Free Web NovelChapter 365: Chapter 365: Practicing on Her
Sun Lian’s critical gaze fell upon Song Wanning. ’This woman is far too arrogant. I’ll just have to teach her the rules of the Ancient Cold Sect myself!’
With that, the full might of her Late-stage Void Refining cultivation bore down on Song Wanning, an attempt to intimidate her with sheer presence alone.
Though they were both at the Late-stage Void Refining, Sun Lian’s presence was clearly much stronger than Lin Hao’s. This was the difference talent made; even with the same cultivation, their combat strength was vastly different.
Song Wanning felt a flicker of interest, and a smile bloomed on her lips.
"So the Ancient Cold Sect has other rules, does it? In that case, I’ll have to experience them for myself."
She uncrossed her arms and slowly raised her longsword.
’Ever since I comprehended the Sword Dao Realm, I’ve had few chances to advance it in the Lower World. Now that an opportunity has presented itself, I can’t let it go to waste.’
"Forgive the offense!"
Sun Lian snorted inwardly. ’Unlike Lin Hao, I’m not about to give Song Wanning the first move.’
Her figure blurred. With a sharp crack of her whip, a fiery red light flared into existence.
’She has a Fire Attribute Spiritual Root, too!’
The fighting spirit in Song Wanning’s eyes burned even brighter as she swung her longsword forward.
"Hiss... Is that really the Sword Dao True Realm? I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me!"
"To think a cultivator from the Lower World could actually comprehend the Sword Dao True Realm..."
Among the paths of a Sword Cultivator, the Sword Dao True Realm was an exceptionally difficult state to comprehend.
Many Sword Cultivators found their progress halted just before reaching the Sword Dao True Realm, which in turn affected their cultivation. As a result, the number of Sword Cultivators was actually quite small.
But a consensus existed among all: Sword Cultivators possessed extreme combat strength, and killing an opponent of the same rank was no difficult feat.
Now, seeing that Song Wanning had truly comprehended the Sword Dao True Realm, the way many of the onlookers looked at her changed.
At this moment on the fighting stage, the power of the Sword Dao True Realm clashed with the long whip.
BOOM—
The massive collision tore through the air on the stage, letting out a violent, explosive roar.
A huge vortex of Spiritual Power even appeared, sweeping toward the two combatants at either end.
Song Wanning swung her sword again, cutting the vortex apart. In a sharp pivot, she closed the distance, appearing right before Sun Lian’s face.
Sun Lian was already prepared. With a flick of her left hand, she snapped open a folding fan and aimed it at Song Wanning.
A net of mud reeking of damp earth lunged toward her. With a flick of her longsword, Song Wanning tore it to shreds.
From the right, Sun Lian attacked again. Her whip, thick with flames, coiled directly around Song Wanning’s longsword.
With a hard yank, Song Wanning’s longsword was dragged forward, pulling her along with it.
She used the momentum to lean forward, and a sudden flash of light from her right hand shot straight for Sun Lian’s face.
Sun Lian dodged quickly, but the sharp gleam of a blade still grazed her cheek. A searing pain flared up instantly as a long cut began to ooze blood.
Her heart sank. She hastily flew backward, and her coiled whip shot back to her with a WHOOSH.
Song Wanning’s expression remained unchanged. She, too, retreated a few meters, the dagger in her hand already returned to her Storage Ring.
Her gaze fixed on what seemed to be nothing but Sun Lian’s blood-smeared face. She swung her longsword again, this time with an indomitable, forward-pressing aura.
’The Sword Dao True Realm before was just me constructing my own world. Now, the real test begins.’
’I need to find a way to completely merge my inner world with the Sword Dao True Realm. If I succeed, it will be like suppressing my enemies with the power of an entire world.’
’Even if limited by my current cultivation, the power would be extraordinary. I’d be unrivaled in the Void Refining Stage.’
At this thought, Song Wanning’s mind became perfectly still.
On the stage, the two plunged back into a fierce melee.
The glint of the sword and the shadow of the whip were a dazzling sight, like a flurry of fireworks.
Sun Lian was clearly enraged by the wound on her face, and her attacks grew increasingly vicious.
The disciples below the stage immediately broke into a flurry of discussion. No one had expected Song Wanning to actually have some skill, enough to injure Sun Lian.
After all, Sun Lian was a prominent cultivator in the Inner Sect, not someone Lin Hao could compare to.
Below the stage, Sun Qing stood in the shadows with his arms crossed, his gaze locked tightly onto Song Wanning’s figure.
At his side, his friend Li Yu’er was furious.
"That woman dared to hurt Sister Sun Lian! It seems she has some ability, but she’d be dead wrong to underestimate Sister Sun Lian because of it. She hasn’t even used her ultimate move yet!"
Seeing her good friend injured, she naturally couldn’t stand it.
Sun Qing, however, remained calm. "Lian is too impetuous. She rushes onto the stage at the slightest provocation. It’s about time she learned a lesson."
"Heh heh, it seems you’re not worried about Sun Lian at all, Junior Brother Sun!"
another friend teased from the side, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
After all, Sun Lian was Sun Qing’s biological sister. For him to be so calm while she was taking a beating was surprising.
"What’s there to worry about? This is the Sect’s fighting stage. As long as she doesn’t die, it’s fine."
Sun Qing gave a slight smile, but as he spoke, his eyes remained fixed on Song Wanning, never straying for even an instant.
’Her movement technique is strange... It’s as if she’s deliberately holding back.’
The longer he watched, the tighter his brow furrowed.
"What nonsense are you two talking about? Sister Sun Lian isn’t going to lose! Why are you boosting our opponent’s morale and lowering our own?"
Li Yu’er was displeased with their conversation. Weren’t they just jinxing Sister Sun Lian?
Hearing this, Sun Qing finally glanced at Li Yu’er.
"Can’t you tell that Song Wanning is just using Lian as a training partner?"
Li Yu’er’s cultivation was no lower than Sun Lian’s; she simply had joined the sect later than them, hence why she always called her "Sister."
"What? How is that possible?"
Li Yu’er was startled. She had been so focused on being angry for her friend that she hadn’t looked closely. Now that she calmed down and watched, she realized that Song Wanning really *was* using Sun Lian as a training partner.
Every time it looked like they were evenly matched, the moment Sun Lian exerted more effort, Song Wanning’s strength would rise to meet it, as if everything was perfectly calculated...
And it was visible to the naked eye that the power of Song Wanning’s Sword Dao True Realm was growing stronger with each exchange...
"That’s too much... How could she do that..."
Li Yu’er felt deflated, but the curses died on her lips.
Strength reigned supreme. This only proved that Song Wanning’s abilities were indeed extraordinary, and they had no choice but to accept it.
In the brief time it took for their exchange, the battle between Song Wanning and Sun Lian had reached a fever pitch.
The long whip pulsed with red light. Its once-supple silver scales instantly straightened, rigid as a spear, and the flame-wreathed tip transformed into a fiery spearhead.
A chill radiated from the longsword. The sound of striking metal and stone shook the stage, and the surrounding Array Patterns rippled, erupting in brilliant sparks between the two fighters.
BOOM—
The powerful shockwave forced them both back, each retreating to one side of the stage.
Sun Lian was exhausted, her face flushed red and the hand gripping her whip trembling slightly.
But Song Wanning? She still looked completely composed. In fact, the soaring fighting spirit in her eyes made her look exceptionally beautiful.
A frustrated fury smoldered in Sun Lian’s heart, and her glare toward Song Wanning grew even more vicious.
’This woman is like my nemesis,’ she fumed. ’Every move I make, she counters it perfectly and forces me back.’
