Chapter 78
The scene was momentarily chaotic.
Across the way.
A bead of cold sweat trickled down Xie Lan'ai's forehead, not because everyone was supporting Ying Bing, but because of Ying Bing herself.
But after a moment of gritting her teeth, she spoke up:
“Junior sister, I’d like to add a wager.”
“If I win, I hope you’ll hand over the Tian Shuang Sword.”
“And if I lose…”
“Alright.”
Before Xie Lan'ai could finish her sentence, she heard Ying Bing’s voice, smooth and unyielding, respond.
She hadn’t even finished stating her own wager.
This left a sense of displeasure in Xie Lan'ai’s heart.
“Then, junior sister, please make your move.”
“You go first.”
Ying Bing raised her gaze for the first time to appraise her.
Xie Lan'ai understood that this wasn’t a gesture of humility.
What she meant was, if Xie Lan'ai struck first, she wouldn’t have a chance to counter.
How arrogant.
Li Mo felt a chill run down his spine and took a deep breath.
Yes, that was exactly it.
This was the feeling.
“Be careful, junior sister!”
Xie Lan'ai stopped talking and unleashed the Spirit Snake Sword Technique to its utmost, the unpredictable brilliance slicing through the air, aiming to overwhelm with the abundant inner energy of the Yu Ye realm.
Her anger didn’t mean she underestimated her opponent.
To have gained the recognition of a mysterious weapon, Ying Bing’s swordsmanship was surely above hers.
But she still had significant advantages.
A higher realm.
More extensive combat experience...
In that moment, she thought of many things.
She even considered how to seal off Ying Bing’s escape route after she retreated, and if Ying Bing countered, how to keep her off balance with her own rhythm.
But in truth... she was overthinking it.
The weaving sword light surged forth, the sharp inner energy slicing through the air; even someone of the same realm would be gravely injured if caught by its edge.
Yet a delicate hand effortlessly pierced through the sword barrier.
Amidst the unpredictable sword moves, it was as easy as plucking a leaf from her own garden.
The Spirit Snake Sword Technique halted.
Because the soft sword had been pinched between two slender, pale fingers.
Clang—
With a flick of her fingers, the sword’s edge was sent spiraling back, grazing the fabric of its owner’s robe.
A hair’s breadth away from piercing her chest.
Xie Lan'ai stood frozen, her pupils constricted, her breath caught in her throat.
Instinctively, she glanced at the girl just a sword’s length away, only to find those ice-like eyes still reflecting a serene calm.
Her opponent had shown mercy.
Otherwise, that hair’s breadth would not have been so close.
The entire arena fell into silence.
...
On the high platform, silence reigned as well.
Everyone had anticipated Ying Bing’s victory.
But no one expected it to be in such a manner, so effortlessly.
Facing an opponent of a higher realm, she hadn’t even drawn her sword, merely using a fraction of her inner energy to envelop her fingertips.
“That sword of hers, is it called Tian Shuang?”
The young man in a white robe from Fen Yu Lin had lost all traces of arrogance from his face.
The middle-aged scholar in robes didn’t respond, only sighed:
“Every time the Qing Yuan Sect is in a weak position, it seems they always produce extraordinary talents…”
As for the elders’ reactions, there’s no need to elaborate further.
Little Li had the live broadcast.
“This girl is terrifying!”
“Wow…”
“What are you doing?”
Seeing Li Mo’s voice fluctuate between low tones and gasps, Ying Bing furrowed her brow.
Li Mo replied, “I’m just being a suitably shocked bystander.”
Ying Bing: “?”
...
After sipping tea for a while.
Just as Li Mo was about to get up to relieve himself, Elder Qian Bufan’s voice rang out:
“Next match.”
“Lin Jiang from Ruyi Peak, against…”
“Li Mo from Qun Yu Peak!”
Good news, it was finally his turn.
Bad news, he was feeling a bit rushed.
It was quite a coincidence that he was facing someone familiar in the very first match.
Sure enough.
As soon as Elder Qian Bufan finished announcing the names, all eyes turned toward them, many filled with scrutiny.
There had been much discussion within the sect about Li Mo.
Some said he was a man of integrity, a warm-hearted gentleman.
But others claimed he lacked strength, unworthy of being compared to Ying Bing, calling him one of the dual prodigies of the Qing Yuan Sect.
There were even detractors who labeled him a pretty boy, a kept man of Elder Shang Wu...
