Xie Jingci was a little dazed from the kiss.
Although Pei Du's movements were still a bit green, they were much more practiced than his previous ignorant probing. As his thin lips ground against hers, the soft sensation seeped into her blood and even her marrow. Wrapped in a faint woody scent, it easily left her dizzy and mesmerized.
Even at a time like this, he was still considering Xie Jingci's feelings. His force was heavy but not fierce, and his lips were as soft as white jade pastries, carrying a boundless, refreshing sweetness.
It was all the System's fault with its messy lines.
If she hadn't been driven by it, forced to say such provocative words, Pei Du wouldn't have...
Xie Jingci lay on her back near the edge of the bed, taking a hasty breath.
Although she had guessed early on that Pei Du would be provoked, she never expected his reaction to be this intense.
Besides her wildly racing heartbeat, a thought quietly floated into her mind.
She seemed to have... flipped some incredible switch.
After today, would she still be able to act recklessly and throw her weight around in front of Pei Du?
Sensing her chaotic breathing, Pei Du paused slightly, lifting his head a bit to move his thin lips away.
He must have seen Xie Jingci's flushed profile. His Adam's apple bobbed, and an unconcealed smile curved his lips.
...He was actually smiling!
The back of Xie Jingci's ears grew even hotter. She raised a hand to poke his shoulder: "Don't smile."
Pei Du obediently nodded: "Mm."
He pursed his lips as he spoke, but despite his verbal agreement, the corners of his mouth still lifted slightly, revealing two small, round dimples on his cheeks.
Xie Jingci felt hot and flustered from his smile, not even daring to meet his eyes. Seeing that he didn't continue, she asked in a muffled voice: "...Is it over?"
"It's over."
The right hand resting on her waist moved away silently, sliding upward until his fingertips landed on the side of her neck, gently tracing along her collarbone.
There was still a lingering, tender darkness in the depths of his eyes, but his tone was restrained as he answered her softly: "As for what comes next... let's wait until after we are married."
His heart was overflowing with affection, and he wanted to make her his own at every waking moment, but Pei Du also knew perfectly well that he should give Miss Xie the respect she deserved.
Oh right, marriage.
Their current status was that of an engaged couple. Compared to true Dao companions, there was still a vague, unclear barrier between them. She didn't think too much of it and spoke following Pei Du's train of thought: "When should we get married?"
She spoke softly and quickly, completely without thinking. It was only after the words fell that she suddenly realized something was wrong.
Pei Du had just said they would continue the rest after they were married, and her very next sentence was asking when they could become Dao companions.
T-t-this, didn't this make it sound like she was eagerly looking forward to doing this and that with him? Even though she did have a tiny bit of expectation...
But that absolutely could not reach Pei Du's ears!
Xie Jingci: "Don't overthink it! I didn't mean anything else, I just simply wanted to ask the question, really!"
Dammit, that just made it look even more like she was trying to cover it up!
She had made herself blush to the tips of her ears. Pei Du, who was close at hand, was taken aback. His dark eyes were quiet as he stared intently into hers.
The dark color in his eyes faded, replaced by a faint sense of restraint and caution.
Xie Jingci saw his long eyelashes flutter slightly. When he spoke, he was careful, harboring a timid hope: "Miss Xie... wants to marry me as soon as possible?"
He was nervous.
On one side was a crazy yearning, and on the other was a deep-seated inferiority complex. The two diametrically opposed emotions intertwined, reflecting in the young man's pitch-black phoenix eyes, and also falling into Xie Jingci's gaze.
She understood it all.
"That's right."
Although she was in a passive position, lying on her back among the bedding, she raised her arms without explanation and wrapped them around Pei Du's flushed neck, feeling his increasingly intense pulse.
The sunlight was dim. Xie Jingci gave him a completely unguarded smile, the corners of her eyes and brows filled with a soft light: "Because I really like Pei Du so much, I want to be closer to you. Being an engaged couple feels too far apart. After thinking about it, being Dao companions suits us better, right?"
The thumb pressing against the side of her neck stroked firmly.
Pei Du's heart fluttered uncontrollably.
To say he wasn't nervous would naturally be a lie.
This was the wish he had longed for over ten whole years. He originally thought he had been walking alone from beginning to end, but the moment he looked up, he saw Miss Xie's silhouette.
She had come jogging all the way over.
Unlike his reserved and taciturn nature, her steps were brisk and carefree. Wherever she passed, all things met the spring, giving birth to boundless bright colors. Carrying the warm spring light, she ran toward him without hesitation.
How fortunate he was.
A smile poured out from the depths of his eyes. Pei Du couldn't help but curl his lips. He raised a hand to pat the top of her head and leaned down once more.
