Taking in a deep breath, Bai Hu quickly angled his body and allowed one of his hands free of his spear. That hand quickly reached for the spatial pouch that rested by his waist.
Weng!
Not even a second had passed and Bai Hu had already extracted what he needed. With a thought, the Fire Silk Scarf lit up with even more protective fire qi right as several purple beads shot forth at Cheng Xia.
"Oh?"
Zhang Yun Guang stroked his chin as he saw the purple beads fly out, sensing the turbulent energy they contained.
Being so close to the beads, Cheng Xia naturally also sensed the violent energy despite not possessing roots of any other element other than metal.
Using his swiftness, Cheng Xia attempted to slash the beads before they could do anything.
Swish!
At that moment, Bai Hu smiled, pushing his spear forward and propelling himself backwards. At that moment, Cheng Xia's blade came into contact with the Thunderflame Beads.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
3 consecutive explosions rang out as Cheng Xia became engulfed in flames. A few meters away, Bai Hu let out a sigh of relief as he gained some breathing room.
Suddenly, the hairs on his neck bristled and his muscles stiffened.
Almost instinctively, Bai Hu swung the Black Sky Gold Spear to his right, lashing out with several Windsteel Blades as well.
Clang!
Sparks flew as Cheng Xia appeared to the right of Bai Hu, destroying the Windsteel Blades and blocking the spear with ease.
His robes were singed in various places, and his sharp facial features covered in soot. Even so, the metal qi surrounding Cheng Xia's figure did not diminish in the slightest. If anything, it only continued to grow sharper.
Bai Hu smiled wryly, "What a monster..."
Cheng Xia grinned, "Speak for yourself"
Swish! Clink!
Once again, the duo exchanged a flurry of blows, disturbing the air flow in the area with physical might alone.
Outside the enclosed platform, Zhang Yun Guang was forced to erect a barrier of qi to block the turbulent winds. While he may have trained his body to an extent in order to use the famed 5 Lights Origin Palm, it cannot rival the 2 monsters currently engaged in a close ranged brawl.
"If I had time to set up Formations and keep my distance, perhaps winning is possible. But at close range... that's just not possible"
At this moment, a new voice spoke out, "Oh? The famed grandson of Grand Elder White Feather is actually so humble?"
Zhang Yun Guan turned around immediately, seeing a familiar looking young woman with her attendant.
He bowed respectfully almost immediately, "Head Disciple Rue"
Rue Ming waved her hand with a smile, "No need to be so polite, I was just passing by when I heard there was a fight"
Zhang Yun Guan sweated inwardly. The person before him was someone who will soon reach the Core Formation realm while under the age of 100. Such talent was something even he, the grandson of an esteemed elder, struggled to emulate.
Rue Ming looked towards the arena where Cheng Xia and Bai Hu were still fighting. The tension between the 2 reached an all time peak, where a single mistake could signify a loss.
"Who do you think will win?" she asked.
Disciple Ling and Zhang Yun Guan glanced at each other, not knowing how to respond.
Both Cheng Xia and Bai Hu were clearly talented, and it was difficult to determine whose physical body is stronger. While Cheng Xia has been in the Foundation Realm for slightly longer, Bai Hu has numerous magic treasures that boost his strength.
"It seems that Cheng Xia will win," Rue Ming said after a brief moment.
Zhang Yun Guan raised an eyebrow, "May I ask how you came to that conclusion?"
The woman sat down with a smile, "Bai Hu is still too young and inexperienced, While Cheng Xia is older and fought in more battles"
As soon as she said that, Bai Hu's right arm had been slashed by Cheng Xia. Despite doing his best to keep up his defenses, Bai Hu simply could not overcome the fierce and relentless strikes of Cheng Xia.
As he suffered one injury, many more began to pile up.
Swish!
"Tsk!"
His light thigh, his right shoulder, his left hand, his right calf. Small cuts turned into larger ones, until there was a small pool of blood under Bai Hu.
