Martial Contest (3)

The matches continued. When Wang Rong took the stage, he did not dare let down his guard in the slightest. None of those who had reached the top eight were insignificant opponents.

His opponent was a cultivator from a mid-sized sect, skilled in Qimen Dunjia arts. The moment the match began, he impatiently unleashed his methods, intending to seize the advantage with overwhelming momentum.

Runes flickered, light and shadow intertwined, and Wang Rong was instantly plunged into an illusory realm. The scenery around him shifted without cease, as though he had been cast into an endless labyrinth.

Wang Rong did not panic.

The instant the illusion array activated, he reacted swiftly and activated the Engraved Talisman Stone he had prepared beforehand. The stone blazed with light, releasing a gentle yet resilient curtain of spiritual power that wrapped him tightly from head to toe.

That curtain of light formed a shield, protecting him from the countless illusions within the array.

He shut his eyes tightly, calmed his mind, and sought to catch the flow of spiritual power around him.

Before long, his eyes flew open. With a sweep of the folding fan in his hand, a sharp burst of spiritual power tore through the air and shot straight toward the weak point of the illusion array.

With a boom, the illusion array was ripped open. Wang Rong seized the chance to rush out, his folding fan dancing in his hand and casting dazzling trails of light and shadow as he lunged at his opponent.

Seeing his carefully laid illusion array broken so easily, his opponent could not help but be startled. His hands rapidly formed seals as he spat out a string of obscure incantations.

With his movements, the arena floor began to shake violently. Several thick earthen spikes abruptly thrust up from beneath the ground toward Wang Rong, like earthen dragons bursting from the soil with fierce momentum.

Wang Rong tapped lightly with his toes, his body flickering nimbly through the air. The earthen spikes grazed past the hem of his robes and brought gusts of wind with them, yet they never managed to harm him in the least.

Immediately after, Wang Rong seized the right moment and snapped his folding fan open. A powerful wind spiritual force swept forth from it like a sudden gale, blowing his opponent back again and again. The howling wind spiritual force was like countless sharp blades, making his opponent's robes snap wildly.

After a fierce exchange, spiritual power surged across the arena and dust rose into the air. Wang Rong caught an opening and struck his opponent from the stage with a heavy blow, advancing smoothly into the top four.

Elsewhere, the young disciple from the Heavenly Sword Sect also met his opponent. Though young, he had received the Heavenly Sword Sect's meticulous training, and his swordsmanship was quite refined.

His opponent was a cultivator adept at controlling flames. The instant the battle began, roaring fire engulfed the entire arena, its blistering heat warping even the surrounding air.

Yet the young disciple was utterly fearless. Long sword in hand, he moved freely through the flames. Sword flowers flashed, and streams of Sword Qi burst from his blade, cutting apart every flame that rushed toward him.

Seeing this, his opponent increased the output of his spiritual power. The flames became even more violent, forming wave after wave of fire that surged toward the young disciple.

The young disciple took a deep breath and gathered all the spiritual power in his body into his sword. Then he sprang upward and unleashed a fierce sword technique in midair. A massive Sword Qi shot into the sky, cleaving the waves of flame cleanly in two.

Then, riding the lingering force of that Sword Qi, he rushed toward his opponent. Before the other man could react, the tip of his sword was already pressed against his throat.

Thus, the young disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect also won his match and advanced.

The last contestant among the top four was a burly man covered in solid muscle.

He came from a sect renowned for body cultivation. Tall and powerfully built, he resembled a small mountain. When he stepped onto the stage, his heavy footsteps made the entire arena tremble. His opponent appeared especially small before him.

Once the battle began, the burly man charged straight at his opponent. His opponent tried to evade with agile movement techniques, but the burly man's attacks covered far too wide an area, and he was not slow either.

After only a few exchanges, the burly man caught his opponent's opening, sent him flying with a punch, and smashed him heavily out of the arena.

Thus, all four semifinalists had emerged: Wang Rong, Tan Yin and the young disciple from the Heavenly Sword Sect, and the muscular burly man.

The spectators below the stage discussed matters excitedly, each guessing who would ultimately emerge victorious in the coming matches. The atmosphere grew ever more fervent.

As the semifinals progressed, Tan Yin and Wang Rong finally faced each other.

