She Dominates the Immortal Realm with Her HP Bar-Chapter 76

"Senior Brother Yuan, does this meet your approval now?"

Yuan Feiyu: "..."

Judging solely by appearance and tone, this Junior Brother Wu seemed like a refined, reasonable, and courteous young man.

But considering his actions just now… this was clearly a case of "ask for forgiveness, not permission"—and it was downright infuriating!

Yuan Feiyu took a deep breath and reluctantly conceded, "...Fine, fine."

Wu Manshuang, still the picture of courtesy, pressed his advantage with gentle persistence.

"Then, Senior Brother Yuan, may I proceed with this method of breaking the formation? Rest assured, I’ll reassemble everything afterward."

He hadn’t yet learned how to construct such sword formations.

Once he conquered this Golden Core Stage formation, wouldn’t he have mastered the art of setting one up?

Besides, Yan Luoyue was in need of supplementary offensive formations. By studying the essence of different formations, he could share these insights with her.

Yuan Feiyu hesitated before asking, "What if I said no?"

Wu Manshuang pondered briefly, then replied in a serene tone, "Then I won’t dismantle it. I’ll just stay at the mountain’s base for three months before leaving."

Yuan Feiyu: "..."

Well, aren’t you just giving up?

At this, the throbbing pain in Yuan Feiyu’s stomach seemed to intensify.

He waved a hand dismissively. "Go ahead, go ahead..."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Yuan."

Wu Manshuang expressed his gratitude, then smiled faintly—a hint of shyness curling at the corners of his lips—before turning and lunging toward the Golden Core Stage sword formation.

With a ferocity that starkly contrasted his usual demeanor, he began dismantling the formation barehanded.

Soon, the entrance to the formation lay in scattered ruins, resembling the aftermath of a dismemberment.

The key detail? Wu Manshuang paused after each dismantling step.

At the slightest hint of a threatening sword aura, he’d leap back and retreat without hesitation!

Yuan Feiyu: "..."

Impressive. Junior Brother Wu’s sense of self-preservation was truly eye-opening.

This wasn’t mere cowardice—it was strategic prudence, a masterclass in tactical retreats, a grand symphony of well-organized, purposeful self-preservation!

Yan Luoyue consoled him, "Don’t worry, Senior Brother Yuan. Though Manshuang dismantles the formation, he always puts it back together."

Yuan Feiyu shook his head mournfully.

"Junior Sister Yan, between the two of you, you’re the senior disciple, correct?"

"Indeed."

Yuan Feiyu shot her a meaningful look. "Look at this scene… Senior Sister Yan, don’t you have any thoughts?"

Yan Luoyue couldn’t help but laugh.

—Sword cultivators were so endearing, even their hints were blunt.

So, her answer was naturally…

"Not at all." Yan Luoyue blinked innocently. "Well, if I had to say… Manshuang’s actions today gave me some inspiration."

"If we released a set of Lego-like building blocks, they’d probably sell well in the cultivation world."

Yuan Feiyu: "..."

Suddenly, he understood why, despite their similar ages, Yan Luoyue was the senior disciple and Wu Manshuang the junior.

So this was the legendary "the upper beam is crooked, and the lower beam follows suit"...

Thus, Wu Manshuang and Yan Luoyue temporarily settled at the foot of Sword Peak.

By day, Wu Manshuang would go to dismantle—no, familiarize himself with—the sword formation.

At first, Yuan Feiyu accompanied him diligently, fulfilling his duty as a guardian disciple.

But he soon realized such protection was unnecessary.

Because Junior Brother Wu… truly took excellent care of himself.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

More frustratingly, by the afternoon of the second day, Wu Manshuang tactfully tried to dismiss Yuan Feiyu.

He asked, "Senior Brother Yuan, haven’t you yet practiced your 36,000 sword strikes today?"

—Go train. Didn’t you say you wanted to catch up to Senior Brother Jiang?

Yuan Feiyu: "..."

Why bring that up now?!

