The Righteous Fire Dance Whirlwind

Bu Zhongyao went down with an almost peaceful expression.

After Yue Wen had twice been interrupted while opening the door, Bu Zhongyao, twin blades in hand, looked mildly annoyed as she fixed Zhao Xing'er with a steady gaze. "Little sister, I was going to go easy on you, but I've changed my mind. If you want someone to blame, blame your dear brother for being so noisy!"

"He's my boss." Zhao Xing'er frowned. "He's a good person. Don't talk about him like that."

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"Hmph."

Bu Zhongyao gave a cold snort. Her twin reverse-grip blades suddenly swept backward as she dropped low and darted forward, moving like a butterfly weaving through flowers. In a flash, she shot to Zhao Xing'er's side, astonishingly fast.

The next second, her left-hand blade slashed toward Zhao Xing'er's ribs.

Zhao Xing'er raised her sword to block. Sparks flew with a sharp hiss, and her sword energy surged with fierce force, instantly suppressing the blade's aura and leaving Bu Zhongyao unable to move!

The gap between them was obvious after just one exchange!

What overwhelming sword energy!

Bu Zhongyao was like an agile waterbird lunging to bite a loach. Only after catching it did she realize it was an elephant washing its trunk in the water. By the time she understood something was wrong, it was too late. She couldn't resist the tremendous force about to fling her away!

Her expression changed drastically. The blade in her left palm flashed, then flew from her hand, transforming into three birdlike streaks of blade light that shot toward Zhao Xing'er's face!

Cunning and vicious!

This was a hidden move of her twin reverse-grip blades. Both were magical artifacts that could transform into flying blades to strike an enemy. In close combat, they were nearly impossible to dodge.

She would normally use it only against an opponent stronger than herself. At first, she'd thought beating Zhao Xing'er would be easy.

Who could have guessed that Zhao Xing'er would display such powerful energy the moment she struck? Bu Zhongyao hardened her resolve and immediately resorted to this underhanded move.

Because, in her mind, winning wasn't the point of today's contest. She wanted to use this opportunity to show off her strength and get Wangyou Media to sign her. Simply taking part in a livestream project wouldn't make her famous.

She didn't just have to win; she had to win decisively.

The move caught everyone by surprise. The Gang Realm guardian at the edge of the arena narrowed his eyes and looked ready to step in. But when he glanced again, he lowered the hand he'd just raised.

Zhao Xing'er had tilted her head and revealed two rows of pearly white teeth. Not only had she instantly discerned which streak was the real blade, she had caught the flying blade in her mouth!

A faint red glow flickered in her eyes.

She'd thought this was a friendly spar, too. But Bu Zhongyao had opened with such a dirty trick, nearly injuring her. Zhao Xing'er couldn't help getting angry!

"Oh, no." In the viewing room, Yue Wen covered his face with a hand.

"What are you worried about?" the man in the jacket behind him sneered. "This little girl's got some skill. She even caught Zhongyao's thrown blade. If you're afraid of this level of danger, you shouldn't have brought her here."

"You'll see what I'm worried about in a moment," Yue Wen said quietly.

With her left-hand blade caught between Zhao Xing'er's teeth, Bu Zhongyao had no time to be shocked. She flipped her right-hand blade and, before Zhao Xing'er could turn around, drove it toward her neck, trailing a sharp green glow!

Every strike went for a vital spot.

Everyone in the viewing room frowned.

They knew that was simply the nature of her blade technique. But they'd already made it clear that this was a spar, and that everyone should avoid injuring their opponent. Her attack was going too far.

That expression lasted less than a second before every face turned to stunned disbelief, eyes wide.

Zhao Xing'er ignored Bu Zhongyao's reverse-grip blade. The red glow in her eyes erupted as the twin swords in her hands spun with a thunderous roar, flames surging into the sky.

"Fire Dance Whirlwind Sword Style—"

The furious spiral of flames immediately sent Bu Zhongyao flying. Zhao Xing'er's figure blurred, and in an instant she became a roaring, blazing tornado that thundered toward her opponent.

It was like a tornado tearing through a parking lot!

The guardian at the edge of the arena changed color and shot forward.

The people in the viewing room were deeply shocked. It was incredibly rare for a Cultivation Method to produce such a spectacular phenomenon.

Liu Yuanjun let out a soft exclamation and murmured, "Martial Spirit Red Light?"

"Why does she have another new move..." Yue Wen drew a deep breath, looking a little despairing. "Go on, beat her up! That's what she deserves!"

Boom—

The flaming whirlwind struck its target in a flash. A spreading curtain of fire from the explosion blocked everyone's view. When the wind and flames finally died down, clusters of fire still crackled across the arena, which looked as if it had just been carpet-bombed.

Bu Zhongyao was already unconscious in the guardian's arms, half her body charred black. No one knew whether she was alive or dead.

She'd been so arrogant moments ago. Now she looked just as peaceful as could be.

Even the guardian was in rough shape. The half of his body shielding Bu Zhongyao was scorched and damaged, and his sleeve was still burning as he brushed the flames out.

Even a Gang Realm cultivator looked that battered after taking that blow?

The sword strike Zhao Xing'er had unleashed earned countless astonished stares.

But she didn't seem particularly pleased with herself. Instead, she looked apologetic, stepped forward, and politely bowed to the guardian. "I'm sorry—I burned your clothes."

"It's... it's all right." The guardian seemed a little startled, and a little embarrassed. "I only got burned because I wasn't paying attention. I'd wanted to replace this anyway. I never knew what to do with the old thing."

"Take Miss Bu to the infirmary. The competition will continue."

He Caihua came out with a group of people, checked the situation, and then resumed the proceedings.

