Chapter 24
The weather today seemed especially good. Above the Shuiling Sect’s main peak, golden sunlight slowly spilled into every corner. The blue sky looked as if it had been washed clean, exceptionally transparent and clear.
The sound of wind brushed faintly past their ears. On the vast arena, Fu Yan and Bai Yueli raised their hands in salute at the same time. As their voices fell, it signaled that this battle had already begun.
“Looks like Junior Sister Fu Yan doesn’t plan to admit defeat directly.”
“True. After all, she’s also been winning continuously until now. Admitting defeat at a time like this would be too embarrassing. But losing to Senior Sister Bai is normal too. There’s nothing shameful about it.”
“In the previous matches, Fu Yan always decided victory and defeat in just two or three sword strikes. There was no chance at all to clearly see her true strength. This time, I want to see exactly how powerful she really is.”
“That’s right. In the previous matches, she clearly didn’t use her full strength. I believe this time will be different!”
“What’s going on? This is clearly a match where the outcome has already been decided, so why is it that after hearing you all talk so reasonably, I’m actually starting to look forward to this match?”
“Plus one. Me too. For some reason, I’m looking forward to Junior Sister Fu Yan’s performance!”
“…”
Although she knew she definitely could not defeat Bai Yueli, since the gap in their cultivation was there, Fu Yan naturally would not admit defeat directly either. Since they had met, then she might as well fight a satisfying battle. There was nothing worth hesitating over.
The gap between their strength was large, so Fu Yan naturally could not wait for Bai Yueli to attack first. Otherwise, she would have almost no way to defend. So she could only burst forward, charging directly toward the figure opposite her.
The broken Linglong Sword in her hand seemed as if it was about to slice through the air. Fu Yan quickly focused her mind and launched her first attack. Using the power of her true essence, she swiftly drove the sharp blade toward Bai Yueli.
However, in the next second, Bai Yueli, who had just been in front of her, suddenly left only an afterimage behind. Fu Yan’s blade naturally struck empty air. What was even more terrifying was that Bai Yueli had appeared behind her.
When Bai Yueli and Yu Heng had sparred last time, Fu Yan had clearly understood just how fast Bai Yueli’s lightness skill was. But watching from the sidelines and truly experiencing it firsthand were two completely different things.
Fu Yan’s Wind Shadow Steps had already reached the peak of minor completion, and her speed was already very fast. But Bai Yueli was even faster—so fast it was somewhat frightening.
Fortunately, Fu Yan had already experienced several life-and-death battles. The moment Bai Yueli appeared behind her, she almost reflexively performed a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree flip in midair and narrowly dodged Bai Yueli’s palm strike.
However, Bai Yueli did not seem to plan on giving her any chance to react. Bai Yueli immediately thrust her sword over again. Fu Yan, who had not even had time to steady herself, could only tap the broken Linglong Sword against the ground, borrow the force, and flip once more before finally landing steadily.
As soon as she landed, Fu Yan did not dare have the slightest thought of stopping. She gripped her broken Linglong Sword again and directly used her strongest move—the first form of Illusionless Sword, Phantom Shadow!
At the same time, she also used Wind Shadow Steps beneath her feet. In the next second, Fu Yan on the stage swiftly surrounded Bai Yueli from all sides. Because her speed had already reached her own limit, the weaker disciples below could not clearly see her movements for a moment.
They could only see afterimages surrounding Bai Yueli, as if Fu Yan had multiplied.
As Fu Yan raised the broken Linglong Sword, the airflow around Bai Yueli rapidly began to move. It attacked straight toward her in a terrifying form. Fu Yan did not dare be careless in the slightest. This time, for the first form of Illusionless Sword, she directly used one-third of the true essence inside her body.
The audience below could not help clicking their tongues in amazement.
“No way, has Junior Sister Fu Yan already cultivated Illusionless Sword to this level? When she had that life-and-death challenge with Zhou Zhenlie last time, I didn’t feel any threat from her first form of Illusionless Sword. But this time, I can feel a kind of pressure.”
“This Fu Yan really is powerful. With this sword strike, even I can’t guarantee I could receive it perfectly. But for Senior Sister Bai, this sword strike is still far from enough.”
“True. Since just now, Senior Sister Bai’s expression hasn’t changed much at all.”
…
On the vast arena, Fu Yan finally attacked Bai Yueli directly. Yet Bai Yueli, who was surrounded by Fu Yan’s sword momentum, did not seem to have any intention of dodging. She also gripped her Yueyao Sword, swept forward, and met the strike head-on.
After a huge collision, in no more than a single breath, Fu Yan’s first form of Illusionless Sword was easily broken by Bai Yueli. Fu Yan herself was also affected by the powerful force and took several steps back before steadying herself.
As the currents of qi dispersed, Fu Yan raised her eyes slightly and saw Bai Yueli still standing there steadily, as if she had not been affected at all.
Fu Yan: “…”
The sword strike she had used with all her strength had been dissolved so easily by the other party. How could this feeling be described? Although she had long been prepared, this kind of blow really was somewhat terrifying.
Fu Yan felt fortunate that her Dao heart was steady enough. She had also known from the start that she would lose, so right now, she was still able to face this blow directly.
“Although speed is very important in the three forms of Illusionless Sword, the key lies in the word ‘illusion.’ You need to learn how to make your sword technique unpredictable and ever-changing, so others cannot easily detect your intentions.” Bai Yueli held the Yueyao Sword in one hand and looked at Fu Yan as she slowly spoke.
