Forcing the Aloof Master to Madness - Chapter 39

The female cultivator from the Sword Martial Faction only thought Shen Lezhi was bluffing. She felt she had been caught off guard by the opponent’s rapid attack, and mostly, it was her own carelessness due to Shen Lezhi’s lower cultivation level.

This time, she immediately opened up a safe distance, preventing any sudden strikes, as Shen Lezhi’s movement technique was too bizarre for the female cultivator to figure out immediately.

However, the female cultivator was still wary of the moves described by the cultivators from Confucian Wind Mansion who had fought Shen Lezhi. She had also vaguely sensed it while watching Shen Lezhi’s match earlier—it was probably a spell similar to depriving a person of breath and controlling their mind.

She was well prepared, taking a pill from her storage ring and holding it in her mouth. This was a Breath-Holding Pill, originally prepared for prolonged time underwater, but now it came in handy.

But Shen Lezhi was not acting as she had expected. The surrounding air did not turn humid, and the opponent’s ghostly sword moves did not appear as shadows.

The slender figure simply stood in place, casually wiping the blood from her face and letting the long sword in her hand droop to the ground.

The female cultivator was somewhat unable to fathom the opponent’s intention, but she trusted her own strength enough to strike first. Mobilizing her spiritual power, she leaped out, and complex sword moves instantly assaulted Shen Lezhi.

The Sword Martial Faction had always held the top rank among the factions in Youfang Academy. Although they did not possess the long heritage of the other three Great Sects, they constantly produced talents, and many of their students were renowned outside.

She was one of the outstanding young members of the Sword Martial Faction and was very confident in herself.

Her sword moves were personally taught by her faction’s elders, full of variations and difficult to counter.

However, despite her confidence, she would not underestimate Shen Lezhi in front of her again, knowing that the opponent, though inferior in cultivation, was not an ordinary person.

Moreover, in the female cultivator’s opinion, that bizarre movement technique and sword skill could only work once as a surprise attack. After being used once, no one would give her a second chance to succeed.

This time, the female cultivator was extremely cautious. Holding the Breath-Holding Pill, she was not afraid of any tricks the opponent might use to make her unable to breathe. Her treasured sword was already close to Shen Lezhi, who immediately twisted her body to dodge.

The female cultivator had anticipated this. Her ever-changing sword technique followed one move after another, never giving the opponent a chance to catch their breath.

This person is only in the middle Foundation Establishment stage. Does she really think I can’t defeat her?!

Shen Lezhi kept dodging with her small white sword. Wang Xi watched her raise the small white sword only to barely block the opponent’s moves, without any continuous counterattacks, and her eyes slightly lowered.

Shen Lezhi was angry.

When she got angry, she always had a contradictory feeling of recklessness and calmness.

The recklessness was her undisguised sharp edge. Even if the enemy was incredibly powerful, she would rise up like a defiant thorn, willing to face death but never bowing to the opponent.

Yet she would also be extremely calm. The thorn always carried a quiet composure that made people hesitant to face her directly.

Shen Lezhi seemed to be constantly retreating at this moment, but in reality, she was systematically moving across all areas of the arena. When the small white sword collided with the female cultivator’s weapon, cold light flashed, blinding the eyes.

Finally, Shen Lezhi stopped. This time, she forcefully built up her power, her entire body tense, and steadily met the approaching move of the Sword Martial Faction female cultivator, refusing to retreat further.

Her gaze swept over the female cultivator’s sharp, phoenix-like eyes. Her lips slightly parted, and a clear voice emerged from her throat: “Little Crybaby, cry.”

In an instant, the Weeping Soul Tassel’s cry suddenly erupted. The deafening wail shook the female cultivator’s mind.

The Weeping Soul Tassel’s cry was not just loud; the turbulent mind made the female cultivator dizzy, and she almost saw hallucinations.

She shook her head violently and quickly retreated to mobilize her qi and stabilize her mind.

She was aware of this kind of attack, as the cultivators of the Sword Martial Faction had already encountered it in the small secret realm.

The female cultivator naturally knew Shen Lezhi. Although she was unprepared for a moment and got hit, reciting the Clear Heart Incantation relieved a lot of the effect.

Seeing the female cultivator quickly recovering her senses, Shen Lezhi was not very surprised.

Shen Lezhi had not planned to use the Weeping Soul Tassel alone against her. The strange flower seeds that she had scattered earlier on the ground bounced up and attached themselves to the female cultivator before she could fully recover.

