Chapter 219: A Noble Phantasm? Now That’s a Rare Curio

"As for the Ambrosial Arbor incident..."

"From beginning to end, my role has only been that of an observer."

"The one truly here to ask questions..."

"Is General Feixiao."

"As for me..."

"My greater concern is whether the Wardance Ceremony can proceed safely and on schedule."

"Hehe..."

Now that Jing Yuan had already seen through her intentions...

Feixiao stopped pretending.

Like Huaiyan, she had been dispatched to investigate the Ambrosial Arbor incident.

But unlike the old general...

Huaiyan had come as a neutral observer, entrusted by the Marshal to witness events firsthand.

Feixiao, however...

Represented the Xianzhou Alliance itself.

Her purpose here was to question Jing Yuan.

So once Huaiyan had laid everything on the table...

She immediately shifted into business mode.

Her sharp gaze swept across everyone present.

"The gentleman on the left..."

"Is the reincarnation of Imbibitor Lunae."

"The one in the center..."

"Is the Genius Society member who assisted the Divine Foresight General in driving away Phantylia."

"As for Miss March 7th..."

"And the young lady beside her..."

"They are the Astral Express’ newest members."

"The fame of all four of you has reached even my ears."

"Besides the Luofu’s official reports..."

"The Sky-Faring Commission of the Yaoqing has gathered no shortage of information regarding you."

"I’ve wanted to meet you all for quite some time."

"As for why..."

"I imagine General Jing Yuan has already explained."

Standing with one hand on her hip...

The diamond-shaped ornament upon Feixiao’s forehead only made her appear even more commanding.

"In the report submitted by General Jing Yuan..."

"The Ambrosial Arbor disaster was attributed to the Antimatter Legion."

"He warned every Arbiter-General to pay close attention to the movements of the Lord Ravagers."

"For many years..."

"The servants of Destruction have ravaged countless worlds."

"The Alliance has always remained vigilant."

"But none of us expected them to cooperate with the remnants of Abundance."

"The damage caused by the Ambrosial Arbor crisis was far less severe than anticipated."

"One could even call it a blessing amidst disaster."

"Which, in turn..."

"Feels rather inconsistent with the Antimatter Legion’s usual style of indiscriminate devastation."

"I have no doubt regarding General Jing Yuan’s heroism."

"Nor that of the Nameless."

"Still..."

"There are details omitted from the report that naturally pique my curiosity."

"So I hope to take this opportunity..."

"To discuss them with everyone here."

"One thing in advance."

"The questions I ask..."

"Do not necessarily reflect my own conclusions."

"If any of them seem offensive..."

"I hope you’ll forgive me."

Evan narrowed his eyes as he studied Feixiao.

She truly was different.

The instant she entered official business mode...

There wasn’t the slightest trace of the battle maniac she’d been just moments ago.

Standing there with one hand on her waist...

She looked...

Incredibly cool.

Very rarely would Evan describe a foxian woman as "cool."

But Feixiao was undeniably the exception.

One brilliant young general...

And one veteran strategist...

At first glance...

It looked as though they had come to interrogate Jing Yuan.

But anyone paying close attention would realize...

Both had actually been sent...

To protect him.

Jing Yuan had carried the entire Luofu upon his shoulders.

Baiheng had died.

To save her...

Dan Feng vanished through reincarnation...

Yingxing became Blade.

His own master succumbed to mara.

Countless Cloud Knights perished.

Only later did Fu Xuan and Yukong gradually shoulder some of the burden.

Then Phantylia descended.

The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus spread chaos from within.

The Stellaron crisis...

The rebirth of the Ambrosial Arbor...

On the surface...

The Alliance was holding Jing Yuan accountable.

Giving the higher authorities an explanation.

In reality...

The Marshal had dispatched reinforcements to protect him.

Huaiyan...

The respected elder...

Would serve as witness.

Feixiao...

The Alliance’s strongest active general...

Added yet another layer of military protection to the Luofu.

Since the hidden conspirators...

And the Dragon Elders...

Intended to stir up trouble during the Wardance Ceremony...

Then they might as well beat them at their own game.

Use the opportunity to sweep away every last rotten element.

Not only eliminating the visible pawns...

But perhaps uncovering the true masterminds hiding in the Alliance’s upper ranks.

The four Dragon Elders...

Including Taoran...

Remained imprisoned within Shackling Prison.

Their final judgment had yet to be carried out.

Once undeniable evidence linking the Borisin conspiracy emerged...

Their convictions could finally proceed without obstruction.

Truth be told...

All three generals present were under tremendous pressure.

Jing Yuan’s troubles hardly needed mentioning.

Feixiao had inherited the Yaoqing after General Yueyu’s death.

The Yaoqing’s increasingly close relationship with the IPC had also led some to question whether they were drifting toward Preservation.

As for Huaiyan...

His younger generation possessed astonishing talent.

Yet one after another...

They either died...

Or became wanted criminals.

Even he himself had been suspected of having ties to the Flint Emperor.

Phantylia truly was a terrifying mastermind.

The Xianzhou now resembled a powder keg.

All it needed...

Was a single spark.

Thinking of that...

Evan couldn’t help narrowing his eyes.

