Chapter 51: A Forgotten Feeling
The sword essence spraying from the tip of the Last Flower remnant sword carried only all the fragmented star fiendish energy and the golden sparks to hit Doctor Ai’s chest.
With a m.u.f.fled bang, Doctor Ai’s chest quickly caved in, and he hit the gates behind him like a large bird with broken wings.
With another boom, the gates shattered into countless pieces.
Doctor Ai slumped to sit on the ground. He vomited blood, and the wooden debris in front of him was stained red.
The flying sword pointing at Ding Ning’s back suddenly grew weak and flew by Ding Ning’s ear. After flying a dozen more feet, it finally had no more power and fell to the ground with a clink.
Ding Ning looked at the fallen flying sword and stopped advancing.
All the spectating cultivators were stunned speechless.
From the first advance and attack to the last attack to defeat Doctor Ai, Ding Ning had done it in one go, all at his own rhythm.
If he managed to complete the attack in one go when facing an opponent of his level, it would be stunning. But Ding Ning and Doctor Ai were a whole cultivation realm apart. He was still able to control the rhythm and produce such a fierce attack. This was not stunning, but terrifying.
Ding Ning nodded minutely to Doctor Ai who was unable to stand and was still spewing blood. He turned to walk towards his carriage.
Many people only came out of their daze at this moment, and thought of the things they had not had time to react to.
“How can there be such cultivation speed!”
Many people grew more amazed and terrified after thinking carefully. Their emotions caused some to shout and yell, and these were those with the higher cultivation in the crowd.
They had realized Ding Ning’s cultivation.
When the Min Mountain Sword Trials finished, Ding Ning had just reached realm four. There definitely was no mistake there because numerous cultivation teachers who attended the Min Mountain Sword Trials had seen it with their own eyes. Ding Ning would not be able to conceal his cultivation.
Ding Ning had been seriously injured during the Min Mountain Sword Trials, and went back to Ink Garden to recover. Yet when he came out of Ink Garden to meet Palace Attendant Rong and killed the horse with one blow, he had realm four second cla.s.s cultivation. Now, just a few days later, Ding Ning’s cultivation had taken a large step forward!
What did this mean?
Even in the history books and stories, there was never such a fast cultivation. This was absurd, but it had happened right in front of them. They were finding it difficult to control themselves.
**
Looking at Ding Ning walking calmly back to the carriage, Jing Liuli bowed her head slightly and did not make a sound.
When she drove the carriage away from this area, and the gasps sounded behind her in waves, she still kept her head low, her voice reached the ears of Ding Ning.
“Doctor Ai is one of ours?”
“How do you know?” Ding Ning also bowed his head and answered tiredly as he leaned against the walls of the cabin.
“Too fast, too few words,” Jing Liuli said. “I kept on feeling that he agreed to fight you too easily.”
Ding Ning’s posture did not change as he said, “He has no ability to refuse. He cannot afford to offend the people of Guanzhong, and also, he cannot hide like Palace Attendant Rong has in the imperial palace. He knows very well if he does not agree, he will encounter many embarra.s.sing things.”
“It is not that.” Jing Liuli frowned and thought for a moment. She did not know how to describe it in words and said, “The feeling is not right.”
Ding Ning looked up slightly at her back and said seriously, “You have advanced.”
After receiving an affirmative answer, Jing Liuli grew inexplicably silent.
She thought in silence for a while before speaking. “You ignored his flying sword and attacked his seal weapon because he is one of ours? Or would you have done the same even if he was not one of ours, and you have the confidence to defeat his seal weapon and avoid harm from his flying sword as well?”
Ding Ning knew what she was thinking about and responded seriously. “If he was not one of ours, I would do the same.”
Jing Liuli’s eyebrows rose, she could not help turning her head.
But Ding Ning had already spoken and continued: “I know what you are thinking… From your point of view, his flying sword seems to be faster than me, so you cannot understand why I dared to do so, and why in the end I was faster.”
“Because he thought about one thing more than me. Even if he was a real opponent, he would think about one thing more than me.”
After a pause, Ding Ning looked at her and said: “He will first think about whether he can block my blow, or whether I have other tactics in addition to this. Even if he just subconsciously considers whether he can block my blow or not, he will be slower than me. When I advance, I will not leave a way out. You have to understand that even if some people can use two swords, at the same moment, he cannot focus on both things. If he thinks about defense, his attacking sword will be slow.”
In matters concerning cultivation, Jing Liuli was much smarter than most cultivators in the world.
She nodded quickly, expressing that she wanted to understand Ding Ning’s statement, and then said “Doctor Ai is seriously injured, but will not die… So this is a plan to kill two birds with one stone? You fight him, you can let Palace Attendant Rong see your astounding advancement which will give her pressure and also have her trust Doctor Ai more. After today, Doctor Ai may become an important p.a.w.n against her.”
Ding Ning nodded and said with unusual sincerity, “You have indeed improved a lot.”
Jing Liuli turned around, bowed slightly, and sincerely expressed her grat.i.tude. “Thanks to you.”
Hearing her words, Ding Ning said with a laugh at himself, “It sounds like I am hurting you.”
**
This battle happened quickly, ended quickly, and the results spread even faster.
In a corner of Ye Celeng”s little courtyard, a jasmine tree was quietly blooming. A blue messenger pigeon flew in.
This pigeon flew in frequently, and was familiar with Bai Shanshui. So when Bai Shanshui reached towards it, it did not dodge and allowed Bai Shanshui to take the letter from the tube on its foot.
Seeing the content reported in the letter, Bai Shanshui looked at Ye Celeng who was standing solemnly at the side. She smiled emotionally, “As expected of his heir. It is no accident a realm four defeated a realm five.”
Ye Celeng did not respond and took the paper from her hand to carefully read it. Then she turned her head and smiled, revealing two pretty dimples. “He should have comprehended the Heaven Replenishing Divine Art.”
Bai Shanshui raised an eyebrow.
Ye Celeng put away her smile and hung her head slightly. She said coolly, “In the past, he always wanted to cultivate the Heaven Replenishing Divine Art, but was never able to do so. If he had been able to obtain the Heaven Replenishing Divine Art early, maybe Changling would have not been like this now.”
“I only look at the future, not the past,” Bai Shanshui said with faint pride. “If he is forcing that palace attendant, I only hope he will be faster.”
Almost at the same time, the results of the battle between Ding Ning and Doctor Ai spread into the depths of the imperial palace and reached the ears of Palace Attendant Rong.
Her expression did not change. Not because of calm, but because of fear.
Terror was a very foreign emotion to her. She had even forgotten this feeling. This was not because she was arrogant. But because she knew her own position well.
She was loyal to the empress, so she could settle down. Yet now, this feeling spread uncontrollably through her body.
After dozens of breaths, her body started to tremble.
“How is it possible, how can his cultivation rise so quickly?” Her voice sounded.
Her voice was strange and ear-piercing.
She did not even know she had spoken, and felt like it was not her own voice.
“Already past realm four second cla.s.s …”
At the same time, the empress raised her head slightly. She did not look towards the yellow-robed middle-aged man standing respectfully with a bowed head, but at the pure light falling through the ceiling opening above.
Heaven Replenishing Divine Art, she slowly thought mentally.