Chapter 58

Wei Zhao, upon seeing it, also wanted to go back and check on Song Weizhi. Just then, she heard Zhou Qingxue's voice: "I haven't competed yet, just watching your Mistress." 

Wei Zhao looked at Song Weizhi in the distance, then at Zhou Qingxue. In the end, she chose to stay. Otherwise, the young lady would use this matter against her again. 

Song Weizhi, her entire body now leaning on Song Zhixia, had lost the calm and composure she displayed in the Martial Arts Field. After being injured, she forcefully activated her spiritual qi, and now her consciousness was slightly blurred. 

While Song Zhixia supported Song Weizhi's body to prevent her from slipping, they swiftly flew on the sword. After a few moments, the two finally returned to their residence, and Song Weizhi had already fallen unconscious. 

Song Zhixia gently placed her on the bed, wiping away her tears. Crying at this time wouldn't solve anything. She forced herself to calm down, placing her palm gently on Song Weizhi's back, continuously channeling her spiritual qi into Song Weizhi's body. 

After a few moments, Song Weizhi gradually opened her eyes. She saw the little girl's eyes red beside the bed. Song Weizhi tried to raise her hand to wipe away the tears, only to find that she couldn't move at all. She had used up four hundred points to exchange for healing medicine, which she swallowed. Only then did she feel a bit more comfortable. 

"Xia Xia, help me up," Song Weizhi said, revealing a slightly pale smile. 

The little girl, seeing Song Weizhi speak, immediately carefully helped her up. "Senior Sister, how are you? Does it still hurt?" 

Song Weizhi shook her head. "It's fine. I'll meditate for a while, and it'll be okay." 

The little girl, watching Song Weizhi close her eyes to adjust her breath, could only watch quietly from the side. She was afraid that something might happen to Song Weizhi. This waiting lasted for most of the day. When Song Weizhi finally opened her eyes, it was almost midnight. 

"Senior Sister, how are you?" the little girl asked anxiously, stepping forward. 

Song Weizhi smiled, "It's okay now." It took her most of the day to absorb the medicine provided by the system. Now, her injuries had almost healed. 

However, the little girl, upon hearing Song Weizhi say this, still furrowed her brow. 

Song Weizhi pulled her into her arms, asking softly, "What's wrong? What are you thinking?" 

The little girl leaned against Song Weizhi's shoulder. "Senior Sister, let's leave here. Find any small town, I don't want to stay here anymore." 

Song Weizhi kissed the little girl's forehead. "I don't like it here either, but Xia Xia, we haven't retrieved your things yet. Now, the chick is not complete. Once we get the third soul fragment, we'll leave immediately, okay?" 

"Senior Sister, I'm really afraid that something will happen tomorrow. I just hope that we both can be safe and sound," the little girl said, tightening her grip on Song Weizhi's arm. 

"I promise you, Xia Xia. I'll protect myself and make sure nothing like today happens again. When we get the third fragment, we'll leave immediately," Song Weizhi assured, looking at the little girl. She knew Song Weizhi's temperament and could only nod, but for some reason, even though she slept in Song Weizhi's arms at night, she was still uneasy. Several times, she woke up from her dreams, turning to look at Song Weizhi. Even though she was sleeping beside her, she missed her a lot. 

The next morning was another day of normal competition in the Martial Arts Tournament. However, today, only eight people remain. After drawing lots again to determine their opponents, Song Zhixia faced a female disciple from the Lingjiang Sect, while Song Weizhi's opponent turned out to be Wei Zhao. 

The female disciple from the Lingjiang Sect had a cultivation level of Perfection-Nascent Soul, one whole realm higher than Song Zhixia. However, she didn't trouble Song Zhixia much, and as expected, Song Zhixia lost the match. 

In the match between Song Weizhi and Wei Zhao, Wei Zhao chose to forfeit directly. The match held no value for her; she participated only to provide an extra guarantee for her Mistress to obtain the soul fragment. Now that they faced each other, she naturally let Song Weizhi conserve her strength. 

When Wei Zhao announced her forfeiture, the audience was in an uproar. In the many years of the Martial Arts Tournament, there had never been someone directly forfeiting in the final stages. 

Zhou Yeran's face looked very unpleasant. Recently, he had also heard about the matter between Wei Zhao and his daughter. If Wei Zhao could reach the final stages, wouldn't she have a chance to meet his beloved disciple Qi Yingzhe in the finals? At that time, the soul fragment would undoubtedly be in his pocket. 

"Wei Zhao, this is no child's play. In the Martial Arts Tournament, who directly forfeits a match?" Zhou Yeran stared at Wei Zhao with a dark expression. 

"Me. Who said you can't forfeit in a match?" Wei Zhao said, nodded towards Song Weizhi, and then walked off the stage. 

The referee looked toward Gao Chengxuan's position and, seeing him nod, announced Song Weizhi's victory. 

Zhou Qingxue's heart was filled with mixed emotions. Wei Zhao didn't compete just for her Mistress. She could naturally see her father's displeasure. 

The last four to advance were Song Weizhi, Qi Yingzhe, a female disciple from the Lingjiang Sect, and a male disciple from the Xuantian Sect. Song Weizhi happened to draw a female disciple named Yuèluò from the Lingjiang Sect, while Qi Yingzhe faced a male disciple from the Xuantian Sect. 

