After seeing Hua Wuchang off, Qin Ya found himself growing interested in Black Saber, the assassin coming to kill him. In fact, he was even a little excited.
’Just how strong is an assassin who can rival the seven great prodigies of the Imperial Capital?’
Qin Ya couldn’t help but shake his head with a wry smile. ’Soone is coming to kill , and not only am I not worried, I’m actually looking forward to it. Do I have a masochistic streak or sothing?’
Three days later, Qin Ya received a letter.
It was from Gong Yu. The contents were brief, revealing only the na of the mastermind who had placed the bounty on him in the Black Market: Wang Yuanhong!
"It’s... the Wang Family!"
Qin Ya’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of piercing coldness in their depths.
Gong Yu smiled charmingly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "To be precise, it wasn’t the Wang Family, but Wang Yuanhong," she said. "She’s Wang Yan’s mother and has harbored a grudge ever since you killed him. She went behind Wang Mingxiu’s back to secretly post a bounty for your assassination on the Black Market. The reward is a hundred thousand."
"Hah. Is that really how it is?"
Qin Ya gave a cool smile. ’Wang Yuanhong is a mber of the Wang Family, and she’s Wang Yan’s mother. She hires an assassin in secret, and the Wang Family truly has no idea?’
’The Wang Family must hate too, but they’re wary of my status as an Advanced Academy Teacher. That’s why they didn’t stop Wang Yuanhong. If the assassin succeeds, great. If he fails and they’re exposed, they can just throw Wang Yuanhong under the bus as a scapegoat and plead ignorance.’
"Hm? Teacher Qin, what do you an?"
Gong Yu asked.
Qin Ya shook his head, keeping his suspicions to himself. ’As the sovereign of the nation, Nangong Wen can’t possibly miss the sche at play here. He must have his reasons for not spelling it out in the letter. After all, while the Wang Family might not be on par with the Four Great Noble Families, they are still a top-tier Noble Family with a deep foundation.’
"I never would have guessed you were one of His Majesty’s people."
Gazing at Gong Yu, Qin Ya smiled faintly. ’I always felt like you were deliberately trying to get close to , but I never imagined you were sent by Nangong Wen. His Majesty is truly a man of profound foresight. I’d only been at the Academy for a few days before he had his eyes on .’
"You flatter , Teacher Qin. I was only following imperial orders. But... after spending all this ti together, I find myself growing quite fond of you." Gong Yu chuckled, her entire body leaning in until her tender red lips were almost touching Qin Ya’s. "And you, Teacher Qin?"
Qin Ya took an imperceptible step back. "Student Gong Yu," he said coolly, "teasing an Academy teacher is a very dangerous ga."
"Just how dangerous?"
Gong Yu, relentless, closed the distance again.
"AHEM!"
Just then, a cough echoed from the doorway. A cool, aloof girl in white with black hair stood there. Her dark brows were knitted slightly as her crimson lips parted. "I need to talk to you about sothing, Qin Ya. Do you have ti?"
"Well, Teacher Qin, I suppose I won’t disturb you any longer."
Gong Yu shot him a charming smile. As she walked past the other girl, their gazes locked. Gong Yu felt a slight sting in her eyes; the girl before her was brimming with a piercing sharpness!
"Hah, interesting," Gong Yu chuckled to herself and then departed.
"Peiyi, is there sothing you need?"
Li Peiyi said coolly, "My Cultivation has reached Profound Origin Perfection. I’m only half a step from breaking through to the Spiritual Elent Realm. I need you to do a favor."
"Oh? What is it? Do you need an Elixir of so sort?"
Qin Ya smiled. Refining a Realm-Breaking Pill was a simple matter for him, so he didn’t mind taking the ti to help Li Peiyi. He was also a little surprised. ’I can’t believe she’s already at Profound Origin Perfection. It’s only been a few months, hasn’t it?’
"No. Spar with !"
A flash of War Intent ignited in Li Peiyi’s eyes, her gaze turning sharp and cold.
"What?" Qin Ya was taken aback, then gave a wry smile. "Peiyi, this doesn’t sound like asking for help. It sounds like you’re here to challenge ."
’The first ti they t, she had challenged him. Back then, his Cultivation was still incomplete; he’d taken one of her sword strikes head-on and used the opening to flee. Ever since that day, Li Peiyi seed to have fixated on him, treating him as her ultimate rival and seeking him out for a spar at every turn.’
"I’m not yet qualified to challenge you. But one day, I will defeat you, fair and square," Li Peiyi stated coolly.
"Fine... alright."
Resigned, Qin Ya had no choice but to agree.
「Outside Ningxiang Pavilion, by the lake.」
A man and a woman stood opposite each other. The man, handso and composed, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, radiating the subtle air of a grandmaster. The woman’s dark hair stread in the wind. She held a longsword, her delicate yet well-defined figure exuding a sharp aura, like a peerless Divine Sword.
"Your guidance, please!"
Li Peiyi spoke coolly, slowly drawing her longsword. With every inch of the blade that erged from its scabbard, the sharp aura around her intensified.
Countless wisps of Sword Qi swirled around her, forming a storm of invisible blades.
"This is... Sword Montum at the Minor Achievent stage!"
Qin Ya’s pupils constricted, his expression shaken. ’How long has it been? Her Sword Montum has already jumped two stages to reach Minor Achievent.’
’Others in the Academy have also comprehended Sword Montum. Teacher Lin Yifeng, for instance, is a Swordsman, but his Sword Montum is barely approaching the Minor Achievent stage.’
’I can’t believe that after such a short ti, her Sword Montum has already reached Minor Achievent. If word of this got out, it would shock everyone.’
"’Heh, it seems the opportunity Peiyi found was no small matter. For her Sword Dao to progress this quickly...’ Qin Ya mused."
SWOOSH...
The whistle of a blade cutting through air—the longsword thrust straight toward Qin Ya!
Executing the Chasing Wind and Shadow Technique, he deftly dodged the strike. The Ghost Cloud Pan Flood Dragon Long Spear appeared in his hand, and he thrust it out in a sudden counter. CLANG! Sword and spear clashed.
A rapid exchange of blows followed!
The sword and spear blurred into countless afterimages, moving too fast for the eye to follow. The sound of their clashes was incessant, a rapid patter like rain on broad leaves.
"’Her Swordsmanship has grown even more profound.’"
Qin Ya nodded to himself. Unhurried, he allowed his True Essence to circulate slowly, handling her attacks with ease.
Seeing this, Li Peiyi’s sword strikes grew even faster.
In the span of a dozen breaths, they had already exchanged over a hundred blows.
"You really are amazing!"
A rare look of excitent crossed Li Peiyi’s face. She thrust her sword forward in a seemingly ordinary attack, but one that concealed a thousand possible variations.
"A fine Sword Technique!"
With a cry of admiration, Qin Ya t her blade with his spear.
They fought on, and nearly an hour passed.
Li Peiyi was drenched in sweat, yet her expression showed no sign of fatigue. Instead, she grew ever more excited as the Cultivation bottleneck within her began to loosen.
"’Almost there! Almost there!’"
Li Peiyi roared in her heart, unleashing all her True Essence without reserve. It erupted into a sky-filling torrent of Sword Qi. Seeing this, Qin Ya just smiled coolly and thrust out a palm!
"Heavenly Cold Earth Freeze!"
Boundless frigid energy condensed the very air into frost, clashing violently with the incoming Sword Qi. For an instant, the air was filled with shattered ice and wild Sword Qi. Then, suddenly, an impossibly powerful sharpness erupted, soaring into the heavens like the birth of a peerless Divine Sword.
"Finally... I’ve broken through!"
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