Chapter 39: As Blossoms, As Dragons, Echoing Through the Sky (Part Three)
Gu Yi had learned a great deal, and aside from the troublemaking technique known as “Ten Bends of Clear Water in the Sun,” he had truly mastered many skills.
Sometimes it was because he wanted to learn. Sometimes it was because little Yiyi, wild as a madwoman, would beat him senseless, never bothering to hold back. So he had to acquire some powerful techniques—only then could he avoid being beaten up.
The Flower-Dragon Sunlit Sword was the most formidable sword art he had studied, but his power was limited; to compensate, he always carried plenty of flowers. Even though his body was sturdier than most, he could not ignore the gap in cultivation levels.
Legend held that the Flower-Dragon Sunlit Sword was created by the Flower Fairy, Blossom of Tomorrow. They said that as long as there were flowers, Blossom of Tomorrow was invincible.
Gu Yi, like any fool, once asked the obvious: What if there are no flowers?
Little Yiyi had smacked his head, scolding, “Can’t you understand plain words? Without flowers, of course she’s not invincible!”
But now, borrowing the spiritual energy of flowers, Gu Yi was determined to unleash a strike of the Flower-Dragon Sunlit Sword that very day!
After the initial shock passed, Fan Ling quickly regained his composure.
Humm!
He clenched his fists before his chest, gathered his might, and then flung his arms open.
“Gaaah~”
A cry rang out, remarkably similar to the crow of a rooster at dawn.
Gu Yi’s black hair whipped before his eyes, swept by Fan Ling’s aura, revealing a faint, confident smile. “Just as I guessed—you cultivate a technique that imitates the rooster’s crow.”
“Gaaah~”
Chicks, before they grow up, are adorable, fuzzy little things. Gu Yi had witnessed the wonders of this world, so seeing a chicken the size of a grown goose, still golden and cute as ever, didn’t surprise him much.
What was odd, though, was seeing such a cute creature standing beside this half-masked brute with his harsh, punk look—it was a jarring contrast.
“Gu Yi, whatever happens, I’ll remember you.”
“I’ll remember you, too, because…”
“…I remember who once told me that spirit beasts taste better!”
When he returned, no matter what, he’d catch a spirit chicken, roast it over a roaring fire, and stew it till it fell off the bone!
“Gaaah~”
The beast seemed to understand Gu Yi’s words, raising its tail and screeching at him.
Foolish beast, if you only knew how many chickens I’ve eaten, you’d never dare squawk at me!
…
It was time for the final move.
Gu Yi stretched out his right hand and grasped the Green Snake Sword hilt hovering before him.
The youth stood, sword in hand. Violent spiritual energy coiled around his arm and blade; as he pointed the sword at the sky, petals unfurled like scales, humming low, their tone resonant and deep, carrying the essence of a dragon’s roar.
And more than that—
He, too, was a cultivator of the Settled Mind realm.
Spiritual energy surged within him, lifting his body gently into the air. The sword’s dragon intent spiraled about him, occasionally letting out a low, thunderous growl.
The Flower-Dragon Sunlit Sword was powerful, but it consisted of only three strikes.
Just three, but each one was fearsome.
The first strike: Like a flower, like a dragon. The sword’s intent burst from the heart of a blossom, shaping the form of a dragon—this was a supreme blow.
It truly was formidable.
Consider Gu Yi’s right hand—what had it not grasped? Yet, clutching this sword intent caused it to tremble uncontrollably.
The sword’s power was overwhelming; Gu Yi held on with utmost caution, barely keeping it from bursting free.
The spring sky should have been blue with drifting clouds, but the dragon’s roar swept them away, leaving the heavens clear as emerald water.
No, this was not ordinary.
The beast sensed it first.
The spirit beast at Fan Ling’s side shrieked incessantly.
For the first time in this duel, Gu Yi surpassed Fan Ling in altitude, hovering above. Struggling to maintain control, he gripped the sword with both hands and, at last, struck downward!
“Who are you trying to impress with that poker face? Acting all high and mighty! I’ll beat you till you hand over that chicken for my meal!”