Before the next match began, she turned back to remind everyone, "Let me emphasize this again: let's keep things friendly and stop once we've made our point. The company doesn't want anyone getting hurt."

The Immortal Gate disciples present sparred with their fellow disciples regularly, so they all knew what it meant to stop once you'd made your point.

Bu Zhongyao had wanted to show off because there was something at stake, and she hadn't taken a rogue cultivator seriously. She'd thought that even if she badly injured her opponent, all she'd have to do was pay some compensation. That was why she'd attacked so viciously.

She hadn't expected to suffer the consequences herself, anger Zhao Xing'er, and get hit with an even more brutal attack.

After winning, Zhao Xing'er lowered her head and walked over to stand behind Yue Wen. "Sorry, boss. I still couldn't hold back, and I hurt her."

"It's all right. It wasn't your fault." Yue Wen reassured her.

The whole thing had happened quickly, but sharp-eyed people had seen exactly what took place in the blink of an eye. If Zhao Xing'er hadn't been protected by Martial Spirit Red Light, she could have been hurt even worse than Bu Zhongyao was now.

Of course he supported righteous Fire Dance Whirlwind!

After that match, the Immortal Gate disciples nearby looked at Zhao Xing'er differently.

They'd all assumed the two rogue cultivators had made it through the selection purely because they were good-looking. They'd been biased against them both as rogue cultivators and as pretty faces with no substance.

But once they saw Zhao Xing'er in action, they realized she wasn't some pretty vase. She was a Molotov cocktail.

Anyone who got close would get burned!

The next two female cultivators to face off were a girl with long, straight black hair, a little blouse, and a pleated skirt, carrying a blade. She had fair skin, bangs cut straight across her forehead, a sweet face, and a gloomy air.

Her opponent was a dark-skinned girl in a martial arts uniform, tall, lean, and sunny. She also looked like she specialized in martial arts.

Together, they looked like the anime girl and the dark-skinned jock from the same class, their contrasting styles striking.

Generally speaking, sects that specialized in martial arts were considered lower-level in the cultivation world, because martial arts techniques were far less creative than supernatural arts—unless they had a boost on the level of an immortal physique like Martial Spirit Red Light.

There was a rather prejudiced term for them: crude martial artists.

It was only in a place like Jiang City, with so few sects, that martial arts disciples could get a seat at the table.

The outcome proved the point. The long-haired girl came from Hidden Dragon Pool, on the outskirts of City Number Six, and her Shadow Profound Supernatural Power was exceptionally uncanny.

She melted into the shadows, appearing and disappearing without a trace. She struck and fled. Her dark-skinned opponent was clearly stronger and had better martial skills, but after taking several cuts, she could only concede.

Watching the Shadow Profound Supernatural Power, Yue Wen's eyes lit up. This kind of stealth ability couldn't be used to its full potential on a training field. In the Wasteland Zone, with its complex terrain, it would be truly impossible to predict.

He could consider asking Big Dragon to sell him a Cultivation Method like this, in preparation for exploring the Wasteland Zone someday.

The women's matches were over. Zhao Xing'er and the long-haired girl had passed the selection, and then it was time for the men's matches.

The first match pitted a red-haired young man in a tight leather jacket and pants against a muscular man in a black tank top.

To everyone's surprise, the red-haired man, who looked like an arrogant biker, was also from Hidden Dragon Pool. He and the long-haired girl from earlier were fellow disciples.

After all, their styles were so different that they weren't merely unlike each other—they had absolutely nothing in common.

The muscular man was less surprising. He also practiced martial arts, and his powerful, explosive fist technique roared through the air as he swung his fists.

This showdown between the biker and the personal trainer was a bit like a repeat of the previous match. The red-haired man sent more than a dozen flickering spirit flames dancing through the air as soon as he took the field, blending into their shadows and darting about without a trace.

It seemed that even the same Shadow Profound Supernatural Power could take different forms. The long-haired girl practiced blade shadows, while he practiced fire shadows.

The muscular man angrily smashed one spirit flame after another, but the flames scattered like stars across the sky, only multiplying as he fought. In the end, under the unending scorching flames, he could only concede.

The limit of martial arts techniques was using overwhelming force to overcome skill. If they couldn't dominate with sheer offense and defense, they were powerless against supernatural arts with their endless variations.

After watching, He Caihua smiled. "Hidden Dragon Pool has some outstanding disciples this generation."

Then she shifted her gaze to Yue Wen.

Yue Wen had drawn the very man in the jacket who'd mocked him earlier.

His clothes were crisp and businesslike, and his hair was slicked back until it gleamed. He looked nothing like someone who'd come to fight—more like someone attending a cocktail party. His whole manner was arrogant.

The man in the jacket stepped onto the training field and sneered. "Judging by that girl's skills, maybe you really did come prepared. But I'll soon show you the difference between an Immortal Gate disciple and a rogue cultivator."

"What a clichéd taunt." Yue Wen shook his head, not bothering to engage. "Just show me what you've got."

As soon as he finished speaking, the man in the jacket abruptly dropped into a horse stance. With a bang, his jacket burst apart, leaving him in a tank top and revealing arms covered in dragon and tiger tattoos.

"I am Chen Hao, the twelfth-generation heir of Pierce Heaven Sect. I've mastered the Dragon Tattoo Technique across my entire body! Let's see how many divine tattoos you can make me use today! Come on! Heh heh heh heh—"

Yue Wen stared at him in astonishment. What sort of bizarre lineage was this Dragon Tattoo Technique? The price of practicing it seemed far too high.

Didn't that mean he was barred from taking the civil service exam from the very first day of training?