163: Chapter 163 Qi Refining vs. Golden Core: Senior Sister's Sword Strike Was Not Bad

"In that case," Leng Ningshuang slowly raised her left hand and pressed it onto the hilt of her sword, "then... let us battle."

“Clang—!”

The Replica Luoyun Sword was unsheathed!

The clear and melodious ring of the sword resounded across the Law Execution Platform, its ice-blue blade reflecting a piercing cold light under the morning sun.

The moment the sword was drawn, with Leng Ningshuang as the center, the ground within a ten-zhang radius began to freeze with a "crackling" sound, a thick layer of ice spreading toward where Xu Ruyu stood like a living thing!

At the same time, the six people behind her took a step forward in unison!

“Boom—!”

The terrifying pressure of seven Late Golden Core Stages erupted violently!

The air seemed to solidify as visible ripples of ice-blue spiritual energy radiated outward from the seven. Wherever they passed, the temperature plummeted. The Disciples in the front rows of the spectator seats shivered in unison; those with weaker cultivation even turned pale and retreated repeatedly.

Seven invisible mountains bore down heavily upon Xu Ruyu's head!

Below the stage, Zhao Yan stood up with a start, his wine gourd clattering to the ground and spilling strong liquor everywhere.

“Damn it...”

His lips trembled as he stared fixedly at the moon-white figure on the stage.

Qingyan, squeezed beside Zhao Yan, clutched the corners of her clothes tightly, her expression changing involuntarily.

She held a pale green jade talisman in her hand—it was the Void-Escape Talisman given to her by her Master, Hua Xunhuan. If anything happened to Xu Ruyu today, she could use this talisman to take him far away.

However, at this moment, the talisman was already soaked with the sweat from her palms.

“Senior Brother Xu...”

Her voice trembled slightly.

Ning Caihe still kept his eyes closed, but the veins on the back of his hand pressing the sword were bulging.

On the western side of the Law Execution Platform, Su Mei leaned against the railing. Watching the scene where the seven on stage released their full pressure, her red lips curled into an ambiguous arc.

Behind her, several familiar Junior Sisters discussed in low voices:

“It's over now. Junior Brother Xu probably won't even be able to take a single move.”

“Senior Sister Leng Ningshuang's Ice Soul Mysterious Maiden Sword has already reached the seventh level, 'Heavenly Maidens Descent.' It's said she can even briefly contend with Early Stage Nascent Soul Cultivators...”

“Look at Senior Brother Lin Feng and the others. The auras of the six are perfectly integrated; this is clearly a joint-attack battle Formation they've practiced long ago!”

“Seven against one... this is just too much bullying.”

“Bullying? Who told him to be a male Disciple and take the position of the Sect Master's Personal Disciple? He deserves it!”

Amidst the discussions, Leng Ningshuang moved.

She did not utilize the six people behind her, but simply took a single step forward alone.

With that one step, the entire Law Execution Platform shook violently!

“Ice Soul Mysterious Maiden Sword, First Form: Frozen Heavens and Earth!”

With a clear cry, the longsword in her hand slashed out diagonally!

There were no fancy sword moves, no complex variations, just a simple diagonal slash.

But the moment this sword slashed out, the air where the blade passed froze into countless ice crystals with a "crackling" sound. An ice-blue fan-shaped Sword Qi, three zhang wide and twenty zhang long, tore through the air. Wherever it passed, the ice on the ground exploded and overturned, with countless ice shards spraying to both sides like a rainstorm!

Before the Sword Qi even arrived, a bone-chilling coldness rushed toward him!

Xu Ruyu's moon-white robe flapped loudly in the fierce wind, and his hair flew backward.

Below the stage, Zhao Yan suddenly took a step forward and roared hoarsely: “Dodge it!”

Qingyan covered her mouth.

Ning Caihe suddenly opened his eyes, a sword light flashing within them.

However, Xu Ruyu did not dodge.

He didn't even make any defensive posture, but just stood quietly in place, watching that world-destroying ice-blue Sword Qi slash toward him.

