NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8: 6, Lose-lose
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If we simply talk about cultivation realms, the realms they both hid were at the late stages of Foundation Establishment.
However, when it comes to actual strength, Tian Liuli, as an Innate Chaotic Dao Body and with the experience and knowledge of her previous life, was at an advantage over Lin Qingque by a whole mountain's worth of difference.
Of course, this was under the circumstance that Lin Qingque's Heart Voice ability was just like in traditional novels, capable of eavesdropping on the thoughts of others.
The planners wouldn't care about the protagonist's life and death when facing the deranged admirers, but they wouldn't allow a huge gap in strength amongst those admirers.
In fact, realizing that Lin Qingque's cheat abilities were too weak in the early stages of the game's storyline to compete with Tian Liuli, the planners had urgently patched Lin Qingque's abilities.
They allowed her Heart Voice ability to not only listen in on others' thoughts but even to disguise her own Heart Voice as someone else's, to mislead others, and furthermore, they enhanced her talent in Heart Dao, as well as giving her a Seven Orifices Exquisite Heart that could perceive the flow of spiritual power within enemies and increase her Heart Dao comprehension.
But this came at a price.
If these abilities were awakened during the Core Formation Stage, Lin Qingque wouldn't face any penalties, but if they were awakened before the Foundation Establishment Stage, in a life-and-death moment, then Lin Qingque's physique would be damaged, leading to a decrease in her cultivation speed.
This was also why Xu Yuan hesitated when he made his move; he wasn't sure if he could kill her before her Seven Orifices Exquisite Heart awakened.
During the main storyline phase for Lin Qingque, players would need to protect her until she reached the Core Formation Stage.
But this wasn't her main storyline, so it had nothing to do with him now!
This was also why he'd rather risk being discovered for not matching his online persona than intervene in their fight.
Although Tian Liuli had the upper hand over Lin Qingque, securing a swift victory was not so easy.
Given her self-esteem, if she got stuck in a stalemate, it would be akin to losing face!
Therefore, in her quest for a swift victory, she would surely employ some massively energy-consuming final moves, which, indirectly speaking, could also slow down her cultivation speed for some time.
While Xu Yuan was brainstorming below, the two on stage were already engaged in heated combat.
One possessed the Heart Voice ability, anticipating the enemy's moves, acting before the enemy, often gaining the initiative, while the other had a wealth of combat experience and could still seize the moment even if she lost the initiative, never falling behind.
Thus, when these two clashed, the fight was fraught with danger at every turn.
Within just a short few breaths of time, they had already exchanged blows dozens of times.
'No, if we keep fighting like this, I'll lose, and that's not acceptable! But, if I reveal my cultivation level at this moment, everyone will know my cultivation is even lower than Senior Brother's. Would that steal his thunder?'
After another exchange of blows, Lin Qingque staggered back several steps, her small face turning slightly pale.
On the other side, Tian Liuli looked down at her fingers trembling slightly around her waist, her eyes narrowed involuntarily, feeling equally irritated.
As the Splendid Immortal Empress who controlled one of the Nine Heavens, Liuli Heaven, how could she have been entangled for so long with such a green girl?
She pursed her lips slightly.
And with that, the entire world seemed to quiet down with her tightened lips.
Mu Qianyan, sitting in the main seat, couldn't help but flash a look of surprise and awe in her eyes.
The sun was blazing overhead, distorting the air near the walls with its heat, but the disciples in the grand hall felt not a hint of warmth. Instead, they couldn't help but wrap their arms around themselves, shivering uncontrollably.
"Has the weather changed? Why has it suddenly become so cold?"
If even these unrelated people felt this way, then Lin Qingque, who was directly facing this unknown Daoist magic, was faring even worse, with her legs already shaking slightly.
Only she understood that this was not the coldness of the weather, but the chill of a sword.
The line formed by Tian Liuli's pursed lips, reflected in her eyes, was as straight as a sword, sharp and revealing!
"Die."
Her Heart Voice also heard that voice rising from inside Tian Liuli.
It was indifferent to the extreme, and cold to the bone.
Tian Liuli wasn't giving herself a pep talk, but pronouncing Lin Qingque's verdict.
If nothing unexpected happened, in the next moment, that word would leave her lips and pierce through her body like a bolt of thunder.
In this dire moment facing life and death, Lin Qingque's heart seemed to become as clear as Liuli.
At the same time, from deep within her body, she felt a pain as if something was being pulled out.
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What replaced it was an unprecedented strength!
Lin Qingque raised her hand, and the invisible power of the mind converged at her fingertips, twisting the space into an abstract painting.
Suddenly, a gust of wind rose, lifting the hem of Tian Liuli's dress, curling it back like a lotus, as if breaking some silence, and the breath between heaven and earth began to flow again.
Tian Liuli parted her lips, her lips red as blood bloomed like a flower, and she breathed softly, "Die—"
In the depths of the cosmos, the sound of a sword cry pierced between heaven and earth.
A white line, undulating towards them.
That was a breath, a breath of Sword Qi!
Lin Qingque was not to be outdone, as she too used her finger as a pen and the void as her canvas, drawing out a sword.
A sword birthed from nothingness.
"Fast!"
Lin Qingque was just about to flick her finger.
"Stop!"
However, at this moment, a figure "very timely" landed between the two of them, swinging his palms like parting the sea and exerting force at the same time.
The word "die" that Tian Liuli was about to finish was forcibly swallowed back.
The nearly tangible mental force at Lin Qingque's fingertips was also forcefully drawn back.
But even as they both forcibly contained the backlash, they still couldn't completely retract the fully formed lethal moves.
The residual might of those two moves still couldn't be underestimated.
Xu Yuan was not the slightest bit panicked.
Because, according to the plot... My Master would intervene!
She would never just watch the two of them fight like this.
Otherwise, even if it was to clear up his reputation and to curry favor with Lin Qingque, he wouldn't have rashly charged in like this.
Sure enough, the next moment, the two strikes capable of killing a cultivator at the Core Formation Stage brushed past him like a gentle breeze, shaping only in form but harmless as they passed over his face.
"Senior Brother! Why are you so foolish?!"
Lin Qingque didn't notice this, and disregarding the blood spilling from the corner of her mouth, she forcefully stood up, wanting to check on his condition.
In her eyes, this was her Senior Brother mistakenly thinking she was about to be slain by Tian Liuli's Sword Qi, which is why he had bravely thrown himself between them.
After all, to outsiders, it indeed looked like she was at a disadvantage.
And Tian Liuli's move was filled with a murderous aura.
If it hadn't been for her breakthrough at the last moment, she would probably have died under that move.
Tian Liuli's eyes flashed with slight displeasure, but she said nothing.
After all, Xu Yuan has always treasured friendship and righteousness, doing such a thing was not blameworthy.
And now, with no memories of his past life, the relationship between the two was not too deep.
To lean more towards Lin Qingque was quite natural.
However, this would only be allowed once.
All she needed was to tell him about the events of his previous life.
Then, he would willingly crawl at her feet, content to be trampled upon.
As for whom he would choose, Tian Liuli was not worried in the least.
Lin Qingque thought the same, especially after seeing the content of his dream the day before, which made her even more confident.
Both firmly believed that Xu Yuan would only choose them, and there would be no second option.