The arena buzzed with chatter. No one had expected the first to step forward would be Yu Xueqian, someone seemingly unrelated to the matter at hand.
Song Changsheng silently observed the opponent before him. There was no denying it Yu Xueqian was a classic beauty. While not quite stunning enough to topple a kingdom, she was certainly a rare sight.
Every frown and smile carried a unique allure, stirring a primal impulse in the hearts of men.
"Life and death are of no concern on this stage today. This matter doesn't involve you why involve yourself?"
Song Changsheng held his treasured gourd in hand, his voice indifferent.
"Some things don't require a reason, Daoist Song. Please, grant me your guidance."
Yu Xueqian raised a white jade longsword, sword energy swirling faintly around its gleaming blade.
Song Changsheng said no more. Stepping forward, the gourd in his hand shone brilliantly, and in an instant, a torrent of spiritual energy water, and fire poured out like a mighty river, rushing toward Yu Xueqian.
"Slash!"
Yu Xueqian let out a delicate shout, her sword flashing silver as she struck forward. The built-up sword qi erupted, carving a deep gash across the stone arena and hurtling straight at the spiritual river.
The blade was razor-sharp splitting the river cleanly in two and forcing it to flow aside.
Song Changsheng remained calm. With a mere thought, the split river of spiritual power rejoined and surged forward once more, in the blink of an eye arriving before Yu Xueqian.
This move alone displayed Song Changsheng's extraordinary mastery over spiritual energy. Yu Xueqian was caught off guard, but she was far from a mere pretty face. Her wrist flicked rapidly, weaving a dazzling sword flower that scattered the approaching torrent.
With a tap of her foot, Yu Xueqian launched herself forward, sword aimed directly at Song Changsheng's face.
"Water Arrow Technique."
With a wave of his left hand, dozens of water arrows formed beside him and shot toward her in a sweeping arc.
Sword light flashed like a storm. Every water arrow was shattered, turning into mist. Yet Yu Xueqian's charge remained undeterred, her sharp sword qi making Song Changsheng's skin sting from the pressure.
A glimmer of light flickered in Song Changsheng's eyes. He gently clenched his left hand, and the mist from the shattered arrows suddenly seemed drawn by an invisible force, surging to envelop Yu Xueqian completely.
The mist formed into a massive water sphere, trapping her inside. No matter how she struggled, she couldn't break free.
She swung her sword, sending out brilliant arcs of sword light that easily pierced through the sphere. But just as she felt a hint of hope, the water sphere reformed instantly. Suspended mid-air, she looked like an insect caught in a droplet no matter how fiercely she fought, there was no escape.
"What kind of spell is this?"
Yu Xueqian asked in disbelief.
"Just a crude application of water manipulation. If this is the extent of your skill, the outcome is already decided."
Song Changsheng replied calmly.
"Winning won't be that easy."
A ghostly blue light flared on her chest, and in the next moment, the water sphere exploded with a thunderous boom.
Yu Xueqian broke free at last. Knowing she couldn't match Song Changsheng in spellcasting, she quickly switched tactics. Her feet moved with her clan's Seven Star Footwork, and she closed in with sword in hand.
Song Changsheng didn't retreat. He summoned his gourd once more and charged to meet her.
In a flash, the two clashed a dozen times, darting and weaving around each other. The dazzling display left the audience breathless, drawing wave after wave of cheers.
Qu Jinsheng's face grew darker with each passing moment. The stronger Song Changsheng appeared, the slimmer their chances of exacting revenge.
He turned to the group behind him and asked in a low voice,
"How confident are you in killing him?"
The leading elder hesitated briefly, then whispered,
"If we can wear down most of his spiritual energy, I'm confident I can kill him in a single strike."
Seeing the man's firm tone, Qu Jinsheng's expression finally eased a little. He glanced over at the remaining challengers and sneered there were so many of them, even if they just wore him down, they'd exhaust him eventually!
On the stage, Song Changsheng had already forced Yu Xueqian to reveal her full strength, yet he still handled everything with ease, showing no sign of pressure.
"It's time to end this."
He raised his treasured gourd to block the sword aimed at his face and suddenly spoke.
Yu Xueqian froze for a moment. In the next instant, the gourd in Song Changsheng's hand trembled violently. Her jade sword was immediately knocked from her grip, and the gourd, without slowing, spun and slammed into her chest.
Her spiritual energy was instantly shattered. Blood sprayed from her mouth as she was sent flying off the stage.
The head of the Yu clan stepped forward with a dark expression and caught her. After checking and confirming that her life wasn't in danger, he finally breathed a quiet sigh of relief and said to Song Changsheng,
"On behalf of my daughter, I concede."
The crowd erupted in an uproar no one had expected such a swift outcome in what had seemed to be an even match.
"You sly fox, Changsheng. You were holding back the whole time! With such masterful water manipulation, you could've ended the fight in a few moves but instead, you dragged it out. Fishing for bigger prey, are we?"
The chubby youth rubbed his smooth chin, and knowing Song Changsheng as he did, he immediately saw through his intent.
After a brief recovery, Song Changsheng raised his voice and shouted,
"Next!"
All eyes turned toward the Earthfire Sect, but they remained motionless, calm, and collected as ever. Eventually, someone from the Qiu clan stepped forward instead.
The man was eight feet tall, with a hulking frame and a brutish face. He held a black metal staff in his hands. Leaping onto the stage, he looked at Song Changsheng and said in a deep, gravelly voice,
"Qiu Wenwu. Please grant me your instruction."
Song Changsheng narrowed his eyes. So this was the other half of the Qiu clan's renowned duo. He remembered well how Qiu Wengui had given him a tough lesson before. Let's see if this one could provide a bit of a surprise.
Qiu Wenwu's eyes bulged, and his entire strength surged into the metal staff as he swung it forcefully toward Song Changsheng.
Song calmly countered. After a few rounds, he was already feeling disappointed. Qiu Wenwu walked the path of a physical cultivator, with big, sweeping strikes. But his strength fell far short of Yu Xueqian's and even weaker compared to Qiu Wengui. He posed no real threat.
After dragging the fight out a little longer, Song Changsheng kicked him off the stage with one swift strike not fatal, but enough to leave him bedridden for at least a year or two.
Qiu Tianyang's face was so dark it looked like it might drip ink. He shot a glance toward the Earthfire Sect, then gritted his teeth and sent out three more people, one after another, to challenge Song Changsheng.
The crowd booed loudly this kind of relay fighting was disgraceful. The major factions were thoroughly embarrassing themselves today.
In stark contrast stood Song Changsheng, still firm on the stage. Despite multiple rounds, he showed no sign of faltering. The more he fought, the stronger he seemed. His momentum only grew.
No matter the outcome, one thing was certain: the name Song Changsheng would echo across all of Lingzhou!
As the sun began to set, the Yu and Qiu clans had already sent over a dozen people into the fray. Without exception, each had been sent flying off the stage by Song Changsheng. While none were killed, all suffered serious injuries.
Finally, just one hour before the end of the challenge the Earthfire Sect sent out their first fighter...
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