88. On the Verge of Death
While Li Sushang was meditating, her mind suddenly began to turn, and she remembered Yun Ling's identity.
"You're Yun Ling, right? Right?" Li Sushang looked at Yun Ling with admiration.
He defeated Yan Shilu, the leader of the Holy Fire Sect, on Wangshan Mountain decades ago. Although he has rarely appeared since then, people in the martial arts world regard him as "the mortal who is closest to an immortal".
"Yes." Yun Ling looked up at her, not hiding his identity.
"It really is you!" Li Sushang seemed to have discovered some incredible treasure.
"Is it really necessary to be so surprised?" Yun Ling asked, somewhat puzzled.
"You don't understand." Li Sushang shook her head.
"To the martial arts world, you are a living legend. Since the ascension of Master Jingwei, the title of 'Number One Under Heaven' has naturally fallen to you. Even my master can only be ranked 'Second.' Although I don't think you are stronger than my master..." Li Sushang explained.
"Perfect timing! We have some free time now, let's have a spar! Let me see just how big the gap is between me and the number one in the world." Li Sushang looked at Yun Ling impatiently, wishing she could fight him right away.
"I won't fight. Not only do I not care about the so-called 'Number One in the World' title, but even if I beat you, I won't benefit from it. I might even be accused of bullying a little girl."
Yun Ling had absolutely no interest in such a thankless task.
"Then please guide me~ Please, please... My cultivation level has been stuck in one place for almost three years. Maybe I can break through after a fight with you!"
Li Sushang, as if they were old friends, grabbed Yun Ling's sleeve and gently shook his arm, her tone carrying a hint of coquetry.
"Your state of mind should have reached the level of 'Clear Mirror' by now, right?" Yun Ling asked.
"Huh?! How do you know my cultivation technique and mental state?" Li Sushang looked as if she were facing a formidable enemy.
Yun Ling looked at Li Sushang in front of him, wondering if she was truly stupid or just pretending.
"The martial art you practice is 'Taixu Sword Qi,' and the sect founded by Immortal Jingwei is called 'Taixu Sword Sect.' What do you think?" Yun Ling explained.
"You mean... wait, wait... my... my master taught me the Taixu Sword Qi... so she's the disciple of the Immortal Jingwei? And... you're actually my martial uncle?!"
The amount of information was too much; Li Sushang's single-core CPU was clearly struggling to process it.
"Hahaha...idiot." Ahua couldn't help but laugh at her.
"She really is an idiot," Yun Ling echoed.
"I... I just didn't quite get it right for a moment. Besides, my master never told me she was a disciple of the Immortal Jingwei!" Li Sushang scratched her head, trying to find an excuse for herself.
"Who is your master?" Yun Ling asked.
"Cheng Lingshuang," Li Su Chang replied.
Yun Ling nodded slightly.
"Uh...are you and my master not getting along?" Li Sushang asked cautiously, seeing Yun Ling's indifferent expression.
"I don't want to talk about it." Yun Ling shook his head and walked outside.
Li Sushang blinked. Could it be that her master and Yun Ling had some kind of love-hate relationship?
"What are you standing there for? Didn't you want me to give you some pointers?" Yun Ling's voice came from outside.
Li Sushang was stunned for two seconds, then her expression turned to joy.
"Coming right now!"
Li Sushang ran outside quickly, even taking out her sword wrapped in cloth.
Facing Yun Ling, she dared not be careless in the slightest. His reputation was even higher than her master's, and he was also her master's senior brother.
His strength is probably no less than that of Cheng Lingshuang.
"By the way, Uncle-Master, your mental state should have already broken through to the 'Great Void' level, right? Can you tell me what it felt like after breaking through to the 'Great Void' level?" Li Sushang asked curiously.
"My state of mind has only reached the level of 'Dustless'."
"Huh?!"
This left Li Sushang somewhat bewildered. The legendary Taixu chief disciple's sword heart realm was only "Dustless"?
Not to mention her master, even she herself far surpasses 'Clear Mirror'!
He's not just making fun of her, is he?
Seeing that Yun Ling had no intention of explaining, Li Sushang stopped asking and instead focused on dealing with Yun Ling.
"Uncle Yun Ling, aren't you going to draw your sword?" Li Sushang looked at Yun Ling standing there like that, feeling a little angry and as if she had been looked down upon.