Time seemed to be stretched thin at this moment.

The ice-blue Sword Qi tore through the air, and the resulting frost storm completely enveloped the eastern side of the Law Execution Platform, making Xu Ruyu's figure blurry within the storm.

When the Sword Qi was still three zhang away from him, the bluestone ground beneath his feet cracked inch by inch, and deathly white cold air surged from the cracks.

Two zhang.

One zhang.

Half a zhang—

Some people below the stage closed their eyes, unable to bear the sight.

A trace of complexity flashed in Leng Ningshuang's ice-blue eyes—she had only used seventy percent of her power for this strike, but it was more than enough to deal with a Qi Refining stage Cultivator.

The Sect Master had told her to "be sure to kill him," but in the end... she couldn't bring herself to deliver a fatal blow.

However, just at the moment the Sword Qi was about to hit his body—

The moon-white robe on Xu Ruyu's body suddenly rippled like water.

It wasn't spiritual energy fluctuations, nor the light of a Formation, but a more subtle, more indescribable vibration.

The pale green bamboo leaf patterns on the robe seemed to come alive, flowing slightly on the surface of the fabric. The next moment, the ice-blue Sword Qi slammed heavily into Xu Ruyu's chest!

“Boom—!!!”

A deafening explosion erupted!

Ice shards and cold air swept in all directions like a raging tide. The eastern side of the Law Execution Platform was completely shrouded in ice mist, making it impossible to see the scene within.

The terrifying shockwave slammed into the protective barrier around the Law Execution Platform, causing the light curtain to vibrate violently and ripple in layers.

Below the stage, there was a moment of dead silence.

Then—

“Is... is it over?”

“He must be dead... even an Early Stage Golden Core taking that hit head-on would be heavily injured.”

“What a pity, he was quite handsome...”

“What's there to pity? He overestimating himself!”

The ice mist slowly dissipated.

Everyone's gaze was fixed intently on the eastern side of the Law Execution Platform.

Then, they saw a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives—

Xu Ruyu was still standing where he was.

His moon-white robe was spotless, without even a single wrinkle.

At the spot on his chest where the Sword Qi had struck, transparent ripples as fine as scales appeared on the fabric's surface. Those ripples were slowly calming down, like ripples on water gradually dissipating.

Within a three-foot radius around his feet, the bluestone ground was perfectly intact.

But beyond those three feet, the ground was cracked like a spiderweb and covered with a thick layer of ice.

Xu Ruyu raised his hand and lightly brushed away non-existent dust from his chest. He looked up at Leng Ningshuang ten zhang away and said calmly:

“Senior Sister Leng, this sword strike was not bad.”

“...”

“...”

Silence.

Dead silence filled the entire venue.

Even the wind seemed to have solidified.

Zhao Yan's mouth hung wide open. The wine gourd he had just picked up slipped from his unconsciously loosened hand again, rolling down the steps with a "clatter-clatter."

Qingyan slowly lowered the hand covering her mouth, her eyes full of disbelief.

Ning Caihe's hand pressing the sword relaxed, but the sharp light in his eyes grew even more intense.

In the western spectator seats, Su Mei, who had been leaning against the railing, slowly stood up straight, the lazy smile on her face vanishing without a trace.

And on the Law Execution Platform—

For the first time, intense fluctuations appeared in Leng Ningshuang's ice-blue eyes.

The hand she used to hold her sword trembled almost imperceptibly.

Behind her, among the six Hidden World Senior Brothers, Lin Feng, who had the highest cultivation, slowly narrowed his eyes, his gaze piercing toward the moon-white robe on Xu Ruyu's body like a knife.

Inside the high suspended pavilion, Xiao Nianyin's hand gripping the railing suddenly tightened, her knuckles turning white.

She stared fixedly at the moon-white figure below, her eyes surging with shock, confusion, and a trace of... a throb that even she herself hadn't noticed.

After a long time, the dead silence was broken by the sound of someone gasping.

Immediately after, the entire venue erupted in an uproar!