Chapter 7: I Will Fight Alongside You!
As soon as these words were spoken, Ming Zhaoshuang noticed that Shen Liqian’s forehead was already beaded with sweat.
Her arrows were never aimed at vital points, yet she often hit several, clearly considering her limited arrow supply.
Ming Zhaoshuang felt something was wrong; Shen Liqian’s expression indicated the System’s prediction was almost certainly true.
However, her sword was still underfoot, and the original owner had no other sword. How could she help Shen Liqian?
As everyone knew, a sword cultivator without a sword was like a fierce beast without claws and teeth, left to the slaughter.
Suddenly, Ming Zhaoshuang’s eyes lit up.
In the next moment, ice crystals condensed in Ming Zhaoshuang’s palm, a faint mist dispersed, and a sharp, crystal-clear ice sword emerged.
Ming Zhaoshuang said, “Qianqian, withdraw the water wall. I will fight alongside you!”
“The ice sword is too fragile; it’s no different from a wooden sword, let alone the fact that you are currently only at Foundation Establishment…”
Shen Liqian hesitated for a moment but still withdrew the water wall, leaving them exposed to the Bald Eagles’ attacks.
As Shen Liqian had said, Ming Zhaoshuang’s ice sword posed no threat to the Bald Eagles; it could only wound them, but not kill them at all.
Especially since six or seven of the Bald Eagles had already reached the Golden Core Stage, Ming Zhaoshuang was no match for them. In almost an instant, she was covered in bloody scratches from the Bald Eagles.
The Bald Eagles tore at her hair and pecked at her clothes, causing sharp pain.
In front of these Bald Eagles, Ming Zhaoshuang’s resistance with the ice sword in hand was like a child brandishing a toy, showy but utterly harmless.
Ming Zhaoshuang’s Ice Element spells repeatedly missed, and her sword moves couldn’t even touch the Bald Eagles’ feathers.
In fact, quite a few Bald Eagles were driven away by Shen Liqian’s spells, used while she was distracted to protect Ming Zhaoshuang’s safety.
Shen Liqian thought that even if Ming Zhaoshuang was only at Foundation Establishment, as the Eldest Young Lady of the Ming Family, her resources were second to none in the Lower Cultivation World, and her talent was one in ten thousand.
A Supreme Ice Spirit Root was a genius coveted by all, even in the Upper Cultivation World. Moreover, observing her cultivation these past few days, she hadn’t been lazy; in fact, she could be considered diligent. So why was her strength so lacking?
As a cultivator at Late Foundation Establishment, her displayed strength was only that of Mid Foundation Establishment.
Thinking thus, Shen Liqian recreated a water wall, firmly protecting Ming Zhaoshuang.
However, she had already shot six or seven arrows, and although she had eliminated half the Bald Eagles, her remaining Spiritual Power was low. If she had to divert her attention to protect Ming Zhaoshuang, it was highly likely she herself would die under the Bald Eagles’ sharp claws.
Just as Shen Liqian was considering whether to transform her longbow into a Konghou with a larger kill range, Ming Zhaoshuang spoke.
“Qianqian, trust me, withdraw the water wall.”
Ming Zhaoshuang’s face was streaked with blood from the Bald Eagles’ sharp claws, and her clothes were not entirely neat, yet her eyes were exceptionally bright:
“I am a sword cultivator. I should protect you.”
Just now, she had been on the verge of hitting the Bald Eagles’ vital points, only a hair’s breadth away.
Shen Liqian sighed softly and finally withdrew the water wall.
The eagle vultures flew swiftly, a black mass.
Ming Zhaoshuang wielded her ice sword, Spiritual Power surging.
Blood splattered, and the bodies of the Bald Eagles fell like flying stones.
Hit!
Ming Zhaoshuang’s eyes lit up, but before she could celebrate, she saw Shen Liqian, due to excessive Spiritual Energy depletion, not noticing a Bald Eagle attacking from behind her.
Ming Zhaoshuang stretched out an arm, pulled Shen Liqian close, and dodged the Bald Eagle’s attack. However, her arm was torn away by a large chunk of flesh and blood by the Bald Eagle.
Shen Liqian gasped, “Zhaoshuang.”
Ming Zhaoshuang acted as if she hadn’t noticed, her ice edge swung again towards the Bald Eagle’s vital point.
This time, her movements were fast and fierce; in the blink of an eye, a Bald Eagle plummeted from the sky.
This time, not only Shen Liqian but even the System noticed her progress and couldn’t help but praise, “You’re pretty good, kid. You learn fast.”
Ming Zhaoshuang smiled, “Low profile, low profile.”
It was fortunate that Shen Liqian was powerful and had shot down all the Golden Core Stage Bald Eagles; she only had to face spiritual beasts at the Foundation Establishment Stage.
The original owner was already at Late Foundation Establishment. Although Ming Zhaoshuang was a novice, her cultivation was higher than those Bald Eagles.
