As the jade-like girl broke through, the Qi around her swelled, dispelling any lingering fatigue. Her gaze sharpened once more, emanating a readiness to kill. The grass surrounding her froze in place, cracking audibly, and within moments, ice spread from her, encasing the ground beneath her feet. The freezing effect extended towards us.
Though I stood behind Song Song, I instinctively stepped back, feeling the intensifying cold. The jade-like beauty's power had surged significantly, and the ice spread so fast I could no longer dodge.
As the ice threatened to crash into us and the chill became nearly unbearable, Song Song emitted a calming pulse of Qi, shattering the ice. Everything around us turned into frozen sculptures, except for a circle surrounding us where the grass remained green, untouched by the cold.
The jade-like beauty frowned, gathering Qi in her hand for another attack. At that moment, Song Song turned around, gave me an awkward thumbs-up, and said, "Everything will be okay."
Her reassurance felt anything but comforting!
The awkwardness of her smile and the forced nature of her words left me uneasy. Was this some signal? It certainly didn't feel like it. Were we on the brink of death?
"Okay…" I replied, whispering, "Why are you acting like this, is something wrong? Should we flee?"
She appeared offended by my question. "I was trying to reassure you," she whispered back defensively. "And for your information, I think I'm improving."
"Can you please just be yourself? It's unsettling otherwise," I urged quietly. "Just as I promised to be honest with you, you should do the same. Tell me what you truly mean."
Song Song sighed, her features returning to neutrality, though the intense sparkle in her eyes persisted.
Meanwhile, the jade-like beauty had charged her attack, launching a dozen ice spikes toward us. Song Song turned towards her opponent, her hands moving swiftly to deflect and shatter the incoming projectiles effortlessly.
"Liu Feng, stop betraying your emotions through your actions, and refrain from behaviors like stepping back when I'm present," she advised firmly, her confidence unwavering yet tinged with a hint of madness. "Act like a man, and trust in me. I will protect you, and there's no need to fear. It's embarrassing to witness my second-in-command behave in such a manner."
Though slightly insulted, I couldn't deny the confidence her words instilled. She should play to her strengths, leaving me to handle the role of being approachable and amiable.
"Second-in-command? You do realize it's only a temporary position, right?" I countered with a smile.
Yes, I should trust her. Despite facing a formidable opponent in the jade-like beauty, Song Song's prowess was undeniable. If we lost now, then so be it. I wouldn't have had a better chance at this either way.
Song Song turned her head slightly, a teasing smirk dancing on her lips as she sent me a glance. "Are you sure saying such things now is a good idea? After all, I could leave you here to die if you're not going to be of any use to me."
I smiled back and nodded. "You'd have a better chance at becoming immortal than finding another second-in-command who would put up with your bullshit."
Her smirk faltered into a frown as she redirected her attention to the jade-like beauty. "You're probably right. Smart people are usually scheming, but you're just smart enough to not be a snake, so that's good."
"There's another word for that," I added. "It's called being trustworthy."
Meanwhile, during our banter, the jade-like beauty had readied another attack. A singular trident, colossal in size and radiating an aura of extreme cold, hung suspended in the air like a sentinel of icy power. Its sleek form, reminiscent of a frozen storm, loomed large against the backdrop of the dark sky, commanding attention with its sheer magnitude. The air around it seemed to quiver and distort as if recoiling from its frigid touch. Each trident prong gleamed with an unnatural brilliance, its edges sharp enough to cleave atoms.
Despite its formidable presence, it was surrounded by an eerie stillness—a silent promise of chaos poised to be unleashed at the slightest provocation.
The weapon flew toward us with such speed that it felt like it was already upon us, freezing the very air itself in the blink of an eye. Yet, despite its menace, Song Song showed no hesitation. With a swift punch, she intercepted the trident, causing it to shake and explode harmlessly into ice shards.
"This…" the jade-like beauty narrowed her eyes. "You're injecting Qi into my constructions and causing internal destruction."
"It's a little something I came up with while destroying someone's cultivation," Song Song shrugged. "It's not really a technique, just finesse with Qi control. It's effective against physical constructs, but not so much against people with their own Qi."
"I'm not sure it's wise to reveal your ability's weaknesses," I cautioned her.
"It's nothing special," Song Song dismissed it casually.
Though I wasn't well-versed in Qi, her usage sounded anything but "not special."
The jade-like beauty narrowed her eyes, accompanied by a ring of ice swords floating behind her. She rapidly launched the weapons towards us, and each projectile as it was shot out was replaced by a new one materializing behind her.
As the swords hurtled towards us, Song Song tightened her fist, ready to deflect them. But just as they were halfway towards us, she opened her hands and leaned aside, dodging one of the attacks—and allowing one of the ice swords to come towards me!
Shit! Fuck! I'm dead!
The ice sword was too swift for me to evade, dangerously close to skewering me through the head. However, just inches before it could skewer through my left eye, the weapon halted mid-air. Song Song seized the handle and swiftly repurposed the projectile, using it to deflect another incoming ice sword.