What Yuan Feiyu didn’t know was that as the formation’s difficulty increased, Wu Manshuang anticipated the risk of bleeding.

That was precisely why he couldn’t let Yuan Feiyu accompany him.

If he were alone in the formation, a little bloodshed wouldn’t matter. He could dismantle the nearby formation and clean up the traces without harming anyone.

But if Yuan Feiyu were present and accidentally splashed with blood…

That would be a true disaster.

In any case, the oblivious Yuan Feiyu was indignantly stripped of his chaperone rights and now sat at the mountain’s base with Yan Luoyue.

This Junior Sister Yan wasn’t much better—her sharp words struck straight at Yuan Feiyu’s sore spots.

She asked, "Senior Brother Yuan, do you want to surpass Senior Brother Jiang because you disagree with his sword intent, or because you resent his profit shares?"

Yuan Feiyu: "..."

Under Yan Luoyue’s gaze, the proud and prickly young swordsman’s face flushed crimson.

He stammered, "Only an unwavering sword path is the strongest. Of course, my disagreement with Jiang Tingbai is purely about the Dao of the Sword."

Yan Luoyue blinked. Are you sure?

Yuan Feiyu: "..."

With a huff, he turned away and muttered, "Well… there might be some personal reasons too..."

These personal reasons had nothing to do with profit shares—but they were deeply tied to the Monument of the Vast Heavens.

The reason was actually quite simple: As a standard chuunibyou teenager, Yuan Feiyu, like all past and present disciples of Sword Peak, harbored the dream of leaving his name inscribed on the Great Dao Azure Sky Stele.

However, since Sword Peak had already suffered a loss once because of Jiang Tingbai, they were naturally wary of such opportunistic behavior.

They wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

Thus, every disciple who approached the Great Dao Azure Sky Stele was only allowed to leave a single sword mark on it.

Anything else—whether it was poetry, famous quotes, abstract artwork, or even "xxx was here"—would result in a hefty fine from Sword Peak.

The penalty was exorbitantly high, and no disciple dared to test it.

One Sword Peak disciple had once questioned this rule—judging from Yuan Feiyu’s tone, Yan Luoyue suspected that the disciple in question was none other than himself.

The disciple asked, "Why was Jiang Tingbai allowed to do it?"

Sword Peak replied, "Jiang Tingbai was comprehending sword intent at the time. It was a special case, so we let it slide—but it won’t happen again."

Sword Peak added, "Most importantly, his sword intent brought in ticket revenue."

The disciple: "..."

After recounting this old story, Yuan Feiyu still looked indignant.

"I want to leave my name on the Great Dao Azure Sky Stele too! Is ticket revenue really that important? Just five spirit stones—how could that possibly matter so much?"

Hearing this, Yan Luoyue suddenly recalled the wishes she had overheard from the swordsmen at the Brush Washing Pond.

Yan Luoyue: "..."

She couldn’t speak for other places, but when it came to Sword Peak, she had a feeling that five spirit stones were indeed quite significant.

Clearing her throat, Yan Luoyue decided to do something to cheer up her senior brother.

She pointed at Yuan Feiyu’s sword. "Senior Brother Yuan, let me give your sword a maintenance treatment."

Yuan Feiyu perked up his ears and eyed her warily. "How much? Is it a phased payment? You’re not going to quote a base price first and then charge a package fee when it’s time to pay, are you?"

...Judging by his reaction, he had clearly been scammed by shady sword maintenance shops—no, shady "beauty salons"—one too many times.

While silently shedding a tear of sympathy for swordsmen in her heart, Yan Luoyue tried to soothe him.

"Senior Brother Yuan, you’ve taken such good care of me and Manshuang along the way. How could I possibly charge you?"

The tsundere youth muttered, "Then you should at least call me Senior Brother Yuan the Great," as he handed his beloved sword over to Yan Luoyue.

When it came to sword maintenance, the poorer, lower-tier swordsmen would lovingly care for their blades with oil and silk.

