Clash

"Are you sure you want to fight here, Senior?"

With his longsword in hand, Xue Xiao Ran tilted his head and asked calmly.

Ji Juechen thought for a moment. In the end, he decided against fighting on campus. There were students nearby, and hurting someone else would not be good.

"Follow me."

Ji Juechen seemed to be a man of few words. After stiffly delivering those words, he turned with his sword and headed toward the Cultivation Field.

Xue Xiao Ran felt that there were far too many troublesome matters. He had only just returned, and now he had to cross swords with a senior. Why did these bothersome things keep coming one after another?

He sighed inwardly and slowly followed behind Ji Juechen.

The watching students were clearly very interested in this match as well. They formed groups and headed for the Cultivation Field.

Ji Juechen was indeed quite famous in the academy. His martial soul was merely a sword, yet it carried a trace of Sword Intent, allowing him to defeat opponents above his level.

Yet he had always chosen to walk alone. The only thing by his side was his sword.

Xue Xiao Ran heard the quiet discussions around him and gained a preliminary understanding of someone like Ji Juechen.

This Ji Juechen resembled his father in his younger days, though his father had comprehended it himself and walked his own path.

Ji Juechen, however, might not be the same.

One reason was that he was too old.

He had long passed the cultivation years between sixteen and eighteen, when improvement came most easily. At this point, further progress was clearly impossible.

Therefore, Ji Juechen would never be able to reach that height.

Xue Xiao Ran assessed him calmly in his heart. At some point, a Sword Sheath had appeared in his hand, and he fastened it at his waist.

Having transformed from a poison master into a swordsman, he possessed a different kind of splendor. It was as if he had become refreshed and invigorated the moment his sword left its sheath. A gentle breeze swept past, and he felt utterly carefree.

At this time, the students of the Soul Tool Department had also finished class. Seeing the crowd ahead and hearing the students seemingly discussing something, a few curious people stepped forward to ask.

They were startled the moment they heard the news. Xue Xiao Ran and Ji Juechen were going to settle their superiority with swords.

A worried look could not help appearing on Nana's face. How had Xue Xiao Ran gotten involved with Ji Juechen?

"Zimu, let's go take a look. If there's any danger, we can still save Xiao Ran."

Keke suggested from the side.

Zimu glanced at Ju Zi, who seemed somewhat interested, then nodded. "If Ji Juechen tries to hurt our junior, I'll use a defensive Soul Tool in time to block it for him."

"Then let's go!"

Keke called out loudly, and all the students of the Soul Tool Department followed Keke, who rushed at the front, toward the Cultivation Field.

Xue Xiao Ran's steps gradually changed from light and carefree to firm and resounding. The echoes of his footsteps striking the ground seemed to pound against everyone's hearts.

Tap, tap, tap...

His figure grew taller and taller in the eyes of others. They had originally thought he was merely someone fortunate enough to win the Freshman Competition, but now, in their eyes, Xue Xiao Ran seemed like a king slowly walking toward his supreme throne.

Xue Xiao Ran's expression did not change, but his footsteps grew increasingly crisp.

Ji Juechen turned sideways and gave Xue Xiao Ran a deep look.

This junior, several years younger than him, with both hands tucked into his pockets and a sword on his back, had actually comprehended the existence of bearing.

To overpower others with bearing was to rely on that very bearing.

A glimmer of brilliance burst from Ji Juechen's eyes. It seemed this junior had hidden himself very deeply.

If he knew that the knowledge Xue Xiao Ran had concealed was a bottomless abyss, who knew what he would think?

The two arrived at the center of the Soul Fighting Arena. The people around them had already been informed of the cause of the matter by the nearby students, and they all made way for the field.

"I heard you're from the Carefree Sword Sect?"

Ji Juechen spoke calmly, his utterly ordinary longsword pointing straight at Xue Xiao Ran.

"Mm, that's right." Xue Xiao Ran shrugged casually, as though this was not a duel that could turn into a fight to the death, but a chat with a friend.

Yet his bearing continued to rise.

Although he possessed only Level 29 Soul Power, which was completely beneath Ji Juechen's notice,

in terms of bearing alone, Xue Xiao Ran had already firmly overwhelmed Ji Juechen.

"In my eyes, there is nothing but the sword."

Ji Juechen indeed kept his word. He did not use any soul skills, and he even suppressed his Soul Power to Level 30.

He wanted to sense something from Xue Xiao Ran's sword.

"Your path is wrong."

Xue Xiao Ran shook his head calmly, then immediately refuted himself. "I take that back. Everyone has their own path. I only hope that when you reach the end of yours and look back, you will not regret it."

Ji Juechen's expression darkened. Was Xue Xiao Ran trying to undermine his fighting spirit with words?

"Draw your sword!"

Ji Juechen snorted, a sharp light bursting from his eyes.

"So you have to draw your sword before a sword duel."

Xue Xiao Ran shrugged, casually pulling out his sword and angling its tip toward the ground.

It seemed Ji Juechen's understanding of the sword was still shallow. Xue Xiao Ran gave him that assessment, then turned his body slightly and withdrew all the aura around him.

In Ji Juechen's sight, Xue Xiao Ran's right eye beneath his short hair was hidden in shadow, while his left eye watched him calmly. His sword did not tremble in the slightest.

The surrounding students also sat to the side, holding their breath and not daring to make a sound, afraid of disturbing this soul duel.

"Sword Intent." Ji Juechen murmured. Just as everyone thought he had yet to make a move, his sword had already slashed before Xue Xiao Ran in an instant.

"Are you starting without saying a word?"

Xue Xiao Ran lowered his right shoulder and dodged the sword light. With a twist of his right wrist, he brought his sword into collision with Ji Juechen's in midair.

Bang!

The clash occurred and ended within seconds. Only those with sharp eyesight and high Soul Power Levels could see what had happened during those few seconds. The rest were still utterly confused.

"This junior is amazing," Keke murmured, a flash of admiration passing through her eyes.

Dressed in a white robe, Xue Xiao Ran's gaze became sharp the moment his sword left its sheath, completely unlike his usual calm and indifferent demeanor.

His sword had left its sheath, and it was as if he himself had left his sheath as well.

That directly struck the hearts of quite a few female students present.

"Not bad defense."

Ji Juechen gave his stiff evaluation before vanishing once more.

Boom!

Ji Juechen's sword had slashed empty air instead, and the Shockwave brought by his Sword Intent left a long sword scar across the ground.

"The sword is good, but the wielder still has room to improve."

Xue Xiao Ran's voice rang out before Ji Juechen. His feet shifted slightly, and a sharp glint flashed through his eyes.

Sword Emerges from Carefree Heaven.

Xue Xiao Ran smiled freely as the sword in his hand slashed out in an instant. It was as though a rising red sun had appeared in the air, blooming with hazy light.

The onlookers could not help but be shocked. How fast did one have to swing a sword to create the image of a sun?

Bang!

Ji Juechen's sword was sent flying in an instant, while he himself staggered several steps back. Blood was already seeping from the web between his thumb and forefinger.

The crowd erupted in uproar.

"Senior, don't suppress your Soul Power to Level 30 when fighting me in the future. When it comes to swordsmanship alone, you still have a long road ahead of you."

Xue Xiao Ran sheathed his sword. The sharp aura surrounding him immediately vanished, and his eyes returned to their usual calm.

He had demonstrated exactly what it meant to show off.