Wait, How Did My Digital Girlfriend Become a Sword Immortal? Chapter 852: Victory in a Single Move

When Xiao Yanyao ascended the stage, an overwhelming pressure seemed to crush the very atmosphere.

Many Battle Masters among the onlookers broke into a cold sweat, fearing for Li Qingran's prospects.

"Goddess, keep going..."

"If the pressure becomes too much, just forfeit! No one will blame you for it!"

Li Qingran, however, stood with unyielding elegance upon the fighting platform. Her expression remained as frigid as a winter frost, her brow smooth and unperturbed.

The stage architecture granted the defender a height advantage, forcing the challenger to endure a condescending gaze from above.

Xiao Yanyao peered up at Li Qingran, his eyes glinting with a frigid, cruel light.

As a minor branch descendant of the Xiao Family, his survival within the clan depended entirely on currying favor with the main lineage. He should have held the defender’s position himself, but he had been instructed to mask his true strength and deliberately stumble in the early rounds to fulfill a directive from the Young Master.

Still, all was not lost.

He could easily extract what he had forfeited from Li Qingran. Furthermore, by crushing her, he would accomplish the Young Master’s secret task, effectively killing two birds with one stone.

The moment Xiao Yanyao landed, the platform groaned, and fine fissures webbed outward across the tiled flooring as he released his intense Battle Power.

He grinned, displaying a set of gleaming teeth against his bronze skin, his demeanor oozing arrogance. "Li Qingran, right? I never intended to rough up such a delicate flower, but you have crossed someone you truly shouldn't have. Try to be more aware of your place moving forward!"

Before his taunt had finished resonating.

Four World Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple—shimmered beneath his feet.

The radiant light forced many spectators to narrow their eyes.

The Battle Power of a 42nd-rank Battle Ancestor flared like molten iron, coursing through his thick muscles, causing the atmosphere to hum and distort under the immense pressure.

"ROAR—!"

A deafening lion's roar echoed through the arena.

A towering, ghostly Golden-maned Lion Emperor manifest behind him. With a mane that burned like hellfire and eyes glowing with predatory malice, it emitted a palpable kingly aura.

Spectators seated in front rows recoiled, shivering from the sheer weight of the pressure.

Many lower-ranked Battle Masters paled, instinctively clutching their ears to block the sound.

A wave of stunned gasps swept through the stands.

"A top-tier Beast Battle Soul, it is the Golden-maned Lion Emperor!"

"He’s unleashing his full Battle Soul right from the start! Xiao Yanyao intends to end this quickly!"

"Li Qingran is in danger; there is a devastating gap in their levels!"

Without bothering with further pleasantries, Xiao Yanyao’s first World Ring flared intensely.

"Lion's Claw Rending Slaughter!"

He kicked off the ground with violent intent, launching himself toward Li Qingran like a streak of light.

Mid-air, his hand contorted into a razor-sharp lion's claw, delivering a shriek of displaced air aimed squarely at her face. The momentum of the strike was like a falling rainbow; the sheer wind pressure was so intense it blew her bangs backward before it even made contact.

Facing the unstoppable assault, Li Qingran’s gaze remained as still as an undisturbed lake. She did not bother to dodge; instead, she lifted her plain, antique longsword, the tip tilted subtly forward.

Her own first World Ring illuminated.

A violet halo appeared beneath her feet.

"Sword Style: Long Wind Breaks Waves."

Her voice was cool and crisp, standing in sharp contrast to the massive surge of Sword Qi that exploded from her blade. A greenish, crescent-shaped Sword Aura, sharp and concentrated like a ship’s bow carving through the tide, shot out to meet the golden claw-light.

"CLANG!"

The deafening strike of metal against metal set teeth on edge.

Xiao Yanyao felt a jarring, frigid force race up his arm.

His heavy-handed strike had been brought to a total standstill.

He stumbled backward twice, astonishment flickering across his eyes. "Interesting! No wonder you piqued the Young Master's interest! I admit, you have some talent!"

The mention of the Young Master caused the chill in Li Qingran’s eyes to deepen.

What did he mean by that? She was her Master's companion; she was not some object for others to judge.

She felt a flicker of regret for holding back earlier.

For flies like this, a merciless thrashing was overdue.

As these thoughts crossed her mind, Xiao Yanyao activated his second World Ring.

"Take this, my second technique! Rampaging Lion's Tyrant Sunder!"