The average poor swordsman—such as the disciples of Sword Peak in the Guiyuan Sect—would send their swords to a blacksmith for reforging.

Of course, "reforging" here didn’t mean melting the sword down entirely.

It simply involved using smithing techniques and materials to fill in minor scratches, restore the blade’s luster, and refine away accumulated impurities.

The most elite sword maintenance masters could polish a blade until it gleamed like a mirror, sharp as an arrow, so dazzling that merely looking at it might sting one’s eyes.

On top of that, they could inscribe various formations to add effects like breathing lights, flashy patterns, or custom color schemes—essentially giving the sword a "skin."

This kind of premium maintenance package had no flaws whatsoever.

Except for one thing: it was expensive.

Bloody expensive.

Extremely, outrageously expensive.

A single session started at a minimum of a hundred spirit stones—and that was only if you caught a discount during a promotional event.

For swordsmen who treasured their blades as dearly as their dao companions, giving their beloved swords a top-tier maintenance treatment was nothing short of the ultimate dream!

Yuan Feiyu declared firmly, "The price isn’t the problem—I am."

Yan Luoyue: "..."

Rubbing her forehead at the shared quirks of swordsmen, she coughed lightly and drew Yuan Feiyu’s sword from the furnace.

"So, Senior Brother Yuan, is this the kind of premium maintenance package you were talking about?"

"!!!"

Yuan Feiyu’s eyes widened as he stared at his beloved sword, almost too stunned to answer.

His treasured spirit-grade sword had been refined by Yan Luoyue until it looked brand new.

The cold, razor-sharp blade gleamed like the frozen surface of a river in the dead of winter. The meticulously forged edge could slice through hair with a mere touch, its frost-white steel capable of cleaving through any obstacle in its path.

Yan Luoyue added, "I gave it a final polish at the end—though it wasn’t strictly necessary. It just makes the visual effect a bit more dazzling."

That much was true.

At this moment, Yuan Feiyu could hardly tear his gaze away from his sword.

This was his pride and joy, his most beloved wife!

Not that his sword hadn’t been beautiful before.

A swordsman’s blade was always the apple of their eye.

But there was a world of difference between a wife dressed up for a grand banquet and one who hadn’t washed her face, put on makeup, or even wiped off the bloodstains from battle.

Yuan Feiyu heard a soft "slurp" sound.

Three seconds later, he realized it had come from his own mouth.

Carefully accepting his beloved sword, Yuan Feiyu finally understood the saying, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

With a hint of bashfulness, he muttered, "Their premium packages… also include custom engravings on the blade."

"Oh, that falls under formation work."

Yan Luoyue thought for a moment. "It’s not too difficult—I could do it myself—but how about this?"

She waved over Wu Manshuang, who had returned with an armful of scavenged parts. "Manshuang, could you add a design to Senior Brother Yuan’s sword?"

For Wu Manshuang, this was as easy as lifting a finger.

He stepped forward and casually traced a few lines on the blade. Instantly, the sword began to shimmer with a shifting neon glow.

If this had been the modern world, this "chasing lights" effect would have easily ranked among the "Top 3 RGB Keyboard Lighting Designs Beloved by Straight Men."

This minor formation was just a casual addition by Wu Manshuang and would fade on its own in a few days.

Watching Senior Brother Yuan’s sword, Yan Luoyue suddenly found it oddly familiar.

—Ah, right. She handled the polishing and base work, while Wu Manshuang added the decorative effects. Wasn’t this essentially the sword equivalent of a manicure?

A spark of inspiration struck her.

Looking up at Yuan Feiyu, she said with utmost sincerity, "Senior Brother Yuan, do you know any other Sword Peak disciples who’d like a maintenance package? Please, introduce them to me!"

...

Seven days later, at the foot of Sword Peak.

Word of the affordable, high-quality maintenance stall had spread, and swordsmen had formed a long, orderly queue.

