Qin Ruqing spent two hours healing her injuries.

By then, the toxic zone had already occupied most of the Fragmented Space.

Qin Ruqing and Dan Qing stood facing each other on the white plaza at the base of the White Tower, preparing for their final showdown.

The four department heads stood on the steps, observing.

Ming Ying and Xiao Fenhua, who had received the news, also arrived to watch.

Ming Ying had an inexplicable sense of awkwardness towards Qin Ruqing, not willing to interact with her directly.

Since she was wearing a green dress for this conference, she hid behind a tree, peeking discreetly.

Xiao Fenhua had always presented herself as harmless and had a good relationship with Qin Ruqing.

She boldly made her presence known, standing beside Qirong and Song Xinwu.

Qirong focused solely on his sister’s upcoming match.

After nodding to Xiao Fenhua, he remained silent.

Song Xinwu, having secured sixth place by benefiting from Qin Ruqing’s points and surpassing Xiao Fenhua, felt a sense of pride.

He took the initiative to talk to her.

“Congratulations on securing seventh place in the conference and making it through again.”

It’s just that this time, the unfortunate one pushed down wasn’t me.

Song Xinwu seemed utterly oblivious to the Song family’s subtlety, exuding a kind of naive purity.

Even Qi Rong couldn’t help but glance sideways.

Wasn’t this guy a bit foolish?

You’re flaunting in a subtle way, but your own score wasn’t exactly clean either.

Aren’t you basically handing them a handle to criticize you?

The subtle sarcasm that even Qirong could hear was definitely not lost on Xiao Fenhua, the family head.

With flowers pinned in her hair, she arched her brows and said with a charming smile, “Congratulations to you too. If you hadn’t managed to join Qin Ruqing in battling the beasts, you might have been pushed down again.

Wouldn’t that make me the bad guy?

Not only would it hurt our feelings, but it would also embarrass Brother Song, after all, being from a Golden Grade family, it wouldn’t be ideal to miss the top seven…”

She gently covered her mouth, her tone rising and falling with meaning.

Qirong glanced at Xiao Fenhua calmly.

Not bad, this person had half of his sister’s talent in this kind of retort.

She was clearly mocking Song Xinwu for relying on his sister to climb up the ranks.

As expected, as his sister said, this Xiao Fenhua was like a white glutinous rice ball with black sesame filling—sweet on the outside but dark on the inside.

Song Xinwu seemed choked by the words, coughing violently, his entire neck turning red.

He opened his mouth, trying to defend himself, but no words came out, fitting the description of being both inexperienced and eager to show off.

Xiao Fenhua silently snorted.

As a fellow bottom-dweller, who was more noble?

Her luck was at least her own, while this Song fellow had to cling to someone else’s coattails.

On the plaza, Qin Ruqing and Dan Qing had both entered a state of readiness.

Dan Qing slowly drew his sword, holding it horizontally across his chest, and gave a slight bow to Qin Ruqing.

This was the highest level of respect a sword cultivator could show to an opponent.

“Qin Ruqing, Dan Qing will give his all. Please, do not hold back.”

Dan Qing gazed at Qin Ruqing seriously.

Qin Ruqing stood with her hands at her sides, looked back at Dan Qing, and smiled, “Of course.”

It seemed as if a gust of wind had risen, fluttering the silk skirt and causing the swirling golden flames to slowly emanate from the red-clad female cultivator, eventually enveloping her entire body.

Her aura also soared to its peak.

Party Qing’s expression grew solemn.

He had witnessed Qin Ruqing evading the Golden Core’s pursuit earlier and knew that this was a secret technique capable of greatly enhancing her strength.

Qin Ruqing smiled, “Dan Qing, here I come~”

As her words fell, she transformed into a streak of golden light and charged forward.

Qin Ruqing was a cultivator who believed in the art of explosion; her fighting style had always been anything but delicate.

While she could be strategic and filled with plans, in situations where the outcome was relatively assured and not life-threatening, her choice was:

To charge in recklessly first.

It had nothing to do with underestimating the opponent; it was purely for the thrill.

