish for another ten thousand years without worry.

A certain elder, flustered, rushed to Qi Shuoyuan, saying, "Sect Master, cancel this match! We cannot let such a promising talent perish here."

Qi Shuoyuan glanced over, his serene gaze carrying immense pressure. "Do you think she will lose?"

With the budding Book Path and little Ah Jiu's strength, he was not worried about this battle. What mattered most was her state of mind.

A life-and-death duel inevitably ended with one dead. If the opponent died, how would Ah Jiu's mindset change?

Young cultivators always found their hearts affected the first time they faced such mortal matters.

"No, she won't lose. I just fear she'll be hurt," the elder quickly amended, genuinely anxious. This little girl was a rare seedling—what if she was injured?

Other elders nodded in agreement, their attitude so protective it seemed they wished they could personally step in and finish Wang Yumiao for Ji Jiuxuan.

"This is also her tempering," came Qi Shuoyuan's words, filled with trust in Ji Jiuxuan.

Ah Jiu needed protection, but she also needed to grow. Besides, even if danger arose, he had the means to shield her.

The elders fell silent, all anxiously watching the dueling stage.

Wang Xunji gazed at the two on stage with ambiguous meaning. She wished Ji Jiuxuan dead, but it might mean sacrificing her disciple, Wang Yumiao. Her heart had always been ruthless; the thought flickered and vanished in a moment.

If Wang Yumiao died and that wretched woman's daughter suffered misfortune, why not? Smiling, Wang Xunji watched the stage, as if completely confident in her disciple's victory.

Wang Yumiao, trapped within the formation, was shocked but remained calm. She observed for flaws, but nothing seemed to break it. Only after gathering her strongest spiritual energy did she finally shatter the formation.

Ji Jiuxuan was not surprised; this was merely an experiment. The formation had been broken, but Wang Yumiao was injured.

Disheveled, Wang Yumiao glared at Ji Jiuxuan as if she would devour her alive, her sword slashing at her without reservation.

This was a battle to the death—there was no reason to hold back.

Ji Jiuxuan's mind conjured the image of Yue Bai's corpse, covered in whip marks. Her eyes grew moist as Wang Yumiao's sword, swift as a ghost, attacked.

Wang Yumiao, once full of confidence, now felt a chill in her heart and struggled harder to cope.

'Damn it, how is she so fast!'

The sword duel shocked the Qi Refining disciples below; those with higher cultivation lamented that such talent would fall today.

Time passed; sweat rolled down Wang Yumiao's cheek, cold sweat soaking her clothes.

"You forced me." She looked at Ji Jiuxuan with a gloomy expression; in a flash, she summoned the whip once used on Yue Bai Rabbit.

Soul Devouring Whip—its name alone indicated its deadly effect on the soul. Paired with special hallucinogenic drugs, it could kill across cultivation boundaries.

When Wang Yumiao produced the whip, its aura became even more pronounced on the stage.

The elders, who had intended to observe further, were shocked. "Sect Master, quickly! Cancel the match. That brat actually uses such wicked implements!"

"Guards! Seize her!"

Elder Huaxu, who had come to watch Ah Jiu's life-and-death duel, sighed, "Save your breath. In a life-and-death duel, no one can enter or leave."

"You always have such cold words," the Grand Elder shot Huaxu a glance, gritting his teeth yet helpless.

Such a promising seedling left him deeply anxious.

Ji Jiuxuan stood calmly, gazing at Wang Yumiao, her voice cold and certain. "You killed Yue Bai."

"Yes, so what?" Wang Yumiao was already somewhat deranged. She had to kill her opponent today. Ji Jiuxuan must die!

"Then die." Ji Jiuxuan retrieved the Gravity Ring from her space. Under her divine sense, the entire dueling stage became a gravity field.

This was a formation she had asked her master to add earlier—who would have thought it would come in handy now?

Her gaze icy as she watched Wang Yumiao, each step she took increased the gravity around her.

The Child Sword was put away. Instead, she now wielded a long whip crafted from the tendons of the Heavenly Python. "A whip, is it? I'll let you taste Yue Bai's agony before death."

Wang Yumiao, now struggling to move, screamed, "Ji Jiuxuan, if you have guts, lift it! Lift it!"

Gravity rings rarely affected such a large area, usually only the wearer. Wang Yumiao panicked.

She was skilled in spell arts, but rarely trained her body. In this gravity field, her physical strength was as fragile as a mortal's.

Clenching her teeth, she poured spiritual energy madly into the Soul Devouring Whip. The whip hissed, its unique soul-devouring formation glowing coldly, chilling the heart.

"You want me dead? Let's see who dies first." Fear overwhelmed Wang Yumiao, robbing her of her usual composure.

With each step Ji Jiuxuan took, the aura of death seemed to draw closer.

The Soul Devouring Whip lashed desperately toward Ji Jiuxuan.

The gravity field only restricted Wang Yumiao's movement, not her cultivation. But Ji Jiuxuan was unafraid. Her long whip, wrapped in spiritual energy, struck back at Wang Yumiao.

Though she had never specially trained with a whip, anger awakened her body's potential. The high-grade Heavenly Python Whip was fully equal in power to the Soul Devouring Whip.

With a loud crack, the whip struck flesh, accompanied by the smell of burnt skin and shrill screams.

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(End of chapter)