Yan Luoyue sat behind the stall with a cheerful smile, a large sign propped in front of her that read:

"Limited-Time Offer! Premium Maintenance—Only Five Spirit Stones per Set! Practically Free After Rounding!"

Beside her sat Wu Manshuang.

The two of them split the workload—one handling polishing, the other adding decorative formations.

They split the earnings fifty-fifty. As Yan Luoyue put it, Wu Manshuang was a "technical shareholder."

Beyond that, she also had a little personal motive.

Over a year had passed, and Wu Manshuang had transformed from someone who could only steal glances at her and instinctively pulled his cloak hood down in crowded places, into someone slightly more talkative.

Since Wu Manshuang now walked among people without seeing himself as a walking source of doom, Yan Luoyue couldn’t resist pushing him into the spotlight.

—Look, this little snake I “adopted” instead of buying is now thriving under my care!

The maintenance business Yan Luoyue envisioned was far from just a small stall. However, since they were still in the market research phase, she personally took charge to gauge demand.

Occasionally, they encountered amusing surprises during their sword-polishing sessions.

Some sword cultivators had uniquely avant-garde tastes. For instance, a burly senior brother standing eight feet tall requested Wu Manshuang to give his beloved sword a pink, heart-shaped, glow-in-the-dark enhanced effect.

Wu Manshuang: "…"

Yan Luoyue nodded enthusiastically. "Excellent choice! This is the kind of flair a true warrior should have when wielding his sword!"

Seeing how sweetly Yan Luoyue praised the idea, the sword cultivators burst into laughter.

One of them couldn’t help but blurt out, "Junior Sister Yan, you really don’t seem like Master Ji Qinghong’s disciple—though you do resemble Senior Brother Jiang Tingbai’s junior sister."

This brutally honest sword cultivator was promptly smacked by a fellow junior sister behind him.

After some time running their stall, Yan Luoyue and Wu Manshuang earned quite a favorable reputation on Sword Peak.

On several occasions, Yan Luoyue even overheard whispers in the line.

Some speculated whether Ji Qinghong had taken them in as disciples out of a rare moment of conscience after thousands of years.

Yan Luoyue: "…"

Yuan Feiyu, who also heard the remarks, hesitated to speak.

These ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‍senior brothers and sisters had clearly been won over by the dirt-cheap maintenance services and the duo’s adorable appearances.

But Yuan Feiyu… his eyes had already seen too much.

Just thinking about it brought tears to his eyes.

Every day, Wu Manshuang dismantled Golden Core Stage sword formations with his bare hands, taking them apart and reassembling them repeatedly.

Since he always put the formations back together in the end, Yuan Feiyu never said anything.

Until last night, when Wu Manshuang was just one step away from dismantling the final piece of the formation and reaching the mountaintop—!!!

At the foot of the mountain, Yuan Feiyu, who was practicing his swordplay, watched Wu Manshuang’s figure from afar, feeling a surge of vicarious excitement.

But in the next second, instead of removing the last piece, Wu Manshuang reattached the previous one!

Yuan Feiyu: "…"

Under Yuan Feiyu’s bewildered gaze, Wu Manshuang dusted off his sleeves and calmly walked away.

Yuan Feiyu was baffled: Why?

He was just one step away from breaking through the formation and completing this round of exchange!

Hearing the question, Wu Manshuang looked at Yuan Feiyu with respect.

In a tone that sounded like he was seeking permission but had already made up his mind, he asked, "Senior Brother Yuan, may I go dismantle… I mean, challenge that sword formation?"

Yuan Feiyu followed Wu Manshuang’s finger—good heavens, he was pointing at the neighboring Nascent Soul Stage sword formation!

Yuan Feiyu: "…"

At that moment, the familiar ache in his stomach returned, twisting around Yuan Feiyu’s fragile insides.

"…Junior Brother Wu, what are you planning?"

Wu Manshuang lowered his head slightly and replied with utmost humility, "Life is finite, but learning is boundless."

Yuan Feiyu: "…"

So, our Sword Peak is just your personal training ground, is that it?