However, Bai Hu was still standing, while Cheng Xia ceased his onslaught of attacks. Sensing the end drawing near, Bai Hu smiled.
"Let's end it in one final attack shall we?"
Cheng Xia responded with a smile, lowering his sword to his side as if he were to draw it from its sheath, "I'll use my strongest technique then. While it is not perfected, it still packs quite the punch"
Bai Hu smiled, now holding the very end of his spear in a single hand and raising it over his head, "Very well, then I shall do the same"
The arena went silent as the duo took their stances. They were a few meters apart from one another, yet their rising auras collided fiercely.
"One Sword Splits The Heavens! Split The Sky!"
"9 Beasts Spear Art! Vermilion Bird!"
A powerful sword strike that rose to cleave the sky, and the projection of a scarlet red bird descending with determination.
BOOM!
The two forces collided, rocking the arena. Time seemed to stop for a few seconds as both sides could not overpower the other for a moment, but the victor was decided in the next.
The vermilion bird projection shook, and a second later, collapsed. Cheng Xia's sword strike cleaved the projection in 2 and continued onward towards the Formations.
Bang!
The force was dispersed by the Formations easily, and laughter could be heard in the next moment.
""Hahahahaha!""
Both of the fighters burst into laughter as they put away their weapons. Bai Hu raised his hand with a smile on his face.
"Its my loss"
The Formations around them shone with a blue light, before coming down and allowing them to exit.
Cheng Xia allowed Bai Hu to lean on him for support with a wide grin on his face, "You know, despite how you look, you are actually quite fierce"
Bai Hu was about to respond when he caught eye of a familiar face next to Zhang Yun Guan. He went silent as the 3 spectators descended.
Cheng Xia also noticed the newcomers and recognized one of the women with a single glance. The two of them stood straight and bowed respectfully.
"Head Disciple Rue"
"Miss Rue"
""!!!""
Cheng Xia's eyes widened as he glanced at Bai Hu, while Zhang Yun Guan was simply shocked speechless.
Disciple Ling's brows furrowed, her delicate face containing a slight trace of anger. Before she could say anything however, Rue Ming stepped forward with a smile, reaching out with a jade-like hand.
Bai Hu felt his face warm slightly as Rue Ming patted his head gently, much to the shock of the onlookers.
Rue Ming's eyes glowed for a moment, before her smile widened even more, "You've grown a lot since the last time I've seen you. At this rate, you might even surpass me in terms of talent"
She turned to the others, her hand still patting Bai Hu's head as if he were some child, "You all can drop the formalities. I dislike when others force a polite front"
Disciple Ling frowned slightly, "Miss, who is this guy?"
Rue Ming withdrew her hand, "Bai Hu was brought into the sect by me personally when he was a young boy"
Cheng Xia glanced at Bai Hu with slight curiosity, "I've been meaning to ask, but how old is Fellow Disciple Bai?"
"Umm..." Bai Hu thought for a moment before replying, "I believe I am around 16 years old? It's hard to keep track of time whilst training everyday"
""!!""
The shocked expressions on everyone except Rue Ming confused Bai Hu slightly, not understanding why they would react in such ways. However, some slight movement around them captured each of their attentions.
Rue Ming glanced around, seeing onlookers start to gather up in greater numbers.
"Lets head somewhere with less people, " She turned to Bai Hu, "Little Bai, where do you reside currently?"
"Thunderwind Peak," he responded.
Whoosh!
With a snap of her fingers, the 5 of them found themselves on a bamboo raft coursing through the air. While a thin qi barrier prevented the wind from slamming into their faces, other than Rue Ming, the others had trouble registering their surroundings due to the speed at which they moved.
It took a mere few moments before the skies around them darkened and the familiar shape of Thunderwind Peak appeared within Bai Hu's vision.
'Such speed!'
'Despite reaching the Foundation realm and possessing far sharper senses than before, I still couldn't react at all. I wonder... how does Master compare to Rue Ming?'