In the early morning of the fourth day, it was on the high platform in the center of the martial arts arena.
Eight disciples stood, waiting for the draw. The sun had just climbed over the eastern ridge, coating the bluestone ground with a layer of light gold. The spectator seats were more crowded than the previous three days, and many inner disciple also came after hearing the news - the top eight battles in the outer sect competition are often the moments when dark horses are revealed and seeds collide.
The device dust True Person waved its sleeves, and eight Jade Slip floated in the air, spinning slowly.
"For the quarter-finals, the drawing begins."
Jade Slip flew towards the disciples in turn. Qin Tiexin stretched out his hand to catch it, injected spiritual power into it, and Jade Slip displayed the words: [Li Yun].
He looked up.
Li Yun stood three steps away from the opposite side, Jade Slip in her hand was also lighting up. Their eyes met, and she was startled for a moment, then the corners of her lips slightly raised, revealing a very faint smile.
The results of the draw are announced:
"The first game, Qin Tiexin versus Li Yun."
"The second game, Zhou Chongshan versus Wang Yue."
"The third game, Zhao Yan versus Sun Wu."
"The fourth game, Chu Qing versus Chen Yuan."
The crowd started talking.
"Senior Sister Li Yun to Qin Tiexin? Now it's interesting."
"Xiao Bi is the two of them. At that time Qin Tiexin was still..."
"Don't tell me, Senior Sister Li is going to blush again, hahaha."
"Furthermore, Senior Sister Li and Senior Brother Qin were on the same team during the trial, and they were saved by him."
"It looks good to compete with the same sect. It depends on whether Swordsmanship is subtle or powerful."
When Qin Tiexin walked down the high platform, Li Yun followed a few steps and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
"Junior Brother Qin." Her voice was very soft.
Qin Tiexin head sideways.
Li Yun looked at the arena in front of her. "You saved my life during the trial, and I owe you a favor. But today in the arena, you and I each have to rely on our abilities."
Qin Tiexin nodded. "It should be so."
"So," Li Yun turned to look at him with serious eyes, "Please go all out. Don't show mercy."
"Senior sister too."
The two people walked towards the No. 1 ring. The bluestone table was wet with morning dew and had a dark luster. The deacon was already waiting at the edge of the stage. When he saw the two people on the stage, he said solemnly, "The rules are as before. If one party admits defeat, falls to the ground and cannot breathe, or falls down the ring, it is a loss. Begin!"
Li Yun moved.
She took three steps back, and at the same time Hand Seals with her right hand. The ground made a "clicking" sound, and three ice walls protruded from the stone slabs, blocking her in the shape of a cross. The ice walls were half a foot thick, with cold air lingering on the surface, and dazzling spots refracted under the sunlight.
She knew that once Qin Tiexin's Mountain Shaking Step moved extremely fast, she had to use the ice wall to help her buy time to cast the spell.
He pressed his left hand to his waist and unsheathed the Ice Sword.
The sword's body was as blue as the ice of the deep sea, and where the sword's edge passed, fine frost flowers condensed in the air. Li Yun held the sword in her hand, the temperature around her body dropped sharply, and her breath turned into mist. Li Yun became more and more comfortable in using this sword, which fit her way of exerting power very well. She fell in love with it after using it a few times, and her former main weapon Chang Ling has been completely replaced by this ice sword.
Qin Tiexin pulled out the Edgeless heavy knife.
The four thousand kilogram giant blade made a dull sound, and the blade was dark, which was in sharp contrast to the brilliance of the Ice Sword. He held the knife in both hands, the tip of the knife dropped to the ground, and began to move forward.
As soon as I took my first step, the ground shook slightly.
Li Yun pointed forward with the tip of her sword, and the first ice wall exploded - not shattered, but detonated by herself. Countless ice picks shot out like a rainstorm, covering an area three feet ahead.
Qin Tiexin did not stop.
The blade of his blade was turned sideways and blocked in front of him like a door panel. The ice pick hit the blade and made a dense "ding-dong" sound. Some of it shattered and some bounced off, leaving dozens of white marks on the blade.
When he took the second step, the second ice wall exploded.
This time there were more ice picks and they were denser. Qin Tiexin kept the momentum of the knife and continued to charge forward. The ice picks hit his arms, shoulders, and thighs, splitting his clothes and leaving light white scratches on his skin - that's all. With a six-layer tempered body, an attack of this level could not break through the defense.
In the third step, he rushed to the third ice wall.
The blade of the sword was raised and slashed.
"Boom--!"
The ice wall exploded into ice crystals that filled the sky. The fragments shone like stardust in the sunlight, blocking sight.
At this moment, Li Yun moved.
Her figure floated, as if gliding on ice, and circled out from the side of the ice crystal curtain. The ice sword stabbed Qin Tiexin's right rib - that was the space after the heavy sword was swung, and the weakest point of defense.
Qin Tiexin seemed to have expected it.
Before his sword was strong enough, he forcibly turned around, and the back of the sword blocked his side like a wall. The tip of the sword hit the back of the sword, and there was a soft "ding" sound. The cold air spread along the sword body, and a thin layer of frost condensed on the surface of the sword.
