413: Tenacity

In the subsequent matches, Mu Ruxue advanced rapidly, continuously defeating strong opponents, and reached the finals.

The Realms of those three new Disciples had all reached the Spirit Realm Middle Stage, but their overall strength was still inferior to Wang Cheng, so Mu Ruxue easily won without much pressure.

However, her Soul Power was also greatly depleted, and by the time she stepped onto the final arena, only about one-third remained.

As for her fighting Qi, it was useless.

Mu Ruxue's Realm had only reached the Eight-Star Martial Emperor, making it fundamentally difficult for her to challenge powerful enemies.

This was also a common failing among Lingyun Sect Disciples: powerful Soul Power, but slightly lacking in fighting Qi strength.

And her opponent, predictably, was Liu Ruyan's Personal Disciple, Mu Bai.

After this grand competition, Mu Bai's prestige among the new Disciples had reached its peak.

Because, no matter which opponent he faced, he defeated them in a single move; his posture was handsome, and his presence was imposing.

In fact, he had no intention of showing off; he merely wanted to end the match with the minimum consumption possible, preserving his strength as much as he could.

The finals began, and the two simultaneously walked onto the arena and stood facing each other.

Logically, the Vice Sect Master Liu Ruyan should have served as the referee for the finals, but to avoid suspicion, Li Changbai finally stepped forward.

His Soul Realm had also reached the Early Heaven Realm, and his fighting strength was not much weaker than Liu Ruyan's, so serving as the referee for a junior competition was certainly acceptable.

Seeing both contestants take their positions, waves of cheers immediately erupted from the audience below the stage.

These eliminated new Disciples were all cheering for Mu Bai, as if he had already won the victory.

Mu Bai was powerful and imposing, and he was gentle in his attacks; although he had defeated so many new Disciples, he had not left them lying on the ground.

He possessed not only martial strength but also martial virtue, having already gained the recognition of these new Disciples.

The Elder Disciples further out were much calmer.

Because the outcome of the new Disciple grand competition had little to do with them; they were just there to watch the excitement.

The Elder Disciples were also discussing heatedly.

"This Mu Bai is truly amazing. He swept through the rounds, barely exposing his strength, and made it to the finals. I think this person has the Potential of a Saint!"

"No, brother, do you have to say 'Potential of a Saint' to everyone you meet? Our entire Lingyun Sect only has one Saint, the Sect Master. How could becoming a Saint be that easy?"

"So what? I just like Mu Bai!"

"Mu Ruxue's strength isn't bad either. Especially watching her battle with Wang Cheng, she even used 'Curse Annihilation'. But compared to Mu Bai, there is indeed quite a gap."

"The gap between Soul Realms is like a chasm. I also think Mu Ruxue doesn't have much chance of winning."

Whether they were new Disciples, Elder Disciples, or the Peak Masters on the high platform, everyone believed Mu Ruxue was certain to lose.

The only person who still held hope for her was Lu Xingchen.

Mu Ruxue was the first to salute Mu Bai, saying in a deep voice, "Greetings, Senior Brother Mu Bai! Senior Brother Mu Bai's strength is formidable, and his mind is mature, truly worthy of being Sect Master Liu's Personal Disciple. Now, please give me some pointers!"

Mu Bai immediately returned the salute and said softly, "Junior Sister Xiao Xue, there is no need to be polite. I can tell you are not someone with a weak personality; if you don't fight me, you certainly won't be convinced. Therefore, I can only knock you off the stage!"

Mu Ruxue raised her eyebrows slightly and said in a deep voice, "That is natural. Senior Brother Mu Bai is quite accurate in judging people! Please use your full strength. With Peak Master Li Changbai acting as the referee, neither of us will be in danger of losing our lives."

"Good!"

Immediately, the two stopped talking and stared intently at each other.

Li Changbai looked at the two, then shouted loudly, "Let the match begin!"

"Word Spirit, Dustless Land!"

Mu Ruxue did not hesitate and immediately released this Word Spirit.

Her Realm was inferior to Mu Bai's; she could only use the "Dustless Land" to stall for time, and then rely on her "Devour" talent to continuously erode Mu Bai's Soul Power, giving her a chance to win.

Mu Bai also wasted no words and slapped his right hand forward.

A white giant python condensed from Soul Power flew toward Mu Ruxue.

Just as the colorless barrier formed, the white giant python arrived, and the two immediately collided violently.

Cracks appeared on the colorless barrier, and then it shattered with a crash.

However, Mu Bai's white giant python was also annihilated, and some of the Soul Power within it was devoured by Mu Ruxue, temporarily raising her strength, bringing her Soul Power one step closer to the Late Spirit Realm.

But the gap between their Realms still caused Mu Ruxue to spit out a mouthful of fresh blood, and her face became extremely pale.

Mu Bai frowned.

He hadn't held back at all in that last move, using his full strength, yet he couldn't knock Mu Ruxue down.

This young girl looked delicate and weak, but he hadn't expected her to be so tough when fighting.

Mu Bai said softly, "Junior Sister Xiao Xue, do you want to continue?"

Mu Ruxue nodded heavily and said in a deep voice, "Come on! Unless you knock me down, don't think about winning this match!"

"Word Spirit, Dustless Land!"

Mu Bai nodded slightly, said nothing more, and launched his second attack.

The colorless barrier shattered again, and Mu Ruxue once more spat out a mouthful of blood and retreated three steps.

Her body swayed, but she managed to steady herself.

Mu Bai frowned tightly.

He could already sense that Mu Ruxue's second defense was stronger than her first.

If there was one, there would be two; if there were two, there would be three.

Although he didn't know how she achieved it, Mu Bai could guess that her strength would continue to grow.

No wonder she was fighting to the death without surrendering; she intended to fight a war of attrition against him!

But Mu Bai had no other options; he was already giving his all.

Now he could only fight desperately against her, seeing whether Mu Ruxue's body would give out first, or if her Soul Power would become stronger than his first!

Seeing Mu Ruxue remain so resilient, the audience below the arena was also somewhat shocked.

"Holy crap, she's been hit this hard and still won't admit defeat? Does she want to leave her life on the arena stage?"

"It's truly astonishing that a young girl can have such strong willpower! Mu Ruxue, well done, keep going!"

Other Disciples were also moved, and no longer fully supported Mu Bai; a small portion of them began cheering for Mu Ruxue.

"Mu Ruxue, keep going, hold on!"

"Junior Sister Xiao Xue, keep fighting!"

"Senior Sister Mu Ruxue, keep going, I'm rooting for you!"

Liu Ruyan also frowned, looked at Lu Xingchen, and said in a deep voice, "Junior Brother, why don't you go stop the match? If they continue fighting, I'm afraid Xiao Xue's body will suffer irreversible damage."

Lu Xingchen shook his head slightly and chuckled, "No need, Senior Sister. I have confidence in Xiao Xue; she will definitely be able to hold on. Besides, I still have a phoenix nirvana pill in my hand. No matter how severe her injuries are, I can restore her."

"If we stop her now, her Dao Heart will definitely be affected. It is better to let her fight with all her might!"