When Su Yu's blade swept across his opponent's lapel for the third time, the inner sect's third-ranked disciple backed away in defeat and cupped his fists in surrender.
An eerie silence instantly fell over the entire arena, and everyone turned as one toward its edge.
There stood the last hope of the inner sect's top hundred disciples.
Tang Yi's hand was already on his sword hilt, battle lust burning like a raging fire in his eyes.
Just as he was about to step forward, a sword sheath suddenly barred his path.
"Brother Tang." For once, Yang Fan put away his irreverent smile and tapped Tang Yi's shoulder lightly with his sheath. "By the rules, shouldn't I, the inner sect's number two, go first?"
Before Tang Yi could respond, the figure in green had drifted gracefully onto the platform.
Yang Fan drew his sword, angled its tip toward the ground, and winked at Su Yu. "Junior Brother Su, do go easy on me."
Su Yu raised his sword in salute, his gaze sharpening slightly.
Though this senior brother spoke flippantly, anyone who could firmly hold second place in the inner sect was far from ordinary.
Su Yu turned his blade and abruptly unleashed Cloud Rise Startles the Lan, sending a razor-sharp gust slashing toward Yang Fan like an invisible blade.
Yet Yang Fan moved like smoke, casually sidestepping the attack with a smile curling at his lips. "Junior Brother Su, I didn't watch more than a dozen of your matches for nothing."
Despite his relaxed tone, Su Yu's heart tightened. He had put eighty percent of his strength into that strike; an ordinary disciple would have had no hope of dodging it.
What made him even more wary was Yang Fan's ghostlike, elusive footwork. He had clearly cultivated a Yellow-tier Movement