Wulan Tuo cackled coldly a few times, then pointed a finger at Ling Xiao. "Ling Xiao! You're dying to prove you're not a good-for-nothing, right? Do you dare sign a life-and-death contract with me?!"
Wulan Tuo deliberately spoke in a loud voice. Although his duck-like quack was harsh on the ears, everyone heard him clearly. The crowd's clamor instantly died down. The entire arena fell silent as everyone held their breath, staring at Wulan Tuo in shock.
Although almost no one here had any respect for the "waste" Ling Xiao, nobody actually wanted to see him killed. It was true that the Imperial Academy had always revered the strong, but duels to the death like this were exceedingly rare. Generally speaking, the academy still encouraged unity among its students.
Wulan Tuo's words successfully stirred the blood of the many rabble-rousers in the crowd. A duel to the death! This was going to be exciting! They began to jeer from below the stage, "Hey, waste, do you dare to accept?"
"The great Young Master Ling is holding two swords, isn't he? Why wouldn't he dare? How about... you lend him another one? Maybe that'll give him even more courage, HAHAHAHA!"
Seeing that all eyes were on him, Wulan Tuo grew even more pleased with himself. He looked at Ling Xiao with contempt. "Do you dare?"
"Don't agree!" At this point, Shangguan Yutong could no longer worry about what others would think of her. She looked at the two on the stage and said sternly, "Students should be united! Student Wulan Tuo, what grudge do you hold against Ling Xiao? Why must you do this?"
"Er..." Wulan Tuo was still a little intimidated by the dream girl of the entire academy's student body and faculty. He gave an awkward laugh and didn't answer her, instead turning back to Ling Xiao. The mockery on his face deepened. "Tsk tsk... Young Master Ling, if you don't dare, then just forget it. Sigh, you really are lucky, aren't you!"
Listening to the tide of mockery from below, Ling Xiao's gaze swept past Shangguan Yutong, Chunlan, and Qiuyue. All of them were looking at him with tense expressions.
"I'll sign," Ling Xiao said, looking at Wulan Tuo with a calm expression.
"No..." From her corner, Yisha, along with Chunlan and Qiuyue beside Shangguan Yutong, couldn't help but let out pained groans. Their faint protests were drowned out by the whistles and cheers of the boisterous crowd below the stage.
After the life-and-death contract was signed, an arbiter read it aloud, and both parties acknowledged their agreement.
This meant that any death or injury in the coming battle would be considered a normal occurrence. No one else was permitted to interfere, or it would be seen as a challenge to the laws of the Empire.
Wulan Tuo took a magnificent longsword from one of his followers and slowly drew it. Sunlight glinted off the mirror-bright blade, so dazzling that people couldn't keep their eyes open. A wave of gasps erupted from the crowd. Many could tell that the sword in Wulan Tuo's hand was a treasured weapon—and by the looks of it, an Enchanted Weapon!
Ling Xiao drew his Fine Willow Sword, gently placing its scabbard to the side of the stage. The sword lived up to its name; the Fine Willow Sword resembled a thick willow branch and was more like a Soft Sword, trembling slightly and looking utterly unremarkable. But as Ling Xiao held it, he could feel a powerful battle lust emanating from the blade!
Only a weapon that had been through countless battles could give off such a feeling. Ling Xiao's composure was as placid as still water. He stood there, calmly gazing at the insufferably arrogant Wulan Tuo. He pointed his sword at his opponent, a corner of his mouth lifting into a smirk as a disdainful light flashed in his eyes.
"HYA!" With a furious roar, Wulan Tuo brandished his longsword in a brilliant flourish. He was using Thunder Slash, an Earth-level Middle-stage Sword Skill. True to its name, the attack swept toward Ling Xiao with immense force and weight.
Even more insidious, he had activated the skill on his Enchanted Sword with his very first move. A faint, fiery red light shot out from the tip of his longsword, extending its reach. He actually intended to kill Ling Xiao with this single strike.
Such viciousness was completely unlike that of a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy!
Ling Xiao's expression turned serious. The power Wulan Tuo displayed as a Tier Nine Sword Attendant was far greater than that of the Maid, Chunlan. Whether in strength, speed, or control over his techniques, he appeared exceptionally proficient.
Ling Xiao threw his body backward, his legs planted like nails on the stage as his hands hit the ground. A gasp came from the crowd below. Wulan Tuo's Flame Sword Qi scraped past Ling Xiao's clothes. The instantaneous, searing heat scorched several spots on his shirt, and the skin beneath stung with a fiery pain.
