After the referee loudly recited the tedious rules of the match, he did not immediately announce the start.
Instead, as was customary, he gave both sides a brief moment for confrontation and adjustment, allowing the atmosphere in the arena to build to a crescendo.
Yanqing was the first to break the silence. His cool voice carried an almost imperceptible hint of annoyance and dissatisfaction, his gaze as sharp as a sword, piercing straight through Yunli.
"You little girl from the Zhuming, you've got some nerve! My personal sword is something you can just take as you please? And when you return it, you have someone else do it for you? Where did all your Xianzhou etiquette go?"
He was, of course, referring to the old incident some days ago when Yunli had "borrowed" one of his personal flying swords, which was ultimately returned with Daziel's help.
Hearing this, Yunli showed no remorse. Instead, a playful smile curved her lips, a smile that held the unique charm of a young girl, yet contained a sharpness that was no less than the young man's before her.
"I say, kid, don't be so harsh. It's grating on the ears." Yunli huffed softly, her beautiful eyes glinting. "You've collected countless divine weapons and treasures. How many of those precious swords, after being unsheathed once or twice, have been cruelly locked away by you, never to see the light of day, their spirits left to wither in sorrow? You've already broken their hearts!"
She paused slightly, her gaze drifting towards a certain direction in the stands, her tone laced with undisguised teasing.
"When it comes to being 'faithful' to one's sword, you're a far cry from Daziel!"
Daziel, who had been tensely focused on the match, was caught completely off guard by being named. Hearing such an "evaluation," his face instantly flushed red. He let out a series of dry coughs, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"Did you hear that? Little Master Yunli called you faithful~ Why don't you bring your other sisters to the Xianzhou for her to see?" his companion, March 7th, couldn't help but stifle a giggle. She even gave him a light nudge with her snowy-white elbow, her large eyes filled with teasing amusement.
Yanqing's handsome face darkened at Yunli's barbed words. The cold light in his eyes flared, and his aura grew more severe.
"Such a sharp tongue! All talk!" Yanqing snorted. "I hope your sword is half as sharp as your mouth!"
Yunli was unafraid. She angled the tip of her heavy greatsword, Old Mettle, towards the jade floor. The flames on the blade churned, and a vast battle intent erupted like a volcano, soaring to the heavens.
"Then we shall see! Let me show you the swordsmanship of the Xianzhou Zhuming!"
"Match—start!"
The referee's high-pitched, resonant voice echoed through the martial arts arena like a clap of thunder.
In that instant, Yanqing moved!
His figure flickered like a phantom. The several flying swords around him, sensing their master's intent, let out a chorus of dragon-like hums. They shot out like freed dragons, transforming into streaks of cold light that tore through the air, striking at Yunli's vital points from every conceivable angle.
An incomparably fierce ice-aspected sword qi spread out like a tide. The surface of the arena rapidly condensed a thin layer of white frost. The momentum of his "Swallow's Return" was swift and brutal, as if to freeze and devour everything!
"A fine strike!"
Yunli shouted. Faced with such a fierce assault, she advanced instead of retreating. Her greatsword, Old Mettle, swung in wide, powerful arcs, like a scorching whirlwind sweeping across the land.
"Cleaving Wind and Sun!"
A violent, scorching sword wind roared out like a bellowing wall of fire, precisely parrying the incoming flying swords. A rapid, piercing series of clangs rang out as the blades collided, sending sparks flying.
The two opposing, ultimate forces of ice and fire clashed fiercely in the center of the stage. A terrifying shockwave of energy rolled outwards, its momentum horrifying to behold!
Yanqing's slender fingers moved quickly through a series of sword seals, his eyes focused and cold. The parried flying swords, under his precise control, carved mysterious trajectories in the air, their assault not only unabated but even fiercer, their angles more unpredictable.
"Windswept!"
The sword light dazzled, like a bolt of silk across the sky, creating a sharp, piercing sound of rushing wind, as if countless invisible, sharp blades were frantically cutting through the air, and through the opponent's protective aura.
