The formation patterns on White Frost Ancient City's arena shimmered with flowing light, like an azure dragon coiling around it.
Zhao Xinyu wore blue robes and held a spirit sword, her steps light, her expression composed, like a snow lotus in the morning.
Huo Caixu wore red, her flame-like long hair streaming, fierce fire Spiritual Qi suffusing her body. Her presence scorched, as though she would burn everything around her to ash.
Huo Caixu sneered, her gaze sharp. "Zhao Xinyu, I didn't expect you to be the first onstage. Do you think your petty cleverness can win against me here?"
Zhao Xinyu remained calm, raising her longsword slightly as spiritual light flickered. "The outcome is undecided. Why be so arrogant? Today happens to be a good time for us to settle our accounts."
"Hahaha, what a stubborn-mouthed woman!" Huo Caixu threw back her head and laughed. Her body shook violently, and Spiritual Qi erupted like blazing fire. The watching disciples held their breath.
The barrier surrounding the arena shuddered with a boom. Their presences collided, and the air burst with thunderous crashes.
"Die!" Huo Caixu shouted, sweeping both hands. Flames surged like a raging sea, becoming more than a dozen fire serpents that spiraled toward Zhao Xinyu. Each trailed blazing fire, howling toward her like a missile, their scorching heat burning the air and distorting vision.
Zhao Xinyu flashed aside, her spirit sword cutting across the sky. Sword light shone like a cold moon, instantly becoming a curtain of blades.
"Spirit Snow Sword Art: Frost-Protected Shadow!"
Sword light and fire serpents collided with a boom. Flames exploded into countless incandescent fireballs in midair, while Sword Qi became ice crystals like drifting snow, cutting the flames apart one by one.
Boom, boom, boom-!
Firelight and snowy light intertwined like an epic spectacle of explosions. Fire rained across the sky, ice and snow scattered, and amid the light and shadows, the entire arena seemed to witness heaven and earth being born.
Huo Caixu smiled coldly. "You do have a trick or two. No wonder that useless Yang Zheng obeys your every word."
Zhao Xinyu's gaze chilled. "A venomous mouth and an even more venomous heart. Caixu, today you will pay!"
Huo Caixu snorted, rapidly changing hand seals. Flames suddenly condensed into a massive flaming whip, its fire churning, its whistling lashes seemingly capable of splitting the firmament.
"Spirit Fire Whip: Nine Blazing Strikes!"
Boom-!
The fire whip swept out like nine raging dragons at once, its fierce flames dyeing the entire arena scarlet.
Zhao Xinyu gripped her sword with both hands and poured her Spiritual Sense into it. The longsword's radiance suddenly surged.
"Spirit Snow Sword Art: Icebound Sword Domain!"
Instantly, swirling snow filled the sky above the arena. Ice crystals condensed and fell from midair, sword light merging into the ice and snow to form an icebound sword domain that met the nine fiery lashes head-on.
Rumble-!
The powers of fire and ice tore and exploded in midair. A massive storm of power formed at the arena's center, blasting even the spectators' barrier into frantic flickering, as though it might shatter at any moment.
Zhao Xinyu shouted coldly, "However fierce the fire, it will still perish in the cold snow!"
Huo Caixu's lips curved into an icy smile. "However cold the ice, it cannot suppress my world-burning flames!"
They faced off, sword edge and fire whip intertwining. The explosions' light and shadows framed their figures like two goddesses of war from different worlds!
Huo Caixu shouted coldly. The flames around her suddenly contracted, gathering in her dantian before erupting the next instant!
"Heaven-Burning Blaze: Scarlet Sun Explosion!"
In an instant, the phantom of a scarlet sun hovered behind her. Flames became a torrent of blazing sunlight that swept out across heaven and earth, like a volcanic eruption swallowing the world. The entire arena instantly became an inferno, waves of fire rolling like a sea. The air warped with heat, and even through the barrier, the watching disciples felt their skin burn.
Zhao Xinyu's gaze sharpened. Holding her sword with both hands, she shouted:
"Spirit Snow Sword Art: Ten Thousand Miles of Cold Light!"
