A series of gasps of surprise rose from the sidelines.
"Oh no! This is terrible!"
"Alas, it's still the same as before. In this outer arena, no one can escape Qian Zheng's array attack."
"Although Qian Zhengsheng's actions were unsportsmanlike, we can't say he did anything wrong."
"Can I say that I still hope Lu Shenzhi wins? I used to think Yan Lingyi was the most handsome, but now I've changed my mind..."
"Do you think this will work just because you wish? Look closely, that pretty boy has already been trapped inside the formation. Now, winning is practically impossible!"
...
Qian Zheng revealed a smug smile and immediately manipulated the formation to launch the fiercest attack on Lu Shenzhi.
A stone mountain appeared within the formation, carrying earthy yellow spiritual energy as it crashed down on Lu Shenzhi.
Compared to the few stones he used to attack Lu Wenxing yesterday, Qian Zheng was clearly going all out today, launching his strongest attack right from the start, aiming to kill Lu Shenzhi immediately.
In contrast, Lu Shenzhi showed no sign of panic. He simply flashed and disappeared from the spot.
The stone mountain crashed to the ground, but it didn't even touch a single hem of Lu Shenzhi's clothes.
When the dust settled, Lu Shen was seen again to the northeast of where the stone mountain had fallen.
Everyone watched Lu Shenzhi's movements with tense expressions, only to see him slightly curl the corners of his lips and casually swing his sword towards the northeast.
This sword strike seemed to have no power at all, as if it had lightly missed its target.
The audience was confused and disappointed that they did not see Lu Shenzhi's strong counterattack.
"Sigh, I think I overestimated him; he's all show and no substance."
"Unreliable. However, escaping from Qian Zheng's formation is not an easy task, so losing is normal."
"Ah, it has to be Qian Zheng. Don't let his short stature fool you, he's incredibly capable."
"Ha, if Qian Zheng heard you say that, he'd hunt you down for a year."
"Keep watching, I reckon it'll be over soon."
...
Shi Xuan, who was mingling in the crowd, stared intently at Qian Zheng's array plate, his expression thoughtful.
Inside the training ground, Qian Zheng, having failed in his first attack, immediately launched a second one.
Lu Shenzhi, however, seemed to be forced to hide and dodge within Qian Zheng's formation. Although his posture remained carefree and unrestrained, it was undeniable that he was wandering around the formation.
Watching Lu Shenzhi's movements, each action on the field carried a peculiar rhythm and tempo, Shi Xuan revealed a knowing smile.
The onlookers, however, were puzzled and their comments were full of skepticism towards Lu Shenzhi.
"What's going on? If it's really too much, just admit defeat. Are you resorting to delaying tactics now?"
"Have you forgotten? Whoever admits defeat is a coward!"
"Then let's just go up and fight! What's the point of dragging our feet?"
"However, it must have been quite remarkable that he was able to hold out for so long within Qian Zheng's formation."
"Why doesn't he fight back? He's always dodging! All show and no substance!"
...
Lu Shenzhi's dodging continued for about fifteen minutes before he suddenly stopped, ignoring Qian Zheng's current attack.
Everyone watched as two rows of sharp spikes attacked Lu Shenzhi, but he remained motionless. Many people in the crowd couldn't help but gasp in surprise, as if the spikes were about to pierce through Lu Shenzhi's body and defeat him.
But Lu Shenzhi's expression was relaxed, as if he hadn't seen it.
At this critical moment, something strange happened.
Just as the two rows of spikes were about to pierce Lu Shenzhi, they suddenly stopped, turned, and rushed towards Qian Zheng like lightning.
At this moment, Qian Zheng was completely stunned. No matter how much he had planned, he had never encountered such a situation in all his years of battles—his own formation had begun to attack him?!
But the two rows of spikes were already right in front of him, leaving him no room for doubt.
In a panic, Qian Zheng hastily activated his second defensive magic artifact.
Lu Shenzhi made two moves, using two defensive magical artifacts. That frequency is terrifying!
After finally dealing with this defection attack, Qian Zheng was about to control the formation to attack Lu Shenzhi when he was suddenly shocked to find that he had lost control of the formation!
how so!
He was the one who created this formation, originating from his natal magic weapon, the Void-Piercing Formation. He was absolutely certain of this; it was true! But now, how could he not control his own formation?!
Qian Zheng continued to try, but he just couldn't get in touch with them no matter what he did.
The formation seemed completely disconnected from him; no matter how strong his divine sense was, he couldn't sense even a trace of it.
Qian Zheng panicked.
This formation was his greatest source of confidence and his reliance for victory. Without the formation's support, with Qian Zheng's combat strength, there would be absolutely no hope of defeating a sword cultivator.
Lu Shenzhi stood still and smiled gently at him, a smile that made Qian Zheng even more flustered. He tried again to contact his magic array, but it remained completely silent and unresponsive.
In a flash, Qian Zheng's first reaction was to admit defeat.
Judging from the power of that first sword strike, Lu Shenzhi is definitely a top-tier swordsman. Without the magic array, he has no chance to fight back.
But at this moment, he couldn't help but think of yesterday's bet; those who came to bail him out and those who voluntarily admitted defeat were all cowards...
Qian Zheng gritted his teeth, and hesitated for a moment.
In that instant, Lu Shenzhi swung his snow-white longsword, and several blades flew rapidly toward Qian Zheng as his sword light moved.
Those sword blades, like Lu Shenzhi's spirit sword, gleamed with a silvery-white color. Upon closer inspection, each blade was wreathed in arcs of lightning, making them look quite terrifying.
Qian Zheng's heart leaped into his throat. The lightning-infused blade was already close at hand. He didn't have time to think about why his earth-elemental formation had released a lightning blade, and why it was aimed at him. At that moment, Qian Zheng's pupils dilated, and he instinctively summoned his defensive magic weapon. At the same time, he shouted, "I surrender!"
Although the opponent can no longer attack after admitting defeat, there is no way to stop the moves that are already in progress.
Nine lightning sword blades instantly rushed towards Qian Zheng.
This was his third defensive artifact. It has to be said that he was right about one thing: he did have quite a lot of defensive artifacts.
This time, the defensive artifact was a shield. When it was activated, it opened up and stood in front of Qian Zheng to block the incoming lightning blades.
The shield could effectively absorb damage from the outside world, so much so that when the nine swords hit him, their power was reduced by more than half.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
