Chapter 235: Chapter 27: The Lower Si Pairs with the Upper Si
Both stepped onto the corridor.
The corridor hung in the air, with nothing beneath supporting it; it seemed to sway on the verge of collapse under the force of the heavenly winds.
Ling Yunpo had set foot on such a structure before; last time, when Qiu Changtian ascended to become the Chief Disciple of the Foundation Establishment Realm in Kunlun at Heaven’s Gate Hall, he had walked one just like this. He knew that such floating structures unaffected by gravity were supported by Immortal Sect restrictions and thus felt no fear or trepidation.
An Zhisu, however, was walking such a path for the first time, hence her face was extremely grave. The Flying Smoke Sword and Harsh Cold Sword rotated beside her, ready to turn into a streak of sword light to whisk them away should any mishap occur.
It was only after they safely passed through the corridor that she let out a sigh of relief.
Past the corridor was the first pavilion. On the pillar to the right of the door were carved the words “Five truths converge to form the perfect pearl of qi”; on the pillar to the left, “Bones like cinnabar jewels, appearance like an infant.” The inscriptions were written with cinnabar, the brushstrokes ancient and robust, filled with strength.
The former referred to “Core Formation,” and the latter to “Nascent Infant,” which made Ling Yunpo even more certain in his heart that this secret realm was certainly one for trials; otherwise, it wouldn’t be inscribed everywhere with these Daoist philosophical sayings.
Just like how campuses dedicated to teaching and nurturing students, love to hang portraits of great scientists and great writers on the walls of the hallways in academic buildings—it’s the same principle.
An Zhisu took a deep breath and was the first to push the door open. Just as Ling Yunpo was about to follow her in, he saw a transparent film of light appear in front of him, firmly barring him from entering.
“Flag flutters in the heavenly wind, summoning true qi from the five directions; sword crosses the Big Dipper, cleansing a thousand miles of demonic miasma,” a dream-like, illusory female voice said from within the pavilion, “Trialist, state your origin and name.”
“Shushan, An Zhisu,” Senior Sister An said calmly.
“An Zhisu of Shushan challenges the first floor of the White Jade Capital,” the voice continued. “Based on cultivation level, a sword foe is generated.”
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No sooner had the voice faded than a shadowy figure appeared on the blue-tiled floor opposite An Zhisu, seemingly formed from mist. The details were unclear; only the general outline suggested a Daoist of average height and build, neither fat nor thin, clad in a Daoist robe.
It extended its right hand, made of condensing mist, and from its palm emerged a Flying Sword, also made of mist, about three feet and seven inches long, which appeared even more solid than its own misty physique.
Then, in a sudden motion, it flung its hand, and the mist-made Flying Sword thrust directly at An Zhisu!
With quick reflexes, An Zhisu reacted as the Flying Smoke Sword sprang up from her palm, parrying the attack of the misty Flying Sword in midair.
Based on the sound and force, it was almost indistinguishable from a real metal sword!
Combining this with the earlier female voice, An Zhisu knew that this mist-formed figure was the opponent generated by the secret realm of the White Jade Capital for her to challenge and trial against.
Without hesitation, An Zhisu raised her eyebrows, exuding a fierce energy as she shouted lowly. The Flying Smoke Sword and Harsh Cold Sword shot forward together.
The mist-formed figure hurriedly retracted its Flying Sword in an attempt to defend itself, but was struck from both sides and barely lasted a dozen breaths before directly being pierced through the heart and the throat by An Zhisu’s swords, bursting apart alive.
Ling Yunpo: ………
He watched clearly from outside; the swordsmanship of the mist-formed figure was roughly at the level of a Refining Mansion stage cultivator, the same realm as An Zhisu.
However, Senior Sister An’s attainment in swordsmanship was far superior to her cultivation level, so much so that the opponent was easily defeated in just a few exchanges. Brutal!
After the sword fight ended, the sealing membrane at the door did not disappear.
An Zhisu slashed at the membrane a few times with the Flying Smoke Sword, finding it completely impenetrable. She could only talk to Ling Yunpo through the membrane for a few moments before heading towards the large open doors on the other side.
As soon as she crossed the threshold of the opposite door, the light membrane in front of Ling Yunpo abruptly vanished, as if indicating permission for him to proceed had been granted.
