Shi Xuan and Xiang Rong both finished their battle quickly, with Shi Xuan winning easily and Xiang Rong suffering a swift defeat.
After stepping off the stage, Xiang Rong cried out in despair, "Waaah, I don't know what got into Dong Jingwei today. He acted like he didn't recognize me and attacked me without any mercy. I used to think he was at least a person of character, but now he seems to be completely heartless!"
"Try to think more positively," Shi Xuan said casually. "At least half of the disciples who participated in the mini-exam will have the same result if you face them. Wouldn't it make you happier if you thought about it that way?"
Xiang Rong: ...
I'm even more unhappy now!
"Can you say something I want to hear?" Xiang Rong stared at her with her round eyes, demanding that Shi Xuan change her words.
Shi Xuan nodded: "I'm certain that with your abilities, you won't become one of the five janitors."
Xiang Rong slapped her shoulder in anger, deciding never to seek comfort from her again. She never wanted to experience that unique pain-distraction comfort method she was using again!
The first round of competition ended quite quickly. An hour later, all the brothers had finished their matches, and the winning and losing teams were matched again by drawing lots.
This time, Shi Xuan's opponent was... another "bottom five" candidate, who could be said to be the weakest in the entire winners' bracket.
Xiang Rong was at a loss for words.
"Why! Why are you so lucky! I refuse to accept this!"
Shi Xuan comforted her again, saying, "There's nothing to be upset about. I could win against anyone here, so it doesn't matter who I draw. Does thinking like that make you happier?"
Xiang Rong: ...
"Every time you ask me if I'll be happier, I'm not happier at all!"
“That’s not my fault,” Shi Xuan said seriously. “It just means your standards are too high.”
Xiang Rong pouted, deciding once again that she would never seek comfort from Shi Xuan again!
Just then, a loud bang erupted on the sword-fighting platform, sending up plumes of smoke and dust.
Shi Xuan looked closely and saw that the game in progress was between Dong Jingwei and Cheng Rui. To everyone's surprise, Cheng Rui fell heavily onto the stage and did not move for a long time.
His opponent, Dong Jingwei, had a somewhat sinister and terrifying expression on his face, as if he was completely immersed in the fight and had lost his mind. He had not yet come out.
His approach to Cheng Rui was extremely fierce; if it weren't for the fact that it was during a sect test, people would have thought he truly wanted to kill his opponent.
After catching his breath, Cheng Rui, who was on the ground, immediately said, "I forfeit."
The disciples below were all utterly astonished.
Dong Jingwei actually defeated Cheng Rui! How is that possible!
In terms of strength, Cheng Rui is definitely the top swordsman among this year's disciples. During the time when Shi Xuan went out to participate in the Six Sects Alchemy Competition, Cheng Rui, as their only personal disciple and the recognized strongest, was far superior to Dong Jingwei.
How could Dong Jingwei possibly defeat Cheng Rui?!
The peak masters in the stands were also somewhat surprised. Cheng Rui was one of the most promising disciples of this year, so his strength shouldn't be this weak. Or rather, Dong Jingwei's performance today was too overwhelming.
After winning the match and stepping off the stage, Dong Jingwei lowered his head and remained silent. Seeing this, the other disciples dared not get too close to him, as they felt that he was surrounded by a cold and gloomy aura, forming his own world.
When Shi Xuan's divine sense touched him, he felt something was wrong, a strange feeling, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
Shi Xuan tapped the soul-nourishing wooden plaque hanging at his waist. "Does Senior Brother know what's going on here?"
Lu Shenzhi said, "There is a problem, but it's not immediately apparent."
Even the eldest brother couldn't tell. Shi Xuan observed for a while longer. Could it be that he had eaten some evil pill that could quickly boost his cultivation? But that didn't seem likely, mainly because even his behavior was somewhat different.
The mini-tests continued, and after three more rounds of competition, only two people remained in the winners' group—Shi Xuan and Dong Jingwei.
Dong Jingwei had achieved a winning streak all the way to the end; when did his strength become so formidable? Besides Cheng Rui, he even defeated Qin Yongxin and Zhang Ping, whose cultivation levels were slightly higher than his own at Siyuan Peak, completely changing everyone's perception of him.
But Dong Jingwei's behavior was a bit off. He hadn't said a word since entering the sword-fighting arena. When he wasn't on stage, he would sit alone in a corner with his head down, acting like a stranger who shouldn't be approached. This was a far cry from his usual flamboyant self, as if he were a completely different person.
Only Shi Xuan and Dong Jingwei remained to compete for first place. Under normal circumstances, Dong Jingwei would definitely lose to Shi Xuan. Even before Shi Xuan had formally learned swordsmanship, Shi Xuan had won their duel, let alone now.
But judging from Dong Jingwei's momentum today, it seems that he is invincible and even Shi Xuan may not be his match.
The final match was about to begin. Shi Xuan stood up and calmly flicked the hem of her dress.
"Be careful of Dong Jingwei, something's not right with him."
Shi Xuan turned around and saw that it was Cheng Rui, who was injured, who was speaking. His face was still a little pale, and it seemed that he had fallen quite hard, turning from a cold beauty into a sickly beauty.
Shi Xuan nodded to him, then turned and strode confidently onto the sword-fighting platform.
Upon closer inspection, Dong Jingwei's strangeness became even more pronounced. His complexion appeared even paler than Cheng Rui's, who was injured, and he exuded a gloomy aura that made people extremely uncomfortable.
The final match has begun.
Dong Jingwei suddenly approached Shi Xuan at an unusual angle and thrust out a sword.
Shi Xuan used the Micro Cloud Step to quickly dodge to the side, but before he could even stand still, Dong Jingwei's second attack arrived.
Wow, that's fast!
These two moves are not exactly the same as those made by Dong Jingwei last time, but they have absolutely no relation to each other.
How could a legitimate disciple of the Sword Sect, who doesn't practice evil arts, undergo such a drastic change in such a short time? Could it be... that he has been possessed?
Upon realizing this possibility, Shi Xuan was also startled. She immediately switched from defense to offense, swiftly drawing her sword. She wielded her spirit sword with impenetrable skill.
Shi Xuan moved extremely fast; if it were an ordinary disciple, they would probably have been overwhelmed long ago.
But Shi Xuan was fast, and Dong Jingwei was fast too. His speed was so fast that he left afterimages, and none of the attack moves he used were sword techniques taught by the Lianfeng Sword Sect.
In the stands, Lin Daozi jumped to his feet. There was definitely something wrong with Dong Jingwei!
Shi Mingxiu, who was next to him, tugged at his sleeve and said, "Don't rush, let's take a look first."
Shi Xuan possessed a powerful divine sense, but his cultivation level was still not up to par. With the blessing of the myriad things giving birth to life, the seventh level of Qi Refining was unmatched below the Foundation Establishment stage, but this "Dong Jingwei's" cultivation level was clearly far beyond the Foundation Establishment stage.
Sometimes, even if Shi Xuan had seen through his next move, his speed of action could not keep up with the command of his divine sense.
As their speed increased dramatically, they had exchanged more than ten moves in the blink of an eye.
Dong Jingwei launched a series of close-range attacks. Shi Xuan dodged the first move, but although he knew the direction of the second move, he didn't have time to dodge. He only managed to turn to the side in a hurry to avoid vital parts, but his exposed shoulder took a hard blow!
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