"This Jiang Qingyi is incredible."
"I heard that when Elder Xiao first brought Jiang Qingyi to the Longquan Sword Sect, she couldn't even break into the Qi Cultivation Realm for months."
"No kidding. Back then, word was Jiang Qingyi was a hopeless case. Who knew she'd have some kind of sudden epiphany and start progressing so fast."
"Elder Xiao certainly has a good eye for talent."
In the spectators' stands, the people around Xiao Mo were all abuzz, discussing Jiang Qingyi.
Xiao Mo watched Qingyi receive treatment for her injuries, feeling a bit dazed himself.p>He could have never imagined that Qingyi would actually make it to the finals.
What was this feeling like?
Qingyi was like the protagonist of a novel. Whenever she was on the verge of defeat, she would have a realization at the critical moment or achieve a sudden breakthrough in her Realm.
For example, during the semifinals, Jiang Qingyi was in grave danger but refused to surrender. In the end, she actually broke through to the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer!
Xiao Mo began to wonder if the "experience life" feature of the Hundred Generations Book meant that each life was the epic struggle of a protagonist, and he was merely cast in a supporting role.
'If that's really the case,' Xiao Mo thought, 'I suppose it's fine. At least with a protagonist's plot armor, Qingyi is less likely to meet with a fatal accident.'
"The finals! Jiang Qingyi of Lingqian Peak versus Xiao Yan of Yunhai Hall!"
The loud shout of a Deacon rang out.
Jiang Qingyi rose to her feet and walked toward the largest array in the center of the plain.
The moment she stepped into the array, Jiang Qingyi turned her head, looked in Xiao Mo's direction, and gave him a brilliant smile.
Xiao Mo frowned and mouthed three words to her: "Don't push yourself."
Before the finals, a master could surrender on behalf of their disciple.
But in the finals, only the disciples themselves could surrender.
But who among those who reached the finals wasn't a proud and arrogant genius?
They would never surrender unless they were beaten so badly they couldn't get back up.
Deaths had even occurred in the finals of previous New Blood Competitions.
As if she hadn't seen her master's instruction, Jiang Qingyi stepped into the array.
The match began. Xiao Yan lived up to his reputation as the favorite to win and the most promising genius of the new generation.
Having already absorbed three types of Anomalous Fire, he was at the Half-Step Foundation Establishment Realm, and the quality of his power was simply absurd.
Each of Xiao Yan's Anomalous Fires possessed unique properties, and as he swung his longsword, their might grew even greater.
Jiang Qingyi had no room to even fight back. She could only flee relentlessly, searching for an opening.
"Is running all you know how to do?"
Xiao Yan sneered and raised his longsword high.
A wave of sword energy, imbued with the properties of Bone Spirit Cold Fire, slashed down.
Unable to dodge in time, Jiang Qingyi was forced to block it with her Profound Frost Sword.
The young woman was sent flying twenty meters.
Her longsword stabbed into the ground for support as Jiang Qingyi coughed a few times, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
Xiao Yan wouldn't give Jiang Qingyi a chance to catch her breath.
In an instant, his longsword was upon her again, aimed straight between her eyebrows.
Jiang Qingyi parried his thrust and executed the second form of the Grass Character Sword Intent: Pen Dances like a Dragon and Snake.
The young woman's Sword Techniques were like cursive calligraphy—each movement was unpredictable and treacherous, yet possessed a fluid, natural grace.
Her Sword Qi left trails in the air like ink-black afterimages.
Although Jiang Qingyi lacked raw power, her Body Technique was nimble.
By coordinating her Body Technique with her Sword Techniques, the angle of each attack was extremely cunning.
As Jiang Qingyi attacked, she even left faint, deceptive afterimages in the air. They lingered briefly, compressing her opponent's room to maneuver.
In less than ten exchanges, Xiao Yan's body was covered in cuts.
Some spectators thought Jiang Qingyi had turned the tables, shifting from defense to offense and even gaining the upper hand.
But in truth, Xiao Mo and the other Elder Deacons could all see that her attacks were having a limited effect on Xiao Yan. Moreover, he was clearly preparing a massive technique, intending to end it all in a single strike!
"Interesting. But a pity. It's not enough. First place in the New Blood Competition is mine."
Xiao Yan created some distance, feeling the time was right.
He took a step forward, and one after another, Sword Lotuses bloomed across the ground.
Scorching flames billowed, brushing against Jiang Qingyi's long hair.
"We are fellow sect disciples, so I'll give you one last chance. Surrender! Otherwise, when this technique strikes, you will die!" Waves of fire erupted from his body.
Though he was only a Cultivator in the Qi Cultivation Realm, at this moment, Xiao Yan seemed like a god.
Jiang Qingyi took a deep breath, stood up, and pulled her longsword from the ground. "Bring it on!"
"You've got courage!"
With a great shout, more Sword Lotuses bloomed at Xiao Yan's feet.
Cracks appeared on every lotus.
The next moment, the Sword Lotuses burst apart.
"Qingyi! Surrender!" Xiao Mo roared.
Even though this was just 'experiencing a life,' and Xiao Mo knew everything in the Hundred Generations Book was an illusion...
...after spending so much time together, how could he not have developed feelings for Qingyi?
It was like binge-watching a show; you'd still get gutted when a character like Ran Bing from *Spirit Cage* was turned into a human popsicle, even if you knew it wasn't real.
Xiao Yan's Sword Qi, Spiritual Power, and Anomalous Fire all mixed together.
With every lotus that shattered, a shockwave blasted toward Jiang Qingyi.
After nine Sword Lotuses shattered, Jiang Qingyi was bleeding from all seven of her facial orifices. She was down on one knee, unable to even stand, but she still refused to surrender.
The final Sword Lotus was about to shatter—it was also the most powerful one.
Staring at that last Sword Lotus...
Jiang Qingyi remembered the robbers who had burst into her home. Her parents had stuffed her into a cabinet, and through a crack in the door, she could only watch helplessly as they died before her very eyes.
She remembered being taken away by the robbers to a magnificent mansion, where they talked about harvesting her bones.
She remembered waking up, having been dumped on a hillside covered in corpses.
She remembered begging on the streets, living from one day to the next.
And finally...
The young woman remembered stealing a few steamed buns and being on the verge of getting beaten with a club by the shop owner, when her master had appeared before her.
'I'm only alive because I met Master.'
'I can only cultivate because I met Master.'
'I cannot let Master down!'
'Master is my everything.'
The young woman took a deep breath and forced herself to her feet. The Profound Frost Longsword in her hand began to radiate wave after wave of Sword Intent.
Nine waves in total.
'Is that... the fourth form of the Grass Character Sword Intent, the Nine-leaf Sword?'
"BOOM!"
The instant the final Sword Lotus burst apart, the young woman thrust her sword forward.
A tremendous roar erupted from the array, kicking up a cloud of dust and sand more than ten meters high.
Xiao Mo immediately flew down from the spectators' stands and rushed into the array.
With a wave of his hand, Xiao Mo dispersed the dust cloud, revealing Qingyi standing in the same spot.
On the other side of the array, Xiao Yan lay collapsed on the ground, completely unconscious.
"Qingyi!" Xiao Mo cried out.
Hearing his voice, Jiang Qingyi turned around. She gave her master a faint smile, then collapsed forward.
Xiao Mo rushed forward and caught her.
"Master..."
Jiang Qingyi said weakly from his arms.
"The money you bet, Master... I won it back for you..."