For the first time in his life, Yuan Feiyu felt that the three-month exchange period might not have been such a great idea after all.

—When the ancestors established this rule, did they ever imagine an exchange student who would dismantle every single formation on Sword Peak?

Wu Manshuang smiled sheepishly and added, "Actually, it’s not just dismantling. I made some minor upgrades and improvements to the formations too."

"Eh?"

Wu Manshuang gestured toward the Golden Core Stage formation. "If you’re interested, Senior Brother Yuan, you can test this new version."

Skeptical but curious, Yuan Feiyu stepped into the modified formation.

He took his first step—the pressure from the formation felt unchanged.

Then he took his second step—!

The moment his foot landed, the formation, which previously only attacked from the front, suddenly intensified.

Fierce sword energy surged from all directions, striking at Yuan Feiyu from every angle!

Hiss—

The formation’s power had nearly quadrupled!

Swiftly summoning his own sword energy to repel the attacks, Yuan Feiyu retreated from the formation.

He fixed his gaze on Wu Manshuang, only to see the junior brother’s face radiating modesty, as if to say, "I merely made some insignificant adjustments, nothing worth mentioning."

Yuan Feiyu: "…"

In the following days, the Golden Core Stage formation echoed with the howls of sword cultivators.

Some were ecstatic:

"What? The formation’s power has been amplified! Hahaha, excellent! Attacks from all sides—this is the kind of challenge a true sword cultivator should face!"

Others engaged in friendly competition:

"Hmm—"

"Tsk tsk, you’re not doing so well, are you? Only 248 steps before getting injured?"

"Don’t get cocky. Let’s see who lasts longer next time."

But the loudest complaints came from lower-level sword cultivators:

"Ugh, the elders are so biased! Why can’t our Foundation Establishment Stage formations get an upgrade too?!"

…

To save time, Wu Manshuang didn’t modify the Nascent Soul Stage formation while dismantling it.

Upon learning this, Yuan Feiyu felt a pang of regret.

He tentatively asked Wu Manshuang, "Junior Brother Wu, why didn’t you upgrade the Nascent Soul formation?"

Was it because of his earlier attitude? Had he hurt the feelings of this junior brother, who couldn’t even bear the sight of blood?

If so, Yuan Feiyu was ready to apologize right then and there!

However, to his utter surprise, Wu Manshuang gave him a puzzled look before smiling faintly.

"Why would you think that, Senior Brother Yuan?"

Wu Manshuang calmly smoothed his sleeves. "I simply thought… this Golden Core Stage formation could serve as a free trial. If Sword Peak is interested, they can discuss the upgrade fees for the other formations with me."

Yuan Feiyu: "…Oh."

So it was a long-term business strategy.

Now it made sense why Wu Manshuang had revisited the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining formations after conquering the Nascent Soul one.

Turns out, he was drafting a comprehensive renovation plan for all the formations!

Yuan Feiyu took a deep breath and averted his gaze from this rising prodigy, instead turning to the other half of the genius duo.

There stood Yan Luoyue, carrying a peculiarly shaped rectangular cabinet and placing it squarely on the path leading down from the Nascent Soul Stage formation.

She had made eight identical "big cabinets" in total.

At the foot of the mountain, where the Qi Refining, Foundation Building, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul sword formations stood, she had placed two machines on each path.

Yuan Feiyu once asked Junior Sister Yan about these "large cabinets," which were called "Sword Maintenance and Sales Vending Machines."

Through prior market research, Yan Luoyue successfully identified the ten most beloved sword special effects among sword cultivators.

From then on, sword cultivators who wanted maintenance for their beloved blades only needed to insert ten spirit stones into the machine, select a special effects package on the screen, and their swords would receive top-tier care!

This news delighted the sword cultivators.

Especially when they learned that the Golden Core Stage sword formation’s renovation was actually Wu Manshuang’s handiwork, Junior Sister Yan and Junior Brother Wu became the most popular guests on Sword Peak in recent times.

