Xuanhuan: The Empress and I Swapped Bodies - Chapter 15

The battle ended, yet Liu Shengsheng remained standing with his treasured sword in hand, every bit the image of a peerless sword immortal—save for his slightly plump figure, which somewhat undermined the mystique.

Meanwhile, Wang Hai was utterly bewildered.

“H-how did you do that? How could you suddenly become so strong?”

“Did you secretly learn some advanced sword technique outside the academy?”

The swordplay Liu Shengsheng had displayed was completely unfamiliar to Wang Hai. Yet, he could sense its terrifying power—when the swirling forces of Yin and Yang erupted, he had felt as though his entire arm, even his whole body, was on the verge of being torn apart.

His only conclusion was that Liu Shengsheng must have trained in secret, waiting for this moment to shine.

The thought filled Wang Hai with bitter regret. He had unwittingly become a stepping stone for Liu Shengsheng’s grand reveal.

Yet Liu Shengsheng remained calm.

“My elder sister once said: ‘The essence of the Dao lies not in quantity, but in refinement.’ I have not learned any new sword techniques.”

“What you witnessed was merely the fusion of the three techniques I already knew.”

“Impossible!” Wang Hai snapped, his pride wounded. “I’ve seen those three techniques before! You may have defeated me today, but don’t you dare mock me!”

He had fought Liu Shengsheng in the past—back then, those same three techniques had been effortlessly crushed, to the point where even Zhang Chang could easily overpower him.

For Liu Shengsheng to claim victory with those very same techniques? Unthinkable.

But before Liu Shengsheng could respond, another voice cut in.

“He speaks the truth. He did indeed use those three techniques.”

A group of figures emerged before them—led by the Royal Academy’s headmaster, flanked by the academy’s instructors.

Among them, one person stood out.

Clad in flowing robes, her skin like polished jade, she moved with an ethereal grace. Her curves were accentuated by a slender swan-like neck and legs that seemed to stretch endlessly.

A single glance was enough to stir the imagination.

This was none other than the woman they had whispered about earlier—Yu Meiren, the “Jade Beauty.”

Of course, that name was only spoken behind her back.

A cultivator at the Celestial Immortal Realm was not someone to be addressed so casually.

Her appearance sent murmurs rippling through the crowd.

“Is that… Senior Yu?”

“It must be! Who else could possess such peerless beauty and cultivation?”

“Heavens, if she’s been watching all along, then our earlier performances were all laid bare before her!”

Yu Meiren had come to the Royal Academy to assume the role of vice-headmaster. Rumor had it she might even take on a disciple.

Naturally, every student had been eager to impress her.

Yet Yu Meiren paid them no mind. Her piercing gaze remained fixed on Liu Shengsheng.

“How did you do it?”

“Do… what?”

“Fusing three sword techniques into one, multiplying your combat power. How?”

Her voice trembled with excitement. As a swordswoman herself, she recognized the profound implications of what she had just witnessed.

If this method could be perfected, Liu Shengsheng would undoubtedly become a swordsmaster of legendary stature.

She had to know the secret.

Her intense stare sent a jolt through Liu Shengsheng. He was, after all, a young man—being scrutinized so intently by a renowned beauty was… distracting.

“Well… I figured it out myself.”

Though the technique was formidable, the humiliation of begging for it was too much to admit.

But his evasion was swiftly dismantled.

“Impossible. The fusion is powerful, but your execution is still unrefined—you haven’t fully grasped it.”

“This method wasn’t your creation.”

“Let me guess… Did the Empress devise it?”

Even Yu Meiren held the Divine Dragon Empress in awe.

Though she herself was a Celestial Immortal—just one step from the Immortal King Realm—that final step was not a matter of mere cultivation.

In the Primordial Cosmos, one law stood absolute:

No one under five thousand years of age may ascend to the Immortal King Realm.

Countless prodigies had been trapped at the Celestial Immortal stage, forced to bide their time until the cosmic decree allowed their ascension.

But the Divine Dragon Empress had shattered that limitation.

At just twenty years of age, she had attained the Immortal King Realm, shaking the heavens.

She was hailed as a once-in-an-eternity genius, an idol to countless cultivators.

Many sought to emulate her, yet none had succeeded.

Not Yu Meiren.

Not even the Empress’s own handmaiden, Murong Wan’er.

The Empress was a living legend.

And now, faced with this unprecedented fusion technique, Yu Meiren’s thoughts immediately turned to her.

Recent whispers spoke of a new cultivation method devised by the Empress.

Cornered, Liu Shengsheng could no longer claim credit.

“Yes… this was my sister’s creation.”

“What I’ve grasped is merely a simplified version.”

“The true method allows for the fusion of ten thousand techniques—ten thousand swords—so long as each is mastered to perfection.”

“At its peak, it can unleash ten thousand times the combat power.”

Of course, “ten thousand times” was an ideal scenario—requiring ten thousand supreme techniques, something nigh impossible.

But the mere concept sent shivers through the crowd.

“If I fused ten thousand sword techniques… would that not be the legendary ‘Ten Thousand Swords Return to One’?”

“With ten thousand times the power, surpassing realms would be as easy as drinking water!”

“To think the Empress’s creation is so terrifying… This is nothing short of a heavenly scripture!”

Few had ever laid eyes on the method Ye Wushuang had devised—not even the Grand Archivist of the Imperial Library.

Thus, its true might remained shrouded in mystery.

But Liu Shengsheng’s explanation laid bare its staggering potential.

And in that moment, countless hearts burned with longing.