Li Yun took advantage of the force to retreat, her toes touched the ground, and her figure floated again.
Qin Tiexin pursued with steps. The "Mountain Shaking Step" broke out, three steps in a row, and the bluestone of the arena exploded with cracks. But Li Yun's "Ice Shadow Step" was even more erratic - she never stayed in one position for more than half a breath. Every time Qin Tiexin approached, she slid away like an ice butterfly, and the sword light struck from a tricky angle.
"Clang!" "Ding!" "Clang!"
The sound of sword clashes was as dense as rain. Qin Tiexin The sword was powerful, and every blow made Li Yun's sword tremble; Li Yun Swordsmanship was light and agile, specializing in weak points such as joints, eyes, waist and abdomen, forcing Qin Tiexin to concentrate on defense.
After twenty strokes, the surface of the Qin Tiexin knife was covered with a thick layer of frost.
After fifty moves, his breathing became short and his spiritual energy was consumed by nearly 20%.
Li Yun also felt uncomfortable. Every time she blocked a heavy sword, her arms became numb, and the tiger's mouth ached. Although the ice sword was sharp, it was no match for a heavy sword in a head-to-head encounter, so she could only fight in a leisurely manner.
"This can't go on like this." She thought to herself.
Taking three steps back again, Li Yun took a deep breath and her sword posture suddenly changed.
The ice sword was erected in front of her, with her left hand Hand Seals, chanting a mantra in her mouth. The temperature in the arena dropped again, thin ice condensed on the ground, and ice crystals condensed out of thin air in the air, dancing like snowflakes.
"Ice bloom."
As the words fell, the sword's body glowed brightly.
Hundreds of icicles Sword Qi burst out from the tip of the sword, like blooming ice lotuses, covering the entire arena. Each Sword Qi was as thin as a needle, as fast as lightning, and its trajectory was tricky, sealing off all dodge space.
There were exclamations from the audience.
"This is Senior Sister Li's unique trick!"
"How do you block Qin Tiexin now?"
Qin Tiexin's eyes narrowed.
He did not retreat or dodge. Instead, he thrust the Edgeless heavy knife into the ground!
"Keng!"
The blade of the knife was half a foot into the stone. He held the knife with both hands and huddled behind the knife. The five-foot-four-inch-long and one-and-a-half-foot-wide blade became the strongest shield at this moment.
"Ding-ding-ding-ding--!!!"
The ice Sword Qi is like a heavy rain hitting the knife surface. The sound is so dense that it forms one piece, ice shards are flying everywhere, and the cold air is filled. The frost layer on the knife surface is getting thicker and thicker, and gradually condenses into an ice shell.
After ten breaths, the sword rain stopped.
Qin Tiexin stood up from behind the knife, his arms shook, and the ice shell on the knife surface shattered with a "click". He drew the knife in his hand, and the blade was covered with fine white spots, with faint traces of blood oozing out of it - those were the traces left by Sword Qi.
Li Yun's face turned pale and her breathing was rapid.
The move just now consumed nearly 30% of her spiritual power, but failed to break through the defense. She looked at Qin Tiexin's almost undamaged heavy knife, and felt a sense of powerlessness in her heart.
Qin Tiexin starts to move forward.
This time, his speed was half a minute slower, and his steps were slightly heavier. The sword was still fierce, but a small flaw was revealed between swings of the sword - the protection of his left shoulder was slightly loose.
Li Yun's eyes flashed, it seemed that "Ice Bloom" had still affected him, and he saw Qin Tiexin raising the sword with his right hand.
That's it now!
Her body swept quickly, and the ice sword pierced Qin Tiexin's left shoulder at an extremely fast speed. This sword condensed all the remaining spiritual power, and the cold air on the sword's edge condensed into substance, and the air where it passed froze to form ice marks.
The tip of the sword penetrated.
It penetrated an inch into the flesh and got stuck in the gap between the shoulder blades, and blood flowed from the blade.
Li Yun was about to stir with all her strength when she saw Qin Tiexin's left hand instantly raised and grabbed her wrist like an iron plier.
"You..." She looked up in shock.
Qin Tiexin's eyes were calm, how could he look like he was weak in spiritual power? The flaw just now was a trap.
He let go of the handle of the knife with his right hand - Edgeless The heavy knife plunged into the ground with a "boom". His free right hand quickly Hand Seals, with green light flashing on his fingertips.
Vine magic.
Several green vines emerged from the gaps in the stone slabs of the arena, wrapping around Li Yun's legs and waist like living snakes. Although it was just a basic Law Technique, the timing was perfect. Li Yun's old strength had been exhausted and new strength had not yet been regenerated, and he was tied up in an instant.
The Ice Sword was still inserted into Qin Tiexin's left shoulder, and blood dripped down the edge of the sword, spreading dark red on the frost-covered arena.
"I lost." Li Yun smiled bitterly.
She didn't struggle. She was controlled by the body master and restrained Law Technique. It was meaningless to continue fighting. It was just a punch or a knife.
