“Imperial Capital is a brand new stage. There, young talents from all major cities gather, the strong are everywhere, and heroes assemble. You must let go of all your burdens and devote yourself to cultivation. I don’t want, when the day comes that I go to the Eternal City, for you to have already faded into the crowd.”

“I believe you won’t live to see that day.”

Yvonne Easton replied with a smile.

There was a certain air of a Confucian scholar, conversing with elegance and wit.

If Yvonne Easton were a man, with her personal charm, she would surely make many close friends.

“Senior Qinghe, there are a bunch of shortsighted people here, no need to pay them any mind.”

Yvonne Easton looked at the surrounding students of the Eastern Academy who were pointing and whispering, and spoke.

“I understand.”

They have the right to criticize, but Quentin Harper would not be so angered by it.

If he truly felt displeased, he could challenge them one by one, sword after sword, until they yielded in blood.

Now...

He had that strength!

“This is the Senior Qinghe I know. I really hope you recover soon, so we can have a good fight someday.”

“Why wait for someday? We can do it now!”

“Now?”

Yvonne Easton was slightly taken aback.

“That is the very reason I came!”

A favor.

Yvonne Easton’s wish was to have a satisfying battle with him.

A battle to their hearts’ content.

“A sword does not lose its sharpness just because it has lost its true qi.”

Listening to Quentin Harper’s heavy yet resolute words, Yvonne Easton seemed to understand something.

The number one in Qingyuan Academy.

Number one.

Always number one.

Never changed by setbacks.

“Alright, to the Sword Dueling Platform!”

Yvonne Easton nodded firmly.

Decisive, straightforward, brimming with heroic spirit.

The two exchanged a glance, walked side by side, and strode toward the Sword Dueling Platform.

Chapter Four: As Wished

The Sword Dueling Platform—a place where students duel and compete in swordsmanship, also known as the arena.

Every academy has several such platforms. Any student who steps onto the Sword Dueling Platform must determine a winner and a loser.

The Sword Dueling Platform that Yvonne Easton led Quentin Harper to was somewhat secluded. At this moment, no one else was using it, and only a dozen or so students were nearby, clearly out of consideration for his reputation.

Quentin Harper didn’t mind this. The two said little and stepped directly onto the platform.

“Your meridians are damaged, and you can’t circulate your true qi. Even if you still have some residual true qi at the peak of the third level of True Refinement, the power you can exert is only at the first level. I’ll use only first-level True Refinement qi to decide the outcome with you.”

As soon as Yvonne Easton finished speaking, a slender sword in her hand pointed straight at Quentin Harper.

“Controlling true qi will divide your focus, and you won’t be able to use even seventy percent of your full strength. Besides, if our true qi is similar, and we only compare swordsmanship, how could that be called a satisfying battle? Yvonne Easton, go all out. Let me see your true strength right now.”

Quentin Harper slowly gripped his own sword, and his gaze instantly became extremely sharp.

Sensing the mountain-like, abyssal aura emanating from Quentin Harper, Yvonne Easton’s eyes lit up, and her expression grew serious: “Very well, then let’s fight with all our strength. Please!”

“Whoosh!”

As soon as Yvonne Easton finished speaking, her true qi surged, and she charged forward in an instant. Her long sword sliced through the air, and a dazzling cold light flashed in Quentin Harper’s eyes.

Yvonne Easton’s signature sword technique—the Hundredfold Sword Technique.

“Good!”

A buzzing sounded within Quentin Harper’s body as he activated the Thunder Sound Body Refinement Technique. With the aid of true qi, his blood was fully energized, and his heart beat powerfully.

Although his true qi cultivation was far inferior to Yvonne Easton’s, relying on the explosive power of his physical body, he shifted his position and broke free from the lock of Yvonne Easton’s sword technique.

“Hm? Nine Turns, Ten Folds!”

The Hundredfold Sword Technique is famous for its mysterious and unpredictable sword trajectories. No one can anticipate where the next strike will land.

Just as Quentin Harper escaped the lock of Yvonne Easton’s sword, her technique suddenly changed. The sword tip spun rapidly, piercing the void, and was already within a meter of Quentin Harper.

“Whoosh!”

Meteor Pierces the Moon!

At the instant the sword tip approached, Quentin Harper half-retreated, dodging the peak of Yvonne Easton’s sword technique. As her sword tip spun again, the sword in Quentin Harper’s hand flashed like a streak of light, stabbing out at the turning point of Yvonne Easton’s sword technique at the critical moment.

“Clang!”

True qi vibrated!

The advantage of peak third-level True Refinement qi caused ripples of air to spread from the point where Yvonne Easton’s sword was struck, minimizing the threat of Quentin Harper’s attack. The interrupted sword move immediately transformed again, about to drive straight in and approach Quentin Harper’s brow.

However, before her move reached its peak, Quentin Harper’s sword stabbed out once more, a step faster, triggering the power in her sword technique ahead of time, causing a sudden shock in the air.

“This is...”

The sudden change caused a vacuum in the connection of Yvonne Easton’s true qi.

Old strength spent, new strength not yet born.

At that moment, Quentin Harper’s sword stabbed out again.

Meteor Pierces the Moon!

The Meteor Pierces the Moon at its utmost speed!

With one thrust, he completely blocked the next offensive move that Yvonne Easton was about to unleash, forcing her to raise her sword horizontally to block and retreat rapidly at the same time.

“Bang!”

The two swords clashed, sparks flying.