She would throw ten fireballs at you first, if those weren’t enough, she’d switch to golden lotuses.

If that still wasn’t enough? Fine, she’d think of something else.

After all, she wasn’t afraid of using more.

Golden light surged upward.

Dan Qing, with quick reflexes, slashed his sword at the light, his speed so fast that within a breath, he had already delivered over ten strikes.

The golden light and Dan Qing’s sword clashed, emitting a clear metallic sound.

Dan Qing’s sword soon began to heat up. Releasing his grip on the sword, he used sword energy to push the golden light away and caught the falling sword, executing a sword move to drive back the golden light, creating some distance between the two.

The first round ended with what seemed like a draw.

But, as always, Qin Ruqing was a spellcaster.

Throughout the entire process, she had been fighting head-on without using a single spell.

The Northern Domain Director, with his mustache twitching, exclaimed in amazement, “Who taught her to fight like this?”

“Isn’t it your side? From the Western Ridge, you’ve been getting close to this girl. It’s hard to say it wasn’t your teaching,” said Director Feng, crossing his arms and speaking indifferently.

The Western Region Director, with his bald head, chuckled and smoothed things over, “I find it quite enjoyable to watch. There’s no rule that says fighting must follow a specific process. She has a strong recovery ability, so testing the opponent first is not a problem.”

Qin Ruqing’s fighting style was unconventional, but she had achieved full marks in the conference up to this point, showcasing her skill and strategy.

The issue was that in the eyes of the perfectionist celestial cultivators, her approach was too wild!

It made them want to critique her.

The Northern Region Director, on the other hand, was very interested in Qin Ruqing’s secret technique: “A technique that greatly enhances strength in a short time is very rare.

Typically, techniques with similar effects come with significant side effects, but from her appearance, it seems she doesn’t have to pay much of a price.”

The secret technique that greatly enhances one’s power without consuming blood or life force is incredibly rare—so rare that even among immortals, it’s almost unheard of.

Below, Qin Ruqing, akin to a bull charging forward, resumed her aggressive assault.

During the fight, it became evident that there was a clear difference in pure combat skills between her and Dan Qing.

Dan Qing’s swordsmanship clearly surpassed hers in technique; his sword energy occasionally pierced through Qin Ruqing’s Golden Flame defense, causing her only superficial injuries.

Qin Ruqing’s recovery ability seemed astonishing.

These minor injuries were inconsequential to her, making her more exhilarated as the battle continued, her eyes shining brightly, and her strikes growing more ferocious.

In contrast, Dan Qing appeared to be struggling.

Sweat covered his face, and veins bulged on his neck.

The intense heat from Qin Ruqing’s flames seemed to affect his mental state.

Suddenly, a voice with a hint of amusement rang out, “Brother Dan, you seem distracted~”

Blocking Dan Qing’s sword strike, Qin Ruqing quickly formed a seal and muttered, “Explode.”

Dan Qing’s pupils contracted as he felt a sharp pain in his chest, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Qin Ruqing had detonated a seed, not so much as an attack but rather a wake-up call for Dan Qing.

“Is this the level of the Sword Sect’s first swordmaster? I’m quite disappointed~” Qin Ruqing teased.

With the scorching sensation in his mind fading, Dan Qing pursed his lips and his sword danced with countless afterimages. “Thank you for the lesson, Qin Ruqing. But it’s far from over!”

The Golden Flame seemed to dissipate somewhat under the onslaught of sword energy.

Dan Qing recalled his master’s teachings: “You could have gone straight into the void realm, but I insisted on sending you out of the sect.

Your sword is steady but lacks extremity; perfect yet devoid of the countless changes at the limits.

You’re still missing a sharpening stone, which is why you can’t draw the Sword of Cliff Wind.”

Dan Qing focused his mind.

He realized that while Qin Ruqing’s attacks appeared full of flaws, they were actually seamless and each move was unpredictable.

Her seeming lack of technique was actually a series of unconventional strikes that threw off his rhythm and forced him to adapt.

This might be what his master referred to as the “extreme” and “change.”

Dan Qing’s eyes shone like the moon.

