“How long did I last?” Seeing Xu Lianhua fall down, Jing Liuli turned and asked Tantai Guanjian with a cold expression.

Tantai Guanjian thought hard and said, “You had also said a few words, albeit a bit shorter than what he said.”

Jing Liuli was silent for a moment and said, “This year’s sword trials are not bad.”

Tantai Guanjian naturally knew that she was not complimenting the sword trials she had arranged. He smiled coldly and said, “While he surpasses you in tolerating pain, you did not hesitate like he just did.”

Jing Liuli shook her head and said coldly, “Surpassing is surpassing. If two people have the poison, and he can last longer, and attack longer, I will die.”

Tantai Guanjian knew that he could not convince Jing Liuli on this matter. He said emotionally, “Maybe because you are so serious about each matter, that you want to compete in each area with other people, you have become the fastest developing genius in the history of Min Mountain Sword Sect.”

“Maybe in the past, but maybe not the future.”

Jing Liuli looked at Ding Ning who was speaking to Zhang Yi. She looked up at the sky, and her eyes seemed to meld with the night sky.

She had seen countless young talents in the past, but none of them had given her pressure. So, while she competed in every matter, she had not felt hardship in reality. Now, someone who made her heart tremble had appeared. She could sense unprecedented pressure as if she saw a new world. She was certain her cultivation progression would be faster than in the past.

“Pain is also a kind of experience.”

Ding Ning had said softly and casually, but in Xia Wan’s ears, they had a completely different meaning.

She looked up with respect at Ding Ning’s side profile.

In her past experiences, only some of what her teachers had said could make her feel the same. He was only a student like her, but the abilities he had displayed caused her to increasingly feel that he was not a student like her.

She took a deep breath and started to circulate the vital energy in her body. A determined and powerful presence spread quickly out of her skin. A visible cyclone appeared around her body.

Zhang Yi, still in his pain, suddenly turned around, and the scene shocked him speechless.

More students in the distance discovered Xia Wan’s abnormal state, and disbelieving gasps sounded.

Xia Wan’s face also became multicolored. Her fine features twisted together, and her body uncontrollably trembled.

“What are you doing?”

Zhang Yi could finally speak, and spoke in pain and confusion.

“Ding Ning is right.” Xia Wan struggled to speak. “I want to experience this pain and see if other pain would become easier to endure after this.”

Dugu Bai and Yi Xin had guessed the answer, but they were still stunned upon hearing Xia Wan. Both of them thought, no wonder this seemingly gentle young woman ranked so high in the Book of Talents.

Jing Liuli, who was closer to Ding Ning and the others than the students on the other side of the hut reacted more quickly to what Xia Wan was doing.

“I underestimated her.”

She frowned slightly but her tone did not have much emotion.

At this time, another presence exploded behind Ding Ning and caused her to freeze.

A similar presence came from Nangong Caishu.

Watching Nangong Caishu who was also circulating her vital energy and forcing the poison to activate, Zhang Yi said in a trembling voice, his mind blank, “Even if you want to cultivate here, you could wait until the trials finish…”

He, who could not change reality, could only worry that they would lose consciousness and be unable to watch the rest of the competition.

“I cultivate the Plain Mind Sword. The fastest sword is the one that goes along my mind. I will act when I have the thought.”

Xia Wan looked at him, and struggled to speak before she fell backwards.

Hearing these words, Jing Liuli raised an eyebrow and said, “She does not need to come to Min Mountain Sword Sect to cultivate.”

Tantai Guanjian nodded solemnly and agreed greatly with Jing Liuli’s opinion.

Seeing even Nangong Caishu activate the poison, a pale student on the other side of the hut cried, “Are these people mad?”

Xia Wan and Nangong Caishu had already been eliminated, yet their actions exerted immense pressure on the students this side of the hut.

“If you want to be like ordinary people, why be a cultivator?”