Her sword pointed straight at the firmament. Its light suddenly burst into hundreds of millions of fragments, becoming endless flurries of snowy Sword Qi that descended from the sky. Sword shadows shrouded the arena like a curtain of snow, slicing through the torrent of flames layer by layer. Fire and snow collided fiercely, clusters of explosive light bursting one after another in midair like falling stars.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom-!
The clash of fire and snow made the entire barrier's formation patterns tremble violently, nearly beyond their limits. The two forces continually tore apart and merged in midair, their violent power sweeping across the grounds.
Huo Caixu sneered harshly. "Zhao Xinyu, you're only relying on flashy sword light to keep up appearances! You think that can stop me? A fool's dream!"
Zhao Xinyu remained resolute, her voice cold and clear as snow. "Though the sword light shatters, it is endless; however fierce your flames, ice and snow will swallow them in the end!"
Huo Caixu suddenly stamped down, shattering the entire arena with a crash. Like an incarnation of blazing fire, she rushed before Zhao Xinyu in an instant, her flaming whip coiling as it swept down with destructive force.
Zhao Xinyu did not retreat at all. She leveled her sword and met the fire whip head-on!
Boom-!
Sword and whip struck, and the resulting shock wave drove both of them several steps back. Countless spiderweb cracks split the arena floor.
Zhao Xinyu turned her wrist, sending sword light flashing like lightning straight at Huo Caixu's throat!
Huo Caixu snorted and abruptly spun. Flames surged, condensing into a fiery shield that blocked the sword light, sparks scattering like an exploding meteor.
Immediately afterward, their figures flashed rapidly, sword light and flames intertwining ceaselessly above the arena. In the blink of an eye, they exchanged dozens of blows!
The watching disciples' eyes spun. They could see only churning seas of fire and crisscrossing sword light on the arena, power exploding like a continuous bombardment of fireworks, shaking their hearts.
Huo Caixu mocked, "Is that all you've got? No wonder your Cloud-Leveling Hall is always looked down upon. Trash like you cannot uphold a sect's dignity!"
Zhao Xinyu answered coldly, "Your arrogant words merely conceal the weakness in your heart. True victory lies not in words, but in the sword's edge!"
Finally enraged beyond endurance, Huo Caixu's long hair danced wildly and flames soared. The phantom scarlet sun behind her swelled again, as though it would burn heaven and earth to ash.
"Nine Annihilations of the Scarlet Sun-World Burning!"
The phantom scarlet sun abruptly collapsed into nine enormous flame dragons that roared toward Zhao Xinyu from every direction. The dragons writhed, their scales distinct, each seemingly real. Their presence terrified countless disciples out of their wits.
Zhao Xinyu's gaze flashed like lightning. Gripping her sword hilt with both hands, she drove the Spiritual Qi within her into a frenzy, instantly pushing the Spirit Snow Sword Art to its limit!
"Silent Frost Domain-Icebound Nine Heavens!"
The sky suddenly darkened. A bone-piercing wind howled, and snowy light filling the sky condensed into a massive ice-crystal sword formation. Hundreds of ice swords hovered and spun, their Sword Qi bitterly cold, pointing straight at the fire dragons!
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom-!
The nine fire dragons slammed into the ice sword formation. A roar like heaven collapsing and earth splitting erupted at the arena's center. Blazing firelight and icy snowlight intertwined into blinding white radiance, as though a small sun had exploded on the arena!
The spectator stands fell deathly silent. Everyone held their breath as the barrier flickered frantically. Without the ancient formation patterns' protection, the entire tournament grounds would already have been destroyed.
The duel between fire and ice turned the arena into half inferno, half snowfield. Zhao Xinyu and Huo Caixu stood at opposite poles, like incarnations of ice and fire, their imposing might shaking the heavens!
Huo Caixu laughed savagely. "Zhao Xinyu, you think this little frost can trap me? Today I'll leave you dead without a place to be buried!"
