When Lu Qing'er peeled off her gloves, all eyes were on her hands, perfect unblemished skin in a beautiful alabaster. They must have been shaped by a divine being.
Her hands had an otherworldly beauty to them, as if they were carved straight out of mutton fat jade.[1]
When she revealed her hands, the three youths present were entranced by their beauty, even Chi Su, who was a girl.
Beautiful faces, they had seen plenty. But seeing hands that held such beauty, this was a first for them.
It was a pity that Lu Qing'er kept them hidden under silk gloves all the time.
There were also icy patterns that could be seen faintly on Lu Qing'er's hands, which were exuding a cold mist.
"Be careful. That's Lu Qing'er's secret technique, Hands of Ice Jade... She might only be a Ninth Seal, but that technique could trump some Duke Stage resonance arts,” Shi Huang warned them sharply.
The others stiffened up upon hearing this. They looked at Lu Qing'er's beautiful hands with renewed caution.
Duke Stage resonance arts were on a completely different level than Ten Seals Stage fighters. They themselves were unable to use such high level resonance arts, and yet Lu Qing'er's ace could be used even before entering the Resonant Master Stage. That was a scary prospect indeed.
They were starting to understand why Shi Huang had called them together to deal with Lu Qing'er even though he was quite strong himself. This trump card must have been what he was afraid of.
Lu Qing'er, the ice queen, wasted no words. Without any changes to her frosty expression, she moved toward Shi Huang's position.
Deal with Shi Huang first, apparently.
Shi Huang had anticipated that. With a flash of lightning, he retreated.
The lightning resonance also specialized in speed, much like the wind resonance.
Lu Qing'er immediately changed targets, giving up on their leader and turning to Xiang Liang.
Xiang Liang panicked. He did not have Shi Huang's speed, and could only call forth his fiery resonant power with a shout.
At the same time, his sword burst into flames. He charged Lu Qing'er.
Hu!
The blade sang through the air, but Lu Qing'er did not seem concerned. With a flick of two fingers from her left hand, a gust of icy wind blasted out against the attack.
Dong!
A clear ringing sound like a bell, and Xiang Liang found his blade encased in a thick ice coating that doused his fire resonance instantly. It expanded swiftly, and soon he was encased in ice on the spot.
One move, and the Eighth Seal Xiang Liang was down!
Lu Qing'er's Hands of Ice Jade was chillingly strong indeed.
Chi Su and Zong Fu immediately ran for it.
But having shown her trump card, how could Lu Qing'er just let them go so easily? She sent two well-aimed shots at their legs, creating ice shackles that rooted them.
Another flick from two fingers, and two more ice sculptures were formed a few moments later.
In the blink of an eye, these three top rankers on the leaderboard had been dealt with by Lu Qing'er.
However, after dealing with the three of them, the faint icy patterns on her left hand started to dim.
Clap, clap!
From behind, applause. "The brilliant Hands of Ice Jade." Shi Huang praised her gleefully.
Lu Qing'er turned to him with a neutral expression.
But this time, Shi Huang did not run.
Lu Qing'er sent her right fist pressing forward, icy wind howling with it. It seemed like even the air itself was freezing. It slammed straight into Shi Huang's chest.
Shockingly, he was not frozen.
Across the surface of his skin, lightning crackled. An electric armor.
"Qing'er, if your Hands of Ice Jade was complete on both hands, you could break my Voltaic Plating. But with just one hand? Not yet, it seems." Shi Huang smirked. His own trump card, revealed.
Against the full brunt of the Hands of Ice Jade, Shi Huang had to be cautious. But now that she only had half her strength left, he had nothing to fear.
In other words, he had gathered the other three as meat shields against the Hands of Ice Jade. All had gone according to plan.
They went at each other with full force, draining away their energy. Finally, Lu Qing'er's heart sank as the patterns on her right hand dimmed.
Her Hands of Ice Jade were expended.
Bang!
Just then, Shi Huang struck with lightning speed. A savage fist boomed out, smashing into Lu Qing'er's abdomen.
Her petite frame was sent flying, and she crashed heavily into a pile of jagged rocks. Blood appeared on her lips.
"Qing'er, what a shame. The final victor is... me," Shi Huang said, his smile almost apologetic. He walked over to the helpless Lu Qing'er.
Seeing the situation, Lu Qing'er sighed inwardly as well. She looked at the approaching Shi Huang dejectedly. As unhappy as she was, there was nothing more she could do.
"I'll have your points."
Shi Huang reached out a hand, pawing at the crystal medallion on Lu Qing'er's chest.
Swish, swish!
Just at that instant, dozens of lightballs whistled out of nowhere, exploding between Shi Huang and Lu Qing'er.
A blinding light.
Shi Huang was caught off guard, and his eyes were pierced with pain. Still, he quickly stretched out to snatch at Lu Qing'er.
Nothing but air.
Panicking now, he forced his throbbing eyes open, and he saw a figure clutching Lu Qing'er and vanishing into the ruins.
Shi Huang flew into a rage and rushed forward. He leaped over a broken wall but saw no traces of anybody.
All good humor was gone now, replaced by a towering mood.
That person had escaped quickly, but still Shi Huang had recognized him.
"That damn Li Luo!" Shi Huang hissed through gritted teeth. "He's ruined it!"
1. Mutton fat jade is one of two types of jade, and is also known as nephrite. The other one is chicken bone jade.