Eldritch Horror Theatre - Ch. 160: Legacy of the Sword Heart (Part 7)
"I'm fine..."
Facing the inquiries from Yuan Xin and the others, Ji Liushuang slowly shook her head, signaling she was alright.
"Just a bit tired, came out to rest."
She shot a subtle glare at Fu Qian. She was still rather displeased that this guy was dragging his feet and hadn't left before the others arrived.
"That's good!"
Since Ji Liushuang said so, the others couldn't pry further, and by tacit agreement, they all turned their attention to Fu Qian.
Who is this guy? A total stranger.
They wouldn't believe it even if you beat them to death that the always-diligent Ji Liushuang would come out here just to "rest."
Ji Liushuang actually abandoned the opening of the Sword Pavilion to come out and meet this guy?
And judging by Ji Liushuang's expression, the conversation clearly hadn't been a pleasant one.
"And this is?"
Yuan Xin scanned Fu Qian's face a few times.
He is...
Ji Liushuang looked at Fu Qian, momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
Rationally, she didn't want to believe a single word of his story earlier, but there were parts of it she couldn't entirely refute.
"Who am I?"
Seeing Ji Liushuang freeze up, Fu Qian scoffed. His expression immediately shifted to one of arrogance, his eyes scanning around as if looking for loitering street punks.
"And who the hell are you? Can't you see Liushuang and I are talking?"
...
Hearing Fu Qian use such an intimate term of address made Yuan Xin frown even harder.
"Liushuang, it's such a pity you weren't there earlier. You missed a spectacular moment!"
Another female student stepped forward to break the awkwardness, speaking to Ji Liushuang.
"A spectacular moment... Did you comprehend Sword Intent?"
Ji Liushuang was initially stunned, then looked the girl up and down.
"How could it be me!"
The girl laughed, covering her mouth, and pointed at Yuan Xin.
"This guy right here had a moment of enlightenment and successfully grasped the Dao."
"Really?"
Ji Liushuang looked at Yuan Xin in astonishment, noting that he did indeed look different.
"It's just a seed, still a long way from true Sword Intent."
Yuan Xin tried his best to maintain a composed expression, but the radiant gleam in his eyes was hard to hide.
He had always lagged behind Ji Liushuang in both natural talent and cultivation realm.
Taking a step ahead of her this time left him feeling incredibly spirited and proud.
Now this was a heavyweight!
At this moment, Fu Qian was also observing this enlightened prodigy, clicking his tongue in marvel internally.
Compared to the anomaly on Ji Liushuang, this guy's was far more obvious.
Although his cultivation was perhaps still half a step lower, his every movement naturally carried a thread of dark, chilling aura.
So this is Sword Intent? The evil energy is a bit heavy!
As an expert in flesh and blood evolution, Fu Qian was extremely sensitive to certain things.
This guy's Sword Intent seemed to be related to extreme cold or freezing, but its core essence was closer to eradicating life vitality. It was borderline demonic.
"Congratulations."
Ji Liushuang worked hard to control her emotions and offered her congratulations to Yuan Xin.
Although the Sword Pavilion opened every year, out of so many students, the number of those who truly managed to comprehend Sword Intent was minuscule.
As the most highly regarded student of this cohort, Ji Liushuang inevitably felt a complex mix of emotions.
"Ah! I think I've seen you before. Were you at the Sword Pavilion earlier?"
Someone suddenly remembered something and pointed at Fu Qian in surprise.
"Yeah! I was looking for someone."
Fu Qian casually admitted it, conveniently shooting a glance at Ji Liushuang as he did.
Just as expected...
This action, witnessed by the others, quickly provided an explanation for certain things.
This guy had gone to look for Ji Liushuang earlier, but sadly was kicked out before he could find her.
And upon finding out, Ji Liushuang abandoned even her chance to comprehend Sword Intent just to come out and meet him.
The relationship between these two was far from simple!
For a moment, the crowd's gazes turned highly suggestive.
"Sword Intent, huh? Now that sounds like something quite interesting."
Seeing Ji Liushuang's face turn stiff, Fu Qian suddenly spoke to Yuan Xin.
"Could you stab me once, just to let me experience it?"
Stab you once?
Yuan Xin clearly didn't expect Fu Qian to make such a request.
However, as a competitor who had just unlocked a new skill, someone volunteering themselves as a test dummy was simply too good to pass up.
"Don't worry, I absolutely won't fight back."
As he spoke, Fu Qian placed both hands behind his back, looking exactly like an old father standing up for his daughter.
Now, not only the onlookers, but even Ji Liushuang's eyes flickered with uncertainty.
Of course, only Fu Qian knew that he genuinely wanted to confirm if there was something fishy about this Sword Intent.
From the looks of things, this Sword Intent comprehension was highly likely tied to his mission.
"Then excuse my offense."
Seeing Fu Qian's posturing, Yuan Xin felt displeased. He scoffed, his hand resting on his waist.
Naturally, he wouldn't actually hurt the man here, but showing off a bit was perfectly fine.
The next moment, his entire body was enveloped by a dark, chilling aura, so intense that even the surrounding light seemed to dim.
Ji Liushuang was already in a bad mood and wanted to just turn and walk away, but the two of them moved far too fast. Helpless, she stayed put to watch.
In an instant, Yuan Xin's sword arrived right in front of Fu Qian.
The dark, chilling aura attached to the blade almost turned it pitch black.
In the next second, the edge of the blade was firmly clamped between two fingers, entirely unable to move another inch.
What?!
This scene left not only Yuan Xin but all the onlookers completely dumbfounded.
The power behind that strike was absolutely at a Middle Tier level.
Seeing Yuan Xin freeze and then attempt to pull his sword back, Fu Qian thoughtfully released his fingers.
While the speed and power were mediocre, the aura of withering decay attached to the blade was quite fascinating.
Had it been anyone else, those two fingers would have likely been drained of their flesh and blood vitality entirely.
"Not a bad strike."
Fu Qian offered a word of praise first, then turned to Ji Liushuang.
"Maybe you should transfer to the Revelation Institute after all."
...
Never in a million years did Ji Liushuang expect Fu Qian to say that. Speechless, she looked down at his hand.
His fingers were completely unharmed, showing no changes whatsoever.
Without another word, she simply turned and walked away.
...
A strike filled with absolute confidence, effortlessly caught, followed by verbal mockery.
Combined with the exertion from the strike, Yuan Xin's face turned a brilliant shade of pale green.
Getting smacked down right at the height of his triumphant pride was a terrible feeling.
Fu Qian, however, couldn't care less about what he thought. After dropping his highly mocking assessment, he simply walked away.
After leaving the Sword Institute, he quickly contacted Lanaya.
"How are things on your end?"
Lanaya cut straight to the chase, her tone sounding rather foul.
"Did you see Li Weixuan? I know it might be difficult, but you must confirm it."
"As long as Li Weixuan is in the clear, I am leaving immediately. I'm not putting up with this bullshit anymore."
"The situation might not be that simple."
Only after she finished complaining did Fu Qian finally speak.
"I think we need to expand the scope of our investigation."
What?
On the other end of the line, Lanaya was clearly stunned.
"The students in this cohort are breathtakingly brilliant."
Fu Qian recounted the process of his brief exchange with Yuan Xin.
"That strike was indeed average in power, but if it improves further, it might not be impossible for it to instantly kill a Tier 5."
"Something like this actually happened..."
Lanaya remained silent for a long time before letting out a long, heavy sigh.
"Now we're in trouble."
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