Zhao Xinyu's gaze was resolute as she raised her sword. "Huo Caixu, you will not sully Cloud-Leveling Hall's glory! Even if I must give everything, I will cut you down!"
Zhao Xinyu moved first, raising her longsword, Spiritual Qi coursing throughout her body.
"Spirit Snow Sword Art: Star River Sword Rain!"
In an instant, countless ice-crystal sword shadows condensed above the arena like falling stars. Tens of millions of streams of Sword Qi descended with destructive cold, filling the sky as they blasted down.
Huo Caixu pressed her palms together. Flames erupted, condensing into a massive scarlet fire shield, its fierce light like a burning sun guarding her front.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom-!
Ice swords and fire shield collided violently. Shattered flames and ice crystals exploded in midair, becoming a brilliant waterfall of light and shadow, pouring down like a meteor shower. Across the trembling arena, burning and freezing existed side by side!
After her fire shield collapsed, Huo Caixu flashed forward, becoming a streak of fire that rushed before Zhao Xinyu. Flames erupted from her palm like a volcano, blasting straight at her heart!
Zhao Xinyu tapped lightly with her feet, her movements like willow fluff riding the wind. Her figure suddenly split into several afterimages, her sword thrusting swiftly toward Huo Caixu's vital points.
Flames and sword light collided like meteors at the arena's center, producing more than a dozen impacts in an instant. Every collision burst with earth-shaking brilliance. A storm of Spiritual Qi swept the grounds, and the watching disciples could barely distinguish their actual figures, seeing only lines of fire and sword light crossing in midair!
Both retreated at once, breathing rapidly, Spiritual Qi surging wildly beside them.
Huo Caixu raised both hands. Flames gathered around her into two fire dragons a hundred zhang long, their roars shaking the sky, their scales sharply defined. Their fierce flames could burn mountains and rivers to ash!
Zhao Xinyu clenched her teeth, pointing her longsword straight at the firmament. The Spiritual Qi around her suddenly became a sky-filling curtain of snow. Frost condensed into the phantom of a gigantic ice sword stretching across midair, cold to the utmost, its sword intent pressing straight into the clouds!
At that moment, the arena seemed to become a battlefield between two worlds-
On one side were heaven-burning flames, scorching as hell;
On the other were frost and an ice sword, bitterly cold as eternal night!
The spectator stands were utterly silent. Everyone held their breath and focused, awaiting the two women's final eruption.
"Roar-!"
The two fire dragons roared, pouncing toward Zhao Xinyu with world-burning might!
"Slash!"
Zhao Xinyu shouted. The longsword in her hands merged with the phantom ice sword, becoming an ultimate slash of cold light that met the fire dragons head-on!
Boom----!!!
The ultimate collision of fire and ice exploded at the arena's center. A storm of power instantly swallowed the entire barrier, and the violent impact shook the whole square of White Frost Ancient City. Countless disciples instinctively covered their eyes. The light was dazzling as the blazing sun, and the explosion sounded as though heaven and earth were collapsing!
When the light faded, the arena's center had completely shattered. One half was scorched earth churning like lava; the other had frozen into an icy wasteland. Zhao Xinyu and Huo Caixu stood at opposite ends of ice and fire, their presences rapidly weakening, but their gazes remained sharp as blades.
The grounds fell silent for a moment, then erupted with cheers like mountains collapsing and seas roaring!
The lingering force of the arena's clash of ice and fire had yet to dissipate. Heat and cold still mingled in the air. Just as everyone thought the battle was nearing its end, Huo Caixu abruptly threw back her head and laughed coldly, clapping her hands together as Spiritual Qi surged out!
The flames around her suddenly compressed into a pitch-black ball of fire. Its light was no longer brilliant, but deep and eerie, like a black sun devouring everything.
"Ancestral secret art-Soul-Devouring Flame Tribulation!"
Boom-!
Black flames abruptly exploded into the phantom of a ferocious fire phoenix, its wings spanning a hundred zhang, scarlet flames burning in its eyes. Its screech shook the square. The fire phoenix's presence enveloped the entire tournament grounds, terrifying the watching disciples out of their wits. The barrier's formation patterns flickered frantically, as though they might be burned through at any moment.