After all, his family boasted the finest chefs!
Buzzing!
Petals flared like scales, swirling through the air; the dragon’s roar thundered, deep and sonorous. The chief among scaled creatures, the dragon can be hidden or revealed, subtle or grand, short or long. Such transformations are the essence of this sword’s might!
Fan Ling was already stunned—he could not have imagined the duel would escalate to this level. Where on earth had this youth come from?
Yet, as a prodigy of the Immortal Cultivation Institute, his pride only burned brighter in the face of such a formidable opponent.
The golden chick, targeted by Gu Yi, cried out with all its might, refusing to yield, then faded into illusion and wrapped itself around its master’s sword hilt.
With the swing of a sword, the rooster’s crow echoed across the land, like a bell at dawn.
With the fall of a sword, dusk returned to the west, like a falling star.
“Boom!!”
Light clashed, blinding and impossible to look at.
The explosion was so loud it seemed almost silent, as if everyone had lost their hearing for a moment.
There was no sound of collision or blast.
Only a shockwave of spiritual energy shooting into the sky!
After an unknown interval, hearing returned.
A dragon’s roar echoed through the heavens.
A rooster’s crow tumbled to the ground.
Spurt!
Gu Yi coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body losing all control, sent skidding through the air by the force.
Ah! Ah!
Fan Ling knelt on the riverbed, or more accurately, in the mud.
The sword energy of the Flower-Dragon Sunlit Sword had cleaved the river in two, weighing him down, leaving him unable to rise. His flesh was torn, and pain wracked his body. His clothes and hair were shredded to ribbons.
“Master!”
“Palmsman!”
…
The crowd had yet to see clearly.
But some had understood.
“That youth won—with the help of those four boatloads of flowers! The spiritual energy of four boatloads of blossoms surged skyward. How did he draw on spiritual energy outside his body to fight? This Flower-Dragon Sunlit Sword—does our academy possess it?”
…
The dragon’s song had not faded when Ma Yuan rushed forward, catching Gu Yi as he drifted gently down.
“Master, are you all right?!”
“I’m… o-k,” Gu Yi managed to gesture feebly. “My body… could fall from the sky and still not die.”
“Brother!”
On a windowsill not far away, Miss Xiao Ye was shouting.
Ma Yuan carried Gu Yi off, but being a rough fellow, he clearly had no experience carrying children.
Hold the head! Hold the head, for heaven’s sake!
He just gripped Gu Yi by the waist and hauled him off. Gu Yi, his strength completely spent, hung limply, swaying with each step.
Miss Xiao Ye watched, her heart aching and anxious, tears sparkling in her eyes. “What… what happened? Why is my brother so limp? …Did he faint?”
Ma Yuan said, “No, he just spoke a moment ago. Master? Master, wake up! Xiao Ye is asking you something.”
“Brother, how do you feel?” Xiao Ye asked, deeply worried as she looked at him lying there.
“I’m fine… just hungry.”
Xiao Yue and Xiao Ye both let out a long breath, then exchanged a relieved smile.
That was terrifying.
Before these two, hunger was the simplest problem in the world.
“What do you want to eat?” Xiao Ye wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, speaking as if each word were forced out with care. “I’ll make you anything when we get home!”
Gu Yi felt exhausted, his consciousness fading.
“I want hotpot… I want curry beef rice…”
“I want cola chicken wings…”
Most of all, he wanted cola chicken wings made from spirit beasts.
“I want milk tea without tapioca, because I can never suck them up… I want beer, ice-cold… most of all, I want tomato scrambled eggs made by my family. But none of that is here… damn it…”
He thought he saw white clouds return to the sky, mist rising from the river’s surface. But he couldn’t be sure—was it smog? Had he finally made it home?
Damn it, I just ordered a Bugatti Veyron and never even got to drive it…
Chen Mingguang and Wu Gang, one on each side, supported the unconscious Fan Ling as he slowly sank into the water. Sword wounds, still bleeding, marked his body.
His life was in no danger, but he had lost.