Fencing?
You're at the pinnacle of the Nascent Soul stage, half-step into Divine Transformation, renowned as the Qinglan Sect's foremost Sword Cultivator in recent times, and you want *me* to cross swords with *you*?
"Master! I refu—"
Before he could get the word "refuse" out—
BOOM!
An incomprehensibly terrifying sword pressure blotted out the sky and blanketed the earth, enveloping him!
In an instant, the world changed color, wind and clouds churned in reverse, and an intricate, profound sword essence spontaneously manifested in the surrounding void!
Then, this sword essence converged, surging towards the Nine Heavens, where flickers of lightning began to appear!
Sword Intent into Thunder!
This was a sword technique driven solely by an immensely pure and vast Sword Intent!
The most simple and direct, yet also the most tyrannical and fierce!
Damn it, what is this woman trying to do?
Does she intend to use this torrent of Sword Intent to devour me whole and feed her Sword Spirit?
No! This can't be! I absolutely cannot die!
I'll fight you for it!
In a flash, Lin Xiao gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead. His handsome, jade-like face twisted into a terrifying mask!
At this moment, he was truly enraged!
As a cannon fodder villain, he could accept being effortlessly crushed by a stronger power, but he absolutely could not tolerate... anyone deviating from the script!
If he, Lin Xiao, were to die in this life, it would only be by his own hand!
"Sword, come!"
At the critical moment, Lin Xiao's Sword Intent erupted to its peak as he reached out into the void!
WHOOSH!
A dreamlike, ethereal Immortal Sword, as if crafted from flawless white jade, materialized from the void and settled firmly into his palm!
Yes!
He had now entered the Innate stage!
Within his spiritual platform, a Purple Mansion Secret Realm was incubating!
And this Immortal Sword was none other than the lifebound Spirit Sword he had been nurturing within that Purple Mansion Secret Realm—Cloud Dream Marsh!
"My dear disciple, you've been on the mountain for so long, yet this is the first time I've seen you practice Sword Control so earnestly."
"Hmm... The magnitude of your Sword Qi is acceptable, though your Sword Intent is a bit lacking. Nevertheless... you have a promising future!"
"Very well, allow your Master to give you a push today!"
A playful smile touched Xiao Hongling's lips. With a casual slash of her sword, she instantly conjured a hundred-zhang Sword Realm, enveloping the entirety of Fairy Cliff!
Simultaneously, in the night sky, colossal bolts of lightning, as if summoned, followed the trajectory of her sword, transforming into a cataclysmic torrent that roared towards Lin Xiao!
This damn woman, she's really trying to kill me!
Damn it, everyone's character settings have completely collapsed!
This villain role—I'd rather not play it!
Lin Xiao's eyes were bloodshot. He neither dodged nor retreated, instead charging forward, sword leading the way!
Right now—he only sought a quick, decisive end!
BOOM—
In the next instant, thunder roared beside his ear, and the wind from the clashing swords shrieked!
Lin Xiao was astonished to find that not only had he not died!
But instead...
The terrifying, lightning-infused Sword Qi, just as it was about to strike him, abruptly exploded, transforming into a natural domain of Sword Qi that completely enveloped him!
At this moment, he could distinctly feel that within this domain, time and space had frozen, completely isolating him from the outside world!
He instinctively closed his eyes, clearly sensing waves of incredibly profound sword essence blooming around him like golden lotuses, each petal unfurling...
Every Sword Qi golden lotus that blossomed released a strand of supreme true comprehension of the Sword Dao!
"Disciple, watch closely."
"This technique is called—"
"Sword Intent Baptism, a Sword Immortal within reach!"
A clear, solemn female voice reached his ears.
Lin Xiao's heart trembled, and he opened his eyes.
He was met by a peerlessly beautiful face.
In that instant, their eyes met, their breathing audible in the charged silence!
The atmosphere... was rather delicate!
"Xiao'er, endure it. Your Master... is about to enter!" Xiao Hongling said softly, her crimson lips slightly parted.
