Holding the Sword to Carry Away Senior Sister (Transmigration) - Chapter 49

Although Fu Yan had known about Bai Yueli’s innate talent and strength from the very beginning, she hadn’t paid it too much mind. Yet, for some reason, when she suddenly saw everyone in the crowd instinctively comparing her to Bai Yueli, it was as if she finally realized the staggering weight of the gap between them.

This mood was very subtle. Fu Yan didn’t even understand why she was suddenly so bothered by the comparison between herself and Bai Yueli. It was as if that person was standing right in front of her, yet no matter how hard she ran, she could never catch up. It wasn’t that she was unwilling to be behind; rather, she held a deep expectation—a longing—that one day she might truly walk side-by-side with her, shoulder to shoulder, instead of always staring at her back from a distance.

Watching everyone talk about Bai Yueli’s past battle records, Fu Yan suddenly wondered: when Bai Yueli faced her first defeat after that legendary nine-win streak, what was she feeling at that moment? Did she, at that time, share the same heart that Fu Yan possessed now?

“I heard a few days ago that someone saw Fairy Bai Yueli in Chaoyang City again. She’s already reached the Great Circle of the Opening Light stage!”

“What? So fast? I remember last year when she challenged the Arena, she had only just broken through to the Late Opening Light stage. It’s only been half a year, and she’s already at the Great Circle?”

“I wonder if we’ll get to see her style in the Arena again. If she fights now, who could possibly stop her?”

“Probably not. There’s no point for a Great Circle cultivator to challenge this section anymore. She’ll likely wait until she reaches the Hedo stage to challenge the Hedo Arena. That’s where the real monsters are.”

“Just hearing about it makes me impatient. A genius like that… her path is truly different from ours.”

“…”

While the crowd continued to savor the stories of Bai Yueli, Fu Yan, who was outside the Arena’s main stage, slowly climbed up from the ground. Her face remained expressionless, showing no sign of the frustration others expected. She simply reached up with a calm hand and wiped away a trace of blood that had leaked from the corner of her mouth.

She bent over, her fingers closing around the hilt of the Ling Long broken sword that had fallen with her, and she turned to walk out of the perimeter. Although she had failed to win the sixth round, the internal turbulence wasn’t actually that great. She was only at the Middle Opening Light stage; from the moment she stepped onto the stage, her only goal had been a five-win streak. Having successfully completed that, there was nothing to be truly sad about.

As for the loss in the sixth round to the challenger Lu You, there was no reason to be indignant. The opponent was genuinely powerful, and she herself was not at her peak; such is the nature of a gauntlet. On the path of cultivation, no one can remain undefeated forever. To Fu Yan, failure was merely a stepping stone on the road to success. She saw things clearly and her Dao heart was exceptionally stable; her confidence wouldn’t be so easily crushed by a single loss.

As she exited the Arena, Shui Liuqing, who had been watching from the sidelines with a heart full of anxiety, ran over. She looked at Fu Yan with deep concern. “Are you alright? That last hit looked heavy.”

Fu Yan shook her head, her movements steady as she stowed the Ling Long sword. Shui Liuqing could sense that Fu Yan’s body hadn’t sustained heavy injuries; she had simply been worried that Fu Yan’s pride would be wounded by such a public defeat. Seeing that Fu Yan was genuinely unaffected—her eyes as clear as ever—Shui Liuqing didn’t quite know what else to say.

Fu Yan didn’t dally. She sat down in the spectator stands, swallowed a few True Qi pills, and began to regulate her breathing on the spot. While her performance had been exciting to some, it wasn’t the kind of “miraculous” feat that kept people talking for hours, so the crowd’s fickle attention quickly shifted back to the new combatants entering the ring.

The battles in the Arena continued, one after another. Everyone watched with rapt attention, secretly betting on how many rounds the next challenger would last. Time trickled by in this atmosphere of blood and shouting. The pitch-black sky slowly turned to the color of a fish’s belly, and soon, a fiery sun rose slowly over the horizon, casting its golden light over the desert city. It was as if by the time everyone snapped out of their trance, they realized they had been there an entire night.

Fu Yan’s True Essence finally recovered as dawn broke. She stayed to watch a few more matches, analyzing the techniques of the Late-stage cultivators, before leading Shui Liuqing out of the Martial Market. After walking through the waking streets for a while, Fu Yan stopped. She looked back at the hesitant Shui Liuqing and asked, “If there’s something on your mind, just say it. You’ve been quiet for far too long.”

