80: Chapter 80 Dragon and Tiger Clash

The center of the arena was bustling with noise, with twenty platforms neatly arranged. Under the gaze of thousands, Li Muyao and Yan Jinghong were the first to clash, becoming the focus of the entire venue.

Lin Qing stood among the crowd at the edge of the square, in no hurry to take the stage.

He hadn't forgotten that there was still a bet between Luoxia Valley and Songyun Temple. He had given his nod when the two sides confronted each other back then, and he naturally intended to fulfill that promise.

Due to the tournament format, he couldn't guarantee that he would run into a Disciple of Songyun Temple in the subsequent matches.

If the Disciples of Songyun Temple managed to sneak into the top twenty or even luckily reach the top five, the winner of the bet wouldn't be clearly defined.

Since he couldn't guarantee a later encounter, he would cut off all possibilities at the source. He intended to cripple all the participating Disciples of Songyun Temple in this first round of the Arena Challenge, leaving them with no right to even stand on the platform.

Having settled on a plan, Lin Qing's gaze fell upon the only platform in the arena where two people were standing. The other participating Disciples weren't in a rush to take the stage either, planning to first observe this dragon and tiger fight.

In the vast arena, the hundreds of thousands of spectators fell silent. Everyone's eyes were locked onto that single platform; the whole place was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

“Shring!”

With a flip of her fair hand, the long sword at Li Muyao's waist left its scabbard. A cold sword light pierced through the air, aimed straight for Yan Jinghong's heart.

From the very first Move, it was a killing blow!

Yan Jinghong reacted extremely quickly, instantly raising the long saber in his hand to parry.

“Clang—!!!”

The sound of metal clashing exploded, and sparks flew across the platform before vanishing in an instant.

Yan Jinghong felt a sharp sword force sweeping along the blade of his saber. The long saber in his hand vibrated violently, and he could no longer keep his footing, involuntarily sliding back several feet.

Before he could steady himself...

Li Muyao, having gained the upper hand with her first strike, unleashed her sword momentum. With a twist of her wrist, the long sword seemed to come alive in her hand. The blade danced rapidly through the air, and layers of sword screens instantly spread out, overwhelming Yan Jinghong like a tidal wave.

It turned out that Li Muyao had used a Heaven Rank sword technique at the Minor Achievement level right from the start. She knew that Yan Jinghong was also at the Late Stage of the fourth rank and possessed peerless strength, so she skipped the testing phase entirely.

From the beginning, she gave it her all, using the Heaven Rank sword technique to seize the initiative. She wanted to catch Yan Jinghong off guard and suppress her opponent with thunderous momentum.

And Yan Jinghong was indeed thoroughly suppressed by her unreserved, violent sword momentum at the start.

As an outstanding Disciple of the Qiushan Sect, Yan Jinghong naturally mastered a Heaven Rank Martial Art as well—a saber technique that had also reached the Minor Achievement level.

However, his Heaven Rank saber technique was also an offensive-style martial art that relied on overwhelming force. Now that Li Muyao had seized the initiative and locked him down with her sword momentum, he had no chance to execute his saber technique.

For now, he could only rely on his powerful Physical Body strength and combat reflexes that far exceeded an ordinary person's to hastily parry and block. He was enveloped in an airtight sword screen, struggling to cope and appearing quite pathetic for a moment.

Within just a few breaths' time, several fine wounds appeared on Yan Jinghong's body. Crimson blood slowly seeped out from the wounds, quickly staining his robes red.

On the Qiushan Sect's viewing platform, the Elders and Disciples were tense. Their hearts were in their throats, their hands unconsciously clenched into fists, and their eyes were fixed on the stage.

The entire audience also held their breath, staring wide-eyed at the duel on the stage, afraid to miss a single brilliant moment. Only the ear-piercing sound of clashing metal remained in the arena.

However, Li Muyao's sword technique had only reached the Minor Achievement level, after all; she couldn't maintain it truly endlessly. At a certain moment, a microscopic pause appeared in Li Muyao's sword momentum.

It was this tiny gap, which an ordinary person could never catch, that Yan Jinghong instantly seized!

“Now!”

A cold light surged in Yan Jinghong's eyes. He twisted his wrist and swung his long saber horizontally, aiming straight for Li Muyao's waist.

Li Muyao's expression changed slightly. She cursed inwardly, but in her haste, she could only rotate her long sword to force a block.

But how could a sword rotated in haste block Yan Jinghong's horizontal slash?

“Clang!”

Another loud bang echoed. The long sword in Li Muyao's hand was forcibly parried away. Although it didn't fly out of her hand, the sword screen she had meticulously constructed was completely broken.

Yan Jinghong was relentless when having the upper hand. He crouched low, his leg muscles tightening, and then he suddenly exerted force, launching himself upward.

