Chapter Twenty-Seven: Crimson Cloud Sever

Offstage, Elder Chi watched the scene with a faint smile, having long anticipated seeing Chen Qi suffer a setback. Now, witnessing Chen Qi’s ashen face, the old man couldn’t help but derive a measure of satisfaction. Yet, it must be said, Elder Chi was sincerely hoping for Chen Qi’s victory this time. If he remembered correctly, his own image as a man who had likewise risen from the ranks of menial disciples would appear in the next challenge.

“When that happens, we’ll see how I, in my youth, beat this brat senseless. Hopefully, he at least makes it through this trial.” Elder Chi watched absentmindedly, his thoughts drifting back to his own glorious younger days.

On the field, Chen Qi had no time for such idle musings. Forcing himself to control his breathing with precision, he fought head-on with fierce, direct attacks, while reserving a bit of strength for evasive maneuvers.

The phantom, deprived of its longsword, did not attempt to retrieve it, but instead advanced on Chen Qi with deft finger strikes. Chen Qi’s full-force blade just barely managed to fend off one attack, while the other hand’s finger technique left him in constant peril.

“This can’t go on. If I just defend, I’ll eventually lose!”

With this thought, Chen Qi gritted his teeth, ready to risk everything. As his right-hand blade clashed with the phantom’s left fingers, his left hand suddenly shot out, seizing the other attacking hand.

A sharp pain split his palm as a bloody hole appeared, and his whole hand went numb. But Chen Qi, prepared for this, activated his Focus Burst ability.

Sensation surged back into his left hand, and he gripped the phantom’s finger with all his strength. The phantom tried to withdraw, but Chen Qi’s grip was unyielding.

Seeing the phantom immobilized, unable to employ its movement technique, Chen Qi unleashed a surge of vital energy, crashing into the slender figure. The phantom staggered, its form dimming.

Chen Qi pressed his left hand against its right, forming two parallel lines; their bodies locked together, his right arm bent at thirty degrees, the blade in his grip slashing toward the phantom’s throat.

With one hand restrained and the other unable to counter at such an angle, the phantom could only point its finger at Chen Qi’s lower back in a futile defense.

A jolt of numbness shot through Chen Qi’s waist, but under the effect of his skill, his hand remained steady, and his blade swept across the phantom’s neck.

As the shadow faded into nothingness, Elder Chi outside the arena was visibly moved. He hadn’t expected the boy to win through sheer grit—this meant Chen Qi’s strength was already approaching what his own had been in youth.

Chen Qi, barely holding himself together, sat down cross-legged and swallowed a drop of Pinecloud Elixir, channeling his vital energy to accelerate the medicine’s effects.

A cool sensation swept through his wounds, and his body grew lighter; his health, down to 32%, began to recover. At last, he turned his attention to the hints in the Budding Space:

[Shadowstone: 4/10 shadows remain]
[Current reward: Skill Scroll Chest (Purple)]

Seeing that the guaranteed reward was already at least a purple skill scroll, Chen Qi felt his wounds healing even faster.

At that moment, Elder Chi let out a cold laugh from the sidelines: “Prepare yourself, boy. The next shadow is me as a menial disciple.”

Outwardly calm, Chen Qi grew intensely wary. He still had no idea what position Elder Chi held in the Cloudsea Sect, but the fact that his shadow appeared right after the sect master’s meant this battle would be a formidable one.

While speeding up his recovery, Chen Qi summoned his courage and addressed Elder Chi: “Sir, did you have any weaknesses when you were young?”

Elder Chi, quietly anticipating the upcoming fight, was caught off guard by Chen Qi’s shameless question and scowled. “Brat! Instead of honing your martial arts, all you think about is trickery!”

Chen Qi grinned, undeterred. “Understanding your opponent is part of the martial path! Besides, I’m injured—wouldn’t sharing a tip or two make things fair?”

Elder Chi only scowled darker, silently wishing time would hurry on. In all his years, he’d never met anyone with thicker skin than this boy.

Once he’d finished tending his wounds, Chen Qi, making the most of the remaining time, walked over to the Shadowstone and assumed his most comfortable stance for drawing his blade.

Elder Chi’s mood grew heavier. If Chen Qi had ambushed the previous shadows, he’d been a little annoyed—but now, seeing him prepare to ambush his own shadow, he felt distinctly uneasy.

Besides, he knew his own youthful temperament well—unyielding, willing to trade wounds for victory.

The Shadowstone began to glow. Chen Qi’s expression turned solemn, his breathing steady and measured.

A shadow, also wielding a longsword, began to form from the feet upward.

Having ambushed many times before, Chen Qi’s mind was calm as he silently awaited the full emergence of the figure.

As the shadow’s body became distinct and its head was only half-formed, Chen Qi struck!

The pale-red blade swept toward the shadow’s neck. The head appeared—yet the shadow neither dodged nor flinched, but matched Chen Qi’s attack with its own sword.

Chen Qi was delighted. He hadn’t expected Elder Chi’s shadow to be so fierce; he could finally unleash his favorite combination!

The shadow’s hurried strike met Chen Qi’s long-prepared attack and was forced back. Chen Qi pressed the advantage and unleashed a surge of vital energy.

A torrent of blood-essence shot toward the shadow; Chen Qi’s blade followed close behind, intent on cleaving the figure in two.

The shadow retreated half a step, then suddenly switched to a two-handed grip, its body trembling.

Elder Chi, watching from below, nodded in satisfaction. This was his greatest trump card as a menial disciple, and later became the Cloudsea Sect’s signature technique—the Scarlet Cloud Slash.

Indeed, the shadow’s two-handed blade was now wreathed in shadowy energy; in the simulation of the Shadowstone, the blade resembled a black hound, scattering Chen Qi’s vital energy and meeting his sword with a ferocious clash.

A mighty force surged through Chen Qi’s arm, splitting the skin between thumb and forefinger, leaving his entire arm numb.

But the shadow wasn’t finished. It stepped back again and slashed with its blade, now shrouded in shadows, straight at Chen Qi.

Chen Qi barely managed to raise his right hand; not daring to block directly, he exhaled a heavy breath and began to retreat rapidly.

The shadow’s blade sliced through the air by his waist. Suddenly, the dark energy coating the blade detached, pouncing straight for Chen Qi’s chest!

His pupils contracted as he desperately blocked his heart with his left hand, only to be sent flying.

The shadow’s assault was relentless. Gripping its blade with both hands, it charged at Chen Qi, the sword once more wreathed in black shadows.

Elder Chi could not help but sigh. As the creator of the Scarlet Cloud Slash, he was intimately familiar with the technique; in his youth, he could unleash it in rapid succession.

Thinking that today’s outer disciples needed ages to perform such a strike, treating it as a trump card, Elder Chi shook his head slightly.

Chen Qi crashed to the ground, ignoring the crushing pain in his chest as the shadow bore down on him.

His injuries had already hampered his movement, but gritting his teeth, Chen Qi activated Focus Burst!