After Luo Wu admitted defeat, the first match on Arena No. 1 came to an end.
Mo Shang didn't linger on the arena. With a flicker, he vanished from the field and returned to the stands.
"Are you hurt?" Jiang Shuyu hurried over as soon as Mo Shang returned, her eyes filled with concern.
"I'm fine. Don't worry," Mo Shang said with a smile.
"Brother Mo, you've been hiding your skills. I never expected you to know body refinement, too." Gu Qingzhou walked over and patted Mo Shang on the shoulder.
"I know a little, just a little. It's nothing worth mentioning..." Mo Shang waved a hand.
Body refinement? He didn't know the first thing about it. He still hadn't figured out why his physique had improved so much...
"Second arena, second match: Jiang Shuyu of the Falling Cloud Sect versus Yan Zhantian of the Blazing Sun Sect."
As they spoke, the old man's voice rang out again. The first match on Arena No. 2 had ended, and it was Jiang Shuyu's turn.
"Be careful..." Mo Shang said, looking at Jiang Shuyu.
"Okay. I'll be right back." Jiang Shuyu's eyes were bright as the moon. She smiled and nodded.
As soon as she spoke, Jiang Shuyu flashed onto Arena No. 2.
At the same time, flames rose from the center of the arena. Yan Zhantian, radiating a violent aura, strode slowly out of them.
Yan Zhantian stood with his hands behind his back. The heat around him made his crimson robes billow, and his head of red hair stood on end like burning flames. The scorching spiritual energy he gave off warped the air.
His gaze settled on Jiang Shuyu. A hint of admiration flashed in his arrogant eyes, but it was quickly replaced by greed...
"Little junior sister of the Falling Cloud Sect, you're so beautiful and graceful. Why come to the arena to fight and kill?"
Yan Zhantian took two slow steps forward, his tone unbearably frivolous. "Why not admit defeat now and come back to the Blazing Sun Sect with me? I'll make sure you live in luxury."
At his words, a trace of frost settled over Jiang Shuyu's already distant expression. She spat out a single, cold word:
"Get lost."
The smile on Yan Zhantian's face faded, replaced by anger. "It seems you don't intend to show this Holy Son any respect..."
"If you refuse to appreciate kindness, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
In the next instant, the flames of spiritual energy around Yan Zhantian surged. His aura was revealed: the first level of the Spirit Condensation Realm!
"I'll give you one last chance..." Yan Zhantian said, his expression haughty.
But before he could finish, an aura that could annihilate everything spread across the arena.
"Yin and yang reverse. Annihilate."
Jiang Shuyu's cold voice rang out. Yin and yang energy rose from her body and intertwined in an instant, transforming into a ball of light.
Yin and yang repelled each other, yet the two energies were forcibly fused. A force that could annihilate all things rippled from within and swept toward Yan Zhantian, intent on crushing him!
Feeling the aura of destruction radiating from the ball of light, Yan Zhantian's scalp went numb. The fear of death gripped him, and for an instant he forgot to dodge, standing frozen in place.
But the ball of light didn't stop. In the blink of an eye, it was before Yan Zhantian, its power of destruction engulfing him...
At that critical moment, an enraged shout suddenly rang across the entire arena. "You dare, brat?!"
A crimson streak shot through the air like lightning. Just as the ball of light was about to hit Yan Zhantian, the Blazing Sun Sect Elder made his move.
The Blazing Sun Sect Elder gathered a cluster of pure Solar True Fire in his palm, then flicked it toward the annihilating ball of light.
Dao Resonance flowed through the Solar True Fire. The power it radiated startled everyone present.
Before that flame, space was like paper. It was burned through in an instant, and the fire disregarded space itself, arriving before the ball of light in the blink of an eye.
Under the overwhelming gap in their cultivation, Jiang Shuyu's annihilating ball of light was no match. The instant they touched, it was burned into nothingness without a sound or the slightest ripple.
After incinerating the ball of light, the Solar True Fire's remaining power continued onward, hurtling toward Jiang Shuyu. The elder intended to kill her on the spot!
Jiang Shuyu frowned slightly. A solemn look flashed through her previously placid eyes, and her hands moved rapidly through a series of seals as she prepared to activate a secret art...
But just then, a streak of Sword Qi slashed down. The Solar True Fire, powerful enough to burn through space, instantly vanished into thin air.
"Old bastard, are you planning to use your strength to bully someone weaker? Have you asked the sword in my hand?"
Sword Thirteen appeared in front of Jiang Shuyu. Sword intent swirled around him, and he was like a divine weapon just drawn from its sheath, its edge laid bare!
At the same time, Mo Shang and the others appeared on the arena.
"Shuyu, are you all right?" Mo Shang came to Jiang Shuyu's side. Seeing that she was unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm fine." Jiang Shuyu shook her head slightly and stopped forming hand seals...
"Hmph. We all know this was a competition, yet she used such a vicious move. How do you explain that?"
The Blazing Sun Sect Elder gave Sword Thirteen a cold snort, then continued:
"Sword Thirteen, if you know what's good for you, hand her over to me. Your Falling Cloud Sect is nothing but a second-rate sect. Think carefully about the price of offending the Blazing Sun Sect..."
Behind Sword Thirteen, Jiang Shuyu watched the scene before her as a distant memory surfaced in her mind...
"You'd destroy your entire sect just to protect one disciple and offend us? If you know what's good for you, hand her over..."
"It wasn't my fault. He was the one who..."
"Shut up! Why did you provoke him?"
"From this moment on, you're no longer a disciple of our sect!"
"They were clearly the ones in the wrong. Why...?"
As the memory surfaced, all the color drained from Jiang Shuyu's once rosy face, leaving her deathly pale. Her body began to tremble...
"Shuyu, what's wrong?"
The sudden change sent a flicker of panic through Mo Shang's expression. He hurriedly asked her what was wrong.
"I-I'm fine..." Jiang Shuyu's face was pale. She forced a weak smile and shook her head.
"Don't be afraid. Nothing will happen. I'll always be here with you..."
Seeing her so fragile, Mo Shang realized what was happening and felt a pang of heartache. He reached out and drew her into his arms.
They had spent so much time together, but this was the first time Mo Shang had ever seen her so vulnerable.
"Mm..."
Feeling the warmth in Mo Shang's arms, Jiang Shuyu calmed down a little and answered softly.
"Hahaha..."
Sword Thirteen hadn't noticed Jiang Shuyu's condition. After hearing the Blazing Sun Sect Elder's words, he seemed to have heard the funniest joke and burst into laughter.
But soon, Sword Thirteen's laughter faded. He fixed the Blazing Sun Sect Elder with a sharp gaze and said coldly:
"You ask me how to judge it?"
"Of course, he was simply outmatched! It's his own bad luck!"
As soon as he spoke, a towering Sword Qi burst forth from him. Its terrifying power swept across the entire Martial Arena like a raging tide!
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