Finally, he got the chance to perform his Heaven Rank saber technique. Now, the tide of battle had turned!

Unlike Li Muyao's storm-like sword Moves, Yan Jinghong's Heaven Rank saber technique didn't win through speed; it was a typical representative of heavy and powerful strikes.

Every slash he made carried the weight of a thousand pounds, heavy and majestic. Li Muyao's face turned pale, and she could only grit her teeth and swing her long sword, desperately trying to parry and block.

With every clash of saber and sword, she could feel an irresistible, powerful force sweeping through her long sword. It made the web of her thumb go numb and her body involuntarily retreat again and again.

After just a few Moves, Li Muyao could no longer withstand this powerful force.

With another horizontal slash, the long sword in Li Muyao's hand flew out, spinning through the air and landing on the square outside the platform.

The next second, the cold blade was already resting against Li Muyao's neck.

Yan Jinghong was panting slightly, and blood was still seeping from his wounds, but his eyes were sharp. He nodded slightly to Li Muyao.

“Young Miss Li, thank you for the match.”

The winner had been decided!

Although this duel only went through one round of offensive and defensive transitions—from suppression to counter-suppression—in just a few dozen breaths' time, the technical maneuvering, the fight for initiative, the exploitation of flaws, and the rhythm control were all extremely brilliant in every detail.

After a brief silence, the arena erupted with deafening cheers. The hundreds of thousands of spectators were completely boiling over, and thunderous applause rang out, lasting for a long time.

On the Li family's viewing platform, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief, still feeling lingering fear. Yan Jinghong's saber momentum had been too overwhelming just now, and they were afraid he wouldn't be able to hold back in the heat of the battle.

At the edge of the square, Lin Qing quietly watched the entire duel and nodded slightly.

His combat experience wasn't rich. Along the way, he had mostly relied on pure numerical suppression to crush his opponents, never having experienced such an evenly matched offensive and defensive battle.

To him, the battle between the two just now was an excellent practical lesson. Many of the details were worth his careful contemplation and learning.

On the platform, Yan Jinghong stood with his saber sheathed. Li Muyao leaped down from the platform, picked up her long sword, and stood quietly in the arena to regulate her breathing.

Although she lost this duel, this round was an Arena Challenge, not a single-elimination tournament. She had only lost ownership of this platform; she could still challenge other platforms to earn a spot in the top twenty.

As the battle between top Prodigies ended, the atmosphere in the arena was completely ignited.

For the few platforms occupied by Late Stage fourth-rank Prodigies, no Disciples dared to challenge them rashly for the time being. However, there were still over a dozen unoccupied platforms in the square.

The various Prodigies and Sect Disciples, who had long been unable to restrain themselves, leaped up one after another. Intense duels broke out on each of the platforms.

The sounds of clashing metal, roars, and cheers rose and fell, echoing throughout the arena in a lively display.

Jing Rong and Yuan Chong from Luoxia Valley also took turns ascending different platforms to participate in duels, engaging in several fierce battles with other Sect Disciples.

Their cultivation was only at the Early Stage of the fourth rank, which wasn't particularly outstanding among the many Prodigies. After several duels, they had both wins and losses, with mediocre results.

But for Disciples of their Realm, they never had a chance to make it into the top twenty anyway. Being able to exchange blows with their peers in this high-profile arena made the trip worthwhile.

Without a cultivation of at least the Middle Stage of the fourth rank, it was almost impossible to compete for a spot in the top twenty in this arena full of experts.

Time flew by, and the sun gradually shifted. The duels on the various platforms remained in full swing, one after another, never stopping.

Even on the few platforms occupied by Late Stage fourth-rank Prodigies, Disciples occasionally stepped up to challenge them, hoping to defeat the strong as the weak and become famous overnight.

Among them, the platform where Yan Jinghong was located had the most challengers.

Yan Jinghong had been injured in his fight with Li Muyao just now and was at his weakest. They all wanted to take this opportunity to pick up an easy win.

But they ultimately underestimated the strength of a top Prodigy.

Even with his injuries, any Disciple who stepped up to challenge him was easily repelled by Yan Jinghong within two or three Moves.

As the former Great Master Senior Sister of Luoxia Valley, Yun Nian was at the Middle Stage of the fourth rank. Among the many participating Disciples, she was already at an above-average level with impressive strength.

By now, she had already won several consecutive matches on the platform. Her sharp sword technique and steady fighting style intimidated many surrounding Disciples.

On the viewing platform, Sect Master Shen Yurong looked at Yun Nian, who stood tall and was winning match after match, a gratified smile appearing on her face.

In the next moment, a figure leaped up and landed steadily on the platform.

The newcomer was dressed in a gray Daoist robe, with a sinister face and eyes locked onto Yun Nian, carrying a thick sense of hostility.

Judging by his attire, he was clearly a Disciple of Songyun Temple.