The Strange Flower is a kind of flower that instantly grows with a special incantation and spiritual power. Its seeds are as light as dandelions and can float in the air for a long time. Shen Lezhi’s constant dodging just now was to sow them all over the arena.

Now was the time for them to bloom and bear fruit.

Once the Strange Flower seedlings attach to a living creature and bloom, they immediately take root and entwine, the vines growing instantly and blooming into countless strange black flowers.

The tips of the black flowers are new Strange Flower seeds, which, blown by the wind, form new seeds in the air, seeking the next opportunity to bloom.

Now that the seeds were attached to the female cultivator, Shen Lezhi recited the incantation, precisely controlling the cluster of Strange Flowers to instantly bloom and grow on the female cultivator.

Countless vines coiled around the Sword Martial Faction female cultivator, and the Strange Flower roots dug deep into the arena ground. Because of the sheer number, the female cultivator was almost completely bound.

Moreover, the Strange Flower was not an ordinary vine. The growing vines had no pattern, and there was no logic to their coiling.

The female cultivator’s limbs were unfortunately twisted and deformed by the entanglement. She cried out in pain. Shen Lezhi walked up to her, her eyes emanating a chilling coldness that was awe-inspiring.

In fact, she still had many spiritual plants. The last few pages of the Spiritual Plant Cultivation Manual were full of somewhat dark spiritual plants. Some were not difficult to cultivate, and she had tried growing many of them before.

She could even prevent the person in front of her from reciting the breaking incantation, but Shen Lezhi was unwilling to torment people in that way.

She had used methods partly because of what they had done to the Spiritual Herb Hall; and partly because they had almost forced her to death in the small secret realm, and now they were provoking her like this.

Shen Lezhi disliked these conflicts, but being so persecuted, she inevitably developed a dark thought of brutalizing the opponent.

However, she could not bring herself to kill.

Whether others called her naive, or whether Wang Xi disapproved.

She still couldn’t imagine her hands stained with human blood.

But not killing didn’t mean not fighting back. She had already mastered the means of self-preservation in this world.

Shen Lezhi took out the Nine Rivers Gourd and poured the spiritual spring water from the gourd onto the Strange Flowers, beginning to water the spiritual plants in front of everyone present.

She understood the spiritual plant’s characteristics. The Strange Flower intensely loved spiritual spring water filled with spiritual energy. It would grow stronger, coiling around the female cultivator tighter.

Tearing pain radiated from the female cultivator’s limbs. The Strange Flower not only confined her but also continuously absorbed the spiritual energy from her body. She struggled harder and harder to break free and could not bear it. The image of Shen Lezhi in front of her began to blur.

“You can recite the incantation to break the formation,” Shen Lezhi kindly reminded the screaming female cultivator while watering the plants.

She’s not stupid. Would she fall for the same trick twice in the same place?

If the opponent didn’t silently recite the breaking incantation to surrender, she naturally wouldn’t release her again.

She glanced down and saw Senior Sister Xin Lan, who had arrived at some point, and immediately smiled and waved at her.

Her eyes curved into crescents, giving Senior Sister Xin Lan a big smile.

It was as if she was proudly saying: Look, Senior Sister, spiritual plants can fight them too.

Senior Sister Xin Lan was witnessing this kind of battle for the first time. Her eyes were focused on Shen Lezhi, and she also offered a smile.

Wang Xi saw this scene. Her breath hitched, and her eyes immediately turned cold.

But Shen Lezhi didn’t look at her. After greeting Senior Sister Xin Lan, she turned back to stare at the female cultivator in front of her.

The female cultivator’s face was turning blue with pain, yet she still refused to admit defeat. Shen Lezhi frowned, not understanding why this person was being so stubborn.

She was already completely confined. Even if she could break free from this patch of Strange Flowers, the arena was still covered in Strange Flower seeds.

Besides, Shen Lezhi was no ordinary person. How could she let her break free easily?

“A match here counts towards the academy rankings. If she loses to you, her ranking will drop significantly,” Senior Sister Yun Sha seemed to have noticed Shen Lezhi’s confusion and explained it to her outside the arena.

Only then did Shen Lezhi remember that this was indeed the case.

But so what if she doesn’t surrender?

She raised her hand and gripped the female cultivator’s jaw. Before the match, she had seen the opponent’s movements and guessed that she knew of her previous moves and had devised a method to limit her.

The female cultivator was already powerless to resist her. Her lips parted, and Shen Lezhi indeed saw a pill. She reached out and took the pill from the female cultivator’s mouth, then controlled the water spiritual energy around them.

