Chapter 82
Everyone thought about it and felt relieved.
Living together, they surely understood each other's strengths; it would be strange if they were surprised.
But the question remained...
Who was stronger now?
...
The competition of the Nine Veins Martial Arts continued.
However, the matches that followed were rather unremarkable.
Ying Bing's battles could basically be summed up as:
"I made my move, and it was over in one strike."
But... the other party didn’t even get a chance to respond.
In the semi-finals, Li Mo's opponent turned out to be a familiar face.
It was the young disciple of Elder Xue from Dan Ding Peak, the same boy who had once attended to Li Mo and Ying Bing at the medical hall.
"Hey, Li Shidi, nice to see you again!"
The boy's eyes sparkled with nostalgia as he remarked, "Last time I saw you, you hadn’t even opened your veins. Back then, I was already at the Yu Ye realm."
"Who would have thought you’d be standing across from me now?"
In reality, he was much older than he appeared; he had been ill, which was why he looked so youthful.
"Shixiong."
Li Mo nodded slightly.
"Hmm?"
"If we’re talking about standing across from each other, you need to get on the stage first."
Seeing the boy still standing at the foot of the platform, Li Mo couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless.
"Uh, I just remembered that Dan Ding Peak is still refining medicine..."
"I’ll take my leave then; I won’t disturb you."
The boy hurried off.
As he left, he couldn’t resist glancing back and forth between Ying Bing and Li Mo, giving Li Mo a thumbs-up:
"Go for it, Li Shidi."
"I’m rooting for you."
Li Mo: "?"
Great, now he didn’t even need to move.
It was the final match.
Looking up, he saw Ying Bing in her light blue attire, her graceful figure swaying gently, and for the first time, emotions stirred in her deep, spring-like eyes.
She had never imagined that the person standing across from her in the Nine Peaks Martial Arts would be Li Mo.
This boy, who had vanished into the crowd in her past life, now stood before her.
In this life, he had unhesitatingly jumped into the abyss with her, willingly giving her the Yuan Huang Xia Po, and then revealed an astonishing talent for swordsmanship, almost rivaling Jiang Chulong.
Because of him, her life had changed significantly in this lifetime.
Every day brought delicious meals, someone to discuss swordsmanship with, and occasionally, she would hear him utter new and interesting words.
This feeling...
Wasn’t too bad?
"Thanks to you, I’ve become much stronger."
"I won’t hold back."
Li Mo smiled.
The rewards from the ice-cold girl were needless to mention.
Every day, being influenced by her had given him the chance to realize his dream—to be a dashing swordsman.
"Don’t thank me; just thank your hardworking self."
Ying Bing’s delicate lips curled into a smile, a curve she hadn’t even noticed herself:
"Let me see how much you’ve improved lately."
"I’m sure I’ll surprise you."
Li Mo’s smile was bright.
Facing off against a swordsman and a master...
This felt amazing.
"If you’ve made great progress, I’ll be happy for you too."
Ying Bing said softly.
His swordsmanship was taught by her.
If he succeeded, she would naturally be pleased.
Winning or losing didn’t really matter.
The audience: "?"
The elders: "?"
Hey, aren’t you two going to fight?
The fact that you both stepped onto the stage without exchanging insults or provocations was already a sign of high quality, and now you’re just cheering each other on?
Should we leave?
Fortunately, neither of them said much more.
Li Mo gripped the Chixiao tightly, his breathing calming.
Ying Bing tied her hair into a high ponytail with one hand and nodded slightly.
The battle began.
Little Li took the initiative, the tip of the Chixiao flickering, its sharp energy almost solidifying.
Like a flurry of crane feathers, each strike seemed capable of piercing gold and splitting stone.
He hadn’t wasted any time during this period.
To facilitate smooth communication between the two destined girls, he had gone to the library and studied numerous books on sword techniques and theories, pouring nearly half of his martial insights into them.
He had taken a significant step forward on the path of technique approaching the Dao.
"Using the sharpness of the sword to replace inner energy."
"Not bad."
Ying Bing praised softly.
The bright sword light of the Tian Shuang cut through the air, and she didn’t use any inner energy.
Yet, the agile sword flowers precisely dissolved the sharp energy into nothingness.
