The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

At the Lake Tower, on the arena stage.

A graceful figure stood alone, her slender body as straight as a sword. Her black hair fluttered as she held a long white sword, looking like a Sword Immortal descended to the mortal world—cold and aloof, yet with an unparalleled sharpness.

"Spiritual Element Realm?"

A hint of astonishment crossed Han Feng’s face, but he quickly broke into a smile. "Miss, I suggest you leave this place at once. You are no match for me."

Li Peiyi’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. Her eyes glinted with a cold, sharp light as she said, "I suggest you drop the contempt, or you will suffer a miserable defeat."

Seated at the banquet, Qin Ya smirked. "Heh, Peiyi is angry now. It looks like this Han Feng is in for a bit of a rough time."

Su Chang, Nangong Luoyu, and the others were somewhat surprised. Nangong Luoyu asked, "Teacher Qin, Miss Li is only at the Spiritual Element Realm. Han Feng may have fought a few battles, but he’s an Earth Element Realm cultivator nonetheless. Can she really win?"

"Han Feng is guaranteed to lose."

The rarely-spoken Su Ming suddenly spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention. He looked at Li Peiyi on the stage, his eyes filled with admiration. "At the Academy, I’ve seen a few of her fights. Although Li Peiyi is only at the Spiritual Element Realm, her comprehension of Sword Momentum is profound. Her combat power is comparable to the Earth Element Realm."

"Oh? This is getting interesting." Su Chang looked intrigued.

Hearing Su Ming’s assessment of Li Peiyi, the crowd couldn’t help but turn their gazes back to the stage. And on that stage, Han Feng felt the piercing sharpness in Li Peiyi’s eyes, growing a little more cautious in his heart. Still, his face retained its disdainful expression. "Fine, then. I’ll show you just how much..."

Before Han Feng could finish his sentence, a cold Sword Light flashed past.

’So fast!’ Han Feng was startled and instantly dodged to the side. With a RIP, a gash appeared on the chest of his clothes. Staring at Li Peiyi, who stood with her sword ready, Han Feng’s pupils constricted. "It seems I really did underestimate you."

"Let’s fight." Li Peiyi wasted no words, raising her hand and unleashing a wave of Sword Qi.

"Hah!" No longer careless, Han Feng gave a cold shout. His long sword transformed into several cold glints of Sword Light, their speed so fast it was impossible to guard against.

After her Sword Qi was shattered by the Sword Light, Li Peiyi’s body moved like a floating feather. She swung her long sword, breaking apart the Sword Light, and then said coolly, "Earth Element Realm. Not bad!"

As she spoke, a Sky-Reaching Sword Momentum erupted from her, sweeping in all directions.

"This Sword Momentum... it’s so strong!"

Han Feng couldn’t help but cry out in alarm. In his eyes, it was simply unbelievable that a mere Spiritual Element Realm cultivator could possess such a powerful Sword Momentum.

"Hmm, this young lady’s talent in the Sword Dao is quite high."

Yao Qingming showed a hint of surprise. Having been in the Imperial Capital for so long, what kind of monstrous genius hadn’t he seen? Yet, the number of people who could comprehend Sword Momentum to such a degree at Li Peiyi’s age could be counted on one hand.

"Damn it."

Han Feng’s face darkened as he slashed out with his long sword, creating a dozen streaks of Sword Light. But Li Peiyi’s eyes remained indifferent. She lightly raised her long sword, which was infused with an incomparably pure Sword Momentum, and struck out with a single, fierce slash. In an instant, the Sword Light shattered.

"Wind Combo!" Without the slightest hesitation, the moment Li Peiyi made her move, Han Feng seemed to transform into a wisp of gentle wind, drifting to her side. He then unleashed a series of stabs too fast for the naked eye to see. This was a Sword Technique fused with his Wind’s Great Trend, and its speed was more than twice as fast as before.

CLANG, CLANG...

In the blink of an eye, the two of them, with their two swords, had already exchanged dozens of blows.

