"Take my sword!"
"Huh?"
Hearing Jingliu's condition, Yanqing froze on the spot and let out a baffled, genuinely confused 'huh'.
"Dare to?" Jingliu did not bother explaining. Her tone stayed flat.
"If you don't, then forget it."
"Hahahaha." Hearing Jingliu say it again, Yanqing finally reacted. His expression cracked and he burst out laughing.
"Today's not April Fools', is it?"
"I'll admit it. My swordsmanship isn't as good as Clara's."
"And it's even worse than yours."
In Yanqing's mind, for Jingliu to say something like this meant she had already seen through him during his earlier fight with Clara. She had realized his true level fell short of hers.
But still…
"Taking one sword from you. Are you looking down on me?"
Yanqing's expression sharpened as he stared straight at Jingliu.
"Whether it's looking down on you or not, we'll only know after the sword is swung." Faced with Yanqing's so-called sharp glare that stirred nothing in her, Jingliu remained calm.
"Little brother, you wouldn't be…"
"Scared, would you?"
Jingliu mimicked the words Yanqing had used on her earlier. The corner of her lips lifted slightly, forming a smile thick with mockery.
'Clara temporarily cleared away the mara influence, so Jingliu is noticeably more open and relaxed right now.'
"What's there to be afraid of?"
Young and hot-blooded, Yanqing fell right into the provocation. He stepped forward, making his choice clear.
He refused to believe that even if she was much stronger than him, she could one-shot him with a single strike.
The general's words, that there is always someone stronger beyond the strongest, were carved deep into Yanqing's heart.
Even so, he still could not believe that in the realm of swordsmanship, someone could cut him down with just one sword.
"Um… Clara?" Seeing Yanqing still brimming with confidence after being crushed by Clara earlier, Firefly leaned over to Clara's ear, confused.
"This Yanqing. Is his strength really just what he showed earlier, or is he hiding something?"
"Just what he showed," Clara replied.
Hearing such a baffling question, confusion filled Clara's eyes.
"Then why is he still…"
Firefly trailed off before finishing, but Clara understood exactly what she meant.
"So in your head, what kind of person was Yanqing before this?"
Thinking back to Firefly's earlier wary and shocked looks toward Yanqing, Clara asked curiously.
"Hmm…"
"He was so confident that I thought he was some hidden old monster from the Xianzhou Luofu."
"The weak, feeble aura he gave off felt like a disguise to me."
"Like he was trying to lower the enemy's guard, then reveal his true strength and wipe them out in one move."
The more Firefly spoke, the more animated she became. It was obvious she had genuinely mistaken Yanqing for some pig-playing-tiger, ancient Luofu ancestor.
Clara: …
Clara looked at the overly excited Firefly. The corner of her mouth twitched. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.
She shut her eyes, sorted through her thoughts, then opened them and spoke slowly.
"Firefly, maybe watch fewer short videos."
…
"Courage is good, but you seem far too confident."
Jingliu said no more. Moonlight flashed in her hand, and a massive greatsword that looked as though it were forged from solid ice appeared before everyone.
A chilling aura spread from the blade, striking straight at Yanqing's soul and making his whole body shudder.
"This is… such terrifying sword intent…"
The intent carried within that cold made fear bloom in Yanqing's heart.
"Wait, I give—"
Yanqing caved instantly and tried to concede.
But before he could finish, Jingliu cut him off.
"A sword drawn without result is a blasphemy against the divine will of the Hunt. An ill omen beyond measure."
"Take it, and live!"
"Fail, and die!"
Jingliu gave Yanqing no time to think. She pushed off with her toe and surged into the air, carrying the greatsword with her.
Her flawless figure was fully revealed as the blade in her hands burst into blinding light.
Though it was not night, framed by her form and the power of her sword, she looked like a moon goddess descending into the world.
She traced a beautiful arc through the sky. A crescent-shaped sword intent burst forth from the greatsword and fell straight toward Yanqing.
"…"
Staring at the incoming sword intent, Yanqing felt as if he had fallen into an abyss. He could only stand there, dumbfounded, watching it draw closer and closer.
"Move, move, why are you just standing there?"
Seeing Firefly staring at Jingliu without blinking, Clara felt a surge of annoyance. She grabbed Firefly's hand and flashed away, pulling her to an open area not far off.
"That sword is amazing~" Firefly said, eyes sparkling as she watched the aura radiating from Jingliu.
"What are you looking at? What are you looking at!"
Clara ground her teeth in irritation and reached out to pinch the soft flesh at Firefly's waist.
"Ow…"
Feeling the pain, Firefly let out a small cry.
"Sorry, I was just dazzled by her sword technique."
Once the pain faded, Firefly realized her mistake and hurriedly apologized to Clara.
"Hmph." Clara snorted and turned her head away, clearly sulking.
Seeing Clara like this, a sweet warmth spread through Firefly's chest.
She's jealous. She cares about me.
Even so, she still needed to comfort her.
Firefly raised a hand, placed it on Clara's head, gently rubbing as she spoke softly.
"Alright, Clara, I was wrong."
"Please forgive me, okay?"
"O… okay. Just… just don't look at other people like that next time." Feeling the gentle warmth of Firefly's touch, all the stubborn words Clara wanted to say were swallowed back down.
"Clara's the best~"
…
"Am I… am I dead?"
"Can I… really take this attack?"
Locked onto by that sword intent, Yanqing trembled from head to toe. Not a shred of courage remained to raise his blade in defiance.
'Better to die standing than live kneeling.'
Yanqing recalled this old saying from the Xianzhou Luofu.
That's right. Even in desperation, I can't back down now.
Especially not in the field of swordsmanship, the one I pride myself on…
As that thought settled, the fear in Yanqing's heart slowly faded. He tightened his grip on his sword and looked up at the blade intent in the heavens, the one he had to look up to. His gaze grew firm.
Every sword Yanqing had collected so far appeared around him.
They circled him, each one radiating its own unique presence.
"Myriad swords, descend from the heavens!"
Yanqing shouted and formed a hand seal. Answering his call, the swords surged forward, rushing head-on to meet Jingliu's sword intent.
But in the end, every single sword…
Was reduced to dust under that strike…
This was the moment Yanqing went bankrupt!!!
…
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