Professional Flattery

As soon as the gong sounded, the competition officially began, and the once deafeningly noisy audience quickly fell silent, leaving only a few rustling noises.

Si Ming spoke first, "Since you've already addressed me as 'Uncle-Master,' I naturally can't make the first move. You make your move."

Sima Liang looked at the younger-looking face opposite him, took a deep breath, cleared his mind of distractions, focused on the battle, and raised his sword, saying, "Please enlighten me, Martial Uncle."

With a flick of the sword, the air swirled and clung to the blade. The next moment, the man moved with the sword, the air parted to the sides, and the bookshelves piled high with books were shaken so violently they seemed about to topple over.

This move is the opening stance of the Feng and Shan Sacrifice Sword Technique, "The Sword Rises, Wind and Clouds Move".

Si Ming sighed regretfully. He had originally planned to make a name for himself and leave a deep impression on the audience when he first stepped onto the stage of the national competition, thus serving as a warning to others. However, since the other party was from the same school and had called him "uncle-master," he felt embarrassed to use him as a sacrifice. He decided to restrain himself and not let the other party lose too badly. Techniques like "Imperial Dragon Heaven-Defying Sword Art" could not be used.

So he pointed to the sky, and sword Sword-Ray emerged from his fingertips. The Sword Qi was contained but not yet released, yet it already possessed an aura of dominance over the world, and all who stood in his way were defeated.

Sima Liang was pressured by the Sword Intent, and his forward momentum inexplicably stalled. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Si Ming swung his One Sword and slashed out. The Sword Qi disintegrated the airflow surrounding Sima Liang like Butcher Ding's Ox-Carving, and then collided with the sword blade, instantly knocking the man back several steps.

"Your Sword Qi is not refined enough. A swordsman must first gather the essence, then ignite the fire of the heart. The lungs are the wind furnace, the liver is the wood element, the spleen is the yellow mud, and the kidneys are the essence of the sun and moon. The body is the furnace, and the method is to use the breath to form the sword's energy."

Being instructed on Swordsmanship by his opponent on the arena, even though the opponent was of a higher seniority, Sima Liang couldn't help but feel a flush on his face. He no longer had the mind to slowly test the waters and immediately launched a long-range attack, opening his mouth to emit the Kui Drum Thunder Sound, which reverberated throughout the arena, attempting to interfere with Si Ming's hearing and five senses with sound power. At the same time, he wielded his sword and used a variety of seemingly clumsy but actually skillful sword moves to attack.

The sword, infused with True Qi, possessed a sharp and powerful force. Surprisingly, it did not pierce the air with a whooshing sound when it was thrust out, demonstrating that Sima Liang's control over True Qi had reached an exquisite level. He concentrated all his power on the sword's edge, without leaking any of it outwards.

The Feng and Shan Sacrifice Sword Technique is a simple and unadorned Swordsmanship with no obvious strengths or weaknesses. Its power lies not in the exquisiteness of the sword moves, but in the application of True Qi. From this perspective, Sima Liang has at least grasped the core of the Feng and Shan Sacrifice Sword Technique.

"Unfortunately, you're using someone else's Feng and Shan Sacrifice Sword Technique, not your own."

Ignoring the sword attacks coming at him, Si Ming stood still, the wooden sword behind him was drawn and fell into his palm. He thrust out the One Sword like lightning, aiming straight for Sima Liang's throat.

Sima Liang's heart skipped a beat. This move was none other than "Ascend Feng to Offer Thanks to Heaven" from the "Feng and Shan Sacrifice Sword Technique." However, the original move emphasized solemnity and composure, and was not as fast and swift as this. If he continued to attack with his remaining momentum, then before he could hit Si Ming's sword would strike first and pierce his throat. Helpless, he had no choice but to change his move, turning his sword midway to block the path of the sword.

The two swords clashed. Sima Liang's hasty change of move was no match for Si Ming's fully charged One Sword strike, and he was knocked back. However, this exchange brought him a sense of relief, because his opponent's skill was evenly matched with his own, and he was not as formidable as he had imagined. It seemed that he might have a chance to win this battle?

Instead of pressing his advantage, Si Ming unleashed dozens of sword Sword Qi. Sima Liang quickly used the move "Descend Shan to Clear the Earth" to protect his body with his sword, making him impervious to water and deflecting all the Sword Qi.

The scattered Sword Qi shattered the bookshelf and tore the books apart, causing white paper to fly everywhere, swirling like falling snow.

Sima Liang's vision was distracted by the piece of paper, and he lost sight of Si Ming in a flash. He was startled and quickly focused his attention, keeping his eyes and ears open. However, he was not too nervous. The so-called skillful attack and simple defense, the steady Feng and Shan Sacrifice Sword Technique was more suitable for defense and he was not afraid of being ambushed.

However, with a loud crash, a bookshelf slammed into him. He quickly swung his sword and cleaved the bookshelf in two, splitting the books on it in the process. The snow of paper scraps that had stopped flying off again.

Before Sima Liang could catch his breath, two more bookshelves crashed into him. He swung his sword to slash at them again, and then even more bookshelves flew towards him.

Knowing that continuing to strike would inevitably cause his Qi and Blood to boil, leaving him wide open and vulnerable, Sima Liang had no choice but to leap into the air to avoid the flying bookshelf. But as soon as he jumped up, he saw a flash of Sword-Ray light, and danger suddenly loomed at his throat.

