One fragment of Saber Momentum after another was born, razor-sharp, sending violent ripples surging across his Sea of Consciousness.
The third.
The fourth.
Until the fifth fragment condensed, the gray mist mass condensed by the Myriad Phenomena Concentration Divine Technique faintly took on the shape of an ancient, simple Long Saber—only for everything to come to an abrupt halt in the very next breath.
Su Mu let out a quiet sigh in his heart, the dark shadows in his deep eyes fading away one by one; this time he had only managed to copy about half of it. A complete Saber Momentum belonging to Guo Zhen would need roughly ten such fragments.
Still, Su Mu did not feel it was a pity; there would be more chances later.
On the stage, a flash of pride crossed the slightly pale face of Song Jingyuan. He could feel more than half of the Spiritual Qi in his body had been consumed, but before his Spiritual Qi ran dry, Guo Zhen had already fallen first.
"I concede this bout..."
Guo Zhen panted heavily, his face even paler. The Qi Blood jiao-armor upon him, which had almost solidified earlier, was now tattered and ruined, turned into a half-transparent illusory state. The Qi Blood and Power in his body were close to being completely exhausted.
More critically, stabbing pain speared through his head, and even the world before his eyes was starting to blur and twist—that was a sign of his spirit being overly depleted. He had no choice but to take the initiative and concede to Song Jingyuan.
"In this bout, the Song Family’s Song Jingyuan is victorious!"
As the words fell, the crowd did not express much regret over Guo Zhen’s defeat. One after another, they excitedly discussed the fierce battle just now.
"Even Guo Zhen, who has mastered Saber Momentum, was no match for Song Jingyuan. Previously, when Gu Xue’Er faced Tao Xinglie, she too lost with honor. Even in the losers’ bracket, facing Guo Zhen, she will certainly still have the power to fight!"
"Exactly. And don’t forget, there’s still that monster Wang Chan who hasn’t even made a move yet!"
"Hurry up and start, this is really thrilling!"
The crowd buzzed with discussion, some inwardly shaken, some feeling exhilarated by the battle, and some full of anticipation for the battles to come.
Meanwhile, beside Su Mu, Li Changshan and Li Yao turned their heads in unison to stare at Su Mu at the very moment the result was announced; just now Li Yao had also heard the exchange between the two.
Li Changshan favored Guo Zhen, who had grasped Saber Momentum, while Wang Chan had placed her bet on Song Jingyuan.
The facts proved...
Wang Chan was right again!
If being right once could be a coincidence, then being right twice in a row could never be mere coincidence.
"If Wang Chan does not simply have superior discernment... then her strength is far above mine, perhaps even above both Tao Xinglie and Song Jingyuan!"
Li Changshan’s throat bobbed as he swallowed a large mouthful of saliva, his heart filled with fierce anticipation for Wang Chan’s moves to come.
"Senior Brother, are the previous Donglai Grand Competitions always this精彩?"
"No, no. This Donglai Grand Competition not only has two people who can stir the White Jiao phenomenon... even the four who took the stage just now are all extraordinary!"
"From what I know, in previous years, anyone who comprehended Saber Momentum would be enough to stand out and take the crown; but now there are people who can suppress it, and not just one."
"Tao Xinglie and Song Jingyuan, these two will most likely be able to enter Qingfeng Temple to train in seclusion in the future. Gu Xue’Er has Pill Cauldron Pavilion behind her, and if Guo Zhen is willing, he can also enter the Lin Feng Iron Cavalry... as for that Wang Chan..."
"I cannot see through this person."
Amidst the noisy crowd, two figures in scholar’s robes secretly exchanged voice transmissions. After speaking, the senior brother among them recalled that Wang Chan cultivated Martial Dao as well, and could not help but sigh again, his tone carrying clear regret.
After stepping down from the stage, Guo Zhen swallowed several Elixirs, rapidly replenishing his spent Power, Qi Blood, and spirit.
After a brief rest, according to the rules, in the losers’ bracket Guo Zhen and Gu Xue’Er would each fight Su Mu to determine the strongest. If both of them defeated Su Mu, then the two would still need another duel between themselves.
"First match: Pill Cauldron Pavilion’s Gu Xue’Er versus the Li Family’s Wang Chan!"
...
"Who do you think will ultimately take the crown in this year’s competition—Tao Xinglie, Guo Zhen, or Song Jingyuan?"
"Perhaps... none of those three."
"Wang Chan, you favor Wang Chan more?!"
Gu Xue’Er had a decent relationship with Baili Hongtang in daily life. Yesterday, after their duel, Gu Xue’Er knew Baili Hongtang had not gone all out, so upon descending the mountain she went to seek out Baili Hongtang.
"Wang Chan, huh..."
Gu Xue’Er watched that figure taking step after step toward the Martial Arts Arena. Though word had spread not long ago that Wang Chan had subdued Tao Xinglie in a single move, both she and Tao Xinglie were Cultivators.
She had carefully pondered that scenario and believed that if it were an open and proper battle, she would still favor Tao Xinglie.
"Miss Xue’Er... just give it your all."
Before stepping onto the stage, a Pill Cauldron Pavilion Elder sent a voice transmission into her ears. Gu Xue’Er nodded. She knew that barring accidents, the upcoming battle would be her last in this Grand Competition.
Leaving aside the fact that Tao Xinglie had been careless before, underestimating her too much, Gu Xue’Er actually would not have had the chance to drag things out until her Grand Array was deployed; now that her trump card had been revealed, Guo Zhen would never again give her time to set up a Grand Array.
And also...
There is always one thing that restrains another.
The Saber Momentum Guo Zhen commanded surged ever forward, incomparably sharp; that condensed edge dealt tremendous damage to array patterns, especially when the Grand Array was not yet fully formed.
Saber Momentum happened to be a harsh counter to her.
Precisely because of this, even if she won against Wang Chan in the next bout, she absolutely would not be Guo Zhen’s match.
In fact, after losing to Tao Xinglie, Gu Xue’Er had originally intended to concede, but when she recalled what Baili Hongtang said yesterday, her interest was piqued. She wanted to seek some guidance from Wang Chan.
"Pill Cauldron Pavilion, Gu Xue’Er."
"Li Family, Wang Chan."
Gu Xue’Er silently retreated to the edge of the Martial Arts Arena. Separated by several zhang, she cupped her fists to Wang Chan; the instant her words fell, Spiritual Light flashed in Gu Xue’Er’s hand.
Five strands of Spiritual Light floated before her; five Talismans exuding cold Qi suspended in front of her.
In the next breath.
Without the slightest hesitation, Gu Xue’Er flicked her ten fingers lightly, activating the Talismans. In an instant, Spiritual Qi surged; it was as if five Cold Pools had suddenly detonated on the arena. Cold Qi spread in a flash and shrouded everything.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter