Chapter 97: An Unexpected Encounter
Pei Luo lay sprawled on the ground in a big "X" shape, all ladylike grace be damned. Her entire body ached, every inch of it with a piercing, bone-deep pain.
Bubu Wang yawned. It rarely participated in battles. The reason was simple: any enemy capable of fighting Su Xiao would kill it the moment they caught it. Against someone like Pei Luo, Bubu Wang could knock her down without even trying too hard.
Su Xiao used the Apostle's Eye to check Pei Luo's information. Her physical attributes were decent, after all, she was a human from the Void, diligent in her training, and backed by the resources her father provided.
Pei Luo's swordsmanship was strange. It was Blade Mastery Lv.67. Based on Su Xiao's experience, Blade Mastery hit a bottleneck at Lv.40. Breaking through that bottleneck would elevate it to Blade Master Lv.1.
Pei Luo had clearly experienced this bottleneck too, but her method of breaking through was baffling. She had actually pushed past the limit of the Mastery rank, reaching Lv.41.
If she continued this way, reaching Lv.50 would likely trigger another bottleneck, which would be an opportunity to advance to Blade Master.
Pei Luo didn't go down that path. Instead, she reached Blade Mastery Lv.51. Even more bizarrely, when Blade Mastery hit Lv.60, another bottleneck appeared. But Pei Luo, perhaps thinking Blade Master was "trash," resolutely pushed through to Blade Mastery Lv.67.
This was a textbook case of "theoretically impressive, practically garbage." Even Blade Mastery at Lv.70 was weaker than Blade Master Lv.5. They weren't even on the same tier of ability. As for Blade Grandmaster, that was far beyond Pei Luo's reach, utterly unattainable.
Why were technique-type abilities so powerful? Because of this tiered progression system. Pei Luo had perfectly avoided this, stubbornly walking the path of Blade Mastery. At this rate, given a few more years, she might even break through to Blade Mastery Lv.70.
This wasn't Pei Luo's fault. The fact that she could repeatedly break through bottlenecks on the wrong path showed she had real talent in swordsmanship. The problem was her teacher, the one who taught her swordsmanship was someone who wasn't good at combat themselves, only focused on studying the blade in isolation.
Some powerhouses secluded themselves in meditation and emerged invincible years later. This gave many people the false impression that as long as you were diligent enough and had enough perseverance, you could keep getting stronger, even by hiding away somewhere and cultivating without engaging with the world.
In reality, they overlooked one thing: those legendary secluded powerhouses had already experienced countless life-and-death battles before entering the deep mountains and forests. What they needed was just the sedimentation of time. Their practical experience was already sufficient; what remained was summarization and the tempering of time.
Clearly, Pei Luo's teacher, White Beard, was one of those people who rarely fought and always trained behind closed doors. Otherwise, he couldn't have produced a student with Blade Mastery Lv.67.
"How the hell did she manage that? A genius, this little cutie."
Baha was stunned. It had gained a whole new perspective on Pei Luo's swordsmanship level. It felt like it had learned something new today.
"Heal her injuries."
Su Xiao tossed out a large bottle of potion. The maid, Tis, who had been waiting nearby, took the potion and immediately went to Pei Luo's side, helping her drink it. Tis's heart ached. She was ten years older than Pei Luo and had practically watched her grow up.
To make Pei Luo stronger, the first step was to help her advance to Blade Master. Based on Su Xiao's experience, this wasn't difficult.
Before long, Pei Luo, who had been lying on the ground in a big "X" shape, recovered. She had been semi-conscious earlier, thinking she was about to say goodbye to this beautiful world.
"Get in."
Su Xiao gestured for Baha to open a giant glass cylinder five meters tall and three meters in diameter. It was filled with distilled water, almost completely free of impurities.
Pei Luo obediently complied. Or rather, because the effects of the blood energy hadn't completely faded, she was now quite compliant.
Pei Luo entered the glass cylinder. A few bubbles rose. She was confident in this area; breath-holding was part of her training.
With a bang, Baha sealed the metal lid of the glass cylinder tightly and locked the clasps into place.
Su Xiao slapped the glass cylinder, sending a surge of Cyan Steel Shadow Energy spreading through the water.
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle~
Pei Luo inside the cylinder spat out several large bubbles. Stimulated by the Cyan Steel Shadow Energy, most of the air she had inhaled was expelled.
Su Xiao took out a timer and hung it on a nearby metal stand, setting it for five minutes.
Inside the water-filled cylinder, the fear in Pei Luo's eyes had mostly disappeared. She felt underestimated. In her current state, she was sure she could hold her breath for at least half an hour.
With a confident look, Pei Luo watched the seconds tick by. She tapped the glass wall with her finger and pointed at the timer, smiling as if to say: 'It's already 4 minutes and 53 seconds. Your training method is way too easy.'
Su Xiao didn't say anything. He just grabbed the timer and clicked it, pressing the pause button. There was still one second left until five minutes.
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle~
Pei Luo seemed to want to say something but ended up swallowing several big gulps of water.
Time passed. Pei Luo began to feel pain. She couldn't control herself from inhaling, which caused her to take in large amounts of distilled water.
Thump, thump.
Pei Luo patted the glass cylinder with her hand, but soon realized she might actually drown in here. The fear of death made her think. Her first thought was that she had a sword in her hand, a very sharp longsword. Thankfully, it wasn't a wooden sword this time.
Pei Luo drew her longsword underwater and slashed at the glass wall in front of her. A dull clang rang out as the blade was deflected. This thing wasn't glass; it was "Wenkda Crystal," a type of crystal harder than most metals.
Su Xiao glanced sideways and then resumed his meditation. He wouldn't spar or fight with Pei Luo. That was completely impractical. From start to finish, his blade was not meant for that purpose. It was meant for killing enemies. Once the blade was drawn, there had to be the resolve to kill, or else be killed by the enemy.
A few minutes later.
Clang!
A slash mark appeared. A cut was carved into the Wenkda Crystal layer. With repeated strikes from the sword hilt, the entire crystal column shattered.
"Cough, cough, cough."
Water gushed out. Pei Luo collapsed to the ground, coughing loudly. She didn't even know how she had done it. In the moment before she was about to lose consciousness, she had slashed out with her sword, then struck with all her might using the hilt.
"Little cutie, how do you feel?"
Baha flew over, a mischievous look in its eyes.
"Drunk... I'm full of water."
Pei Luo touched her slightly bloated stomach. She had choked and swallowed so much that her belly was now full of water.
"Uh..."
Baha was momentarily speechless, but it quickly stopped caring.
"We can start the next type of training. Actually, I know how to use a sword too."
Baha flew up, grabbed a sword from the rack, and drew it out.
Clang!
The blades clashed. Baha's sword stopped right next to Pei Luo's neck, the edge slightly cutting into her skin. Blood trickled down her neck.
"Ah, sorry, I went a bit hard. What can I say, I'm a sand sculpture. I'll go easier with the next strike."
As Baha spoke, it suddenly vanished from its spot and slashed at Pei Luo's back.
"Oh dear? Why didn't you dodge? If I had gone a bit deeper, that would have been a fatal wound. Be careful, I don't have much restraint. Gah, gah, gah."
Baha flicked its sword, a red gleam appearing in its eyes.
Pei Luo leaped back repeatedly. She felt no pain in her back. Compared to the overwhelming killing intent bearing down on her, the pain in her back was nothing. This enemy, who called itself a sand sculpture, genuinely wanted to kill her. The feeling was intense, the killing intent almost suffocating.
Hellish training began. When she was exhausted to the point of collapse, she rested for an hour, then continued. As long as she was still breathing, she kept going.
On the fifth day of training, Su Xiao, who had been meditating, suddenly opened his eyes. He sensed an aura. The person was more than ten kilometers away, but he could still perceive them.
A few minutes later, hurried footsteps approached. With a bang, the dojo door was slammed open.
"Bai Ye, retreat!"
The flesh on Reed's face trembled. Behind him, Vodka, who had packed his important belongings, was gasping for breath. He had run too hastily.
"A big shot who doesn't play by the rules is coming. Hurry, we need to retreat. Vodka is also preparing to evacuate..."
Before Reed could finish, he felt a tall figure standing behind him. He turned his head. Even at his height, he didn't even reach the newcomer's waist.
"This place... is really short."
