“The sect elders initially wanted to imprison him for further interrogation,” Zhou Zichun said in a low voice. “But that very night… he took his own life under that red maple tree.”
The dining hall fell into a brief silence.
Suisui’s soul fire dimmed slightly, and the little skeleton gently patted the back of Lin Xiaowan’s hand, as if offering comfort.
“So after that, your Shenmu Sect just…”
Zhou Zichun shook his head. “We only told the sect leader and a few elders about this. They told us not to speak of it further, saying… there was no evidence.”
Li Nanzhu pursed her lips, knowing there was no other way. After all, with evidence, unless one was caught in the act, it was nearly impossible to impose any substantial punishment.
As they were speaking, a sudden commotion broke out at the entrance of the dining hall.
Everyone looked up to see a group of Ling Xiao Sect disciples walking in, led by none other than Cang Dongqing.
Lin Xiaowan and the others turned pale instantly, and Zhou Zichun instinctively gripped his sword hilt.
Cang Dongqing seemed to notice them as well. Her gaze lingered on Li Nanzhu for a moment, then narrowed slightly when she saw the group from the Shenmu Sect.
Ultimately, however, she merely smiled and looked away, leading her fellow disciples toward a distant table.
“She… how does she dare…” Lin Xiaowan trembled with rage.
Li Nanzhu gently pressed down on her hand. “Don’t be impulsive. This is the territory of the Sword Heart Sect.”
The bell at Li Nanzhu’s waist suddenly rang softly. She whispered, “It’s getting late; I should head back.”
The others understood and stood up to say their goodbyes.
Lin Xiaowan held Li Nanzhu’s hand reluctantly. “Sister Nanzhu, you must be careful… Cang Dongqing seems to be paying special attention to you.”
“I will,” Li Nanzhu promised solemnly. “Good luck in the upcoming matches as well.”
“We will!”
…
The next morning, the martial arts arena was crowded with people.
Duan Xianxing stretched lazily as he looked at the match list scrolling on the light screen. “Oh, my opponent today is Zhou Meng from the Beast Taming Sect.”
Feng Qingping flipped through a jade slip. “This person has raised an iron-backed azure wolf, which has strength equivalent to the late Foundation Establishment stage. However, his own cultivation is only at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment; he primarily relies on his spirit beast for combat.”
“Simple,” Duan Xianxing grinned. “I’ll hack that wolf apart first!”
Feng Weilan’s opponent was Wu Feng from the Heavenly Blade Sect. He silently wiped his long blade, a flash of fighting spirit in his eyes.
Li Nanzhu’s match was scheduled for the final round, and her opponent turned out to be Liu Yuesheng of the Hehuan Sect—an arrangement that surprised everyone.
“Strange,” Zhu Yinxi frowned. “By all rights, the Sword Heart Sect should have continued targeting us.”
Mu Wenyan said thoughtfully, “Perhaps this is the result of the Hehuan Sect’s behind-the-scenes maneuvering.”
Duan Xianxing’s match was the first to begin.
On the arena, Zhou Meng from the Beast Taming Sect appeared as expected with a majestic iron-backed azure wolf. The beast was nearly half the height of a man, with bone-white fangs and a fierce light in its eyes.
“Match begin!”
Lightning struck the wolf’s back, but it only left a scorched mark. The beast roared in pain and anger, its movements becoming even more violent. Its sharp claws brushed past Duan Xianxing’s cheek, nearly leaving a bloody gash.
“Holy crap!” Duan Xianxing shouted, quickly retreating. “Why is its defense so high?!”
Zhou Meng laughed triumphantly. “It’s useless! My iron-backed azure wolf was specifically bred to counter lightning arts. Its fur has undergone special tempering; ordinary lightning arts can’t hurt it at all!”
A stir went through the spectators.
The members of the Five Elements Dao Sect all frowned—this was clearly a preparation specifically targeted at Duan Xianxing.
“Junior Brother Seven is in danger,” Feng Qingping said deeply.
On the stage, Duan Xianxing was being forced back repeatedly by the azure wolf.
The wolf was incredibly fast, each pounce carrying a sharp whistling sound. More frighteningly, Zhou Meng was waiting for opportunities on the side, constantly forming hand seals to launch spiritual energy attacks.
But Duan Xianxing was not one to be suppressed for long. In just over ten rounds, he found a flaw in the azure wolf’s attack.
Three streaks of sword light flowed like water, striking toward the wolf’s eyes, throat, and abdomen.