Zhao Xinyu pressed her lips tightly together, her gaze resolute. Spiritual Qi surged wildly within her as she raised her longsword, gathering her final strike.
"Spirit Snow Sword Art: Frost Radiance Severing Shadow!"
The sky full of snowy light suddenly condensed, its sword intent like frost from the far north. With one downward swing, it became a long frost dragon that roared toward the fire phoenix!
Boom-!
The frost dragon and fire phoenix collided violently in midair. In an instant, a roar like heaven collapsing and earth splitting erupted. Light swallowed the arena, and the violent impact shook the barrier until it hummed incessantly.
When the dust cleared, Zhao Xinyu was kneeling on one knee at the arena's edge. Her longsword had shattered, her presence rapidly weakening, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth. She could no longer fight.
Though Huo Caixu's breathing was somewhat unsteady, she still stood firmly at the arena's center, flames coiling around her like a queen of blazing fire.
"Zhao Xinyu, you've lost!"
Huo Caixu sneered, frenzied killing intent flashing in her eyes. Black flames suddenly condensed in her hand into a burning spear, and she shouted coldly:
"Today, I'll make you die on this arena!"
The fire spear suddenly tore down through the air, aimed straight at Zhao Xinyu's heart!
At that critical instant, a figure rushed onto the arena as swiftly as a meteor, Spiritual Qi erupting with a boom.
"Stop-!"
Yang Zheng roared, swinging his longsword across the air. Its light cleaved the fire spear apart with a crash, scattering flames into countless points of light. He pulled Zhao Xinyu up and shielded her behind him, his gaze cold and sharp as a blade as he stared fixedly at Huo Caixu.
"You dare commit murder on the tournament grounds?!" Yang Zheng's voice was low, killing intent churning around him, rage burning in his eyes.
Zhao Xinyu weakly raised her head and whispered, "Senior Brother... Yang..."
Yang Zheng never looked away from Huo Caixu. His voice was icy. "With me here, no one can touch you."
At that moment, his figure stood like a great mountain, shielding Zhao Xinyu completely. The determination in his eyes made countless disciples throughout the grounds shudder.
Huo Caixu sneered, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes. "Hmph, I didn't expect you really were a protector of flowers. But you're next!"
Before the firelight on the arena had fully faded, an oppressive might suddenly erupted from the raised seats.
"Insolence!"
An elder of Cloud-Leveling Hall sprang up, Spiritual Qi surging like exploding thunder, instantly suppressing the entire grounds. He swept his sleeve, and vast spiritual light shrouded the arena like a curtain of sky, forcibly suppressing the black flames on Huo Caixu. They hissed and vanished without a trace in moments.
The square fell deathly silent. All the disciples were cowed by this oppressive might, even holding their breath.
The elder's face was livid, his voice thunderous as he pointed furiously at Huo Caixu. "A martial tournament should stop short of injury, with exchanging martial skills as its foundation! Yet you dared openly strike to kill on the arena. Do you regard White Frost Ancient City's tournament rules as nothing?"
A cold smile curled Huo Caixu's lips, but apprehension flashed in her eyes. She answered quietly, "This disciple simply couldn't accept defeat and lost control..."
"Lost control?" The elder snorted. His spiritual pressure erupted again like towering, terrifying waves, making Huo Caixu stagger and completely scattering her flames. "Without Yang Zheng's intervention, you would have killed Zhao Xinyu on the spot! Such a disposition utterly abandons the foundation of cultivating the Dao!"
Cloud-Leveling Hall's disciples seethed with indignation, shouting angrily, "Pure Fragrance Garden is despicable!"
"She did it deliberately! It wasn't a mistake at all!"
"Elder, you must secure justice for Junior Sister Zhao!"
Yet cold scoffing came from Pure Fragrance Garden's seats. An elder slowly rose and said indifferently, "Life and death are simply the natural course of cultivating the Dao. Who can decree that no one may die on the arena? If your Cloud-Leveling Hall disciples are too fragile, you cannot blame others."
