Chapter 236 – Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon
“I want her… I must have her!!” Xiao Kuangyu and Xiao Kuanglei’s chests rose up and down as they issued the exact same words from their minds. As the sons of Xiao Sect’s Sect Master, they were people fated to look down upon the world in the future. To them, women were merely a man’s accessory. They had never thought, and also had never believed that there would be a woman they would lose their hearts to. Yet now, this woman appeared. They deeply felt that if they were to obtain this woman, it would truly mean that one did not live their life in vain and was the real peak of one’s life! And if it were to be compared, the position of the future Xiao Sect Master did not look the least bit attractive.
And this, was also the thought of practically every man with enough qualifications. As for those without the qualifications, they could only feel ashamed of their inferiority after being endlessly stunned. What was left, was only a fantasy that was as far as the clouds on the horizon reverberating in their minds.
“… She actually has gotten even more beautiful, and she is still only seventeen years old. Once a few more years pass, that wouldn’t be any joking matter.” Yun Che muttered to himself in a low voice. When he saw the entire audience’s reactions, it would be impossible for him to not feel a sliver of vanity, because that young girl who had struck the entire audience was his officially wedded wife… But he believed that if this fact were to be publicized, he would be pierced into a hornet’s nest by countless gazes of envy and hatred.
Xia Qingyue had always known about her own beauty, but she had never believed that it was a natural gift of any importance. Often times, she had even wished for her appearance to be a little more average. Coming to this ranking tournament with her face covered was the Asgard Mistress’ personal order, and she herself, was not the least bit opposed to it. Chu Yueli had also told her before that she mustn’t let the ice veil fall from her face. But Ling Yun’s miraculous move that was comparable to flowing light, had made this accident that she did not want to see, happen.
Ling Yun, was Ling Yun after all.
But this did not greatly influence Xia Qingyue’s state of mind in the least. During the process in which the ice veil fell to when she covered up her face again, she had merely released a light sigh. However, it was different for the Ling Yun in front of her. The Ling Yun who had always guarded his mind with sword intent, whose heart had not the smallest speck of dirt, was distinctly in disorder from his breathing. His eyes were no longer filled with a dignified tranquility and was instead suffused with with an unrest that could not settle down until a long while.
For Ling Yun, it was the first time this had happened since birth. The first time his mind had become such a mess in front of the dueling opponent he was up against.
Like the Ling Yuefeng who had seen Chu Yuechan’s true appearance that year.
Ling Yun was undoubtedly strong. If he was not lenient enough that he only cut apart her sleeve and veil, and instead aimed at her throat, she would perhaps have lost her life. Even though she possessed incomparable innate talent, she had a fatal weak point, which was her lack of actual combat experience! This kind of thing was something someone with an even greater innate talent would have trouble making up for. On this point, she was miles away from Yun Che.
However, this had also sounded an alarm in Xia Qingyue. Against such a frightening opponent like Ling Yun, she could no longer have any sort of reservations. She withdrew the ice crystal longsword in her hands. With a light wave of her right arm, a white radiance suddenly floated next to her, becoming a dancing white colored long ribbon. The long white ribbon was half a foot wide and twenty feet long. With a white body that was as lustrous as jade and as smooth as satin, its luster could reflect one’s own image. Its sheen complemented with the light that showered down from far above the sky, and was coated by a field of hazy shimmer, as mysterious and wispy ice spirits floated around its body.
The long ribbon possessed a spiritual consciousness, as it floated around Xia Qingyue’s body, circling like an intelligent white snake. With the entanglement of her sprinkling ice spirits and her surrounding’s ice aurora, it was too beautiful to absorb in all at once.
“That is…”
“It’s Frozen Cloud Asgard’s Sky Profound Weapon… the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon! As expected, after Shui Wushuang and Wu Xuexin had been eliminated, it had been handed over to Xia Qingyue.”
