Chapter 293: Chapter 293: Clean and Decisive

The sleeves on both his arms shredded inch by inch, revealing forearms with bulging blue veins. Tiny beads of blood seeped from under his skin, a clear sign that the sheer force had ruptured his capillaries.

BOOM!

The wave of snow exploded like a furious tide.

Zhao Wujiu was sent sliding back dozens of feet, the iron spikes on the soles of his boots plowing two spark-scattering grooves into the black stone.

The coppery taste of blood rose in his throat, but he saw Xu Yunfan’s Blood Qi churning violently. His momentum was overwhelming, like a fierce tiger pouncing through the snow, and the trajectory of his mace shifted from a chop to a sweep. The Dragon’s Tail maneuver from the Nine Profound Dragon-Defying Mace Technique flowed as smoothly as running water.

Although the Nine Profound Dragon-Defying Mace Technique at the Perfection Realm was of a lower grade than the Eight Desolates Dragon Fall Mace, its power was still unimaginable.

Wherever the crimson shadow of the mace passed, the snow was churned up as if by a plow. The intense red fire actually seared a scorched, black fissure more than ten feet long into the ground.

The searing Inner Breath, driven by the Pure Yang Qi Skill, combined with his incandescent, surging Blood Qi to instantly vaporize the snow!

The great dragon of Xu Yunfan’s spine straightened, vertebra by vertebra, and the unique Jade Bone Chime of the Yijing Marrow Cleansing Skill erupted from his joints with explosive cracks.

Each of his muscles was like Refined Steel forged a thousand times over, taking on a liquid-metal sheen when he exerted his strength.

Xu Yunfan paid no mind to the killing blow—Zhao Wujiu’s poisoned dagger aimed at his Danzhong Acupoint. He simply continued to swing his Heavy Mace,

’Let’s see you survive this!’

In the ring, even if he, the second-ranked True Inheritor under the Sect Leader, was killed, there would be no recourse.

Zhao Wujiu’s heart turned ruthless. Throwing caution to the wind, his dagger split the air with a sharp sonic boom. It pierced Xu Yunfan’s robes, only to stop dead, followed by the sharp clang of metal on metal. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

His pupils trembled violently as he stared at the sliver of dark gold revealed through the tear in the robes.

"Divine Armor?!"

Before the splattering flakes could even land, they were evaporated into a white mist by the two men’s churning Blood Qi.

The ancient Bronze bell at the edge of the ring, buffeted by the shockwave, began to vibrate on its own, emitting a dull hum.

On the high platform, Li Zhi’s fingers, which had been stroking his Wooden Sword, paused. He snorted coldly. "Plenty of brute force, at least."

Bi Yuan smiled without a word, his gaze shifting to Chu Cangming, who stood at the corner of the eaves.

The great disciple still had his eyes closed, cradling his sword as if he had no interest in the fierce battle below.

’He felt a faint sense of disappointment. He had always wanted Chu Cangming to break free from the confines of the Taoist Sect, but he hadn’t expected the man to sink even deeper.’

Having barely managed to block the blow from the Divine Heavy Mace in the nick of time, Zhao Wujiu’s face was deathly pale. He staggered to regain his footing, his aura exceptionally weak.

The next instant, he bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mist of blood.

As the blood mist touched the dagger, it transformed into dozens of shimmering blue poison threads that shot toward Xu Yunfan like a spiderweb.

"Profound Poison Binding Spirit Threads?"

Someone in the crowd cried out in alarm, "Zhao Wujiu has actually mastered a Forbidden Technique!"

With the resurgence of the Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirit Breath, it was natural that Secret Techniques passed down for two thousand years could be revived. Still, no one had expected Zhao Wujiu to have mastered such a Dharma Gate.

Fish Peak was considered the only branch of the Taoist Sect that dabbled in poisons.

Xu Yunfan’s pupils contracted. He instantly activated the Linn Character Technique, his body twisting like a slippery fish as he dodged and weaved between the threads.

A thread grazed the corner of his robe, and the fabric instantly corroded into ash.

Xu Yunfan’s expression was cold, showing no sign of panic. Having practiced the Linn Character Technique for so long, he possessed astonishing judgment even without entering the full Linn Character State.

He slammed his Red Fire Dragon-Swallowing Mace into the ground. Another burst of Pure Yang True Qi erupted from the pommel, sending out a ring of crimson light.

Wherever the halo of light passed, the poison threads snapped and broke.

Seizing the opportunity, he closed the distance, formed the Celestial Cicada Strength Finger Technique with his left hand, and jabbed a finger toward Zhao Wujiu’s Danzhong Acupoint.

