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Xiulan channeled additional qi through her meridians into her feet, strengthening her Water Stepping Foot technique. The water’s surface tensed beneath her stance as she slid her pack around.

Squatting low, she plucked the first blood lotus from the crimson carpet before her, its petals gleaming with spiritual energy.

"One down," Xiulan muttered, tucking it safely away.

The central blood lotus exploded upward in a violent spray of water and rage. A thick vine whipped through the air toward her, but Ren Chun’s blade flashed, severing it cleanly. The two halves splashed harmlessly into the dark water.

Xiulan focused on her task, snatching lotus after lotus while keeping her stance firm on the water’s surface.

More vines lashed out in angry arcs. Steel sang through the air as Ren Chun’s sword danced, cutting down each attack with precise strikes.

"It’s working better than I thought!" Ren Chun called out between strikes.

The abundance of blood lotus made collection swift—she barely needed to move. A sharp crack beneath the water’s surface caught her attention.

A vine erupted directly under her feet but smashed against her qi-reinforced Water Stepping Foot technique. It writhed and twisted around the barrier of her technique, searching for weakness.

Xiulan drew her knife in a fluid motion and sliced through the probing tendril.

"It’s going to try tricks!" Xiulan shouted.

A dozen smaller blood lotus erupted from the murky water, their crimson vines whipping through the air like angry serpents. Ren Chun leaped skyward, his blade flashing in a perfect arc as he spun. The vines targeting him fell in neat segments, splashing back into the dark swamp.

Xiulan bounded sideways as multiple vines converged on her position. Her Water Stepping Foot technique held firm as she landed, but the vines curved in pursuit.

Channeling qi through her right foot, she stomped downward. A massive spray of pressurized water erupted outward, shredding the pursuing tendrils.

"Get it together!" Xiulan shouted at Ren Chun. "If you can’t keep them distracted, just kill the parent!"

Ren Chun pivoted toward the central blood lotus. The massive plant launched a barrage of thorns that cut through the air like arrows. He wove between them with fluid grace before landing beside one of the smaller lotus. His blade struck true, and the lesser plant withered instantly.

Xiulan scooped another bundle of blood lotus into her pack. A vine lashed toward the precious cargo, but she twisted away in a fluid spin.

She launched herself airborne to escape, but two hidden vines shot up from beneath the water’s surface. Fear spiked through her chest.

Acting on pure instinct, Xiulan clapped her hands together and channeled every drop of qi she could muster. The air itself seemed to explode as a vortex formed, launching her into a wild spin. The attacking vines crumpled under the pressure wave as water erupted upward, sending the remaining lotus bobbing chaotically across the disturbed surface.

The impact as she landed shattered Xiulan’s concentration. Dark water rushed over her head as she plunged beneath the murky surface. Her qi reserves drained, she flailed for a moment before finding purchase on the thick, silty bottom. Sharp thorns pierced through her ankle as a vine coiled tight.

Xiulan steadied herself, gripping her pack close to protect the precious blood lotus within. The thin qi barrier around the opening barely worked to prevent the contents from being soaked.

The thorns dug deeper into her ankle, but she pushed the pain aside. Deep in her core, her dantian surged with raw power—wild and untamed like that day with Qingfeng. The qi flooded her meridians in a chaotic rush that threatened to overwhelm her.

This time, I will just let it all out.

Xiulan released her hold on the energy. Qi poured from every meridian, seeping through her skin in crackling waves.

The surrounding water lit up as electric arcs danced outward. The vine disintegrated, its grip reduced to ash. Several blood lotuses floating nearby vaporized in the discharge, but Xiulan couldn’t contain the flow enough to spare them.

The churning energy formed a barrier at the water’s surface. Xiulan gathered her remaining focus and executed Water Stepping Foot in reverse, pushing upward through her own qi field. Her knees found purchase on the supernatural surface tension as she emerged from the swamp.

"What the fuck are you doing? You’re supposed to—" Xiulan’s shout cut short as she spotted Ren Chun at the heart of a deadly dance.

Vines whirled around him in a lethal cage. Twenty—no, thirty—forty attacks converged from every angle. His blade flashed in an endless arc of steel, barely visible as he spun to counter each strike. The parent lotus towered above, directing its spawn in a relentless assault.

