Reincarnation Girl Becomes Immortal

"The elder established this sword academy. If she eventually passes away, I will take over the academy. In the future, I may just be one of the martial arts school owners in Jinshi City."

“I think Senior Sister Hongmiao is more like a world-renowned female knight-errant,” Xi Heng said.

“You overestimate me. Being a female knight-errant is not that easy.” Hong Miao shook her head again: “Compared to wandering the world and becoming famous, I prefer to cultivate myself in this place where I feel at home.”

“Is that so…” Xi Heng seemed to be deep in thought.

This topic was briefly mentioned, and the rest of the conversation consisted mostly of miscellaneous matters and news from Jinshi City outside the Sword Academy.

As the conflict between martial arts schools and other schools escalated, not only did the Red Thread Sword Academy suffer bloodshed, but many other small martial arts schools were also challenged, resulting in a series of life-threatening clashes.

However, none of them were able to defeat the enemy like the Red Thread Sword Academy.

Most small martial arts schools are powerless to resist and are easily defeated in the fight, often being knocked down in just a few moves.

In life-or-death conflicts, only a few losers die outright; most of them abandon their dignity, kneel down, and beg for mercy in exchange for barely surviving.

After their defeat, the business of these martial arts schools immediately plummeted and rarely recovered.

News of who won and who lost kept spreading amidst the continuous martial arts turmoil. The martial arts world even created a ranking list of martial arts schools in Jinshi City. In fact, Poyudao School was the leader, with the other two schools ranking second and third in fist and palm techniques. Qingsongjian, which was originally on par with them, had fallen to after tenth place.

This list was posted on notice boards in major squares and in front of martial arts schools. Anyone who wanted to learn martial arts would first look at the list, ask around, and then decide which school to go to. Naturally, they no longer paid attention to the losers in the competition and flocked to those major martial arts schools.

This trend intensified, and there were even rumors that some disciples had betrayed the martial arts school and joined other schools.

The major martial arts schools wrote extensively about this, welcoming disciples from other smaller schools to come and join them, and even offering subsidies.

Gradually, the number of martial artists in the large martial arts schools increased, while the small martial arts schools, which had fallen on hard times, became increasingly desolate.

This incident has affected the entire Jinshi City, but it has not had a significant impact on the Red Thread Sword Academy.

After all, it is true that Red Thread Sword Academy defeated Green Pine Sword Academy, one of the original four major martial arts schools. Even if it closed its doors and stopped accepting challenges afterward, this achievement alone is enough to attract attention.

Furthermore, Red Thread Sword Academy is the only sword academy in Jinshi City that accepts female disciples and only accepts female disciples. It has a monopoly in this regard and will not affect the interests of other martial arts schools.

Therefore, the Red Thread Sword Academy, which was initially embroiled in the martial arts turmoil, actually settled down and became one of the few beneficiaries outside of the three major martial arts schools in Jinshi City.

Although the benefit is very small.

……

The uproar surrounding the martial arts school's fighting competitions gradually subsided after two or three months.

The final result was exactly as the leaders of the major martial arts schools that had caused the commotion had hoped for. They defeated the smaller martial arts schools one by one and excluded the larger Qingsong Sword School. Now, only the three major martial arts schools in Jinshi City have the final say.

Other small martial arts schools are already deserted and quiet, so there's no need to worry about them.

Although many damaged small martial arts schools also made noises, few people listened to them.

A few days later, at the Red Thread Sword Academy, Xi Heng was having a meal with several senior sisters when he overheard them talking about news from the outside world:

The master of the Qingsong Sword Academy, who had been in seclusion to practice swordsmanship, has emerged from seclusion. Knowing that the reputation and prestige of the Qingsong Sword Academy have become increasingly tarnished recently, he is filled with rage and announces that he will go to the three major martial arts academies to demand an explanation.

"Speaking of which, it was our Red Thread Sword Academy that first defeated them. Will this person also pursue us?" someone worried.

"Don't worry." Senior Sister Hongmiao brought over a teacup and sat down next to Xi Heng. "The real culprits are the three major martial arts schools. We are just affected by them."

“If he insists on pursuing this matter, I will kill him too,” Hong Miao said, “just like when Xi Heng killed his disciple.”

"Senior sister is really domineering," Xi Heng casually replied.

For some reason, Senior Sister Hongmiao was incredibly confident when facing any enemy, drawing her sword without hesitation, as if she never considered the consequences of her defeat.

Could it be that Senior Sister is really that strong? Was she confident she could defeat so many powerful opponents when she was challenged to a new dojo?

Or perhaps, this person is truly not afraid of death at all?

Xi Heng really couldn't guess.

"In addition," another senior sister who was telling the news said, "when the head of the Qingsong Sword Hall made the announcement, many heads of other small martial arts halls echoed each other and wanted to join together."

“There may be some trouble in Jinshi City in the next few days, so please remember to keep a low profile when you go out.”

……

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Martial Arts Tournament

Although one should be careful and discreet when outside the hospital, Xi Heng rarely leaves the hospital anyway.

