Victory and Defeat

The exchange between Yi Yun and Chu Xiaoran was so intense that viewers were at a loss for words to describe it.

The arena, which could hold several thousand people, was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Although they were all considered prodigies, everyone felt that compared to Yi Yun and Chu Xiaoran, they were far inferior. In front of these two freaks, how could they dare to call themselves prodigies? They were more like ordinary people.

"Chu Xiaoran is truly terrifying. I never expected her to be so cunning. Not only is her comprehension extraordinary, having condensed Pre-Origin Foundation Dharma Aspect, but her tactical arrangements are also so appropriate, almost driving Yi Yun into a desperate situation!"

"Yi Yun is ridiculously strong. Even under a barrage of attacks, he managed to withstand Chu Xiaoran's final sword strike, although Yi Yun was injured..."

In the center of the arena, Yi Yun had a lot of bloodstains on his body, and it was clear that his blood and qi were agitated, which was probably caused by Chu Xiaoran 'Yi Yun icy qi entering his body!

In contrast Chu Xiaoran was unharmed except for her disheveled hair and slightly torn clothes. Yi Yun's final Heart of Slaughter was actually suppressed by Chu Xiaoran's "Azure Ice Sea, Fleeting Beauty"!

In the final blow, Chu Xiaoran gained an absolute advantage!

The Thirty-two Sword Dao Characters are profound and extensive, allowing Yi Yun to touch upon the origin of the Dao of the Sword. However... Yi Yun's time to comprehend the Dao of the Sword is ultimately too short.

No matter how powerful the Thirty-two Sword Dao Characters are, Yi Yun himself has only comprehended too little, so the power of his blade techniques is still inferior to Chu Xiaoran's final sword strike.

Yi Yun... lose to Chu Xiaoran?

Judging from the current situation, Chu Xiaoran clearly has the advantage. Not only is Yi Yun injured, but he is also standing inside Chu Xiaoran's ice array!

Everyone watched with bated breath, wondering whether Chu Xiaoran would unleash her overwhelming momentum and use her advantages to defeat Yi Yun in one fell swoop, or whether Yi Yun would launch a desperate counterattack and turn defeat into victory.

People were hoping for the best, but no one expected that at this moment, Chu Xiaoran suddenly turned to look at the referee, sighed softly, and said, "I concede!"

What!?

When Chu Xiaoran said this, the entire audience gaped in astonishment.

Has Chu Xiaoran admitted defeat?

She clearly had the upper hand, and her final sword strike completely overwhelmed Yi Yun, so why did she concede defeat?

Chu Xiaoran didn't explain. She had already turned and walked off the stage. Just as she was about to leave, she turned back, looked at Yi Yun, and said, "I lost to you today because my skills are not good enough. In the future... after I consolidate my Dharma Aspect Totem and fully control the Ice Forest Great Array, I will fight you again!"

After finishing speaking, Chu Xiaoran walked straight towards the exit of the arena.

She was planning to leave just like that!

Everyone was stunned. What was going on? Where exactly did Chu Xiaoran go wrong? Why did she admit defeat?

Was there something they didn't understand about that move? For example, Yi Yun actually have a chance to kill Chu Xiaoran with one strike, but deliberately avoided it due to the rule against killing his opponent and his chivalrous feelings?

People were speculating.

Yi Yun and Chu Xiaoran's strength and cultivation level were far superior to most of them. It was normal that they didn't understand some of the things they saw.

However, some people refute these speculations.

The speaker was a seasoned trial participant, ranked among the top 1,000 on the Earth Ranking.

"Neither..." The man shook his head slightly. "It's stamina! Chu Xiaoran poured all her energy into her final sword strike. It was her sure-kill attack, her only one. If she couldn't defeat her opponent, she would lose! Although her attack power was strong and her understanding of the laws was exquisite, she was using Dharma Aspect Totem, which could only be used by the Origin Foundation Realm warrior, with only Purple Blood Realm cultivation. This already consumed a great deal of her energy, not to mention that she also condensed the Ice Forest Great Array, further amplifying her strength."

"After using all that, it's already a miracle that Chu Xiaoran could still unleash two more sword strikes. However, this is also her limit. Chu Xiaoran must have just mastered this technique, and there are various limitations to its execution..."

After hearing the man's explanation, people were somewhat stunned.

Physical strength! I see!

That's true, how could such a terrifying sword technique be used again and again?

"But... Yi Yun must have exhausted himself too! Chu Xiaoran has used up so much energy, there's no way Yi Yun would still have much left..."

"It should be." The man looked at Yi Yun, thought for a moment, and then said, "From the beginning of the match, Yi Yun mostly used dodging, so his energy consumption was naturally lower than Chu Xiaoran's. In addition, Yi Yun didn't use any special moves to boost his combat power, so he naturally had more energy left than Chu Xiaoran. Chu Xiaoran must have realized this and thought that it was impossible to win if she continued fighting, so she conceded defeat..."

Upon hearing this person's explanation, everyone felt relieved.

It turns out Yi Yun won because of his physical strength!

He lost the final blow, but won in terms of stamina!

Well, physical strength is also a part of power, but compared to laws, artistic conception, and the cultivation techniques one practices, physical strength is much less important.

Because the higher a martial artist's realm, the deeper their vital energy, and naturally, the longer their stamina.

As for cultivation level and breakthroughs in realms, these are things that the geniuses present can improve sooner or later, given enough time.

