34 I'm not an old cat!

[You're an annoying master.] 

Xiu Ying's lips curled. She walked up to him and kicked his foot. "Follow me." 

She soared into the air and suddenly flickered, tapping her feet against the trees. Knowing he couldn't keep up with her on air, Li Chen dashed forward.

Attuning himself to his light element, his speed skyrocketed. Xiu Ying cocked a brow in surprise, her interest in Li Chen growing deeper. After a while, she floated to the ground and summoned her sword.

Accessing Li Chen, she pointed her sheathed sword towards him. "Thank you for saving me back then. I owe you... a meal." She said this at the end, causing Li Chen to snort.

"Now, show me what you've learned in these past two months. If you can't impress me, then I won't allow you to partake in the selection." 

Her mellifluous voice and beauty did not match the cold words that came out of her lips. 

Li Chen's gaze cruised her slender figure as she unsheathed her jade sword and brandished it. 

SHING—!

Unsheathing his sword, Li Chen felt like his arm just extended and became a blade. This was his level of comprehension on the path of being a swordsman.

Xiu Ying's eyes flickered when she noticed the strange gleam of the silver blade. However, it was nothing compared to Li Chen's piercing aura, which violently billowed off him.

He slid his left leg back, leaned his torso forward and closed his eyes. 'A swordsman sees through his heart,' he recited, his ears twitching ever so softly. The soft sound of the air entering and leaving Xiu Ying's nostrils slithered into his ears. 

His focus was at its peak! 

Li Chen would never underestimate Xu Ying, even if she had lowered her level to match his. He created her to be a prodigy capable of making a name in the heaven realm and his 'co-author'  took deep interest in her.

At this moment, Xiu Ying was the most unpredictable factor in the comic. She was an unknown variable!

"Good!" Xiu Ying nodded, tightened her grip around her sword and raised her feet to move forward. At that moment, Li Chen flickered forward, unleashing a swift horizontal strike aimed at ending the battle at once!

But…

Xiu Ying somersaulted over his sword radiance, her robe billowing, and a contagious smile, which for the first time Li Chen found pretty spread across her face.

RUSTLE—!

Landing on leaves, she smirked and turned her head toward him. "I'm impressed." 

"Tiger Tail Whip"! 

Twisting her hips, she leaped into the air and swung her right leg downward. Blazing golden flames erupted from the soles of her boot, engulfing the air.

Li Chen flickered to the right, a black mist billowing off his foot. "Nine Phantom Steps"!

He took nine swift steps and struck from a critical spot yet Xiu Ying deflected with her sword.

CLANG —!

She cocked her brows in surprise. Li Chen proved stronger than she expected. Intensifying her attacks, Xiu Ying slashed her sword at every angle, trying to open a gap but Li Chen was like a solid wall.

Although her pressure made him move backwards, his sword kept moving at high speed. So fast that his hands formed afterimages!

Gathering energy into her left fist, Xiu Ying was about to unleash a dangerous strike. Her eyes widened when Li Chen closed the gap and wrapped his fingers around her fist.

Her irises dilated and they both blasted each other backwards. 

"How did you get this good?" 

[I killed a lot of beasts.]

"Don't lie to me. I hate it!" She hissed, stomped the ground, and two streams of dense flames poured from her clenched fist and sword.

"Inferno Slash"! 

Unleashing a 7-star-mortal-grade offensive technique, the surrounding grass shriveled as a large burst of dense flames came for Li Chen.

Seeing the flames, he gathered energy into his sword, causing it to release a piercing cry. 

SLASH —!

The flames split apart but three crescent sword radiances emerged from the rift. His eyes flew wide and he barely managed to deflect all three when Xiu Ying appeared mid-air with another downward kick.

At this moment, his mind ran wild, seeking different alternatives. Rolling away, he barely caught his breath when Xiu Ying launched another attack.

In his effort to regain himself, he recalled his teachings from when he wanted to gain the sword heart lotus. 

Suddenly, his stance changed. Li Chen folded his fingers, leaving the index and middle fingers straight and joined them together. His eyes narrowed and a sharp glint flashed through them.

CLANG—!

CLANG—!

CLANG —!

Refusing to leave one spot, he kept deflecting and splitting her flames. His eyes shifted about, spotting her every movement. 

'She's currently at my level. There's no way I can lose to her speed.'

Xiu Ying stopped using fire since it couldn't overwhelm him anymore and Li Chen was strong enough to handle the heat of her current suppressed level.

Brandishing her sword, she clashed with him. "Won't you move? You've been standing in one spot like an old cat I once had."

Li Chen scoffed, deflected her blade, and took advantage to launch a stab. The tip of the blade gleamed in Xiu Ying's eyes and she floated backwards, her arms outstretched. Akin to a bird's wings.

She landed on a bamboo tree and gestured for him to come over. "Move, Old Cat. It'll be good for your health." She teased. 

[I'm not an old cat. Stop referring to me as one.]

Li Chen retorted and floated to the bamboo tree, causing it to bend. They clashed, probing each other while unleashing mortal-grade techniques.

"Ah! You're good with the sword, Old Cat. Someone must have taught you or were you this good before I found you?" Xiu Ying tilted her head; her melodic voice was light and carefree.

'I've never seen her smile this much. Does fighting excite her? Maybe it's meeting an opponent.' Li Chen thought, leaping off the bamboo and controlling the energy in the surroundings.

Spinning, he landed on the other side of the bamboo, close to the edge and pointed his sword at Xiu Ying's neck.

[I won.]

"Is that so?" She chuckled, pushing her blade back a bit. Li Chen felt something poke his abdomen and he looked down.

Behold, the tip of Xiu Ying's sword pressed against his robe. 

"I predicted you would do that. I've done it several times." She sheathed her sword and they both floated to the ground. 

Touching the sweat on her forehead, she looked at the sky. "It's noon. I'm hungry but I'm craving Ma Dong's rice wine." She pursed her lips and turned to him.

"Old Cat, let's go." 

Walking behind Xiu Ying, his gaze cruised her figure. 'Is this name my retribution for the name I gave her servants? Damn karma!'

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