Chapter Fifty-Six: The Eight Principles of the Void!

"Junior Sister, it is your turn to be careful this time!"

Xiao Xuanzhen's expression flickered slightly, followed by a brilliant smile.

Her crystal-clear eyes reflected Chen Yi's figure, as if wanting to imprint him into the depths of her mind.

"With the 'Little Sword Immortal' having such confidence, I can rest easy."

"Please use your full strength, Junior Sister."

To be honest, being stared at by those eyes still made Chen Yi feel slightly uncomfortable.

The killing intent in this little girl could be summed up in one phrase—piercingly cold.

Had she been an ordinary martial artist of the seventh-rank Qi Transformation realm, he would have been able to win through his mastery of swordplay at the minor accomplishment stage, even without raising his cultivation level.

Clearly, Xiao Xuanzhen's martial arts cultivation was far from ordinary.

Putting aside her previous so-called "Crushing Style," her palm techniques were not standard martial arts either.

The reason Chen Yi had been able to handle them earlier was not because his techniques were lacking, but because Xiao Xuanzhen's mastery was still shallow.

He saw this point very clearly.

However, since he dared to initiate the provocation, he naturally held a high chance of winning this duel.

One must understand the difference between the eighth-rank Qi Gathering realm and the ninth-rank Mortal Dust realm.

Aside from the expansion of true qi within the dantian, the more crucial aspect was the circulation of true qi throughout the body.

If it was previously like a babbling brook, it was now a surging torrent, allowing the full might of his sword energy to manifest and enabling him to execute far more profound sword techniques.

"Come again!"

Before her voice had even faded, Xiao Xuanzhen burst forward instantly.

Her figure was no longer as ghostly as before, but flashed like a streak of silver lightning accompanied by faint crackling sounds, appearing at Chen Yi's side in the blink of an eye with a thrown punch.

Her palm was faintly wrapped in a layer of pale light, as if covered by a thin veil of thunder and lightning.

The momentum was not only no weaker than the previous disc technique, but even surpassed it.

*So fast!*

Chen Yi's gaze narrowed. He took a step back and thrust his sword directly at her wrist.

As true qi circulated within his body, a foot-long beam of sword energy extended from the tip of the Spring Rain Sword.

However, before the sword energy could reach her palm, Xiao Xuanzhen moved even faster, her form winding past the Spring Rain Sword like the wind as her fist struck toward Chen Yi once more.

*What wonderful movement technique!*

Chen Yi silently praised in his heart, though he had already prepared for this.

Wind-Thunder Sword: Tremor!

The Spring Rain Sword smoothly shifted from a thrust to a slap, using the flat of the blade to block her fist.

Simultaneously, sword energy coiled around the blade, vibrating like waves crashing against reef rocks, shearing away the crackling electricity on her fist.

*Crack-crackle—* Thunder exploded!

Yet this time, neither Chen Yi nor Xiao Xuanzhen halted their assault.

Sword blades flashed, fist shadows multiplied, and their figures intertwined and tangled like ghosts.

The sound of thunder echoed across the entire Wangdu Peak from their continuous collisions!

...

"Trembling Thunder Fist, Submissive Wind Step?"

High up in the air, Gu Tiangang watched this scene and could not help praising, "Junior Niece Xuanzhen's talent in martial arts is truly astonishing. At such a young age, she has already brought two of the Eight Great Taixu Techniques to the introductory level."

Pang Kuan pinched his chin stubble and chuckled in agreement, "And the technique she used at the very beginning should be the Crushing Style from the Qian Origin Formula."

"Combined with the Kun Soft Palm, Junior Niece Xuanzhen has already mastered four techniques."

"Indeed." A smile appeared on Sun Daofu's face as he said, "Though the Qian Origin and Kun Soft techniques are not as practiced as the Trembling Thunder and Submissive Wind, she is not far from mastering all four."

With that, he looked at Gu Tiangang.

"If Senior Brother wishes to go back on our agreement, you can simply remove half of the pill varieties listed in that 'contract'."

"Hmph, don't even dream about it!" Gu Tiangang stiffened his neck and retorted.

Although he had left the Taixu Path for many years and was unfamiliar with Xiao Xuanzhen's exact strength, he had previously used Qi-Observing arts to witness the towering sword momentum surrounding Chen Yi.

Such a terrifying, heaven-piercing sword momentum was hard to compare with, even among the accomplished swordsmen he had seen in the past.

With that thought, Gu Tiangang continued to put up a bold front.

"Old Daoist Sun, while the Eight Great Taixu Techniques are undoubtedly exquisite and form the core heritage teachings of the Taixu Path, Junior Niece Xiao has practiced them for only a short time."

"When facing the sword dao, which excels above all in slaughter and offense, who wins and who loses remains to be seen."

"Old man, I can tell at a glance that you understand nothing of the sword dao. Do you know that once the sword dao reaches minor accomplishment, there is nothing left to be taught and one must comprehend the Dao alone?"

"Knowing nothing, you had best shut your mouth and watch properly!"

Sun Daofu's smile stiffened under the scolding, and he cursed inwardly.