Fuck the collection. Ren Chun needed backup. Now.

Xiulan yanked her spear free and launched herself toward the nearest smaller lotus. The weapon’s tip pierced clean through its center, splitting the spiritual plant in a spray of crimson essence. Without pause, she channeled qi through her legs and leaped to the next target. Her spear found its mark again, reducing another blood lotus to withering fragments.

The Water Stepping Foot technique proved far trickier for combat landings than simple traversal, though. A third leap had her skidding across the water’s surface and she nearly plunged headfirst into her target. Her qi flared to stabilize her stance at the last moment.

"River Stone Sundering Strike!" Ren Chun’s voice boomed across the swamp.

A crescent of pure qi erupted from his blade, carving through the air with thunderous force. The energy wave tore into the parent lotus, gouging deep into its flesh. Four smaller spawn split cleanly in half, their remnants dissolving into the dark water.

Xiulan bounded toward an untouched patch of blood lotus petals, her feet barely skimming the water’s surface. The crimson blooms glowed as she snatched them up by the handful, stuffing them into her pack.

Ren Chun charged at the parent lotus while she continued to collect, his blade singing through the air as he severed vines repeatedly. The massive plant’s maw gaped wide, revealing rows of thorn-like teeth. Sharp spikes whistled through the air toward him as he dodged and weaved.

Sweat trickled down Xiulan’s neck as she gathered another armful. The pack stretched tight, nearly full. A spike whizzed past her ear, embedding itself in a nearby tree trunk with a solid thunk.

Stolen novel; please report.

"River Stone Sundering Strike!" Ren Chun’s shout echoed across the swamp.

The water erupted as twelve more blood lotus burst from the depths in response. Dozens of vines lashed out like angry whips, their thorny surfaces glistening in the dim light.

Time to wrap this up . Xiulan scooped one final armful into her pack and checked the contents. The quantity exceeded her requirements. She slapped the golden seal across the opening, watching it shimmer with protective qi.

"Crossed River Stone Sundering Strike!"

Twin crescents of pure qi sliced through the air. A wall of vines intercepted the attack, sacrificing themselves to protect the parent lotus. The energy waves curved around, destroying only a few younger plants.

"I have enough!" Xiulan shouted. "Get out of there!"

"Ha! Easier said than done!" Ren Chun spun through a barrage of attacks, fighting his way toward her position.

Xiulan secured the pack tightly to her back and gripped her spear with both hands. She spun it in a tight arc, severing two vines that snapped at her face. More vines pursued Ren Chun as he retreated, forcing him to maintain a constant whirlwind of defensive strikes.

The dark water erupted as another wave of blood lotus burst through the surface—dozens more than before. Xiulan’s stomach dropped. Maybe she had used a bit too much qi in her blood? The second spray… might have been excessive.

A thorny vine whipped past her face. She ducked and spun her spear in a defensive arc, buying precious seconds to think. The natural flow of qi cycled through her meridians in an endless loop, drawing power from her dantian to refill them. Each channel had limits—both in capacity and refill speed.

Ren Chun bounded across the water’s surface toward her position. He pivoted mid-stride and swept his blade in a familiar motion. "River Stone Sundering Strike!"

The qi crescent carved through the air, but the energy wavered and distorted. The weakened attack scattered the pursuing vines without destroying them. Ren Chun stumbled as he landed beside her, his breathing ragged.

"My qi reserves are almost gone." Sweat dripped from his forehead. "We won’t make it at this rate."

Xiulan studied the dissipating remnants of his qi crescent. They shared the same cultivation level, but he executed the technique with two major meridians blocked. If he managed that with such severe limitations...

The implications clicked into place. Her fully opened meridian network should allow for far more.

Xiulan’s mind raced as she deflected another thorny vine with her spear.

The basic principles of qi manipulation flashed through her thoughts. No one needed to show her exactly how to do something—she’d already proven that with Water Stepping Foot. The technique required nothing more than precise qi control through specific meridians at calculated pressures.

A quick sidestep saved her from a barrage of thorns as she analyzed the fundamentals. Qi existed as spiritual energy—positive and negative charges flowing through the meridian network like opposing rivers. Yin and Yang and all that.