His thin, soft lips landed on Xie Jingci's fair forehead: "Mm."
The marriage would be discussed later. Right now, the most important thing was still the highly anticipated Immortal-Seeking Grand Tournament.
Although Xie Jingci had not yet retrieved the divine sense taken by the Memory Spirit, fortunately, her parents were reliable enough. During the year she was unconscious, they had searched everywhere for medicine, which greatly benefited the restoration of her Sea of Consciousness.
Combined with the tempering in the Guiyuan Immortal Estate, which nourished her Sea of Consciousness and allowed the wounds to heal slowly, she had now mostly recovered and had already reached the fifth level of the Nascent Soul stage.
The fifth level was considered an average standard among all Nascent Soul cultivators.
The Immortal-Seeking Tournament divided the participating cultivators into five major groups according to their realms: Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Soul Formation. Although their major realms were the same—a Nascent Soul cultivator would only face other Nascent Soul opponents—their actual combat strengths varied greatly.
To use the most straightforward analogy, if someone who had just reached the Nascent Soul stage encountered someone on the verge of breaking through to Soul Formation, the disparity between them was self-evident.
Fortunately, the battle results of their group were all quite good.
Pei Du, as one of the top favorites to win the championship, handled every match with ease, flawlessly beating his opponents into total submission. Mo Xiaoyang, coming from the Ghost Domain, possessed unpredictable and highly lethal sword techniques; he advanced triumphantly with consecutive victories, but unfortunately, his reckless nature caused his downfall, stopping him at the top eight.
Xie Jingci, on the other hand, was famous for her ruthless and merciless strikes. She always aimed for quick resolutions, often unleashing her full spiritual pressure right at the start. Her attacks were fast and fierce, leaving her opponents absolutely no time to catch their breath.
Precisely because of this, she proudly earned the second-place spot on the "Opponents You Least Want to Face" ranking.
Coincidentally, on the arena today for the semifinals to determine the top two, her opponent was none other than the first place on that very ranking.
Even more coincidentally, Mo Xiaoyang had been defeated by this exact ghost cultivator.
The ghost cultivator was named Wu Ze, a tall, thin, and pale young man. His fox-like eyes were always curved into crescents, yet they held no real warmth or amusement.
At first glance, Wu Ze looked no different from an ordinary person. However, upon closer inspection, one could easily detect the dim, crimson bloodlight in his pupils. Silently veiled by his long eyelashes, it gave off a hazy and eerie vibe.
The arena for their duel was set upon a boundless desert.
In the desert at night, cold winds rose from all directions, stirring up rolling yellow sand and filling the sky with light dust. A bright, solitary moon hung in the sky, accompanied by chilly scattered clouds, reflecting a tranquil galaxy.
"Jingci's cultivation base is lower than his. If she wants to win this match, I'm afraid it won't be easy."
In the spectator stands, an old Daoist gently stroked his white beard: "Ghost cultivators are unpredictable and hard to read. This will definitely be a bitter struggle."
Hearing this, Xie Shu nodded, his eyes never leaving the arena for a moment.
Ghost cultivation was an extremely rare "Dao."
To cultivate the ghost path, one must abandon their mortal flesh, using their soul as a guide to protect their sea of consciousness from harm. This method transcends life and death, requiring immense willpower to endure the initial stage of spiritual consciousness dissipation. Although the cultivation is arduous, once successful, one can control tens of thousands of ghosts and command the power of yin and yang.
Ghost cultivators were already troublesome enough, but her opponent was Wu Ze.
To rank first on the list of "Opponents You Least Want to Meet," this person was definitely not ordinary.
Unlike Xie Jingci, who sought a quick victory, Wu Ze was about to enter the Soul Formation stage, making his strength significantly higher than most. Consequently, he was arrogant and indifferent to winning or losing. His only passion was using ghost arts to torture and mock his opponents.
Rumor had it that this person had a bizarre temperament. He wouldn't easily kill someone, but would make them wish they were dead, leaving them to struggle bitterly for survival. Some, unable to endure it, even ended their own lives on the spot, fleeing the Black Tortoise Realm in disgrace.
One person sighed, "Wu Ze is already a hundred years old, while Xie Jingci has just left the academy. In my opinion, it will be very difficult for her to defeat him."
The young man beside him replied lazily, "Not necessarily."
"Why?"
The young man smiled.
Then his expression instantly became ferocious. "Because that bastard Wu Ze will face heavenly retribution sooner or later! To subject me to such immense humiliation on the stage... Xie Jingci, charge!"
Xie Shu coughed lightly and looked back. This person was the unlucky guy who had committed suicide out of humiliation.
