Hundred Sects Tournament · Golden Core (3)

On the arena stage, two figures already stood facing one another.

Qu Lin was rather tall, dressed in a pink-and-white fitted outfit distinctive to her sect. Her long hair was simply tied behind her head, revealing a smooth forehead and a pair of bright eyes.

She wore flexible bracers over her bare wrists, while a signature red cord with a silver bell was tied around her right ankle. Under the sunlight, strange patterns faintly visible on her arms and calves lent her an added air of mysterious wildness.

She tilted her head slightly, studying the monk opposite her. There was little gravity in her eyes; instead, they held a hint of eager curiosity.

Wuchen, the young monk from Clear Sound Temple, wore gray monastic robes. His expression was peaceful, his hands pressed together before him, and a faint golden Buddhist radiance flowed around his body, making him appear solemn and dignified.

Clear Sound Temple's Buddhist arts ran deep, and it particularly excelled in defensive and purification techniques. It possessed an innate restraint against Demonic Cultivators and evil creatures. The temple's monks also commonly cultivated body arts, forging Indestructible Vajra Bodies.

The two saluted each other. The instant the referee finished signaling the start, Wuchen softly recited a Buddhist invocation. The pale golden light around him brightened slightly as he activated a protective cultivation art. He did not rashly seize the initiative, instead guarding the center steadily and waiting for his opponent to attack—a classic defensive counterattack approach.

Qu Lin moved.

She lightly stepped forward with her right foot. The silver bell at her ankle remained silent, yet the entire arena floor seemed to tremble faintly with that step. She did not appear particularly swift, but she carried the steady feeling of lifting heavy weights as though they were light. It