After his victory in the first round, Mu Chen's reputation in the Spirit Road competition gradually spread, and everyone began paying more attention to this seemingly ordinary boy with extraordinary strength. As the competition progressed, the elimination rounds continued in fierce earnest, and Mu Chen faced an even sterner challenge. In the second round, his opponent was a cultivator from a mysterious family named Su Ling. Dressed in a flowing white robe, Su Ling was tall and straight-backed, his handsome face carrying an air of cold severity. His arrival seemed to make even the surrounding air grow heavy, and an invisible pressure spread across the square. When the match began, Su Ling did not rush to attack. He simply stood quietly where he was, watching Mu Chen with eyes as keen as a hawk's. Spiritual energy rippled slowly around him, giving off an unfathomable aura utterly unlike that of Mu Chen's previous opponents. Mu Chen dared not be careless either. He watched Su Ling with complete concentration, gripping his longsword tightly as spiritual energy flickered faintly along its blade, ready to counter an attack at any moment. He could sense that the opponent before him was undoubtedly one of the strongest rivals he had encountered on the Spirit Road. Suddenly, Su Ling moved. His figure flashed, and he vanished from his spot in an instant. Alarm shot through Mu Chen. He immediately mobilized his spiritual energy and activated his spiritual perception to detect movement around him. Just as he sensed something, Su Ling appeared at his left like a phantom, slashing at him with a blade of spiritual light. The blade was astonishingly fast and carried a peculiar fluctuation of spiritual energy, as though it could slice through space. Mu Chen hurriedly raised his sword to block. Clang! The two blades collided, spraying dazzling sparks of spiritual energy. The tremendous impact sent Mu Chen sliding several steps backward. His arm went slightly numb, and he inwardly marveled at the power of Su Ling's attack. Su Ling was not discouraged when his first strike failed. His figure flashed again, and he unleashed an assault like a raging storm. His attacks were exceedingly strange, each coming from an unexpected angle, and his control of spiritual energy was exquisitely precise. At times it surged like roaring waves; at others it coiled like fine threads, leaving Mu Chen struggling to guard against it all. Under Su Ling's ferocious assault, Mu Chen could only defend. He brought every trick at his disposal into play, pushing the swordsmanship and spiritual energy techniques he had learned to their limits. His figure darted through Su Ling's attacks like a lone skiff in a tempest, yet he stubbornly weathered wave after wave of impact. During the battle, Mu Chen discovered that Su Ling's spiritual energy seemed to possess a special property that made his attacks cling. Whenever Mu Chen's weapon made contact with Su Ling's attacks, the circulation of his spiritual energy was hindered to some degree, as though it had sunk into a mire. This slowed his movements and made defending even more strenuous. I can't keep letting him dictate the fight, Mu Chen thought. He decided to change tactics and take the offensive. During a gap in Su Ling's attacks, Mu Chen suddenly gathered all his spiritual energy and unleashed a fierce sword technique-Wind-cleaving Slash. The strike carried his powerful spiritual energy, transforming into a sharp streak of sword light that thrust toward Su Ling. A flicker of surprise crossed Su Ling's eyes, but he reacted swiftly. He retreated at once, forming seals with both hands to create a Spiritual Energy Shield before him. Mu Chen's Wind-cleaving Slash slammed into the shield with a thunderous crash that shook the heavens. The Spiritual Energy Shield trembled violently under the impact, but it did not break. Seizing the opportunity, Su Ling counterattacked. With a sweep of his hands, countless threads of spiritual energy shot from his fingertips, winding toward Mu Chen like nimble snakes. Mu Chen tried to dodge, but the threads moved so quickly that they surrounded him in an instant. They wrapped tightly around his body, restricting his movements, and began steadily eating away at his Spiritual Energy Shield. Mu Chen was deeply alarmed. He could sense a powerful disintegrating force within the threads, rapidly draining his spiritual energy. He tried to break free with his spiritual energy, but the threads only wound tighter. At this critical moment, Mu Chen remembered the rune power he had obtained in the hidden grounds. He focused his mind and mobilized that mysterious rune power within him. Rune power surged through his meridians before flowing toward the surface of his body. When it touched the threads, they began to loosen. Mu Chen seized the opening and wrenched himself free of their restraints. He drew a breath, knowing this battle was even more difficult than he had imagined. When Su Ling saw Mu Chen escape the threads, a hint of appreciation appeared in his eyes. He nodded slightly and said, "You do have some ability, but that is still far from enough." With that, he attacked again. This time, his assault was even more ferocious. He summoned spiritual energy phantoms, each identical to himself, and they swarmed toward Mu Chen. Unable to distinguish the real Su Ling from the false ones, Mu Chen could only rely on his keen spiritual perception and combat experience to respond. He employed a wide-ranging defensive sword technique, forming a curtain of spiritual sword light around himself. The phantoms crashed into it one after another, setting off a string of explosions. Yet they seemed endless, battering the sword curtain without pause and consuming enormous amounts of Mu Chen's spiritual energy. As the fierce battle continued, both Mu Chen and Su Ling gradually grew exhausted. Their spiritual energy was being depleted in great quantities, but neither had any intention of giving up. Mu Chen's gaze grew ever more resolute. He knew this battle was a major test for him in the Spirit Road competition. If he could defeat Su Ling, his strength would rise even further, bringing him another step closer to his goal. He took a deep breath and steadied himself once more. He decided to stake everything on a powerful sword technique he had yet to fully master. He had discovered it in an ancient scroll, and it demanded exceptionally precise control of spiritual energy as well as tremendous soul power. He gathered all his remaining spiritual energy, mobilized his soul power, and began executing the technique. A strange glow rose around his body, with runes faintly flickering within it. The longsword in his hand shone with dazzling radiance as well, its blade seeming to merge with his soul. With a loud roar, he charged toward Su Ling. This strike carried every ounce of his strength, as though it would cleave the void itself. Sensing the tremendous power of Mu Chen's strike, Su Ling's expression grew grave. He dared not hold anything back either, raising his spiritual energy to its limit as he prepared to meet Mu Chen's lethal blow. The tension throughout the square reached its peak. Everyone held their breath, watching this heart-stopping confrontation. The outcome of this battle would decide both fighters' fates in the Spirit Road competition.
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