*As if you're the only one who understands!*

Where did you even pick up that hearsay about swordsman inheritance methods to spout nonsense here?

Dammit...

Immeasurable Heavenly Lord, forget it, forget it.

Until the final outcome was decided, he would temporarily tolerate this old scoundrel Gu.

...

Compared to the three figures in mid-air, the spectators on Wangdu Peak found the spectacle dizzying.

It wasn't that they couldn't understand, but rather that the figures of the two combatants truly resembled phantoms in their eyes.

Especially Xiao Xuanzhen, whose form drifted unpredictably like a wisp of clear breeze.

Flipping up and down, left and right, yet moving at extreme speeds.

Du Yanqing and the others could barely catch a glimpse of a blurred shadow flashing past before Chen Yi intercepted it in place with his sword for a split second.

And it was only during those split seconds that they managed to make out Xiao Xuanzhen's movements.

"Terrifying, truly terrifying." Wei Lexing's expression was ecstatic; he was on the verge of clapping and cheering as he praised, "Brother Yi's swordplay is terrifying, and that Senior Sister is even more terrifying."

"She's merely relying on being older," Wei Xiaoyun retorted. "If the two of them were at the same realm and cultivation level, Brother Yi would have won long ago."

At this moment, Ning Xue watched the duel between Chen Yi and Xiao Xuanzhen without turning her head as she spoke:

"That may be true, but during a combat duel, both sides fight on fair terms."

"Watch closely and learn from this. If you ever encounter someone whose cultivation surpasses your own in the future, Chen Yi's response is the optimal textbook example."

Du Yanqing and the others nodded repeatedly, though inwardly they shook their heads.

If they ever encountered a formidable enemy in the future, unless they possessed sword mastery as transcendent as Chen Yi's, they would certainly run as far away as possible.

"M-Mr. Ning, will Brother Yi lose?" Lin Xueru didn't care about the future; she only cared whether her Brother Yi would fail the examination.

If he failed, she would surely follow Brother Yi down the mountain.

"Rest assured, for now your Brother Yi is not showing the slightest sign of disadvantage."

"That's good then."

Lin Xueru's heart settled as she widened her eyes to continue watching Chen Yi.

Meanwhile, the majority of Ning Xue's attention was also fixed upon Chen Yi.

Partly out of concern that he might suffer a mishap, and partly due to the instinct of a fellow swordsman, which drew her focus toward his sword dao.

Yet as time progressed, she couldn't help feeling fortunate that she had proposed a swordplay-only duel back in Kyoto Prefecture.

Otherwise, given the sword techniques and sword energy Chen Yi was currently displaying, if there had been no restrictions, she would have been defeated even more miserably.

Ning Xue knew it clearly.

Even though her cultivation was higher than Xiao Xuanzhen's, if she were to actually fight Chen Yi in his current state, she likely wouldn't last this long.

After all, a duel between swordsmen boiled down to mastery of the sword dao.

The smaller the gap in cultivation between her and Chen Yi, the lower her chances of winning and the faster her defeat.

Conversely...

Ning Xue's eyes flickered as she recalled the teachings of Li Qingzhou following that previous duel.

It seemed Master was right.

Perhaps Junior Brother Chen Yi's future achievements would truly far surpass the limits visible to ordinary swordsmen.

And she ought to seek instruction in the sword dao from her Junior Brother more often...

...

Meanwhile, the battle between Chen Yi and Xiao Xuanzhen had entered a white-hot phase.

Following their initial probing, both sides had developed a clearer understanding of each other's strength.

Chen Yi, in particular, was secretly alarmed.

Xiao Xuanzhen's cultivation realm was indeed only the seventh-rank Qi Transformation realm, but her martial techniques were simply inhuman.

Fighting up to this point, aside from the previous palm, foot, and fist techniques, this daughter of the Sect Master also possessed a leg technique capable of vibrating the ground to disrupt his lower stance.

Coupled with that initial disc technique, taken altogether, Xiao Xuanzhen had mastered five distinct supreme arts.

Furthermore, Chen Yi had a faint sensation that these five supreme arts were not the entirety of it, and there should be other complementary martial techniques.

This could be glimpsed to some extent from the obvious flaws appearing in Xiao Xuanzhen's form as she transitioned between stances during the fight.

Had it not been for this, Chen Yi would have struggled to persist until now.

However—

Because Xiao Xuanzhen had flaws, he had a chance at victory!

"Senior Sister, I win this duel!"

Amidst the intense combat, Chen Yi's first spoken words caused Xiao Xuanzhen's expression to shift slightly.

In truth, compared to Chen Yi's inner alarm, her own frame of mind at that moment could only be described as complex.

Having trained since childhood under her father in the cultivation methods and martial arts of the Taixu Path, she had learned five of the Eight Great Taixu Techniques and brought two to the introductory level.

And yet, she still couldn't take down Chen Yi...

"The one who wins is me!"

At this thought, Xiao Xuanzhen halted her steps three paces away from Chen Yi.