"Exactly."
A woman not far away gritted her teeth. "Who does Wu Ze think he is? Xie Jingci will definitely beat him to a pulp!"
As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Wu Ze had offended so many people on the arena that now they had all transformed into Xie Jingci's temporary cheerleading squad. The level of their dedication made even Xie Shu and Yun Zhaoyan bow in admiration.
Xie Jingci on the stage wouldn't think so much.
The bell had rung, the arena suddenly opened, and any extraneous thoughts could lead to defeat.
"Ghost Crying Saber." Wu Ze smiled at her, recognizing the long saber in Xie Jingci's hand at a glance. "The saber is a good saber, I only hope it won't be disgraced by its master and turn into useless scrap iron."
This was an obvious provocation, and Xie Jingci returned a slight smile.
This seemed to be a silent signal.
When the two moved at the same time, a cold wind suddenly rose around them, and only the cries of tens of thousands of ghosts and thousands of whimpers could be heard. The empty desert swirled with dark light, and unexpectedly, ghostly shadows appeared from nowhere.
Wu Ze frowned and silently recited an incantation in his heart.
The Ghost Crying Saber was inherently sinister, nourished by countless flesh and blood, and was a world-renowned evil saber. The cultivation method Xie Jingci practiced must lean towards the sinister and cold. To win against a ghost cultivator like him, she had to be even more sinister and fierce.
But how could a mere saber resist thousands of evil spirits?
When the incantation ended, the wind and smoke rose, and demons appeared under the moon.
The floating dark shadows slowly emerged, like ink dispersing, condensing into unclear human shapes. After a slight pause, they surged toward Xie Jingci alone like a dark tide!
The ghosts were desolate, and the long saber was also desolate.
Xie Jingci's movement technique was extremely fast. The Ghost Crying Saber buzzed like a thread and clanged incessantly. As she turned sideways, she drew an arc, like a red moon high in the sky. In an instant, she changed her move and stabbed horizontally downward, cutting the ghostly shadow in half.
The ghosts increased in number, gathering into a rushing torrent, almost obscuring Xie Jingci's shadow.
Looking again at the vast desert, chaotic clouds like cotton obscured the cold moonlight. A blood-red mist spread all around, and chaotic shadows emerged from the stone walls, sand, and ground. Just a glance could send chills down one's spine.
"This—"
Meng Xiaoting shivered. "Are ghost cultivators' moves all this terrifying?"
"Is Miss Meng afraid?"
Long Xiao sat behind her and immediately replied upon hearing this, "There are several ghost cultivators among my family's retainers. Why don't I introduce them to Miss Meng? If you fight and practice more with them on regular days, your courage will naturally increase."
Mo Xiaoyang's expression was complex, and he glanced at him with some sympathy.
"Ten Thousand Ghosts Devouring the Heart."
Pei Du frowned. "This is Wu Ze's commonly used move, which can trap the opponent in the netherworld to be gnawed by a hundred ghosts... I heard that the cultivator who ended his own life was tortured by this evil art."
The ghosts appeared one after another, seemingly endless.
The dark shadows were too thick and heavy, gathering around Xie Jingci in a cluster, floating in the air like ocean waves. Meng Xiaoting watched with trepidation, her pupils suddenly shrinking, and she took a sharp breath.
Ten thousand miles of wind and smoke, a breath of frost moon.
However, this moon was not hanging high in the sky, nor was it clear and bright yellow, but a crescent as red as blood, swirling wantonly in mid-air, and then buzzing—
Thus the chaos was chiseled open, overturning the sea and rolling up giant waves.
The unstoppable saber wind was as sharp as a blade, slashing through the west wind as it cut through the air.
Xie Jingci had already been bitten with bloody cuts. Blood beads fell like threads onto the tip of the saber, and then she swung it forward forcefully, scattering them into the thick red mist. The Ghost Crying Saber burst forth with an unprecedented dark light, as if she held a blood moon in her hand. Wherever she passed, the demons retreated, howling incessantly.
She gathered her spiritual energy into the long saber. The invincible baleful aura was desolate and cold. Because the killing intent was too heavy, even the ghosts had to retreat, fleeing in panic.
Wu Ze raised his eyebrows with interest, and when he raised his hand again, his entire figure suddenly darkened, melting into the bleak twilight.
"Soul Transformation."
Mo Xiaoyang, born in the Demon Realm, knew a lot about ghost cultivators' cultivation methods, and subconsciously said, "This method can not only conceal one's tracks but also make oneself as swift as a ghostly wind, commonly used for sneak attacks."
But Wu Ze using it this time was clearly not for a sneak attack.
Xie Jingci felt the spiritual energy fluctuations in the air.