Of course, such remarks were purely the envy-fueled slander of detractors; seasoned disciples of the Qing Yuan Sect knew that Elder Shang Wu was herself struggling financially—where would she find the means to keep a pretty boy?
In any case, opinions were varied.
But one thing was certain: everyone wanted to see what this Li Mo was truly capable of.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Li Mo couldn’t very well say he needed to step out for a moment.
So he could only step onto the stage and softly say:
“Brother Lin, let’s make this quick.”
“Sure thing.”
Thus.
As soon as Lin Jiang stepped onto the stage, he walked to the edge of the platform.
The moment Elder Qian’s command of “Begin” rang out, he jumped off the stage.
“I concede.”
Lin Jiang shouted without hesitation, fearing that if he hesitated even a moment, Li Mo might take action.
The disciples: “Huh?”
The elders: “??”
The rest of the spectators: “???"
What the hell, is there some kind of conspiracy here?
You two are both in the Qi Blood realm, and you’re conceding without even fighting? Do you think we’re fools?!
Lin Jiang, how could you do this to us?
Damn it, refund!
Oh, wait, we didn’t pay to watch.
Well, that’s fine then.
But there’s definitely something off about this, something very wrong!
The rules didn’t state that one couldn’t concede, and falling off the stage would indeed count as a loss, but this was the first time such a bizarre situation had occurred.
With all the notable sects present, Elder Qian Bufan felt a bit embarrassed and rushed back to discuss with the other elders.
“How should we judge this?”
“Should we let them fight again?”
“Look at Lin Jiang like that; is there any point in fighting again? It’s meaningless.”
The elders couldn’t come to a conclusion.
Suddenly, Elder Qian Bufan thought of something and suspiciously asked, “Elder Shang Wu, you didn’t secretly threaten Lin Jiang to concede, did you?”
The other elders looked at her; it was indeed something she could do.
“Watch your words!”
“Do I need to threaten a mere disciple? How troublesome.”
“Isn’t it easier to threaten Elder Qian to call a foul?”
Elder Shang Wu was furious.
You can question her character, but questioning her intelligence was infuriating.
The elders: “…”
What are you so indignant about?
Thus.
Elder Qian Bufan could only helplessly announce:
“Li Mo wins!”
“Boo…”
A chorus of boos erupted from the audience.
Li Mo fell silent for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, “Brother Lin, quick is quick, but… was it really necessary to go this far?”
“I’m not foolish.”
Lin Jiang shook his head vigorously.
He remembered clearly.
During the sect trials, Li Mo had knocked the breath out of Wang Hu with a single punch, leaving him a wreck.
He had shattered the shell of the Spineback Turtle... simply a human disaster.
Fighting Li Mo? That would be like asking for trouble.
By conceding now, he could preserve his strength for the next match.
If he didn’t concede, he wouldn’t even have to think about his ranking in the Nine Peaks Martial Meet.
What if Li Mo didn’t hold back? He might as well consider having a seat at the table and enjoying a few dishes...
Chapter 75: Directly Advancing to the Top Eight, Elder Qian’s Mixed Bets
Lin Jiang’s meaning was clear to him.
Since he couldn’t win anyway.
Might as well concede outright.
It made a certain kind of sense.
Li Mo was momentarily at a loss for words, unsure how to counter, and could only laugh helplessly:
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“Thanks for sparing me, Brother Li.”
Lin Jiang let out a sigh of relief.
Thus.
Qun Yu Peak achieved victory in their first battle.
They had promised to showcase strength and friendship, but to everyone’s eyes, this match was truly nothing but friendship.
Among the inner disciples.
“There’s definitely something going on here!”
“I know Lin Jiang; he dared to fight against a late-stage ninth-grade beast during the sect trials.”
“Something’s off, very off.”
Amidst the murmurs of the inner disciples of Shen Bing Peak.
Watching the young man walk down from the stage with an air of nonchalance, Wang Hao’s eyes glinted with coldness.
Since Wang Hu had joined Ruyi Peak, he hadn’t come out again.
And because of his familial ties to Wang Hu, he had been taken by the law enforcement disciples of Ruyi Peak for questioning for three days.
That was when Wang Hao finally understood the reason.
Because Wang Hu had gotten involved with the Huan Mo Sect, which was strictly prohibited by the Da Yu Dynasty; any sect that discovered such a person would be executed on sight.
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