Linshan County for Sibao Prefecture (41) [Monthly Passes, Please]

Gu Chi and Liao Jia had made their arrangements.

Now all that remained was for the two combatants to decide the outcome.

Setting aside the circumstances, Shen Tang and Gongxi Chou's one-on-one duel was truly spectacular—a feast for the eyes and ears. From the ingenious use of Word Spirits and the way they countered each other's moves to the dazzling parade of a hundred and eighty kinds of weapons, it was enough to leave anyone blinking in disbelief. The last part was especially remarkable. Ordinary Martial Gall Warriors had limited energy; mastering one weapon, or two or three at most, over a lifetime was already impressive. Yet these two seemed like masters of time management: the moment they picked up a weapon, they wielded it as naturally as their own limbs, as if commanding spirits and dispatching generals were child's play.

Clang!

Shen Tang held her usual Kind Mother Sword in her right hand and an oddly shaped weapon in her left. It was called a Hook Shield, a composite defensive weapon that combined a hook with a shield. It was particularly effective against long weapons with "side branches," such as halberds.

Gongxi Chou's Twin Crescent Serpent Halberd fit the bill—and then some. She twisted the hook and caught the halberd against the shield's face, grinning. "Watch out—"

The Hook Shield was small, but Shen Tang was immensely strong.

Even Gongxi Chou couldn't pull free the halberd she'd caught right away. Shen Tang, on the other hand, seized the moment while the weapon was pinned, closed in with her sword, and slashed a blade of light more than ten zhang long past Gongxi Chou's face. "Wouldn't want to scar that pretty face."

Shen Tang finished the rest of her sentence.

Boom!

Her voice rang out with the explosion as her