Yun Wei had no experience interacting with human cubs.
He quickly smiled and tried to project friendliness to the other person so as not to scare them away.
But then a gong sounded from the field.
The first match of the Four Swords Tournament, the contest of the "Daoran Sword," has officially begun.
One of the envoys from the East Sea stepped forward; he appeared to be quite ordinary.
The one who stepped forward from Bili City was an old man with completely white hair and beard.
Yun Wei listened as Qin Lushu, who had already slipped back to sit beside him, introduced the old man, saying that he was also from the Xie family and was of the same generation as Xie's eldest uncle.
"Brother Yun, you may not know this, but the 'Dao Ran Sword' only truly takes on a refined and otherworldly quality when wielded by a member of the Xie family, a family that has always upheld moral principles," the young man added.
"I see." Yun Wei nodded, but his gaze never left the arena.
The two players on the field have already started moving.
The old man from the Xie family moved nimbly forward, thrusting his sword straight at the enemy like a thunderclap ripping through the sky.
The man in black hurriedly raised his sword to parry, but the old man had already thrust his sword upwards, aiming directly at the man's chin. The man in black couldn't dodge in time, and his wide-open defenses were directly met with the fierce sword strike.
With just one sword strike, the man in black was sent flying off the stage.
The crowd was immediately in an uproar, but then suddenly burst into cheers.
"What a fine sword!" the young man exclaimed immediately. Seeing Yun Wei's blank expression, he quickly explained loudly, "This move is called 'Slicing Wood to Startle the Spirit,' which comes from Zhuangzi's 'Reaching Life.' It requires complete concentration, forgetting oneself in the sword's edge."
At this moment, thunderous applause erupted from Bili City, and Yun Wei quickly joined in clapping with the others.
Seeing the old man win the prize, he felt much relieved and joked, "It's a good thing you're sitting next to me, otherwise I would have just been watching the show."
Even with Qin Lushu's explanation, he still couldn't quite grasp the intricacies. But at least he knew the moves, which was better than being completely clueless.
After the referee announced that Bili City was leading "one to zero", a second man in black stepped forward.
Another gong sounded, and the old man casually flicked his sword, repeating his old trick.
The expressionless man in black continued his thrusting attack with his sword, but at that moment, a sudden change occurred—
The man in black changed his sword even faster, slashing straight upwards, much faster than the old man. The old man tried to dodge, but it was too late. Even when he gathered his strength and leaned back, he barely managed to avoid being disemboweled.
The sword tip struck the old man squarely in the chin, causing blood to gush out. But the opponent continued to pursue relentlessly, thrusting and parrying without giving him any chance.
It was still the same move, "Shaving Wood to Startle the Gods".
This one move alone is incredibly stubborn and cruel, as if the heavens themselves could be cleaved in two by this single sword strike.
As the old man was struck by several swords, blood splattering everywhere, screams erupted from the stands.
Qin Lushu's face turned deathly pale. He stared intently at the arena, exclaiming incredulously, "How is this possible? Elder Xie's 'Wood Carving Startles the Gods' was already mastered twenty years ago..."
Yun Wei also frowned.
Even as soon as the man in black used the exact same sword move, he was already certain that his opponent was inextricably linked to the Abyss. The man in black on the field, rather than finding a new approach to swordplay, was simply copying Xie Sou's previous moves…
However, he had no evidence whatsoever.
Just as the old man was about to be beheaded on the field, Xie Mulang's voice rang out immediately—
"Stop, we concede this round."
Upon hearing this, the man in black immediately stopped his sword strike. The cold blade, stained with blood, hovered precariously at the old man's throat. It was unimaginable what would have happened to the old man if Xie Mulang had been even a moment later.
Several younger members of Bili City rushed onto the stage and hurriedly carried the elderly man, who had collapsed to the ground, down from the stage.
Suddenly someone shouted, "Who knows healing magic? Come and help!"
"Me! I know water magic!" Qin Lushu quickly replied, leaving his seat and heading straight off the field.
The scene was already in complete chaos, but Yun Wei noticed that Xie Mulang seemed to be arguing with the Huo family's sons on the arena.
He immediately frowned and asked Isaac in a low voice, "Isaac, what are Brother Xie and the others talking about?"
He already knew that his servant seemed to have excellent hearing.
Even if he didn't know what the two were talking about, he knew that with Brother Xie's temperament, he would definitely not cause trouble.
"It seems that Brother Xie said he would play in the next round, but the other side disagreed." Isaac listened for a while with his head tilted, and then truthfully conveyed the message to Yun Wei. "Then... Brother Xie said directly that the other side would be cut in half, and the other side got furious."
At this point, Isaac's expression also became somewhat strange.
Yun Wei: "..."
He knew all along that Xie Mulang was too straightforward and didn't mince words. If he encountered a gentleman, it would be fine, but if he encountered a petty person, he would definitely suffer.
Just then, the black-clad man wielding the sword spoke in a hoarse voice, "The next round should begin."
His voice, though not loud, sounded like a death knell from hell, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.
The referee glanced timidly at Uncle Xie, then steeled himself and banged the gong, announcing, "Tie the score at one to one. Now, let's begin the third set!"
The man in black stood still, his still-wet blood dripping down the blade of his sword, staining the arena with an unusually bloody hue.
Finally, Xie Mulang stepped forward from Bili City.
The two stood still, sizing each other up, and then moved at the same time.
The man in black used the same move, "Slicing Wood to Startle the Gods," but Xie Mulang dodged it at an odd angle and then slowly thrust his sword into the man's wrist.
This sword strike was incredibly slow.
Even without using his spiritual power, Yun Wei could see it quite clearly.
But the strange thing is that even with such a simple sword strike, the man in black was still stabbed in the wrist, and the sword in his hand immediately fell to the ground.
The outcome is decided.
But this time there was no applause, because everyone was stunned.
Yun Wei looked at the young man beside him, only to hear Qin Lushu hesitate and say, "To be honest, I don't know what move that was... Maybe it was 'Gushe Drinking Snow'? I don't know, I haven't practiced swordsmanship much..."
The third game was won too easily, just like the second game was lost too unexpectedly.
Everyone was confused and bewildered.
But a third man in black quickly stepped forward.
The referee had no choice but to strike the gong again and announce, "Congratulations to Bili City for taking a 2-1 lead and successfully reaching match point. The fourth game is now beginning!"
Undoubtedly, the third man in black's swordsmanship also became simpler.
The two men probed each other's swords back and forth, and surprisingly, they fought to a draw.
The scene was so absurd and bizarre, it was like two young boys who had never held a sword before were having a duel.
But finally, Xie Mulang swung his sword, as if flicking off his sleeves, and thrust out the blade.
It was clearly an ordinary sword strike, but the man in black, who had been evenly matched with him just moments before, was swept off the stage like a kite with a broken string.
The entire venue fell into a deathly silence once again.
“I understand…” Qin Lushu murmured as he watched this scene.
Yun Wei curled up the corners of her lips and smiled, "I know too."
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