Zhao Wujiu hastily leaned back, but the crimson mace in Xu Yunfan’s right hand was already sweeping in horizontally.

BANG!

Zhao Wujiu was sent flying off the ring like a broken sack, crashing heavily into a snowdrift.

The arena fell silent for a moment, then erupted in an uproar.

Cui Yu expressionlessly struck the Bronze bell. "First match. Xu Yunfan is the victor. Zhao Wujiu, the Daoist Child of Fish Peak, is defeated."

The wind and snow intensified. The completely unconscious Zhao Wujiu was hastily carried away to see if he could be saved.

Suddenly, a clear voice rang out from the southeast corner: "Zhou Ziling of Jade Balance Peak, here to experience Junior Brother Xu’s great skill!"

A young man with seven short swords on his back leaped onto the ring. His Sword Box sprang open with a CLICK, and the seven swords fanned out behind him like a peacock’s tail.

"Be careful, Junior Brother Xu..."

Zhou Ziling smiled. "I only just perfected this Seven-Star Soul-locking Sword Formation, thanks to the resurgence of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. It’s specifically designed to counter Horizontal Training."

Xu Yunfan shook his numb right arm. With his tongue, he shifted one of the Ginseng Roots he had hidden in his mouth and began to chew it slowly.

’Zhao Wujiu’s strength was actually quite impressive. He could definitely hold his own against the True Inheritors from the other five great sects of the Great Zhou. And those poison threads, used as a surprise attack, could catch many people off guard. A pity that, compared to me, he was still lacking.’

’He suddenly recalled the essentials of the *Mountain-Slaying Sword* manual he had read in the Langhuan Book Tower. Although he hadn’t practiced it, there were always underlying principles that connected different weapons...’

Glancing at the Skill Level notification that popped up in his vision, Xu Yunfan couldn’t help but grumble to himself.

’Fighting gives less Skill Level than training by myself. Fighting these people is a complete waste of time.’

"Please."

He stood with his mace held horizontally, his newly recovered Pure Yang True Qi silently seeping into the weapon.

A single Ginseng Root could keep him at his peak state for a considerable amount of time.

The Ginseng Roots under his tongue were just an insurance policy. Xu Yunfan had no desire to rely on brute strength when he had a better tool at his disposal.

Zhou Ziling swiped his fingers in a Sword Pointing gesture. With an eruption of Qi Force, the seven swords, guided by his fingertips, streaked through the air like falling stars, aiming for seven of Xu Yunfan’s major acupoints.

This display, reminiscent of a Sword Control Skill, naturally drew gasps of amazement from many disciples of the Taoist Sect.

But some could see clearly that Zhou Ziling was merely using a trick. The difference between his technique and a true Sword Control Skill was worlds apart.

"Senior Brother Zhou, your swords are too slow."

Xu Yunfan neither dodged nor evaded. He swung his crimson mace in a full circle like the moon, using it as if it were a sword to unleash the "Mountain-Slaying" Mental Realm!

CLANG!

Amidst the clang of metal, three of the short swords shattered on the spot.

Zhou Ziling’s expression changed dramatically. As he pulled back with both hands, nearly invisible threads could be seen twitching at his fingertips. The remaining four swords shot back to defend him, but Xu Yunfan had already taken a step forward, his movements stirring wind and thunder. His left palm, wreathed in the Red Flood Dragon Coiling Mountain Strength, shot toward the core of the Sword Box.

"Break!"

With a short cry, the force from his palm exploded like a furnace, and the remaining four swords fell to the ground with a mournful whine.

Zhou Ziling’s face was pale as he staggered back, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but he remained silent. He understood perfectly well that the Sword Array he had painstakingly cultivated from a two-thousand-year-old method was all show and no substance when faced with a truly powerful expert.

Still, to an outsider, the technique was stunning. If the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi had been resurgent for a longer period, perhaps he really could have moved beyond the threads and achieved true sword control.

"I concede."

Zhou Ziling shook his head. With a grasping motion, he retrieved the seven short swords and quickly left the ring. There was no dejection on his face; on the contrary, he looked almost joyful. Without a backward glance, he hurried back toward Jade Balance Peak.

On the high platform, a sharp glint flashed in Cui Yu’s eyes.

At that very moment, however, Chu Cangming opened his eyes, his gaze piercing toward the ring like a sword.

In two consecutive matches, Xu Yunfan had won cleanly and decisively.

Zhao Wujiu of Profound Sky Peak had been smashed by the mace to within an inch of his life. Zhou Ziling of Jade Balance Peak had three swords of his Seven-Star Soul-locking Sword Formation shattered, forcing him to concede.

(More to come)