The sword cultivators once again expressed from the bottom of their hearts, "Junior Sister Yan, Junior Brother Wu, you two really don’t seem like Master Ji’s disciples!"

Yuan Feiyu: "..."

Yuan Feiyu really wanted to ask everyone—where exactly did they get that impression?

—Their opportunistic money-making mindset was practically the spitting image of Master Ji’s disciples, wasn’t it?!

...

In any case, after all these changes, the three-month exchange period finally came to an end.

Wu Manshuang, however, felt deeply unsatisfied.

On the last day of the exchange, Wu Manshuang happened to be dismantling the Nascent Soul Stage sword formation.

He tore his way up the mountain, reducing the formation to its final step.

Just then, Elder Xia, who had been in seclusion for twenty years, suddenly appeared at the entrance of the Nascent Soul Stage sword formation—a path that was rarely traversed, averaging only once a year.

"..."

Elder Xia and Wu Manshuang stared at each other in silence.

Peering over Wu Manshuang’s shoulder, Elder Xia took in the scattered remnants of the formation behind him, and his expression turned rather peculiar.

Because of this incident, the originally scheduled sparring exchange between the Formation Dao disciples and Sword Peak was canceled.

While Yan Luoyue went to spar with Yuan Feiyu, Wu Manshuang couldn’t even watch the match—instead, he was forced to work overtime, repairing the Nascent Soul Stage formation.

Wu Manshuang: "..."

In private, he tugged discreetly at Yan Luoyue’s sleeve, and the two shared a knowing look.

They could guess: the so-called "destruction of the Nascent Soul Stage sword formation" and being detained to repair it during the exchange was likely just an excuse.

Most likely, Ji Qinghong had revealed Wu Manshuang’s unique constitution to Sword Peak’s higher-ups.

Sword cultivators were fierce in battle, often drawing blood the moment their blades left the sheath.

Yuan Feiyu, in particular, specialized in an unstoppable sword path, making him an unsuitable opponent for Wu Manshuang.

To prevent any unfortunate accidents, Wu Manshuang had been cleverly removed from the sparring list.

Yuan Feiyu felt a little regretful about not being able to spar with Wu Manshuang—but not too regretful.

After all, Junior Brother Wu was rather delicate in temperament, sensitive at heart, and couldn’t even stand the sight of blood.

So, it was better not to hurt him.

In comparison, Junior Sister Yan, with her peculiar turtle clan traits, was an excellent sparring partner!

Before the match began, Yuan Feiyu warned Yan Luoyue in advance: "Junior Sister Yan, I’ll suppress my cultivation to the mid-Foundation Building Stage to match yours."

"This spar is something I truly desire. I respect you, so I won’t hold back—and I ask that you don’t hold back either. Use everything you’ve got. I want to see your strongest abilities."

Yuan Feiyu: "..."

After hearing his request, Yan Luoyue fell silent for nearly half a minute.

Only when Senior Brother Yuan gave her a strange look did she finally close her eyes with great reluctance and ask in an odd tone, "Senior Brother Yuan, are you sure?"

Yuan Feiyu declared firmly, "I’m sure."

Yuan Luoyue emphasized again, "My strongest skill isn’t artifact forging or anything like that… The consequences might be hard to imagine. Are you really sure?"

Yuan Feiyu repeated, "I’m sure!"

"...Alright then." Yan Luoyue sighed heavily. "Since you insist."

...

On the day of their match, following the customs of Guiyuan Sect, all the peak masters attended in full force—an unusually large turnout.

Normally, for matches between disciples, only those with close relationships would personally attend.

Others would either send a representative or reply with a formal note.

But this time was different—this time, the participants were Ji Qinghong’s disciples!

For that reason alone, it was worth putting aside their busy schedules to watch the match!

At the center of the viewing platform, Ji Qinghong and the Sword Peak Master sat side by side, engaged in a cordial conversation.

Some peak masters, curious about what the two could be discussing, pricked up their ears to listen.