The same sword technique, the same position, but Si Ming 'One Sword was three points faster than before, clearly indicating that he had been charging up his power for a long time and deliberately created the opportunity to strike.

Unable to move freely in mid-air, Sima Liang threw down his sword. His fair hands instantly turned purplish-red, looking incredibly eerie. Then, he clasped his hands together, condensing a ball of intensely hot True Qi, which he met Si Ming's longsword with lightning speed.

"Oh, so your specialty is the Drought God Palm."

Si Ming did not withdraw his attack. His Sword Qi struck the energy ball, producing a booming explosion. The highly dense True Qi ball was condensed like a block of iron. Although he forcibly cleaved it in two with his One Sword, the fiery energy attached to the energy ball spread out and directly burned the ironwood sword in his hand into charcoal.

Although ironwood is as hard as iron and sinks in water, it is still wood and is most vulnerable to fire.

A flush flashed across Sima Liang's face as he was injured in the Sword Qi the sword energy. However, he knew that now was the best time, so he forcibly suppressed his injury and used a secret technique to stimulate his Cultivation Body, squeezing out new power from his dantian. The phantom of the Drought Demon appeared behind him, and he waved his hands to strike at Si Ming.

"The Nüba Droughts the Eastern Wilderness!"

Wherever the Drought Demon passed, the intense heat it emitted ignited the countless pieces of paper flying in the air, instantly creating sparks that resembled fiery sprites dancing gracefully in the sky—a truly dazzling sight.

The moment the two palms struck Si Ming's body suddenly turned into rolls of flying paper, which quickly ignited and burned to ashes.

"His Swordsmanship and palm techniques are both quite good, but it's a pity his Movement Method is a bit slow. He should practice escaping first when training."

Sima Liang suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. Before he could react, he was slammed to the ground. When he landed with his knees bent, the powerful force shook the ground, creating spiderweb-like cracks.

He tried to get up, instinctively channeling his inner energy to shake off the hands pressing on his shoulders. However, once his True Qi collided with the opponent's body, he felt that the opponent's Cultivation Body was as heavy as Mount Tai and unshakeable. His own True Qi shattered like an egg hitting a rock, scattering bits of yolk.

In an instant, Sima Liang understood the reason, and his body trembled.

"... I surrender."

After uttering these words with difficulty, Sima Liang closed his eyes, and for some reason, felt much more relaxed.

Chapter 780 Professional Flattery

If it were just a single misstep, Sima Liang might still hold a grudge, but this time he was completely outmatched, with no chance of a comeback or victory. Instead, he let go of his resentment and frankly admitted that he was outmatched.

Kunlun Martial Alliance has always been a traditionally strong team in the top eight, with its best historical result being the top four. Therefore, Sima Liang did not feel guilty when he stepped down. However, when he returned to his team's rest area, his teammates came up to him with questions.

"Sima Liang, I heard you call the other person 'Shishu' (a term of respect for a senior disciple). You wouldn't have gone easy on them just because they're an elder from your sect, would you?"

"Yeah, they turned a top-eight match into a coaching game. What if people misunderstand and think there's something fishy going on?"

"I knew I shouldn't have assigned you to be the vanguard; you've tarnished the reputation of our Martial Alliance."

The Kunlun Martial Alliance is a team united by multiple sects. They are neither fellow disciples nor allies, and they even fight amongst themselves for competition qualifications. Their relationships are much worse than those of ordinary teams, which is a major reason that hinders the Kunlun Martial Alliance from making further progress.

Sima Liang said irritably, "Even if I were to hold back, I wouldn't do it so obviously. You all witnessed the match just now. I was truly powerless to fight back. We're not even in the same league. He knows everything I know, and he's more proficient in it than I am. His Cultivation Body is also much stronger than mine. It was a complete crushing difference. I estimate his Internal Cultivation is at least three levels higher than mine."

"Impossible! I remember your Internal Cultivation was level eleven. If someone is three levels higher than you, that would be level fourteen, which exceeds the Spirit Transformation Threshold!"

"Believe it or not, it's up to you. Anyway, I'll cling to his coattails from now on, and I'll call him 'Uncle-Master' wholeheartedly."

After changing his mindset, Sima Liang felt a sudden sense of clarity. The other party couldn't possibly compete with him for the position of sect leader, and with the bond of camaraderie among fellow disciples, he was practically a natural golden opportunity, and one that asked for nothing in return. In any case, he had nothing to offer, and to think of opposing or framing such a chosen one was simply a sign of madness. Following in his footsteps and rising together with him was the right path.

Just like the current sect leader who managed to revive the nearly dead sect by riding on the fame of Grandmaster Yan, if this uncle-master were to advance to the Nascent Spirit Transformation and achieve something no less than Grandmaster Yan, he could continue to ride on that fame. Perhaps the Dinghu Sect could be revitalized under his leadership, and he could even be enshrined in the ancestral temple and revered by future generations.

Upon realizing this, Sima Liang immediately adopted a disdainful expression and said, "You are all a bunch of ignorant fools. You don't even know who my martial uncle is. If you knew his past achievements, you wouldn't doubt his performance in that battle just now. Xie Xiangxiang, you were the one who went to draw lots as our Martial Alliance representative that day. Tell me, what happened that night?"