In the semifinals, Lucia Lu drew Snow Yuan as her opponent.
Lucia Lu waited, tapping her foot, but Snow Yuan was nowhere in sight.
Lucia Lu scanned the crowd, spotting Snow Yuan deep in animated conversation with Sean Shaw, laughing so brightly she practically outshone the sun.
After chatting up Sean for ages, Snow finally sashayed over, chin high, chest out, and shot Lucia Lu a look that could slice steel. "Divine Lady Lucia, let's not waste each other's precious time! I'm going all out, so brace yourself for a super-speedy defeat! And don't you dare go easy on me, or I'll never let you live it down!"
Lucy replied with a sly smirk, "Wouldn't dream of it. Frankly, I'm here for the show."
She chose her usual, ordinary Heavenly Blade.
Snow Yuan also wielded twin swords.
Her swords were twin blades, slim and flexible, radiating a mysterious, powerful aura.
Her swords were true Divine Artifacts.
Just as she promised, as soon as the match began, Snow leapt into the air and unleashed a thunderous opening strike at Lucy.
Lucy didn't dodge or retreat—she reached out and met the attack head-on.
A surge of wild divine power slammed toward her.
There was a deafening boom.
Snow Yuan crashed to the ground in an arc, her twin swords clattering beside her.
Her pupils widened in shock as she stared at Lucy.
Lucy lifted her chin slightly and looked back at her.
Lucy was exceptionally gifted in cultivation.
Even Adrian Drake and Ryan Lu together couldn't match her.
Even with Divine Artifacts, Snow Yuan was no match for her.
"Lucy! Did you scarf down some crazy power-up pill or what? We're both God Tier—how can you wipe the floor with me in one move?" Snow wailed, half aggrieved, half scandalized.
Lucy flashed a wicked grin. "Divine Lady Snow, you think I snack on pills all day? Challenge me whenever you want! If next time it takes me two moves to send you flying, then sure, call me a cheater!"
"You—" Snow bit her lip, absolutely furious.
Ryan, Luna, and Adrian all gave Lucy a secret thumbs-up behind her back: That's our big sister!
...
Lucia Lu's final opponent turned out to be Darren Xuan.
She hadn't expected it—Darren looked gentle and androgynous, but his cultivation was unfathomably deep.
You really can't judge a book by its cover.
They both greeted each other politely, then summoned their weapons.
Darren's weapon was a zither.
Lucy was also a music cultivator—she'd studied all kinds of musical Immortal Tools and Divine Artifacts, and could talk shop for hours.
Darren's zither was called the Flowglow Zither.
It was a top-grade Divine Artifact—seriously powerful.
When played, it could soothe and relax the opponent's mind.
And then, without realizing it, they'd quietly die.
Lucy's Entwined Heart flute was also a top-grade Divine Artifact.
But since it was forged, this artifact had never been tested in a real duel.
Seeing the Flowglow Zither, Lucy suddenly felt a surge of excitement—she wanted to let Entwined Heart have some fun, so she summoned it.
The green jade flute's aura was pure and powerful, balanced and gentle, able to overcome hardness with softness—a perfect match for Lucy's temperament.
The gods watching above began to whisper among themselves.
They all said this Divine Artifact seemed absolutely made for her.
"Divine Lady Lucia, you cultivate music too?" Darren asked with a smile.
Lucy nodded.
"After seeing your cultivation just now—defeating your opponent in a single move—I almost wanted to forfeit," Darren admitted. "But realizing you also cultivate music, I couldn't resist asking for a musical spar. Please, Divine Lady, grant me your guidance!"
Lucy said, "Let's keep it light—just a friendly match."
Darren nodded, then sat cross-legged in midair and began to play his zither.
Lucy raised Entwined Heart to her lips and began to play.
On the surface, instruments like qin and flute seem way less practical than swords and blades.
Swords and blades draw blood instantly.
What can you do with a zither or a flute?
But those who truly understand know that sonic-assault weapons are actually way deadlier than blades.
Swords and blades wound the body.
But sound attacks strike directly at the spirit.
To wield them, you need far stronger divine power and mental resolve than most.
Not just anyone dares to use them.