Qin Tiexin let go of her hand, held the hilt of the sword with his right hand, and slowly pulled out the Ice Sword. When the sword body left the body, a string of blood beads came out. He didn't even frown, and handed the sword back with his backhand.
Li Yun took the sword and whispered, "If you had used your sword skills to attack just now, I wouldn't have been able to withstand fifty moves."
"Senior sister Swordsmanship is exquisite." Qin Tiexin said simply.
"Exquisiteness can't be equaled by one strength." Li Yun shook her head, took back the ice sword, took out the medicine and handed it over, "Congratulations on entering the top four."
Qin Tiexin took the medicine bottle, but did not use it immediately. Instead, he took out a rejuvenation pill from Storage Bag and handed it to her. "Senior sister consumes more spiritual power."
Li Yun was stunned for a moment, then took the elixir and drank it. Some color returned to her pale face.
When the two stepped down, the butler announced, "Qin Tiexin wins and advances to the semi-finals!"
In the rest area under the stage, Li Yun sat cross-legged and adjusted her breathing.
Qin Tiexin sat aside and took out the medicine and applied it to the wound on his left shoulder. The medicine powder touched the skin and gave off a cool and stinging sensation, but the bleeding stopped quickly. The recovery power of the six layers of the tempered body caused the wound to scab at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Junior Brother Qin." Li Yun suddenly spoke.
Qin Tiexin Turn your head.
She looked at the high platform in the distance - Zhou Chongshan had just finished the battle and was standing with arms folded, waiting for the next draw.
"Be careful of Zhou Chongshan." Li Yun spoke in a very low voice, "He is at the ninth level of Qi refining, and has practiced both law and body. And... his talent is higher than mine."
Qin Tiexin followed her gaze.
Zhou Chongshan seemed to feel something, and turned around to look. The two people's eyes met in the air, Zhou Chongshan nodded slightly, and Qin Tiexin also nodded.
"I have fought against him." Li Yun continued, "At that time, he and I were at the seventh level of Qi refining, and I only lasted thirty moves before losing. Now he is at the ninth level of Qi refining, and I am at the eighth level. The gap is even greater."
She paused and said, "He is cultivating the "Nine Transformations of the Mysterious Gang Technique". His physical strength is not inferior to that of the same level of physical cultivation, and his Law Technique attainments are among the top of the outer sect. If you face him... you must be careful."
Qin Tiexin was silent for a moment. "Understood."
"Besides," Li Yun looked at him, "You should also be careful with Zhao Yan. Those tricks you had during the weapon refining competition the day before yesterday were probably related to him."
"Hmm."
Li Yun said nothing more, closed her eyes and concentrated on regulating her breath.
Qin Tiexin also withdrew his gaze and looked towards the ring.
In the second game, Zhou Chongshan versus Wang Yue. The battle started quickly and ended even faster - Zhou Chongshan wandered around for a while and only threw one punch. Wang Yue blocked with a shield, but the shield shattered and the man flew away and fell to the ring.
In the third game, Zhao Yan faced off against Sun Wu. Both of them were fire magic monks. Flames were billowing in the arena and there were constant explosions. In the end, Zhao Yan used a "Fire Dragon Break" to penetrate Sun Wu's protective fire shield and narrowly won.
The fourth match was between Chu Qing and Chen Yuan. Chu Qing was a Wood Element magic cultivator. He used vine entanglement and wooden thorn attacks. Chen Yuan, a gold sword cultivator, attacked fiercely. The two fought fiercely for nearly two quarters of an hour. Chu Qing won with a slight advantage of longer spiritual power.
At noon, the top four were born:
Qin Tiexin, Zhou Chongshan, Zhao Yan, Chu Qing.
Ji Chen True Person appeared on the stage again, and four Jade Slip flew out of his sleeves.
"For the semi-finals, draw lots."
Jade Slip fell into the hands of four people respectively.
Qin Tiexin injects spiritual power, and the text appears: Zhao Yan.
He raised his eyes and met the gaze cast by Zhao Yan. A coldness flashed in Zhao Yan's eyes, but a smile appeared on his lips and he cupped his fists in the distance.
On the other side, Zhou Chongshan drew Chu Qing.
When the results were announced, there was heated discussion in the audience.
"Qin Tiexin vs. Zhao Yan! Body refining vs. fire method!"
"Zhou Chongshan versus Chu Qing, Dharma and Body Dual Cultivation versus Wood Element Dharma Cultivation, it's also great to see!"
"The afternoon semi-finals will definitely be exciting!"
Qin Tiexin put away Jade Slip and walked off the platform.
Li Yun's voice came from behind. "Junior brother Qin."
He looked back.
Li Yun has finished adjusting her breath, and her face has returned to rosy. She walked closer and handed over a jade bottle. "This is the 'Bingxin Pill'. Take it when healing wounds. It can prevent fire poisons from invading the body."
Qin Tiexin took it. "Thank you, senior sister."
"Be careful this afternoon." After Li Yun finished speaking, she turned and left.
Qin Tiexin held the still warm jade bottle and looked at Zhao Yan's retreating back.
There is a dull pain from the wound on my left shoulder.
We must win the afternoon battle!