63: Reencounter with Li Yi

Li Yi acted as if he hadn't heard the surrounding chatter, his gaze sweeping across the venue before finally settling on Lin Feng, who was not far away.

When his gaze met Lin Feng, and he felt the Spiritual Pressure belonging to a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator emanating from him, the corner of his stern mouth twitched involuntarily.

'Foundation Establishment Stage? How is that possible? Last time I saw him, he was clearly only at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer. Only two years have passed?' The faint hint of contempt he originally held instantly vanished, replaced by solemnity and... the fury of being challenged.

'Even if you got lucky and succeeded in Foundation Establishment, don't think you can rise above me.' He didn't speak, merely lifting his head slightly.

The Grand Sword Dao Competition officially began. Instantly, spiritual light soared into the sky above the arena, and Sword Qi crisscrossed everywhere.

The first to appear were two Inner Sect Disciples.

One of them, in the midst of brandishing his long sword, actually condensed three sword shadows to protect his body. Where the sword shadows passed, they left inch-deep gashes on the bluestone floor.

The other adopted an unconventional sword style, his figure blurring into an afterimage. His sword tip pulsed with a foot-long blue light, and every thrust brought forth a sharp sound of air being torn, erupting in dazzling light and fire when colliding with the sword shadows.

Immediately after, Fang Lingyao gracefully landed on the stage. Her opponent was a Disciple known for his fierce sword momentum. That Disciple roared, and his Massive Sword, wrapped in heavy yellow light, cleaved down, possessing astonishing Aura.

Fang Lingyao's expression remained unchanged. Her slender feet shifted slightly, and her body drifted back half a step, perfectly dodging the sharp edge. At the same time, her sword art changed, and the sword suddenly glowed with a flowing, deep blue light. A dense, flexible Sword Intent spread out—it was precisely the “Flowing Cloud Water Dividing Sword Art.” The sword light, like a tide, layered upon itself, quietly guiding, dividing, and dissolving the fierce, unparalleled yellow light into nothingness.

Seeing this, the Disciple changed his sword momentum again, switching to a rapid, storm-like attack. However, Fang Lingyao remained calm. Her sword art changed once more, the sword momentum abruptly shifting from soft to swift. The tip of her sword trembled, transforming into scattered cold stars, accurately stabbing towards every gap during her opponent's change in momentum, forcing him to continuously defend. This was the Sword Art for the “Star Chasing Lightning Pursuing Sword.”

In just over ten moves, she had calmly switched between three completely different sword styles, each mastered to its essence. Finally, she seized a tiny flaw where her opponent's old strength was exhausted and new strength had yet to be born. Her sword tip lightly tapped, breaking through his defense and stopping three inches before his throat.

The opponent stood frozen, sweat beading on his forehead. He finally smiled wryly and cupped his hands: “Senior Sister Fang's sword technique is exquisite and unpredictable. I am impressed.”

In another match, Liu Qingqing displayed the “Green Silk Entwining Sword Art.” The sword light was dense like a net, flexible and difficult to deal with. Coupled with the “Thousand Silks Entwine,” it managed to completely envelop and dissolve her opponent's Sword Qi into nothingness. The Disciple could not break free, eventually exhausting his spiritual power and reluctantly losing the match.

Upon the high platform, the Elders nodded slightly: “These Disciples of this generation indeed possess some spiritual aptitude in the way of the Sword Dao.”

Meanwhile, Lin Feng stood quietly to the side, intently watching every duel, especially the moves of those well-known Prodigies, silently deducing the countermeasures for the Nine Profound Sword Heart Art.

Finally, it was Lin Feng's turn to enter the arena. His opponent was none other than Li Yi, who had been waiting for a long time.

Li Yi wasted no words, cupping his fists and coldly saying, “Li Yi of Blazing Sun Peak, I ask for your guidance.” Before his voice faded, his figure flashed, and the long sword in his hand was already unsheathed, thrusting straight toward Lin Feng's face. It was the starting move of his famous unique skill, the “Wind Splitting Sword Art,” executed with lightning speed.