Crash!
The building shattered like paper. A figure draped in animal skins, wearing a black beast skull on his head with two bull horns on the bone, reached up and tore open the wall above the doorframe. He stepped into the dojo. Only then could his five-meter-tall body stand upright. He rolled his neck.
No one dared to move. Vodka, the maid Tis, the old butler, and everyone else stood frozen. This big shot who had arrived was someone Vodka couldn't afford to offend. In fact, he wasn't even qualified to meet someone of this level.
"Bai Ye, you come to the Void but don't visit my territory? That's not very respectful of me. Hahahahaha!"
A booming laugh that nearly cracked the glass echoed through the room.
"Your laugh is too loud, White Bull."
Hearing Su Xiao say this, Reed's heart sank. His only thought was: 'My life is over.'
Su Xiao tossed out a large bottle of wine. The approaching White Bull caught it, pulled out the stopper, and took several big gulps.
"Good wine," White Bull said, sitting cross-legged on the ground, his body wrapped in bandages. The smile on his face gradually faded. "The Tuanzhang got his hands on it. The fruit is with you, right?"
"Yeah."
"I was only a step away from getting it. That old bastard, Undying Old Man, was completely unreliable at the critical moment. He secretly took a bribe from the Tuanzhang. Let me tell you, don't be fooled by how friendly the Tuanzhang usually seems. That guy is really bad news."
"..."
"I lost, so I lost. I'm just not as skilled."
White Bull was clearly frustrated, but he couldn't say these things to his subordinates. Running into Su Xiao this time finally gave him someone to vent to.
"What are you here for?"
"I'm here to deal with the Feather Race."
White Bull had a grudge against the Feather Race. Su Xiao had heard him mention it before. The two sides frequently exchanged "greetings."
"The formula..."
Before White Bull could finish saying "I got the formula," he noticed Su Xiao's gaze had changed. They had agreed before: Su Xiao would help White Bull concoct a certain potion, but White Bull had to provide the formula and materials.
That was also the purpose of White Bull's visit. The Starry Sky Rings they both wore could sense each other within a certain range. If they didn't want to be sensed, they could just take them off. In the Void, being able to sense fellow Starry Sky Seat members was very convenient. For example, once, the Saintess Seat was saved by Undying Old Man.
Su Xiao didn't want to publicly reveal his identity as an alchemist. The potions he used for Pei Luo were all concocted from normal potions from the Reincarnation Paradise. In the Void, he didn't want to be directly associated with the identity of Holy Flame Alchemist.
Noticing Su Xiao's gaze was off, White Bull understood. His expression didn't change at all. He continued, "I can't get the formula. Even if the Tuanzhang got the fruit, it's meaningless."
"Indeed."
"I'm leaving. I won't be far from 'Saint Geya' for a while. If something comes up, send someone to find me."
White Bull's implication was that at the next Starry Sky Banquet, he would entrust Su Xiao with concocting the potion.
"You're Peri... Peri something? I've heard my subordinates mention you."
White Bull rubbed his chin with his finger. He had some vague impression of Peri Vodka.
"Mr... Lord White Bull, I am Peri Vodka."
Vodka lowered his head as a sign of respect.
"Oh, I'll remember you."
White Bull casually dismissed him without even looking directly at Vodka. This was a warning. The Starry Sky Seat had finally gotten a famous alchemist. If Peri Vodka was a spy for the Arcane Eternal Star, then the Starry Sky Seat's alchemist would be in danger.
Leading a group of fierce-looking subordinates, White Bull walked out of the estate. One look was enough to tell that White Bull's men were not good people. Each of them had a notorious reputation in the Void.
What terrified Vodka was that all of White Bull's subordinates had stared at him for a moment, clearly memorizing his face. Being remembered by these people was enough to cause insomnia.
Watching White Bull walk away, Su Xiao stood up from the ground. The guidance was complete. In five days, Pei Luo's swordsmanship had reached Blade Master Lv.6. This wasn't surprising, given that she had Blade Mastery Lv.67 as her foundation.
Half an hour later, Su Xiao, Reed, Bubu Wang, and Baha were seated inside a space-travel device. Su Xiao was returning to the Reincarnation Paradise to face his Eighth Rank promotion trial.