Xiao Yi was utterly stunned.
She never imagined that her Second Senior Brother had also comprehended sword intent.
"This… this…"
Her mind went blank, unable to process what she was seeing.
Is sword intent as common as cabbage? You both act like it's no big deal, and you're still human?
No wonder they expected me to comprehend sword intent within two months. Turns out, they think I'm like them.
Xiao Yi felt like crying. Senior Brothers, you're overestimating me.
Down below, Lü Shaoqing's expression was serious, his stance firm and upright, accentuated by the fierce aura of his sword intent.
Suddenly, Xiao Yi felt that her Second Senior Brother's image was heroic and majestic.
She started to doubt whether she had misjudged him. The shameless, lazy Second Senior Brother she knew seemed completely different from the one she saw now.
No wonder Shifu claimed that the two had been sparring that night. Initially, Xiao Yi was skeptical, and after spending more time with Lü Shaoqing, she suspected Shifu had lied.
Could such a shameless Second Senior Brother really be so powerful?
Only now did she realize she had never truly understood her Second Senior Brother.
"Shifu…"
Shao Cheng interrupted, "Just watch, don't talk!"
"Die!"
Lü Shaoqing roared as his ferocious sword intent surged into the sky, transforming into a massive red firebird.
The bird screeched and charged at the white dragon, colliding with it fiercely.
"Boom!"
An enormous explosion echoed.
The white dragon and the firebird perished together, causing a massive detonation in mid-air.
A powerful shockwave rippled outwards, and the overwhelming sword energy shattered into countless fragments, scattering in all directions like flower petals.
Buildings below were destroyed in an instant. The ground looked like it had been ravaged by wild beasts, left with pits and craters everywhere.
Little Red frantically darted left and right, finally seeking shelter with Xiao Yi.
As Xiao Yi held the trembling bird, she realized it was terrified. She couldn't even laugh, knowing she wasn't much better off.
Had Shao Cheng not shielded her, her dao heart would have crumbled under the pressure.
She never imagined that her seemingly unreliable and shameless Second Senior Brother would possess such terrifying sword intent.
His strength was astonishing.
I truly don't understand him at all.
Lü Shaoqing gritted his teeth, glaring at Ji Yan above.
Ji Yan's eyes remained closed, his body like a bottomless pit.
Boundless spiritual energy continued pouring into him, as if he were a man dying of thirst, desperately absorbing all the surrounding essence.
Even with his eyes shut, it seemed Ji Yan could see Lü Shaoqing. He swung his sword again.
Lü Shaoqing cursed, "You really plan to use me as your whetstone?"
"Are you insane? You've totally lost it."
He shouted, "Then I'll beat you up today! You're dead!"
He swung his sword once more.
The sword intent materialized into another firebird, charging straight at Ji Yan.
Again, the two forces clashed, equal in strength, and annihilated each other in mid-air.
Their sword intents were evenly matched; neither could overpower the other.
Xiao Yi trembled as she watched.
Both of her Senior Brothers had comprehended sword intent, and both had reached the second stage: sword intent manifestation.
Their sword intents were equally strong.
These Senior Brothers are incredible.
Lü Shaoqing glared at Ji Yan, let out a cold snort, and swung his sword again.
This time, his expression was much more serious.
Previously, they had simply tested their sword intents against each other.
"Flame Sword Technique!"
Lü Shaoqing's spiritual energy surged, pouring into his longsword.
A flicker of dark red flame appeared in the air, dancing like a tiny spirit, swaying gently in the wind.
It looked adorable, but the rising temperature indicated otherwise—this was no playful sprite but a force capable of burning the heavens.
The flame rapidly absorbed the spiritual energy around it, growing in size.
Soon, countless flames filled the sky, forming a vast net of fire that covered the entire sky.
"Go!"
Lü Shaoqing shouted as the flaming net swept toward Ji Yan.
The searing heat caused the moisture in the air to evaporate, withering the grass and trees below.
The endless flames surged upward like a ferocious beast, aiming to engulf Ji Yan completely.
Ji Yan continued absorbing spiritual energy.
Faced with the fiery net, he thrust his sword.
The seemingly light and gentle thrust was, in fact, incredibly powerful.
The incoming flames were effortlessly split and extinguished.
Watching from above, Shao Cheng's face lit up with joy.
"Xiaoyao Sword Technique!"
Xiao Yi exclaimed, "Shifu, is this the sword technique handed down from our sect's ancestor?"
Shao Cheng nodded, "Only our ancestor and your Big Senior Brother have successfully mastered the Xiaoyao Sword Technique."
Xiao Yi was amazed. Impressive.
She then asked, "What about Second Senior Brother?"
"Did he also master the Xiaoyao Sword Technique?"
Shao Cheng shook his head, "No, he uses the Flame Sword Technique, which is not part of our sect."
"It's not from our sect? Where did he learn it?"
Shao Cheng replied, "I don't know. I never asked; it's his own matter."
"But from my observations, the Flame Sword Technique is no weaker than the Xiaoyao Sword Technique."
Xiao Yi couldn't help but marvel, "Both Big and Second Senior Brothers are amazing."
At that moment, Xiao Yi felt complete admiration for her two Senior Brothers.
Their sword intent was unmatched; either one of them alone could dominate their peers effortlessly.
Watching the fierce battle below, she sensed the power emanating from their clash—it was nothing like ordinary Golden Core cultivators.
