Martial Contest (2)

After competing all the way through, Gu Xiaoyue relied on his rather formidable strength, coupled with opponents intentionally or unintentionally going easy on him, to truly cut down opponents one after another and rack up victory after victory.

The cheers from below the stage rolled in like tides, wave after wave, making him feel almost intoxicated. Secretly pleased with himself, he felt that the position of Valley Master had drawn several steps closer.

Meanwhile, as expected, the people from the Heavenly Sword Sect and Azure Rock Sect never encountered one another in the matches. Along the way, nearly all of them had been eliminated midway by other powerful cultivators.

By the time the competition reached the quarterfinals, only Tan Yin and the junior disciple who had previously clashed with someone in the valley remained from the Heavenly Sword Sect. Azure Rock Sect had only Wang Rong left standing.

Watching the junior disciple's performance, the Profound Heaven Sect members could not help sighing. "No wonder this kid could fight several people alone. He really does have some skill."

"Wang Rong's performance has been fairly commendable as well."

Lin Mumu curled her lip. "I thought everyone in Azure Rock Sect was just a bunch of useless show-offs. Who would have thought Wang Rong actually had some ability?"

"To be flamboyant, you need the capital to match. Compared with those useless junior brothers of his, Wang Rong does have a few qualifications to boast."

At this moment, Gu Yinchen looked over the quarterfinal roster from the high platform. After pondering it in secret, he ultimately decided to tamper with the upcoming draw.

Gu Xiaoyue was not pure of heart. If he remained in the contest, he would eventually become a hidden danger. He had to be eliminated as soon as possible. Of the remaining opponents, Tan Yin was stronger. If Gu Xiaoyue drew Tan Yin, the chances of eliminating him would increase by several degrees.

Thus, without anyone noticing, Gu Yinchen quietly employed his methods and manipulated the results of the draw.

When the results were announced and Gu Yinchen saw that Gu Xiaoyue had drawn Tan Yin, he let out a slight breath of relief. Below the stage, the spectators saw the matchup and immediately began whispering among themselves, all speculating over how the match would end.

One cultivator lowered his voice and analyzed, "Tan Yin is a genuine elite disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect. His heavy sword can split mountains and cleave rivers.

Besides, the Heavenly Sword Sect and Azure Rock Sect have yet to meet in the competition. Although Azure Rock Sect's man has no weak opponent, compared to Wang Rong, he is more likely to lose than win. It seems Wang Rong should have no trouble advancing.

If Tan Yin truly wants to settle things completely with Azure Rock Sect, then he has no choice but to win this match. I imagine he won't hold back."

"Gu Xiaoyue is clearly aiming for the position of Young Valley Master. His ambitions are not small. This match is likely to be quite a spectacle," another cultivator echoed.

When Gu Xiaoyue saw that his opponent was Tan Yin, his heart tightened slightly, but a cold smile quickly appeared on his face.

He had long heard of Tan Yin's reputation and knew his swordsmanship was superb and his strength formidable. Tan Yin was no easy opponent. Yet while Tan Yin was strong, he was not without flaws.

Sword cultivators had always been known for straightforward, fierce personalities, and their way of doing things tended to be direct as well. Such simple-minded people were often easier to manipulate. As long as he employed a little trickery, he might not be unable to defeat Tan Yin.

Once he defeated him, his prestige within Medicine King Valley would surely rise like the sun at noon, ascending another level. The Valley Master position he dreamed of would naturally be one step closer.

At that thought, greed and fanaticism flashed through Gu Xiaoyue's eyes.

Tan Yin, however, looked grave. He was not afraid of fighting Gu Xiaoyue. It was simply that, from the previous matches, he had already seen that Gu Xiaoyue was vicious to the extreme and would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

Perhaps Gu Xiaoyue believed his dirty methods were concealed well enough that others would struggle to notice them. But Tan Yin was an expert who had cultivated earnestly and stood at a higher realm than Gu Xiaoyue. Before him, Gu Xiaoyue's little tricks were rather like covering one's ears while stealing a bell.

Facing an opponent like this, the slightest carelessness could lead him into the other party's trap. He had to remain twelve parts alert.

He secretly tightened his grip on the heavy sword in his hand. Its blade was broad and thick, its patterns ancient and simple, and it emanated a chilling aura.

Tan Yin slowly closed his eyes. His chest rose and fell rhythmically as he took a deep breath, expelling every distracting thought from his mind and calming himself. The instant he opened his eyes again, his aura surged sharply. His resolute bearing made it clear that he was ready to give everything he had.

At the Valley Master's command, the first match of the quarterfinals—Gu Xiaoyue versus Tan Yin—officially began.

