BZZZZ—
With a piercing shriek of a sword, the relentlessly roaring two-headed Tiger Demon's eyes bulged in fury, but it was ultimately helpless to turn the tide. Its spine had been severed by a terrifying wave of Sword Qi, leaving it completely paralyzed. The forr king of beasts was now nothing more than a lamb waiting for slaughter.
A multicolored crystal ball focused a kaleidoscopic beam of light onto the paralyzed Tiger Demon on the ground. Beside the Tiger Demon stood a woman wearing a white crystal mask, the blade of her sword still dripping with blood.
"Fellow cultivators, it seems our ferocious and savage Tiger Demon champion is about to be defeated by a newcor participating in the colosseum for the first ti!"
"Perhaps today, we will have the honor of witnessing the rise of a new Female Sword Immortal of slaughter! Let us cheer for her! Raise the Spirit Stones in your hands—your hard-earned gold and silver—and applaud her!"
As the alluring woman's fanatical cheers echoed, the stands, holding over a thousand spectators, erupted as if a powerful stimulant had been injected into them, exploding with noise like a wok of frying oil.
"I regret it! If I'd known this Female Cultivator was so strong, I would've bet on her! Damn that Tiger Demon, I lost over a thousand Spirit Stones because of it!"
"What's that newcor just standing there for? Hurry up and finish off the Tiger Demon! I want to get my Spirit Stones!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The furious shout of one spectator gradually resonated with everyone.
At that mont, everyone—whether they were gamblers who had won and wanted their Spirit Stones quickly, gamblers who had lost and wanted to vent their anger by seeing the Tiger Demon killed, or simply indifferent onlookers—had their most primitive, violent desires ignited, and they roared for blood.
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill—!"
The tsunami of "Kill!" chants flooded into Qing Yueqiu's ears. She felt her heart pound faster than ever before, even more forcefully than when she had been hunting the Demon Beast just monts ago.
She looked down at the Tiger Demon's amber pupils and, in their reflection, saw the scarlet glint in her own eyes.
Like an executioner, Qing Yueqiu raised her sword and, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, brought it down in a single strike, severing both of the massive tiger heads at once!
With its heads gone, the major arteries in the Tiger Demon's neck burst uncontrollably, spewing hot blood in a "fountain" that shot more than five ters high.
A rain of blood showered down, dyeing Qing Yueqiu's white robes red.
At that mont, the arena erupted in an unprecedented, frenzied roar of cheers.
...
...
"Thank you for introducing this newcor, Miss. We at the colosseum see great potential in her and would like to sign a contract with her for a long-term partnership."
"A contract won't be necessary, but she should be coming here often in the future. Just make sure you prepare suitable opponents for her to kill."
"Very well. In that case, we at the Xuanyuan Colosseum look forward to her next killing performance."
After speaking, the attendant handed Bei Lingyin her cut of over ten thousand Spirit Stones, then turned and departed.
"Not bad, Little Yueqiu~ Earning such a big tip on your first appearance."
Bei Lingyin smiled and tossed the Storage Ring filled with Spirit Stones to Qing Yueqiu, who was standing behind her.
Qing Yueqiu caught the Storage Ring, feeling the cold, hard tal and the faint, lingering scent of blood. Her emotions were a complicated mix.
Aside from the first-place prize in the Sect's grand competition, this was the largest reward she had ever received. She never imagined she would obtain it through such illicit ans.
"Your first ti in the ring, killing three powerful Demon Beasts in a row under the watchful eyes of thousands. How did it feel?"
Bei Lingyin's fingertip traced a line across Qing Yueqiu's dress, which was soaked in blood and had turned completely crimson.
"It felt... exhilarating. It was completely different from sparring with my fellow disciples or training with Master."
"I can feel the seed of my Killing Montum has grown to the size of a fist. I can now just barely cover my blade with it."
Qing Yueqiu took out an ordinary Spirit Sword, the one she used in the ring to avoid exposing her identity.
Her fingers gently brushed across the blade. In an instant, a translucent, blood-red film, thin as paper, coated its surface. A single glance was enough to make one feel a bone-chilling wind and the illusion of imminent beheading.
Witnessing this, Bei Lingyin grew even more delighted.
"Yueqiu, you're a true genius! Pei Yuhang's thods for raising you have been wrong all along. This is the environnt best suited for your growth!"
Qing Yueqiu heard this but didn't reply. She stood up and started to walk out.
"Sister Lingyin, the sun will be up soon. I should go back."
"Leaving so early, Little Yueqiu? How about you stay and have so breakfast with ?"
"No, thank you... I still have to attend Master's morning class."
Bei Lingyin watched helplessly as the young woman left. The bright smile faded from her face, and her eyes narrowed as if she were deep in thought.
After witnessing Qing Yueqiu's talent for slaughter today, she was more determined than ever to help the young woman escape the "sea of suffering" that was Pei Yuhang.
Leaving such an outstanding Rakshasa Race warrior in Pei Yuhang's hands was a terrible waste of talent.
'And... Pei Yuhang's relationship with the Saintess, Shang Miaoyan, is definitely not a simple one. Chen Shishi's disappearance is likely related to it.'
'My biggest worry now is that Shang Miaoyan will notice sothing is off about through Chen Shishi and Qing Yueqiu... It seems I have to accelerate my plans.'
...
...
「At the back mountain of the Cold Palace Sword Mansion.」
Qing Yueqiu slipped out of her blood-soaked clothes, revealing skin as fair and delicate as snow.
She stepped under a small waterfall of lted snow to wash away the stench of blood, her eyes lowered as she watched the snowflakes drift down from the sky.
The chill of the snowlt and the tranquility of the mansion grounds felt so real, it was as if last night's hot blood and the roaring arena had been a re illusion. To Qing Yueqiu, it felt like a lifeti ago.
'This is the first ti I've stayed out all night since Master took in... I've completely beco a bad girl, so I absolutely cannot let Master find out.'
'Master would never let go to such a chaotic place. If she knew I was cultivating through slaughter, she might ground at ho...'
The thought of her Master confining her made Qing Yueqiu's heart inexplicably skip a beat. She even felt a small flicker of anticipation.
But then she considered that if her Master grounded her, she might beco even colder toward her, and that flicker of anticipation vanished completely.
'Master is a person of honor... How could she be like a Demon from an erotic novel, imprisoning a young woman and doing sothing so utterly unforgivable?'
'It would be more likely for to imprison Master and do sothing like that...'
'No! What am I thinking? Why would I even think about imprisoning Master?!'
A blush rose on Qing Yueqiu's pretty face. She grabbed a clump of snow and patted it on her cheeks, muttering to herself to wake up and stop thinking such strange thoughts.
Once she was sure the scent of blood was gone, she destroyed the bloodstained clothes and took out a clean dress to change into.
Outwardly, she once again beca Pei Yuhang's sensible and well-behaved eldest disciple.
After confirming her appearance was in order, Qing Yueqiu rose and flew toward the bamboo forest where her Master taught the morning class.
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