Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 206: Thousand Li of Cold

Xia Chichi’s eyes brimmed with sentiment, and the surge of emotions in her heart was not something she could easily express to others.

That was the first gift that I ever gave him, something barely worth a few copper coins.... That he’s kept it all this time is one thing, but to think that even with the storms and bloodshed he has gone through, he’s been able to keep the gourd intact....

It was as if the heavens themselves were carefully preserving their memories, preserving their past together.

From those moments of excitement to now, all that remained was joy.

Amid her wandering thoughts, she heard Wang Zhaoling say, “Brother Situ, since you’re not injured, then do you want to continue sparring?”

Situ Xiao stopped drinking and wiped his mouth, “Are there any rules for organizing this martial arts meet that you’ve organized? Or is it just anything goes?”

Wang Zhaoling said, “I planned to have everyone draw lots, but with you causing such a scene, there’s no need for that anymore. So, pretty much anything goes, you can see if anyone is willing to challenge you.”

Situ Xiao nodded approvingly. “You’re not bad yourself....”

His interlocutor could handle things with ease and grace, not sulking just because his plans were disrupted. That was indeed a good display.

Wang Zhaoling smiled and did not say anything.

Situ Xiao took another swig of wine and said, “I’m a little tired at the moment, so I’ll be taking a break. I’ll watch the others battle and see if anyone can make me itch for a fight.”

Wang Zhaoling nodded and said, “Since neither of you are participating in the prize competition, we can still proceed with the competition that I had originally planned. Does anyone else want to go up and challenge others like brother Situ? If not, we shall proceed with the drawing of lots.”

Nearly everyone present believed that there would be no more challengers like Situ Xiao. After all, apart from Situ Xiao, with his cultivation at the eighth layer of the Profound Gate, who else would dare come out and challenge the heroes and have to face successive battles?

But just as this thought crossed their minds, suddenly, a white-clad girl wearing a tiger mask appeared in the arena, calmly saying, “I, Xia Chichi of the Four Idols Cult, challenge the heroes of the world.”

Zhao Changhe was drinking and almost choked to death when he heard this.

Vermillion Bird, who had been quietly observing from the rooftop in the distance, was stunned.

Cui Yuanyang, who had a piece of cake stuffed in her mouth, had her eyes open wide in shock.

The entire hall fell silent.

What are you doing?

Weren’t you just saying earlier that you pretty much just wasted your time by coming to such an uneventful gathering? Did the battle just now stir your blood as a martial artist and made you itch for a fight?

But your identity is sensitive, isn’t jumping out like this no different from directly provoking those of the righteous path? Just look at everyone’s faces! You aren’t like Situ Xiao. Can you handle the successive battles?

Moreover, as the saintess of the Four Idols Cult, by participating in a martial arts meet organized by the Wang Clan, aren’t you trampling on the face of the Four Idols Cult? Won’t Venerable Vermillion Bird punish you when you go back?

Yet, Xia Chichi only spoke indifferently, “How do we determine the winner? Should I defeat all opponents? Or is it enough to have the most victories?”

She actually intends to participate in the competition...

Vermillion Bird’s eyes narrowed as she suddenly realized what Xia Chichi was planning.

Finally, Zhao Changhe rushed to her side, tugged on her sleeve, and whispered, “What are you doing?”

Xia Chichi smiled and replied, “Helping you get the treasure you need.”

Zhao Changhe’s heart skipped a beat and he stared fixedly at her, unable to say a word.

Xia Chichi added, “I’m just working toward recruiting you into our holy cult. I heard that this was one of the conditions you proposed. So don’t try to persuade me with hypocrisy, I must fight.”

Vermillion Bird was at a loss for words. Right...

On the other hand, Wang Zhaoling seemed quite pleased. With the participation of the saintess of the Four Idols Cult, the prestige and authority of the martial arts contest that their Wang Clan was holding would undoubtedly rise. As for the prize being taken away by Xia Chichi? He simply deemed it impossible. He did not believe at all that she had the strength to handle being targeted by everyone.

Thinking of this, he said, “If the competition were to be held by drawing lots, the winner is whoever makes it all the way through. But if we are going to be carrying out the competition in the manner of a gauntlet, then indeed, the one with the most victories shall be crowned victor. Nobody can withstand successive battles to defeat all opponents. Neither I nor Situ Xiao would even dare say such big words.”

Xia Chichi nodded and said calmly, “Then... Who wants to come up first?”

Lu Bingcheng could not hold back any longer and was the first to step forward, “Witch, I’m here to meet you!”

He had to be the first to come out. He had been the one picking a fight with her before, so if he did not dare to act when it came time to fight, would he not then be turned into a laughingstock?