Tan Yin wanted nothing more than a quick victory, leaving Gu Xiaoyue no opportunity to make a move.

The instant the match began, he erupted like sudden thunder. He stomped violently against the ground and shot toward Gu Xiaoyue, raising his broad, ancient heavy sword high. Like a towering mountain, it came crashing down upon Gu Xiaoyue with a force capable of shoving mountains aside and overturning seas.

Beneath the sunlight, the sword's shadow gleamed with a cold, grim light. Its immense momentum made the surrounding air tremble, releasing a low, buzzing hum.

Gu Xiaoyue was greatly alarmed and did not dare be careless in the slightest. He knew the power behind Tan Yin's blow and did not dare receive it head-on. He hurriedly swung the jade flute in his hand, using it as a staff and unleashing an exquisite staff technique. As he deflected the heavy sword, he also used nimble footwork to slip beyond the aftermath of the attack.

Tan Yin's sword attacks did not cease. Every strike was wild and ruthless, as though he were pouring every ounce of his strength into those fierce sword moves. Each sword carried the mighty power to split mountains and shatter stones, driving straight for Gu Xiaoyue's vital points.

His swordsmanship was broad and forceful, heavy with power, like a surging river that flowed without end and rushed onward without pause, granting Gu Xiaoyue not the slightest chance to catch his breath.

Under Tan Yin's peerlessly fierce assault, Gu Xiaoyue gradually fell into a disadvantage. He could only retreat again and again, barely holding on through nimble footwork. Fine beads of sweat covered his forehead, and panic flickered in his eyes, though he quickly forced the emotion back down.

"Tan Yin's swordsmanship really is impressive. Gu Xiaoyue is probably struggling to withstand it," a cultivator below the stage said in a low voice.

"Exactly. Tan Yin's offensive is too fierce. If Gu Xiaoyue does not quickly find a way to deal with it, he will probably be defeated before long," another agreed.

On the surface, Gu Xiaoyue was retreating step by step, his footing unsteady. In truth, he was secretly searching for a chance to counterattack. Tan Yin's swordsmanship was extraordinary; in a direct clash, Gu Xiaoyue's chances of victory were minuscule. He therefore placed all his hopes on the plan he had prepared beforehand.

During one brief exchange, Gu Xiaoyue pretended he could not hold on and deliberately revealed an opening to lure Tan Yin into attacking. Sure enough, Tan Yin failed to see through it and swept his heavy sword out sharply.

This sword contained the force of a thousand jun. The gale raised by the heavy blade was like a razor-sharp edge, making the air around it howl as if it would tear everything apart.

Gu Xiaoyue seized the moment and flashed aside with ghostlike agility. While skillfully evading Tan Yin's strike, he swung his flute toward Tan Yin's sword as if casually trying to block it.

Yet just before it touched the blade, his wrist flicked. The flute veered past the sword, and with deliberate precision, he struck the back of Tan Yin's sword-gripping hand.

Tan Yin felt only a faint force travel up his arm. Alarm sounded in his heart, but it was already too late.

Gu Xiaoyue had long ago coated the flute with an exceedingly concealed poison. That seemingly careless collision had silently driven the poison into Tan Yin's body through a special technique.

The poison did not take effect immediately. Since Gu Xiaoyue dared to make his move under so many watchful eyes, he naturally would not make it overly obvious.

The poison he had carefully chosen possessed an extremely peculiar property. It could slip silently into an opponent's body like a ghost, then lie hidden like a hunter concealed in darkness, waiting for the best moment to launch a fatal blow.

Had Tan Yin not remained highly vigilant from beginning to end, it truly would have been difficult to detect such a subtle abnormality during their clash. Though he did not know exactly what Gu Xiaoyue had done, he instinctively sensed that something was wrong and immediately intensified his assault.

At that moment, Tan Yin's heavy sword was like a black bolt of lightning tearing across the heavens, carving one chilling, sharp trajectory after another through the air.

Every sword carried the immense force of mountains being shoved aside and seas overturned. Like raging, surging tides, they bombarded Gu Xiaoyue without restraint. The sword wind shrieked past with piercing whistles, as if it would sweep everything around them into that violent, deadly sword pressure.

Though Gu Xiaoyue had expected this sudden ferocious counterattack, he could not help feeling flustered.

His figure darted left and right across the arena like a ghost, and a trace of panic appeared on his once-steady face. The jade flute spun rapidly in his hand as he barely fended off Tan Yin's tide-like attacks.

Every collision between sword and flute rang out crisp and loud, numbing his arms with the force.

