Lin Qingcheng stood over her defeated foes, glaring at the five frightened faces. She had dragged Yang Tie over so she could deal with them all at the same time. In her heart, she was angry but also disappointed. She didn't know if these people were simply too useless or if she had grown too strong. The fight had been too short and her fists were still itching.
What she didn't realize was that her fighting ability was actually greatly muted during the challenge tournament. Although the sword breaker was an adequate weapon, it was still a sword and she knew almost nothing about sword arts. Fighting up close with fists and kicks was her true calling. In this mysterious forest where there were no rules, she was a big boss that nobody below the lesser realms could hope to beat.
With a cold harumph, Lin Qingcheng stomped over the person who had wanted to ruin her. She gave him a hard kick, making him squeal, ruining his attempt to play dead.
"No, please. Heroine Lin, please let me go. I didn't do anything. I didn't mean to do anything. Please!" Yang Tie begged without a shred of dignity.
Lin Qingcheng scoffed. Evil people who were afraid to die were the most contemptible. "You, say it again, what you were going to do to me."
"Me? No, no. I didn't say anything!"
"You didn't?" She asked.
"No, I swear! I have never forced myself on a woman in my life!"
Such a lie was so ridiculous, she burst out laughing, "Good! Then you won't be needing this then."
She lifted her leg and threw a swift kick at his groin area. There was a miserable cry followed by a gurgle as he threw up everything that was in his stomach. After wailing and rolling around for a while, he eventually found enough strength to take a glance at the bloody mess that was left over.
"My… My… impossible…" He let out before he fainted.
Lin Qingcheng snorted and moved on to the ugly woman who was trying to crawl away. She grabbed the offender's feet and pulled them back.
"Hey you, are you a woman or a man in disguise?" She asked, "Do you not feel anything when you watch your brothers rape women? How can you be so cruel to your own kind? And you even like ruining people's faces?"
"No, no, I didn't mean it. Heroine Lin, Heroine Lin…"
Lin Qingcheng ignored the woman's blabbering. She hated this type of person the most. Ugly, jealous, and with a black heart, they were far more dangerous to other women than men could ever be.
She summoned spiritual energy into her fist and punched down. Her heavy gauntlets landed squarely on their lower stomach, directly above their lower dantian, the source of their foundation and cultivation.
Sister Jiu spat out a mouthful of blood and shrieked, "Ahhh! You bitch! I'll kill you! Ahhh!"
Lin Qingcheng simply slammed her fist down again, breaking down the other's physique that had been honed by spiritual energy and countless years of practice.
"Ahh! Noo! Help me… Brother Meng? Brother Zhu?" Sister Jiu howled at the sky.
Nobody came to her rescue. They weren't in any condition and they didn't want to lose their manhood like Yang Tie.
Lin Qingcheng landed a few more punches until she finally broke through. With one last punch, she directly sent the might of the Nineteen Demon Subduing Palms into that evil woman's lower dantian, directly bursting it open like a ripe melon.
Sister Jiu let a bloody gasp and went limp. Her complexion darkened and her skin became wrinkled. Her cultivation had dropped to the early levels of the Body Refinement Realm and she now looked like a weathered old matron.
The three remaining people that were still conscious shrank back and shivered in fright. They had thought that this little girl from Ten Thousand Flower Valley would be easy prey. But it was too late to regret. Now their fates were in her hands.
Lin Qingcheng stood up straight and wiped her hands clean, "You guys can go. I hope you can treat others with more kindness in the future. Or else, if you had my elder sister… you might not even know how you died."
She turned away before they could respond. She picked up the sword truth she had earned from the sword monkeys and disappeared into the forest.
---
The first day within the Forest of Swords inevitably came to an end. As the sunlight dimmed and stars blinked into existence, the cultivators that had stepped into this secret realm prepared to spend a precarious night in the wild. They had faced many dangers already and they were certain to face more. Most decided to set up camp while a few brave souls dared to continue exploring.
This vast forest was filled with mysteries. Some people were lucky while others were not. Like the group of five led by Yang Tie, some managed to find fellow disciples or allies quickly. Most others were still alone and had to fend for themselves.
Many ran into fierce beasts just like Lin Qingcheng. Some fought, some fled, and some lost their lives. Such was the way of cultivation. There was danger at every corner. Progress came at the cost of hardship and bloodshed.
The disciples of Ten Thousand Flower Valley all had their own unique experiences today. Starting with Zhou Ziyun, she discovered a strange peach tree orchard on an island in the middle of a lake. The countless pink flowers in full bloom filled the surrounding area with an irresistible sweet fragrance.
Guessing that there must be something good inside, she bravely charged into the maze of peach trees. She instantly became lost and she couldn't even leave. The trees and flowers contained profound sword energy that resisted all attacks and attempts to force her way out. After many hours, despite her innate talent for comprehension, she was still as lost as ever so she was forced to spend the night within the strange tree array.
For Wu Qianyu, her day was much more fruitful. She didn't run into anyone or anything for most of the day but she eventually ran into a powerful spiritual beast that was surprisingly at the second lesser realm of Spiritual Formation.
It was a blademaster bear. It stood over three meters tall and its front claws were over a meter in length, even deadlier than the sharpest sabers. A single swipe could decimate everything in its path. Its sleek black fur was also similar to sharp blades and provided excellent defense.
She fought with the blademaster bear for a whole hour. In the end, she managed to prevail due to the unbeatable suppression that her Purple Jade Sword provided. She had intended to slay the beast but caught sight of a few bear cubs that had emerged from a nearby den at the last moment.
She was immediately reminded of the ten dire wolf cubs she took in after she killed their mother. Because of this, she decided to let the mother bear go. She was merciless against evil but this bear had done nothing wrong. It had been minding its own business before she barged into its territory and gave it a good beating.
In a show of gratitude, the mother bear gifted her a crooked stick from within its den. This was also a sword truth, born from what seemed like an old pine tree. If she had chosen to kill the bear, she would have been able to obtain the sword truth just the same but this way, she didn't have to cause unnecessary pain.
The five ice sisters didn't get into so much trouble in comparison. They were mainly focused on grouping up according to the plan. Their luck wasn't too good. The forest was enormous so they couldn't find each other on the first day. All they could do was dodge wild beasts and other competitors for the whole day. When night fell, they found safe shelter to pass the night before starting all over the next morning.
As for Bei Yingluo, she hadn't even moved from her starting location. She knew her own limits and the unreliable nature of her secret power to cross realms. She played it safe and stayed within her group of new-found friends.
Chen Wentian's disciples were all handling themselves well. It could be said that they were all sensible and intelligent women. He still worried about them but their performances today gave him enough reassurance to deal with his own prickly problems.
---
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