So, within each pavilion, only one person could exist at a time? And one must defeat the corresponding sword foe to pass through this pavilion…
Ling Yunpo quickly grasped the rules and, seeing the encouraging look from the senior sister opposite, understood she was indicating “this one isn’t hard to defeat.”
He chuckled softly and stepped over the threshold.
Just as he stood firm in the center of the pavilion, he heard the female voice again:
“Trialist, state your origins and name.”
“Shushan’s Ling Yunpo!” he confidently declared aloud.
“Shushan’s Ling Yunpo, challenging the first floor of White Jade Capital.” The voice seemed to pause for a moment and then said, “According to comprehensive strength, generating Sword Foe.”
No sooner had the voice faded than mist rose before him, quickly solidifying into a figure wielding a sword, lunging towards him.
Ling Yunpo drew forth the Thunder Punishment Sword to parry the misty Flying Sword, and with the Green Duckweed Sword, he thrust forward, using the same strategy as Senior Sister An to exploit the dual advantage of the Two-Handed Sword Control Technique, intending to crush the misty figure in one fell swoop.
However, the misty figure extended an arm, reaching into the air and solidifying another long sword, which clashed with the Green Duckweed Sword several times, sending sparks flying in all directions.
Ling Yunpo: ?
Wasn’t it fighting with just one sword against the senior sister? Why is it using Two-Handed Sword Control against me?
Picking on the soft ones, huh!
“Fight properly.” The Green Duckweed Sword suddenly spoke, “Something’s off about this guy.”
Ling Yunpo’s spirits lifted, and he quickly focused on controlling both swords.
The Green Duckweed Sword usually remained silent unless spoken to, and its sudden initiation of conversation this time must mean that there was some mystery in the White Jade Capital Secret Realm, significant enough to warrant its advice!
Ling Yunpo intensified his offense. The Thunder Punishment Sword charged fiercely like a seasoned warrior on the battlefield; the Green Duckweed Sword moved with agility like a wandering swordsman.
Nevertheless, the misty figure opposite him remained composed, its two misty long swords flipping and somersaulting. Regardless of how the Thunder Punishment Sword attempted to break through, it blocked all attacks; no matter how the Green Duckweed Sword changed its moves, the defense was impermeable.
They were almost equally matched!
As Ling Yunpo engaged fiercely, he wondered, what on earth was going on?
The level of swordsmanship of the person opposite was many times stronger than when it fought Senior Sister—impossible!
An Zhisu, watching from the outside, felt anxious and couldn’t fathom that White Jade Capital would play such a trick—deceiving them with a weaker opponent and then sending out a stronger one to fight her junior brother!
Fortunately, Ling Yunpo was not truly the “weaker” one; embodying a steadfast and unyielding character, he immediately rallied and fought with even more ferocity, eventually disrupting the opponent’s rhythm and causing them to falter.
The misty figure seemed to stagger back a few steps, as if lacking strength.
Then, a third misty Flying Sword suddenly condensed above its head and swiftly aimed for Ling Yunpo.
Ling Yunpo, dumbfounded, hastily directed the Green Duckweed Sword to intercept the attack, internally cursing the situation.
This…isn’t this cheating? Three swords against two? Unless the difference in Cultivation Realm is enormous, how could one hope to win?
All they need to do is use two swords to entangle mine, leaving the third free to strike at will!
With thoughts whirling in his mind, Ling Yunpo had no choice but to pull the Green Duckweed Sword and Thunder Punishment Sword back to his side, assuming a defensive posture.
Going up against three swords with two required significantly increased coordination between them, and he was forced to reduce the range of his sword moves out of necessity.
An Zhisu, watching from outside, was also completely taken aback. Normally, a cultivator could at most split their focus between two tasks, and to control three swords simultaneously, one must cultivate a secret technique known as “External Incarnation,” hosting the split Spiritual True Spirit in the third Flying Sword.
As for “External Incarnation,” it’s an extremely profound Daoist Magic, which can only be cultivated after reaching Core Formation.
This means that the ability to simultaneously control three swords is actually at the level of a Golden Core Cultivator!
As she was coming to understand the situation, she saw the misty figure wave its arms, its two swords parrying the Green Duckweed and Thunder Punishment Swords, and the third sword, like lightning, shot forward, piercing through Ling Yunpo’s forearms, which he reflexively put in front of his chest, and impaling his torso!