Normally, she would only be invited by her wealthy junior sister to watch a play or have a banquet at a restaurant. For Xi Heng, who had transmigrated from the modern world, these things held no appeal and did not distract her from practicing martial arts.

Xi Heng always prioritized martial arts training above all else, and it was only natural that he would not leave the courtyard for a whole month.

Therefore, the many disturbances that occurred in the outside world in the following days did not affect her in the slightest.

Three days later, the chaos at the martial arts school ended, and news arrived.

The Broken Jade Knife School, one of the three major martial arts schools, was attacked by the master of the Green Pine Sword School, who led dozens of experts from smaller martial arts schools.

The master of the Broken Jade Knife Hall led many disciples to stop them, and declared that he would settle the matter with the master of the Green Pine Sword Hall in a one-on-one duel.

The master of the Green Pine Sword Pavilion naturally agreed, and in front of everyone, he exchanged dozens of blows with his opponent, and for a time it was difficult to determine a winner.

The battle was finally decided when the master of the Broken Jade Knife Hall suddenly shook his blade, and the hilt of his knife flew out like a hidden weapon, leaving several holes in the body of the master of the Green Pine Sword Hall.

This insidious move, despised by martial artists, immediately drew angry curses from other experts. However, the master of the Broken Jade Knife Hall said: This is also one of their sword techniques. Sword techniques are inherently killing skills. Any move that can kill is a good move. There is no distinction between light and dark, right and wrong.

This explanation only exacerbated the conflict, leading to an increasingly chaotic scene, with several experts rushing forward as if to launch a group attack.

The master of the Broken Jade Knife Hall stepped down from the arena and, together with his hundreds of disciples who had reached the level of internal strength, prepared to attack him.

Unexpectedly, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted to stop. Immediately, this person leaped into the air, killed the owner of the Broken Jade Knife Pavilion with a single sword strike, and then, under the stunned gazes of the crowd, lowered his straw hat and strode away.

Just a few seconds later, a dozen or so men in black robes suddenly appeared around them, chasing after the swordsman in the bamboo hat. They disappeared in a short while.

The turmoil at the martial arts school temporarily subsided, and public opinion in the martial arts world turned its attention to the mysterious swordsman in the bamboo hat, investigating his identity and swordsmanship, with some offering a large reward for any inside information.

After that, the other two major martial arts schools made some compensation to the smaller martial arts schools that were affected, and the whole incident of challenging the schools and fighting seemed to have ended there.

……

In the afternoon, at Hongxianjian Academy, a tea party was held under the mulberry tree in the courtyard.

Xi Heng listened to the chatter of his senior sisters while drinking tea.

They were talking about these news coming from the outside world:

"Legend has it that this person was a peerless master in the martial arts world, named... Wave Sword," someone said.

Another senior sister, who often went out to collect and purchase supplies and was fairly well-informed, said, "It's the Surging Wave Sword. This person has been retired from the martial world for more than twenty years, but recently he has reappeared for some unknown reason."

Hong Miao whispered from the side, "It is unknown why this expert came to Jinshi City, or why he was being hunted down... It is unclear how many martial arts forces are in Jinshi City now, and why they came here."

"Our Red Thread Sword Academy can only try to keep to ourselves as much as possible," she said. "After tea, we will notify everyone in the academy to gather and ask everyone to behave themselves these days."

The other senior female students nodded in agreement.

Before the tea was finished, someone came running from not far away; it seemed to be one of the junior sisters who was guarding the courtyard gate today.

"Senior Sister, someone just delivered this invitation." The person came to Senior Sister Hongmiao's side and handed her something.

As Xi Heng sipped his tea, he glanced at the envelope and saw seven large, bold characters written from top to bottom on the red stripe on its surface:

The First Martial Arts Tournament of Jinshi.

Hong Miao frowned slightly, opened the envelope, and took out a letter with black writing on white paper.

She quickly finished reading the invitation, and then, facing the gazes of several people around her, began to explain:

"Several masters in the city, together with some large and small martial arts schools, have jointly organized a martial arts tournament to truly determine which school has the strongest martial arts and to settle the matter of challenging other schools. This is an invitation from the Green Mountain Sword School, asking our Red Thread Sword School to send someone to participate as well."

"This is the epicenter of the chaos; we must not go there," the senior colleague in charge of procurement said directly.

“That’s true.” Hong Miao nodded slightly, then added, “However, this invitation is less of an invitation to the Red Thread Sword Academy and more of an invitation to one of our academy, judging from the words on it.”

"Who?" Xi Heng tilted his head.

"He once defeated the second disciple of their Green Mountain Sword Pavilion, causing the Green Pine Sword Pavilion to begin to decline, ultimately leading to the point where even their leader was killed in a duel." Hong Miao handed over the invitation:

"You are the one."

"I didn't do that many things," Xi Heng shook his head in rebuttal, then took the invitation and began to read it silently.

"It is imperative that Xi Heng of the Red Thread Sword Academy participates. The Green Pine Sword Master will avenge the loss of that sword in the Martial Arts Tournament... That's very straightforward."