The atmosphere between the two sects suddenly bristled with drawn swords and bent bows, as though a conflict between elders might erupt the next instant.
Cloud-Leveling Hall's elder drew a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the killing intent in his heart, and shouted coldly, "We will remember this for now. Huo Caixu, though you won this match, our Cloud-Leveling Hall will not lightly forgive today's actions!"
He changed his tone, looking toward Zhao Xinyu and Yang Zheng, his voice immediately softening somewhat. "Zhao Xinyu, you did your best. Do not blame yourself. Yang Zheng, you protected her well!"
The atmosphere remained tense throughout the grounds. The other sects' disciples all understood-the feud between Cloud-Leveling Hall and Pure Fragrance Garden had truly been forged.
As the first match ended, the formation patterns at the arena's center lit up again. Light flickered, and the names for the second match appeared in the air.
"Cloud-Leveling Hall, Yang Zheng-Pure Fragrance Garden, Liu Hongzhuang!"
Instantly, the entire grounds erupted in an uproar.
On the arena's other side, Liu Hongzhuang slowly stepped forward. She wore a blood-red dress, her waist graceful, her narrow eyes alluring, her lips curved with the utmost provocation. Upon reaching the center, she gently raised her hand, touching slender, jade-like fingers to her red lips, and laughed sweetly:
"Tsk, tsk, little brother, remember how you and that Brother Yu of yours cheated me in the Shadow Woods last time? Today you actually dare stand opposite me. How... bold."
Her voice lingered silkily, as though carrying some bewitching sound. Every word became a whisper threading into the ears and striking straight at the heart, leaving quite a few disciples with weaker cultivation flushed and dazed.
Liu Hongzhuang moved lightly, her robes fluttering like flames. Her gaze remained fixed on Yang Zheng, a seductive smile on her lips. "Come, surrender obediently beneath my skirts, and perhaps I can spare your life. Otherwise... you may not even keep your bones."
Her words coiled like venomous snakes, carrying enchantment and cruelty.
Below the arena, Qin Yu and Nangong Heyao looked grave. Zhao Xinyu secretly clenched her fists, fearing Yang Zheng would be bewitched.
At that moment, Yang Zheng drew a deep breath. The boyishness faded from his face, and his gaze became exceptionally firm. He smiled coldly. "Liu Hongzhuang, your tricks might work on others, but on me, Yang Zheng... not a chance!"
With that, without waiting for her to speak again, he turned toward the referee, his voice ringing and utterly without hesitation:
"This disciple, Yang Zheng, voluntarily concedes!"
The entire grounds shook.
The smile on Liu Hongzhuang's face abruptly froze. Coldness flashed in her eyes, then she feigned disappointment and sighed sweetly. "Oh dear, how boring... Little brother, you're even calmer than I imagined."
The arena's formation light dimmed, announcing the outcome.
Yang Zheng slowly walked off the arena, never once looking at that woman. He returned to Cloud-Leveling Hall's group, and Qin Yu patted his shoulder with a smile. "Well done, Senior Brother Yang! Not craving a moment's bravado is true wisdom and courage."
Nangong Heyao nodded in agreement. "Indeed. This battle should have been ours to take on in the first place."
Zhao Xinyu looked at Yang Zheng, a trace of admiration appearing in her eyes, and said quietly, "Junior Brother Yang, you did the right thing."
At that moment, Liu Hongzhuang stared fixedly toward Cloud-Leveling Hall with a dark, cold gaze, silently vowing, Hmph... you won't escape. One day, I'll make all of you pay.
White Frost Ancient City's arena activated again. Formation patterns spread from underground into the lines of a river of stars, and a golden protective curtain rose like a dome.
Nangong Heyao slowly entered, his blue robes like jade, his back straight as a mountain peak. Before he made a move, sword intent already shot from his spine straight into the clouds, forcing rings of fine ripples to appear outside the barrier. With every step, a chi of formation patterns lit beneath his feet, as though mountain ranges were making way for him.
