72: Chapter 72 But no matter who wins, they are all members of the martial arts school!

The two were too familiar with each other, they couldn't even be bothered to exchange pleasantries.

After Su Ziyi landed, before Mu Liangyue could stabilize herself, her figure flashed, seeming to vanish into thin air. In the next instant, she was already behind Mu Liangyue, her yuchang sword pointed directly at her throat.

A cloud of pink mist suddenly rose into the air, enveloping the two of them.

A moment later, a figure abruptly rushed out of the pink mist—it was Su Ziyi.

She naturally knew what would happen if she fell into the Butterfly Dream Formation.

Since the attack failed, she decisively broke away.

In the mist, Mu Liangyue's figure slowly settled onto the martial arts stage.

The pink smoke in mid-air dispersed with the wind, uncontrolled by anyone.

"Junior Sister Su, stop hiding~"

Mu Liangyue said with a teasing tone.

Su Ziyi's expression darkened, and her figure flashed as she charged out again.

But both of them knew the Ascending Immortal Steps of Unrestrained Will, so the stage was instantly filled with flashing figures, swift as startled swans.

However, this pursuit did not last long.

Suddenly, twelve streaks of emerald light appeared on the stage, swimming flexibly like a school of fish.

"Sword Control Art!"

The onlookers couldn't help but exclaim.

In front of Mu Liangyue, twelve identical small green swords hovered in mid-air, perfectly aligned, as if replicated.

Su Ziyi stood at a distance, her face slightly grim.

What sword Formation was this? It was clearly the Sword Control Art!

And it was extremely similar to the Sword Control Art previously displayed by the Lord of Wushuang City.

Besides the Commander's sword, there seemed to be no other conspicuous item in the peerless sword casket.

Mu Liangyue lightly raised her fingertips, and Sword Intent flowed.

A small emerald green sword suddenly flew out, heading straight for Su Ziyi.

"It really is the Sword Control Art!"

Su Ziyi said while dodging.

Her footwork quickened, and her speed gradually climbed.

Although the small sword was fast, Mu Liangyue's control was still clumsy.

The turning and adjustment were slightly stiff, appearing not fluid enough.

Even so, the swiftness of the small sword could not be underestimated, it was just difficult to hit the target.

Conversely, because the small sword flew out, Mu Liangyue lost her defense.

Capture the leader first!

A thought flashed through Su Ziyi's mind, and she darted forward, rushing towards Mu Liangyue.

However, the next moment, the twelve small swords spun back from all directions, blocking the space between them, forcing Su Ziyi to retreat a few steps.

After repeating this several times, Su Ziyi clearly became somewhat anxious.

Although patience was a basic quality for an assassin, this was not a mission.

And her opponent was Mu Liangyue, with whom she had been rivals since childhood.

The repeated repulses by the twelve emerald Flying Swords further heightened Su Ziyi's impatience.

Suddenly, she swung her yuchang sword, batting away two attacking small swords, and charged forward with all her might, closing in on Mu Liangyue in an instant.

The remaining Flying Swords had not yet returned to defend when they were blocked one by one by the yuchang sword.

Su Ziyi unleashed her full strength, knowing this state could not last long.

A chill spread from her body.

Transparent ice crystals rapidly spread outwards with her as the center.

The ground was quickly covered in a thick layer of frost.

Mu Liangyue's feet were also frozen into the ice layer.

Su Ziyi's eyes lit up, and she immediately rushed forward, preparing to subdue her in one blow.

However, in the very next moment, her expression froze, and the yuchang sword she had raised high hung suspended in mid-air.

She dared not move an inch.

The people in the stands were also bewildered, not understanding what was happening.

They saw Su Ziyi close to Mu Liangyue, her yuchang sword raised high, and a wave of gasps rose from the stands.

Although the Flying Swords were sharp, Su Ziyi's movement changes were even more bizarre.

At this moment, all of Mu Liangyue's Flying Swords were blocked, and everyone thought she was about to lose.

Li Hanyi and Sikong Qianluo also showed worried expressions.

Only Su Rui shook his head slightly.

Su Ziyi was too complacent.

Although the yuchang sword was sharp and tough enough to break through Internal Energy and True Qi defenses, she had underestimated the power of the Da Geng Sword Formation.

Although Mu Liangyue did not wield the complete sword Formation, but only a simplified version composed of the twelve green bamboo bee cloud swords.

It was precisely because of this that she could barely control it.

But this did not mean it could be easily broken.

The most terrifying aspect of the true Da Geng Sword Formation was not the Flying Swords themselves, but the sword threads formed after the Formation was set up.

Those threads condensed from Sword Qi were as dense as a net.

Mu Liangyue indeed possessed a unique talent in the way of Formations.

Su Rui was quite satisfied with her deployment and on-the-spot reaction.

Knowing she could not perfectly control the entire sword Formation, she had set a trap from the very beginning.

Leading Su Ziyi step by step into the snare.

And now, she was using herself as bait.

Although the coverage of the sword Formation was limited, it was already sufficient.

The twelve small swords circled around, slowly forming the Formation.

Su Rui could clearly see the densely packed sword threads.

Su Ziyi was now deeply trapped within.

A slight rash move would result in a counterattack from countless strands of Sword Qi.

Few people could see through this.

Everyone who saw it was extremely shocked.

They never imagined that Sword Qi could be controlled in this manner.

Once trapped in the sword silk Formation, which resembled a vast net, one would probably be instantly torn limb from limb.

Su Ziyi stood still, her yuchang sword still raised high, her face filled with shock.

Countless sword threads wrapped around her like a spider's web, sealing off all possibilities of movement.

