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The person who arrived was unexpectedly a familiar face to Qing Xuanling.
"Ha—I came running when I heard you were accepting challenges in the battle ring, but I see you've finally crawled out of your hole, filthy pearl!" Qing Daopeng—one of the three brothers who often harassed Qing Xuanling—grinned.
Qing Xuanling smiled back. "Jojo—you're braver than I thought, little Peng! Don't you fear I'll beat you so badly even your own mother won't recognize you?!"
Qing Daopeng's face darkened. "Qing Xuanling—cut the nonsense! Today's the day I finally defeat you! Let's see how brave you are against a fifth-layer cultivator!"
The other two brothers also jeered at Qing Xuanling.
Qing Xuanling's eyebrows rose. The last time she'd seen Qing Daopeng, he'd only been at the fourth layer. Advancing so quickly to the fifth layer was quite astonishing.
It was worth noting that even Qing Wentian—a genius—was still at the sixth layer, consolidating his foundation. For Qing Daopeng to have cultivation so close to his was impressive… and concerning.
She'd been confident of defeating Qing Daopeng if he remained at the fourth layer—but the fifth layer was another matter entirely.
She'd fought the Peng brothers before—but without using Qi. The beating she'd given them had been enough to traumatize the brothers. But defeating him in a with Qi battle—especially with a great cultivation gap—was…
'Exciting!'
Qing Xuanling smiled and pointed her sword at Qing Daopeng. "Heh—I see you've gained some courage after your breakthrough. But I'm sorry to say—It won't be enough!"
They locked eyes until the referee intervened. "If you've decided to fight, take your positions. We don't have all day!"
"Oh…"
Qing Xuanling smiled sheepishly and moved to one end of the ring. Qing Daopeng did the same.
As they positioned themselves, the chatter among the spectators below intensified.
"Incredible! I didn't know Brother Daopeng had lost to Qing Xuanling before!"
"Of course—he did, in a no-Qi sparring match a year ago! Still, Brother Daopeng's wanted revenge for ages! Looks like he'll finally give that false pearl a proper beating today!"
"Oh come on—she can't lose that badly, right? Then I'll raise my bet to a hundred spirit stones on her loss…!"
Despite his annoying personality, Qing Daopeng was surprisingly popular thanks to his active presence within the clan and numerous friends. The crowd immediately sided with him.
This didn't affect Qing Xuanling at all—though secretly, she tightened her grip on her sword hilt upon seeing Qing Daopeng's arrogant, smug expression as he basked in the support.
The referee snorted at the commotion. "All of you making noise below the ring—shut up or leave! Otherwise, I won't mind breaking a few bones today!"
Everyone fell silent immediately. The referee's look made it perfectly clear that she was perfectly capable of doing that.
The referee snorted again, raised her hand—and slammed it down forcefully.
"Begin!"
Qing Xuanling immediately charged forward, sprinting toward Qing Daopeng at high speed. None of the Peng brothers were skilled in close-quarters combat!
But obviously, Qing Daopeng knew that too.
"Tsk—you didn't think I'd let you get close, did you, idiot?!" Qing Daopeng laughed as he deftly formed several hand seals with both hands.
A fire dragon materialized around him, radiating intense heat!
The fire dragon circled Qing Daopeng briefly before shooting toward Qing Xuanling. She frowned upon seeing it.
She recognized the technique. The Qing Clan was renowned as a fire-element specialist clan—so their most iconic techniques were fire-based. That was the Sleeping Dragon Seal—a high-grade Yellow-rank technique!
In her wildest dreams, she'd never expected Qing Daopeng to learn such a complicated technique.
She clicked her tongue and leaped to the side. Immediately afterward, the fire dragon struck where she'd stood moments before—triggering an explosion that sent her flying several meters foward.
Her brows furrowed as she felt the intense heat scorching her back. She glanced at Qing Daopeng—who was already forming hand seals again. She smiled.
"I see you've improved quite a bit, bastard Peng! But let's see how long you can keep summoning dragons!" Qing Xuanling grinned as she began running along the ring's edge, circling him.
"Damn coward! Stop running and come fight me!" Qing Daopeng's forehead beaded with sweat as his hand movements accelerated. Soon, two fire dragons emerged behind him!
The two dragons shot toward Qing Xuanling—one aimed at her current position, the other at where she might dodge!
Simultaneously, Qing Daopeng conjured another fire dragon—ready to launch it at wherever Qing Xuanling might evade if she avoided the first two!
Qing Xuanling's eyes narrowed. This time—she truly had nowhere to escape.
"Heh—fine, then I'll make an opening!" Qing Xuanling smiled and enveloped her sword with sharp Qi.
Boldly, she charged toward the second dragon and slashed with her sword wreathed in whitish Qi! Her blade cleanly severed the dragon!
Everyone in the audience's eyes widened! Even the referee's eyes flickered slightly at the sight.
Qing Xuanling's sword cut the dragon so cleanly it didn't explode—it simply dissipated into the air…
Seizing the moment, Qing Xuanling rapidly advanced toward Qing Daopeng.
As for him—he was quite nervous now. He hastily sent the dragon behind him flying toward Qing Xuanling—but she sliced it cleanly in half with the same ease as the previous one.
"Ah, damn it—what the hell is that Qi coating your sword?!" Qing Daopeng retreated hastily, his face contorted with rage. "I was supposed to be untouchable against you! That I'd finally beat you!"