Yet Gu Xiaoyue only sneered inwardly. "Hmph, let's see whether you can still be this arrogant in a moment!

Before long, the poison began to take effect silently.

Tan Yin felt numbness rapidly spread from his hand throughout his body, as if countless tiny ants were crawling inside him. His body gradually stiffened, every joint seeming to have been shackled, making it difficult to move freely.

Even circulating his spiritual power became immensely difficult. The spiritual power that had once flowed smoothly through his meridians became sluggish, as if what flowed through him was not spiritual power but heavy molten lead.

His originally fierce and sharp swordsmanship immediately lost much of its edge, his moves becoming slow and clumsy.

When Gu Xiaoyue saw the poison take effect, delight surged within him, and a vicious gleam flashed through his eyes.

Seizing the opportunity while Tan Yin's body was stiff and his spiritual power obstructed, he swung his flute and viciously struck precisely at Tan Yin's various paralysis acupoints.

Tan Yin felt a needle-like agony explode throughout his entire body, as if tens of thousands of needles had pierced him at once. Under Gu Xiaoyue's barrage of swift, fierce attacks, his body became as immovable as though afflicted by a Body-Fixing Spell.

Then, unable to control himself, he dropped heavily to one knee. With a muffled Bang!, the sound was especially grating in the silent arena. The heavy sword he had been gripping nearly flew from his hand, its blade striking the ground with a clear, trembling ring.

The people below the stage could not help breaking into a cold sweat for Tan Yin.

"What is happening? Why have Tan Yin's movements suddenly become so stiff? Even his sword moves have become crude," one cultivator said, his face full of bewilderment.

"That burst of attacks just now was strange too. Gu Xiaoyue has no grievance with Tan Yin. Given his usual conduct, would he really strike so heavily?" Another cultivator frowned, his heart full of doubts.

"Could Gu Xiaoyue have done something? Tan Yin may be in danger now." The crowd speculated one after another, worry written across their faces.

"Something is wrong with Tan Yin's condition, isn't it?" Lin Mumu said with knitted brows, her tone certain. Her gaze remained fixed on Tan Yin atop the arena, her eyes filled with confusion and incomprehension.

Ye Jingxuan always answered when asked. At that moment, he narrowed his eyes slightly and carefully observed Tan Yin's condition before cautiously offering his judgment. "He was probably hit by some kind of technique, or... poison."

"It is poison." As a fellow medical cultivator, Wen Jian was even more certain. With his profound medical expertise, he could roughly infer the poison's effects and dosage simply from Tan Yin's subtle symptoms.

Using poison in a contest did not truly violate the rules, after all. Poison was also a form of skill.

However, this was not a life-or-death struggle, and the two held no deep hatred for one another. Using poison in such a setting was bad enough, but to strike with such sinister cruelty was truly appalling and contemptible.

—Not to mention that Gu Xiaoyue was a medical cultivator.

Medicine, poison, and gu had originally come from the same source. Why, then, were they distinguished from one another?

At the root of it, their purposes were completely different.

The duty of a medical cultivator was to save the dying and heal the wounded. They were even willing to give up powerful personal offensive strength for that purpose, benevolent people who carried great love in their hearts.

Poison cultivators and gu cultivators had no such concerns. Their use of such arts focused more on strengthening themselves. The medicinal knowledge held by medical cultivators should have been used to cure illness and save people, not as a tool to harm others.

The thought that someone like Gu Xiaoyue could occupy the place of a medical cultivator filled Wen Jian with disgust, and he despised his conduct utterly.

Gu Yueyao, who had likewise noticed the anomaly, now looked as cold as ice, her eyes revealing endless chill and fury.

Not to mention Gu Yinchen on the high platform. His brows were tightly furrowed, and blazing anger burned in his eyes. Without realizing it, he had gripped the jade cup in his hand so tightly that his knuckles had turned white, and even fine cracks had appeared across its surface.

True Person Yu Qing glanced in his direction. Seeing his reaction, he gently shook his head and sighed inwardly.

Meanwhile, the Azure Rock Sect members in their seats began gloating. "Though I don't know what dirty trick that smiling tiger Gu Xiaoyue used, he did well."

"Serves them right. They are always going against us."

Wang Rong, who led them, had his brows drawn tightly together. Looking at Tan Yin, who could no longer keep himself steady on the stage, he seemed to want to speak but stopped himself.

A complicated emotion flashed through his eyes. He appeared to have something to say, but in the end, he merely let out a cold snort through his nose and looked away.

Tan Yin did not give up.

He gritted his teeth and continuously circulated his cultivation technique within, trying to break through the double restraints of the poison and the sealed acupoints. Veins bulged across his forehead, and beads of sweat as large as beans rolled down without cease, yet his eyes carried an unyielding determination.

