Forcing the Aloof Master to Madness - Chapter 38.2

Concealment talismans combined with explosion talismans. Unless it was a cultivator one stage higher, no one could sense the many weapons hanging in mid-air, which were weak in lethality but numerous in quantity.

But she was cautious. When the explosion rang out near Shen Lezhi, she heard an extremely faint sound of flowing water.

It was as gentle as drizzle, yet conveyed a sense of calm stability even amidst the sound of the explosion.

Hua Man had felt this same stability in Senior Sister Yun Sha’s aura.

In her few sparring matches over the past two months, her talismans had never caused Senior Sister Yun Sha any harm.

This startled Hua Man into rapidly retreating, afraid to close the distance with Shen Lezhi.

She knew that if Shen Lezhi got close to her, with that almost ghostly movement technique and sword moves, she probably wouldn’t last a single move.

But what good was retreating?

Hua Man belatedly felt her breathing becoming somewhat ragged. She had tried her best to stabilize her breath, but why did a sense of suffocation still cling to her like a shadow, constantly oppressing her?

It felt like water was being poured into her nose and mouth.

Hua Man’s whole body stiffened, not because she saw Shen Lezhi standing perfectly unharmed in her previous position, but because she saw Shen Lezhi’s faintly distorted figure.

It was as if she were completely submerged in water.

The air around her was entirely made of water.

Hua Man finally realized Shen Lezhi’s spell.

The entire arena, saturated with moisture, was also a trap woven by Shen Lezhi.

It was integrated into the air, depriving Hua Man of breath.

Hua Man could, of course, cast a spell to hold her breath, but as long as Shen Lezhi didn’t fall, this respiratory blockade would not end. How long could she hold her breath?

Hua Man truly panicked now. She lacked combat experience, and the waves of suffocation began to muddle her thoughts.

She threw out more talismans, burning fire talismans, coupled with fast wind talismans, hoping to burn away the moisture in the air.

But the water that even the pure Fire spells of the Confucian Wind Mansion couldn’t burn dry, how could it be obstructed by this small amount of flame?

Moreover, Shen Lezhi’s sword moves were not random; Hua Man slightly relaxed, and Shen Lezhi’s figure instantly closed in on her.

The sword became increasingly bizarre. In Shen Lezhi’s hands, it was like a clear mountain spring, radiating a transparent aura. The form of the sword was almost invisible.

Like surging waves, it crashed down. Hua Man had no way to avoid it. She felt her entire respiratory system blocked by the moisture. The suffocation made her thoughts slow.

But she had not completely given up. She ran around the arena, stepping on speed talismans, just wanting to find even one spot that Shen Lezhi wasn’t tightly controlling.

But she found nothing, even as her spiritual power was almost exhausted.

The water vapor completely filled the space. The entire arena was controlled by Shen Lezhi.

The opponent’s stable spiritual power control had never wavered, even when Shen Lezhi’s sword moves and Hua Man’s talismans collided and vibrated violently.

This terrifying control power required not only Shen Lezhi’s concentration but also a massive amount of spiritual power support.

Hua Man even felt that even Senior Sister Yun Sha might not be able to achieve such perfection.

They were both in the middle Foundation Establishment stage. Where did Shen Lezhi get so much spiritual power?!

Finally, when Hua Man’s spiritual power was almost exhausted, her nose was completely blocked by the moisture, and she couldn’t even hold her breath anymore, Hua Man weakly recited the incantation to break the arena formation.

As the formation was broken and the spiritual stone maintaining the formation at the center shattered, Shen Lezhi immediately released the water spiritual energy’s corrosion on Hua Man.

Hua Man immediately took large gasps of air, as if reborn, sighing with relief.

The first time she saw Shen Lezhi, the latter was only in the tiny Qi Cultivation stage. In such a short time, she had become so powerful.

Hua Man often heard Feng Nianzhen and Senior Sister Yun Sha say that she was a genius of Talisman Peak. Now, it seemed that Shen Lezhi was the truly stunningly gifted one.

She didn’t think Shen Lezhi should be this powerful just because she was the Moonlight Immortal Master’s disciple. Having directly faced the terrifying art of spiritual control, which was only the most basic control technique that every cultivator practiced, Hua Man could already feel Shen Lezhi’s dedication and proficiency in it.

She was utterly convinced of her defeat.

“Thank you for the match, Senior Sister Hua,” Shen Lezhi put away her small white sword and walked toward Hua Man.

Hua Man smiled faintly and shook her head. Seeing Shen Lezhi’s smiling, squinted eyes and her slightly adorable hesitant look as she wondered whether to help her up, she couldn’t help but recall the person who stared at her hoe with gleaming eyes back then.

Junior Sister Shen is truly something.

Hua Man took the initiative to grab the hand Shen Lezhi was tentatively offering, using the leverage to stand up. She gave a slight cupped-hand salute, showing her respect for the match.