Though Tan Yin had won with difficulty in his earlier battle against Gu Xiaoyue, the remaining poison had not yet cleared. His limbs still moved stiffly, and the flow of spiritual power through his meridians was like rowing against the current, stumbling and halting instead of moving smoothly. Obstructions appeared from time to time, making it extremely difficult for him to use his techniques.

Wang Rong, on the other hand, was slightly inferior to Tan Yin in cultivation, but he carried numerous magical artifacts and could use talisman stones to strengthen himself. Fully armed, he had gained the power to fight Tan Yin.

The instant they exchanged blows, the battle fell into a stalemate, with neither side able to determine victory or defeat. Tan Yin gripped the broad, heavy greatsword tightly in both hands. Every swing exhausted all his strength. Sword wind howled, and wherever the greatsword passed, shrill, piercing sounds rang out, as if it were about to tear space apart by force.

Wang Rong, meanwhile, was like a nimble, elusive shadow. With the movement technique enhanced by the Engraved Talisman Stones, he wove freely through Tan Yin's sword shadows, which descended like a violent storm.

Clang—!

The greatsword collided with the talisman stone barrier in an explosive crash, numbing Tan Yin's tiger's mouth from the recoil. He endured the sluggish spiritual power in his meridians, twisted his sword, and sent heavy Sword Qi chopping down upon that elusive black shadow like Mount Tai bearing down from above.

Wang Rong lightly tapped his toes. The Jade Talisman Stone at his waist glimmered, and his body instantly shifted several feet sideways like a ghost. His pale fingertips brushed another Crimson Talisman Stone, and three fire serpents immediately roared toward Tan Yin's face.

"Cough..." Tan Yin's movement pulled at his internal injuries as he twisted aside, slowing him by half a beat. A lock of hair at his temple was scorched to ash by the flames. He slammed his greatsword into the ground, and Sword Qi spread outward like ripples, shredding all the fire serpents that followed.

A wave of shocked cries immediately arose below the stage.

Talisman stones required advance charging to use, but Wang Rong, being from the Azure Rock Sect, naturally did not lack them. Empowered by the talisman stones, a continuous barrage of attacks came without the slightest pause, shooting toward Tan Yin like sharp arrows. For a time, the entire arena flashed with light as multicolored spiritual power spilled everywhere.

Tan Yin hurriedly slashed apart and knocked away the attacks with Sword Qi. The Sword Qi carried by his greatsword collided with the spiritual power released by the talisman stones, unleashing deafening booms one after another, like a grand fireworks display between heaven and earth.

As they fought, whether it was the ferocity of the battle stirring them on or the long-standing grudge between their sects finally being ignited, both gradually began fighting with real anger.

By all reason, the Azure Rock Sect had repeatedly humiliated and mocked the Heavenly Sword Sect, so Tan Yin should have been the first to be consumed by rage. Yet the reality was that Wang Rong lost control first.

His movements grew increasingly vicious. Every attack carried a reckless madness, as though endless hatred had built up in his heart and he would not rest until he had torn Tan Yin to pieces.

His attacks no longer had the orderliness of before. They were pure, mad venting, every move and stance filled with anger.

Below the stage, the Azure Rock Sect disciples had long since fallen silent as cicadas in winter.

Their eyes were wide as they stared at the unfamiliar figure on the stage in disbelief. No matter what, they could not connect him with their normally graceful and composed senior brother.

At first, they had enthusiastically cheered for their senior brother, but by this point, even the dullest among them could sense that something was wrong.

One timid disciple could not help trembling all over as he said quietly, "What's wrong with Senior Brother? He's never like this usually..."

Another disciple was similarly pale as paper, his lips trembling slightly as he replied, "I... I don't know either. It feels like Senior Brother suddenly became a completely different person..."

Facing Wang Rong's sudden, frenzied attacks, Tan Yin's breathing gradually became heavier. The greatsword in his hands grew increasingly sluggish, and every block numbed the bones in his arms. He stared fixedly at the nearly crazed figure opposite him—this was not Wang Rong's usual fighting style at all!

At this moment, Wang Rong was even fiercer than Tan Yin had been in the last match, when poison had flared up in his body and he could only rely on brute force. He was nothing like the Azure Rock Sect's senior brother who usually wore a mocking smile and handled everything with ease. He was more like an out-of-control beast, every move vicious, every stance a fight to the death.