The azure wolf dodged hastily, but one of the sword lights still grazed its eye, causing blood to flow instantly.
“Awoo!” The wolf howled in pain, its offensive slowing down.
Zhou Meng’s expression changed, and he quickly formed a seal. “Iron-backed azure wolf, Frenzy!”
Hearing this, the beast’s fur stood on end, its size expanding by thirty percent as its speed suddenly spiked. It no longer pounced blindly but began to circle Duan Xianxing rapidly, searching for a weakness.
Duan Xianxing was secretly startled; he hadn't expected a demonic beast raised by the Beast Taming Sect to have such seamless coordination with a human.
Suddenly, the azure wolf made a feint, luring Duan Xianxing to strike. At the moment his sword momentum was nearly spent, Zhou Meng suddenly attacked, firing three hidden weapons directly at Duan Xianxing’s throat!
At the critical moment, Duan Xianxing demonstrated the terrifying talent of his Natural Sword Physique.
With a flick of his wrist, his sword tip traced a perfect arc in the air, not only knocking away the throwing stars but also forcing back the ambushing wolf with the remaining momentum.
“Good!” Li Nanzhu couldn’t help but cheer.
A sharp light flashed in Duan Xianxing’s eyes as he finally got serious. His sword style shifted again, and his sword speed increased by thirty percent!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sword light fell like rain, landing densely on the azure wolf. Although most of it was blocked by the hard fur, several strikes precisely hit weak points like the joints.
Seeing things go south, Zhou Meng hastily changed tactics. “Iron-backed azure wolf, Combined Attack!”
The wolf suddenly stood on its hind legs, standing back-to-back with Zhou Meng. The human and wolf coordinated perfectly in both offense and defense, actually managing to temporarily block Duan Xianxing’s stormy assault.
“Interesting,” Duan Xianxing suddenly laughed. “Then try this!”
A burst of sword light erupted from the tip of Duan Xianxing’s blade, so fast it was hard to track with the naked eye. The light split into three in mid-air, striking at the vital points of both Zhou Meng and the azure wolf.
Pfft!
The first light pierced the wolf’s right eye, the second entered Zhou Meng’s right shoulder, and the third precisely severed the spirit beast bag at Zhou Meng’s waist.
“Awoo—” The wolf wailed as it fell to the ground, rolling in pain.
Zhou Meng clutched his shoulder and staggered back, his face pale. “You… how is this possible…”
Duan Xianxing sheathed his sword. “Do you surrender?”
Zhou Meng looked at his heavily injured spirit beast and gritted his teeth. “…I surrender.”
“Arena seven, Duan Xianxing of the Five Elements Dao Sect wins!”
Thunderous applause broke out from the sidelines.
Duan Xianxing waved triumphantly and hopped off the arena, but he was caught by his eldest senior brother the moment he stepped down.
“What did I tell you before you went up?” Although Mu Wenyan maintained his gentle smile, it made Duan Xianxing shiver.
“Prioritize safety, take out the person before dealing with the spirit beast…”
“Go back and copy the sword scripture twenty times.”
“Eldest Senior Brother, I was wrong! Nooo!”
Li Nanzhu suppressed her laughter at Duan Xianxing’s dejected look but still poked his arm.
“Senior Brother Seven, how much of your strength did you use just now?”
“About forty percent?” Duan Xianxing scratched his head. “I’ve fought plenty of Foundation Establishment demonic beasts. Didn’t we say we should hide our strength?” He grinned. “So, how was my performance? Pretty good, right?”
“Very impressive,” Li Nanzhu nodded, “except for the part where Eldest Senior Brother is punishing you with copying.”
“Little Junior Sister, help me out!”
The banter between Duan Xianxing and Li Nanzhu continued until Feng Weilan’s match.
Facing the fierce blade techniques of Wu Feng from the Heavenly Blade Sect, Feng Weilan adopted a strategy of meeting speed with speed. Amidst the clashing blades, Feng Weilan keenly captured the opening at the opponent's right ribs when he withdrew his blade.
Shink!
A flash of cold light passed, and Feng Weilan’s long blade was already pressed against Wu Feng’s throat.
“I surrender.” Wu Feng was straightforward, dropping his heavy blade immediately.
“Arena twelve, Feng Weilan of the Five Elements Dao Sect wins!”
By the time Li Nanzhu stepped onto the arena, Liu Yuesheng of the Hehuan Sect was already standing there.
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