Jian Dan carried Yue Liang with her as she made her way toward the Heavenly Sword Sect's martial arena. In truth, every mountain peak had its own arena and dueling stage, but since this duel involved two high-level cultivators, it had been scheduled on the main peak, Heavenly Sword Peak.
"Zhūnzhǔ, will I be fighting this time too?"
Still nestled on Jian Dan's shoulder, Yue Liang asked with a bit of excitement in her voice.
"Be good. Even without doing anything, you've already caught people's attention. If you actually take action, won't they remember you even more? Besides, the opponent didn't bring a spirit beast either. Let's keep a low profile."
"Okay, I'll listen to Zhūnzhǔ."
The two made their way to Heavenly Sword Peak, where Yu Yuanhai was once again responsible for receiving Jian Dan. He went over the rules for the duel: in short, as this was a spar between fellow disciples, lethal force was prohibited.
Jian Dan nodded in understanding. "There's no grudge between me and Senior Sister Jian Wan. This is just a sparring match to see if we can help each other improve."
After a brief exchange, they arrived at the martial arena. The path had been quiet, with few cultivators along the way, but upon reaching the arena, a crowd had already gathered to watch. Many were at the Divine Transformation and Divine Soul stages.
"Greetings, Jian Lu Zhūnzhǔ."
Jian Dan nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
She glanced around, but Jian Wan hadn't arrived yet. Yue Liang was a little displeased and sent a message directly to Jian Dan's mind.
"She's the one who issued the challenge. Why's she late?"
"We just arrived early."
Jian Dan patted Yue Liang's head and explained patiently. "With her status and cultivation, it's normal for Jian Wan to make a grand entrance."
As soon as she finished speaking, Jian Wan arrived with a full entourage: Jian Ning, Fu Yao, Pi Biao, and several attendants, sweeping into the martial arena with pomp and presence.
In contrast, Jian Dan had only brought Yue Liang. She didn't even have a single attendant by her side.
The truth was, Jian Dan had sent all four of her attendants out to place bets—on her own victory.
Each of them took portions of Jian Dan's entire savings and went to different betting stalls to place their wagers. The bookkeepers were slightly surprised. Over the past few days, the number of people betting on Jian Lu Zhūnzhǔ had been steadily increasing.
Just as those four left the betting stalls, Yu Jiajia arrived with her own attendants.
One of the cultivators running the stall looked up at Yu Jiajia, then glanced over her followers before speaking.
"Little fairy, did you come to the wrong place?"
"Isn't this a betting stall? Today's event is the duel between Jian Wan Zhūnzhǔ and Jian Lu Zhūnzhǔ, isn't it?"
"It is!"
The cultivator quickly realized: this girl knew exactly what she was doing.
"Here! These are all my spirit stones. I'm betting everything on Jian Lu Zhūnzhǔ to win."
Yu Jiajia handed over a storage ring filled with every spirit stone she had ever received since birth—including many she'd borrowed from her own attendants.
The bookkeeper scanned it with his spiritual sense and nearly stumbled backward. These stones alone would be enough to push him to Divine Transformation.
"Is there a problem?" Yu Jiajia asked.
"No, no problem at all. I'll handle it right away."
He hurried through the process, handed her a jade slip, then wiped his brow even though there was no sweat. Suddenly, another figure appeared behind Yu Jiajia, tossing down another storage ring. A deep male voice followed.
"I'm also betting on Jian Lu Zhūnzhǔ."
Yu Jiajia lifted her chin with a smile. "Uncle Yu, you too?"
"Well, since Jiajia is betting on her, of course Uncle Yu has to support you."
Jiajia nodded with satisfaction. After her group finished placing their bets and left, the cultivator quickly rang a small bell, signaling that the match was about to begin and betting had closed.
Heavenly Sword Peak Martial Arena
Jian Wan and Jian Dan now stood at the center of the arena, both waiting for the referee to arrive.
"Junior Sister, are you ready?"
"Thank you for asking, Senior Sister. There's really not much to prepare. At our level, and since it's just a spar, I trust you won't make me lose too miserably."
A slight smile touched Jian Wan's otherwise serious face, though her tone remained cautious.
"Jian Lu, you may have entered the sect later and haven't stayed long, but you should have a little more confidence in yourself."
"Thank you for the advice, Senior Sister."
Their friendly exchange impressed the onlookers. This, they thought, was the ideal form of combat—dignified and respectful.
