Ji Mo Fan, who was on the arena, couldn't hear the spectators' discussion.
This time, his situation was completely different from his previous life. He was not with the Yun Cang Sword Sect team, but drew opponents with the Chao Ming Palace. Therefore, he was not drawn by Xu Jingwen in the preliminary round, but by a disciple who was not famous. He was a big surprise as soon as he entered the arena, and was defeated by his opponent in just ten moves and fell off the stage.
But in this life, he has completely rewritten his life trajectory, and this Dao Asking Conference will never be the end of his cultivation path.
Instead, it is a new stepping stone that leaps and bounds forward.
Xu Jingwen naturally had no idea where Ji Mofan's inexplicable obsession came from; he only felt that the person in front of him was extremely difficult to deal with.
Compared to their hasty exchange in the Misty Secret Realm last time, Ji Mo Fan was clearly much more at ease this time.
Stepping on the sword formation, each step blossoms like a flower. Dealing with him is like dealing with a shaman weaving a net. If you're not careful, you'll be stuck and unable to move, turning into prey in his palm, at his mercy.
Xu Jingwen had no choice but to respond to each move as it came, and for a time he was exhausted from dealing with it.
The image of the Arc Light Qilin that Ji Mo Fan had taken from the Dark Realm came to mind again.
If he can use that trump card in this battle, his chances of winning should be even greater.
Ji Mo Fanming clearly encountered such a demonic beast, yet he showed no appreciation whatsoever and casually offered to give it away to someone else.
At the time, they even had the audacity to agree that Ji Mofan would exchange the reward for winning the tournament for the Arc Light Kirin.
Let him see what will happen if Ji Mofan can't even get past the preliminary rounds of this Dao Asking Tournament!
A layer of fine sweat gradually appeared on Ji Mo Fan's forehead.
Xu Jingwen truly deserves to be compared to Li Jinchu in the Xiaoling Sect.
He probably only lost because he was a few years younger than Li Jinchu, and his family didn't put as much effort into his upbringing as the Li family.
At his peak, his combat skills were as nimble as an eel; even when a net was cast, he could still find the only way to survive.
Ji Mofan didn't want to unleash the tenth level of his Yun Cang Sword Technique so soon, but the current situation didn't allow him to keep it to himself any longer.
The preliminary rounds have a time limit; if either player fails to defeat their opponent quickly, they will be considered to have lost.
A chill quietly spread throughout the entire arena.
Xu Jingwen subconsciously channeled his spiritual power to resist the cold air, and a bad premonition suddenly surged in his heart. He subconsciously wanted to lower his head to cut down the formation that Ji Mofan had set up under their feet.
But Ji Mofan's spiritual power moved even faster than his.
With perfect timing and location, the arena had already been covered in moisture from their previous battles, which served as a medium for Ji Mofan to channel his spiritual energy, and the formation was instantly completed.
Not only Xu Jingwen, but also the other contestants who were fighting around them, as well as the audience on stage who were always focused on Ji Mo Fanchu, noticed the abnormality.
"The fog has lifted?"
"It didn't disintegrate...it was frozen?"
The mist, which appeared soft and light just a moment ago, suddenly became shimmering in the sunlight. Ice elemental energy, carrying small pieces of ice and snow, instantly swirled into a swirling wind, transforming into sharp blades that slashed at the enemy at the center of the formation.
—Alone I fish in the cold river, the battle formation begins.
Xu Jingwen felt as if time itself had frozen around him.
He could almost see the trajectory of the ice crystals spreading within each drop of water. The soft water instantly turned into cold, hard ice, its facets refracting a terrifying cold light. A deadly danger lurked within the shimmering beauty.
Although his perception of time was heightened, his body's reaction was not faster at all. The ice crystal's movements seemed as slow as a tortoise crawling in his eyes, but his own speed in swinging his sword to defend was not much faster than a snail.
Amidst a dazzling flash of light, he could only see Ji Mofan standing quietly behind a vast expanse of ice crystals, his gaze lowered, silently watching himself trapped within.
His dark, bright eyes were empty, not even reflecting his image.
The incense candle shed its last tear.
The sound of bells soared into the sky, signaling the end of the preliminary round.
After taking the wooden token that signified his passage from the referee, Ji Mofan stepped off the stage and was about to walk towards the audience seats of the Chaoming Hall not far away when Xu Jingwen suddenly stood in his way.
"Congratulations, you've passed another hurdle," he said, with a rather forced smile on his face.
His forced smile looked rather unsightly.
"Thank you." Although Ji Mofan didn't know why he had stopped him at this moment, he didn't intend to continue the conflict in private and thought he would leave quickly after exchanging pleasantries.
“But you’re climbing too fast.” As they passed each other, Xu Jingwen said again, “Be careful, there are a lot of people watching you from behind.”
Ji Mo Fan paused slightly in his steps.
“Thank you,” he said.
Xu Jingwen watched as Ji Mofan walked away.
It was not unexpected for Ji Mofan to win the preliminary round. He walked back to the contestant's seat without much attention being paid to him.
"You brought out your 'Solitary Fishing in the Cold River' in the preliminaries?" Fang Xuan happened to get up and prepare to walk down as he passed the Changfeng Valley seating area.
It's good news that they weren't grouped together in the budget, at least they won't have to face each other in the ring too early.
“I never intended to hold anything back at this conference,” Ji Mofan said.
All his previous trump cards were prepared for the tournament, so it was expected that he would use the "Fishing Alone in the Cold River" move, and he didn't feel regretful about it.
"Looks like you're very confident in yourself." Fang Xuan chuckled and leaped down the steps.
The perspective suddenly shifted from looking down to looking straight ahead. He walked up to Ji Mofan, the light in his eyes like a challenge written in mid-air, directly hitting Ji Mofan's face.
"You should be more confident in yourself," Ji Mofan said. "Don't fall off the stage before the finals."
Fang Xian walked towards the arena in the center of the venue.
The contestants from Yuncang Sword Sect are located right next to Changfeng Valley, so if Ji Mofan wants to return to Chaoming Palace, he must pass by their side.
Although there wasn't any deep-seated hatred between them, since these people could no longer affect his life, Ji Mofan had no interest in wasting time on them, like a dog that had stolen a bone and was showing off in front of them.
But he certainly wouldn't give them a pleasant look; simply passing by without glancing at them was the best treatment he could offer.
"Senior Brother..."
But while he wanted to quickly distance himself from the matter, the disciples of the Yuncang Sword Sect were not so happy.
It was that unlucky team leader again who was pushed forward. He sounded hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.
Ji Mofan stopped and turned his head to look back. "What did you call me?"
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