Dramatic Advancement

Not long after Xun'er had taken her seat, Elder Gu Dao's aged voice reached everyone's ears.

"Today, in the first round, number two and number nineteen, take the field."

At his shout, the two contestants in the resting area rose almost simultaneously, their figures shooting into the arena.

Because of the importance of today's matches, the previous rule of dividing the arena into zones had been changed. There would be no boundary restrictions in today's battles; they would end only when one side conceded.

Xun'er glanced lightly at the two people facing off tensely in the arena and roughly assessed their strength: one was a One Star Dou Shi, while the other was at the peak of Nine Star Dou Zhe.

"The match begins!"

"Bang!"

Gu Dao's calm voice was like a spark thrown into a powder keg, instantly igniting the tense atmosphere in the arena.

Without another word, the two combatants, wrapped in Dou Qi, launched straight into a brutal close-quarters fight. Explosions rang out continuously as their Dou Qi clashed fiercely.

Watching the battle turn white-hot in an instant, Xun'er kept her eyes fixed on it. After all, none of the younger generation who had made it this far could be underestimated.

"Miss Xun'er." Just as Xun'er's attention was focused on the battle, a somewhat familiar voice sounded beside her.

Turning her head, Xun'er looked at the slightly reserved Gu Yao beside her and asked doubtfully, "What is it? Do you need something, Gu Yao?"

"Does Miss Xun'er know why Gu Qingyang is absent?" Gu Yao asked.

"Didn't Grandpa Gu Dao just say that Brother Qingyang encountered an opportunity during yesterday's battle?"

"But that's not all."

"Hm? You know something?" Xun'er was puzzled.

Gu Yao chuckled. "Yesterday, Gu Qingyang's opponent was Gu Lan. That guy was a Dark Horse too; he actually managed to fight Gu Qingyang evenly..."

"Get to the point!" Xun'er snapped impatiently.

"That is the point. Gu Qingyang's sword was refined with his essence blood, and it was damaged in yesterday's battle. It may have injured its origin, so after his final move yesterday, he no longer had the strength to continue fighting." Gu Yao spread his hands helplessly. Clearly, he had wanted to have a proper battle with Gu Qingyang today, but it seemed that would not happen.

Xun'er was startled. Seeing how easily Gu Qingyang had won yesterday, she had thought he had crushed his opponent. She had not expected the fight to have been so evenly matched.

"How is Brother Qingyang now?"

"He's fine. He's probably cultivating right now, but he may not be able to use a weapon for some time," Gu Yao explained.

"That is good."

Only after hearing that Gu Qingyang was all right did Xun'er relax. They had known each other since childhood, and hearing that he had been injured had left her feeling uneasy.

"Cough, cough..." Yun Xi coughed lightly.

"What is it?" Xun'er asked in surprise when Yun Xi suddenly spoke.

"Nothing. Keep watching the match." Yun Xi spoke calmly and fell silent again, leaving Xun'er alone in a complete mess.

Today's battles fully demonstrated what it meant for the competition to be in full swing. The contestants began fighting the moment they stepped onto the field, with little chance for conversation. There were hardly any one-sided battles; instead, only the narrowest of gaps could be drawn after both sides fought until they were badly wounded.

As the matches continued, only a few people had yet to take the field, while nearly all of the earlier elites had already fought.

Gu Hua, Gu Xing, Gu Zhen, and the others all claimed victory without much surprise.

In the resting area, Xun'er watched as Gu Yao suppressed a contestant with the strength of a One Star Dou Zhe so thoroughly that he could not fight back at all, and she knew how that battle would end.

Withdrawing her gaze, Xun'er thought, Twenty-four people, twelve matches, meaning only twelve can advance. Does that mean six against six next? Then three against three? What happens when only three people are left at the end?

"Next match, number twelve and number six, prepare to take the field."

Just as Xun'er was studying the upcoming battles, an aged voice came from the referee's platform.

"It's finally my turn."

Xun'er leaped up, landing steadily in the arena after several light bounds.

"Miss Xun'er?"

The moment she entered the arena, a cry of surprise came from the other side.

"Ling Quan, it's you." Xun'er smiled upon seeing who it was.

"Hehe, Miss Xun'er, please go easy on me." Ling Quan rubbed his hands together with a smile.

"The match begins!"

While the two were exchanging greetings, the referee's voice rang out once more.

"I intend to win this match." Xun'er's tone gradually turned cold.

The instant her words fell, the Dou Qi within Xun'er's body erupted violently.

"Guardian Eight Trigrams Palm!"

With a soft cry, her hand seals shifted. Four palm seals engraved with stars swiftly condensed around her. Then Xun'er unleashed four consecutive palm strikes, sending the floating seals shooting toward Ling Quan in the distance with trails of light behind them.

"Whoosh!"

As Xun'er's powerful attack was about to strike him, Ling Quan showed no sign of panic. A faint smile still hung on his face.

"Crack!"

Only when Xun'er's attack was merely three or four meters away did he activate his Dou Qi, condensing a layer of Dou Qi light before him to block part of the attack.

However, Ling Quan still took most of the damage head-on. His body was sent flying backward, and only after rolling several times across the ground did he slowly come to a stop.

"I concede!"

Just as Xun'er was preparing to close in and continue the fight, Ling Quan's somewhat weak voice rang out.

He had already harbored vague feelings for the delicate little girl before him. Yet she was usually as unattainable as a little princess, leaving him without even the slightest chance to approach her.

Meeting her in battle this time, he could hardly bear to strike at her. His immediate surrender was partly because he could not defeat her, but more importantly, because he did not want to leave a bad impression in Xun'er's eyes.

"The match is over! Gu Xun'er wins!"

When the referee's cold announcement sounded, many voices rose from the viewing stands.

"Why did he concede?"

"Did he know he couldn't win, so he wanted to preserve as much strength as possible?"

"Is Gu Xun'er really that formidable?"

"After taking one move, did he realize he was no match and simply give up?"

Ignoring the noisy crowd in the viewing stands, Ling Quan jumped down from the arena and headed toward the elimination area.

The sudden victory caught Xun'er off guard. She had won after just one exchange, and she truly could not understand it.

"Ling Quan, what was that about?"

In the elimination area, Xun'er looked seriously at Ling Quan before her and questioned him with some anger.

Though she did not particularly enjoy fighting and killing, she disliked people who fled at the crucial moment more than anything.

Hearing Xun'er's voice, Ling Quan slowly raised his head. Looking at the delicate girl before him, he said somewhat sheepishly, "Miss Xun'er, I was thinking of you too..."

"Thinking of me???"