At the other end of the grand hall, the fierce battle between the white-robed woman and Su Jiu had, at some point, come to a tacit halt.
Both women turned their gazes, calmly observing the conclusion of the nearby fight.
"A mere fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator, that Wang San was a fool. His death was inevitable," the white-robed woman remarked dismissively.
"Both at the same Qi Refining level, but Senior Brother’s methods were underhanded. It’s no surprise Wang San couldn’t match him," Su Jiu responded, her tone devoid of emotion.
No sooner had the words left her mouth than the two clashed again.
In an instant, sword light and demonic energy collided once more.
The white-robed woman moved with effortless grace, her sleeves fluttering like drifting snow.
Even as a soul, disadvantaged by her inability to wield artifacts, she could still form a sword with her fingers and slash casually—
Yet that single stroke unleashed a razor-sharp sword qi, effortlessly tearing through the protective demonic energy around Su Jiu.
Su Jiu was forced into retreat.
The spells she conjured shattered like brittle glass before the white-robed woman’s techniques, often disintegrating the moment they took form.
In barely fifty exchanges, a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of Su Jiu’s lips, her breathing growing erratic.
Su Ji: ???
What the hell?
His brows furrowed in confusion.
This was nothing like the scene he had foreseen.
In [Foreseeing Fate], Su Jiu had fought this woman to a standstill—back when she was only at the eighth level of Foundation Establishment.
Now, at the peak of Foundation Establishment, how was she being overwhelmed?
Had all those medicinal brews gone to waste?
Did she have no respect for his efforts?
Su Ji’s thoughts raced, and soon he grasped the crux of the matter.
Su Jiu’s cultivation had advanced, and her spiritual energy had indeed grown denser by several folds.
But battle was never just a contest of raw power.
Her techniques, her divine abilities, her combat experience—none had improved in the slightest.
She was merely executing the same moves as before, just with greater force behind them.
If it were a contest of sheer power, she might have held her own.
But in a battle of skill? The gains were negligible.
The outcome became increasingly clear.
Cornered, a flash of resolve ignited in Su Jiu’s eyes.
Behind her, a colossal phantom suddenly materialized—
A majestic snow-white fox, divine and awe-inspiring, though it bore only a single tail.
That massive tail, like a towering jade pillar, swept toward the white-robed woman with a howl that split the air.
For the first time, the white-robed woman’s expression shifted.
No longer the leisurely confidence of a cat toying with its prey.
"Burning your origin essence to forcibly awaken a bloodline ability?" she scoffed, disdain lacing her voice.
"You are impressive, I’ll grant you that."
"But do you know why all beneath the Nascent Soul realm are considered ants?"
"If I were to unleash a soul attack, how would you defend?"
The moment she finished speaking—
An indescribable, invisible force of terror enveloped Su Jiu.
The colossal celestial fox phantom let out a mournful cry upon contact, trembling violently as if on the verge of collapse.
Su Jiu herself stiffened as if struck by lightning, her face draining of all color.
Su Ji: ???
He glanced at the option still hovering above the white-robed woman’s head.
[Option 1: So many tricks, huh? 1111111 (Reward: Li Yao fails to seize a body. You are dragged back to the Love-Longing Sect by Su Jiu after having your limbs broken, forced to hand over medicinal brews daily.)]
Seriously?
Who’s the traitor here?
What’s this? A sudden power-up from going berserk?
Su Ji sighed.
Fine. He’d have to step in.
If this white-robed woman really intended to use a soul attack and turned Su Jiu into an idiot, then playing with an idiot would be…
Tch.
Who else would serve as his walking encyclopedia of cultivation?
Just camaraderie among sect siblings, that’s all.
Besides, Su Ji was genuinely curious—just how potent was this permanent option?
With a thought, he activated it.
[Permanent Option: Hahaha! Finally, someone worthy of being sacrificed to my blade! (Current kill count: 0)]
In that instant—
An indescribable, primal aura erupted from Su Ji’s body, exploding outward like a storm!
Both the white-robed woman mid-incantation and the struggling Su Jiu froze in place.
"Junior Sister, step back," Su Ji said calmly.
"Don’t worry. I’ll handle this."
Su Jiu, suppressing the turmoil in her meridians, stared at him in shock.
This feeling…
Yes!
She remembered now!
That time in her courtyard, when she had tried to refuse answering his questions—
That bone-chilling sensation, as if death itself were staring into her soul!
So it hadn’t been an illusion!
This… this was the true might of the "Great Xia Imperial Bloodline"?
To unleash such terrifying power while still at Qi Refining?
