Winning Through Routine

"Clang, clang, clang..."

The two long swords met repeatedly in mid-air, emitting a series of crisp clashing sounds.

The Shadowless Sword was the first weapon Li Mu had exchanged from the Simulation System. Initially, he was drawn to its speed, as the Li Family Sword Style was renowned for its swiftness, making the two a perfect match.

However, as he used it more and more, Li Mu increasingly felt that this Shadowless Sword, forged from extraterrestrial meteorite iron, was no ordinary weapon.

If he were to classify it by the usual weapon tiers, Li Mu believed his long sword was at least a low-grade Yellow-tier immortal artifact, comparable to Hao Meng's White Tiger Glazed Gauntlets. Yet, their prices in the simulation store differed greatly, a point Li Mu had never quite understood.

The sword dancing in Nangong Qi's hand was also no common item. As the personal sword of the former Nangong Family patriarch, this Remnant Dream Sword had accompanied him through countless battles, earning him considerable renown.

The Shadowless Sword was entirely black, like a streak of black lightning across the sky.

The Remnant Dream Sword was pure white, like a wisp of bright moonlight illuminating the night.

This was a duel of grudges between Li Mu and Nangong Qi, but simultaneously, it was also a peak confrontation between two divine immortal weapons.

Under the gazes of the crowd, sword energy crisscrossed, and blades interlocked, creating a spectacle of immortal music and radiant sword light descending upon the arena.

Li Mu was still employing the most basic three stances of the Li Family Sword Style. Though the moves were ever-changing, they all revolved around the fundamental thrusts, slashes, and chops.

Such seemingly simple moves were not easy for Nangong Qi to deal with. The Li Family Sword Style, created by the Qinglan Sword Immortal Li Yubai, was initially looked down upon. Yet, it was precisely with this sword style, considered utterly mediocre by many sword cultivators, that Li Yubai defeated his opponents and achieved his current status.

A powerful being in the Immeasurable Realm once observed Li Yubai. After witnessing just three moves, he turned and left, uttering only, "This sword style, the Great Dao is simple, its transformations unpredictable, it can be called the strongest of the Profound Tier." (Latest chapter of Zi Hong Lan)

It was important to know that Profound Tier techniques and martial skills were only qualified for cultivation and use by Immeasurable Realm experts.

Li Yubai himself had reached Nascent Soul Perfection. Combined with this self-created sword style, his combat power was astonishing. It could be said that unless an Immeasurable Realm expert intervened, no one could contend with him.

Although Li Mu had only displayed the first three stances at this moment, every sword he swung was perfectly timed, targeting Nangong Qi's vital points. Coupled with his Sword Intent, which had reached the Perfection Realm, he had actually managed to suppress his opponent, who was at the Half-step Core Formation Realm.

With another thrust, the Shadowless Sword, imbued with potent Sword Intent, aimed straight for Nangong Qi's throat. Nangong Qi hastily leaned back, the icy edge of the sword grazing his body as it passed. The sharp sword energy emanating from the blade even tore his robes.

Dodging this strike, Nangong Qi did not back down. He instantly exerted force with his feet, launching himself sideways into the air. The Remnant Dream Sword in his hand weaved continuously, transforming into streaks of white light that attacked Li Mu. Thirteen sword energies danced around Li Mu like butterflies flitting through flowers, appearing casual but possessing astonishing power. (Latest chapter of Time Thief)

Li Mu's expression grew serious. He had no choice but to retract his offensive, his Shadowless Sword constantly parrying, blocking all ten sword shadows. However, he still missed three strikes.

Nangong Qi landed gracefully, just in time to see Li Mu being struck by his three sword energies on his chest, waist, and wrist. The white robe at his wrist was now faintly tinged with red, indicating it had been injured by the sword energy.

"As expected, all brawn and no substance. His swordplay looks sharp, but his foundation is ultimately weak. It won't be long before I completely overwhelm him in terms of momentum."

Nangong Qi sneered, as if he had already foreseen Li Mu's defeat and his own eventual victory.

"Thirteen, fourteen... sixteen, seventeen..."

While defending against Nangong Qi's onslaught, Li Mu counted his moves. He wanted to defeat Nangong Qi within twenty moves. Direct confrontation was clearly not feasible. After much thought, passively enduring the blows and then counter-attacking when the opportunity arose seemed to be the most viable plan.

However, Nangong Qi was no fool. If he were to adopt a purely defensive stance from the beginning, such an obvious intention would surely alert him. He lacked the strength to crush opponents head-on like Hao Meng. Therefore, the classic strategy of a fierce initial attack, followed by feigned weakness, a covert maneuver, and then a decisive blow became Li Mu's first choice.

"Besides, that equipment I just swapped out will definitely surprise Senior Nangong at the most crucial moment."

Li Mu continuously swung the Shadowless Sword. Under Nangong Qi's increasingly fierce sword moves, he was completely on the defensive, struggling to keep up.

Watching Li Mu, who was originally composed, become so disheveled under his sword, seeing his blade continuously leave wounds on Li Mu, and watching the snow-white robes gradually become stained with splotches of red, Nangong Qi's perverted pleasure grew stronger, his eyes filling with bloodshot veins.

If Fang Yan appeared terrifying due to his bloodline and the Blood Demon Pill he consumed, then Nangong Qi, in Li Mu's eyes at this moment, was truly harboring a devil within, his words and actions utterly sickening.