They soon discovered that Ji Qinghong was negotiating a new business deal for his junior disciple—renovating sword formations.

The Sword Peak Master suddenly understood. "So that free renovation of the Golden Core Stage sword formation was part of this scheme!"

Ji Qinghong smiled without a word.

The Sword Peak Master gave him a deep, solemn look.

—Indeed, Ji Qinghong’s snake-clan junior disciple had inherited his master’s shrewdness, thinking almost exactly like him.

Among all the disciples on Radish Peak, only Jiang Tingbai and the little turtle girl had trustworthy characters.

The Sword Peak Master held this belief—until the match began.

As Yan Luoyue and Yuan Feiyu stepped onto the arena, a barrier rose around them.

Yuan Feiyu held his sword in one hand and solemnly saluted Yan Luoyue with a swordsman’s gesture.

"Junior Sister Yan, after you."

Yuan Feiyu smiled and returned the gesture. "Senior Brother Yuan, after you—and really, don’t hold back. I mean it."

The next moment, as the countdown ended, the two sprang into action.

Yuan Feiyu raised his sword, its tip pointing skyward.

A chilling sword aura gathered around the blade, which had just received top-tier maintenance and gleamed coldly.

As for Yan Luoyue…

Well, Yan Luoyue immediately transformed into a turtle and curled up motionless in a corner of the barrier.

This unexpected move left the watching peak masters stunned, and they exchanged bewildered glances.

Was this… a strategy of pure defense without counterattacking?

Such a passive approach was practically no different from surrendering!

Some peak masters stole glances at Ji Qinghong, wondering how he would react to his disciple’s performance.

And, truth be told, they felt a bit smug about it.

Unfortunately, Ji Qinghong gave them no satisfaction.

He sat calmly, a faint smile of amusement on his lips, looking completely at ease.

It was as if his race had changed from rabbit to tortoise—his demeanor was unshakable.

"..."

In fact, Ji Qinghong even turned to the Sword Peak Master with a smile and asked, "What do you think, Junior Sister Chu?"

The Peak Master of Sword Peak remarked, "Feiyu may not possess unparalleled talent, but what I admire is his indomitable, unyielding spirit."

"With just that youthful tenacity, his sword energy cannot be blocked by ordinary defensive techniques."

Almost as soon as the Sword Peak Master finished speaking, that icy sword light, sharp enough to split ice and spill blood, came crashing down onto Yan Luoyue's turtle shell!

...And then, under the watchful eyes of the crowd—eyes sharp enough for cultivators to discern even the finest details—a faint, almost imperceptible scratch appeared on Yan Luoyue's shell.

The Sword Peak Master: "..."

Undeterred by his first failed strike, Yuan Feiyu didn't hesitate for even a moment.

His sword energy was so fierce it left no room for his opponent to breathe. In the blink of an eye, a second strike followed, then a third, a fourth, a fifth...

And then, a quarter of an hour later, Yuan Feiyu was still relentlessly hacking away.

Everyone: "..."

Yuan Feiyu had once told Yan Luoyue that he practiced thirty-six thousand sword strikes every morning. This was no exaggeration.

Because in just that short quarter of an hour, he had already unleashed nearly a thousand strikes.

But Yan Luoyue really wanted to tell Yuan Feiyu: "Junior Brother Yuan, just give up. Stop trying."

Though Yuan Feiyu was happily swinging away, his barrage of attacks might as well have been a fierce tiger—yet the actual damage dealt to Yan Luoyue's health bar probably didn't even amount to two hundred and fifty.

After all, for the sake of fairness in the match, Yuan Feiyu had suppressed his cultivation to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

Had Yuan Feiyu already grasped the essence of sword intent, he might have dealt more damage. But alas, he hadn't.

Moreover, Yan Luoyue's turtle form naturally had higher defense than her human form.

Add to that the fact that she was currently using the Turtle Shell Technique, and her health bar automatically regenerated...

Taking all these factors into account, Yan Luoyue could practically watch as her health points ticked down in increments of -0.5, -0.3, -0.6...

