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"Mmhmm…"
Stelle sucked in a sharp breath of cold air. Seeing March 7th charge straight into the swordlight without hesitation nearly scared her soul out of her body—her whole face went pale.
Grand-auntie, at least open Avalon first! Are you seriously taking that head-on with your bare body?!
"March!" She threw caution aside and lifted her lance, about to charge forward.
But before her foot even touched the ground, she saw that March 7th did not vanish into dust as she had imagined.
March 7th raised her twin greatswords, now coated in radiant light, meeting the two converging sword beams head-on.
By all logic, such simple swordsmanship shouldn't possibly block the combined assault of Florephemeral Dreamflux and Earthbind, Etherbreak.
Yet at the moment of contact, the hundred-zhang field of ice she had left behind, along with the flurries of swirling frost and snow, all burst into shimmering ice-blue radiance—countless streams of Path power converging upon her blades.
Three colors of Path power churned and dissolved at the point of impact, bursting out in dazzling sparks.
March 7th held her twin swords aloft, struggling yet firmly resisting the full-force strike from her masters.
What she relied on… was this very inherent barrier.
Indeed, when it came to sword arts, the gap between her and her two masters was like heaven and earth.
With her level of experience, comprehending some supreme sword technique on the spot was absolutely impossible.
She hadn't even finished learning the basic forms! How could a realm of true mastery ever occur to her?
But she had nearly inexhaustible Path power—unlimited sword creation—and an entire inherent barrier at her command.
So she only had one method of responding.
Take the concept of hitting hard with brute strength… and push it to the absolute extreme!
Moments ago, every step she took, every breath she exhaled, condensed bits of Six-Phase Ice. And every location containing frost was transformed into an amplifier for her power.
With this specially modified inherent barrier, she could unleash tens of times—dozens of times—her normal Path power!
"Masters, allow me to show you the results of your teaching… with this one strike!"
March 7th released her grip. The two greatswords levitated before her palms, rotating slowly.
Then she flipped both hands, raising her palms—heaven and earth responded as one.
The ice cracked. The clouds ruptured. A torrent of Path power surged out of the fissures and gathered before March 7th.
The twin swords spun together, absorbing the flood of power; the ice-blue radiance devoured every drop.
"Go!"
With a crisp shout, the two greatswords shot forth, like the arrowheads of a winter gale.
The beams of Florephemeral Dreamflux and Earthbind, Etherbreak shattered upon contact.
As if they were the ones made of frost—instantly melted away by March 7th's twin blades like snow under blazing sun.
"What is happening?!"
Yanqing and Yunli had never once seen such a sight in their entire lives.
In this universe, plenty of people could defeat them.
But the number of people who could annihilate their strongest moves in direct confrontation? You could read all their names in under half a minute.
And those people either never fought them at full strength… or had never even met them in person.
Yet today—not only did they see it, they were thoroughly humbled by it.
And this same girl was racking her brain yesterday just to find excuses to slack off!
They hurriedly withdrew their blades, barely dodging the incoming replicas of the Massacre Ruler and Avalon.
Yanqing landed on the ground, letting out a long, silent sigh.
Yunli set Old Mettle on the ground, puffed her cheeks, and sat cross-legged with a sulking flourish. Waving her arms, she shouted, "I'm done! I'm not fighting anymore! This is bullying!"
How were they supposed to compare? They weren't even on the same level!
Seeing March 7th stroll toward them, Yunli took one sliding step forward and stood before her. Looking up at her disciple's face, so close at hand, she declared solemnly, "Little March, this absolutely, absolutely cannot be spoken of to anyone!"
To be crushed by a disciple she'd only taken in days ago—if this spread back to Zhuming, she'd never lift her head again in front of her childhood girlfriends!
A lifetime of reputation, gone in an instant!
"Uh… don't worry, Master. I'll keep my lips sealed."
With Yunli pleading like that, how could March 7th refuse?
"Ah… looks like Yanqing still has a long journey ahead." Yanqing stepped up beside them, speaking as if announcing the results of an official tournament: "I have lost. Miss March, you are the victor of this match."
Yunli added, "Mhm. Little March wins."
Stelle put away her weapon, grabbed March 7th's arm, and raised it high with jubilant delight. "I hereby announce! The champion of the First Astral Express–Luofu Master-Disciple Friendly Swordsmanship Tournament is—March 7th!"
"Oooh!" Yunli and Yanqing clapped in perfect sync.
March 7th beamed and waved to the empty surroundings as though thousands of cheering spectators filled the place.
After a round of fooling around, they finally stopped their childish antics.
March 7th retrieved her twin swords. Her two first creations—she adored them dearly and had no idea where to place them.
If they weren't so heavy, she'd have strapped them crisscross on her back and gone shopping for three hours every day.
"Congratulations, Miss March, on your achievement. In the future, you will surely accomplish great feats, and your heroic name will resound across the cosmos."
Lingsha, who had been silently watching from afar, finally stepped forward, speaking in a voice soft as spring breeze.
"A-haha, that's too much praise!"
March 7th waved her hands shyly.
She acted humble, but her bright smile showed she was absolutely loving it.
"Miss March, you are far too modest." Lingsha's tone grew even softer. "I have been troubled by worries today, and wish to ask for your assistance, Lady March. I hope you will not refuse."
"Ah, don't worry, don't worry! As long as it's me—aaaah—"
Just as March 7th was about to boldly promise, the weight of the two swords on her shoulders suddenly skyrocketed.
Unable to withstand it, she stumbled backward and plopped onto the ground, the blades stabbing deep into the grass.
When she regained her senses, the desolate inherent barrier had vanished, replaced once more by the quiet training grounds of the Luofu.
The only traces remaining were the scars carved into the ground and walls, and the lingering frost and snow.
Ah… the super lollipop's effect had ended.
Stelle slapped her forehead.
Right—she'd nearly forgotten. The March 7th just now was the future, fully mastered March 7th.. This one in front of them was still a beginner—a little Rookie March.
March 7th rose, patted off the dust, and acted as though nothing had happened. But her smile was ever so slightly awkward as she said, "Miss Lingsha, please go ahead. I'll do what I can… within my limits."
Her drop in strength dragged her overflowing confidence down along with it.
She felt a little disappointed.
Ah… being strong felt so good.
You could brag however you wanted, and it didn't matter at all.