An Yirou's words still echoed in her ears. If she didn't do something soon, she feared that An Yirou would sink deeper and deeper into trouble.
“What if I don’t care about the difference in cultivation level?” An Zhengzheng looked at Zhou Xu calmly, her tone sharp. “Since we’ve agreed to a duel, neither of us should go back on our word, right?”
After all, Zhou Xu had invited her to a magical duel in front of a group of new disciples.
If we say we're not going to compete now, I'm afraid there will be a lot of gossip outside.
Zhou Xu also considered this point. After thinking it over, he realized that the situation was indeed troublesome.
"In that case, we can try a different format!" a male cultivator who had been watching the commotion chimed in, his tone sounding quite expectant.
These words drew everyone's attention to him; he must be one of the new disciples this year.
"Do you have any suggestions?" Zhou Xu asked.
The male cultivator chuckled and said, "The new disciple trial will be in half a month, and the results will be announced then..."
Once the assessment results are released, you'll have a general idea of your level.
Zhou Xu thought it was a good idea and was about to nod when An Zhengzheng disagreed.
"Assessment is assessment, and power struggle is power struggle." An Zhengzheng wanted to resolve this matter as soon as possible.
Moreover, in the three days since she returned to the An family, she has consumed pills she had never taken in her life, greatly increasing her strength.
At this point, she also urgently needed a time to test the results.
"Zhou Xu, if you're worried about outsiders saying that your higher cultivation is bullying my lower cultivation in this duel, then... how about we have a sword fight?"
"A sword duel?"
“Since we are both destined to cultivate the sword, this is even better than this.” An Zhengzheng felt that this was very fair.
Zhou Xu naturally thought the same thing. He was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Okay. Also, I don't need talismans or magic tools."
He was quite confident about beating An Zhengzheng, after all, someone in his clan had already analyzed the results for him when the joint exam came out.
His score was only one point different from An Zhengzheng's.
An Zhengzheng raised her eyebrows slightly when she heard him say that he didn't need talismans or magic tools.
"Enough with the chit-chat, which mountain are we going to?" An Zhengzheng looked around.
The surrounding area was now filled with onlookers. An Yirou, standing beside An Zhengzheng, looked at herself with worry and a troubled expression.
This girl can't keep things to herself. An Zhengzheng could tell at a glance that she was afraid her sister would lose, and also afraid her sweetheart would lose.
“There’s a hill over there, but it’s not a residential area, so it should be fine,” Zhou Xu pointed to the nearest hill.
An Zhengzheng nodded.
Zhou Xu was the first to summon his natal sword. He made a hand gesture and conjured a long sword out of thin air.
An Zhengzheng took the opportunity to observe for a while longer.
The Zhou family is well-off, so their choice of a natal sword was likely based on their own attributes. After all, with such a large and wealthy family, they could easily find anything they wanted.
Since Zhou Xu's natal sword was glowing with crimson flames, Zhou Xu should have a cultivation physique with fire spirit root as the main element.
An Zhengzheng quickly considered Zhou Xu's weaknesses in her mind, and, given the disparity in strength, carefully observed the details of Zhou Xu's sword control.
Just as Zhou Xu flew away on his sword, a sudden inspiration struck her.
It turns out, the sword's weakness was...
"Sister, please be careful on the road," An Yirou couldn't help but remind her.
An Zhengzheng nodded, and then drew out the sword made of Xuan Tian Han Shi.
An Yirou was startled: "Sister..."
Isn't this a precious sword that only brothers in the clan can receive?
"Yi Rou, I have a question for you." Before flying away on her sword, An Zhengzheng turned to look at An Yi Rou.
"If Zhou Xu and I both fell into the water, who would you save first?"
After speaking, she turned her head without looking back, and rode her sword, closely following behind Zhou Xu.
An Yirou stood there, stunned, watching her sister's departing figure, feeling both embarrassed and amused.
We still need to save my sister.
"Sister, save you, save you!" she cried out.
...
On the deserted mountaintop, An Zhengzheng and Zhou Xu walked side by side, swords in hand. Not far away, many people were watching their direction.
They were all disciples in the Qi Refining stage, with physiques far superior to ordinary people. Fortunately, the mountain wasn't too far away, and most of them could be seen clearly.
Some people broadcast live on the jade slip, while others spread messages everywhere to attract people to watch the show.
“Miss An… no, fellow Daoist, let’s begin.”
Zhou Xu was not very sentimental and did not understand human relationships well. He did not let An Zhengzheng attack first just because she was a girl.
So as soon as he finished speaking, he grabbed the Crimson Flame Natal Sword and rushed towards An Zhengzheng.
An Zhengzheng was very satisfied with his fair approach.
She brandished the Xuan Tian Han Shi sword, attempting to deflect Zhou Xu's attack.
Zhou Xu frowned. Trying to use a sword with the attribute of ice and cold to block the Crimson Flame Sword was really absurd. If he didn't know that An Zhengzheng was the top scholar, he would really doubt An Zhengzheng's ability.
To strike a flame with ice will melt it; this is akin to throwing an egg against a rock.
But An Zhengzheng didn't try to avoid it and actually went to meet it.
"Bang—"
As the two swords clashed, An Zhengzheng's Xuan Tian Han Shi Sword was instantly cleaved in two by the Chi Yan Sword.
The onlookers in the distance erupted in excitement.
"This is only the first move, and An Zhengzheng's sword has already split in two?" Someone exclaimed in surprise, then found it amusing. "The An family has really fallen into decline. How can they compare to Zhou Xu's sword?"
"Oh ho, it seems this top scholar isn't all that deserving of the title. I knew it! What woman can possibly defeat a man? No matter how good she looks on the surface, she can't even last a single move in a real fight..."
"All show and no substance, he can't even withstand a single move, this top scholar is too weak..."
The crowd was buzzing with discussion, but An Zhengzheng remained oblivious.
While using her agile body to dodge Zhou Xu's attacks, she seized the opportunity to pick up the other half of the sword that had been split open on the ground.
The blade was so sharp that when An Zhengzheng was gripped by it, her palm was cut, and a trickle of blood oozed out.
Zhou Xu paused for a moment, then quickened his pace; a swift and decisive victory was the time to strike.
But An Zhengzheng suddenly smiled. Holding two swords, one on the left and one on the right, she charged forward again.
This sword had been nurtured in its case for five years. It was a gift from my father to his "younger brother." Before this younger brother was even born, my father had carefully nurtured it.
The sword absorbed the spiritual energy of the treasure, and at this moment it became An Zhengzheng's best magic weapon to turn defeat into victory.
“A double-dragon sword, snowflakes reflecting lotus. Its brilliant light shines through heaven and earth, thunder roars and cannot be stopped [1].”
An Zhengzheng recited Li Bai's poem word by word, and in Zhou Xu's bewildered gaze, she forcibly summoned ice and snow.
Although the sword that was cut in two was not as powerful as the legendary Gan Jiang and Mo Xie, An Zhengzheng's skill was enough to summon its spiritual power.
The two swords were infused with energy, and fine snowflakes condensed around them. An Zhengzheng then flung the swords toward Zhou Xu.
Zhou Xu wasn't afraid; his Crimson Flame Sword instantly melted the snowflakes.
Seeing this, he calmly said, "Fellow Daoist, your sword energy is ice and cold, which is naturally countered by the Crimson Flame Sword. It's useless for you to struggle any longer."
This was the truth; Zhou Xu said it without a trace of emotion.
——————
[1] Tang Dynasty, Li Bai, "Ancient Style: Treasured Sword and Two Dragons" (supplemented by reader mLLm)
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