Xia Chichi glanced at him and said indifferently, “Normally, you would not even qualify to spar with me. Today, for the sake of becoming the one to win the most matches, consider yourself honored that I spare you a glance.”

What the fuck?

Even though he had been practically forced to enter the arena and was genuinely not in the mood for fighting, Lu Bingcheng was now genuinely angry. He sneered and said, “Then I’d like to see for myself if the saintess of the Four Idols Cult is as impressive as she claims.”

Swish!

He drew his long sword and swung it directly at Xia Chichi’s mask, as if intending to reveal her face to everyone.

Lu Bingcheng, who was at the sixth layer of the Profound Gate, was among the top twenty hidden dragons.

It was somewhat humorous to note that among the top fifty hidden dragons, almost all of them were at or above the sixth layer, yet the eighteenth was at the fifth layer, making him out to be quite eye-catching.

Yet nobody found it odd.

After all, the Ranking of Hidden Dragons did not solely rank someone based on their strength. Zhao Changhe’s abnormal cultivation speed and combat mastery earned him significant points in terms of potential. Who would dare to dispute his ranking? If you don’t dare recognize his potential, then why don’t you try reaching his level within eight to nine months?

Not to mention number eighteen, if it was claimed that he was among the top three in terms of just potential alone, then probably everyone present would agree.

However, Zhao Changhe knew that he could not rank in the top three. The speed at which one progressed through the levels of cultivation was just one criterion for the evaluation of potential, and it did not capture the whole picture. It did not necessarily represent the ability to break through certain major thresholds in the future. It was incredibly unlikely for someone at the fifth or sixth layer to make it into the top three as compared to someone who was at the eighth or ninth layer.

In any case, Xia Chichi was at the seventh layer of the Profound Gate, while Lu Bingcheng was at the sixth layer, so on paper, Xia Chichi should have the upper hand. However, the gap between them was not actually that significant. Everyone here was a hidden dragon, hence the name of the ranking, and none of them could be underestimated.

Moreover, Lu Bingcheng did not even have to claim victory. As long as he made it so that Xia Chichi expended a considerable portion of her energy, then she would face plenty of difficulties in her following battle.

Under everyone’s gazes, the sword crossed the vast hall, and in the blink of an eye, it was less than three chi from the mask.

Xia Chichi had been standing there calmly all along, only moving suddenly at this moment.

Iceheart was drawn and its cold light flickered.

Even those far away could feel the piercing chill and icy intent coming from this sword.

Some people had not even managed to have a clear sight when Lu Bingcheng’s chest spurted blood, and he fell to the side like a broken kite, curling up into a ball. The wound on his chest began to freeze rapidly, the scene extremely bizarre.

The whole audience was shocked.

He had actually been struck down with just a single sword stroke!

Zhao Changhe returned to his seat, his mouth half agape in shock.

It was the first time in so long that he had seen Xia Chichi properly make a move, and it was so powerful...

The unparalleled sharpness of her sword intent made even those on the sidelines feel Lu Bingcheng’s despair. It was truly a chilling, soul-freezing obliteration.

Zhao Changhe suddenly came to a realization—Damn, I don’t think even I have what it takes to beat her. ...Hey, wait, Chichi is actually following the path of a cold swordsman. Is there something I’m missing about her? She’s so well-behaved and cute when I’m with her....

In the distance, an elder of the Wang Clan sighed and said softly, “The edge of the White Tiger has returned after many years. The sword is an ice sword, and it seems to contain a hint of the Black Tortoise’s art.... Could she also be versed in the Azure Dragon’s art? Such wild aspirations! If we include Chi Li and Yue Hongling, this generation of hidden dragons... may just be the strongest in the past century. These are truly turbulent times with stirring winds and brilliant stars.”

Vermillion Bird took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions within.

For a long time, the world only knew of Vermillion Bird, as if there were no others among the four idols in the world. And now, the long-dormant claws of the White Tiger had finally reappeared in this world.

This was the future of the Four Idols Cult! How could Vermillion Bird allow such a saintess to go and fall in love with someone?

Xia Chichi did not even look at Lu Bingcheng, who was curled up into a ball. With her sword held horizontally, she calmly asked, “Is there any other hero... who wishes to come and enlighten me?”

The entire hall fell silent, and for a moment it was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Only Lu Bingcheng’s pained moans seemed to permeate through the eerie silence.

Some individuals, whose rankings were not far from hers, were intimidated by her aura. They hesitated for a moment, pondering repeatedly about Xia Chichi’s earlier sword strike.

Considering they were at the seventh layer, just like she was, would it not be too embarrassing if they were also defeated in an instant?

The White Tiger roared in the hall, while the Black Tortoise rose from the icy ocean. The bone-chilling cold pierced into everyone’s hearts, freezing them to their core.