A moment later, a figure appeared in midair: a Unity stage cultivator with a stern expression and square face, his skin slightly tanned.
"I am Jian Pan. I will be the referee for this challenge. Once you are ready, you may begin."
"Thank you, Martial Uncle Jian Pan."
The two bowed, and as they rose, a translucent blue barrier rose around them, sealing both inside.
"Junior Sister, prepare yourself."
"Please, Senior Sister, show me your guidance."
The moment Jian Wan finished speaking, a sword light surged toward Jian Dan. Jian Dan didn't face it directly. Instead, she shifted just slightly to the left using her Like a Shadow footwork and dodged the attack with ease.
Outside the arena, a number of cultivators watched, including several Unity and Mahayana stage experts, who observed through shimmering water mirrors floating in the air.
Yu Jiajia sat beside her clan's old ancestor. Even though her cultivation wasn't high enough to fully follow the techniques, she still enjoyed the excitement.
Jian Wan's attacks were relentless. Jian Dan focused on evasion at first, carefully analyzing Jian Wan's swordplay.
Wielding her dual-handed sword, Jian Wan's strikes were fluid and unbroken, like a ceaseless stream. Jian Dan struggled to find any gaps. She had no choice but to keep dodging.
Jian Wan didn't show it on her face, but in her heart, she'd already decided that Jian Dan wasn't strong enough to be a real threat. Just as a confident smile was about to form on her lips, it froze.
With a loud boom, Jian Wan's sword rhythm shattered. The impact wave rippled through the barrier, forcing both of them several steps back to the edges of the arena.
Jian Dan hadn't even drawn her sword. Instead, she had activated the upgraded Obsidian Bracelet. Her fist had been wrapped in a violet-gold glow. That punch had only used seventy percent of her spiritual power.
"Thank you for holding back, Senior Sister."
Jian Dan only spoke after the wave of force had faded. Jian Wan forced a smile, but inwardly she was cursing.
"Holding back my foot. I wasn't holding anything back."
"Now it's my turn to attack, Senior Sister."
In a flash, light streaked forward. Purple afterimages of fists surged at Jian Wan. She responded swiftly, dodging while her long sword swept in arcs to disperse the incoming shadows.
Even so, two slipped through. She had to leap into the air to avoid them.
Two deep craters were left in the arena floor. Jian Dan also rose into the air. The two faced each other from a distance.
"Junior Sister, are you looking down on me? You haven't even drawn your sword."
"Well, Senior Sister didn't give me a chance! I was a little flustered on my first counterattack. Please don't take offense."
Jian Dan chuckled lightly, then opened her palm. Mò Xī Jiàn No. 2 appeared in her grasp. The silver blade carried no trace of killing intent—clearly a newly forged weapon.
"For opponents like this, let the rookie take the lead. He needs the experience."
That was what the sword spirit of Mò Xī Jiàn had said. The second version had leapt out from Jian Dan's dantian on cue.
Raising the blade, Jian Dan drew a single, quiet arc through the air. Her sword aura surged toward Jian Wan, whose brow furrowed with an ominous feeling. She hastily swung her sword to block.
Jian Dan's sword aura collided with Jian Wan's. The water-element sword qi merged into her opponent's stream, gradually devouring it. Then came the unyielding energy of the wood element, crushing Jian Wan's momentum. Finally, fire-element sword qi slammed into her weapon directly.
With a sharp clang, Jian Wan barely managed to withdraw her blade in time. Even so, a visible crack appeared.
Her lifebound sword damaged, she stumbled back several steps. Bracing herself with her sword against the ground, she barely managed to stay upright. Lifting her head, she looked across the arena at Jian Lu—who simply stood there, staring back with an unreadable expression.
===
Hey everyone!
Guess what? My body is completely fine now!
It's been about 2 or 3 days without any foggy brain, laggy thinking, or body aches.
Ha ha ha, finally!
I've made it through all those stacked cosmic events—Sura, lunar eclipse, Earth shifting, Lion's Gate— you name it. (｀∀´)Ψ –
And here's the best part: just yesterday, I translated 100 chapters of The Villainess Refuses to Repent in one single sitting!
Usually after my last update of my condition, I could manage maybe 10-15 chapters at a time or per day for one novel… but now? One hundred chapters in a row! Wow.
Thank you so much for your concern and your prayers. I'm feeling completely healthy and healed again, and I'm super excited to keep going full speed ahead~
Stay tuned for more, and thanks for sticking with me!
— Your happy, fully charged translator, Reiya (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