Round One

(This chapter has been modified; it is all normal sparring)

Su Ji called out softly to the empty courtyard.

As soon as his voice fell, he felt a ripple in the air before him.

Amidst the flowing light, a graceful figure appeared out of thin air.

Wearing a moon-white palace dress that trailed on the ground, with dark hair cascading like a waterfall, Su Jiu's aloof and stunningly beautiful face currently carried a somewhat unnatural blush.

The moment she appeared, she subconsciously pulled three steps away from Su Ji. Her clear fox-like eyes darted around, refusing to meet his gaze.

"What are you doing?"

Her voice maintained its usual cold tone, but it lacked its usual confidence.

Seeing her feign composure, the slight nervousness in Su Ji's heart instantly vanished into thin air.

He chuckled, rubbing his hands together with a mischievous eagerness on his face.

"What am I doing?"

"Saving my life, of course."

Su Jiu's body trembled imperceptibly.

She didn't reply, simply silently taking out a large pile of sparkling items from her storage ring.

There were formation plates, formation flags, and a pile of high-grade spirit stones of considerable quality.

She walked to the edge of the courtyard and began to set them up.

First, she laid down an intricate sensory formation around the outer perimeter of the courtyard walls.

Not even the slightest rustle of the wind or grass could escape her perception.

Immediately after, she set up an even more complex soundproofing formation inside the courtyard.

As the final spirit stone was embedded into the formation core, a light barrier, barely visible to the naked eye, enveloped the entire small courtyard.

With this, the tiny courtyard became a completely isolated and absolutely private space, cut off from the outside world.

After finishing all this, Su Jiu clapped her hands to dust off non-existent dirt, turned around, and looked at Su Ji again.

"It's ready."

However, Su Ji shook his head. He walked up to Su Jiu, extended a finger, and lightly flicked her smooth forehead.

"Not enough."

Su Jiu covered her forehead, glaring at him in both shame and annoyance.

"What more do you want?"

Ignoring Su Jiu's reaction, Su Ji walked into the room, which was several times larger than those of ordinary mining slaves.

A moment later, he walked out carrying a large pile of things.

There were meditation cushions, an incense burner, and even several jars of spirit wine that looked quite valuable.

He arranged the items one by one on the stone table in the center of the courtyard, lit three sticks of incense, and poured two bowls of wine.

The curling blue smoke, mixed with the mellow aroma of the wine, actually added an indescribable ambiance to this otherwise lifeless mining area courtyard.

Su Jiu watched him busying about, completely dumbfounded.

"...What are you doing?"

"Paying respects to the heavens, to the earth, and incidentally, to our soon-to-be-lost youth."

Su Ji picked up a bowl of wine and handed it to Su Jiu, his face bearing an unprecedented solemnity.

"Junior Sister, please."

Su Jiu was somewhat speechless...

Looking at his completely serious face, and then at the clear liquor in the bowl, she somehow found herself actually taking it from him.

The two stood there in the courtyard and downed the wine in their bowls in one gulp.

The strong wine slid down their throats like a ball of fire, exploding violently in their stomachs.

Su Jiu's already blushing cheeks became even more ravishingly beautiful.

"Good."

Su Ji put down the wine bowl and let out a long breath of alcohol-scented air.

The solemnity on his face vanished without a trace in an instant, replaced by a reckless determination. "We can begin now."

He looked at Su Jiu.

"Junior Sister, what you said... I'll believe it for now."

"But before we start, we need to lay down three ground rules."

Su Jiu looked at him, not speaking, waiting for him to continue.

"First." Su Ji's voice was incredibly grave. "For these seven days, the two of us sparring here is for the sake of the Great Xia, to seek a glimmer of survival. It is sacred, it is pure, and it is devoid of any personal feelings. Do you understand?"

Su Jiu's lips twitched involuntarily.

Sacred?

Pure?

Looking at Su Ji's face written all over with sincerity, she really wanted to slap him.

But in the end, she squeezed a single word through her teeth.

"...Understood."

"Very well." Su Ji nodded in satisfaction and held up a second finger.

"Second, during the sparring process, we must know when to stop. No malicious harm is allowed, and especially... if one party is powerless to fight back, the other must not pin them down and continue to beat them."

Su Jiu: "..."

She felt that right now, she really wanted to pin Su Ji down and beat him up.

"Did you hear me clearly?"

"...Yes."

"Since that's the case." Su Ji took a deep breath, his face showing a tragic solemnity as if facing death. "Then let us... begin!"

"What about the third rule?"

"I haven't thought of it yet."

As Su Ji spoke, he assumed a fighting stance. The spiritual energy around him surged, and the majestic aura of a Heavenly Palace Golden Core explosively unfurled.

Su Jiu no longer hesitated. She likewise channeled the spiritual power within her body. Behind her, the phantoms of two semi-solid fox tails flickered into view. A cold, powerful aura emanated from her, standing as an equal counterweight to Su Ji's.

In the courtyard, the atmosphere instantly became tense and volatile.

However, after holding his stance for a long while, Su Ji still hadn't made a move.

Looking at Su Jiu's battle-ready posture, he suddenly deflated and waved his hand.

"Wait a minute."

Su Jiu frowned. "What is it now?"

An undisguised look of disdain immediately appeared on her face.

Just as I thought.

She knew it.

Seeing her expression that clearly said I knew you couldn't do it, the competitive spirit in Su Ji's heart was instantly ignited.

"I mean, if we don't warm up first and just suddenly jump into high-intensity combat, it's easy to damage the foundation of our cultivation."

Su Ji explained with righteous indignation.

"Warm up?" Su Jiu's eyes were full of suspicion. "How do we warm up?"

Su Ji broke into a grin, a smile that looked mischievous no matter how you looked at it.

With a flip of his wrist, the Fallen Dragon Spear—which he had obtained in chapter 200, was absolutely Su Ji's strongest current magical artifact, and carried absolutely no suggestive meaning or innuendo whatsoever—appeared in his hand.

With the long spear in hand, Su Ji's entire aura underwent a transformation.

His previous slickness disappeared, replaced by a sharp and overbearing dominance.

Su Ji pointed the spear tip at Su Jiu and raised an eyebrow.

"A person cannot forget their roots."

"In the lower realm, the first decent battle I ever fought was with a spear."

"And since I am a spear cultivator, my first battle here should naturally open with a spear."

"You..."

Su Ji chuckled, dispensing with the idle chatter.

"Round One!"