The discussion inside the Seat of Divine Foresight concluded surprisingly quickly.

So quickly...

That no one even noticed Yanqing and the young girl standing behind Huaiyan glaring daggers at one another.

From the moment he entered...

Yanqing had immediately recognized her.

Wasn’t she...

The girl who had stolen his flying sword earlier?

And now...

She was standing directly behind General Huaiyan.

Given Yanqing’s intelligence...

He had already figured it out.

She must be one of the delegates from the Xianzhou Zhuming.

Yanqing: Hey! Give me back my flying sword!

Yunli: Who are you?

"What flying sword?"

Yanqing: The one you took after killing that Borisin soldier earlier.

"That sword belongs to me!"

Yunli: Yours?

"I picked it up."

"So now it’s mine."

Yanqing: You—

Yunli: What?

"I heard it complaining."

"It kept saying how disappointing its previous owner was."

"Your sword?"

"It’s mine now."

Yanqing: You... can hear swords speak?

"That’s impossible!"

Yunli: See?

"And you still claim it’s your sword."

"Can you prove it?"

Yanqing: I..."

"I can use sword control!"

Yunli: Sword control?"

"My greatsword is far better."

"I’m planning to melt that sword down anyway."

"It’d only be wasted in your hands."

Yanqing: You...!!

The silent battle of wills ended with Yanqing’s complete defeat.

Not because he lacked confidence...

He simply had no desire to argue with a girl.

There was an old saying on the Luofu.

A true gentleman does not quarrel with women.

If one looked closely...

Yanqing’s growth had been remarkable.

When they first met...

He had been proud to the point of arrogance.

Even knowing Evan was an Emanator...

He still dared challenge him.

But after Evan’s guidance...

And Jingliu’s brutal lessons...

The boy had become far humbler.

He had even begun thinking about how to shoulder Jing Yuan’s burdens.

He had truly matured.

His sword heart...

Had shattered again and again...

Only to emerge stronger each time.

Now...

He had even comprehended the Four Seasons Sword Intent.

No wonder Jing Yuan regarded him as the ideal successor to become the Luofu’s next Sword Champion.

Compared to Yanqing...

Yunli still remained trapped within her hatred and obsession.

She possessed extraordinary talent.

But if she failed to overcome the demons born from cursed swords...

One day...

She would inevitably lose herself.

Fortunately...

Yanqing had already appeared.

The two of them...

Had plenty to keep each other occupied in the future.

As for the negotiations...

Dan Heng and Stelle handled those.

March had never liked these overly formal occasions.

She quietly slipped away to chat with Yukong instead.

And Evan?

He simply watched Yanqing and Yunli glaring at one another.

Finding the entire spectacle endlessly entertaining.

After a while...

Huaiyan approached them with a cheerful smile.

"This..."

"Is my granddaughter."

"Yunli."

"And this young man would be...?"

"Yanqing."

"My name is Yanqing."

"I study under General Jing Yuan..."

"And Master Evan."

Yanqing answered neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Yanqing..."

"I’ve heard your name before."

"A young hero indeed."

"Becoming a Cloud Knight Lieutenant at such a young age."

"You’ve fought the Borisin..."

"And earned remarkable achievements."

"Excellent."

"Truly excellent."

Then Huaiyan turned toward Yunli with a smile.

"Yunli."

"This young Yanqing..."

"Wouldn’t he happen to be the owner of that sword?"

Only then did Yunli stroll over leisurely.

"Grandpa."

"That sword was clearly unhappy."

"It had plenty of complaints about its former owner."

She looked directly at Yanqing.

"So."

"Yanqing, was it?"

"If you want your sword back..."

"Fight me."

"If you win..."

"I’ll return it."

"You said that yourself!"

Naturally...

Yanqing wanted his sword back.

He was ready to draw his blade right there inside the Seat of Divine Foresight.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

"Not here!"

"If you’re going to fight..."

"Go to the Ancient Sea instead!"

"There’s plenty of space there."

"Otherwise..."

"Who’s paying if you tear this place apart?"

These two youngsters...

Were destined to cross swords sooner or later.

With Yanqing’s pride...

And Yunli’s confidence...

Neither would ever willingly admit defeat.

Yanqing had finally forged a sword heart...

One that no longer shattered so easily.

What better opponent could he ask for than someone his own age?

As for Yunli...

She had been born with the ability to hear the voices of swords.

To her...

Every blade possessed its own soul.

Even without using the Heliobus sword-forging technique...

A sword would gradually develop a consciousness shaped by its owner.

And generally speaking...

A sword resembled the one who wielded it.

The sword before her...

Clearly harbored deep resentment toward its master.

That boy...

Was unworthy of using a sword.

Yanqing:

"Hey, Yunli."

"Your days of stealing other people’s swords are over."

"Give it back."

Yunli:

"If you want it..."

"Come and take it."

"You know the rules."

Thus...

A young girl wielding an enormous greatsword...

And a young prodigy who had mastered flying sword techniques...

Found themselves at odds over the very meaning of the sword.

Under the unseen gaze of the Borisin...

The disagreement between the boy and the girl...

Could only be settled one way.

By deciding...

Whose swordsmanship truly stood above the other’s.

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