She then circulated the Qian Origin Formula, forcefully fusing the four techniques of Kun Soft, Trembling Thunder, Submissive Wind, and Gen Mountain.

*Snap.*

With a solemn expression, Xiao Xuanzhen brought her palms together, splitting her inner true qi—both ethereal and tangible—into five parts to form an Eight Trigrams positional array around her body.

Among them, the five positions of Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, and Gen ignited with the fire of true qi.

Seeing this, Chen Yi frowned slightly and hesitated before saying, "Must Senior Sister go this far?"

He could tell that Xiao Xuanzhen was currently forcing herself beyond her limits.

The flames of true qi across the eight directional positions varied in size, clearly indicating a problem.

To forcibly execute martial techniques in this manner ran the risk of severe consequences if anything went wrong.

"You claimed earlier that you would defeat me—are you turning cowardly now?" Xiao Xuanzhen sneered. "Block this move before you speak of winning."

"Merge!"

Right at that moment, Gu Tiangang's figure materialized beside her, striking down with a single palm to scatter the Eight Trigrams array surrounding her body.

"Junior Niece Xuanzhen, stop."

Xiao Xuanzhen staggered, her eyes widening as she looked up at the newcomer.

"Gu Uncle, why, why did you..."

However, upon seeing Gu Tiangang step in to halt the fight, Chen Yi let out a sigh of relief inwardly.

He truly worried that if that little girl continued her reckless display, things would become difficult to resolve cleanly.

It was only a duel; avenging the humiliation mentioned on his attribute panel was enough.

If it resulted in a fatality or left Xiao Xuanzhen severely wounded, his cultivation days within the Taixu Path sect might end before they even began.

With that thought, Chen Yi opened his attribute panel for a quick glance.

【Task completed. Reward: Sword Dao Major Accomplishment.】

【Please find a quiet location to receive the reward.】

【Name: Chen Yi】

【Age: 32】

【Cultivation: Eighth-Rank Qi Gathering Realm (Lower Stage)】

【Talent: Late Bloomer—The older the bone age, the faster the cultivation speed】

【Foundation Cultivation Technique: Major Accomplishment—Gathering dripping water into rivers, ultimately achieving greatness】

【Sword Dao: Minor Accomplishment—Wandering across the four directions, fighting and applying skill to comprehend sword intent.】

【Counter-Attack Points: 0/100】

Seeing the final lines, Chen Yi instantly felt refreshed, a smile blooming across his face.

Although the process had encountered slight twists and turns, he had successfully completed the [Counter-Attack Task] and secured the reward of Major Accomplishment in Sword Dao.

Wonderful, simply wonderful...

Disregarding Chen Yi's delight, Gu Tiangang looked at the still-defiant Xiao Xuanzhen and said solemnly, "A loss is a loss. Forcibly fusing Taixu Eight Techniques of differing realms will only damage your meridians!"

"B-But he..."

Xiao Xuanzhen looked resentfully toward the smiling Chen Yi, feeling as though that grinning face was mocking her overestimation of her own capabilities.

Gritting her teeth and fighting back the moisture threatening her eyes, she turned and headed deeper into the Taihe Hall.

*Chen Yi, I'll remember this!*

Watching her retreating, indignant figure, Gu Tiangang shook his head helplessly, turned to Chen Yi, and announced, "You have won this duel, and furthermore, congratulations on passing the introductory examination."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xueru, Du Yanqing, and the others could no longer hold back even though Xiao Xuanzhen had not yet walked far, bursting into cheers and jumps.

"Brother Yi, epic!"

"Brother Yi won, that's wonderful!"

"Big Sis, did you see that? Did you see that? The nice guy beat that Senior Sister, he's so amazing!"

The Flower Fairy felt dizzy from being shaken by her second sister, but her gaze remained fixed on Chen Yi, filled with deep admiration.

Her benefactor's strength truly exceeded imagination.

Fortunately, she and her third sister possessed talents in the alchemy dao; while they couldn't assist their benefactor in martial arts, refining a few medicinal pills should pose no problem at all.

Even the barbarian youth beat his chest and shouted, "Too strong, Brother Yi, huh?"

As a result, after Xiao Xuanzhen's running figure paused for a moment, tears finally spilled down her youthful face.

*Chen Yi, you just wait!*

On the other side, Chen Yi smiled and waved at Lin Xueru and the others before watching Gu Tiangang toss over a palm-sized black pouch.

"This is your introductory reward."

Chen Yi caught the pouch, examined it briefly, and offered a smiling bow, "Many thanks to Mr. Gu for the treasure."

This pouch was known as a Sumeru Pouch, which he had previously read about in *A Brief Overview of Taoist Sects*. It was a rare and uncommon item.

It contained a pocket dimension within capable of storing objects, making it a convenient utility item for travel.

Of course, more importantly, it was a gift bestowed by Gu Tiangang.

Good fortune shining brightly, good fortune shining brightly...

Chen Yi glanced at his attribute panel, and the smile on his face froze.

*Damn it!*

*Where the hell did my 'Good Fortune Shining Brightly' go?!*

*PS: Two-in-one chapter, next chapter at the usual time.*