Chapter 29

“The match begins!”

Fu Yan was called back to herself by the administrative elder’s voice below. She steadied her mind and only then realized that the match on stage had already begun.

Bai Yueli held the Yueyao Sword in her hand and very easily broke through each of her opponent’s attacks one after another, making Liu Xu grow somewhat breathless and impatient. In the end, the two exchanged only nearly ten moves before victory and defeat were already decided.

Without question, Bai Yueli won her first match.

After several rounds of battles like this, very soon, only Bai Yueli, Yu Heng, and Chen Jun remained on the stage. The annual ranking competition had finally reached its most exciting finale.

“First match, Bai Yueli against Chen Jun!”

As soon as the words fell, the crowd in the spectator seats immediately showed some disappointment.

“I knew it. They definitely put the match between Senior Sister Bai and Senior Brother ​Read on BaiLianTales​Yu Heng at the very end. Ahhh, I just want to watch those two fight! That’s what you call a true showdown!”

“That’s right, that’s right. Last time, the two of them only had a simple spar and didn’t use their full strength. I wonder if Senior Sister Bai can take first place in our inner sect again this year.”

“There shouldn’t be a problem. I feel like although Senior Brother Yu Heng is also very powerful, compared with Senior Sister Bai, there’s still a certain gap.”

“All right, all right. Can’t you just watch the match properly? The match between Senior Sister Bai and Blade Fanatic Chen Jun is clearly worth watching too, okay?”

“Quick, look! It’s already started!”

“…”

Chen Jun was called Blade Fanatic, so naturally, the name was not undeserved. His long blade was indeed extremely powerful. Even Lin Zihao, who had ranked third last year, had lost to his blade this time.

Bai Yueli looked at the person opposite her without the slightest thought of underestimating him. After all, a year had passed, and until the very end, one could never look down on anyone.

Chen Jun did not say much either. This battle with Bai Yueli was something he had long desired, so naturally, stolen content he would bring out his best state.

Very soon, the two people on the arena moved at the same time. One sword and one blade instantly clashed together. Because the two of them were far too powerful, the protective array around the arena seemed to distort slightly.

As soon as they pulled apart, Chen Jun had no intention of stopping. He swiftly followed with a backhand slash. This slash was clearly not ordinary either. Even Fu Yan, who sat far away on the outer edge, could sense a terrifying aura.

No wonder Chen Jun would comprehend blade intent in the later part of the novel. His blade was indeed terrifying. If Fu Yan faced him with her current strength, she truly could not find even the slightest chance of winning.

Seeing this on the stage, Bai Yueli also had no intention of dodging. She swiftly formed hand seals with both hands, her whole body leaning slightly forward. The Yueyao Sword in her hand quickly rose high into the air, then, following her gesture, swiftly attacked Chen Jun opposite her.

With a bang, a huge explosion instantly erupted on the arena.

Just as everyone thought victory and defeat had been decided, they discovered that the two people on stage were still continuing to fight. Blade and sword faced each other, sparks bursting between them.

“What? Victory still hasn’t been decided? Has Senior Brother Chen Jun already become this powerful? He can actually fight Senior Sister Bai evenly!”

“Ahhh!! So exciting! I originally thought Senior Sister Bai would definitely win, but read the original at bailiantales.comnow it feels uncertain. The two of them might be evenly matched.”

“Not necessarily. The killing move Senior Sister Bai just used was still the one she used in last year’s competition. She definitely has other trump cards this year.”

“True. I originally thought the match between Senior Sister Bai and Senior Brother Yu Heng would be very exciting, but now I’m realizing this battle is also especially exciting!”

…

Very soon, in the time of a short while, the two on stage exchanged another dozen moves. Only now did Chen Jun finally show signs of falling into a disadvantage. Everyone watching felt their hearts tighten, afraid they might miss some unavoidable instant.

Fu Yan sat in the spectator seats and also furrowed her brows slightly. Although she believed Bai Yueli would definitely win, she had not expected Chen Jun to have this kind of strength. It seemed that he was probably not far from comprehending blade intent.

At that moment, the stage, which had just been filled with intense fighting, finally quieted. Bai Yueli and Chen Jun also finally pulled apart. They each held sword and blade in one hand, standing opposite each other and gaining a brief moment to catch their breath.

It seemed no one had expected this match to be so difficult. However, the one suffering the most at this moment was none other than Yu Heng, who was waiting below.

Originally, he had been full of confidence and wanted to take first place in this year’s bailiantales.com rankings. Bai Yueli was supposed to be his only opponent. Now, the strength Chen Jun had displayed also made him feel somewhat afraid.

Against either of the two people on stage, he had no absolute certainty of victory.

Thinking of this, Yu Heng could not help clenching his hand tightly into a fist, with such force it seemed as if he could easily crush a stone.

At this moment, the two people still in the match naturally did not know what Yu Heng was thinking. Chen Jun raised his eyes to look at Bai Yueli opposite him, his slightly cold gaze filled with determination. He could not help smiling faintly, then gripped his long blade with both hands once more.

If this strike still could not win, Chen Jun knew that even if he lost, he would be convinced.

In the next moment, everyone saw Chen Jun on the arena slowly raise his long blade with both hands, holding it above his forehead. Powerful true essence instantly erupted from his body.