Gu Xiaoyue had no intention of letting him go. To prevent the truth from coming to light, he had carefully controlled the dosage. The poison's effects would not last long. He had to strike while Tan Yin was down and take his life—he needed to end this fight quickly.

A sinister light flashed through Gu Xiaoyue's eyes as he attacked again. He swung his flute at Tan Yin's vital points, attempting to deal him a fatal blow.

At that critical moment, Tan Yin finally broke through the paralysis of his acupoints. His body trembled slightly, but he had recovered some ability to move.

He abruptly rose to his feet, fury blazing in his eyes. He raised the heavy sword in his hand once more and barely blocked Gu Xiaoyue's fierce strike.

Gu Xiaoyue was shocked. He wanted to pull back and retreat, but it was already too late. A powerful sense of dread surged within him.

Ignoring his body's discomfort, Tan Yin attacked Gu Xiaoyue again. Though his swordsmanship was no longer as sharp or smooth as before due to his condition, every strike contained even greater ferocity and more overwhelming power.

Because his spiritual power was still circulating poorly and his movements remained sluggish, he could not smoothly execute any of those exquisite sword techniques.

He simply abandoned every complicated technique. Relying on his formidable physical strength, he used the simplest and most direct method, hacking straight down at Gu Xiaoyue with every sword without holding anything back. Every blow carried the weight of a thousand jun, like a massive axe splitting mountains, roaring with tiger-like force and bearing the bold momentum of wild punches beating an old master to death.

Gu Xiaoyue had not expected Tan Yin to break free under such desperate circumstances, and panic rose in his heart. Yet he quickly steadied himself and continued wielding his flute to defend.

Tan Yin had always favored a fierce fighting style. Now, he simply discarded sword moves altogether and relied purely on strength to confront Gu Xiaoyue. At first, Gu Xiaoyue could still handle one or two moves, but every one of Tan Yin's attacks was unleashed with full force, each strike heavy as a thousand jun.

Under such a fierce offensive, as long as he made the slightest mistake and failed to evade completely, the tremors caused by that immense impact would instantly course through his body like electricity.

The tremors not only brought agonizing pain to his body, but also caused the speed advantage he had relied upon to vanish in an instant. After that, he could only be helplessly dragged into a direct confrontation with Tan Yin.

No matter what, Gu Xiaoyue was merely a medical cultivator. Even though he had practiced other techniques as well, how could he endure such a confrontation? Before long, he began to show signs of collapse.

Tan Yin spotted an opening in Gu Xiaoyue's defense and shouted, his voice like a great bell that rang throughout the arena. He thrust out with all his strength. The heavy sword carried a howling gale, seeming to tear apart the surrounding air as it struck Gu Xiaoyue squarely in the shoulder with thunderous force.

With a Pfft!, Gu Xiaoyue violently spat out a mouthful of blood, like a brilliant red plum blossoming in the air. The flute in his hand also fell weakly to the ground with a Clang!, producing a crisp sound.

His body staggered back several steps uncontrollably. At last, his legs gave way, and he fell to the ground.

"I... I concede..." Gu Xiaoyue's face was ashen, and his trembling lips forced out those words, his voice filled with unwillingness.

The flames of resentment burned in his eyes, mixed with profound helplessness, like a wounded beast trapped in a cage. His body trembled uncontrollably, and the hand braced against the ground clenched into a tight fist. No matter how he tried, he could not conceal the anger and unwillingness in his heart.

A burst of fervent applause instantly erupted from below the stage, resounding through the area like thunder.

"Tan Yin, well done!" someone shouted at the top of his lungs, their voice full of admiration and praise.

"As expected of an elite disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect. To turn defeat into victory under such unfavorable circumstances—truly impressive!"

Tan Yin put away his heavy sword and cupped his hands slightly toward the people below the stage. Then he looked coldly at Gu Xiaoyue. "Though you used despicable methods today, I was also not careful enough and fell for your scheme. I will not blame you this time.

"But if we meet on a battlefield another day, and there is another incident like today's, I will cut you down without mercy. I hope you will understand from now on that true strength relies on power, not these sinister methods."

With that, he turned and walked down from the arena.

An Azure Rock Sect disciple curled his lip and clicked his tongue in disdain. "Hmph, he still couldn't be finished off like that. That kid is lucky."

"That is fine. If he had lost that easily, where would I go to demand an explanation?" Wang Rong said in an icy, chilling voice. His gaze remained tightly fixed on Tan Yin's still somewhat staggering figure as he walked down from the stage.