An aura like a sharp arrow approached instantly. She barely dodged it, and in the next instant, more surged from all directions.
Wu Ze wouldn't easily kill her, but would invisibly suppress her, like teasing an incompetent and helpless white mouse, watching her reaction with great interest.
What a sick sense of humor.
Xie Jingci frowned, trying her best to sense his movements.
The opponent was formless and traceless, making it difficult to discern his whereabouts. Moreover, his cultivation was much higher than hers, and with his oppressive aura covering her, it was difficult to sense his aura.
The only thing that could identify the direction was... those clusters of sharp wind blades.
Wu Ze's movements were irregular, but if she thought carefully, there were still clues to be found.
He flew rapidly around Xie Jingci, following the chaotic trajectory of the strong wind. If he was behind her at this moment, then in the gap when she attacked, separated by several instants—
It was a pity that the term "prediction" from later online games had not yet become popular in the cultivation world.
She was not entirely confident. To break the deadlock, she had to risk it all.
A bundle of wind blades stabbed directly at her left arm, and Xie Jingci didn't dodge.
On the spectator stands, Meng Xiaoting held her breath, watching her turn sideways, grip her saber, and stab forward. Several streams of spiritual energy streaked past her, drawing out silken blood. In the increasingly thick blood mist, Xie Jingci's eyes flickered.
Seeing the long saber pressing forward indomitably, in an instant, it suddenly changed its move and attacked fiercely diagonally backward!
The straight thrust just now was nothing more than a feint to prevent him from dodging.
Meng Xiaoting grabbed her thigh excitedly. "Wu, Wu, Wu Ze!"
Blood mist flew across the air as a tall, pale young man silently appeared. Unable to hold back any longer, he quickly recited an incantation in his mind and waved his hand to strike back.
Shadows multiplied, and a monstrous black tide, like a raging river, surged forward in an instant. He was forced to counterattack, but he knew very well that Xie Jingci could not possibly win against him.
Both of them cultivated yin and cold arts, and in terms of cultivation base, he was definitely far above his opponent.
Yet, Xie Jingci merely smiled.
What she excelled at was far more than just one type of technique.
With a light flick of the young woman's wrist, her long blade swept through the air, and its trajectory unexpectedly changed again!
Three feet of white light, as cold as water, hummed eagerly as if ready to transform into a dragon.
The impurities on the arc dissipated, shedding all dust, like idle clouds scattering to reveal an empty jade mirror. A cold, white crescent moon, radiant and full, slashed straight toward the dragon gates, invincible and unstoppable.
Just as a hundred ghosts emerged, the shadow of the moon first floated into the sky.
When the crescent moon shone brightly, all evil spirits and demons scattered. Everything fell silent, leaving only heavy frost and sparse clouds.
Wu Ze was full of confidence and wanted to settle the match with her. Therefore, when he struck, he used the most extreme yin and ruthless techniques, striving to crush her completely.
Xie Jingci had long guessed his intentions. The sudden change in her blade technique was precisely a Buddhist art, the ultimate counter to evil techniques.
This is...
Someone exclaimed, The Buddhist sect's Encounter Under the Moon? Isn't this a staff technique? How did she use it as a blade technique?
Well, it's Xie Jingci. Back in the academy, she was known as a master tailor. She can learn and adapt anything.
Another person clicked his tongue in wonder, But the Ghost Cry Blade is inherently dark and ruthless. For her to be able to execute this move with it is truly remarkable.
A straightforward man beside him slapped his thigh hard. To win even from that, amazing!
The moment the tip of the blade pointed at the young man's throat, the sound of the wind around them fell completely silent.
Wu Ze had not yet recovered from his defeat, his expression slightly dazed.
Xie Jingci had just left the academy. Although she had a little fame before this, to the vast majority of people, she was nothing more than an exceptionally talented junior.
He truly hadn't expected this girl to know this move.
When ghost cultivators encounter Buddhist cultivators, they try to avoid using overly dark and evil arts to prevent being suppressed. She must have known that her cultivation base was inferior and could only win by outsmarting him. She had planned this from the very beginning, which was why the techniques she used earlier were all standard blade moves.
His final deadly strike had instead become his own undoing.
I lost, I lost. How boring.
Wu Ze kicked away a pile of gravel at his feet, his tone lazy. I'm going to get a drink. Not a bad blade technique.
Xie Jingci curled her lips into a smile. Thank you for letting me win, Senior.
In order to get close to Wu Ze, she hadn't had time to dodge the wind blades attacking from all directions. Her wounds were still burning with intense pain, but she could not afford to let her guard down yet.
Because next... would be her duel with Pei Du.