Nangong Qi's sword moves were incessant. He had lost count of how many times he had hit Li Mu. The enemy before him was still resisting stubbornly, but Nangong Qi failed to notice that Li Mu had, at some point, ceased attacking and was only defending passively, no longer delivering a single sword strike.

Furthermore, although he had injured the opponent multiple times, all the wounds were concentrated on non-vital areas like his arms and legs. The sword strikes that aimed for Li Mu's vital torso were strangely ineffective. All the Sword Intent vanished without a trace the moment it hit Li Mu, as if sinking into the sea.

The thrill of pressing his advantage made Nangong Qi lose his sensitivity to abnormal details. In his frenzied state, his mind was filled only with the desire to slaughter his opponent. Strike after strike, as long as the opponent did not surrender, he would continue to thrust.

"That's about enough. It's time for a desperate counterattack."

After feigning exhaustion and defending for about twenty breaths, a sharp glint flashed in Li Mu's eyes. The Shadowless Sword in his hand suddenly shifted from defense to offense, sweeping out and knocking Nangong Qi's sword aside. He kicked out, striking Nangong Qi directly in the waist. Before the kicked opponent could land, Li Mu flashed forward in pursuit.

"Ancient Thorn Armor, Skill: Retaliation, Activate!"

A dazzling green light erupted from beneath Li Mu's white robe. A terrifying aura rapidly escalated, followed by even more astonishing, surging power. With a swing of his sword, the Shadowless Sword, carrying this immense energy, let out a sword cry that echoed through the sky. A green sword energy flew towards the still-recovering Nangong Qi.

"Huh? Another strike comparable to the Core Formation Realm? How are all these Profound Tier Class students so powerful?" (Latest chapter of Sin of Blood)

Elder Qin of the Xuantian Sword Sect, who had originally closed his eyes, suddenly opened them. Looking at the more than three feet of green sword energy on the arena, surprise clearly showed on his face.

Nangong Qi's mind had gone completely blank. He had been dominating the fight, so how had the situation suddenly reversed? Moreover, this sword energy flying towards him—how could a cultivator before the Core Formation Realm unleash such a strike? Hao Meng was incredibly powerful, but how could Li Mu unleash such a sword? Were they too strong, or was he too weak?

Li Mu's strike not only sent Nangong Qi flying off the stage but also caused a crack in his Dao heart, making him question the correctness of his cultivation over the years.

For a cultivator, the sturdiness of their Dao heart directly determined the speed of their cultivation. If one could not even uphold their own Dao heart, they would be not far from going mad and becoming a walking corpse.

Watching Nangong Qi lying unconscious on the ground, Li Mu calmly sheathed his sword, turned, cupped his hands towards Mu Bai in the stands, and walked off the stage.

"We won! We won! The class monitor won!"

"Incredible! That final sword strike was again comparable to the power of the Core Formation Realm. Why are there so many monsters in the Profound Tier Class this year?"

After a silence of two to three breaths, the entire venue erupted. Whether it was the high-ranking families in the stands or the students watching below, everyone was amazed by Li Mu's final, shadow-like sword strike. To witness, for the second time in a single day, a student who had not yet reached the Core Formation Realm unleash power only possessed by those in the Core Formation Realm, how could anyone not be excited?

But only Li Mu knew that compared to Hao Meng's desperate fight for survival to unleash the sixth stance of the Dragon Tiger Fighting Saint Fist, he had purely relied on the power of the Ancient Thorn Armor he had exchanged from the simulation store to unleash such an astonishing sword strike.

Retaliation, the active skill of the Ancient Thorn Armor, could absorb all damage below the Core Formation Realm for the duration of two incense sticks, to be unleashed by the wearer at once.

Li Mu, during his continuous defense, had deliberately exposed openings, allowing Nangong Qi's numerous sword strikes to fall within the armor's range. The absorbed power erupted at the last moment. Therefore, rather than saying Nangong Qi was defeated by Li Mu, it was more accurate to say he was defeated by himself.

"Senior Nangong, when it comes to enduring silently, launching a desperate counterattack, and winning through strategy, you're still quite far behind."

Li Mu smiled faintly and whispered as he walked back to the Profound Tier Class's formation, where he was met with cheers like a triumphant hero. The Profound Tier Class had never experienced such elation as they did today. In the academy, the Profound Tier Class was usually at the lowest rung.

The Profound Tier Class, which gathered all the civilian students, lagged behind the other two classes in terms of living conditions, cultivation resource supply, and personal strength. Over time, the students completely lost their sharp edge as cultivators. Generally, when students from the Heaven or Earth tiers were seen on campus, the Profound Tier students would lower their heads and quickly pass by.

But today, the two representatives from their own class had displayed strength far beyond their peers, proving invincible and unstoppable. This pride and arrogance sent every student in the Profound Tier Class into a frenzy.

The young men and women cheered wildly, some even tossing Li Mu into the air. The emotion, released after being suppressed, was so genuine and moving.

Task confirmed complete. Beginner Smelting System activated.

An electronic prompt sounded at this moment, and Li Mu's joy intensified. Defeating Nangong Qi within twenty moves – he had finally accomplished this seemingly impossible task. The opening of the Smelting System was incredibly significant to him, and its help in reaching the peak would be immense.

Just as Li Mu was reveling in the joy of victory and the excitement of the Smelting System's activation, a streak of crimson sword light suddenly flew towards him