“But I have heard that the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon was extremely hard to control. Not only does it take at least the Earth Profound Realm to bring out even a bit of its strength, one’s Frozen Cloud Arts has to be higher than the fifth stage… Her opponent is Ling Yun. Ling Yun had already reached the pinnacle of mastery for the Celestial Yuan Sword. Even if she takes out the the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, it is still probably impossible for the situation to take a turn for the better. At best, there would only be a bit of a struggle.”
When Frozen Cloud Asgard’s sole Sky Profound Weapon appeared, it would naturally be the center of attention. And at this time, Xia Qingyue did something weird. Extending her snow white jade hand, she grabbed at the average looking pendant on her neck and lightly pulled it down.
The instant the white jade pendant left her body, the profound energy aura that Xia Qingyue’s body emitted suddenly increased sharply. In a short one breath of time, the original eighth level of the Spirit Profound Realm stepped over to the ninth level of the Spirit Profound Realm, then to the tenth level of the Spirit Profound Realm… Then broke through the Spirit Profound Realm domain to arrive at the first level of the Earth Profound Realm… second level of the Earth Profound Realm…
Until finally, stopping at the third level of the Earth Profound Realm… the intensity of the profound strength aura, was evenly matched with Ling Yun’s!!
This kind of change obviously could not be distinctively sensed by those young profound practitioners who did not have sufficient profound strength. However, those elders at the Earth Profund Realm or above, all turned pale with shock and stood up from their seats in their astonishment.
“Wh… What!! This is impossible… how could this be possible!!”
In this ranking tournament, Ling Yuefeng had been shocked beyond his expectations many times, but all of that added together fell short of this surprise. Not only him, apart from the members of Frozen Cloud Asgard, everyone who had sensed the change in Xia Qingyue’s profound strength, which included Xiao Juetian, Fen Moli, Xiao Boyun, Qin Wushang, and others… all wore expressions of shock, as if they had personally seen a building from the Heavenly Palace in the sky.
“Palace Chief Qin, what’s wrong?” Yun Che and Cang Yue promptly asked when Qin Wushang’s face dramatically changed when he suddenly stood up.
Qin Wushang fiercely gasped in a breath, and answered with difficulty in an extremely hoarse voice: “Actually is… is… third level of the Earth Profound Realm!”
“Ah!?!?” Cang Yue and Xia Yuanba were both so shocked that their mouths gaped open. Yun Che’s expression had also immediately stiffened in place as deep astonishment flashed in the depths of his eyes.
During the ranking tournament’s profound strength assessment, Ling Yun’s profound strength was revealed to be in the third level of the Earth Profound Realm and shocked the entire audience, but even though they had been shocked, it wasn’t as if they could not accept it. This was because Ling Yun was already at the ninth level of the Spirit Profound Realm at the age of seventeen. With his astonishing innate talent, breaking through into the third level of the Earth Profound Realm at the age of twenty was not too ridiculous.
But, Xia Qingyue was only seventeen this year… Seventeen at the third level of the Earth Profound Realm, what sort of concept was that?
This had crushed Ling Yun’s publicly acknowledged “Number One of Blue Wind Empire’s Younger Generation” title. Not only that, this innate talent had been thoroughly crushed by a landslide! Out of Blue Wind Empire’s complete history, this had also never happened before!
It was entirely worthy and not at all discounted to say that this was the number one throughout all of history!!
“Hmph, as expected, her profound strength was concealed. Though I had never expected that it had anything to do with that necklace of hers!” Jasmine coldly snorted.
Yun Che: “…”
The necklace that Xia Qingyue had taken off was called the “Pearl of Frozen Deception”. It could perfectly suppress the wearer’s profound strength level at will! That’s right, not only could it suppress, it was also not a concealment that could be easily detected. If one does not deliberately use profound energy to closely examine this unremarkable necklace, even a Throne would find it extremely difficult to discover. Back when she was in Floating Cloud City, Xia Qingyue’s true profound strength had also been concealed by this Pearl of Frozen Deception.
In this ranking tournament, concealing her profound strength was a choice that Xia Qingyue had to make. Otherwise, if she had immediately revealed her true profound strength, it was obvious as to how much of sensation and commotion that would trigger.