Amid the ghostly blue light of exploding talisman stones, Wang Rong's Bone Fan lashed out like a venomous snake, grazing past Tan Yin's ear. The few strands of black hair it severed had not yet fallen to the ground before the violent spiritual power surrounding Wang Rong ground them into dust.

Tan Yin's sword edge blocked another fan blade from Wang Rong at close range. They were inches apart, and he could clearly see a near-desperate rage roiling within the other man's crimson eyes—that was not hatred, but some emotion sharper and more searing.

"Have you gone mad?!" Tan Yin barked. With a twist of his wrist, his greatsword violently knocked Wang Rong away, while the recoil forced him back as well. The sword tip scraped across the stone slabs with a piercing screech. "Is this how the Azure Rock Sect taught you to throw your life away?"

Wang Rong staggered back two steps, but that remark seemed to enrage him completely. The corner of his lips pulled into an almost feral smile.

"You're very pleased with yourself, aren't you?"

Wang Rong suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse as if sandpaper had scraped it raw. It was clearly kept very low, yet amid the humming surge of spiritual power, it made Tan Yin's chest feel stifled.

Tan Yin saw Wang Rong's lowered lashes cast shadows across his pale face. Stray hair concealed the emotion churning in his eyes, like two heaps of ashes not yet extinguished, carrying anger suppressed to its utmost limit.

His voice was so soft that even Tan Yin, standing so close, nearly thought he had imagined it.

"What?" Tan Yin frowned instinctively and deflected an incoming blade of spiritual power. The gust it produced lifted his stray hair, revealing his astonished features. He did not understand where Wang Rong's words had come from at all.

"The Heavenly Sword Sect's chief disciple... heh." Wang Rong suddenly raised his head. Moisture welled in his reddened eyes, but his lips twisted upward. "Upright and honorable, lofty and above it all."

His eyes were red as those of an enraged beast. He stared at Tan Yin with bitter hatred, every word seeming to be squeezed out through clenched teeth.

"From beginning to end, I'm the only one who's been this pathetic. Funny, isn't it?" As the words left his mouth, his attacks grew even more relentless. The magical artifacts in his hand blazed brightly, and an especially fierce blade of spiritual power suddenly pierced through Tan Yin's defenses, slicing a line of blood along his neck.

Tan Yin frowned. Wang Rong's words were the thief crying thief. It had always been the Azure Rock Sect causing trouble for the Heavenly Sword Sect; the Heavenly Sword Sect had never taken the initiative to provoke the Azure Rock Sect.

But he had no room to think further. Wang Rong's storm-like assault forced him to focus all his attention on responding.

He turned aside to evade a blade of spiritual power that streaked past his ear, holding his greatsword horizontally before his chest. "The Azure Rock Sect has provoked the Heavenly Sword Sect time and again, and somehow we're the ones at fault?"

The greatsword in his hands danced so densely that not even water could pass through, blocking each incoming burst of spiritual power while he searched for a chance to counterattack. Yet Wang Rong seemed to have fallen into some manic state. His attacks had no order, but they were incomparably fierce, leaving Tan Yin unable to break free for the moment.

Below the stage, an eerie silence suddenly fell. They had expected an evenly matched, spectacular contest, but had never imagined it would turn into Wang Rong's one-sided mad outpouring.

The cheers of the Azure Rock Sect disciples caught in their throats. They had never seen Wang Rong like this—the senior brother who wore a cold smile before outsiders, always at ease, while smiling kindly within the sect. Yet now he was like a vicious beast driven into a dead end, every move carrying the resolve to perish together.

"Senior Brother, he..." One disciple instinctively grabbed his companion's sleeve. "Has he gone into qi deviation?"

"Don't talk nonsense!" The senior brother beside him hurriedly covered his mouth. Qi deviation was no joking matter, especially in a situation like this.

Among the crowd below the stage, apart from the scant few elders and seniors with profound cultivation and keen senses, almost no one heard the quiet conversation between the two.

Even those elders found it difficult to extract much useful information from that vague, cloud-shrouded exchange. As for everyone else, they had no idea at all why Wang Rong's emotions had spiraled out of control.

