Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 340 - 77: Things Are Never That Simple

February 14, 2018

As the last contestant Wang Jiu swept Shen Bailin with a time of 0.28 seconds, this Outer Courtyard competition came to a successful end.

However, the people present found this result a bit hard to accept.

In 0.28 seconds, Shen Bailin, a first-tier Cloud Flipping Realm warrior clad in Ice Meteor Battle Armor, was pulverized, reduced to dust. The speed was far faster than the self-destruction of a Spirit Stone, which has power comparable to a full-strength strike of a Mountain-Overturning Realm master! Even a genuine Mountain-Overturning Realm expert would be no better!

Yet, whether judged by the intensity of his True Essence fluctuation or the age determined by the Battle Array Map, this impeccably handsome swordsman in white is a genuine peer!

His True Essence fluctuation does not exceed the Cloud Flipping Realm, and his age is definitely under 20 years old—considering this, he actually looks slightly mature. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

But in terms of actual strength, he surpasses anyone present by over ten times!

Is the gap between people really that vast?

Is this anticipated battle to reclaim honor going to end in such a manner?

Will the glorious history of the Shen Family Outer Courtyard be tarnished by a nearly indelible stain in this generation’s hands?

Thinking of the hard work over these days, the boys and girls of the Outer Courtyard, under Shen Feihu’s command, shared their wisdom and joined forces wholeheartedly. Thinking of how Shen Feihong brilliantly achieved a time of 5 seconds, after summarizing all previous experiences, a sense of pride welled up in the hearts of all... All these past efforts were now like sharp thorns, piercing deep into their hearts.

The Li Family used the clever trick of Spirit Stone self-destruction to surpass the competition. Although the people of the Outer Courtyard felt unfairness, their protests remained at the verbal stage. Without Secretary B’s betrayal, these young people would gradually accept the reality, admitting that the Li Family’s strategies were more innovative and targeted, and then concede willingly.

Because, at that time, the pride in the hearts of the Outer Courtyard remained: although we lost in terms of performance, it was clear that we held superiority in strength. Even if relying on the power of the Divine Weapon Silver Frost, being able to wield such a weapon comparable to an Immortal Treasure with flesh and blood was, after all, the cultivator’s own ability. Even with the same divine weapon, the Li Family people could not possibly achieve the Shen Family’s results. And Shen Feihong, appearing last, having fully absorbed the experience and lessons of his predecessors, delivered a stunning strike with the grace of a late-stage Cloud Flipping Realm master, defending his honor as the former number one of the Outer Courtyard with a first-place result.

However, when Wang Jiu entered the field, completing the instant kill with unimaginable means, the youth of the Outer Courtyard felt a shake to their worldview. Among peers, there was someone with such formidable strength! And he happened to be the sworn enemy of the Shen Family, an Honored Guest Elder of the Cyan Cloud Li Family!

With such a person around, in the coming century, everyone must live under his shadow!

Carrying countless complex thoughts, the people of the Outer Courtyard remained silent, causing the atmosphere inside the venue to gradually become awkward.

But the Li Family people obviously did not care about the Shen Family’s atmosphere. At the first opportunity, Shen Qingming ran to Wang Jiu’s side, tapping his chest with excitement and joy—due to height and arm length, this was where Shen Qingming could reach.

"Amazing, Ah Jiu, what was that move?"

Wang Jiu explained, "God’s Regret Bell."

Shen Qingming nodded approvingly, "Great name; it sounds unstoppable."

To this polite remark, Wang Jiu went on to further explain quite seriously, "In terms of sheer destructive power, it’s actually only second-rate. Because it pursues area damage, its single-target concentrated destructive ability is insufficient. However, God’s Regret Bell has a critical damage-boosting effect; since it directly targets Divine Sense with shockwave-like destruction, it nearly multiplies the damage against those with dull Divine Sense. Although the Divine Sense of Shen Bailin, in the race projection, simulated a real historical figure, as a mimic projection, it doesn’t possess the real person’s Divine Sense agility, which is an inherent defect of the Shen Family’s Battle Array Map, that God’s Regret Bell happens to counteract. If it were the real Shen Bailin, God’s Regret Bell wouldn’t have a fatal effect."

Although Shen Qingming didn’t quite understand, she didn’t mind the technical principles, smiling, "If it were the real Shen Bailin, he wouldn’t be hammered to death so many times with the same hammer by his descendants anyway. In any case, Ah Jiu, you fought beautifully!"

