Winning Through Tricks

"Clang, clang, clang..."

The two longswords continuously collided in midair, producing crisp bursts of ringing.

The Shadowless Sword was the first weapon Li Mu had exchanged from the Simulation System. At first, he had only valued its speed. The Li Family Sword Style was already renowned for its swiftness, so the two were an exceptionally good match.

But as he used it more and more, Li Mu increasingly sensed that this Shadowless Sword, forged from meteorite iron beyond the heavens, was far from an ordinary weapon.

If judged by the usual weapon ranks, Li Mu believed the longsword in his hand 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, something Li Mu had never managed to understand.

The sword constantly dancing through Nangong Qi's hand was likewise no ordinary item. As the personal sword of the former patriarch of the Nangong Family, the Remnant Dream Sword had accompanied him in battle across the land and earned a formidable reputation.

Jueying was black from hilt to tip, like a bolt of black lightning slashing across the heavens.

Remnant Dream was flawlessly white, like a wisp of bright moonlight illuminating the night.

This was a grudge match between Li Mu and Nangong Qi, but at the same time, it was a supreme clash between two divine Immortal Artifacts.

Before everyone's eyes, Sword Qi crisscrossed and sharp blades intertwined. Immortal arrows sang over clear waves while treasured swords cast their radiance upon the arena.

Li Mu was still using the first three, most basic forms of the Li Family Sword Style. Though the moves changed in a thousand ways, they ultimately revolved around the three fundamental sword techniques: thrusting, slashing, and chopping.

Yet such simple moves were not easy for Nangong Qi to handle. When the Li Family Sword Style created by the Qinglan Sword Immortal, Li Yubai, had first appeared, it had not been well regarded. But Li Yubai had relied on this sword style, deemed utterly mediocre by countless sword cultivators, to defeat enemies all the way to his present position.

Once, a Powerful Being from the Immeasurable Realm had watched Li Yubai fight. After seeing three moves, he had turned and left, leaving behind only one sentence: "This sword style embodies the Great Dao's utmost simplicity, yet its transformations are unfathomable. It may be called the strongest below the Mystic Tier."

One had to know that Mystic Tier cultivation methods and Martial Skills were things only Immeasurable Realm experts were qualified to cultivate and use.

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 so long as no Immeasurable Realm expert emerged, none could contend with him.

Although Li Mu was using only the first three forms at the moment, every sword strike landed at exactly the right moment and targeted Nangong Qi's vital points. Combined with his sword intent at the Perfection Realm, he actually managed to suppress an opponent at the Half-step Core Formation Realm.

Another thrust shot forth. Carrying full sword intent, the Shadowless Sword went straight for Nangong Qi's throat. In his haste, Nangong Qi could only lean his entire body backward. The icy blade skimmed past him, and the sharp Sword Qi radiating from it even tore through his robe.

Having evaded that strike, Nangong Qi did not yield. In an instant, he exerted force beneath his feet and sent his body flying sideways through the air. The Remnant Dream Sword in his hand swung repeatedly, turning into streaks of white light that attacked Li Mu. Thirteen strands of Sword Qi danced around Li Mu like butterflies weaving through flowers. They seemed careless, yet their power was astonishing.

Li Mu's expression grew solemn. Left with no choice, he withdrew his offense. The Shadowless Sword continuously parried, blocking ten whole sword shadows, but three strikes still slipped through.

Nangong Qi landed lightly, just in time to see three strands of his Sword Qi strike Li Mu's chest, waist, and wrist. A faint red stain had appeared on the wrist of Li Mu's white robe—he had already been injured by the Sword Qi.

"Just as expected, all show and no substance. That sword style looks fierce, but its foundation is weak. Before long, I'll completely crush him with my momentum."

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

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

As Li Mu defended against Nangong Qi's attacks, he also counted his own moves. If he wanted to defeat Nangong Qi within twenty moves, directly trading blows was clearly impossible. After thinking it over, the most viable plan was to first passively take a beating, then seize an opportunity to counterattack.

But Nangong Qi was no fool. If Li Mu had started out purely on the defensive, such obvious intentions would likewise have alerted him. Li Mu did not possess Hao Meng's strength to crush an opponent head-on, so the classic Canyon Game strategy of attacking fiercely first, then feigning weakness, secretly crossing at Chencang, and finally landing a killing blow became Li Mu's first choice.

And the equipment I just exchanged will definitely give Senior Nangong a huge surprise at the most critical moment.

Li Mu continuously swung the Shadowless Sword. Beneath Nangong Qi's increasingly fierce sword moves, he had already fallen completely into a state of struggling just to defend himself.

Watching Li Mu, once calm and composed, become so wretched beneath his sword; watching his blade continually leave wounds on Li Mu's body; watching that snow-white robe gradually become stained with blotches of blood—an almost twisted pleasure surged ever higher within Nangong Qi's heart, until his eyes were bloodshot.

If Fang Yan had seemed so terrifying because of his bloodline and the Blood Demon Pill, then Nangong Qi, in Li Mu's eyes, was the one who truly harbored a devil in his heart. His every word and action was revolting.

Nangong Qi's sword moves came in an unbroken stream. He no longer knew how many times he had struck Li Mu. The enemy before him was still putting up a desperate struggle, but what Nangong Qi failed to notice was that Li Mu had begun merely defending at some point and had not launched another sword strike since.