Mu Liangyue smiled sweetly, looking at her opponent with whom she had been fighting since childhood.

"Junior Sister Su."

She emphasized the word "Junior Sister" heavily.

"Back then in the Dark River, when your sisters joined forces, I truly was no match for you. But now, you are no longer my match!"

Su Ziyi's expression darkened, but she couldn't deny her current predicament.

"When Master taught me the Fire Charm Technique earlier, you were no match for me!"

Mu Liangyue held shrimp meat and pig hearts in her hands.

"Even if you are now Master's Disciples, you still can't beat me. In Master's heart, I am the one most valued!"

Mu Liangyue finally revealed her true intention.

"Stop dreaming. Master has no such thoughts about you; Master likes Senior Sister Hanyi the most!"

Su Ziyi snorted coldly, her expression visibly not good.

"So what? Senior Sister Hanyi is still young, and I have my own strengths!"

Mu Liangyue said while puffing out her chest, looking triumphant, like a victor.

Su Ziyi's face immediately turned bright red!

She lost! Completely lost!

Mu Liangyue retracted the sword threads she had deployed. The twelve emerald Flying Swords flew back into the sword casket in her hand like fledglings returning to their nest.

She looked triumphant, chest out, and flew towards the stands where Su Rui was.

Su Ziyi looked down at herself, her expression somewhat dejected.

"I'm also... not young anymore."

But that depended on who she was compared to.

Compared to Li Hanyi, who was still in the growth stage, and Sikong Qianluo, who hadn't fully developed, she was indeed quite good.

But compared to the exceptionally talented Mu Liangyue, she didn't measure up.

The victor of the match was decided, and everyone saw it clearly.

Mu Liangyue won.

But no matter who won, they were still people from the Martial Arts Hall.

Some people also realized that neither of them had truly displayed their full strength in this match.

But the contest was still brilliant.

Sikong Changfeng stood up and announced Mu Liangyue as the winner.

Three of the four spots in the top four ended up in the hands of the Martial Arts Hall Disciples.

People couldn't help but sigh.

If Ximen Chuixue hadn't been lucky, the Martial Arts Hall might have swept all four spots.

Ximen Chuixue was indeed not weak, but he hadn't shown combat power that surpassed common sense.

On the contrary, the Disciples from various sects had used many Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills far beyond the ordinary in their previous battles.

Mu Liangyue arrived before Su Rui and bowed respectfully.

"Master, your Disciple won."

"Very good."

Su Rui smiled faintly and nodded lightly.

"The variations of the Da Geng Sword Formation are exquisite; you must practice it more in the future.

This sword Formation has subsequent Mind-Cultivation Techniques. When you truly grasp the essence of the Twelve Swords, I will impart the rest to you."

"Thank you, Master!"

Mu Liangyue was overjoyed. She turned and walked to the side, pulling Sikong Qianluo, who had been staring at her sword casket, into an embrace.

"Hey! I can't breathe!"

Sikong Qianluo struggled in a fluster.

Su Ziyi landed lightly, her expression somewhat disappointed.

"Although the yuchang sword is sharp, it cannot truly enhance your strength by much,"

Su Rui said to her.

He did not wish for his Disciples to rely too heavily on divine weapons.

What truly made one powerful was their own strength.

In Su Rui's view, the Sea-Absorbing Sacred Heart Curse was an excellent Internal Skill.

Its lofty concept was no less than the Northern Darkness Divine Skill.

Using this Cultivation Technique as a Foundation was already outstanding enough.

The true Internal Skill Cultivation Techniques Su Rui possessed were the Sea-Absorbing Sacred Heart Curse and the Heavenly Sword Art from the Sacred Heart Art.

The Heavenly Sword Art was not suitable for everyone.

But the Sea-Absorbing Sacred Heart Curse had wide applicability and few restrictions.

Therefore, as the foundational Cultivation Technique for his Disciples at this stage,

Its potential was no less than any Internal Skill in this world.

In this world, ultimately, the deeper the Internal Energy, the stronger the combat power.

When fighting an enemy, those with deep Internal Energy often held the advantage.

Su Rui's words were not just a reminder to Su Ziyi, but also a warning to everyone else present.

Everyone nodded in assent.

They naturally understood their Master's intention.

There were countless Cultivation Techniques in the Jianghu, but in the end, victory depended on the level of one's Realm.

And Su Rui's Disciples were only isolated cases.

"This competition is nearing its end. In the time remaining, I hope you can quickly improve your strength!"

Su Rui recalled Lei Wujie, Tang Lian, and Sikong Qianluo from the original story.

When they first appeared, they were only at the Vajra Mortal Realm, but not long after, they stepped into the Carefree Heaven Realm.

What Lei Wujie could do, his Disciples with good Aptitude could naturally also achieve.

The surrounding experts listening to Su Rui instruct his Disciples also nodded in agreement.

The progress of the Disciples under Su Rui was rapid. If they were only eager for quick success, it might be detrimental to their Dao path.

But hearing Su Rui's words now, everyone understood that this person indeed possessed unique insight in teaching Disciples.

They were not clear exactly how many profound secret arts Su Rui had mastered.

Just looking at the Martial Skills displayed by Li Hanyi and the others was enough to be shocking.

Not to mention the precious Magical Artifacts Su Rui had gifted to each Disciple.

Furthermore, the rumors he mentioned about cultivators made people marvel even more.

The information heard today was already shocking enough.

However, the attention of ordinary people was not focused there.

They were more concerned that among the top four of this competition, the Martial Arts Hall Disciples occupied three spots.

And this was indeed the case.