Yun Ling didn't respond to her but instead raised his hand and slashed a sword aura at Li Sushang.
Li Sushang's pupils suddenly contracted, and the Xuanyuan Sword in her hand and an invisible force burst forth with dazzling sparks.
Before she could react, Li Sushang was sent flying by the sword energy. This terrifying blow almost caused her to drop the Xuanyuan Sword from her hand.
But Yun Ling didn't give her any chance to catch her breath, raising his hand and unleashing several more sword energies.
"Transformation Sword - Moon Heron!" Knowing she couldn't take it head-on, Li Sushang swiftly weaved through the sword energy, closing in on Yun Ling.
Arriving directly in front of Yun Ling, she swung the Xuanyuan Sword down fiercely at him.
Then, to her disbelief, Yun Ling actually caught her Xuanyuan Sword between two fingers.
A crisp sword sound rang out, and she discovered that Yun Ling's fingers seemed to possess immense strength, gripping the Xuanyuan Sword tightly like iron clamps.
Li Sushang kicked Yun Ling, attempting to snatch back the Xuanyuan Sword.
But Yun Ling was faster than her. After dodging to the side, he delivered a powerful knee strike to Li Sushang's abdomen.
"Cough..." Li Sushang couldn't help but cough up some blood, and she also let go of the Xuanyuan Sword in her hand, unable to exert any strength for a moment.
Seeing this, Yun Ling unleashed several more sword strikes.
Li Sushang felt that Yun Ling's actions were not a friendly sparring match, but rather aimed at killing her!
She gritted her teeth, forced herself to sit up, and used her family's Flying Swallow Technique to twist away in a bizarre posture.
A few strands of hair fell to the ground. Li Sushang was panting heavily. If she had been a fraction of a second later, she would have been beheaded.
"With your level of skill, you're not even a top-tier expert. Yet you're holding back everywhere. Do you really think I'm like those four chickens and dogs you encountered?"
"Although the Taixu Sword Sect has disappeared from history, I will never allow someone like you to tarnish the 'Taixu Sword Qi'!"
Li Sushang bit her lip lightly, and a few drops of water appeared in her eyes.
This is the first time in my life I've been so humiliated.
"To defile the 'Tai Xu Sword Qi'" was something even her master, who liked to criticize her, had never said.
But Yun Ling didn't care whether she cried or not. He casually stuck the Xuanyuan Sword into the stone wall next to her, his eyes cold.
With a single palm strike, sword energy scattered and crisscrossed, instantly cracking the ground in countless places, attacking Li Sushang from all angles.
Li Sushang tried to dodge the attack again with her agile movements, but she was still outmatched, and a bloody gash was cut on her calf.
When Li Sushang landed, her right leg trembled slightly, as the sword energy lingered at the wound, continuously damaging her flesh.
Stimulated by the pain, Li Sushang's expression hardened, and her fighting spirit was ignited.
She finally stopped holding back and launched a full-scale attack on Yun Ling.
Li Sushang's speed increased to another level, making her much more at ease in the face of Yun Ling's attacks.
"Sword Awakening - Sea Severance!"
She unleashed a palm strike aimed directly at Yun Ling's crown.
But Yun Ling simply stood there, his fingers transforming into sharp swords as he stabbed towards her forehead.
Li Sushang felt ice-cold all over; she could feel that the blow was unavoidable, and the threat of death enveloped her...
Ten years of cultivation had made Sushang's clear sword heart calm and undisturbed, but the girl, who had never been exposed to death, felt a kind of "emptiness" in her sword heart under the threat of death.
In a daze, Sushang's body moved instinctively. She raised her elbow and forcibly deflected the attack.
At this moment, her sword heart reached a new level, ascending to the level of the Great Void.
Yun Ling reached out with his other hand, using the same move, striking her directly between the eyebrows.
This time, the speed was faster, stronger, and sharper than the last strike!
Even if Li Sushang's state of mind entered the "Great Void", she would have no chance of escaping when faced with this attack.
Am I... going to die?
There are still so many things she hasn't done. She's only fifteen years old. She's only just entered the Great Void level. She hasn't killed the leader of the Golden Sand Gang yet, she hasn't learned the Divine Essence, and she hasn't even had a sweet romance yet!
...