The spiritual energy in the air also swiftly gathered around the long blade. In an instant, Chen Jun’s entire body seemed to have been drawn into a vortex, and a terrifying current of qi surged around the long blade.

That terrifying aura startled everyone who saw it.

“No way. This Chen Jun actually still had a trump card. Read on BaiLianTales This move looks so terrifying. Is this really something late Illumination stage can unleash? Could he have already broken through to great perfection?”

“Impossible. But this blade strike really is terrifying.”

“Ahhh!! What do we do? I don’t want to see Senior Sister Bai lose, wuwu!”

“Shut up. Until the battle reaches the very end, never make conclusions so easily.”

“Yes, yes, I was talking nonsense!”

“…”

Just as everyone’s gazes were fixed on Bai Yueli, she also swiftly formed hand seals. This time, the Yueyao Sword hovered brightly in front of her. Bai Yueli’s expression shifted slightly, and Yueyao Sword rapidly began spinning. True essence inside her body also surged out swiftly.

“Blade of the Firmament!” Chen Jun looked at the figure opposite him and finally lifted his foot first. With a leap, the long blade in his hand seemed to descend from the heavens, cutting straight toward Bai Yueli.

“Ripples of Water!”

In the next moment, Bai Yueli swiftly reached out and raised her sword. Her whole person seemed as if she had entered water, flowing smoothly as she directly rushed into Chen Jun’s blade momentum.

For a moment, everyone present could not help holding their breath. Their eyes widened as they stared fixedly at the arena.

In an instant, the entire arena trembled slightly. From afar, it seemed as if space itself was about to be distorted, showing just how powerful these two strikes were. After two breaths of time—

Sword withdrawn, blade upright.

The arena finally returned to calm. Everyone looked at the two standing on stage, their faces filled with disbelief.

“This is… another draw?”

“No way. Is it really this dramatic?”

Just as everyone was somewhat unable to accept [stolen content]this result, the administrative elder slowly walked up and announced to the crowd, “Bai Yueli wins!”

Everyone: “???”

After seeing the situation clearly, Fu Yan also paused slightly at first, but very quickly, she understood. Because Bai Yueli had already broken Chen Jun’s killing move just now. Once one’s strongest move was broken, losing was only a matter of time, so naturally, there was no need to continue the match.

Some veteran disciples naturally understood this. Only disciples with shallower strength were still completely confused by the result.

After the administrative elder finished announcing it, Chen Jun hugged his long blade and walked down from the arena without looking back.

Because there were only three people in the round-robin battle, there would be half an hour of rest before the next match began. However, for cultivators, half an hour was only a short while.

Very soon, another match began.

This time, it was Yu Heng against Chen Jun. The two also fought for dozens of rounds before finally deciding victory and defeat. In the end, Yu Heng was defeated, and Chen Jun won.

Once this match ended, the result of this year’s ranking competition bailiantales.comwas basically settled. However, according to the rules, Bai Yueli and Yu Heng still had to fight a match.

This match had originally been what everyone most expected, but after experiencing the previous two matches, everyone no longer had the same eager excitement from the beginning.

After all, Yu Heng had lost to Chen Jun, and Chen Jun had lost to Bai Yueli, so this match was basically already decided.

But the match still had to be fought.

The final result was indeed just as everyone expected. Bai Yueli ultimately won. Although Yu Heng felt unwilling, he was powerless to reverse the situation.

At this point, the Shuiling Sect’s annual ranking competition finally drew its last curtain. The rankings of all inner disciples were also redefined.

Reshaping the rankings was not a particularly large project. That very night, the new inner sect ranking order was quickly updated in everyone’s identity tokens.

Fu Yan, who had returned to her wooden house, had a slight shift in expression. She directly took out her identity token and injected spiritual power into it. The ranking information quickly appeared before her eyes.

First place: Bai Yueli.

Second place: Chen Jun.

Third place: Yu Heng.

…

Forty-seventh place: Fu Yan.

Seeing Bai Yueli in first place and her own name as well, Fu Yan finally smiled in satisfaction, then put her identity token away again.

Because Tong Zhen had already left the Shuiling Sect, and because she could not be considered a true disciple of the Shuiling Sect, naturally, her name did not appear in the updated rankings.

The inner sect ranking competition was finally over. Next, continuing to stay in the inner sect would not have much meaning. On the path of cultivation, if she wanted to truly become stronger, she still had to go out and train.

Fu Yan took out the mission guide she had accepted ​stolen content​from the Mission Pavilion last time and carefully read through it again. Only after confirming there were no problems did she put it away once more.

It was time to prepare to go down the mountain to Luanjin Fort. If she continued delaying, it would probably be too late by the time she went.

Having made up her mind, Fu Yan did not think too much further. That night, for once, she did not continue meditating and cultivating. Instead, she slept properly.

She had a good night’s sleep.

Early the next morning, Fu Yan simply packed her belongings. She had even specially spent several hundred low-grade spirit stones at the dining hall to exchange for quite a lot of food. Although she could now abstain from food for half a month, there was never such a thing as having too much food stored.

When preparing to go down the mountain, Fu Yan thought it over and still planned to go greet Bai Yueli. After all, in the inner sect, aside from Tong Zhen, the only person she knew was Bai Yueli. Moreover, over these days, the relationship between the two of them had become quite a bit more familiar.

What she had not expected, however, was that she would find no one there.