The tighter the Strange Flowers coiled, the more the pain and suffocation clung to her. Shen Lezhi controlled the water spiritual energy, refusing to give the female cultivator any chance to breathe.

The female cultivator refused to surrender. Even if the chance was slim, she wouldn’t give up.

In this world of the jungle that was the cultivation world, within Youfang Academy, she would rather die on the arena today than surrender to anyone else.

The suffocation was already depriving her brain of oxygen, making her unable to think, leaving only pain.

Shen Lezhi looked at the female cultivator’s appearance, her gaze dropping. While controlling the water spiritual energy to invade the female cultivator’s nose and mouth, making her consciousness blurry, she directly knocked her out with a hand chop to the neck.

The sparring arena would automatically shut down when it detected that one of the two participants’ spiritual energy had completely dissipated, which served as a protection mechanism for the unconscious person.

Shen Lezhi won.

Many people were watching. The arrival of the Moonlight Immortal Master and the Head of Bamboo Heart Hall had attracted a large crowd.

Wang Xi stood not far away, watching Shen Lezhi carefully gather the Strange Flower seeds, and then leap in front of her.

“Master, your disciple won.” Shen Lezhi was especially happy that this match had brought glory to her sect.

But Wang Xi did not respond to her, her eyes coldly sweeping over her face. Then, with a flick of her sleeve, she left the place with the Head of Bamboo Heart Hall.

Shen Lezhi: “…”

She won. What is Wang Xi angry about?

This person is completely inexplicable!

She had thought Wang Xi would at least nod slightly in response, but instead, the other party’s eyes were icy, radiating a clear “keep-away” aura, as if she wanted to freeze her to death.

Absolutely speechless.

Shen Lezhi also got angry.

She didn’t chase after Wang Xi at all. She turned around and walked up to Senior Sister Xin Lan, giving the Strange Flowers in her hand to her.

“Junior Sister Shen, you’re amazing! To think of using the Strange Flower seeds to trap your opponent!” Senior Sister Xin Lan’s eyes were bright as she looked at Shen Lezhi. She had never considered using spiritual plants for combat.

Of course, that was also because she rarely grew these types of spiritual plants. Although she had seen them, these plants mostly looked somewhat sinister, so Senior Sister Xin Lan had consciously avoided them.

But the method Shen Lezhi demonstrated today made her wonder if their cultivators from the Spiritual Herb Hall could also use this kind of spiritual plant to assist in combat.

Although others might find it difficult to achieve the perfection Shen Lezhi just showed—in Senior Sister Xin Lan’s knowledge, spiritual plants without sentience rarely cooperated well with people.

Even for Wood Spiritual Root cultivators, achieving Shen Lezhi’s precision in controlling the Strange Flower to bloom would be extremely difficult.

But since this method existed, it was certainly worth a try.

In the cultivation world, strength and the Great Dao were what everyone pursued. Although the cultivators of the Spiritual Herb Hall were dedicated to researching spiritual plants, no one liked being constantly bullied because their spiritual power was weak.

If they were strong enough, why would they need to hide from the Sword Martial Faction people?

Shen Lezhi was happy to hear the praise but grew even more annoyed with Wang Xi.

Master was the one who told her to compete, yet she wouldn’t even give her a kind word for winning.

After grumbling to herself, Shen Lezhi said goodbye to Senior Sister Xin Lan, and also told Senior Sister Yun Sha and Hua Man that she had something to do. Then, she flew on her sword to Wang Xi’s dwelling.

[Master, your disciple will wait under the ancient peach tree.]

Angry or not, she had an appointment to learn the sword, and Shen Lezhi naturally still intended to learn.

She had finally mastered the Voice Transmission spell. After sending the message to Wang Xi, she didn’t know if the other party still had urgent business with the Head of Bamboo Heart Hall, so she went ahead to wait.

Shen Lezhi was bored waiting and simply began practicing her sword under the ancient peach tree. After the recent actual combat, she had some new ideas.

Her sword strokes flowed like water. Once she cast the Water Control spell, the sword body was without a sharp edge, yet it could hold ten thousand things.

If she constantly wrapped the Strange Flower seeds around the sword body, and then instantly hastened their growth the moment the sword met the enemy’s weapon, wouldn’t the instantly grown vines easily restrain the opponent?

Even if the enemy reacted and dodged, this move could serve as an unexpected safeguard.

She immediately tried it. The small white sword dragged water patterns in the air, drifting and wrapping the Strange Flowers.

But it was actually difficult to control. The Strange Flower seeds were too light, and they were semi-transparent. If the arc of the small white sword was too large, Shen Lezhi would easily lose track of the Strange Flower seeds if she wasn’t careful.