Hearing this, Fu Yan could not help freezing. Bai Yueli’s words had struck directly at the heart of the issue. In truth, Fu Yan had always felt that something was not quite right, but now Bai Yueli had seen through it at a glance.
“I understand. Thank you, Senior Sister Bai!” Fu Yan smiled at Bai Yueli, then slowly straightened her body.
At the end, Fu Yan gripped the broken Linglong Sword and spoke again. “Let’s go again!”
Although a match with such a vast gap in strength could easily make one feel an unreachable kind of despair, Fu Yan felt that nothing was more comfortable than fighting a battle like this to her heart’s content.
The blow from just now was also swept away completely.
Seeing Fu Yan grip her sword and stand up again, as if she still wanted to continue fighting, the spectators outside the arena split into two opposing sides.
“No way. Her killing move was already broken so easily, yet Fu Yan still wants to keep fighting? What’s the point? She should just admit defeat already!”
“Exactly. She can’t possibly be our Senior Sister Bai’s opponent anyway. If she keeps fighting, she’ll only humiliate herself.”
“What do you know? Only by fighting a strong person like Senior Sister Bai can one more clearly see the shortcomings in one’s own strength and improve from it.”
“No wonder others can become dark horses while you all are still standing in place. You don’t even understand such a simple principle, yet you still want to cultivate immortality? Go back and farm instead.”
“What kind of person are you? Am I not speaking the truth? People should know when to retreat in the face of difficulty. If you still insist on forcing yourself forward on a battlefield, do you believe you’d be the first one to die?”
“What are you arguing for? Can’t you just quietly watch the match? If you’re not convinced, go down and fight yourself!”
“…”
Naturally, Fu Yan on the arena did not notice the discussions outside. But even if she heard them, she would not care.
Without thinking too much, Fu Yan quickly raised her sword again and attacked Bai Yueli opposite her. Every strike used the greatest strength she could muster. Although in the end, every move was easily dissolved by Bai Yueli one by one, Fu Yan herself gained many insights from it.
After the two exchanged another five or six moves, Fu Yan was already so tired that she was panting slightly. However, she felt that she could still withstand a few more moves. She gripped the broken Linglong Sword tightly, and just as she was about to pull back, she suddenly noticed something wrong.
On the dust-filled stage, the spiritual energy in the air suddenly began circulating rapidly, tightly surrounding Fu Yan’s body. At this moment, she also felt tumbling changes happening inside her body, as if something was about to burst out.
After realizing something, Fu Yan immediately revealed a face full of surprise. Even Bai Yueli and the administrative elder at the side were somewhat astonished.
“This is…” Fu Yan checked her qi sea and could not help murmuring aloud.
She was actually about to break through at this moment!!
The movement on the arena was naturally seen clearly by the people outside as well. After everyone froze slightly, they quickly reacted.
“No way, she’s breaking through just like that?”
“I remember Fu Yan has only been in the inner sect for a little over a month. Less than two months, which means in such a short time, she’s already about to break through to middle Illumination stage!”
“This really makes people furious by comparison. I used a full three months to break through from early Illumination to middle Illumination. Wuwu…”
“But they’re still in the middle of a match right now. This time, Fu Yan should admit defeat, right? An opportunity to break through is rare. If she misses it, who knows when the next chance will be?”
…
At this moment, Fu Yan was indeed somewhat troubled. She still wanted to exchange a few more moves with Bai Yueli, but an opportunity to break through was precious and naturally could not be given up.
As if seeing Fu Yan’s thoughts, Bai Yueli at the side suddenly put away her Yueyao Sword and said lightly, “I can wait for you to break through first, then continue the match.”
Just as Fu Yan had already been preparing to give up the match, she heard Bai Yueli’s words. She immediately froze slightly, seemingly not expecting Bai Yueli to accommodate her like this.
“I understand. Thank you, Senior Sister Bai.” There was no use saying too many words of thanks. Fu Yan did not hesitate too much and soon sat cross-legged directly on the spot, preparing to charge into middle Illumination-stage cultivation.
The administrative elder at the side calmly glanced at the two people on the stage but did not say anything.
And so, the match over at Group Eight fell into silence. Everyone saw Fu Yan sitting on the ground on the arena and breaking through, while Bai Yueli quietly stood to the side, letting the clear breeze brush past the hem of her sect robe. The scene unexpectedly had a peaceful, tranquil feeling.
Everyone: “…”
“This…”
“Senior Sister Bai is really too good. She’s actually willing to wait for Fu Yan to break through and then continue the match!!”
“What kind of person is this? She’s breaking through herself and dragging others down with her. Honestly, Senior Sister Bai should just hurry and end her with one sword strike!”
“The administrative elder hasn’t said anything, so what are you jumping around for? They’re fellow disciples. Sure enough, some people are just petty!”
“Ahhh!! My goddess’s bearing really isn’t something ordinary people can compare to. I love Senior Sister Bai!!”
“Wake up. Senior Sister Bai clearly loves me the most!”
“…”
As for the chaotic chatter from the spectator seats, the two people on the arena seemed not to hear any of it. As time slowly passed, the aura around Fu Yan finally stabilized.
After the time it took an incense stick to burn.
The person on the ground opened her eyes again.
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