Ye Haoran’s brows furrowed. He looked at the pale student next to him, and the similarly pale student beside him whose sweat had never dried on his forehead. He knew these people were cannon fodder on the battlefield. They would not greatly influence the final results of the trials. So while he knew he would increase morale if he spoke at this time, since there was no meaning, he maintained his silence.

His brows furrowed after a moment. Then he calmly scanned everyone’s faces. Just like Ding Ning, he had been searching for the key person.

But up until now, he was unable to find the last pawn the mistress of Changling had buried.

**

Just as Min Mountain Sword Sect, isolated from the world, held their sword trials that could influence the world, there were also countless people in Changling who could not sleep at night.

In the desolate wine shop in Falling Parasol, Zhangsun Qianxue slowly opened her eyes.

At this time, the street of Falling Parasol was quiet, but in her ears, there were clear footsteps.

Someone was walking towards the wine shop from a distant alley.

She stood up, walking towards the front like a soundless breeze in the night. The murderousness and coldness in her eyes grew.

This was a cultivator with a scent familiar to her. With her present cultivation, she had eighty percent confidence she could kill this cultivator. But she was also sure that she could not quickly kill this cultivator without being detected.

If a situation where she had to kill this cultivator appeared, she could escape Changling based on the map that Ding Ning had drawn for her on the wall. This was why she had chosen to reside here and not Ink Garden during the period that Ding Ning was at the sword trials. Fleeing from here would be most likely to succeed.

Even so, the most important thing was that Ding Ning was still attending the sword trials. If she were exposed, Ding Ning could not live.

The humidity in the small courtyard suddenly increased. A glowing water droplet fell silently from the sky towards the small flower beds in the courtyard.

Zhangsun Qianxue had originally lifted the curtain to walk to the front, but then her figure stilled, and she returned to the yard. Her perfect features had a layer of frost on top.

As the water droplet landed on the soil, a white figure was standing in the middle of the courtyard.

“I was wondering who, so it is the eldest miss of the Gongsun Family. I had never thought the eldest miss of the Gongsun Family was so beautiful. I had never thought the eldest miss of the Gongsun Family would live in a place like this.”

An emotional voice sounded. The sound was securely locked in the courtyard. But the low voice carried a natural rebelliousness. Only great rebels would have such a presence.

A great rebel with a river-like energy and such presence could only be Bai Shanshui of Cloud Water Palace.

“Do you want to live or die?”

Seeing Bai Shanshui who was standing under the eaves and examining the scenery in the courtyard, Zhangsun Qianxue was direct.

Bai Shanshui stilled. She was not used to Zhangsun Qianxue’s manner of speech but still gave a small smile and said, “I want to live.”

Zhangsun Qianxue glanced at her. The coldness and murderousness in her eyes did not fade. She waited for more words.

“I originally just wanted to meet Ding Ning. But thinking that you should be the one who killed my senior sect brother, I felt I should meet you first.” Bai Shanshui raised her hands. “Since even you are able to live together with that person’s disciple here, then I have not come here for revenge, but to tell you I am also able.”

Zhangsun Qianxue did not waste energy pondering how Bai Shanshui had found her’s and Ding Ning’s identities. Her expression cooled. She shook her head and said, “I am not the same as you.”

“I know.” Bai Shanshui smiled and then her smile quickly faded. “But we have a mutual enemy.”

Zhangsun Qianxue was silent for a moment before saying, “I do not want to be responsible for thinking about these matters.”

Bai Shanshui stilled and immediately understood. She said, “If that’s the case. let’s wait until the sword trials finish and Ding Ning returns.”

The conduct of a great rebel had a presence that ordinary people could not touch. Bai Shanshui was not a match for Zhangsun Qianxue, and her life was on the line, yet she was still this unaffected. As she spoke, she floated out of the courtyard. But in the end, she could not help but say, “After the sword trials, Ding Ning’s name will be known throughout the world. I fear no one would ever think that he is that person’s disciple.”

Translator Ramblings: Usually, the Chinese for “breadth of mind” or “mentality” can be translated as “in the chest.” Since the title is referring to Bai Shanshui, I felt keeping the “chest” part was appropriate in this case.