“You’re certain that this weapon is the exact one that was stolen?”

　　Gu Ruoyun stared at Shiyun with a half smile playing on her lips.

　　“Lady Gu, you’ve asked a question despite already knowing the answer.”

　　Shiyun stepped forward and released a wave of coercion. Then, a violent storm began to engulf the Xia Family courtyard.

　　“This spiritual weapon belongs to my Weapon Refining Sect. As the Lady of the Weapon Refining Sect, I shall take it back today!”

　　Hong!

　　As she spoke, a berserk tornado of dust formed in front of her, it flew towards Gu Ruoyun at top speed. Then, the dust began to fill the heavens, covering the azure skies…

　　Gu Ruoyun was unable to clearly make out the situation in front of her. Suddenly winds rose from behind her. She quickly turned around, grabber her longsword and blocked the sudden attack. The sheer force of the attack numbed her hand and caused a deep gash. Blood dripped slowly from her open wound.

　　Despite using a high-class spiritual weapon, she was still one level away from a Martial Emperor and it would not be easy for her to surpass that.

　　“Lady Gu, it’s still not too late.”

　　After the dust storm, Shiyun’s soft and gentle voice rang aloud, “As long as you surrender and pledge your allegiance to the Weapon Refining Sect, I will exempt you from your punishment for theft and award you with a prestigious position.”

　　Anyone ignorant of the situation would believe that Shiyun was truly a merciful and good person who repays with kindness. However, only Gu Ruoyun knew that this woman was only concerned with obtaining her spiritual force.

　　If she were to submit to the Weapon Refining Sect, she would certainly become nourishment for Shiyun — sacrificing herself for a supposedly virtuous cause.

　　But was Gu Ruoyun a passive person?

　　No!

　　She will not lose to Shiyun, no matter what.

　　Hong!

　　The longsword shone brightly and in a moment a small smile appeared on the girl’s clear and cold eyes. She raised her sword and charged quickly towards Shiyun and both weapons clashed against one another. The great turbulence destroyed Gu Ruoyun’s sleeve and blood began to trickle down her wrist…

　　“Aih, Gu Ruoyun of the Hundred Herb Hall was still no match for a Martial Emperor. Her current level in strength was too far off from Shiyun’s.”

　　In Heaven City, a family elder shook his head as he sighed.

　　They were all like grasshoppers on the same rope. Naturally, they hoped that Gu Ruoyun would win but talking was easy after all. The opponent was not only a young genius but a Martial Emperor too!

　　“No, did you see that? The attack may have caused injuries but she managed to force Shiyun a few steps back.”

　　The one who had spoken was, impressively, the leader of the powers of Heaven City, Ba Zhentian. He was now fully focused on observing the match and he wrinkled his brow as if he had just thought of something.

　　Hearing his words, everyone else began to realize this as well. Shiyun had indeed been forced into a retreat.

　　She was only a Martial King which was like a mere grain of sand compared to a Martial Emperor, they thought in unison. However, she had managed to force her Martial Emperor opponent into retreat? Just how perverse was this girl?

　　Ba Zhentian relaxed his brow and smiled, ” I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Lady Gu once and I already knew that she wasn’t someone who should be taken lightly even four years ago. Do any of you know what level she was at? She was only a good-for-nothing still stuck at level 2 in the Qi Collection ranks. Everyone in Azure Dragon country knew this. But she had managed to grow to such a degree in such a short time, Shiyun was indeed a genius but her success stemmed from ten years of hard work. Yet Gu Ruoyun achieved that in only four years! If she had a bit more time, surpassing Shiyun would not have been a problem, but…”

　　Ba Zhentian paused as his gaze slowly turned somber.