Lin Qingshan's provocation was effective; at least Jing Zhe's darkening expression indicated that he was angry.
"I was afraid I'd just kill you without even dodging, and you'd lose face! But now that I think about it, my worries were unnecessary. You're shameless, come on!"
As he spoke, Jing Zhe stood at a corner of the arena and beckoned to Lin Qingshan.
"This time, anyone who runs away is a coward!"
"court death!"
Lin Qingshan immediately channeled his inner energy, and the longsword that had just fallen moments before flew up again, gleaming and clanging, and thrust towards Jing Zhe once more!
Today, I'll first make you lose face, then I'll make you suffer unbearable pain!
Jing Zhe pursed his lips, then gently lifted them up with both hands.
"This is... a fluctuation of true qi?"
"He's actually reached the mid-stage of the sixth level!"
Most people in the audience were too low-level to see the changes in Jing Zhe's skills, but the Mingji Sect Master and Pei Chunjing, who were both Grandmasters, saw it all, especially the flow of true qi in Jing Zhe's hands, which surprised them even more!
Upon hearing this, Qingqiu, who was standing beside the Mingji Sect Master, grinned and chuckled.
Pei Yunxi, who was standing next to Pei Jingzhu, frowned and pouted upon hearing this.
At this moment, Jing Zhe's hand had moved to his chest. In the air, which was invisible to outsiders, a thin but extremely hard true qi barrier had been formed. Although it could not compare with the defensive barrier used by the Tongtian Twin Monsters before, it was already quite remarkable that Jing Zhe had been able to learn on his own in less than a day since entering the middle stage of the sixth level.
The next moment, Lin Qingshan's sword flew in front of Jing Zhe, but it seemed to be stuck in a wall. The hilt swayed left and right, making a "buzzing" sound, but it could not go any further.
"this…"
The audience stared wide-eyed, but could only see the longsword swaying in the air, like a magic trick, leaving them somewhat puzzled.
"Would Sect Leader Lin have deliberately gone easy on us?"
"Very likely!"
The man who spoke looked around, "After all, he's still a government official. If he's really killed, who will take the responsibility?"
Upon hearing this, the crowd nodded repeatedly, their eyes filled with disdain and sympathy for Lin Qingshan.
However, different voices also emerged at this time.
"What do you know? This isn't holding back; it's clear that Sect Leader Lin's sword was blocked!"
"Blocked? By air?"
"Hahaha…"
This immediately drew laughter from everyone.
"It's blocked by a true qi barrier!"
The man wasn't in a hurry, and spoke slowly and deliberately.
"A Qi Barrier?"
Everyone was shocked: "Isn't that the strength only those at the mid-stage of the sixth level or above possess? Could it be that he actually—"
"Yes, I just overheard Sect Master Mingji and Mirror Master Pei talking privately. President Jing is currently at the mid-stage of the sixth level!"
"..."
"President Jing is amazing!"
"Truly, heroes emerge from among the young!"
"President Jing, like us, is not only a man, but also comes from outside the four major sects. Congratulations!"
Yes, yes!
In an instant, the wind direction changed, and although the outcome was still undecided, the air filled with praise for Jing Zhe became sweeter.
...
At this moment, Lin Qingshan is undoubtedly under the most pressure.
Being in the thick of it, his feelings were the most direct.
He is now at the middle stage of the sixth level and can "control the sword with qi", so he can naturally see the true qi barrier that Jing Zhe manifests.
Damn it, he's at the same level as me!
Unable to advance any further with his longsword, and knowing that continuing the stalemate would only be a waste of energy, Lin Qingshan stopped, cursed under his breath, and flew towards Jing Zhe with his longsword in hand!
He was certain that the highest level Jing Zhe displayed when fighting Long Aodi yesterday was only the initial stage of the sixth level; he must have only reached the middle stage of the sixth level last night!
Therefore, Lin Qingshan believed that he was no match for him!
Since they were at the same level, Jing Zhe did not dare to be careless. After dodging Lin Qingshan's two swords in succession, he drew the Emperor's Sword and switched from defense to offense!
Jing Zhe's lightness skill was more than one level lower than Lin Qingshan's, so when he used all his lightness skill, Lin Qingshan could no longer find him. He only felt a blur before his eyes and could not see anything.
The next moment, he felt a murderous aura behind him!
As he turned around, the sword was already in front of him. He quickly raised his sword to block it, barely dodging it, but a corner of his robe was still cut off by the blade.
After launching one attack, Jing Zhe stopped.
He is now certain that although Lin Qingshan is at the same level as him, he is indeed a bit behind. Perhaps this is what Qingqiu meant when he said that above the sixth level, each level is divided into many segments!
Even so, it would be difficult to make his death even more undignified in front of everyone.
So he beckoned to Lin Qingshan for the third time, his face showing disdain.
"I won't move, you attack!"
"court death!"
It's hard to say who had the upper hand in the previous fight, since the two hadn't faced off head-on yet. The fight mostly involved dodging and sneak attacks. Jing Zhe said he couldn't do it in front of everyone, and Lin Qingshan believed he wouldn't go back on his word!
And so, he slashed at Jing Zhe!
Jing Zhe remained unmoved, raising his sword to meet the attack head-on!
With a loud "boom," a shockwave was generated around them. Those who were sect leaders of the four major sects or experts like Qingqiu or Pei Yunxi were relatively unaffected, but the disciples with lower cultivation levels were all blasted several meters away by the shockwave!
A battle beyond the sixth level—it's terrifying!
When people of the same level fight, there are fewer fancy moves and the battle becomes more practical, but the intensity is not reduced. Lin Qingshan's sword stopped after striking the Emperor's Sword and could not advance any further.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Lin Qingshan's forehead. Upon seeing this, Jing Zhe let out a cold laugh: "You're nothing special after all!"
"Go to hell!"
Lin Qingshan drew his sword and slashed again, and Jing Zhe blocked it again. After several attempts, neither of them gained the upper hand!
"Hehe, I've got something for you!"
Jing Zhe said this, then suddenly exerted his strength, knocking Lin Qingshan away and then soaring into the air.
Lin Qingshan staggered back a few steps, causing a stir among the audience, as if he had been defeated by Jing Zhe.
"Don't run!"
He shouted, as if to tell everyone: It wasn't me who was driven back, it was him who ran away!
As he spoke, he drew his sword and chased after him again. The two then engaged in another dazzling battle in the air. This time, Jing Zhe took the initiative and slashed at Lin Qingshan several times. Lin Qingshan blocked all of them. However, after blocking the last slash, Lin Qingshan could not push it away and could only raise his sword to block it, resulting in a stalemate between him and Jing Zhe in mid-air.
"You, surnamed Lin, hurt my woman. You deserve to pay with your life, don't you think?"
Lin Qingshan was about to retort when he suddenly sensed something was wrong!
He can actually... he can multitask?
During the brief moment when the two were locked in a stalemate in the air, a small earthenware jar and a tinderbox suddenly appeared in front of Jing Zhe, and the tinderbox was even moving on its own!
To multitask, using one's energy to control things?
Lin Qingshan was almost shocked out of his wits.
————
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