In the center of the dueling platform, surging earth clashed with biting ice. The two opposing forces pushed back and forth, locked in a deadlock with neither able to overpower the other.
Ever since cultivating the Mingyue Frost Condensation Art, Wei Yunxi's three-element variant spiritual roots had advanced in tandem. That was a major reason she'd successfully formed her Golden Core.
And now, with a proper master behind her, she could openly wield ice-element techniques without drawing suspicion. She had already decided before stepping onto the stage—this battle, she would lead with ice.
The two opponents held their ground for five breaths before Lin Keyang finally took a step back, yielding this exchange. At the same moment, he slid a black pair of gloves onto his wrists. He was clearly about to increase the power of his strikes.
Wei Yunxi dispelled her ice spell, thinking for a moment before deciding not to use the Mystic Frost Needle. That move was her trump card for sneak attacks—not something she wanted to reveal in public. Instead, she reached out and summoned the Seven Stars Soul-Shattering Staff into her hand.
Immediately, whispers stirred from the crowd.
"Damn. Junior Sister is seriously fierce—using a staff?"
"But isn't Yu Ling Zhēnjūn always so graceful? Seems like his disciple didn't inherit that elegance."
"You're just jealous. Strength is what matters most."
Zong Han and the others watched Wei Yunxi's first match with anxious expressions, sweating bullets for her. Lin Zhēnrén wasn't someone to take lightly. He was a powerhouse who'd made it to the third round without a single loss. They were genuinely worried he might flatten her.
Wei Yunxi infused the staff with her ice spiritual energy. The moment Lin Keyang launched a heavy punch, she raised the staff and blocked it head-on. The clash sent both of them sliding backward again.
Unnoticed by anyone, a faint glow flickered on the Kaiyang Star engraved on her Seven Stars Soul-Shattering Staff. It quietly siphoned off a sliver of the ice energy she had just poured into it.
Wei Yunxi didn't notice. With the edge of the platform behind her, she pushed off the ground with the tip of her toe and leapt back into the air to strike again.
Under the effects of Thousand Shadows Riding the Wind, she flickered in front of Lin Keyang faster than he could react. The staff, shrouded in frigid energy, swept through the air with icy intent. Behind her, a phantom blade of extreme cold took shape—the shadow of an "Arctic Ice Blade" overlapped perfectly with her strike as it came crashing down.
Lin Keyang's pupils reflected the massive blade of ice. He crossed his arms in front of his face, bracing for impact.
With a thunderous bang, he was slammed into the dueling platform hard enough to leave a crater. Before he could get up, Wei Yunxi flashed forward, pressing the Seven Stars Soul-Shattering Staff against his forehead. The match was over.
Lin Keyang clawed himself out of the pit and removed his gloves with a wry smile.
"I concede."
Only then did Wei Yunxi let out a breath, retracting her staff. She clasped her hands in a respectful salute.
"Thank you for the match, Senior Brother Lin. I only won by half a move."
Lin Keyang grinned.
"Half a move still counts."
The referee stepped forward to announce her victory. As the protective barrier lowered, the two of them leapt down from the platform.
Lin Keyang rotated his sore wrists before heading off to rejoin his friends.
Wei Yunxi, however, was immediately surrounded by a flurry of voices.
"Wei Zhēnrén, that was amazing! You actually beat Lin Zhēnrén, and he's mid-stage Golden Core!"
"Right? We were all so nervous watching you from below!"
"That fight was incredible. Blink and we missed your movements!"
"Totally!"
Wei Yunxi only offered a faint smile, unfazed by the praise.
She wasn't the kind to get swept up in flattery. Her win had been a narrow one, mostly thanks to the advantage of being a new face on the dueling platform. Lin Keyang hadn't been familiar with her combat style or techniques and could only adapt on the fly. He lacked a proper grasp of her real combat abilities.
Plus, this was the sect's grand tournament, not a life-or-death struggle. Neither side would bring out their true trump cards. The fight had ended as soon as one side was clearly in the lead, and by that measure, she had just barely won.
Still, not all the voices in the crowd were supportive.
"Meh, I think Wei Yunxi's strength is average. Lin Zhēnrén probably let her win out of respect for her master."
"But it looked like he was going all out?"
"You're kidding, right? He's mid-stage Golden Core! He's got at least twice her spiritual energy. No way he'd lose that easily unless he was holding back. Use your brain."
"Huh. Now that you mention it, that does seem kinda fishy…"
Those words drifted over to Lin Keyang as well. Zhang Lingrui, standing nearby, chuckled and teased,
"Keyang, were you going soft on her to play the gentleman? That's not like you."
Lin Keyang shot him a glare.
"Those people don't know anything. Do you really think I'm that kind of guy? And besides, she didn't need me to hold back."
Zhang Lingrui raised an eyebrow.
"She's really that strong?"
"I'd say… not weak. Honestly, I don't think she even showed her full hand."
"So her spiritual energy reserve is stronger than yours?"
"Hard to say. But at the very least, it's not less than mine. Her spiritual power felt rich and solid—none of it unstable."
Zhang Lingrui let out a low whistle.
"Must be nice having a master like that."
"Don't be so salty. I heard Wei Yunxi's master, Yu Ling Zhēnjūn, went into closed-door cultivation to break into Divine Transformation just three days after taking her in. He still hasn't come out. Having a master or not—doesn't make much difference in her case."
"Well, that makes me feel better. Hope I get matched against her in the next round. I want to see what this prodigy's really made of."
Wei Yunxi took a high-grade spiritual replenishment pill before heading back onto the stage. She'd been the last match of the previous round, so now the final eight had been decided. It was time to draw lots again.
This time, her opponent was Zhang Lingrui, a late-stage Golden Core sword cultivator.
She couldn't help but feel her good luck had run out. In her experience, sword cultivators were synonymous with being powerhouses. Still, a fight against a sword cultivator? That got her blood pumping.
Zhang Lingrui was quite pleased with the result. He patted Lin Keyang on the shoulder and said,
"Looks like my prayers worked. Time to get you your revenge."
Lin Keyang folded his arms at the edge of the stage and gave him a look.
"You'd better get knocked off by the little girl, he thought. I'd love to see you stop bragging then."
By this point in the Golden Core bracket, only the sect's veteran cultivators remained—those at the late stage or even the peak of late-stage Golden Core. The only dark horse was Wei Yunxi, a peak early-stage Golden Core cultivator, which naturally drew plenty of attention.
Wei Yunxi and Zhang Lingrui were the first match of the round. The two soared onto the platform, exchanged polite bows, and immediately readied themselves.
As soon as the barrier closed, Zhang Lingrui struck. Sword in hand, he aimed for a swift victory, his blade light engulfing the entire platform.
Wei Yunxi slipped into Riding the Wind footwork, narrowly evading the first wave. Even so, her cheek was nicked by the razor-sharp sword aura. She frowned, gripped her Seven Stars Soul-Shattering Staff, and channeled her ice energy while also activating the shadow-duplication technique from Thousand Shadows Riding the Wind.
Three versions of her appeared, each wielding the staff, striking from different angles.
Zhang Lingrui extended his divine sense, but couldn't immediately tell which one was real. He responded with three simultaneous slashes, one for each version.
The moment his sword light landed, all three figures vanished in a shimmer of fading light.
Zhang Lingrui's expression shifted. "Crap," he muttered.
Before he could move, a delicate, well-aimed fist was already inches from his face.