He recognized that Qin Ruqing might indeed be the sharpening stone bestowed upon him by the heavens.

He abandoned various sword techniques to break through and instead used basic sword methods.

Qin Ruqing, noticing this, chose not to press her advantage but instead engaged in close combat, exchanging punches with him.

Xiao Fenhua, observing below, found herself completely unable to comprehend the level of this battle. “Are they engaging in a new type of combat? I can’t make sense of it.”

Even Song Xinwu, with his background from a Golden Grade family and considerable experience, shook his head.

“They didn’t hold back against each other, but neither used any killing moves. Qin Ruqing abandoned her most skilled spells, opting for close-quarters combat, while Dan Qing gave up advanced sword techniques in favor of basic sword strikes… It’s as if they were both testing and honing each other.”

Qirong watched the battle quietly, not saying a word.

The directors up top were also astonished. With their discerning eyes, they could naturally see beyond the surface.

“These two youngsters are unconsciously using each other as practice and exploring the Extreme Realm?” Director Dagu was amazed.

“The Qin family girl probably doesn’t even know what the Extreme Realm is. It seems she’s acting on instinct. Dan Qing, however, does seem to have that intention. His sword intent has shifted!” Director Feng commented.

While it might seem like praise for Dan Qing, the real admiration was for Qin Ruqing.

Dan Qing was consciously pursuing that direction, while Qin Ruqing was following her instincts, demonstrating her exceptional combat talent and keen ability to seize opportunities.

Dan Qing had caught a hint, while Qin Ruqing was following her instincts without even realizing what she was touching.

The Northern Domain Director, who was familiar with the Sword Sect and Dan Qing, commented, “He’s a natural swordsman. His technique is perfect, but his sword intent was slightly lacking.

He’s now touching the threshold of the Extreme Realm. Once his sword intent breaks through, he should be able to draw the Sword of Cliffwind Peak.”

“That divine weapon?”

The Northern Domain Director nodded, “Dan Qing has always resonated with the divine weapon since birth. He just needs to reach the right realm to draw it.”

Suddenly, the Western Domain Director exclaimed, “He broke through?”

Director Dagu was excited and looked over, “But what about Qin Ruqing?”

Seeing clearly, his eyes showed a hint of disappointment, “It’s Dan Qing.”

He frowned deeply, thinking it shouldn’t be like this.

Realizing something, he felt somewhat relieved, “So it turns out that Dan Qing is still not enough…”

..

Qin Ruqing felt a sharp sword intent rising from Dan Qing.

Following this sword intent, she naturally unleashed a strike that fused with the energies of heaven and earth.

Qin Ruqing’s eyes narrowed as she realized she couldn’t withstand this sword and dodged, but still got her arm grazed by the sword energy.

She landed and quickly raised a misty golden barrier to block the remaining sword intent.

They distanced themselves and faced each other again.

Qin Ruqing was a bit irritated.

She wasn’t annoyed that Dan Qing had injured her or that he seemed to have become stronger; she was frustrated because she felt she had touched upon a certain realm but couldn’t break through the barrier.

Knowing that continuing the fight would be futile, she retracted the golden flames and said, “You’ve grown stronger, so let’s decide the winner with one final move.”

Dan Qing pressed his lips together and didn’t respond, but the sword in his hand spun upward, splitting into countless sword shadows that hovered behind him.

“This is the Tian Gang Wanjie Sword, my strongest sword technique.”

Qin Ruqing cast a spell and summoned the golden lotus.

The next moment, all the lotus petals separated and transformed into countless sharp needles.

“This is the Thousand Lotuses.”

The lotus petals and sword shadows clashed, creating a scene of countless blade lights and sword shadows, resembling the vast world settling down.

The treetops of the dense forest suddenly rustled with the rising wind.

Qin Ruqing’s hand seals changed, her red lips parted slightly, “Explode!”

The sword shadows suspended in the air shattered, falling to the ground with a clear sound.

Dan Qing seemed calm, looking at Qin Ruqing, who was floating in the air, and said:

“Turns out, you are my sharpening stone, but I am unworthy to be your sharpening stone.”