Yunli's small figure was at the center of this dense web of swords, yet she showed no panic. The heavy greatsword in her hand seemed to have come alive, both agile and steady.
"Sword as Earth's Axis!"
With a clear cry, she slammed her burning greatsword, "Old Mettle," into the incredibly hard jade floor of the arena! A vast and immense sword intent surged up from beneath her feet!
The ancient array patterns carved into the arena floor seemed to be activated by this sword intent. Crimson light flowed like lava, instantly forming a solid, thick, circular flame barrier around her, temporarily blocking the fierce assault of the flying swords and emitting a sizzling sound.
Yanqing's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. The strength and resilience Yunli had shown clearly exceeded his initial expectations. This girl's Zhuming swordsmanship had already reached such a level!
"Cascading River!"
He hesitated no longer. With a low, cold shout, all the circling flying swords suddenly flared with light and merged in mid-air, instantly condensing into a massive ice sword several meters long. The blade radiated a heart-stopping, terrifying pressure as it chopped down towards Yunli with the force to split mountains!
Yunli's beautiful eyes instantly narrowed to pinpricks, the depths of her pupils burning with battle intent. Faced with this earth-shattering blow, she did not dodge. Gripping the hilt of Old Mettle, still embedded in the ground, she suddenly pulled upwards with all her might. Her small body shot up like a cannonball to meet the descending ice sword!
"Blade of the Celestial Path!"
The flames on her greatsword, "Old Mettle," suddenly erupted, growing several feet. The blade transformed into a burning giant's brand capable of incinerating the heavens, carrying a fearless, decisive momentum as it brutally collided with the descending ice sword under the watchful eyes of the crowd!
BOOM!
A deafening roar, as if it would overturn the entire arena, rang out. Countless fine ice shards and dazzling sparks flew in all directions like fireworks. A powerful, visible shockwave spread out in a circle from the point of impact. The protective array at the edge of the arena flashed wildly, barely withstanding the terrifying aftershock.
In the swirling dust, two figures were sent stumbling back several steps by the immense rebound force before they managed to steady themselves.
Yanqing's once-steady breathing was now slightly ragged, a few strands of dark hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. On Yunli's beautiful face, fine beads of sweat also appeared. It was clear that the last blow had taken a significant toll on her as well.
This earth-shaking, head-on clash was… a draw!
"I never thought you, a little girl, could have tempered the wide-swinging swordsmanship of the Xianzhou Zhuming to such a perfect blend of hardness and softness. I underestimated you," Yanqing said, a trace of surprise and sincere admiration in his eyes as he looked at Yunli.
Yunli, however, pouted her rosy lips in dissatisfaction and let out a huff.
"Hmph, your swordsmanship isn't half bad either. Even though your taste is questionable and you're not faithful enough to your swords, you've got some skill."
The brief exchange of words was like the calm before a storm. Immediately after, an even more intense battle erupted.
Yanqing's movements became more erratic and unpredictable. The flying swords under his control would sometimes split to harass, sometimes combine for a powerful strike, their angles of attack becoming ever more vicious. He was utilizing the essence of the "Cascading River" technique to its fullest, making it impossible to defend against.
Yunli, on the other hand, remained steady, responding to every change with constancy. Her greatsword, "Old Mettle," was a solid, impenetrable defense, neutralizing Yanqing's stormy assault wave after wave.
However, a long defense is bound to have a breach. This was an unbreakable truth of battle.
Yanqing was, after all, a battle-hardened veteran of the Cloud Knights, accustomed to fighting on the brink of life and death. His combat experience was far beyond that of an ordinary swordsman. Yunli, though a genius in the way of the sword, had to divide her attention and energy to the art of smithing. In terms of pure combat experience and on-the-spot adaptability, the gap between her and a veteran like Yanqing became apparent.