Wang Jiu, however, felt a bit regretful, "Unfortunately, the reconstructed Sword World is still in its initial stage; God’s Regret Bell barely revived the alpha framework. If it were the complete version... or even just fifty percent of the gamma structure, it could have temporarily upgraded to God’s Regret Heavy Soldiers using the Three Spirits Pulse, directly causing fundamental damage to the projection."

The strange terms in this sentence made Shen Qingming increasingly confused, but as a loyal companion, she asked, "What is fundamental damage?"

"Tracing back causes and penetrating laws." Wang Jiu succinctly said eight words, then provided an example Shen Qingming could comprehend, "Put simply, it could make this Battle Array Map never project Shen Bailin again."

"...Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration? It’s just a speed match, after all. Wait, after hearing this for so long, why do I feel like I’ve heard the term God’s Regret Bell somewhere before?"

This time, no reminder from Wang Jiu was necessary. Shen Qingming, who once suffered from it, suddenly jumped up, "Ah! I remember you once said you used God’s Regret Bell to help me sleep!?"

Wang Jiu nodded, saying, "Indeed, only one strike, and you slept as sweetly as a hibernating little pig."

"Pigs don’t hibernate!" Shen Qingming regretted her retort as soon as she said it. What was she even arguing about? The point was completely lost!

"You used something so dangerous on me?!" Shen Qingming became increasingly furious, "What if it caused some problems?!"

Wang Jiu explained, "It wouldn’t. While God’s Regret Bell has a damage-boosting effect on targets with dull Divine Sense, your Divine Sense is agile. Especially with the cultivation of the Immovable Tyrant Body, the bloodline power constantly stimulates your Divine Sense growth, effectively immunizing you against the destructive power of God’s Regret Bell. Also, God’s Regret Bell only has the boosting effect on targets with dull Divine Sense, but its efficacy is limited for targets with low intelligence, such as..."

"...I knew you’d always twist the topic back to my intelligence level!" Shen Qingming angrily retorted.

Wang Jiu said, "You are my only mount; when speaking with you, everything must naturally revolve around you."

"You!" Shen Qingming’s cheeks flushed instantly, "You, you just... in the middle of a quarrel, suddenly saying such things like ’only mount’..."

Looking into Wang Jiu’s eyes full of sincerity, in an instant, the girl’s anger vanished completely. Although she knew that the other party meant no other intention, just thinking about the phrase "only mount" made it impossible to stay angry.

Perhaps this is the inherent baseness of human nature.

–

At the same time, Li Wanqing and others tacitly refrained from interrupting the conversation between the Sword Spirit and her master—Li Chaolu had the thought but was considerately stopped by Li Wanqing.

Beside them, Secretary B from the Vice City Lord’s Mansion earnestly said, "Congratulations to you all on winning the invitation to the City Lord’s birthday banquet."

"Heh." The only one who hadn’t won an invitation, Li Xinyu, replied idly.

Secretary B wisely chose to ignore this person devoid of human rights, continuing, "The official invitation should arrive at the mansion within the next day or two... Are the few of you still residing in the Divine Sword Tower during this time? If there is any new information, I will get in touch with you immediately. In any case, during this time, I really thank you all for your efforts. You’ve traveled a long way from Cyan Cloud City to Shen City and went through so many twists and turns to finally set things on the right track... But I believe good things take time, and after all these trials, the relationship between our two families should be able to return to normal."

Although this statement seemed somewhat ceremonious, the Li Family members each nodded in agreement.

Indeed, from the moment they left Cyan Cloud City to the present, much has happened, many twists and turns endured, and many detours taken. It’s time for things to progress smoothly.

Through this Outer Courtyard speed contest, everyone finally won an invitation to the City Lord’s birthday banquet, allowing them to visit the City Lord Shen Ruoshi during the banquet. Afterward, as long as Shen Qingming showcases the eighteen Divine Skills she cultivated as the Spirit Cat idol, pleasing the old man greatly, the relationship between the two families will naturally become much more harmonious, and the mission of the diplomatic group can be successfully concluded.

However, can everything really go as planned?

This question arose simultaneously in the minds of several Li Family members.

Since leaving Cyan Cloud City, it felt like entering a bizarre cycle—if there was even a chance of branching, the story would inevitably deviate from the main plot into a different path.

This time, things seemed about to get back on track, hopefully without further complications.