Ever since the challenge ended the previous night, Fu Yan could tell Shui Liuqing wanted to speak, but she had spent half the night hesitating. Caught off guard, Shui Liuqing blinked, then sighed in relief. Since Fu Yan had opened the door, she spoke truthfully through a voice transmission.

“Master,” she began, “I received news from my family last night. The Shui family’s annual clan competition begins in a few days. I… I want to go back and participate.”

To avoid causing suspicion from outsiders, Shui Liuqing had used voice transmissions for the title “Master” since entering the city. To any onlooker, they just seemed to be two friends chatting normally.

“Clan competition?” Fu Yan was somewhat surprised.

Just like a sect, every prominent family in the Northern Region held a yearly competition. The families used these to determine which descendants were worth concentrating their resources on. For the parents of these cultivators, their children’s success meant the entire branch of the family would receive better protection and status.

Shui Liuqing nodded. Although she said this, she was prepared for a rejection. She knew Fu Yan currently relied on her as a “free” servant in the city. However, Fu Yan wasn’t heartless. Despite the soul contract, she didn’t overlook Shui Liuqing’s talent. Aside from poisons, her swordplay was respectable. If Shui Liuqing gained her family’s support, she would become a more powerful asset.

“Go back for the competition, then,” Fu Yan said plainly. “I plan to stay in Chaoyang City to cultivate for a while longer.”

Shui Liuqing’s eyes widened in disbelief. “I… I can really go?”

Fu Yan felt a bit speechless. Did she look like such a stingy master? Seeing Fu Yan nod again, Shui Liuqing finally broke into a genuine smile. “Thank you, Master!”

Fu Yan waved her off dismissively and turned to leave. Shui Liuqing watched her back vanish into the crowd before hurrying out of the city and flying toward the Shui estate on her sword.

Occupied with their own thoughts, neither of them noticed that a pair of eyes had been tracking them since they left the Arena. As soon as the two women split, a figure detached itself from the crowd and vanished.

In the Ye family estate of Chaoyang City, within a magnificent room, Cheng Wanwan sat at a table. She had just returned from seeing Ye Xuanhe and seemed rather bored. A knock came at the door. “Enter.”

A figure hurried in, leaned over, and whispered a report. Cheng Wanwan’s eyes darkened as she recalled how familiar Ye Xuanhe and Shui Liuqing had seemed at the auction. But when she heard the two women had parted ways, she smiled.

“In that case… I remember an expert who once had a nine-win streak in the Arena, named Duan Sixin, right? Go find him.”

“Yes.”

As long as Fu Yan remained in the city, Cheng Wanwan was certain she would return to the Arena. While killing was forbidden there, shattering someone’s Qi Sea and turning them into a cripple was common enough.

“Blame yourself for appearing at the auction last night,” Cheng Wanwan murmured to her tea, her lips curling into a smile. “As for the one who left the city… I remember the Shui family competition is about to start. That should be… interesting.”

She smiled gently, looking like a demure lady, but the aura she projected was chilling. Soon, the figure quietly exited the room.

Fu Yan, unaware of the vultures circling her, remained in the city to train. She knew challenges shouldn’t be too frequent or her foundation would suffer. After parting with Shui Liuqing, she returned to the cultivation cliff.

The High-grade rooms were full, so she took a Mid-grade one. As she entered, she could feel the difference; the pressure was weaker than in the High-grade room, though the elemental environments were similar. She threw herself into her work. During the ice cycles, she practiced the Frost Tempering Sutra; during the gales, she practiced her sword moves and the final form of the Illusionless Sword.

Despite failing thousands of times, her expression never changed. She simply stood up and tried again. Time passed in an instant, and she had soon been in the chamber for ten whole days.

In the quiet chamber, the sound of howling winds echoed. Cold air spread, yet Fu Yan sat in the center with her eyes shut, energy swirling through her.

Crack, crack!

Suddenly, the ground froze. Ice climbed up her legs, her waist, her chest, until she was a perfect, crystalline statue. For fifteen minutes, she sat there, looking as if she had no life left. Bright ice reflected a cold white light in the dark room.

Then—BOOM!

The ice shattered into dust. Fu Yan opened her eyes, her pupils briefly glowing like crystalline shards of ice before returning to normal. Everything quickly fell into silence.

Fu Yan seemed to finally come to her senses. She raised her hand, slightly moving her True Essence, and a trace of cold Qi rose from her palm. She quickly retracted it, and the Qi vanished.