Qing Xuanling snorted. "You're still a hundred years away from being qualified to beat me!"
She swiftly closed the distance to Qing Daopeng—sword raised above her head. She smiled faintly and brought the blade down forcefully!
But at that moment…
Boom!
An explosion suddenly erupted from Qing Daopeng's hand—engulfing both him and Qing Xuanling in smoke!
The sudden turn of events stunned everyone!
Qing Xuanling's figure flew out of the dust cloud created by the explosion. Her body and face were covered in grime—but surprisingly, she showed no visible injuries.
She frowned in disgust. "What kind of tasteless joke is this, idiot Peng?"
Qing Xuanling was genuinely perplexed now. The explosion that had just engulfed her was primarily… just smoke! She hadn't sustained any damage at all!
Qing Daopeng's figure gradually emerged as the smoke dissipated. Four fire dragons now encircled him protectively.
"Heh—this is no joke, idiot. I was just buying time!" Qing Daopeng laughed loudly as he charged toward Qing Xuanling. "Let's see how you defend against this!"
Qing Xuanling frowned this time. If she closed in to attack Qing Daopeng, his fire dragons would undoubtedly strike her immediately. She lacked confidence in dispelling the dragons at such close range.
'No—it's not that there's no way… it's just rather risky.'
Qing Daopeng's action had been annoyingly astute—he'd forced Qing Xuanling into a dangerously risky choice. Unfortunately, that very choice ultimately sealed his defeat.
Qing Xuanling gritted her teeth and charged toward Qing Daopeng without hesitation—surprising everyone. Her steps were light and swift—reaching Qing Daopeng in an instant.
"Haha—I see you've finally gone mad! Let's see how you get out of this!" Qing Daopeng's eyes gleamed with ferocity as Qing Xuanling came within a meter of him.
The fire dragons surrounding him immediately shot toward her! He was certain that even if Qing Xuanling could dispel one dragon, she wouldn't have time to deal with the rest!
His calculations—which demonstrated considerable combat intelligence—were flawed due to lack of information.
Just as Qing Daopeng expected, Qing Xuanling first slashed at the fire dragon closest to her. She brought her sword down in a descending cut—dispelling the dragon instantly.
However, the other three dragons flew toward Qing Xuanling from three different directions!
Her azure eyes blazed intensely as she shouted inwardly:
'Second move of the Wandering Sword—Nine changes!'
Qing Xuanling's sword trembled—and as if by magic, changed direction midair without losing any of its momentum! The blade flashed toward another fire dragon—dispelling it instantly!
Another tremor ran through the sword before it changed direction again—this time to the opposite side! Another dragon dissipated!
The same tremor coursed through the blade once more—and as expected, it shifted direction again, slicing the final dragon in a location completely different from the previous strike.
Silence fell over the scene.
Qing Daopeng stared in disbelief as his four fire dragons were severed in an instant by four sword slashes so rapid they seemed to occur simultaneously.
The people below the ring were equally stunned—gazing at Qing Xuanling, who now held her sword against Qing Daopeng's throat.
"You lost."
Her voice—uttering only those two words—crushed Qing Daopeng's spirit. He lowered his head, fists clenched until they bled.
Qing Xuanling frowned at the sight. Truthfully, she didn't understand why the three Peng brothers harbored such intense hatred toward her.
They always found reasons to harass her—it was quite strange, considering all three were fairly popular within the clan.
Now, seeing Qing Daopeng's devastated expression, she confirmed it: that hatred hadn't arisen from nothing.
She hesitated briefly—then extended a hand toward Qing Daopeng.
"Hey… are you alright…?"
Slap!
Qing Xuanling's hand was forcefully shoved backward.
"I don't want your pity!" Qing Daopeng muttered, eyes bloodshot after swatting her hand away. "…You won this time—but next time won't be the same! Remember that, Qing Xuanling!"
Qing Xuanling was momentarily speechless. She didn't mind the swat—instead, she observed Qing Daopeng's appearance in detail for the first time.
A youth her age—slender build, deep dark circles under his eyes, sun-scorched skin. Most memorable were his hate-filled crimson eyes, partially hidden beneath his orange hair.
She couldn't help but think—that wasn't the face of a petty person. She tried to say something—but Qing Daopeng stood up and turned away. His two younger brothers followed him as they retreated miserably…
'…What the hell is wrong with him?'
She couldn't help but sigh softly as she shook her head. Though curious, she wouldn't bother investigating the reasons behind someone's hatred toward her. It was pointless.
Instead, she turned toward the referee. "I believe I won, correct?"
The referee smiled faintly. "Indeed. I must say—you surprised me. No—surprised everyone, actually."
She gestured to the people below the ring—some gazing at Qing Xuanling with bright eyes, others clutching their heads in despair after losing their bets.
But everyone was looking at her now—not with mockery, but with something resembling respect.
"Hmph—I didn't do this to impress anyone. I was just testing my strength…" Qing Xuanling murmured with forced dignity—but the corner of her lip, struggling to curve upward, betrayed her.
The referee smiled. "will you continue? The battle rings stay open until six. Oh—and call me Elder Sister Yan. I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other quite often from now on."
Qing Xuanling returned Qing Yan's smile. "Yes—I'll stay a while longer. I want to keep refining my skills!"
Soon, Qing Xuanling participated in four more matches—all under the watchful gaze of a shadowy figure lurking in the darkness.