Their eyes could only capture the fierce battle unfolding between the two men on the stage, and they could tangibly feel the tension spreading through the air as though it had substance.

As for the Profound Heaven Sect, those with high cultivation naturally had keen eyes and ears, while those with low cultivation had Lin Huaixu, who cultivated both talismans and arrays, helping them cheat by eavesdropping.

Lin Mumu's eyes suddenly reddened. Tugging on Ye Jingxuan's sleeve, she said softly, "They both look so sad."

"Both?" Lin Huaixu tilted his head as he watched the battle on the stage. "No matter how I look at it, only one person from the Azure Rock Sect is going crazy."

"They're both very sad," Lin Mumu said with certainty.

Knowing that his Sixth Junior Sister was the most sensitive to emotions, Lin Huaixu did not question her further. He merely became more intrigued, growing ever more curious about the two men on the stage.

At this moment, Tan Yin was completely suppressed by his opponent's fierce offensive and could only defend with all his strength. Fortunately, as time passed, the poison in his body gradually lost its effect, and his movements slowly began to regain their former sharpness.

Under such circumstances, the outcome of this match once again became impossible to predict.

No matter what Wang Rong was truly thinking or what he was trying to imply, to Tan Yin, this battle concerned the honor and disgrace of his sect. He had no intention of remaining passive like this forever.

He spotted an exceedingly brief pause after Wang Rong unleashed a string of violent attacks, when his momentum had been spent and his techniques had run their course.

In that instant, Tan Yin's sword edge tore through the air like lightning, releasing a sharp howl.

With that fierce strike, the arena's bluestone slabs instantly shattered beneath the impact of the powerful Sword Aura. Cracks spread rapidly like a spiderweb, and flying fragments of stone shot in every direction. The force of it compelled the nearby Wang Rong to retreat half a step.

Just then, the bronze bell at Wang Rong's waist suddenly erupted with a piercing ring. The sound waves became an invisible circle of blades that shot straight at Tan Yin, shaking blood from his ears.

Before the shocked cries below the stage could rise, Wang Rong, who had been cut by Sword Qi only moments earlier, ignored the lingering force of the strike. Taking advantage of Tan Yin's momentary stiffness, he fearlessly charged into the sword's range. Ghostly blue flames ignited from the talisman stone between his fingers, nearly scorching Tan Yin's face.

At that critical moment, Tan Yin reacted with astonishing speed and immediately drove his greatsword viciously into the ground.

In an instant, vast and powerful Sword Qi spread outward like ripples stirred across a placid lake. It shattered Wang Rong's talisman stone and sent him flying backward.

Wang Rong crashed into the protective barrier at the edge of the arena. He had indeed gotten too close. A suffocating pain exploded in his chest, as if his organs had all been jolted out of place, and blood seeped from the corner of his tightly clenched lips.

Even so, he endured the searing pain and stubbornly attacked again.

Clang—!

At the instant the greatsword struck the Bone Fan, Wang Rong suddenly smiled. That smile was twisted like crumpled rice paper, crimson surging in his eyes. He stared at Tan Yin and said word by word, "As expected, you sword cultivators have hearts forged from iron too."

Hearing Wang Rong's words, Lin Huaixu secretly laughed to himself below the stage. Oh ho, what a sweeping insult.

Of the Profound Heaven Sect's group, including True Person Yu Qing, five out of seven were sword cultivators. Everyone froze for a moment, then wore varied expressions.

Shen Yuxi: "What the hell? What did sword cultivators ever do to you? You can't just carpet-bomb everyone like that."

Nine Domains Encyclopedia:

○ Heavenly Sword Sect

A small sect. Located within the Azure Rock Mountain region, its mountain gate was small, but the elders and instructors of the sect taught earnestly, and its disciples were diligent and ambitious as well.

The sect's disciples were basically all sword cultivators. Due to their lack of resources, they could only rely more heavily on their own fundamental abilities, and their disciples' physical fitness was comparable to that of disciples from mid-sized sects.

The Heavenly Sword Sect emphasized self-sufficiency. Most of its disciples were skilled in farming. To avoid being unable to afford medical expenses, its disciples adhered to the principle of fighting only when necessary and rarely caused trouble on their own initiative. They had instead earned a good reputation because of it.

It was the Azure Rock Sect's sworn enemy.