What... What kind of cringeworthy line is that?
Lin Xiao's powerful frame shuddered.
The next moment, he felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen. Looking down in a daze, he saw...
Xiao Hongling, wielding the Immortal Sword "Azure Phoenix," had thrust it straight through his stomach!
Master, what are you trying to... Rukia would call this an expert move!
As his consciousness gradually faded into chaos, Lin Xiao vaguely recalled a classic anime scene from his previous life!
"Silence!"
"Since I have already foreseen the future's cause and effect, I will absolutely not stand idly by!"
"The Son of Destiny, the cycles of fate—all of it can be cast aside!"
"My disciple—Xiao Hongling's disciple—shall dominate his generation, walk among the stars, and be second to none!"
"And all of this..."
"Shall begin with your duel against Ye Chen tomorrow!"
Xiao Hongling's voice drifted through his dazed state.
Although he only caught fragments.
Lin Xiao finally remembered something crucial!
Master! You've got the wrong target for the baptism! It's supposed to be that brat Ye Chen! he wailed inwardly.
「At this moment. Outside the Qinglan Sect's main gate. Inside a guest room.」
A handsome youth dressed in black suddenly snapped out of his deep meditation!
"Old Shi, what is it that you disturbed my cultivation for?"
"Young Friend! This is terrible! I just performed a divination with the Heavenly Chance Chopsticks, and I vaguely sensed that... a significant portion of the great opportunity on this Qinglan Mountain that was meant for you..."
"Has vanished!"
"You must understand, opportunities don't simply disappear into thin air. Therefore, it must have been... snatched by someone else!" an alarmed voice echoed from the ring on the youth's index finger.
"What!?"
"It has always been I, this Princely Heir, who seizes others' opportunities! How can I tolerate someone else ruining my fortune?"
"The Qinglan Sect! It absolutely cannot be allowed to harbor such a heaven-defying existence!"
"Tomorrow, I ascend the mountain—and kill!"
Ye Chen's eyes were bloodshot, his face contorted, his teeth grinding audibly, like a ferocious beast pushed to its limits!
「Divine Phoenix Peak, Fairy Cliff.」
He was in a daze...
It was impossible to tell how much time had passed.
Lin Xiao's finger twitched; a faint sense of consciousness was returning...
He forced open his heavy eyelids.
Only to see a fair, exquisitely beautiful face smiling down at him!
The distance between them was absurdly close!
So close that her waterfall-like raven hair cascaded onto his cheeks, carrying an indescribably gentle, fresh fragrance that tickled his nose.
"Ma... Master!?"
Lin Xiao was finally fully awake!
He felt a soft, cool touch behind his head. It turned out...
He was lying on his beautiful Master's jade-like, snow-white thighs!
"Tsk. I, your Master, bestowed Sword Intent upon you, and yet you're the one who seems exhausted."
Xiao Hongling chuckled softly, took a sip of wine, then offered the wine flask to Lin Xiao's lips. "Here, drink some. Let's celebrate you obtaining the Formless Sword Body I've granted you. Your Sword Dao realm has progressed by leaps and bounds. Looking across the entire Divine Phoenix Peak, I'm afraid not even your Second Junior Sister, that Sword Nerd, can compare to you now."
"From this day forward, your title as Eldest Senior Brother is truly well-deserved."
Formless Sword Body!?
Hearing these words, Lin Xiao felt his entire being go numb!
He quickly prepared to open his attribute panel to confirm it!
Yes, as a transmigrator, he also possessed his own character panel!
It was just that he was so focused on following the plot that he never paid much attention to his cultivation attributes!
System, open character panel!
DING!
Name: Lin Xiao
Age: 22
Cultivation Level: Innate Stage (Intermediate)
Physique: Formless Sword Body (Minor Success)
[Description: Colorless and formless. Owners of this physique possess the ultimate aptitude for Sword Dao in the current world. When executing sword techniques and Divine Skills, they can channel Sword Intent to drive True Yuan. Upon reaching Great Perfection, they can [Fuse] all Sword Dao Laws of the world, including space, time, causality, and samsara.]
