Jing Yuan and Dan Feng moved in perfect sync, pulling out their jade messengers, fingers tapping away rapidly.
They were going to fiercely condemn Jingliu's double-standard behavior to their two other friends!
Zero focused his full attention on Jingliu in the center of the arena.
Even before she became Sword Champion, her swordsmanship had already won much praise.
But Jingliu clearly wasn't the type to be swayed by empty reputation.
Compared to outsiders' compliments, she probably cared more about whether her sword skills could continue to improve.
As for the title of Sword Champion… if it were someone else, they might be smug about it.
But to Jingliu, this was nothing more than a title she happened to pick up along her path of honing herself and cutting down abominations.
Zero admired her from the bottom of his heart.
More precisely, he admired every Cloud Knight who had the courage to march onto the battlefield.
Of course, he admired Jingliu even more.
He admired someone so unmoved by external things, with such pure focus, wholeheartedly sharpening her swordsmanship.
Zero sighed with respect in his heart.
Maybe only a grind-king like Jingliu would still be practicing swordsmanship at the end of the workday.
If it were him, he would've already packed up, waiting for the clock to strike so he could eat and rest…
The white-haired beauty, under everyone's gaze, lifted the pitch-black sword. Her eyes instantly turned incomparably cold.
One could only say, worthy of the Sword Champion. The moment she held a sword, her whole presence changed.
It felt like no matter how fearsome the abominations, in front of Jingliu they could only be handled by her as easily as chopping vegetables.
Zero's vocabulary was limited. Others might be able to heap on flowery praise, but all he could picture was her cutting down abominations on the battlefield…
At that moment, Dan Feng took the initiative to introduce to Zero, "That sword weighs three thousand pounds (1360 kg). It's one of Yingxing's proud works."
Zero was stunned by the weight of the sword. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Three thousand pounds? Jingliu is amazing."
Jing Yuan, "…"
'Dan Feng, great wingman. Next time, don't wingman again.'
'Anyone could see you're trying to help Jingliu raise her favorability. But to outsiders, it looks like you two have some personal feud…'
'Who chases a man by constantly emphasizing raw strength?'
'What, planning to scare him into submission?'
'Set up the warning in advance? If Zero doesn't agree to be her disciple, she'll just beat him up?'
'Any normal person wouldn't feel more favorability from that!'
'…Though Zero isn't exactly normal. Maybe it works on him.'
Jing Yuan muttered inwardly.
Zero had no clue what the other two were thinking. After marveling at the sword's weight, he kept watching.
Jingliu flicked her wrist, toes pressing lightly as she leapt up. Her figure was light, clothes and hair flowing with the wind, with her sword.
At that moment, the Xianzhou sun was blazing. Sunlight poured down, filtering through the lush trees beside the arena, leaving swaying patches of light on the ground.
It was as if the sunlight especially favored the Sword Champion, first flowing through her long hair, outlining her figure, and finally painting her with a dazzling halo.
Jingliu rotated her wrist gently. It was as though she wasn't holding a three-thousand-pound object at all, but something utterly ordinary.
Sometimes she thrust upward, sometimes chopped down, sometimes stepped forward to sweep across.
Each move drew applause and praise from the crowd.
Zero wasn't good with swords. Watching her moves, he only thought, amazing. He couldn't describe more than that.
His gaze drifted to her arms, and his thoughts wandered.
How could arms that thin lift a three-thousand-pound sword?
Soon, Jingliu spun the sword into a flourish, then held it behind her, and slowly turned her gaze to Zero.
Before, she only ever swung her sword for killing enemies. This time… not for enemies, but for one person.
She met Zero's eyes for a brief instant, then calmly looked away.
The Cloud Knights roared their admiration at every move of the Sword Champion, clapping in unison.
Zero clapped along. He faintly heard Jing Yuan sighing, while Dan Feng seemed to snort in dissatisfaction.
Jingliu crossed her arms, her icy gaze sweeping around, before she said coldly, "What are you all still doing here?"
The Cloud Knights knew her personality well, and knew she disliked noisy, crowded scenes. They scattered like birds, but even as they left, they kept praising her swordsmanship loudly.
Jingliu shook her head helplessly. Once most had left, she finally walked toward the three of them.
She first looked at Zero, asking softly, "Did you wait long?"
Zero shook his head. "Not long."
He wanted to compliment her swordplay. After racking his brain, he only managed a few words, "I think you looked cool."
Jingliu, used to hearing others' overblown flattery, was momentarily stunned. Then she smiled.
She lifted her gaze, those crimson eyes fixed on Zero, dragging out her tone with a teasing lilt, "Then do you want to learn? I'd be happy to teach you."
Zero quickly pleaded, "Spare me, please. I'm afraid I'd never learn the Sword Champion's moves."
The two held each other's gaze for a moment, then casually looked away.
Jing Yuan, "…"
Dan Feng, "…"
They shouldn't just be in the car. They should be under the car.
'Two living, breathing people right beside you, what, are we invisible? Can't you see us?!'
Jing Yuan felt only a cat-scratching meme could express his feelings.
Dan Feng, full of regret. He had come to watch Jingliu's fun, but now he and Jing Yuan had become the fun instead.
And why did he ever help wingman? At this rate, those two would be drinking wedding wine in no time.
The Dragon Lord flicked his sleeve, fabric costing seven digits to make, and turned to leave.
Jingliu caught him out of the corner of her eye, then said to Zero, "Wait a moment. I have something to ask Dan Feng."
Zero reached into the bag he was holding, absentmindedly poked a straw into a drink, and handed it to Jingliu.
Jingliu murmured her thanks. When she raised her hand to take it, her fingers brushed the back of Zero's hand. She paused briefly, then avoided his hand as she took the drink.
Zero, "…"
Great. His hand was faster than his brain. He really shouldn't have poked the straw in for her.
If she liked him… wouldn't that make him the scumbag?
Jing Yuan, "…"
Watching his master turn away to find Dan Feng, Jing Yuan sighed gloomily, then turned to Zero and said, "If you keep dragging this out, it'll be too late. No day like today, come on, let's spar right now."
"…Eh?"
Zero was slow on the uptake. By the time he realized, Jing Yuan already had an arm hooked around his neck.
The two immediately started scuffling.
A few steps away, the Dragon Lord and the Sword Champion glanced at them, looking exactly like elementary schoolers fighting, and didn't bother to stop them.
Dan Feng's hearing was excellent. The moment he heard Jingliu wanted to ask him something, he halted his steps.
He asked her, "What is it?"
Jingliu seemed unsure how to phrase it. After a moment's silence, she asked, "If someone doesn't care about their own body, doesn't care about their own safety, how should that be resolved?"
The Dragon Lord instinctively thought of one person.
That person who resembled Zero in appearance, but whom he had never met.
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