However, facing the fierce sword light rushing towards him, Lin Feng neither dodged nor retreated. He raised his right hand, and the “Natal Sword Essence” nurtured within his Dantian trembled slightly. A streak of sword-like radiance emerged from his palm, transforming into a Spiritual Sword.

He lightly rotated his wrist. The Spiritual Sword did not meet the attack head-on but instead drew a seemingly soft and weak arc, meeting the thrust diagonally.

“Clang!” A crisp sound rang out.

Li Yi's lightning-fast sword strike seemed to have pierced into a mass of invisible flowing water. The force was subtly diverted by the arc, grazing past Lin Feng's side without harming him in the slightest.

Li Yi frowned, let out a cold snort, and changed his sword momentum again, transforming it into sword shadows filling the sky, pouring down on Lin Feng like a torrential storm.

“Wind Splitting Storm.”

Lin Feng's footwork was nimble, like willow catkins drifting in the wind. He wielded his Spiritual Sword, either guiding, leading, deflecting, or dissolving the attack. He always managed, in the nick of time, to silently neutralize Li Yi's fierce offensive with the smallest amount of force and the most exquisite angles.

“This... what kind of sword technique is this? It can dissolve the Wind Splitting Sword so easily?”

“It looks gentle, yet it always strikes Senior Brother Li where he is most uncomfortable.”

“It actually bears some resemblance to... the Flowing Cloud Water Dividing Sword Art?”

Not far away, Fang Lingyao's eyes gradually revealed deep astonishment: 'He... he can actually utilize soft strength to such an extent?'

She saw clearly that the techniques Lin Feng used indeed bore the shadow of her Flowing Cloud Water Dividing Sword Art's principle of “using softness to overcome hardness.” However, the subtlety of his strength application, the precision of his timing, and the profound understanding of force circulation seemed to be... even superior to her Flowing Cloud Water Dividing Sword Art?

Li Yi, unable to break through after a prolonged attack, grew increasingly anxious. He roared, “Let's see how you block my full power!” Spiritual Power surged wildly from his body, his sword hummed and trembled, emitting a bright light. It was the killing move of the Wind Splitting Sword Art, “Gale Rending the Void.”

A giant wind blade slashed down from above. Just as the giant wind blade drew everyone's attention, a hint of viciousness flashed in Li Yi's eyes. He quietly withdrew his left hand into his sleeve and abruptly flicked his finger.

A “Bone Penetrating Nail,” as thin as an ox hair and almost non-reflective, silently shot through the air, taking a tricky angle to bypass the front defense.

This nail was extremely malicious, specifically designed to break Protective Spiritual Light. If struck by it, one's Spiritual Power would instantly stagnate, and Cold Poison would assault the heart.

This sneak attack was extremely concealed. The needle body was small and its speed was extremely fast. Most of the Disciples below the stage were attracted by the magnificent “Gale Rending the Void” and barely anyone noticed.

However, just as the nail was about to hit his body, the surface of Lin Feng's xuanming heavy water bead flashed with a faint black light, and a layer of black water curtain instantly appeared on its own, perfectly blocking the Bone Penetrating Nail.

“Pfft!”

An extremely faint muffled sound came. The Bone Penetrating Nail hit the black water curtain like a clay ox entering the sea. The Evil Qi attached to the nail was instantly dissolved by the Heavy Water, and the nail body itself was slowed by the resistance, finally falling weakly to the ground.

Lin Feng himself was fully focused on dealing with the frontal Wind Blade, appearing completely unaware of the slight movement behind him.

Most of the Disciples below the stage only saw Senior Brother Li Yi's full-power strike being broken and did not notice the fleeting water curtain or the fallen fine nail.

Only a few Elders on the high platform, who possessed powerful Spiritual Sense, shifted their gazes.

“Hmm?” Elder Qingxu raised an eyebrow slightly.

Another Elder beside him snorted coldly and whispered, “Bone Penetrating Nail? This Li Yi is far too malicious in his thoughts. Fortunately, that young fellow has this Strange Treasure protecting him...”

Elder Xuanji nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over Li Yi. His coldness intensified, but he still did not speak out to expose the act.