C17 The Power of One Move!

"You're the chubby girl, right?" Ling Xiao inquired, his eyes widening in disbelief.

Luo Qingshuang's face turned a deep shade of red at his comment, her blush spreading to her ears, making her look exceptionally cute. She stomped her foot and shot back, "You're the one who's chubby!"

Seven years earlier, Ling Xiao and Luo Qingshuang were just ten years old. Luo Qingshuang had come to the Ling family's home with her grandfather, who had arranged for her to play with the Ling children. Despite her plumpness, she was charming and had a great time with them, except for Ling Xiao, who was immersed in his training and ignored her.

Feeling snubbed, she insisted, "I want you to play with me."

Ling Xiao scoffed, "Win against me, and I'll play with you, chubby girl."

With her hands on her hips, Luo Qingshuang replied with vexation, "I am not chubby! And if I win, you're going to pretend to be a turtle."

"What if I win?" Ling Xiao taunted.

"If you win, I'll be your bride one day," Luo Qingshuang proclaimed.

"You're too chubby, not my type," Ling Xiao said dismissively.

In the ensuing match, Luo Qingshuang, only a level four Martial Disciple, stood no chance against Ling Xiao, a level eight Martial Disciple. The result was predictable.

Childhood memories like these didn't linger long with Ling Xiao, but Luo Qingshuang remembered them vividly. She trained tirelessly, hoping to one day defeat Ling Xiao and reclaim her dignity. She also sought out news about him, each piece of information filling her with excitement and disappointment—excited that he was getting stronger, but disheartened by the growing distance between them.

Then, two years ago, she learned that Ling Xiao had been crippled in a surprise attack, leaving her feeling empty, as though she had lost something precious. The discomfort was intense.

In time, Luo Qingshuang accepted Ling Xiao's new reality, but her pace of cultivation slowed. It took her two years to break through from a Low Rank Profound Warrior to a Middle Rank Profound Warrior.

Little did she know that seven years later, she would encounter him again, this time in a restaurant, and with a beautiful girl by his side. She couldn't understand why she felt a surge of anger, an urge to confront Ling Xiao and speak her mind.

"Hey, chubby girl, it's been so long since that incident, and you still remember it. Have you been pining for me for seven years? Do you want me to take you as my wife?" Ling Xiao teased, apparently forgetting the pain in his waist.

"You're a jerk!" Luo Qingshuang's face turned beet red as if her deepest feelings had been exposed, and she seemed on the verge of tears. Her purple whip cracked through the air again.

"Girls shouldn't lash out so carelessly; it's unbecoming. Who would want to marry a tigress like you?" Ling Xiao unsheathed his Giant Dragon Sword and skillfully wrapped it around her whip.

In an instant, the purple whip twisted around the sword like a snake.

"You're the tigress!" Luo Qingshuang snapped back angrily, her foot flying up toward Ling Xiao's face.

As a Middle Rank Profound Warrior, Luo Qingshuang's power and speed were astonishing, and her kick reached Ling Xiao in a heartbeat.

Fortunately, Ling Xiao was no longer the pushover he once was. Having unlocked ten meridians, each filled with profound strength, he was now the equivalent of an eighth-grade Martial Disciple. Although there was a considerable gap between him and Luo Qingshuang, he was undaunted, drawing upon his previous life's martial arts skills and combat experience.

He extended his arm with composure, blocking Luo Qingshuang's attack.

While he neutralized the move, the disparity in strength was evident, and Ling Xiao was forced back several steps.

"Have you recovered your profound strength?" Luo Qingshuang couldn't help but ask. Her kick had been delivered with significant force, one that even a Low Rank Profound Warrior would hesitate to meet head-on. Yet Ling Xiao had only been driven back a few steps, displaying a resilience that no former invalid should possess.

"If I had fully regained my profound strength, would you still be so brazen?" Ling Xiao scoffed. The numbness in his palm from the impact was uncomfortable, to say the least, and it only intensified his urgency to fully unlock his meridians.

"Try me. I'm here to avenge a grudge from seven years ago, and I hope you can withstand more than a few blows," Luo Qingshuang said, flicking her long whip with determination.

"I can defeat you with a single move," Ling Xiao declared with a light chuckle.

"Bullshit. If you can beat me in one move, do with me what you will. But if you lose, you'll become my servant," Luo Qingshuang spat out, her face turning a shade of green with rage.

"Agreed. Let's hope you won't regret this," Ling Xiao responded, his eyes shining with unwavering confidence.

"Less talk, more action. Make your move," Luo Qingshuang demanded, readying herself for the fight.

"Alright, I'm attacking now," Ling Xiao announced. He sprang up like a majestic eagle, his Giant Dragon Sword swinging through the air. In a flash, a torrent of sword shadows rained down on Luo Qingshuang, the piercing sword light twinkling like stars, reducing the surrounding furniture to rubble.

"What a powerful move!" Lee Guanghan couldn't help but step back a few paces as he felt the sharp aura, expressing his awe.

"Sis, be careful!" the giant man wielding the mace roared, swinging his weapon to meet the barrage of sword light.

Luo Qingshuang felt a suffocating threat as the sword light tore through her clothes, revealing her soft, water-like skin in several places.

Fortunately, the giant man's timely warning roused her, and her whip spiraled into a formidable defense.

"Clang." "Snap." The sounds of their weapons colliding filled the air.

As the sword light dissipated and peace returned, Ling Xiao stood with his sword embedded in the ground, coughing up blood from severe internal injuries. The damage was much worse than the previous night's meridian strain. The ten channels he had opened ached and ripped at his flesh, causing him unbearable pain.

Luo Qingshuang was also in a desperate state. Only a short piece of her once lengthy whip remained, the rest scattered in pieces on the ground. Her clothes were torn, revealing much of her skin, yet miraculously, not a scratch was on her. A strand of hair fell gently from her forehead. Had Ling Xiao's strike been a mere inch off, it would have been the end for her right there.

The clash of their weapons resounded in a symphony of metallic echoes.

Finally, the sword light dissipated, and calm returned to the scene.

Ling Xiao, with his sword thrust into the ground of the platform, coughed up blood. Clearly, he had suffered internal injuries. This time, the damage was more severe than the backlash he had experienced the previous night when he forcefully opened his meridians. The ten meridians he had opened throbbed with a tearing pain that was almost too much to bear.

The burly man came out slightly better off, with just a few tears in his clothes and his breath coming in short gasps. Beyond that, he seemed unfazed.

"Young Master, are you alright?" Bai Yuxi, upon witnessing Ling Xiao spit out blood, cried out in alarm and rushed to his side. She supported him, her eyes filled with tears of worry as she inquired.

"Rest assured, I'm fine. Let's head back," Ling Xiao reassured her, his face pale. He managed a feeble smile and, despite the pain, allowed Bai Yuxi to help him as they descended from the tavern.