Ye Chuxue couldn't hold back her smile. She cheered quietly for her Master.
This was his proudest move—his own original sword technique.
Merging sword intent with formation arts wasn't something just anyone could achieve. It required both deep comprehension and decades of focused study.
Only someone like him, who had immersed himself in both swordsmanship and formation for years, could have perfected it to this level.
And today marked the first time he revealed it in front of an audience.
On the dueling platform, Gu Qingyuan's lips curled up slightly.
He knew many had lost faith in him. Today, he would silence them all with his strength.
Even Song Wanníng—at his peak, she might not have been able to defeat him.
He had even begun planning to compile these sword techniques into a manual, one worthy of being placed in the sect's library, passed down for future generations to admire and study.
What he failed to notice was the way Lu Xingyao raised a brow in surprise when the technique was activated.
The next moment, Lu Xingyao shot into the air like a streak of lightning. He raised his sword and stabbed toward a precise point.
The mighty formation, full of momentum and fury, popped like a punctured balloon before it even fully activated.
He swung again. The sword intent scattered, vanishing without even a ripple.
Silence.
The entire arena froze.
The Sect Master and elders still had half-smiles on their faces, too stiff to retract now.
What they'd expected to be a devastating finishing move... ended like that?
The disciples watching from below were no less stunned. That sword move had looked so fierce, brimming with killing intent. They'd hoped it would finally humble Lu Xingyao.
Instead...
Awkwardness was written across every face. Especially those who had been praising Gu Qingyuan just moments earlier—they now wished they could bury themselves in the ground.
Ye Chuxue leaned forward instinctively, heart tightening. She tried to get a clearer view.
What had Lu Xingyao just done?
How had he dismantled her Master's killer move so effortlessly?
She wasn't the only one asking. Even Gu Qingyuan himself was deeply shaken.
That technique had incorporated the Flowlight Array, a Grade Five attack formation known for its overwhelming speed and chaotic energy.
It should've been impossible to counter mid-activation.
Yet Lu Xingyao had broken it with a single strike—how?
Gu Qingyuan had never heard of Lu Xingyao being skilled in formation arts.
Still full of doubt, Gu Qingyuan slashed once more.
He had to recover momentum. This time, he activated the Ninefold Soul-Reversal Array, a Grade Six formation fused into his sword technique. The moment Lu Xingyao was caught in its range, it would force his Divine Soul out of his body, leaving him exposed and vulnerable.
He would make Lu Xingyao regret ever setting foot in Wentian Sect.
Boom—!
The sword light ripped through the sky, sending shockwaves that shattered the air in all directions.
In the audience's eyes, the long rune traces carved through space like trenches, spiraling into a violent vortex that pierced the clouds and plummeted down from the heavens.
Excitement reignited. The crowd looked up at the incoming vortex with burning anticipation.
Maybe the last one had just been an unlucky fluke?
Under the gaze of thousands, Lu Xingyao's lips twitched. His eyes swept toward the high platform before he charged forward again.
That sinister vortex spun madly in the air, pulling at the Divine Souls of all who glanced at it, leaving them dizzy and disoriented.
But Lu Xingyao simply soared upward and slashed.
Sword intent crashed into the vortex.
And in that moment, the terrifying formation fizzled out like a firecracker doused in water.
Silence again.
The crowd stared, eyes wide, too stunned to speak.
Gu Qingyuan's reputation had taken a few hits, sure—but everyone still acknowledged his strength. Especially the strange and eerie techniques he unveiled today, all new and unfamiliar.
But now...
Was it Gu Qingyuan who had grown weak, or Lu Xingyao who was absurdly strong?
No one could say anymore.
The Sect Master's temples throbbed. His face darkened with fury.
What in the world was Gu Qingyuan doing?
Unbeknownst to him, Gu Qingyuan was just as stunned.
Once could be chance, but twice?
Lu Xingyao actually had formation mastery?
Gu Qingyuan's expression turned grim. He cursed silently. This schemer—he had hidden his abilities so thoroughly.
He couldn't afford to hold back any longer.
If this continued, he'd become a complete joke.
Time to use his trump card—the Heaven-Earth Annihilation Technique.
He raised his sword vertically and let out a low shout. Chìtù shot into the sky, gleaming like a bolt of cold light.
The next instant, a massive vertical pupil appeared in the sky, radiating an oppressive aura.
It was the final killing move from his Supreme Sword Technique.
One Gaze to Shatter the Heavens. One Glance to Annihilate All.
He hadn't yet mastered it, but even at partial strength, it was not something Lu Xingyao should be able to handle.
"Huh? What is that?"
"That pressure is terrifying!"
"I take back what I said earlier. Elder Gu's strength is still the real deal!"
"Of course! He didn't earn the title 'Sword Lord Qingyuan' for nothing!"
"Look, the pupil is about to open!"
The crowd's chatter was quick and nervous.
Then, the vertical eye opened slowly. Its apocalyptic gaze locked onto Lu Xingyao with bone-chilling calm.
Lu Xingyao's expression didn't change. On the contrary, as though something had clicked in his mind, the curve of his lips lifted ever so slightly.
He raised his sword again and struck.
From start to finish, he had only ever responded. He had never once gone on the offensive.
The crowd watched his figure flash across the air. A burst of golden light exploded, so bright that they instinctively shielded their eyes.
When they looked again, the giant vertical pupil had disappeared without a trace.
"What... just happened?"
The disciples were dumbfounded.
They had imagined all kinds of possible outcomes—even a brutal life-and-death battle.
But this? One-sided annihilation?
Was Elder Gu truly this weak?
"What's going on?"
The Sect Master shot to his feet, fists clenched in frustration. He whipped his head toward Ye Chuxue.
"Did your Master still have lingering injuries?"
It was the only explanation he could think of.
Ye Chuxue froze, then shook her head in confusion. "He never mentioned anything to me."
The Sect Master stared in silence.
"Ridiculous," Seventh Elder said, unable to hold back. "Facing someone like Lu Xingyao, he should have prepared more carefully. Instead, he left to fetch his disciple and now look—he's humiliated himself."
In the past, Gu Qingyuan's antics didn't affect the sect too badly. But this time, the fallout was already rippling back.
"He's been neglecting his cultivation for years. All for someone who's clearly distracting him," another elder added darkly.
"Sect Master, things aren't looking good."
Their complaints piled on, one after another. And the way they looked at Ye Chuxue grew colder with each word.
If not for this little vixen disturbing Gu Qingyuan's focus, would today's duel have become such a farce?