Opposite him stood Lan Lengqing's red-clad silhouette, bells jingling at her waist. All ten fingers wore blue-silver armor thin as scales. Drawn by Spiritual Qi, a demonic blue-flame lotus emerged around her, its petal edges frosty, yet its heart burning. She lifted her chin and smiled. "Nangong Heyao, the outer sect's head chief? Let me see whether your reputation exceeds your ability."
Nangong Heyao said nothing. He lifted a finger, and the sword case behind him hummed softly. Within was "Mystic Firmament." Though still sheathed, its ringing already sounded like thunder lurking beneath clouds.
Lan Lengqing moved first. She formed a finger seal, and the blue lotus's heart burst into dozens of needle-fine streaks of cold blue-flame light. Each carried an exceedingly thin whistle, carving a slender scorch mark through the air.
Nangong Heyao shook his sleeve, lightly tapping out a straight-line step as his body slipped diagonally aside. The edge of his palm sliced across, and a crescent of force swept like a clear wind rolling up a mat, knocking every streak of cold light off course. As they landed, the arena's stone patterns instantly formed frost crystals, then ignited from the lingering heat, ice and fire cycling between flashing and fading within little more than an inch.
Lan Lengqing's gaze sharpened, and she spread both arms:
"Glazed Blue: Flying Star Vines!" A hundred points of blue light abruptly shone, linking into a woven net that poured down from the dome.
Nangong Heyao raised his hand and closed it around empty air. Mystic Firmament slid half an inch from its sheath:
"Heaven-Soaring Sword Breath"-a thread of sword breath, fine as silk, swept across the sky.
Humm-the blue net was sliced into a neat opening by the "Formless Edge." A rain of blue radiance cascaded down on either side of him, like wind deliberately flowing around a mountain peak.
Nangong Heyao gripped the ground with his feet, straightened his bowed back, and drew Mystic Firmament another inch after its clear whistle-
"Heaven-Soaring Sword Art: A Single Thread Descends from Heaven!"
The sword light was not surging, but slender as a strip of white silk-yet heavy as a thousand tons. That white line descended from the sky, as though cutting the center of the arena into two pages.
Lan Lengqing pressed her palms together. The blue lotus spun rapidly, turning into a shield to meet it.
Bang-blue flames surged into a ten-foot wall, taking the sword line head-on, sparks blowing into curved tassels in the wind. Her heels slid back two inches, her soles scraping a long, thin scorch mark across the platform.
Lan Lengqing's eyes shifted, and her figure suddenly split into nine shadows. All nine turned and smiled together. Nine blue-flamed fox tails lashed out from their waists, their tips becoming blades that sliced through the air with the sound of tearing satin.
"Enchanting Flame: Nine-Tailed Bewitching Forms!"
The nine shadows attacked in a formation like stars surrounding the moon. Their fox tails broke the sound barrier at once, making the center of the arena seem stitched together and torn apart again by nine flexible blades.
Nangong Heyao's right shoulder dipped slightly, and Mystic Firmament flashed completely free of its sheath-
"Heaven-Soaring: Wind and Thunder Entwining!"
His sword did not slash directly at the nine shadows, but fell upon the "emptiness" between them. Wind arrived first, followed by thunder. The shock waves twisted into a spiral, and the nine shadows slipped out of alignment in an instant, as though their foundations had been pulled away. The true body, the third shadow at the lower right, faltered. Nangong flicked his toes upward, and azure light flashed like lightning, striking the choke point between fox tail and wrist bone-
Crack! The blue flames contracted, and the nine shadows collapsed into one.
After being seen through, Lan Lengqing stopped testing him. She abruptly bit the tip of her tongue, and her rings and blue nail armor all shone with blinding brilliance:
"Glazed Blue: Mystic Lotus Tide!"
The blue-flamed lotus overhead abruptly expanded to several dozen feet across. Its petals peeled away layer by layer, becoming an inverted curtain of water that formed a huge, upturned blue bell in midair. Dual patterns of fire and ice flowed across its walls as it collapsed inward to suppress him.