Earth Profound Realm at the age of seventeen was unprecedented. But reaching the third level of the Earth Profound Realm at the age of seventeen, this kind of innate gifted talent simply could not be described with any words by everyone present. Xiao Sect, Burning Heaven Clan, and even Heavenly Sword Villa would never believe that they themselves, could nurture and produce a disciple with such an ability.
A peerless face that stunned the entire audience, was then followed by the revealing of such a peerless innate talent in front of them… In the midst of their shock, those experts could not help but doubt whether or not this seventeen year old young lady was mortal; if she was a Princess of Heaven sent to the human world by the Jade Emperor of the Heavenly Palace, which was why she had received such an all out blessing from the heavens.
In everyone’s eyes, this duel was suppose to be a one-sided crush by Ling Yun. But now, the situation had changed greatly. Three years ago, at the ninth level of the Spirit Profound Realm, Ling Yun had easily defeated Mu Lingxue, who was at the tenth level of the Spirit Profound Realm. Without a doubt, he possessed strength powerful enough to challenge those of a higher level. As a result, from that one point, Ling Yun ought to be as dominant as before, even if it would not be a crushing victory this time.
Though in regards to aptitude, in front of Xia Qingyue, he had already suffered a crushing defeat! He was not even on the same level… and in the entire Blue Wind Empire, another person who could be mentioned in the same breath as her, simply could not be found.
Ling Yun, who was the closest to Xia Qingyue, was the one who vividly sensed the change in her profound strength. His heart surged and swept as though it were the rolling waves of the sea that was difficult to calm. In his line of sight, Xia Qingyue slowly extended her arm. Along with that small movement, the trajectory of the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon also changed to become even more quick and discernible, as though it was a playful little fairy that frolicked around a beautiful goddess. The half severed sleeve silently hung, exposing half a jade arm so fair in color that it was almost transparent. As if it had been carved out from the center of the world’s most flawless jade, it was beautiful beyond compare.
“Sir Ling, many thanks for the leniency in your previous strike. Otherwise, Qingyue would have already lost. Qingyue will go all out now.”
A touching, faintly discernible voice that sounded like heaven’s music came out from between her petal-like lips and lingered beside Ling Yun’s ear, making him stare blankly without a reaction for a long while.
At this moment, Ling Yuefeng’s cold beration was suddenly heard in his mind: “Yun’er, focus!”
Ling Yuefeng’s spirit sound transmission was like a splash of cold water that poured on top of his head, and immediately cleared his head in a flash. Using the quickest speed possible, he rapidly put aside all distractions and restrained his mind. As his sword intent returned, he did not speak, and used his sword force to reply.
Pointing the Celestial Yuan Sword forward with its sharp end outwards, a large distortion appeared in the air as an incomparable sword force was released. Like a surging, yet formless wave, it swept across the entire Sword Discourse Arena. In an instant, he seemed to have become the center of the world. Even the watching audience that was the furthest away from him were able to vividly sense an oppressive, imposing aura. That kind of sensation felt as if one had been pointed with the sharp point of a blade between their brows. This chill made one tremble from head to toe! It was even more rich and powerful than Ling Jie’s sword force when he was wielding the dual swords, by at least ten times!
The Celestial Yuan Sword even reverberated as it pierced out!
In an instant, Ling Yun’s entire person vanished. The only thing the crowd could capture with their eyes was merely a cyan colored sword radiance and those distinctive ripples in the air… That’s right! That was a spatial ripple brought up by genuinely and legitimately cutting through space, and not the small degree of spatial distortion was stirred up by Ling Jie’s sword force. It was fundamentally impossible to compare the two in the same category!
The sharpness of Xia Qingyue’s senses naturally increased greatly as well when she had released all her profound strength. This sword strike was no longer possible to traced with her eyes. Her upper body moved slightly and the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon instantly danced. As the white sheen swam, it precisely touched onto the Celestial Yuan Sword that shot piercing toward her. In the next instant, the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon was as if an intelligent snake that had just woke up, as it wrapped along the sword’s body as if lightning. At the same time, a wave of cold energy that was enough to freeze space itself suddenly exploded…