She seized a third sword in a blur of motion, dual-wielding the icy weapons to expertly parry the projectiles. Dozens of swords were deflected before the barrage finally ceased, leaving the jade-like beauty looking unsettled. At the same time, Song Song wore a triumphant smirk.
"That was good. You're quite amazing, young lady. You were able to change the core of the technique so fast and reinforce the inner part of the swords too, so your constructs are now somewhat immune to my internal destruction—at least strong enough that I won't be able to destroy them in a split second." Song Song nodded.
"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't divulged your weakness," I muttered under my breath, loud enough for Song Song to hear.
She wasn't dealing with an ordinary disciple, and the jade-like beauty might possess capabilities beyond what she seemed.
"It's not a big deal," Song Song shrugged, twirling her new ice sword with practiced ease. "She improvised a new variation of her technique. Normally, she could have dissolved these swords effortlessly and not let her enemies use them. But as you can see, they remain intact."
With a knowing smirk directed at her opponent, Song Song continued, "Moreover, reinforcing the technique was Qi-intensive, especially with this new variation she never used before. She must have expended considerable Qi in the process."
Though unexpected from Song Song, her analysis sounded plausible. Despite her naivety in mundane matters, she was undeniably a genius at fighting.
Song Song's swift deduction and strategic response during the battle were monstrous, bordering on terrifying. She had deduced all that amid a split second in a fight.
The jade-like beauty's frown deepened as the ice swords in Song Song's grasp began to melt. Despite her loss, the older girl seemed amused by the turn of events.
"You won't recover the Qi spent on those just by dissolving them," Song Song remarked casually.
"We shall see," the jade-like beauty replied cryptically, her eyes flashing with rainbow hues before the Qi around her violently erupted outward.
"Huh? A technique that increases her cultivation that's quite rare. Even I do not have a technique like that. It also seems like a top grade since you just jumped three stars," Song Song whistled in admiration. "But is it smart to use such a thing right after breaking through when your Qi is still quite malleable?"
Despite Song Song's words, the jade-like beauty paid no heed. She took a crimson pill and popped it into her mouth. Her Qi exploded once more, turning crimson.
Unlike before, when her Qi was soft and controllable, that no longer seemed to be the case. Tears of blood seeped from her eyes, and blood trickled from her left nostril.
Even to me, a man who was essentially blind to Qi, it was evident that she had far more Qi than her body could handle.
But the other girl ignored Song Song's provocations, forming two thin swords of ice and grasping them. Then, the jade-like beauty swiftly kicked off the ground and closed the distance between her and Song Song.
"Good choice. You didn't waste any more Qi on projectiles since they were useless," Song Song commented, observing the fight as if she were a spectator rather than a participant.
Meanwhile, I noted that the new projectile was too costly to use, especially considering Song Song's movements and the elegance with which she never even stepped back as the jade-like beauty slashed at her. Instead, Song Song leaned into the slash and, rather than dodging, grabbed the sword bare-handed!
My heart almost jumped at that seemingly foolish action, knowing that my life also depended on her winning. It appeared she wasn't even taking the fight seriously, especially now that, if my senses were correct and considering what Song Song had stated before, this girl should be at least a six-star Qi Gatherer with all her boosts.
Before the sword could dig into her hand, it halted midway as if stopped by an invisible force. In a split second, Song Song redirected all the Qi in her body to her hand to defend herself and grabbed the weapon. The jade-like beauty quickly retaliated with her other sword, attempting to cut Song Song's throat.
"While your decision was a good one, my specialty is close-quarters combat," Song Song stated calmly. "Well, not exactly a specialty, perhaps, as I'm not bad at long-range either. But I prefer my fights up close and personal."
Two inches before the sword could touch Song Song's neck, she shifted and delivered a powerful kick to the jade-like beauty's chin, causing her head to snap backward from the force and rattling her brain.
Song Song let go of the sword and finally took a step backward.
The jade-like girl's footing grew unsteady, and as she attempted to stand up and slash at Song Song, she plummeted to the ground. Despite her efforts to look up, her eyes remained hazy and unfocused.
Was… this the end? Could the battle indeed be over? It felt surreal. There was no way a jade-like beauty could fall so easily, right? No, it was Song Song who made it seem effortless.
So this was what an overwhelming difference in combat experience looked like…
Once again, the jade-like girl stumbled to her feet, trying to attack Song Song, only to find herself back on the ground. Her legs shook as she used her hand to prop herself up.
I couldn't help but observe with an eerie fascination. Despite being a cultivator, what had essentially occurred was an overwhelming knockout and evident brain damage she was struggling to push through, to no avail.
"Have you ever thought about the nose?" Song Song suddenly pointed at my nose.
Excuse me? What was she on about now?
It still felt like a dream. At any moment, the jade-like girl might rise and unleash another power surge. But even if that were the case, Song Song would make quick work of her again.
Wait, had Song Song even used a martial technique throughout this entire fight?