Beneath the bell's shadow, the "arena" darkened to the color of the deep sea. The crushing pressure weighed like a mountain; even behind the protective barrier, the watching disciples felt their ears clog.
Nangong Heyao shifted his feet through a hash-shaped pattern and stretched both arms out level, raising Mystic Firmament before his brow as he drew a long breath:
"Heaven-Soaring: Long Wind Calms the Sea!"
What appeared to be a faint, gentle breeze actually "straightened" the inverted bell's gravitational field. The blue bell's downward pressure was diverted onto a slope, shifting its landing point. It smashed down three feet behind him-with a thunderous roar, blue flames scattered into a shower of icy petals.
Rather than retreat, Lan Lengqing advanced. The blue armor on her ten fingers sprouted slender, leaf-shaped finger blades. She struck upward three times, targeting Nangong's carotid artery, the gaps between his ribs, and the vital spot beneath his arm. Her footwork was nimble, her pale arms like cicada wings, yet every move concealed a killing stroke.
Nangong Heyao turned his blade sideways. Rather than counterthrust with its tip, he used its spine to "knock down" her rhythm-ting, ting, ting-the three crisp notes sounded like strikes upon the heart of a drum. The blue-armored finger blades shattered into powder, scattering in a ring of blue sand.
At close quarters, the tiny bursts of force from his shoulders, elbows, and knees revealed an even clearer system-each "positional shift" was like the center of gravity of an entire mountain moving. Every step Lan Lengqing took backward felt as though she had missed her footing. What should have been level ground felt like the edge of a slope.
Furious, Lan Lengqing pressed both hands toward the ground:
"Glazed Blue: Sea-Heart Tide Gate!"
An enormous tide gate diagram immediately appeared on the arena's stone surface. Blue patterns surged around it, as though an entire sea had been summoned beneath their feet. The gate's center opened, and cold tides rose from underground in overlapping waves, washing toward Nangong Heyao layer upon layer. Countless fine blue blades were mixed into the crests; if he were swallowed, ten thousand blades would fall together.
Nangong Heyao lowered his lashes and softly uttered two words: "Break momentum."
Mystic Firmament slashed horizontally. Rather than cleaving directly into the tide, its Sword Qi cut in an "arc" through the pivotal markings of the tide gate diagram.
Hiss-as though silk had been cut by scissors, the entire tide gate diagram's "control circuitry" was erased with one stroke. The raging tide suddenly lost its guiding line, and a thousand layers of waves collapsed into chaotic water before his sword. Yet Lan Lengqing abruptly exhaled, detonating that mass of water into countless explosive water needles-
Bang, bang, bang!
Nangong turned sideways and extended his sleeved sword, forming a crescent-shaped wind screen. As the water needles struck the screen, the wind scoured every one of them from the shape of a "needle" into "smoke."
The corners of Lan Lengqing's eyes tightened. Two tiny blue talismans lit up in her palms at once, and she pressed them into the blue lotus's central stamens.
"Glazed Blue: Astral Domain Burning Tide!"
The instant the lotus heart exploded, eight pillars of blue flame appeared around the arena's edge. Threads of fire connected them into a formation, sealing the center into a blue-flamed astral domain. Within it, the temperature soared, oxygen plummeted, and the flow of Spiritual Qi was locked into a "reverse vortex."
This was a forbidden technique that used mid-stage cultivation to "steal a tier" upward-dragging every beat of her opponent's advantageous rhythm into the burning-tide tempo she had set, forcing the opponent to break free at an immense cost.
Heat waves lifted Nangong Heyao's long hair. He raised his eyes and spoke for the first time: "You've put a great deal of care into this."
Mystic Firmament returned to its sheath-then came free again, its clear cry seeming to split the heavens.
"Heaven-Soaring Sword Art: Sever the Clouds and Reveal the Sun!"
He did not clash head-on with the astral domain. Instead, he sought the "sun," slashing upward from the darkest, weakest point between the eight pillars with a rainbow of sword light that pierced straight toward the firmament.