Ming Zhaoshuang seemed to have found the knack, her sword strikes sharp and direct, hitting vital points. At most, within ten moves, a Bald Eagle would die under her sword.
After about fifteen minutes, with the combined efforts of Shen Liqian and Ming Zhaoshuang, only a little over ten Bald Eagles remained, and all of them were only at Foundation Establishment Stage.
Shen Liqian thus gained a moment of respite. Her hands touched Ming Zhaoshuang’s wound, and she softly chanted a few words.
Ming Zhaoshuang felt a gentle flow of Spiritual Power enveloping the wound. The intensely painful wound instantly dulled, only throbbing slightly.
Ming Zhaoshuang smiled, “Thank you, Qianqian.”
Shen Liqian replied, “You were injured because of me, and besides, this is a small effort.”
Shen Liqian had Dual Spirit Roots, Water and Wood. Usually, she used her Water Spirit Root for combat and her Wood Spirit Root for healing.
Although Ming Zhaoshuang had many wounds, the Bald Eagles were merely low-level Demonic Beasts, and their cultivation was not as high as Ming Zhaoshuang’s. Thus, the injuries were not severe, and Shen Liqian did not need to expend much effort.
Ming Zhaoshuang said, “Don’t say that. If I hadn’t dragged you out for a spring outing, how would we have encountered these annoying pests?”
Shen Liqian shook her head, “It was I who forgot to remind you. To prevent sudden attacks by rogues, Bald Eagles constantly circle above Ao Tian Sect. Therefore, high-altitude Sword Riding Flight is not permitted within Ao Tian Sect.”
However, this rule was actually ignored by most people. After all, who would fly by sword within the sect and head directly to the peak?
Ming Zhaoshuang clicked her tongue, “Won’t Uncle Qin blame me?”
Ming Zhaoshuang said softly, “Of course not. The Sect Master is benevolent and magnanimous. If we resolve these Bald Eagles, he might even praise us.”
After all, although these Bald Eagles were not of high grade, they were at least in groups, with at least forty to fifty in a pack. Being able to deal with them would be a testament to their skill.
Ming Zhaoshuang recalled the description of Qin Du in the original book and felt he wouldn’t be such a petty person.
She flicked her ice sword, “Then I won’t hold back?”
Ming Zhaoshuang’s pain eased slightly, and she swung her ice sword with more vigor. In less than a moment, several more Bald Eagles fell beneath her sword.
But at this moment, Ming Zhaoshuang felt as if her Spiritual Power was blocked by a wall; she couldn’t cleanly slay the Bald Eagles in front of her.
Could this be… a bottleneck?
The original owner had reached Late Foundation Establishment half a year ago. Considering the time, although her breakthrough was fast, it was not impossible.
As Ming Zhaoshuang was thinking, she suddenly saw Shen Liqian sway, almost falling off her sword.
She grabbed Shen Liqian, saw her pale face and trembling fingertips, and knew she had reached the point of Spiritual Energy depletion mentioned by the System.
Ming Zhaoshuang took several Spirit Restoration Pills from her Storage Bag and placed them in Shen Liqian’s hand, “You rest first.”
Saying this, she held her sword in one hand and cast spells with the other, unleashing a furious assault on the few remaining Bald Eagles, completely devoid of her earlier lost demeanor.
The flying sword streaked, and the ice blades emitted a cold glint. Where they passed, not a single Bald Eagle remained.
Shen Liqian thought, perhaps Ming Zhaoshuang had been hiding her strength earlier, otherwise why would her initial displayed strength have been so poor.
Seeing that the Spirit Restoration Pills Ming Zhaoshuang gave her were of excellent quality, Shen Liqian abandoned her suspicions. After taking one, she returned the excess to Ming Zhaoshuang, saying:
“Treasures are hard to come by; one is enough.”
Ming Zhaoshuang said, “What treasure is this? Qianqian, you are the true priceless treasure.”
“Sweet talker,” Shen Liqian chuckled.
“From your bearing, I expected you to be a reserved and aloof person, but I didn’t expect you to be like this now.”
Ming Zhaoshuang thought to herself that the reserved and aloof Iceberg Beauty was the original owner, not her. She was very lively.
Before long, Ming Zhaoshuang had dealt with the remaining Bald Eagles.
She brought Shen Liqian all the way, flying until they reached the summit of Ding Tian Peak before stopping.
The two jumped off their swords, and Ming Zhaoshuang said, “The scenery is best here. Qianqian, you should take a good look.”
Shen Liqian replied, “No rush, let me heal your injuries first.”
Shen Liqian’s Spiritual Power had recovered by thirty percent, so healing Ming Zhaoshuang’s remaining injuries was naturally not a problem. Ming Zhaoshuang sat down in front of her, turning her back to Shen Liqian, and said with her eyes closed:
“Hurry, hurry!”
She happened to use this time to break through to the Golden Core Stage.