Moreover, although he had injured his opponent many times, every wound was concentrated on inconsequential areas such as the arms and legs. Those sword strikes that hit Li Mu's torso and vital points strangely had no effect at all. The instant every strand of sword intent struck Li Mu, it vanished like a stone sinking into the sea, disappearing without a trace.

The thrill of pressing his opponent left Nangong Qi insensitive to those abnormal details. Frenzied, his mind held only the desire to revel in slaughtering his opponent. Sword after sword, he continued stabbing as long as his opponent did not surrender.

"Almost time. It's time for a desperate counterattack."

After pretending to struggle in exhaustion for another twenty breaths or so, Li Mu's eyes flashed sharply. The Shadowless Sword in his hand suddenly shifted from defense to offense and swept outward, knocking Nangong Qi's sword aside. Li Mu kicked out with one foot, striking Nangong Qi squarely in the waist. Before Nangong Qi could land after being kicked away, Li Mu flashed forward in pursuit.

"Ancient Thorn Armor, skill: Return the Damage, activate!"

A dazzling green radiance suddenly erupted beneath Li Mu's white robe. A terrifying aura rapidly rose, followed by an even more astonishing torrent of power. With one slash, the Shadowless Sword carried that immense energy and released a sword cry that resounded through the sky. A streak of green Sword Qi flew toward Nangong Qi, who had yet to regain his senses.

"Hm? Another attack comparable to the Core Formation Realm? Why are the Profound Tier Class students all so formidable?"

Elder Qin of the Xuantian Sword Sect, who had originally closed his eyes, abruptly opened them. Looking at the green Sword Qi more than three feet long above the arena, astonishment was written all over his face.

Nangong Qi's mind had completely short-circuited. He had clearly been suppressing his opponent all this time—how had the situation suddenly turned around? And this Sword Qi flying toward him, how could it possibly be something a cultivator below the Core Formation Realm could normally unleash? Hao Meng was monstrously powerful, but what gave Li Mu the right to swing such a sword? Were they too strong, or was he too weak?

Li Mu's strike not only sent Nangong Qi flying directly off the arena, but also carved a crack into his Dao heart, making him begin to doubt whether his years of cultivation had been correct.

For a cultivator, the firmness of one's Dao heart directly determined the speed of cultivation. If one could not even hold fast to one's own Dao heart, then falling into cultivation deviation and turning into a walking corpse would not be far away.

Seeing Nangong Qi lying unconscious on the ground, Li Mu calmly sheathed his sword, turned toward Mu Bai in the stands, and cupped his hands in salute before walking down from the arena.

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

"That was incredible! That final strike had power comparable to the Core Formation Realm again. Why has the Profound Tier Class produced so many monsters this year?"

After two or three breaths of silence, the entire venue instantly erupted. Whether they were the high-ranking members of aristocratic clans in the stands or the student spectators below the arena, all were astonished by Li Mu's final, swan-like strike. To witness twice in a single day students who had yet to form a core wielding power only Core Formation Realm cultivators possessed—how could they not be excited?

But only Li Mu knew that unlike Hao Meng, who had brought forth the sixth form of the Dragon Tiger Fighting Saint Fist after being driven to the brink, he had relied purely on the power of the Ancient Thorn Armor exchanged from the simulation store to unleash such an astonishing strike.

Return the Damage was the active skill of the Ancient Thorn Armor. For the duration of two incense sticks, it could absorb all damage below the Core Formation Realm and allow the wearer to use it all at once.

As Li Mu had continuously defended, he had deliberately exposed openings and allowed many of Nangong Qi's sword strikes to fall within the armor's range. The accumulating power had erupted at the final moment. Thus, rather than saying Nangong Qi had been defeated by Li Mu, it would be more accurate to say that he had lost to himself.

"Senior Nangong, when it comes to holding back without revealing yourself, fighting back from the brink, and winning through tricks, you're still far too inexperienced."

Smiling, Li Mu muttered softly as he returned to the Profound Tier Class camp. He was greeted by cheers as though a hero had returned in triumph. Never before had the Profound Tier Class held its head so high. Normally, within the academy, the Profound Tier Class occupied the lowest rung.

The Profound Tier Class, which gathered all commoner students, lagged behind the other two classes in every respect: living treatment, cultivation resource supplies, and personal strength. Over time, they had completely lost the sharp spirit expected of cultivators. Usually, whenever Profound Tier Class students encountered seniors from the Heaven and Earth Classes on campus, they would lower their heads and hurry past.

But today, the two representatives of their class had both displayed strength far beyond that of their peers, sweeping aside all before them, unstoppable and unmatched. This pride and glory drove every Profound Tier Class student into a frenzy.

The young men and women cheered wildly. Some even directly tossed Li Mu into the air. The emotions released after long suppression were so sincere and moving.

Mission confirmed complete. Beginner Smelting System activated.

An electronic notification sounded at that moment, and the joy in Li Mu's heart intensified. He had ultimately completed the seemingly impossible task of defeating Nangong Qi within twenty moves. The opening of the Refinement System carried extraordinary significance for him and would greatly aid him in climbing to the summit.

Just as Li Mu was immersed in the joy of victory and the excitement of the Refinement System's activation, a crimson sword shadow suddenly flew toward him...