Xia Yuwei bit her lower lip hard, her fingertips digging deep into her palms, her eyes fixed on Bai Ying, who stood calmly not far away. Complex emotions surged in her eyes, a mixture of resentment and barely concealed jealousy.
Just as tensions were rising, a deafening roar of cheers suddenly erupted from the east side of the training ground.
Thunderous applause erupted in waves, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
The gilded arena was already packed with cultivators dressed in the robes of various sects, a stark contrast to the earlier spectacle when Bai Ying's match had been surrounded by mostly mortals. This match clearly had attracted far more attention from the cultivators.
"Look! Senior Brother Xiao from the Xuantian Sect is about to take the stage!" someone in the crowd shouted.
In the center of the arena, a young man dressed in a moon-white robe stood with his hands behind his back. The jade tassel of his sword, hanging at his waist, swayed gently in the wind, his entire being exuding the sharpness of a drawn sword. This was none other than Xiao Yunlan, the rising star of the Xuantian Sect.
Bai Ying was an outside helper brought in by Wei Ji, while Xiao Yunlan was the biggest bargaining chip that Xuantian Sect had put up for this competition.
Elders from various factions rose from the stands, even the Grand Elder of the Xuan Tian Sect, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened his cloudy eyes. The cultivators watching from the sidelines unconsciously held their breath, afraid of missing any detail.
The air was thick with tension and anticipation; the outcome of this competition would likely determine the final result of the sect competition.
"I didn't expect Xiao Yunlan to be on the field so quickly. It's said that he was only at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm before he went into seclusion, but now he has cultivated to the middle stage of the Nascent Soul realm!"
"Heavens! No wonder he is the most outstanding genius of the Xuantian Sect. He has already reached the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm at just over a hundred years old. Isn't that just as powerful as that traitor Chu Wuchen of the Xuantian Sect?"
"I originally bet on Chu Wuchen to win, but now it seems that the outcome is still uncertain."
The people from Xuantian Sect listened to what everyone was saying, and each of them wore an extremely smug smile.
Especially Elder Wei Ji, when he sought out Bai Ying, he was worried that no one in the Xuan Tian Sect could stand against the traitor Chu Wuchen. He never expected that his junior disciple Xiao Yunlan would break through at the most crucial moment.
Now, Chu Wuchen may not be able to defeat his junior disciple Xiao Yunlan!
On the arena, Xiao Yunlan remained calm, his gaze as deep as a cold pool. His opponent—a Nascent Soul cultivator in a crimson battle robe—was gripping a longsword engulfed in flames, his spiritual energy surging around him, clearly ready to strike.
"Xiao Yunlan of the Xuantian Sect, please enlighten me." He nodded slightly, his tone calm, yet exuding an undeniable aura of power.
"Burning Heaven Valley, Zhao Lie!" the opponent shouted, his blade suddenly flashing, and a scorching wave of fire instantly swept across the entire arena, distorting the air itself.
Zhao Lie leaped up, his longsword drawing a blinding arc of fire, aiming straight for Xiao Yunlan's face! This strike contained the unique fire-based technique of the Burning Heaven Valley; even a cultivator of the same level would be engulfed by the flames and reduced to ashes if they were not careful!
However, Xiao Yunlan merely raised his eyes slightly, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
"Zheng—!"
A clear, resonant sword cry suddenly echoed through the sky!
The seemingly ordinary jade longsword at his waist had been drawn at some point, its blade gleaming coldly. In an instant, it transformed into a streak of azure light, meeting the raging flames head-on!
"Mysterious Heaven Sword Technique - Cloud Breaker!"
The sword light flashed like a rainbow, tearing through the sea of fire in an instant!
Zhao Lie's pupils contracted sharply as he felt an extremely sharp sword aura rushing towards him. He hurriedly raised his sword to parry—
"boom--!"
Swords clashed, unleashing a violent shockwave of spiritual energy that cracked the arena floor! Zhao Lie groaned, his hand splitting open, and he was thrown back several steps, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth!
"How is this possible?!" He was horrified. His all-out attack had been so easily neutralized by the opponent!
Xiao Yunlan remained standing, his robes fluttering, his expression unchanged. He lightly flicked the blade with his fingertips, causing it to glow with a soft blue light, and whispered:
"It's my turn."
Before he finished speaking, his figure vanished!
"Whoosh—!"
The next instant, Zhao Lie felt a blur before his eyes, and Xiao Yunlan appeared beside him like a ghost, the sword pointing straight at his throat!
"So fast!"
Zhao Lie hastily swung his sword to block, but Xiao Yunlan's sword technique suddenly changed. The sword tip, like a swimming dragon, bypassed the blade and stabbed straight at his open chest!
"laugh--!"
Blood splattered!
Zhao Lie staggered backward, a deep, bone-revealing wound slashed across his chest by the sword energy! He gritted his teeth and roared, flames surging around him as he attempted to forcefully repel Xiao Yunlan with his spiritual power—
However, Xiao Yunlan just smiled coldly, and the long sword in his hand suddenly burst forth with a dazzling blue light!
"Mysterious Heaven Sword Technique - Heavenly Sky!"
In an instant, a towering sword shadow descended from the sky, like divine punishment descending upon the world, unstoppable!
"boom--!"
The entire arena trembled violently. Zhao Lie had no time to react before he was slashed away by the sword and crashed heavily into the protective barrier at the edge of the arena, spitting out blood!
The entire room fell silent.
Xiao Yunlan sheathed his sword, his expression calm, as if his previous earth-shattering strike had been merely a casual gesture. He looked at the referee and said indifferently:
The outcome is decided.
After a brief silence, the entire stadium erupted in deafening cheers!
"Senior Brother Xiao! Senior Brother Xiao!"
Cheers swept across the entire arena like a tidal wave. The Xuan Tian Sect disciples raised their arms and shouted, their eyes filled with fervor and admiration. Xiao Yunlan stood in the center of the arena, his expression still calm, as if this crushing victory was nothing more than a matter of course.
The other cultivators, however, looked shocked and whispered among themselves—
"These are the prodigies of the Xuantian Sect? They're terrifying!"
"With such combat power at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, can he really defeat Chu Wuchen?"
"It seems that the Xuantian Sect is poised for a resurgence in this competition!"
Immortal Wei Ji stood with his hands behind his back, a satisfied smile on his lips. His gaze swept over the shocked expressions of the cultivators from various sects around him, and he felt extremely pleased.
"It seems I was overthinking it."
He had initially worried that Chu Wuchen's strength was too formidable, which was why he specifically sought out Bai Ying as an outside help. But now it seems that Xiao Yunlan's growth has far exceeded expectations; even without outside assistance, the Xuantian Sect might not necessarily lose to that traitor!
Thinking about it, he felt a little regretful. Although he didn't know what the jade he gave Bai Ying was, it looked like a treasure.
If he had known that his junior disciple Xiao was so capable, he wouldn't have sent him away.
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