“Success!” she whispered, her heart full of joy and a hint of surprise.

She hadn’t expected to truly succeed. During these ten days of day-and-night training, she had been constantly running the Frost Tempering Sutra. Now, she had finally broken through to the First Layer. Only now did she feel the true power of this body-tempering technique.

She could clearly feel her strength reaching a new level, and she now had the ability to control cold Qi, which was quite extraordinary. Thinking of this, Fu Yan’s face was full of excitement. After months of practice, she had finally made a breakthrough.

“Time to go back to the Arena!” Fu Yan stood up and looked toward the exit, murmuring to herself.

Without delay, she stabilized her strength and walked out. After paying the fees, she arrived at the Arena once more. It was still crowded. She found a quiet corner and sat down, her eyes falling on the stage below.

Two Late Opening Light experts were fighting intensely.

“This person has already won seven matches in a row. If he wins this one, it’s eight. He might make it onto the Ranking Wall!”

“Yeah, I’ve been here three days, and he’s the only one with a hope of reaching eight wins.”

Hearing the chatter, Fu Yan watched curiously. Eight wins was indeed the threshold for the last spot on the Ranking Wall. The battle ended when one fighter made a mistake and was knocked off.

“Sigh, he failed after all!”

“What a pity, he had a chance, but that last move was a blunder.”

“He probably felt too much pressure.”

A wave of sighs swept through the Arena. Fu Yan could see he had been too nervous; the eighth match was clearly vital to him. But the crowd didn’t dwell on it for long as the next challenges began.

Fu Yan watched a few more rounds before taking her broken sword and walking down. Standing there for the second time, she felt exceptionally calm. She faced a Late-stage opponent who was on his last legs. Without hesitation, she used the first form of the Illusionless Sword to send him off.

Her second opponent was a Middle-stage cultivator like herself, but he was no match. He fell in three moves.

“Hmm? Isn’t that the Shui Ling Sect disciple from ten days ago? Hahaha, she’s back to challenge already.”

“Who? Is she famous?”

“Not exactly, but she won five in a row ten days ago. Since she’s from the same sect as Bai Yueli, I remember her.”

“Oh, I wonder how many she can win this time!”

Fu Yan ignored them, focusing entirely on the fight. She performed at her peak, reaching the sixth match. This opponent was very formidable. They exchanged nearly ten moves without a winner.

“I admit your peak strength might be above mine,” the opponent said, gripping his spear, “but after five wins, you will lose this round to me!” He swung his weapon, making the air surge. “Take my final blow—Bursting Spear!”

He dashed forward, powerful True Essence condensing on the spear like a raging waterfall. Fu Yan gripped her broken sword tightly. Cold Qi emerged from her palm and was injected into the blade.

Everyone clearly saw the broken sword suddenly become shrouded in a layer of frost. With the sound of freezing ice, a tip slowly manifested at the end of the broken blade. To be precise, a spike of ice had formed an extension, making the broken sword look whole again, radiating a chilling cold.

The crowd was stunned.

“What… what technique is that?”

“You idiot, her body tempering must be ice-attribute and she’s reached minor success. She’s condensing cold currents to ‘repair’ the blade with ice!”

“I thought she’d stop at match six, but now it’s hard to say! She might actually win!”

“Indeed, this battle has suddenly become interesting…”

••••

Amidst the awe-filled cries of the crowd, the two figures in the arena clashed instantly. As their powers collided, everyone widened their eyes, terrified of missing a single spectacular moment.

While their strengths were locked in a stalemate, Fu Yan knew that if she wanted to win this match, she could no longer hold anything back. At that thought, she instantly caused all the True Essence in her body to erupt.

Her opponent was shocked; they had expected the exchange to end in a draw at best, never imagining that Fu Yan’s True Essence would suddenly double in intensity.

Ultimately, Fu Yan’s sword successfully crushed the momentum of the other’s spear, knocking them back directly. A sharp “pooh” sound was heard as a mouthful of blood sprayed from their lips.

Fu Yan had successfully achieved six consecutive wins!

“Unbelievable, she actually won! That’s six in a row now—she’s definitely a genius-level talent!”

“Truly unexpected. Who would have thought she was still holding back a portion of her True Essence until the final moment? If she were at full strength, her opponent probably wouldn’t have lasted three moves.”

“Coming out to broaden my horizons was the right choice. I didn’t realize the experts out here were each more formidable than the last!”

