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The poisoned nail came at him fiercely, and the Sword Formula swept like wind and snow. In the blink of an eye—

They collided head-on, perfectly.

The two forces met without sound or form, yet beneath the hidden undercurrent, raging waves surged and tumultuous ripples spread.

The formula vanished; the nail shattered.

Chengying: ...

Chengying was stunned.

That woman—how could that woman know the Soul-Seizing Nail's trajectory? The precisely measured force, the fated collision that fit together like two halves of a whole—everything had been just right, destroying the hidden weapon completely...

Could it be that everything had been under her control?

It looked toward the stands with its spiritual sense, utterly astonished, and easily spotted the girl in white.

And the smile that still lingered on her face.

She was actually smiling.

In other words, could it be that she really had... done it on purpose?

First, she sensed that Chen Zhao had ill intentions and planned to use a hidden weapon. Then she used the Sword Formula to force Pei Ji to dodge to the side. At that moment, Chen Zhao was bound to anticipate his movements and launch the poisoned needle.

But that scoundrel Chen Zhao would never have imagined that she had anticipated his anticipation!

Her technique, her cunning, and the heart that was wholly devoted to Pei Ji—

She had to be a fairy!

"I get it now!"

Chengying immediately changed its tune, swallowing every last "stinking woman" it had been about to say. Its voice rang out fervently, trembling a little.

"That fairy is helping you from the shadows..."

"She's also an absolute master!"

### The instant the Sword Formula collided with the Soul-Seizing Nail, the curve of Ning Ning's lips was still frozen in place.

She truly hadn't expected her errant Sword Qi to accidentally run into Chen Zhao's poisoned nail. The two forces, one yin and one yang, canceled each other out, both disappearing without a trace.

After making such a huge blunder, the system in her head hadn't made a sound.

It had been the same earlier, when she mistook someone else for Pei Ji. It seemed all the system needed to do was urge Ning Ning to "act." What she actually did was none of its concern.

It was just like Ning Ning herself when she was frantically finishing her summer homework. As long as she filled in all the blanks, who cared if the answers were right? All that mattered was getting it done.

When Chen Zhao saw that the Soul-Seizing Nail had lost its effect, he grew even more panicked.

That Sword Qi had been swift and precise, striking the Soul-Seizing Nail without the slightest error. Anyone capable of doing that in a collision that lasted only an instant had to be highly skilled.

Either Pei Ji's strength was unfathomable, or an expert was secretly helping him. Either way, the odds were heavily against Chen Zhao.

Yesterday, when he heard that Ning Ning, a disciple of Tian Xianzi, had lost to an Outer Sect Disciple, he had secretly looked down on him countless times. He had also resolved to put that brat in his place during today's competition. Who would have thought...

Chen Zhao's expression turned cold. The knuckles gripping his sword hilt went faintly white.

If that was how it was, then he couldn't be blamed for going in for the kill!

The giant sword rose with the motion, stirring up a gale with the force of a thousand jun. Its dark golden blade flashed in harmony with the sunlight, and in the space of an instant, the tall, burly young man closed in on Pei Ji.

The youth in black stood ready, a shadow of dark Killing Intent rising between his brows.

Ning Ning folded her arms across her chest and watched the increasingly fierce fight without a word. The layman watched the spectacle; the expert saw the finer points. As an expert, Ning Ning couldn't help sighing from the bottom of her heart:

The male lead was so handsome!

Actually, Pei Ji looked nothing like a righteous male lead, and his personality and actions were even further from the mark.

His mother had hated him from the time he was little, and she often used him as a stand-in for his faithless father, beating him mercilessly. Naturally, he hadn't grown up to be a fine young man of socialist ideals. He was eccentric and withdrawn.

Not only did he fiercely resist contact with others, he also came with a whole host of unbelievable traits: a sharp tongue, a sinister nature, and a black-lotus heart. He seemed more like the villain than the villain himself, leaving the villain with nowhere to go.

So the novel's popularity...

To put it tactfully, it really wasn't all that high. Ning Ning had no idea how the author managed to write so many words while fighting alone.

But back to Pei Ji.

He had a face of astonishing beauty. His upturned phoenix eyes were naturally alluring, though the thick, dark malice in his gaze eclipsed most of that charm.

Bloodthirsty Killing Intent and bewitching allure blended seamlessly, layered together thread by thread. Most exquisite of all was the deep red tear mole beneath his eye, like a fleck of cinnabar or a drop of congealed blood. Paired with his tightly pressed, pale lips, it drew the eye even more than the ink-wash mountains and rivers behind him.

Not to mention how the black robes outlined the youth's tall, slender figure. The places where Sword Qi had struck him were torn open in several spots, revealing unnaturally pale skin and scarlet blood within—

No wonder so many supporting characters liked him.

By now, the fight was nearing its end. Both sides were battered and bruised.

Unlike Chen Zhao, who had received personal instruction, Pei Ji was an Outer Sect Disciple and could only study the sect's basic sword techniques in the Sword Hall. Yet he had managed to gain the upper hand in this fight using moves that everyone knew.

Without a master to teach him, he had explored on his own, day and night. Without fixed sword moves, he had adapted to the situation and advanced step by step. He refused to be bound by rigid techniques, moving according to his own instincts.

The gap in talent was enormous. Chen Zhao had lost utterly.

By this point, anyone with eyes could tell who would win. Ning Ning saw it as clearly as a mirror: the male lead was about to reach the first major turning point of his life.

Amidst the swift flashes of swords, several cries of surprise suddenly rang out from the crowd. Knowing the moment had come, Ning Ning followed everyone's gaze.

A frigid, deep-blue ancient sword hung above the fighting platform, reflecting the sunlight with a dazzling brilliance like melting ice crystals.

Two young men stood upon it, both dressed in white robes with their hair bound up, handsome and otherworldly.

One had starry eyes that held a smile, and a hint of amusement in his expression. He hooked his lips in a faintly lazy smile. The other wore light furs and loose robes, his expression calm. Mottled sunlight flowed over his white clothes, making him seem like an immortal drifting down from the heavens.

Someone exclaimed in surprise, "It's... it's Elder Tianxian and Senior Brother Meng Jue!"