The first match was between Song Weizhi and Yuèluò from the Lingjiang Sect. Song Weizhi appeared to have reached the Perfection-Golden Core realm, but in reality, she had long reached the Perfection-Soul Separation realm. Facing Yuèluò, who was a whole realm lower, she remained calm. 

Yuèluò had a single water element spirit root. When her long sword came out, it carried an overwhelming momentum, like a surging tide. Although there was no body of water nearby, mist filled the air as the sword qi rushed towards Song Weizhi. Unperturbed, Song Weizhi raised the Li Shuo Sword in front of her, dispersing the mist with a horizontal swipe. She then infused her spiritual qi into the sword and thrust it towards Yuèluò. 

Yuèluò had to defend with her sword, but the gap in their cultivation levels was too significant. Song Weizhi only used one move, and Yuèluò was sent flying. Although she suffered only minor injuries when she fell, she knew she was not Song Weizhi's match. The match was settled. 

On the other side, Qi Yingzhe won quite easily. After about a dozen moves, the disciple from the Xuantian Sect was already defeated, setting up the showdown between Song Weizhi and Qi Yingzhe. 

"Sect Master Zhou, it seems that your sect has many talents," Gao Chengxuan said, sitting in a chair. 

Zhou Yeran hurriedly stood up and replied, "Your Highness, you exaggerate. They are just lucky disciples." 

Gao Chengxuan smiled and asked, "So, Sect Master Zhou, who do you think will win?" 

Zhou Yeran's gaze swept between Song Weizhi and Qi Yingzhe. He hoped Qi Yingzhe would win, and that's why he said, "Your Highness, I think my disciple, Qi Yingzhe, should be the one to win." 

Gao Chengxuan smiled at Zhou Yeran without answering, his gaze fixed on the two in the Martial Arts Field. 

At this point, Song Weizhi and Qi Yingzhe had already saluted and stood firm. With a starting signal, Qi Yingzhe calmly wielded his sword. His spirit root was a golden-element single spirit root, giving his sword qi a heavy, bell-like feeling, making opponents feel they couldn't avoid it. 

Song Weizhi wasn't in a hurry either. She had observed Qi Yingzhe's match and knew he was a rare cultivator with a near-perfect mastery of his techniques. However, in the end, cultivation levels and the amount of spiritual qi mattered most in cultivation. Song Weizhi wasn't afraid; she held the Li Shuo Sword against her chest, effortlessly deflecting Qi Yingzhe's heavy attacks. 

People in the audience started discussing: 

"What do you think? Who will win?" 

"I think Senior Brother Qi will win. He's recognized as a cultivation genius. Look at how calmly he wields his sword." 

"Not necessarily. Look at Song Weizhi. When she counters, it's effortless, and the smoothness of the sword maneuvers is something even Senior Brother Qi can't achieve. I think she's a dark horse." 

"What do you know? I don't believe Song Weizhi, a newcomer, could defeat Senior Brother Qi Yingzhe. He's a genius that all sects want to recruit." 

"Hey, after the previous battle, Song Weizhi also gained fame, right? She even took a palm from Elder Yufeng, who had reached the Harmony realm. I think she'll be the strongest Golden Core cultivator in the Nanming Continent in the future. How many Golden Core cultivators can win against Nascent Soul cultivator?" 

However, the two on the stage paid no attention to the discussions below. Song Weizhi's use of spiritual qi and the speed of her sword moves increased gradually, and Qi Yingzhe began to struggle. 

This surprised Qi Yingzhe. He thought Song Weizhi would be evenly matched with him, but she managed to force him to retreat. He couldn't afford to be distracted and focused all his attention on his sword moves. 

Song Weizhi didn't want to complicate things further. She suppressed all her spiritual qi and poured it into the Li Shuo Sword. With a single swift thrust, seemingly gentle but hiding layers of killing intent, Qi Yingzhe retreated several steps. A trace of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he signaled to the referee, "No need to continue. I concede." 

Wiping away the blood, Qi Yingzhe said to Song Weizhi, "Junior Sister Song, the student surpasses the master. You are the hope of my Cold Mountain Sword Sect. I fought with all my heart today and learned a lot." 

Song Weizhi nodded, "It was a close match. Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Qi." 

Far away, Gao Chengxuan showed a hint of a smile and said to Zhou Yeran beside him, "Sect Master Zhou indeed has excellent teaching methods. Your two disciples are quite outstanding, presumably not ordinary talents." 

"Your Highness is too kind. Regarding the cultivation path, they are still far from Your Highness," Zhou Yeran smiled and held a small square box in his hand. Rising into the air, he landed steadily on the Martial Arts Field. 

Smiling at the two, he said to Song Weizhi, "In that case, the winner of this Martial Arts Tournament is Song Weizhi. The reward in my hand is the soul fragment of the Vermilion Bird." Saying this, Gao Chengxuan opened the box, revealing a sparkling yellow gas, precisely the soul fragment. 

Gao Chengxuan smiled and handed the box to Song Weizhi. 

"Thank you, Your Highness," Song Weizhi said, then turned and left. In the blink of an eye, she and Song Zhixia disappeared.