While the crowd was still immersed in the aftermath of the previous fight, a figure stepped in from outside. This person was none other than Duan Sixin, who held a record of nine consecutive wins.

Following Cheng Wanwan’s instructions, Duan Sixin had been waiting for Fu Yan to appear at the Martial Market Arena again. The moment he heard news of her arrival, he had rushed over without pause.

Looking at Fu Yan’s figure in the center of the arena, Duan Sixin felt momentarily speechless. To him, she was merely a sect disciple at the Middle Opening Light stage; he found it hard to believe Cheng Wanwan actually wanted him to personally cripple her.

However, since he had accepted the payment, the job had to be done. Duan Sixin took great pride in his reputation for reliability.

Thinking of this, he moved without hesitation. Seeing that Fu Yan had defeated her opponent, he prepared to step up immediately. Yet, just as he was about to descend, another person beat him to it, darting onto the stage in a flash.

Duan Sixin, having been a step too slow: “…”

Glancing at the figure now on stage, Duan Sixin had no choice but to wait for the next round to deal with Fu Yan.

But in the very next second, a scene occurred that left him utterly dumbfounded: the match had barely begun when Fu Yan directly surrendered!

Duan Sixin: “…” He really wanted to scream.

At this moment, Fu Yan truly had no other option. Although she wanted to continue into the seventh round, she had completely exhausted her True Essence to win the sixth. There was simply no point in fighting this match.

Thus, after the challenger took the stage, Fu Yan surrendered quite decisively.

Watching Fu Yan leave the arena, Duan Sixin instantly cursed himself for not arriving earlier. Within Chaoyang City, there was a strict order to follow, so he couldn’t simply walk up and force her into a fight.

And as for a sneak attack? That had never been his style.

Left with no choice, Duan Sixin could only watch her depart, hoping that her next visit wouldn’t keep him waiting too long.

Fu Yan, of course, was entirely unaware of any of this. After leaving the arena, she headed straight back to the cultivation chambers.

This time, luck was on her side. She managed to secure a High-grade cultivation chamber. Without wasting a moment, she entered and began her training once again.

This time, she decided to put aside the sword techniques from the remnant scroll for a moment. To increase her strength in the shortest time possible, she set her sights on mastering the final form of the Illusionless Sword.

Since she had previously sought guidance from Bai Yueli regarding this final move, she already had some leads. The training progressed relatively smoothly—at least, it was much faster than trying to comprehend the remnant scroll.

Nearly half a month passed.

When Fu Yan finally emerged from the chamber, she was in a state of high spirits. It was clear: she had finally successfully mastered the last form of the Illusionless Sword.

To ensure she could secure a High-grade chamber for her next session, she didn’t check out. Instead, she paid extra spirit stones to keep the room reserved.

With that settled, she visited the Martial Market Arena for the third time.

With her strength now at a new level, this challenge went exceptionally well, and she secured a six-win streak with almost no difficulty.

For the seventh match, her opponent was a famous disciple from a prominent family, with a cultivation level at the Late Opening Light stage. Fu Yan knew this would be a fierce battle, but she felt reasonably confident.

Soon, the two were locked in a combat where neither side held a clear advantage.

At that moment, from a certain spot in the spectator stands, a pair of eyes was fixed intently on Fu Yan’s figure. It was Duan Sixin.

He had arrived quite early this time, reaching the arena while Fu Yan was only in her fifth match. Seeing her momentum today, he figured she wouldn’t suddenly surrender like last time.

Reassured by this, Duan Sixin relaxed slightly. To ensure the success of his mission, he decided to watch one of her fights first. After observing, he realized things weren’t as simple as they seemed; Fu Yan’s strength was clearly on the verge of reaching the Late Opening Light stage.

For Duan Sixin, winning was easy, but he could see that crippling her in a single strike wouldn’t be simple.

After a moment of thought, he decided to let her exhaust herself through two more battles. Then, he would step in and shatter her Qi Sea in one go, completing the mission.

Thus, he kept his eyes glued to the battle currently unfolding.

Fu Yan found her current opponent quite troublesome. The other’s weapon was a bone whip that could be lashed about freely, making it difficult for her sword techniques to find an opening.

The opponent clearly realized their weapon had an advantage over a sword. Filled with confidence, they looked at Fu Yan with a cold, haughty gaze. “Surrender. Your swordplay can’t do a thing to me.”

As they spoke, they took the initiative to attack again, lashing the whip toward Fu Yan.