No wonder he dared to venture alone into this dragon’s den. No wonder he showed no fear even before a Nascent Soul remnant soul.
Slaying a Nascent Soul at Qi Refining?
Perhaps, in his eyes, it truly was no different from butchering chickens and dogs!
Understanding this, Su Jiu ceased her resistance. The celestial fox phantom behind her dissipated silently.
"Cough… Then be careful," she managed, wiping blood from her lips but still forcing out the warning.
"Call for me if you need help."
With that, she retreated dozens of yards, leaving the battlefield entirely to Su Ji.
As Su Jiu withdrew, the aura around Su Ji continued to climb.
Within the grand hall, spiritual energy churned violently, forming a visible vortex centered on him.
Even the scattered debris and dust on the ground began to swirl around his feet, drawn by the gathering force.
The white-robed woman was genuinely baffled now.
You call this Qi Refining, fifth level?
What kind of unheard-of secret art was this?
But as a former Nascent Soul cultivator, her mental fortitude far surpassed ordinary practitioners.
After the initial shock, she recalled the words Blue Ice Grass had once said to Wang San:
"He’s only at Qi Refining fifth level. No matter how strong, there are limits."
Ah…
Now she understood.
"Another bluff?" she mused aloud, her composure returning, tinged with mockery.
"Trying to scare me off like you did with Wang San?"
"Do you really think the same trick would work a second time?"
She had to admit, Su Ji was clever—but he underestimated her.
Why else would he stand there, gathering momentum instead of attacking?
Just like before, against Wang San!
This was nothing more than psychological warfare, an attempt to intimidate her into making a mistake.
Having seen through the ruse, the white-robed woman felt reassured.
"I’ll stand right here. Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance to strike," she taunted.
Su Ji’s expression turned odd.
"You sure about that?"
Seeing his hesitation, her smirk deepened.
"Absolutely."
"What’s wrong? Losing your nerve?"
Su Ji muttered under his breath, "Never seen someone so eager for this…"
No more words.
The spiraling vortex of spiritual energy before him compressed at a terrifying speed, condensing into—
A three-foot-long sword.
The blade had no physical form, woven entirely from pure spiritual energy, yet its edge radiated a lethality that chilled the soul.
Spear cultivator? Spell cultivator?
Never did I imagine I could moonlight as a sword cultivator.
Su Ji slowly extended his hand, gripping the spiritual energy sword hovering mid-air.
A surge of power—so immense it bordered on uncontrollable—flooded his palm, coursing through every vein and sinew.
This sensation…
This absolute, overwhelming force capable of crushing everything in its path…
It was intoxicating.
Su Ji lifted his gaze, fixing it on the white-robed woman standing not far away.
"With your meager life of three feet, I shall consecrate my peerless path of the sword!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
[Dao Companion Rental System]. By renting himself out as a temporary dao companion to daughters of destiny, Qin Hao could obtain generous rewards. His service philosophy was simple: play the role of the devoted lover, resolve their troubles, depart without a trace once the matter was settled, and absolutely avoid entangling karma. However, those daughters of destiny didn't see it that way. That night, all the major powers across the Three Realms and Nine Heavens jointly besieged the Qin Clan, plunging it into an unprecedented crisis. "It's Su Qingyue! The peerless sword immortal who attained the Dao and became an Immortal Emperor in a thousand years, the one who severed the River of Time with a single sword strike! When... when did our Qin Clan make an enemy of her?" Qin Hao stepped forward, clearing his throat lightly: "Ahem, Ancestors, don't panic. She's here for me. To be honest... she's my ex-girlfriend." From another direction, the newly ascended Empress of the Demon Realm arrived with ten thousand demons pressing on the border: "Qin Hao! Today, the entire Qin Clan shall be buried with you!" Hearing this, the Qin Clan ancestors all turned their eyes sharply towards Qin Hao. Qin Hao scratched his head somewhat sheepishly: "The Demon Empress... she's also my ex-girlfriend." Before the Qin ancestors could process this, an aloof figure traversed the River of Time: "The Qin Clan deserves annihilation!" Recognizing the newcomer, the Qin ancestors paled in terror: "It's her! Liu Ruyan, the Extinction Empress who ventured alone into the alien realm and suppressed it for an entire epoch! Didn't she vanish into the River of Time long ago? Why would she cross it just to target our clan?" Qin Hao scratched his head again, looking even more embarrassed: "My fault, my fault. She's an ex-girlfriend too." Watching countless celestial maidens descend, the Qin Clan ancestors were utterly astounded: "You scoundrel! Just... just how many women have you gotten involved with over the years?"
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
