Li Bufan stood at the center of the arena, his gaze resting on the white figure before him.
The owner of that figure was Bai Jingcheng, who had received a bye earlier. His moon-white robe shone with a gentle, flowing luster beneath the arena's light.
He stood where he was, his hands hanging naturally at his sides. He carried no conspicuous weapon, yet Li Bufan could sense from his calm, water-still stance a coiled readiness, like a bowstring drawn taut to its limit.
Li Bufan slowly cupped his fist, his voice steady and clear. "Li Bufan of Songhe Gate. Please enlighten me."
Bai Jingcheng's gaze lingered on Li Bufan for a moment. He did not return the fist salute, merely giving a slight nod, the motion as light as a breeze brushing across water.
The next instant, his body abruptly became a white afterimage, shooting straight toward Li Bufan like white lightning ripping through the night sky.
Before Li Bufan could even adjust into a complete defensive stance, Bai Jingcheng's palm, wrapped in fierce force, had already struck his chest.
The palm strike was not particularly heavy, but it precisely hit the instant when his defenses were at their weakest, sending his entire body flying.
His feet carved a long trail across the arena before he barely managed to steady himself several zhang away.
Yet before he could fully dissipate the impact, Bai Jingcheng's second attack had already closed in like a shadow. At some unknown moment, a pale golden sword had appeared in his hand. Its edge was condensed with a layer of metallic, cold, razor-sharp light. The sword radiance tore through the air, carrying a piercing force that seemed capable of penetrating all things as it stabbed toward Li Bufan's shoulder.
Li Bufan instinctively activated Nine Yang Body