The destructive potential clicked into place as she watched Ren Chun execute another strike. His qi flowed seamlessly from his meridians through the steel of his blade, transforming raw energy into a deadly crescent. The physics… or metaphysics… made perfect sense—carefully controlled release, focused direction.

You could infuse an item with your qi.

The fighting had separated them as the vines sought to push them apart.

"Get to me!" Xiulan shouted at Ren Chun while batting aside another vine. "Now!"

Xiulan reached deep within, locating her fifth meridian among the complex network flowing through her body. With precise control, she pinched it shut, blocking the natural cycle back to the first meridian. Qi instantly began to pool, pressing against the artificial dam she created. Rather than ease the pressure, she forced more power from her dantian, deliberately overfilling the channel.

Raw spiritual energy cascaded through her secondary pathways, seeking any available outlet. The power surged through her like a flash flood across open terrain. Heat built beneath her skin as the qi saturated every channel to bursting.

"Here!" Xiulan called out through gritted teeth.

Ren Chun darted across the water’s surface toward her position. Xiulan drew her dagger with her free hand, balancing its familiar weight against her spear.

One by one, her meridians reached maximum capacity. The spiritual pressure built to unprecedented levels until her entire network threatened to rupture. At the critical moment, Xiulan opened the meridians in both palms while adding a simple filter.

The weapons suddenly felt different—more like extensions of her overflowing meridians than simple steel.

Yang energy rushed into her dagger while yin poured into her spear.

The sudden transfer left her dizzy. Her meridians emptied so rapidly she swayed on her feet, momentarily light-headed from the draining sensation.

The moment she released the pinched meridian, fresh qi began cycling from her dantian to restore balance. But the weapons in her hands pulsed with barely contained power, growing more unstable by the second.

Shit. The realization hit hard—these techniques required careful practice for good reason. The weapons were about to explode.

Ren Chun’s boots skidded across the water’s surface as his eyes widened at the unstable weapons in her hands. He backpedaled frantically, sending ripples across the dark swamp water.

Xiulan pivoted and hurled the qi-charged dagger skyward. The weapon spun end over end, its blade crackling with contained Yang energy as it arced high above the blood lotus. Without pause, she launched the spear in a lower trajectory, watching its yin-infused form slice through the humid air toward the massive plant.

Time seemed to slow as both weapons traced glowing paths through the dim swamp light. The dagger tumbled at the apex of its arc while the spear drove toward its target.

A ridiculous thought struck her—Ren Chun always called out his techniques. She glanced at his wide-eyed expression and grinned.

Something more dramatic than ’River Stone Sundering’...

"Thunder God Splits the Sky and Fucks You Up!"

The dagger detonated overhead in a brilliant flash. Pure Yang energy erupted outward in a devastating wave. Her spear struck the muddy earth beside the blood lotus parent a second later, missing its mark by mere inches.

But it didn’t matter.

A blinding pillar of lightning descended from above, bathing the swamp in brilliant yellow light.

Xiulan squinted against the searing brightness as a wall of super-heated vapor rushed toward them. Ren Chun materialized beside her, his hands flowing through practiced motions to form a protective qi barrier. Blue energy crackled around them as electricity arced through the steam, the barrier absorbing each deadly discharge.

The devastating display ended in a heartbeat. Where murky swamp water had stretched moments before, only scorched earth remained. A massive plate of fulgurite marked where the lightning had struck, replacing the swamp vegetation with glass-like formations.

Xiulan studied the destruction with a mix of awe and disappointment. So much for harvesting more blood lotus later.

At least I already collected enough. I’ll just have to nail the golden meridian pill on the first attempt again.

"Thunder God Splits the Sky...?" Ren Chun stared at her with wide eyes as he lowered the barrier.

"And Fucks You Up." Xiulan smirked at his shocked expression. The technique had worked better than she’d hoped—they’d even survived the blast wave.

"Are you sure you’re not... hiding your cultivation?" Ren Chun studied her intently. "You’re not a hidden master testing me, are you?"

Xiulan slapped his back with a broad grin. "No way! I haven’t even made a single step of progress in body refining yet!"

"But... but that had to be an ancient art!" Ren Chun protested.

"Didn’t I tell you?" Xiulan tapped her temple. "I’m pretty smart!"

He looked like he wanted to cry. Poor puppy.