Their long swords clashed, creating sparks and magnificent bursts of swordplay. The more Han Feng fought, the more anxious and shocked he became. ’How is this possible? How can she block my Sword Technique, fused with the Wind’s Great Trend and executed at an explosive speed?’

Li Peiyi’s movements weren’t exceptionally fast, yet she managed to block every single one of Han Feng’s Sword Techniques, as if she could calculate his sword path and predict his every move.

"Such terrifying combat intuition."

"To anticipate the enemy’s moves... this young lady is truly astonishing."

"As expected of a genius who could defeat countless prodigies on the Hidden Dragon List within a few days to claim the honor of seventh place. She’s truly powerful."

...

"You’ve grown impatient."

Li Peiyi blocked his blade with her own, then, spotting an opening, she thrust her sword forward.

In an instant, her long sword was at Han Feng’s throat. He swallowed hard and forced a smile. "I never thought I’d lose to you... Heh, you win."

"Mm." Li Peiyi gave an indifferent nod. Defeating Han Feng brought her no sense of pride or satisfaction. She scanned her surroundings. "Who’s next?!"

Li Peiyi spoke with cold indifference, her Sky-Reaching Sword Momentum making her seem inviolable and majestic!

Standing on the stage, she was like a valiant and heroic Valkyrie.

"I’ll take the challenge!"

A sharp cry rang out. A young female Martial Artist skimmed across the lake’s surface like a swallow in flight and landed on the stage. "I am Li Xiuyue, here to experience your masterful techniques!" With that, she swung her long sword and attacked first. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Unfortunately, although this female Martial Artist’s strength was not to be underestimated, she was still no match for Li Peiyi. After just a few moves, she was defeated.

Most of the people present were male Martial Artists, all of them proud. How could they tolerate a woman showing off her might on the stage, even if her strength was extraordinary? Thus, several more Martial Artists went up to challenge her.

Unfortunately, even the strongest among them only lasted one hundred twenty-one moves against Li Peiyi. This greatly surprised the crowd. Even a prodigy like Su Chang showed a look of shock, saying, "Although Miss Li’s cultivation is only at the Spiritual Element Realm, her comprehension of Sword Momentum has at least reached the Minor Achievement Level."

At this moment, Li Peiyi was like a Divine Sword, her sharp edge completely unsheathed!

The Martial Artists who went up to challenge her were like whetstones, only serving to make Li Peiyi’s sword sharper and more resilient.

"I didn’t expect that in just a few short months, you would become so powerful. It’s truly astonishing." At that moment, Lu Chen slowly walked onto the stage.

The instant Lu Chen stepped onto the stage, Li Peiyi’s aura reached its peak. She said coldly, "I remember now. The incident at Ice Moon Valley, you were the one who sent Lu Yuwei after me, weren’t you?"

Hearing this, Lu Chen gave a faint, indifferent smile. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"It’s fine if you don’t admit it. I’ll get my answer from you with my sword."

Her long sword shot forward, a direct thrust with no flashy or superfluous moves, aimed straight at Lu Chen’s chest. The sharp Sword Momentum made Lu Chen’s skin tingle with cold.

"Hmph."

With a cold snort, Lu Chen struck out with his palm. A massive True Essence Palm Seal materialized and, in an instant, slammed into Li Peiyi, sending her flying back ten meters.

"Our cultivation levels were never on the same tier to begin with. On top of that, you’ve fought consecutive battles and consumed too much of your True Essence. In your current state, you’re no longer a match for me. Just surrender," Lu Chen said gently, a graceful smile on his face.

"I have one final sword strike. I hope you’re prepared to receive it."

Knowing that a protracted battle would be disadvantageous, Li Peiyi decided to end things quickly.

BUZZ...

The True Essence in her body surged, and she poured it into her long sword without reservation, causing it to emit a piercing hum. Then, a cold shout rang out, "Thunderclap!"

The sword struck, like a bolt of lightning from the highest heavens. In the blink of an eye, it engulfed Lu Chen.

His pupils shrank dramatically. He mobilized all the True Essence in his body and simultaneously activated a piece of Protective Profound Soldiers he was wearing. With a thunderous BOOM, strong Qi erupted everywhere.