Wulan Tuo hadn't expected the guy to be able to dodge from such a close distance. Though he felt a pang of regret, upon seeing his first strike miss, he immediately retreated. He saw that as Ling Xiao sprang back up, the unremarkable, willow-branch-like sword in his hand had also shot out a faint white Sword Qi. As Ling Xiao's body shot upward, the attack chopped directly at Wulan Tuo's head.
Wulan Tuo felt the powerful force flash past the tip of his nose. Below, the entire crowd held its breath, never having imagined that two students from the lower-division classes could put on such a spectacular duel.
Clearly, both Wulan Tuo and Ling Xiao were ruthless. Wulan Tuo had used a skill from his Enchanted Weapon on his very first move, and Ling Xiao, not to be outdone, revealed that his unremarkable Soft Sword was also an Enchanted Weapon!
Wulan Tuo felt a sharp pain on the tip of his nose. He reached up to wipe it and found a drop of blood!
He had obviously been grazed by Ling Xiao's Sword Qi, meaning he had been the one to suffer a loss in the exchange. A savage expression immediately twisted his features. With a flick of his longsword, he charged at Ling Xiao again. The power and agility of a Tier Nine Sword Attendant were far greater than those of a Tier Five Sword Attendant!
As the two clashed, those who had previously held Ling Xiao in utter contempt gradually began to take the fight seriously, watching the pair on the stage with a hint of disbelief.
Many people knew that Wulan Tuo was using his family's heirloom Earth-level Middle-stage Sword Skill, Thunder Slash. But Ling Xiao wasn't using the widely known Sky Level Middle Stage Sword Technique, Hurricane Break, which surprised everyone.
If Ling Xiao had used Hurricane Break, he might have been able to bridge the gap in their power with superior swordsmanship. Since they were both using Enchanted Weapons, it wouldn't have been impossible for him to fight Wulan Tuo on even terms. But the Swordsmanship he was currently using was something no one had ever seen before. Many of his movements didn't even conform to people's understanding of sword techniques! Gradually, the expressions of several powerful teachers in the audience, including Shangguan Yutong, grew serious.
Wulan Tuo had originally thought that as a Tier Nine Sword Attendant with an Enchanted Sword, even if Ling Xiao also had an Enchanted Sword and used his family's Hurricane Break technique, he would still be no match for him. After all, he still had tricks up his sleeve. But he never expected his opponent to fight him to a standstill using some unknown sword technique.
This infuriated Wulan Tuo, who had been bent on showing off. He started to grow impatient. In the midst of their back-and-forth exchange, Wulan Tuo suddenly let out a cold laugh. The red light flared from his longsword for a second time as he roared, "Ling Xiao, go to hell!"
With a flick of his longsword, the red glow actually formed a crescent-shaped arc, detaching from the blade and slashing toward Ling Xiao's neck. Immediately after, a second and a third crescent of red light shot from Wulan Tuo's longsword, aimed at Ling Xiao's heart and waist respectively!
"Ah! A Tier Three Enchanted Sword!" Shangguan Yutong cried out in shock from below the stage. Several other teachers from the Imperial Academy who were watching the spectacle shouted out at the same time.
Only an Enchanted Sword of Tier Three or higher could launch its skill as a projectile, unlike a Tier Two Enchanted Weapon whose skill was bound to the blade!
No one could have imagined that a Tier Nine Sword Attendant from a lower-division class could actually possess an Enchanted Sword made with a Tier Three Crystal Core! It was simply too shocking!
Although Adventurers might acquire a great number of Crystal Cores each year, the difficulty of creating Enchanted Weapons was enough to drive a person mad. The higher the tier of the Crystal Core, the harder it was to fuse with a weapon!
A single Tier Two Enchanted Weapon could easily sell for over a hundred thousand Gold Coins at an auction. Otherwise, why would Yisha treasure Crimson Flame so much!
The entire arena fell deathly silent! Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the stage without blinking.
When Yisha, in a corner of the arena, saw those streaks of red light, she cried out in shock and squeezed her eyes shut. A single teardrop slid from the corner of her eye.
'Brother Ling Xiao... it's over...'
Chunlan and Qiuyue both went pale with fright. If Shangguan Yutong hadn't been gripping their hands tightly, they probably would have already rushed onto the stage.
"It's too late..." Shangguan Yutong said numbly.