Fu Yan performed a mid-air flip, narrowly dodging the strike. Just as she landed, an idea struck her. She lightly pushed off her toes and lunged forward, executing the first form of the Illusionless Sword.

Since Fu Yan had used this move before, the opponent assumed she was at her wit’s end. They sneered, “Still haven’t given up? This move is beneath my notice.”

With that, they raised the long bone whip, lashing it directly toward the wind-blades generated by Fu Yan’s sword, expecting the technique to collapse instantly.

However, in that exact moment, Fu Yan suddenly flashed into the very center of their exchange. Raising the Ling Long sword once more, she instantly executed the final form of the Illusionless Sword.

Because Fu Yan’s speed was so extreme, the two distinct sword techniques seemed to merge in the blink of an eye. The third form was hidden within the first, catching her opponent completely off guard.

With a loud bang, sword light erupted across the arena. In the next instant, Fu Yan’s seventh opponent was sent flying, crashing heavily onto the ground.

Fu Yan had won the seventh match.

“That girl is clever. To think of nesting one sword move inside another… most people would never even consider it.”

“True. Seeing her do that left me stunned. It catches you completely by surprise. More importantly, her speed is the only reason she can actually pull it off.”

“You’re right. If it were me, even if I could theoretically use two moves in a row, my speed wouldn’t be high enough to make it a surprise.”

“…”

In an instant, the entire Opening Light stage area grew electric with excitement. If Fu Yan could win just one more match, she would have a chance to break onto the Ranking Wall.

That ranking hadn’t changed in nearly half a year, which was why everyone was so stirred up.

Watching this from the side, Duan Sixin also wore a look of surprise. It seemed this mission was indeed not simple. Fortunately, he could see that Fu Yan was no longer in peak condition, though she could still hold on for a bit.

Therefore, for this vital eighth match, Fu Yan certainly wouldn’t surrender; she would surely fight with everything she had.

Duan Sixin allowed a small smile to touch his lips as he stepped onto the arena. Looking at her current state, he was confident he could shatter her Qi Sea.

Fu Yan was indeed in poor shape, but just as Duan Sixin guessed, she intended to persevere. She wouldn’t give up on the eighth match easily. Looking at Duan Sixin as he stepped up, she frowned. From him, she felt a profound sense of pressure.

This man is extremely strong. That was Fu Yan’s first thought.

“Wait, isn’t that Duan Sixin? Why is he coming out now?”

“Huh? Who’s Duan Sixin?”

“You don’t know him? Go look at the Ranking Wall yourself.”

At those words, many cultivators who didn’t recognize him turned their heads to look at the wall.

“My god! His name is actually on the wall! Rank 17, with a record of nine consecutive wins!”

“I thought this beauty had a chance at eight wins, but now she’s up against Duan Sixin. I almost want to mourn for her. This is just terrible luck—her chance to get on the wall is gone just like that.”

“Damn, it’s my first time seeing a top-ranked expert fight. Someone pinch me, am I dreaming?”

“…”

Inside the arena, Fu Yan was also surprised. She had felt his strength, but she hadn’t expected him to be a ranked expert. His cultivation hadn’t reached the Great Circle yet, but it was likely close.

In this fight, she had almost zero chance of winning.

Seeing that he had been recognized, Duan Sixin felt slightly annoyed. He was worried Fu Yan might be intimidated by his reputation. If she surrendered immediately, his trip here today would be a waste again.

Fortunately, the match began, and no cry of surrender came from Fu Yan.

Good. Duan Sixin curled his lips into a smirk.

Fu Yan indeed had no intention of surrendering. She had just enough True Essence left to hold on for a while. To trade blows with an expert like Duan Sixin was a rare opportunity; she wouldn’t let it go easily.

In the next moment, Fu Yan once again transformed her True Essence into frost, condensing an ice-tip on her broken sword. But just as she was about to strike, she suddenly felt her Qi Sea begin to churn violently.

Almost simultaneously, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth around her began to flow toward her with incredible intensity. Her entire being entered a state of frantic turbulence.

“I surrender!”

Without the slightest hesitation, Fu Yan shouted her surrender at the top of her lungs. Ignoring the stunned expressions of the crowd, she grabbed the Ling Long sword, executed her mastered Wind-Shadow Steps, and vanished from the arena.

Because… she was finally about to break through!

The crowd: “…”

Duan Sixin, who had finally waited long enough for the fight: “…”

He suddenly wanted to curse someone’s mother!