Yan Luoyue: "..."

If it wouldn’t have seemed too much like taunting, she would have loved to tell Yuan Feiyu:

"Junior Brother Yuan, if you keep up this exact pace without a single delay, you’ll only need to keep hacking at me nonstop for about twenty-three days before you can finally defeat me!"

But as things stood now...

Yan Luoyue sighed regretfully in her heart, then retracted all four limbs and her head into her shell.

Under the increasingly bewildered gazes of the observing Peak Masters, one hour passed...

Then three hours...

The sword light on the stage remained as relentless and unwavering as ever, not diminishing in the slightest.

But the little turtle curled up in the corner of the barrier began to show a slight change.

And that change was...

The Peak Masters exchanged meaningful glances, their expressions unreadable.

—Wait a minute, did that kid just fall asleep?

—Hmm, judging by the breathing, she’s definitely asleep...

Everyone: "..."

That night, after five grueling hours of battle, Yuan Feiyu finally exhausted himself.

His sword tip touched the ground, his back straight, but he couldn’t help panting heavily.

At that exact moment, Yan Luoyue stretched out her limbs and head from her shell, gave a leisurely stretch, and then launched a fresh, spirited attack at Yuan Feiyu.

As everyone knew, the durability of sword cultivators was on par with that of body cultivators, making them the twin pillars of the cultivation world.

Even though Yuan Feiyu had suppressed his cultivation to the Foundation Establishment stage, his constitution was still that of a Golden Core Stage sword cultivator.

This meant that the damage Yan Luoyue dealt to Yuan Feiyu was practically the same as what Yuan Feiyu had been dealing to her—little more than a tickle.

But that hour-long skirmish wasn’t entirely without effect.

The effect was—Yan Luoyue’s health bar, which had been slightly depleted, had now fully regenerated!

Yan Luoyue: "..."

Well, it wasn’t exactly bad news.

But for the sake of Junior Brother Yuan’s mental health, it was probably best not to let him know.

And so, Yan Luoyue and Yuan Feiyu’s terrifying duel dragged on for a full three days.

On the third day, bathed in the faint glow of dawn breaking over the horizon, someone finally voiced a question.

"Does our sect’s tournament rules for disciples have a time limit for matches?"

"...No, they don’t."

"...How did such a glaring loophole go unnoticed for so long?"

"Excellent question. But why ask me? Who am I supposed to ask?"

—Before this match today, who could have imagined that tournament rules could have such an absurd loophole?!

Someone couldn’t help but glance toward Ji Qinghong and the Sword Peak Master at the center of the gathering.

The Sword Peak Master’s demeanor was as cold and solitary as an ancient snow-capped peak.

As for Ji Qinghong... damn it, don’t look at this guy—it’s infuriating!

That white-haired, red-eyed rabbit had been laughing the entire time, without a single pause!

By the tenth day, the match was forcibly called to a halt.

In the end, the spar between the Artifact Dao’s representative disciple and the Sword Dao’s representative disciple was declared a draw.

The collective sentiment was—finally, it’s over!

After the match, a fellow disciple from Sword Peak quietly sought out Yan Luoyue and asked her what she thought about the outcome.

Yan Luoyue pondered for a moment before replying with deep emotion, "Well, it’s just that Junior Brother Yuan is stubbornly competitive. Plus, Golden Core Stage cultivators don’t need to eat or drink, so he never had to take a bathroom break... Otherwise, I might have won."

The questioning senior brother: "..."

After this match, a rumor began circulating among the Sword Peak disciples—

It was said that the disciples from that Peak—you know which one—each left their mark on Sword Peak in some way.

Jiang Tingbai changed the Great Dao Azure Sky Stele of Sword Peak.

Wu Manshuang altered one of Sword Peak’s sword formations.

As for Yan Luoyue, she changed Sword Peak’s tournament rules.

After her, if a match couldn’t be decided within one hour, it would be considered a draw.