Technique: "Qinglan Sword Canon: 32 External Views"
...
It really is the Formless Sword Body!
After seeing the luminous screen displayed by the system, Lin Xiao fell into utter despair, nearly blacking out!
The plot must have completely collapsed!
...
According to the original novel's setting, the Qinglan Sect was a great sword-cultivating sect with a legacy spanning tens of thousands of years. Any inner sect disciple whose Sword Dao assessment met the standard could go to the underground Sword Tomb. There, they would imbue a furnace with their own Sword Intent to forge their personal lifebound Spirit Sword!
And each Spirit Sword, as the wielder's own Sword Dao realm advanced, had a chance of incubating a powerful Sword Spirit!
For example, Second Junior Sister Guo Yourong's Ice Sword Spirit!
Or Third Junior Sister Chu Youwei's Zither Heart Sword Spirit!
As for his own, Lin Xiao's... well, being a mere villainous errand person, the original author hadn't bothered to give him one.
But the crucial point was!
His beautiful Master Xiao Hongling's lifebound Spirit Sword, the Azure Phoenix Sword, was exceptionally special!
Its wielder could use this sword as a medium to transfer their own Sword Intent to another person!
This ability was outrageously powerful!
It was well known that in the cultivation world, while cultivation levels could be transferred through specific secret arts, Sword Intent—
Could only be comprehended individually!
Therefore, this Sword Intent Baptism technique was tantamount to shattering the shackles of heaven and earth, a complete defiance of natural order!
As for the specific lore behind this sword, Lin Xiao didn't know.
After all, he had only read two-thirds of the original novel, and it hadn't been mentioned in the earlier parts.
His most vivid memory was that the recipient of the baptism had to be male!
In the middle to late stages of the story, after Ye Chen was gravely injured by his enemy, the Empress of Great Zhou, and his Sword Realm plummeted, it was Xiao Hongling who performed the Sword Intent Baptism, helping him awaken the Formless Sword Body. He then returned to the Emperor City and slayed his enemy!
It was a huge advantage the original author had given the protagonist!
And now, this major opportunity for the protagonist had been preemptively snatched by him!
How the hell was he supposed to continue the plot now?!
Lin Xiao was now extremely worried that during the disciple acceptance ceremony tomorrow, he might not be able to control his strength and accidentally skewer Ye Chen!
...
"Hey, kid, what are you lost in thought about? Your Master offered you wine, and you're not even drinking it?"
A rather impatient female voice sounded by his ear.
Only then did Lin Xiao snap back to reality!
"Master, you just used this wine flask. If I, your disciple, drink directly from it, I'm afraid... it wouldn't be appropriate." Lin Xiao hastily found an excuse.
"Not appropriate? Tsk tsk, so you lying on your Master's lap, that *is* appropriate, is it?" Xiao Hongling raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile on her face.
"Ah... this..."
Only then did Lin Xiao realize his position. He quickly scrambled up and stood.
PFFT.
Seeing Lin Xiao's panicked expression, Xiao Hongling couldn't help but burst out laughing.
The next moment, the smile on her lips gradually faded.
Resting her chin on her hands, her beautiful peach-blossom eyes fixed on Lin Xiao, remaining silent for a long while.
She seemed to have something on her mind.
"Is something wrong, Master?" Lin Xiao asked, still making a token gesture of concern.
"Listen, I want to ask you a very important question, and you must answer truthfully..." Xiao Hongling suddenly leaned closer to his ear and said in a remarkably serious tone.
Seeing the rarely seen seriousness on his beautiful Master's face, Lin Xiao's nerves tensed. He gritted his teeth and said, "Master, please ask! I, your disciple, will tell you everything I know!"
Then, under his astonished gaze, this beautiful Master tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a blush appearing on her cheeks. Her seductive red lips curved slightly upward in a somewhat teasing manner as she asked, "Is your Master... pretty?"