"Do you want to participate?" Hong Miao asked.

"Of course." Xi Heng had never seen a martial arts tournament before and wanted to see the sword techniques of other schools, and also to gain some experience in actual combat.

"Why? Didn't everyone just say we should protect ourselves?" Hong Miao asked naturally.

"Of course, the Sword Academy sect should protect itself, but I personally don't need to do that," Xi Heng replied. "Learning martial arts isn't about escaping; you should face trouble when it comes... Besides, if your first thought when someone asks you to fight is to refuse, you'll only develop a fear of battle, won't you?"

Never be afraid when facing an enemy; this is also one of the sword intents of the Red Thread Sword.

Hongmiao was convinced by this reasoning: "Then this letter is yours. You may go if you wish, or you may stay in the courtyard if you do not wish to."

"Hmm." Xi Heng read the letter again and accepted it.

With more than ten days to go before the martial arts tournament, Xi Heng accepted the invitation and continued to practice martial arts and hone his skills in the courtyard.

Although the invitation stated that the martial arts tournament would not result in death and was intended to foster friendship through martial arts, swords and fists are indiscriminate, and it is inevitable that some people will be harmed.

If someone is destined to lose their life, Xi Heng hopes that his sword will take it.

For more than ten days, she often sparred with her fellow students to hone her skills.

The cultivation of circulating Qi and blood was temporarily suspended for a few days because of this matter. After all, in the short term, practicing sword moves was more effective in improving strength than cultivating Qi and blood.

During this period, she stopped learning new moves and instead integrated the moves she was already familiar with.

Step forward, raise your sword, thrust towards your throat, block the sword if it meets yours, and then advance forward after blocking.

He twists his wrist to slice and slash, then spins and suddenly strikes, followed by a variety of horizontal cutting techniques.

Through countless hours of sword practice, Xi Heng had mastered the first two levels of the Red Thread Sword technique to the point of instinct.

According to the common saying in martial arts, this level is called "skill has been mastered", and one can spontaneously use many moves in combat without any worldly experience.

On the last day before the martial arts competition began, Senior Sister Hongmiao personally took time to come and provide guidance.

Even knowing that her senior sister wouldn't hurt her, Xi Heng couldn't help but feel a little nervous when facing her in the sword-fighting arena.

The memory of Xi Heng of the three sword strikes he witnessed when he met his senior sister in his previous life is still deeply etched in his mind.

Even now, having mastered the first two levels of the Red Thread Sword Technique, Xi Heng still has no idea how to deal with that move of striking three times in an instant.

The two faced each other with their swords drawn, and Xi Heng's fingers trembled slightly.

"Don't be nervous." Senior Sister Hongmiao clearly saw through her and reassured her, "Just relax and be calm, just like when you're sparring with other senior and junior sisters."

"Even if you say that..." Xi Heng said helplessly.

In her eyes, her senior sister was like a high mountain, and looking up at her inevitably gave her a feeling that the higher she climbed, the more difficult it was to climb.

Xi Heng took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, assuming a sword stance and gradually approaching.

She stepped forward with her sword raised, aiming a thrust at the other's throat, but the senior sister easily deflected it with her own blade.

Xi Heng brandished his longsword again, the sword light swirling, and slashed at Hong Miao's chest from mid-air.

Hong Miao simply took a half-step back and easily dodged the sword.

The movements were simple and natural, radiating confidence.

Immediately afterwards, Hong Miao twisted her wrist and suddenly raised her sword. The surging sword wind generated by the movement made Xi Heng subconsciously take a few steps back.

The girl's long, gray-black hair, tied up in a bun, was also blown away by the sword wind, and a wooden hairpin fell to the ground with a thud.

"Not bad, you've made considerable progress in the past six months." After a few moves, Hong Miao nodded.

"But I still have no chance against my senior sister," Xi Heng said helplessly.

"When you reach the Dark Force level, you might be even stronger than me." The other party offered a simple word of comfort, then twirled his sword and slowly walked towards Xi Heng.

Xi Heng took a half step back, swallowed, and after half a second, he made up his mind to prepare to meet his senior sister's initiative.

Hong Miao suddenly stomped the ground with a crisp sound, and her white and red figures appeared in front of Xi Heng in the blink of an eye.

Seeing the green sword dancing before her eyes, Xi Heng hurriedly raised her sword to defend, but the sword in front of her suddenly changed direction and before she could react, it had already pointed at a flaw that she could not defend against.

The girl froze. The tip of her senior sister's longsword was already pointing at her waist and abdomen. If it went any further, it would draw blood.

"When facing an enemy attack, you should not only look at the opponent's weapon, but also at the movement of their wrist and arm joints, and their position, in order to distinguish whether it is a real move or a feint," Hong Miao said, sheathing her sword.

“I know that too…” Xi Heng pouted, “It’s just that Senior Sister was too fast, so I didn’t see her.”

"Then let's try again." Hong Miao twisted her wrist, and the sword blade danced in front of her, suddenly thrusting towards Xi Heng's neck.