Ji Yan wielded the Xiaoyao Sword Technique, effortlessly countering Lü Shaoqing's attacks.
Lü Shaoqing sneered coldly, "Again!"
He swung his sword again.
This time, countless flames transformed into dark red firebirds.
They covered the sky, swarming toward Ji Yan.
As Ji Yan absorbed spiritual energy, the sheer number of firebirds engulfed him, making the air around him seem ablaze.
From below, Xiao Yi saw the sky appear to be on fire.
Her heart quivered in fear. Such a powerful Second Senior Brother. Can Big Senior Brother withstand this?
Ji Yan didn't dodge. Pointing his sword at Lü Shaoqing, he slashed downward.
The clash of massive spiritual forces resembled the opening of the heavens as the flames split in half.
The sky dimmed, and the flames vanished.
The sky returned to darkness, with only lingering energy waves indicating that the battle was real.
Ji Yan's voice boomed like a bell, "Again!"
His spiritual energy surged, launching another attack at Lü Shaoqing.
The pressure was immense, like the sky itself was collapsing.
The overwhelming spiritual energy condensed into a massive sword that descended from above, aimed directly at Lü Shaoqing.
The giant sword crashed down, shaking the earth and causing the surroundings to crumble and collapse in a cloud of dust.
"Second Senior Brother!"
Xiao Yi shouted in panic.
Ji Yan's attack was immensely powerful; she felt that even a Nascent Soul cultivator would struggle under such a blow.
Lü Shaoqing was only in the Golden Core stage—how could he possibly withstand it?
Shao Cheng reassured her, "Don't worry!"
Just as he spoke, Lü Shaoqing's voice echoed.
"You madman, are you serious?"
"Die!"
Lü Shaoqing's figure appeared in a different spot, closer to Ji Yan.
He shouted, "Meteor Summoning Technique!"
The sky trembled as a massive fireball emerged, as if piercing through time and space.
The blazing fireball lit up the sky like daylight.
It streaked across the night, hurtling toward Ji Yan.
"You want to smash me? I'll smash you! Take this!"
Lü Shaoqing's tone carried a hint of satisfaction.
Xiao Yi's eyes widened at the enormous fireball, filled with disbelief.
"Shifu, what kind of spell is that?"
"Meteor Summoning Technique? I've never heard of it."
Shao Cheng chuckled, "He's just making it up. It's actually a Fireball Technique."
After a pause, he added, "Don't ask me why his fireball is that big—I don't know."
Xiao Yi swallowed her questions. I'll ask Second Senior Brother later.
Lü Shaoqing's fireball seemed even more powerful than Ji Yan's previous giant sword.
Ji Yan's expression grew more serious.
But he didn't dodge; as the fireball neared, he slashed his sword.
The strike was immense, rippling with spiritual energy.
The fireball split in half, then shattered into countless fragments and dissipated into the air.
Lü Shaoqing yelled, "Using your cultivation to overpower me? What kind of hero are you?"
"Come on, let's go again!"
But Ji Yan didn't give him a chance.
He swung his sword again and again.
Each strike was more powerful than the last.
Lü Shaoqing was forced onto the defensive.
Ji Yan's momentum continued to rise, the air around him thickening.
Black clouds gathered above, lightning flashing within.
It was as if countless thunder dragons roared and writhed between the clouds.
The oppressive atmosphere weighed down, making it hard to breathe.
Ji Yan's relentless attacks left Lü Shaoqing with no room to counter.
Finally, with one decisive strike, Lü Shaoqing struggled to block.
"Damn it, you—"
Lü Shaoqing was sent flying, crashing into a mountain dozens of miles away.
"Second Senior Brother!"
Xiao Yi cried out.
Seeing that Lü Shaoqing didn't return for a while, she looked anxiously at Shao Cheng, "Shifu, is Second Senior Brother okay?"
Shao Cheng smiled faintly, "Don't worry, he's fine."
"That rascal is just pretending to be dead to avoid fighting."
After confirming that Lü Shaoqing's aura was stable, Shao Cheng focused on Ji Yan.
With a hint of melancholy, he said, "Your Big Senior Brother is about to break through."
Having such powerful disciples brings a lot of pressure for a Shifu.
Xiao Yi had no words left. She was filled with admiration.
She now knew that ten years ago, her Big Senior Brother was just a mortal.
In ten years, to rise from an ordinary human to the Nascent Soul stage was nothing short of extraordinary talent.
"So powerful!"
Xiao Yi could only sigh in awe.
"With such a powerful Big Senior Brother, can I ever catch up?"
Shao Cheng glanced at her and smiled, "Don't be discouraged. If you work hard, you can still keep up with your Senior Brother."
"Today, I brought you here to show you your Second Senior Brother's strength, so you'd know he's not as simple as he seems."
This was Shao Cheng's true purpose.
He wanted Xiao Yi to see the real Lü Shaoqing so that she wouldn't hold any grudges against him.
Sigh, being a shifu isn't easy. Keeping peace among his disciples takes so much effort.
Shao Cheng sighed before adding, "I didn't expect you'd also get to witness your Big Senior Brother's breakthrough today."
"Watch carefully; it'll be greatly beneficial to you in the future."
With that, Shao Cheng flew into the sky, saying, "Stay here and watch. I'll protect your Big Senior Brother during his breakthrough."