Drawn by the sword rainbow, the blue-flamed astral domain's fire threads abruptly streamed to one side, like wind blowing an escape corridor through a field of fire. Nangong stepped into this "negative-pressure passage," his sword tearing through the flames all the way, cutting straight toward Lan Lengqing's face!
Lan Lengqing's delicate shoulders trembled. Her blue armor changed shape, condensing into a mystic-sea veil over her face. At the same time, she pushed off with her heel, her entire body arching backward like a watery reflection. She narrowly avoided the main edge, but the sword wind still cut free a strand of hair, which drifted into the blazing flames.
Lan Lengqing's gaze chilled. She brought her palms together and shouted furiously, "Azure Palace!"
The blue flames suddenly cooled, their hearts reversing into ice while their outer rings remained fiercely hot-the "dual-phase flame lotus," cold within and hot without, opened and closed in her hands like a blue-and-white taiji symbol. She pressed it directly toward Nangong Heyao.
Once swallowed by "Azure Palace," one would face cold above and heat below, inward contraction and outward explosion, as though being crushed between two millstones turning in opposite directions.
Nangong Heyao took successive "Three Purities Steps," his Qi pathways staggered high and low, and raised Mystic Firmament before his forehead.
"Heaven-Soaring: A Single Thought Opens the Heavens!"
This sword stroke had no light, no shadow-even its ringing had been emptied away.
Yet an exceedingly fine vertical seam suddenly appeared at the center of the blue-and-white taiji, "Azure Palace," on the arena, as though it had been split by a "thought."
Crack-
The seam widened and lengthened, splitting Azure Palace entirely in two. Lan Lengqing's palms shook violently, and blood burst from the webs between her thumbs and forefingers.
Lan Lengqing forcibly summoned her true essence, still refusing to retreat. Her ten fingers flicked in succession, and countless blue points rose again like a sudden downpour. Her figure flickered through the heat waves like a storm petrel driven to desperation, still determined to skim against the wind over the wave crests.
Nangong Heyao lowered his lashes in the wind, slowly raising Mystic Firmament diagonally before his chest.
At that moment, he no longer pursued dazzling moves, but let his Qi dynamics "set upright" the entire arena. The spectators only felt the platform suddenly become steady: heat and cold no longer darted wildly about, the wind flowed in one direction, and the sound waves gathered into a single line.
He softly uttered four words:
"Mountains and Rivers: Descending Seal."
Mystic Firmament pressed gently downward from above.
There was no thunderous crash, only a deep hum like the echoes of ten thousand mountains.
All the countless blue points Lan Lengqing had just released "shut down" at once, as though pinned in midair by an invisible hand, then collapsed into motes of light. That "Descending Seal" fixed her figure in place halfway through a step. Her knee buckled, and she dropped onto one knee. The blue flames in her palms died completely, leaving only her rings trembling.
Nangong Heyao sheathed his sword and flicked his sleeve, "smoothing away" the lingering flames still darting wildly about her to prevent a backlash. He glanced at her and said calmly, "You're very strong. If your realm advances another three parts, you could last fifty exchanges in another fight."
Lan Lengqing's chest rose and fell. She bit her lip and raised her eyes, her face filled with both shame and anger, yet in that instant there was also the faintest trace of acknowledgment.
The protective formation flashed with golden light, and the judging elder's voice filled the sky:
"Third match-Cloud-Leveling Hall, Nangong Heyao wins!"
Below the arena, the Cloud-Leveling Hall outer sect seats erupted like thunder: "Senior Brother Heyao!!!"
The Pure Fragrance Garden camp fell silent for a moment. Someone drew a quiet breath. "He's truly reached major attainment."
Nangong Heyao did not look around. He merely nodded slightly toward the Cloud-Leveling Hall seats, then turned and left. As he passed through the protective barrier, the sword case in his sleeve gave a soft chime, like a clear breeze sweeping through a mountain ravine, washing away the scorched smell lingering above the arena.