And there was still strength left.
The sword flowers disrupted the crane feathers and rolled back toward Li Mo.
In the next moment, Li Mo vanished from his spot.
Wind Shadow Step.
"The Xun Hua Sword Technique can be activated even in stormy weather."
"Simply dodging will only make my sword’s momentum grow stronger."
Ying Bing’s clear voice rang out.
Li Mo pondered.
They were both using transformation-level sword techniques, but why?
Suddenly, he stopped thinking about the Fire Crane Thousand Feathers and traced back to the original "Liao Yuan Sword Technique."
Wildfire spreading across the plains?
The audience below fell silent.
Were these two strong?
Very strong.
Whether it was Li Mo or Ying Bing, their swordsmanship had exceeded their expectations.
But...
Where was the competitive spirit for the top spot in the martial arts?
Was this a fight?
It was clearly just a mutual exchange of techniques!
Li Zhenchuan, where was the ferocity that crushed Wang Hao into the ground?
Ying Zhenchuan, where was the invincible stance that took out opponents in an instant?
You weren’t like this before!
Are you just playing around?!
---
Chapter 79: The Breathless Showdown of Ying Bing and Li Mo—Victory and Defeat Decided
This was the first time Little Li experienced a moment of enlightenment in swordsmanship.
His sword suddenly slowed down.
No words were needed.
Ying Bing across from him instinctively matched his pace, also easing her attacks.
This process lasted only a few seconds.
In the next moment, when Li Mo struck again, at first glance, the sword’s sharpness seemed to have diminished significantly.
Amidst the weaving sword lights, the Chixiao resembled a flickering candle in the rain, swaying but never extinguished.
In fact, it was growing stronger.
Yet, a glimmer of satisfaction flashed in Ying Bing’s eyes.
He understood.
The momentum of wildfire spreading across the plains lies in its endless cycle, in the ebb and flow of strength.
Clang, clang, clang—
The ice-blue sword lights clashed dozens of times in the blink of an eye.
To the onlookers, it appeared that Li Zhenchuan, initially suppressed and facing peril, was gradually turning the tide, standing toe-to-toe with Ying Bing.
"Did these two start practicing swordsmanship in the womb?"
"I can barely keep up with this."
"Li Zhenchuan’s technique looks like the Liao Yuan Sword Technique, but it’s not quite the same..."
Their duel had surpassed most people's understanding of the Nine Veins Martial Arts.
This was far beyond what a newcomer should be capable of.
Gradually, everyone held their breath, their eyes glued to the arena.
In the next moment.
The momentum of the Chixiao surged dramatically.
Like a raging wildfire, it tore through the heavy curtain of rain.
Gasps erupted from the crowd.
Was Li Zhenchuan about to win?
Was victory about to be decided so quickly?
But Li Mo knew what was happening; Ying Bing was intentionally allowing him to familiarize himself with the sword’s momentum, deliberately not changing her moves.
With this strike, out of ten thousand people, nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine would be at a loss, and the one exception was Ying Bing.
Sure enough.
Clang—
As the blade sliced through the wind, it was about to pierce Ying Bing, but the Tian Shuang had already moved in front of her.
The tips of the two swords collided with remarkable precision.
The Chixiao, infused with the spirit of wildfire, bent the Tian Shuang to its limits.
Yet, Ying Bing’s sword momentum, like a candle in the wind, did not extinguish.
Li Mo felt a chill in his heart.
This scene felt eerily familiar.
Too familiar.
In a flash, he saw the slight curve of Ying Bing’s lips and quickly reacted.
The momentum of wildfire spreading across the plains!
A sense of crisis surged within Li Mo, and he exerted more force, adjusting the sword’s angle, not allowing any respite, and struck again.
This was the advantage of having thirty-six main veins in the Qi and Blood realm.
His follow-up strength was endless, without worry of exhausting his energy.
Clang—
The Tian Shuang spun in his wrist, and the Xun Hua Sword Technique’s stormy momentum surged again, intertwined with the relentless spirit of wildfire.
One sword, two forces!
The accumulated momentum of wildfire surged forth, pressing down with the stormy momentum, unyielding and relentless.
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