In fact, controlling an object individually was not difficult, but Shen Lezhi had to simultaneously control the water spiritual energy, wield the sword, and control the Strange Flower seeds just now. Too much attention had to be divided, and this wasn’t even during actual combat against an enemy.

Shen Lezhi gave up after only three attempts. This distracted her too much. A person’s focus was limited. If she faced a real enemy, any distraction would put her in danger.

She had been completely focused on practicing and hadn’t noticed Wang Xi’s arrival. When she stopped practicing, having given up, she saw Wang Xi standing not far away, having watched her for an unknown amount of time.

Shen Lezhi turned her head. She was still angry.

But not that angry.

She was just hoping Wang Xi would praise her.

“Master,” Shen Lezhi called softly.

Wang Xi took a few steps to her front. The scent of the ancient peach tree was clashing with the aura of ice.

Shen Lezhi felt Wang Xi’s coldness again, a coldness slightly different from usual.

Even though the other party’s expression hadn’t changed at all, and the surrounding temperature and spiritual power were extremely well concealed, Shen Lezhi could clearly perceive it.

She didn’t understand what Wang Xi was angry about, but she knew clearly that the other party’s coldness was directed at her.

Shen Lezhi wasn’t one to dwell on things. She looked up and met Wang Xi’s gaze, while also asking the question in her heart: “Master, why are you angry with me?”

She spoke so clearly, giving Wang Xi no chance to evade.

But Wang Xi still refused to answer her, only suddenly asking, “Why do you admire this Master?”

Shen Lezhi paused upon hearing this. First, she didn’t understand why this person suddenly asked this. Second, she heard a difference in Wang Xi’s tone again.

But she still patiently answered Wang Xi’s question, sincerely and genuinely, without any falsehood: “Admiring Master is a very natural thing.”

At least in Shen Lezhi’s eyes, Wang Xi was powerful, beautiful, and revered by all under heaven; yet she also went through hardships and was sometimes so fragile.

Her strength came at a great cost. The Exquisite Heart in her body was coveted by countless people, constantly keeping her from peace.

Shen Lezhi didn’t say that Wang Xi truly seemed like a piece of ice, like the perennial coldness of Linglong Peak, making her unapproachable.

But ice can be shattered, and Master sometimes didn’t look as tough as her strength suggested.

Shen Lezhi felt that she was thinking too far ahead. She shook her head helplessly, pulled her thoughts back, and continued: “You taught me and saved my life.”

“Countless people admire Master in this world. Your disciple is merely one insignificant person among them.”

People were selfish. If Wang Xi were merely the bright moon in the sky, Shen Lezhi would at most revere her, like an ordinary cultivator.

The true reason Shen Lezhi felt this way toward Wang Xi was because during Shen Lezhi’s few near-death experiences, the figure that appeared before her was always this cold and aloof one.

But Wang Xi disagreed, “You have never been insignificant.”

She harmed her life, causing her to fall into eternal damnation. All of Wang Xi’s tragedies were related to Shen Lezhi.

Wang Xi listened to Shen Lezhi talk about the admiration of the world, which reminded her of the past. The world respected her because of her extraordinary talent, although Wang Xi didn’t care about those titles.

But having always stood at a high place, she never thought that one day she would be like an ant, repeatedly tortured in the realm of the Flame Demon until she was barely recognizable.

She fell into the path of a demon for survival and revenge, becoming a lunatic despised by the cultivators of the world.

Shen Lezhi didn’t know what she was thinking at this moment, mistaking Wang Xi’s words for a declaration of affection. She was surprised that such a cold person would actually say such things, and felt a little jealous that Wang Xi liked the original female lead so much.

She felt both her face flushing and her heart aching.

But she also didn’t want to be unhappy with Wang Xi for this reason. Wang Xi was unaware, and Shen Lezhi could only bury this hint of bitterness in her heart.

“I wish Master a smooth life, and for you to ascend to the path of immortality.”

Her sincere wish. Only at this moment was Shen Lezhi thankful that she was not the original female lead. At least the betrayal and pain Wang Xi experienced in the book would no longer happen.

But after she spoke, she sensed Wang Xi’s aura constricting, followed by an even fiercer chill.

The person took another step closer. The icy spiritual energy began to be undisguised. Her fingers lifted, and her cold expression made Shen Lezhi think for a moment that Wang Xi was going to punish her again.

But Wang Xi only stopped her fingers beneath Shen Lezhi’s eye, her fingertip touching the scar left on her face from the sneak attack by the Sword Martial Faction female cultivator during the match earlier.

