Take This Sword

His words were a challenge, a gauntlet thrown down before her. Xue Qingcheng felt her heart quicken at the thought, her blood singing in her veins at the prospect of testing herself against such a peerless genius. 

But before she could respond, a sharp aura washed over the area, causing everyone to snap their gazes around in alarm.

Striding towards them was a young beauty, her every step radiating an aura of confidence and power. She moved with a sinuous grace, her slender figure clad in flowing robes of the finest silk. 

Her hair, dark as a raven's wing, was bound up in an intricate coiffure, adorned with glittering jewels that sparkled in the sunlight.

But it was her face that truly captured the eye - a visage of breathtaking beauty, with delicate features and luminous skin that seemed to glow with an inner radiance. Her eyes, dark and fathomless, glittered with a keen intelligence that belied her youthful appearance.

"Senior Sister Min!" the two 9th stage disciples exclaimed, hurriedly straightening their postures and trying to smooth down their disheveled robes. 

They knew Min Nue by reputation, knew of her impeccable pedigree, and her close ties to Chentian Yuhan, one of the most influential figures in the Earth Abode.

Xue Qingcheng and the other half-step Houtian disciple exchanged glances, a sense of unease growing within them. They too were familiar with Min Nue's reputation, and they could already sense the direction this encounter was likely to take.

But Miao Ying simply watched Min Nue approach with an uncaring gaze, his expression as inscrutable as ever. He had dealt with her kind before, the arrogant young masters and mistresses who thought the world revolved around them. And he had no intention of playing their games.

As Min Nue drew near, she opened her mouth to speak, her voice as smooth and melodious as a mountain stream. "Ah! Junior Brother Miao! It seems you've already met our esteemed guests. I'm ever so glad I've managed to catch up to you."

She moved closer to Miao Ying, her every motion radiating a bewitching charm that threatened to ensnare the senses. 

The young 9th stage disciple was completely enthralled, his gaze drawn to the graceful curves of her body like a moth to a flame.

But Miao Ying remained unmoved, his gaze cool and appraising as he studied Min Nue's face. He had seen far greater beauties in his short time and never felt a thing towards anyone of them. 

"A pleasure to meet you Junior Brother Miao," she continued, her smile as radiant as the sun. "I am Min Nue, and I must say, your reputation precedes you. The entire sect has been abuzz with talk of your deeds since your arrival."

Her words were honey-sweet, dripping with flattery and charm. But Miao Ying could sense the calculation behind them, the careful maneuvering of a schemer seeking to ingratiate themselves with a potential ally.

Xue Qingcheng took the opportunity to interject, her voice cutting through the air like a sharpened blade. 

"Indeed, Min Nue is quite the rising star herself," she said, her tone laced with subtle disdain. "17th in the Earth Abode rankings and closely allied with 10th ranked Chentian Yuhan. I'm sure that name rings a bell, Junior Brother Miao."

Min Nue shot Xue Qingcheng a venomous glare, her carefully crafted facade of charm and poise slipping for just a moment. But she quickly recovered, turning back to Miao Ying with a coquettish smile.

"Ah, Junior Sister Xue is too kind," she demurred, her voice dripping with false modesty. "I am but a humble disciple, seeking to learn from my betters. And you, Junior Brother Miao, are certainly one of the most talented cultivators I have ever had the pleasure of meeting."

But Miao Ying was not fooled by her honeyed words, nor by the artful way she angled her body to accentuate her curves. He had seen through her facade from the moment she had appeared and had sensed the rot that lurked beneath her polished exterior.

"I would disdain you regardless of your ties to Chentian Yuhan," he said coldly, his words cutting through the air like a knife. "Your aura is more sickening than refined. Even those 9th stage brats have more substance than you."

A moment of stunned silence followed his pronouncement, the gathered disciples shocked by his blunt dismissal of one of the Earth Abode's most promising young talents. 

In the Blazing Sun Sect, even the crudest of cultivators still adhered to a veneer of civility and decorum. 

But Miao Ying seemed to care nothing for such niceties, his words as direct and unvarnished as a sledgehammer blow.

Min Nue's eyes widened in shock, her carefully crafted mask of charm and poise cracking under the weight of Miao Ying's contempt. In all her years of cultivation, she had never been spoken to with such blatant disrespect, such utter disregard for her status and accomplishments!

The air crackled with tension as Min Nue faced Miao Ying, her eyes smoldering with barely contained fury. 

"I beg your pardon, Junior Brother?" she said through gritted teeth. "I'm not sure what I've done to offend you so grievously. I merely wished to extend my greetings and perhaps engage in a friendly exchange of ideas."

Miao Ying met her gaze, unflinching. He could see past the veneer of civility, could sense the malice lurking beneath her polished exterior like a coiled viper waiting to strike. This was no innocent overture, but the opening gambit of one whose schemes had been thwarted.

"You wish to talk?" Miao Ying's smile held all the warmth of a winter's frost. "Then prove yourself worthy of my time. Block this sword, and perhaps I'll deign to exchange words with you."

With that, he unleashed his Qi Seed, the very essence of his cultivation made manifest. The air around him thrummed with power, filled with the electric tang of ozone as lightning danced across his skin in mesmerizing arcs. 

His sword, a gleaming blade of purest silver, seemed to come alive in his hand, its surface etched with intricate runes that pulsed with an otherworldly light.

Wreathed in golden radiance, Miao Ying seemed to ascend to a higher plane of existence, his mortal form giving way to something more - a figure of legend made flesh. 

The very ground beneath his feet shattered and buckled, unable to withstand the sheer pressure of his aura as it expanded outwards in a maelstrom of sword qi and crackling energy.

Min Nue stumbled back, her eyes wide with disbelief. As a cultivator of the half-step Houtian realm, the third major stage after Qi Establishment, she was no stranger to displays of power. 

Achieving even a half-step into this exalted realm put her in the top echelons of Blazing Sun Sect's disciples, a position she had fought tooth and nail to attain.

But this...this was beyond anything she had ever witnessed! 

Miao Ying's aura was a force of nature, a raging tempest of Sword Dao that threatened to consume everything in its path. It was the manifestation of his Sword Intent, honed to a razor's edge through the Heavenly Cosmic Sword Art - a divine technique said to draw upon the very essence of the world's Sword Dao, left behind by ancient divines of cultivation.

Desperation clawed at Min Nue's heart as she flared her own aura in response, pouring every last scrap of cultivation into her defense. 

Her spirit sword, a blade of finest jade inlaid with precious gems, burst into searing flames as she channeled her qi through it, coating the weapon in a sheath of incandescent fire.

But even as she brought her sword up in a guard stance, Min Nue could feel the crushing pressure of Miao Ying's aura bearing down upon her like an invisible weight. 

It was like standing before an oncoming avalanche, a wall of raw, elemental force that threatened to grind her bones to dust and scatter her soul upon the wind.