However, the principles, artistic conception, and cultivation methods are different; they form a person's foundation and determine the level of their future martial arts achievements.

A person's overall level of genius is also measured by these factors!

Chu Xiaoran's talent in laws and totems goes without saying, which is why people find Chu Xiaoran terrifying.

"Chu Xiaoran has only just grasped the moves, and her disadvantage lies in her lack of skill in applying them. Given time, as Chu Xiaoran's realm improves and her foundation is solidified, her understanding of the laws will also advance further. When she fights Yi Yun again at that time, the outcome may be quite different..."

Some people say this.

"Perhaps, but Yi Yun is not bad either. Although he hasn't made any achievements in the laws and can't condense Pre-Origin Foundation Dharma Aspect, his sword is truly terrifying! With just that sword, he can cut down everything!"

In this rookie ranking competition, Yi Yun only made a few moves, but those few moves were shocking!

The flash of the blade made even the spectators, dozens of meters away, feel a chill run down their spines!

Upon hearing this, people nodded in agreement, but one person shook his head and said, "The way of the sword is a killing technique; a strong swordsman can kill without blinking an eye. However, a technique for killing alone is still somewhat weak compared to the essence of martial arts! This is not the foundation of a martial artist!"

"If Yi Yun doesn't excel in other areas and relies solely on his swordsmanship, he won't last long in Tai'a Divine City and will be gradually overtaken!"

"Among the seasoned trial participants, Qin Haotian, whose swordsmanship is exceptional, is not solely reliant on his sword."

The speaker was a seasoned trial participant. In the Tai'a Divine Kingdom, the emphasis has always been on cultivation techniques rather than specific moves.

Because cultivation techniques allow one to go further, while martial arts moves only shine within the same realm. If they cannot help one advance in the future, or even achieve sainthood, then what use are they, no matter how powerful the moves are, if one's lifespan cannot surpass that of others?

This was the understanding of most people present.

Yi Yun's sword techniques are strong, while Chu Xiaoran's laws and dharma forms are strong. However, relatively speaking, people are more optimistic about Chu Xiaoran's future.

Perhaps, just four years from now, Chu Xiaoran will be number one on the Heaven and Earth Ranking.

Even in her recent battle with Yi Yun, many people felt that Chu Xiaoran's defeat was frustrating. After all, Chu Xiaoran the upper hand in the final sword strike, and her series of moves and the Ice Forest Great Array were also amazing. She only lost because she ran out of energy.

The penultimate day of the rookie competition came to an end, and many people were already preparing to leave. However, the two elders were still there, and the organizers felt it was more respectful to let the elders leave first.

However, in the honored seats of the arena, Jian Ge and Cang Yan seemed to have no intention of leaving at all.

Jian Ge lowered his head slightly, seemingly lost in thought, while Cang Yan stroked his stubble with one hand, his eyes darting around, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

Although Yi Yun's strike was suppressed by Chu Xiaoran's sword, it still greatly shocked them.

Newcomers to the arena and seasoned trial participants alike did not understand the significance of this strike; even some Enforcement Envoy only had a rough grasp of it.

However, Jian Ge and Cang Yan, those two old guys, understood very well that, without exaggeration, this strike had cleaved open Yi Yun's future in martial arts!

Beside Cang Yan and Jian Ge, several Enforcement Envoy could only stand there, seeing that the elders did not move.

Many trial participants frequently glanced towards the VIP seats, wondering what the two elders were still doing there, and whether they would offer any comments.

But after waiting for a while without seeing the two elders make any move, they had no choice but to consider whether to leave.

"I didn't expect the rookie ranking competition to end so early. This year's rookie ranking competition was truly exciting!"

"It's over, but there's still one more day tomorrow. Will you come to see it again?"

"They probably won't come. Chu Xiaoran Yi Yun have already fought, so the rankings are no longer in doubt. There's nothing to watch. But... maybe Chu Xiaoran Yi Yun will continue to challenge the more experienced trial participants ranked higher on the Earth Ranking?"

According to the rules of the rookie ranking competition, if people on the Rookie Ranking have fought each other, the winner will be ranked ahead of the loser. Therefore, even if Chu Xiaoran's ranking on the Earth Ranking surpasses Yi Yun's in tomorrow's competition, Yi Yun will still be ranked first among the rookies.

There's no suspense anymore.

"Challenging veteran trial participants? It should be an exciting competition, but... I can roughly predict the outcome. Yi Yun and Chu Xiaoran are about the same strength, and they'll probably both rank around 2,000 on the Earth Ranking!"

"Two thousand? That's about right, maybe they can reach nineteen hundred. I'm planning to come tomorrow, let's see if they can break into the top two thousand!"

People were discussing this, secretly marveling at how a rookie had climbed to 2,000th place on the leaderboard in the ranking competition—it was truly terrifying!

It's important to know that those lined up here are all people who have already begun trying to condense their primordial foundation.

People stood up one after another, intending to leave the arena. Yi Yun also put away his Thousand Army Saber and prepared to leave. He had a lot to digest from today's battle.

Although Chu Xiaoran lost to herself, she also taught him a lesson.

Chu Xiaoran showed Yi Yun that battles could be fought in this way; and martial arts could be cultivated in this way!

Just as Yi Yun was about to leave, a familiar, somewhat lewd voice transmitted through his energy rang in his ear, "You brat, you left without even saying goodbye? Don't you know any manners? Don't you know how to respect your elders!"

...(To be continued~^~)