She then turned to look for Senior Sister Yun Sha. Seeing Senior Sister Yun Sha’s gentle smile, she glanced away with a little guilt, “Senior Sister, I lost.”

Not only did she lose, but she was completely overwhelmed by Junior Sister Shen, not given a single chance, which felt like a bit of a loss of face for Talisman Peak.

Senior Sister Yun Sha would naturally not blame her for losing. She smiled softly and praised Hua Man: “You did very well. Lezhi is inherently a person of stunning talent.”

Hearing this, Hua Man suddenly froze, lowering her eyes to conceal her emotions.

Senior Sister praised Junior Sister Shen as “a person of stunning talent.”

Hua Man’s breathing softened.

After the two finished their match, Shen Lezhi still wanted to have a match with Senior Sister Yun Sha. Senior Sister Yun Sha had also observed the match and was of the same mind.

Just as they were about to step onto the arena again, they were suddenly called out to.

“Why don’t this Fellow Immortal have a match with us?” Two people walked up from behind, dressed in white and yellow military attire, wearing light feather accessories on their heads, and a dark brown long sword uniformly hung at their waists.

Shen Lezhi was quite familiar with this sword. Didn’t all the Sword Martial Faction people in the small secret realm carry it?

Shen Lezhi’s gaze immediately turned cold, but she didn’t plan to accept. She truly had no intention of fighting with anyone. It was unavoidable in the small secret realm. She didn’t know the opponent’s strength, nor did she want to be entangled with others here.

But the two female cultivators refused to let her go, blocking her path together, yet acting polite and gentle.

“I watched the Fellow Immortal’s moves just now and would very much like to spar with you,” one of them had a charming and seductive face, with eyes full of allure. When she spoke, her voice was like the melodious song of a bird, pleasant and sweet to the ear.

However, the act of blocking her path with the dark brown treasured sword was not as pleasing as her appearance.

“Spar with her.” Shen Lezhi was still about to refuse, thinking, There are three of us. Are we afraid of the two of them? But a cold voice suddenly rang out not far from the arena.

Shen Lezhi was too familiar with Wang Xi’s voice. She immediately turned her gaze, seeing Wang Xi and the Head of Bamboo Heart Hall together, having appeared from some unknown location.

“Your disciple obeys.” Since Master had spoken in front of everyone, what reason did a disciple have not to comply?

Shen Lezhi leaped onto an empty arena, holding the small white sword with the tip pointed toward the ground, full of spirit and standing in a superior position, looking down at the person who had just challenged her.

That person was shocked to see the Head of Bamboo Heart Hall and the Moonlight Immortal Master, and then heard Shen Lezhi refer to herself as the “disciple” of the Moonlight Immortal Master. She finally realized Shen Lezhi’s identity and suddenly regretted calling out to her.

But under the eyes of the crowd, her opponent had already stepped into the arena, and she had no reason to refuse.

She was at the peak Foundation Establishment stage, while her opponent was only at the middle stage. She steadied her mind, leaped onto the platform, and told herself not to be afraid.

What if she’s the disciple of the Moonlight Immortal Master? Cultivation is everything.

The arena formation activated. The Sword Martial Faction female cultivator drew her dark brown treasured sword, pondering how to test her opponent, but she didn’t expect Shen Lezhi to have already launched her attack.

Her figure was distorted, arriving like a tide riding the wind, so fast that before she could even properly steady her long sword, Shen Lezhi was already upon her.

The opponent’s sword struck. She barely managed to raise her sword to block it, and just as she was about to counterattack with a stable mind, the white jade sword she had blocked suddenly turned into water right before her eyes, and the flowing water rushed toward her face.

The female cultivator was horrified. She instinctively unleashed powerful spiritual power, trying to block Shen Lezhi. She had Metal Spiritual Energy, which had a strong deterrent when erupting. She often used this move to shake off close-range enemies.

But her deterrent was less than one percent of Wang Xi’s. The small white sword, like flowing water in Shen Lezhi’s hand, didn’t even pause and chopped straight toward the female cultivator’s neck.

However, Shen Lezhi never intended to hurt anyone. The long sword only stopped at the opponent’s neck. The water light faded, and the sharp blade revealed itself, the icy edge resting against the female cultivator’s skin.

“You lose,” Shen Lezhi said coldly.

She defeated the Sword Martial Faction female cultivator in just one move.

Shen Lezhi saw the opponent’s posture deflate in defeat, her long sword also drooping. She put away her small white sword, preparing to leave.

Unexpectedly, the moment she turned around, the female cultivator suddenly threw a hidden weapon from her sleeve. Even though Shen Lezhi reacted quickly, the hidden weapon still cut the skin on her cheek.

“I haven’t surrendered yet, and any weapon can be used here,” the female cultivator mocked Shen Lezhi’s naivety, staring back at her icy eyes.

“Good,” Shen Lezhi responded calmly.

You want to play dirty, huh.

Anything goes, huh.

Then don’t blame me.