I Can Only Cultivate In A Game-Chapter 97: The City Lord’s Daughter
Victor's eyes glinted. "You shouldn't have gotten in my way."
Qi flooded his arm as he dashed forward and unleashed his strongest sword technique—Shadow Crescent Strike.
The sword arced through the air, releasing a crescent-shaped wave of blackened energy that glistened like dusk itself.
It emitted a strange ethereal resonance that warped the air around it.
The Nascent Soul cultivator laughed while spinning his own curved blade before activating a technique—Jade Vortex Shell—
A spinning disc of green energy encased his upper body like a spiral shield.
The cultivator's smug grin didn't waver—until the shadow crescent passed through his Jade Vortex Shell as if the technique wasn't even there.
"What—?"
He tried to dodge at the last moment but it was too late.
The shadowy arc cleaved across him with a slicing buzz.
His entire left arm and a portion of his shoulder were torn clean off. Blood gushed in a wild stream, soaking his robes instantly.
"AHHHHHH!"
He stumbled backward while clutching his stump in disbelief and agony.
Victor took a slow step forward with sword still in hand.
Scared that Victor would finish the job, he turned and scrambled away, desperate to escape with his life and preserve what little cultivation he had left.
"Anyone else?" Victor spoke with a voice cold enough to freeze bone.
The ridge went quiet...
Some of the other cultivators in the distance stared at him in confusion with the same thing going through their minds.
What the hell was that technique?
Victor slowly lowered his sword and exhaled.
The others kept their distance now while Victor moved deeper into the shadows as notifications blinked in his vision:
> [You have encountered a Mythical Beast: Shadow-Eyed Moon Serpent]
[First Encounter Bonus: +1500 wisps of Qi]
[Your Frost Bloom Palm has successfully affected a Grade 3-tier spirit beast for the first time.]
[Mastery of Frost Bloom Palm increased.]
Victor allowed himself a small sense of triumph.
At least it wasn't a total waste.
...
...
City Lord's Palace – Blueflame City
The warm glow of morning light poured in through the massive stained glass windows of the throne hall, casting prismatic hues across the polished black floors.
Servants and guards moved about the grand chamber, some arranging floral decorations of blue-glow lilies while others hung banners etched with silver embroidery.
The atmosphere was incredibly lively...
After all, the 200th birthday of Lady Xuan Qing, daughter of the City Lord, was only a day away.
The double doors of the throne room suddenly burst open with a dramatic clang.
"Faaaatherrrrr!" came the singsong voice.
Xuan Qing sauntered into the throne room like a summer breeze—light on her feet, filled with energy, and utterly oblivious to the decorum of nobility.
Her silken crimson robes shimmered with gold thread and curved so-perfectly to her wonderful form. The high slits on either side of the robes revealed smooth, pale legs that contrasted her gleaming red slippers.
Her waist-length raven-black hair was loosely tied with a pale blue ribbon, and her captivating violet eyes sparkled with excitement.
Despite being two centuries old, she looked no older than a spirited eighteen-year-old—an immortal bloom of beauty preserved by cultivation, but with the enthusiasm of a girl still dancing through her youth.
The guards and servants instinctively straightened before bowing in unison.
She paid them no mind and skipped toward the man seated upon the elevated throne at the far end of the hall—City Lord Xuan Wenzhou.
A man of formidable aura, dressed in deep azure robes trimmed with fire-gold patterns. His square jaw was lined with silver at the edge of his short beard, and his eyes—piercing as a hawk's—softened only for his daughter.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.
Xuan Qing bounded up the few steps and leaned lazily against the arm of his throne.
"Father, father, faaaatherrr!"
He chuckled lightly while shaking his head. "Yes, little moon?"
Xuan Qing huffed. "What if no one brings the Shadow-Eyed Moon Serpent tomorrow?"
The City Lord arched an eyebrow. "Then I will be very disappointed in the cultivators of Blueflame City."
"But I will be devastated!" she whined before flopping melodramatically against his side. "You know it's my favorite! It's sooo majestic and spooky and graceful and it glows in the dark, father—it glows! I want to tame it myself!"
He smiled gently while brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. "Someone will bring it."
She perked up instantly. "You promise?"
"No," he replied smoothly. "But I have faith."
Xuan Qing pouted again, this time more intensely.
"Fine! But what if no one does? Will you finally let me march into the Bloodshade Hunting Grounds and get it myself?"
The throne room went still.
Even the rustle of banners seemed to pause.
City Lord Xia Wenzhou's warm expression vanished like morning dew under sunlight.
"No," he said firmly.
Her playful demeanor faltered. "But why not?! I'm strong enough, father! I'm already in the Peak Nascent Soul Realm, and we could bring guards, even elders from the sect! You've been coddling me for two hundred years! I've never stepped beyond the outskirts!"
"Exactly," he voiced while standing, casting a long shadow over her. "Because the yellow zones, red zones, the black zones, and what lies beyond them are not for you. There are beasts there that could end your life in the blink of an eye."
"I'm not afraid of beasts," she voiced with a tone of defiance.
"It's not just the beasts!" he snapped.
His voice dropped. "The Bloodshade Hunting Grounds draw in things darker than spirit beasts… Rogue cultivators. Killers. Scavengers who'd trade a noble's life for a fistful of taels. You are not going there. And that's final."
Xuan Qing clenched her fists and spun on her heels.
"Ugh, you're so mean! I wish I'd been born a commoner—they get to have fun!"
She stormed off in a whirlwind of silk and indignation, muttering about how she'd just steal a serpent if no one delivered one.
The large doors slammed behind her.
The City Lord let out a slow breath and sat back on his throne.
A moment passed before one of the advisors stepped forward—Minister Liang, a sharp-eyed elder with a folded fan in his grasp.
"Lord Wenzhou," he said quietly. "Should someone actually manage to bring the Shadow-Eyed Moon Serpent alive… you remember what it means?"
The City Lord did not speak for a moment. His gaze lingered on the sealed windows, where the early rays of sun were slowly overtaken by the silver shade of approaching dusk.
"…I remember," he finally said.
His fingers clenched the armrest of his throne.
"Whoever brings it… will be the one tied to... the danger that follows."
...
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