His second move seemed like an amplified iteration of the first. His flurry of claw and fist shadows multiplied exponentially, creating a web of oppression that locked off every possible escape route.

"The barrage is too thick, there’s no way for the Goddess to evade..."

"No! The Goddess can't let her face be ruined!"

Evade?

Li Qingran let out a cold, sharp breath.

She did not need to run.

Suxian lashed out once more, executing the exact same move: Long Wind Breaks Waves.

With a flash of steel, the entire barrage of fist shadows shattered instantly.

"This... how is this possible?!" Xiao Yanyao’s eyes grew wide. His earlier disdain evaporated, replaced by raw shock.

While he wasn't among the elite of his clan, he was certainly a cut above average. How could his techniques be so effortlessly nullified by her opening move? It made him look utterly incompetent before his clansmen and the Young Master.

He could sense the icy, judging stare of Xiao Shijue, the Eldest Young Master, tracking him from the spectator bench.

"Impossible! I refuse to believe it!"

Xiao Yanyao growled, clutching his fists as his third and fourth World Rings ignited.

"Lion King's Charge!" He merged his spirit with the Golden-maned Lion Emperor phantom.

Xiao Yanyao’s speed surged beyond its peak. His muscles expanded, and he charged at Li Qingran with the force of a battering ram, the platform collapsing into rubble with every thunderous step.

Li Qingran’s expression remained frozen. Sword Qi coalesced around her once more.

The energy surged upward, then shot forward as a brilliant, white rainbow, meeting his charge head-on.

Her sword style was versatile; it could slash, block, or thrust, and this straight drive maximized its destructive output.

"Long Wind Breaks Waves, it is time!"

Her soft chant rang out, drowning the roar of the Lion King behind her.

"Is she suicidal? How dare she collide directly with Xiao Yanyao’s brute strength?"

"What kind of technique is this? How could she possess such power?"

The stands erupted into chaos. Everyone leaned in.

The white rainbow of Sword Qi smashed into the charging figure with a thunderous impact. A violent shockwave of Battle Power rippled out, forcing the protective runes of the platform to flare to life.

Xiao Yanyao felt as if a glacier had slammed into his chest. An irresistible, overwhelming force pulverized his momentum.

His prized Battle Technique was no match for this single sword strike.

"Pfft!" He coughed blood, his body flying backward like a broken kite.

Yet, he refused to yield. His fourth purple World Ring pulsed with violent light.

The spectral lion let out a heaven-shaking roar. "Fourth Battle Technique, Golden Lion's Roar Wave!"

A concentrated, golden wave of sound erupted from its maw.

Tangible as a tidal wave, the sonic attack surged toward her. This was his pinnacle technique, capable of crippling other Battle Ancestors of similar rank.

"Hoist the sail to cross the sea!"

Only a fading afterimage remained where she had stood.

Li Qingran reappeared behind Xiao Yanyao in a blink.

Her sword coiled like a dragon in a backhanded strike, the Sword Qi surging directly toward his spine.

"What?!" How could she maneuver with such bizarre speed? He took the blow directly, spinning around in a desperate attempt to maintain his sonic wave attack.

But the moment he turned, she vanished again, returning to her initial position.

This was the secret of her style—the Shadow Kill: return to the origin, then deliver the final strike.

Li Qingran took a steady step, delivering the finishing thrust squarely into his back.

"PFFT—!"

Xiao Yanyao sprayed blood as his body slammed against the protective barrier with a dull thud.

His World Rings flickered and died. The Lion Emperor phantom dissolved into nothingness.

Li Qingran sheathed her blade and stood in the center of the ring. Her light robes were entirely unsoiled.

Her cold voice echoed across the arena. "You lose."

A brief, deathly silence hung over the crowd before a roar of cheers erupted. "My heavens! Again! Another victory in a single move!"

"A 42nd-rank Battle Ancestor, with a peak-tier attack soul, defeated in a single stroke!"

"What manner of monster is this Goddess Qingran? How can her first technique be this terrifying?"

"How do you know it's her first? She has a purple halo, obviously that was her third!"

The debates raged, but Xiao Yanyao couldn't hear a word.

His massive frame slumped to the floor, drained of all vitality. Watching Li Qingran’s back, his eyes were wide with pure terror.

He hadn't even touched her. He was finished. This was the end.

"WAAAH—!"

Under Li Qingran’s thoroughly confused gaze.

The two-meter-tall brute simply crumbled onto the floor and began to sob uncontrollably.