This intimate distance made Shen Lezhi slightly uncomfortable. She subconsciously wanted to retreat, but Wang Xi had already placed her hands on her shoulders, stopping her.

Wang Xi’s fingertip touched the cut. The wound was not deep, and the bleeding had stopped a while ago. It barely hurt anymore.

However, Wang Xi pressed down hard with her finger. The partially healed area being treated this way still caused a slight sting for Shen Lezhi.

“Mmm,” she let out an instinctive groan of pain, twisting her head, trying to break free from Wang Xi’s restraint.

But the aura of frost and snow enveloped her. Wang Xi’s figure was already right in front of her.

Shen Lezhi didn’t understand why this person was suddenly acting this way. She had been inexplicable all day. She wasn’t a punching bag!

She suddenly raised her eyes, conveying fierce struggle and intense dissatisfaction toward Wang Xi.

But what greeted her eyes was a streak of red pattern.

It crawled on the corner of Wang Xi’s eye and spread across her neck.

It was shocking.

Like a blood-soaked slash on a snowy white silk cloth, like a drop of crimson blood abruptly dripping onto a beautiful painting.

Shen Lezhi choked on all her words. She watched Wang Xi slowly lower her eyes. Even those usually cold eyes were stained with a crimson madness.

This was the first time Shen Lezhi had seen Wang Xi in this state. The other party was usually aloof, and those red patterns had never spread across Wang Xi’s skin so wildly as they did now.

“Master…” Shen Lezhi called out softly, a little fearful. A terrifying thought suddenly rose in her mind seeing Wang Xi like this.

But she suddenly didn’t dare to ask, because Wang Xi had already reached out her hands and tightly clasped her neck.

“With this appearance, how can this Master ascend to immortality?” Wang Xi gripped her neck and abruptly laughed.

With this laugh, the sky suddenly darkened. Everything around them instantly became dim. The ancient peach tree suddenly shook madly. Peach blossoms fell from the tree, a frightening rustling sound constantly ringing in Shen Lezhi’s ears.

Shen Lezhi was breathing rapidly. Waves of suffocation washed over her.

She desperately tried to pull Wang Xi’s hands away from her neck. Her action only made the other party more violent.

Wang Xi forcefully pushed her against the trunk of the ancient peach tree with one hand gripping her throat.

Her back was in severe pain from the impact, and her throat was choked by the fingers, making it unbearable to breathe.

Shen Lezhi’s mind was in chaos. The lack of oxygen made her instinctively resist desperately. All her spiritual power was tightly suppressed by Wang Xi. She wildly waved her hands, forgetting that she was still holding the small white sword. She just wanted Wang Xi to back away, but the small white sword went straight toward Wang Xi.

Wang Xi did not dodge.

The small white sword pierced her shoulder.

The small white sword, not imbued with water spiritual energy, was incredibly sharp.

Crimson blood stained Wang Xi’s white robe. Blood splatters on her face and neck slid down her skin.

Shen Lezhi’s eyes were stung by the sight of the blood red. She looked at the red seeping into Wang Xi’s cold face, making her look like a fiend from the underworld taking a life.

The surroundings were dim, but under the dark color, Wang Xi’s eyes were utterly calm as she looked at her, sending a shiver down Shen Lezhi’s spine.

Shen Lezhi couldn’t breathe. Her chest felt like it was being torn apart.

Her long sword was still in Wang Xi’s body. She was trembling violently all over, powerlessly enduring the spiritual power Wang Xi was currently emitting, which was like a winter blizzard invading her.

Every inch of her was being ravaged by Wang Xi’s spiritual power. Wang Xi’s overbearing and forceful aura entered her meridians, relentlessly squeezing her body.

Even the fingers clenched around Shen Lezhi’s throat emitted frost, which spread across her body.

Shen Lezhi’s vision spun. She finally couldn’t bear it and let out a whimper. She was completely controlled in Wang Xi’s hands. The feeling of suffocation kept intensifying.

She was powerless to resist, and struggling was ineffective.

Suddenly, she saw Wang Xi smile again.

That pair of calm yet frantic eyes was suddenly filled with joy.

Her lips curved up, and a few drops of blood that had slid down to her mouth stained her lips.

The chaotic sky grew even darker. Even the wind was infected with madness, and the branches and leaves of the ancient peach tree above them became noisy in the darkness.

She heard Wang Xi’s voice again, like a mountain collapsing in a cold winter, chaotic and manic.

“Lezhi, do you want to kill your Master again?”