After a long battle, it was the more experienced Yanqing who was one step ahead, gaining a slight advantage over Yunli.
He acutely caught an extremely tiny, almost negligible opening in Yunli's center of gravity as she rapidly shifted to block several flying swords. It was a fleeting moment of instability caused by continuously enduring immense impact!
"Now!"
A sharp glint flashed in Yanqing's eyes. A flying sword that had been hidden, waiting for an opportunity, shot out like a long-dormant viper, silently cutting through the air. It bypassed the seemingly tight defense of "Old Mettle" and, from an unbelievable angle, stabbed towards Yunli's left shoulder like lightning.
Alarm bells rang in Yunli's heart. An extreme sense of danger enveloped her. She instinctively tried to sidestep and dodge the fatal blow, but she was a fraction of a second too slow.
Rip—
With a sickening tear of fabric, the ice-cold tip of the sword grazed her shoulder. Her specially made, durable martial uniform was torn open, and a spray of crimson bloomed tragically in the air.
"Ngh…!"
A suppressed grunt escaped Yunli's throat. A piercing pain shot from her left shoulder, causing her body to tremble involuntarily and her once-fluid movements to become noticeably sluggish.
"Yunli!"
In the stands, March 7th and Daziel cried out in alarm, their hearts feeling as if they had been seized by an invisible hand.
Yanqing, having landed a blow, remained cold-eyed, showing no signs of stopping or holding back. His follow-up attacks surged forward like a tidal wave, even more relentless than before.
"Little girl, the glory of the Xianzhou is not something you can so casually represent! Surrender! Continuing to fight will only lead to more injuries!" his voice was cold and resolute.
Yunli bit her lower lip hard, enduring the waves of pain and numbness from her shoulder. She gripped Old Mettle tightly, still stubbornly swinging to parry, barely maintaining her crumbling defense.
"I fight for the glory of the Zhuming! What has it to do with you?!" she retorted defiantly, the unyielding flame still burning in her azure eyes, her gaze so firm it was heart-wrenching. But after being injured, her movements were clearly affected. Every swing aggravated her wound, and gradually, she began to lose ground, her situation becoming increasingly difficult. The flying swords controlled by Yanqing were like maggots on a corpse, constantly weaving around her, their cold aura freezing the air, forcing her back step by step, her space for movement shrinking.
March 7th watched from the stands, her heart burning with anxiety, twisted into a knot. She clutched Daziel's sleeve, her voice already choked with tears, her large, watery eyes welling up.
"Daziel, Daziel, look! Little Master Yunli… she really seems to be losing! She's injured! Quick, think of a way to help her!"
Daziel watched the struggling Yunli on stage, his brow furrowed, but he still shook his head, his voice steady.
"Little March, this is Yunli's own battle, the glory she chose to shoulder. If we interfere now, it won't be a true help to her."
March 7th stomped her foot in frustration, tears glinting in her eyes. But after hearing Daziel's words, she seemed to understand. Still, the thought of Yunli enduring her injuries sent a pang through her heart.
She clutched Daziel's sleeve, and a spark of inspiration suddenly lit up in her mind.
"Daziel!" March 7th suddenly looked up, a glimmer of hope rekindled in her eyes. "We… we still have that Demon Sword, don't we?"
She said urgently, "Don't you remember what Little Master Yunli said before? When you use that sword, um, on me, her sword intent also rises! We, we can use that method to help her!"
Daziel was taken aback, a strange expression on his face.
"This… would that even work? Doing that in front of so many people… isn't that a bit… uh, considered cheating?"
"What cheating?!" March 7th immediately retorted, her cheeks flushing slightly, but her voice was full of righteous conviction. "How is that cheating? This is the result of our hard work and training together! It's our hot-blooded combo move! This ability is part of our swordsmanship, a special resonance unique to us!"
She spoke with increasing conviction, puffing out her chest. "Besides, Little Master Yunli is in a critical situation right now. We can't just stand by and watch her lose!"
_____
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