Feng Weilan slowly walked onto the arena. Opposite him stood Nan Ziling, dressed in a dark green robe.
As a disciple of the Shenmu Sect, which was famous for alchemy, it was truly rare for him to fight his way into the top twenty-five.
"To think someone from the Shenmu Sect could make it this far..." Duan Xianxing rubbed his chin. "Not simple at all."
Zhu Yinxi's brow furrowed slightly. "While the Shenmu Sect focuses primarily on alchemy, their cultivation techniques are not to be underestimated. They have a subtle similarity to those of Mu Qingwan, whom our little junior sister encountered before."
Li Nanzhu nodded. "I remember the records mentioning that this Zhou Ziling is the only disciple in a hundred years from the Shenmu Sect who has perfectly combined poison arts with wood-attribute techniques."
"Last time, Junior Sister's life force countered Mu Qingwan. I wonder what our sixth senior brother will do this time..."
On the arena, Zhou Ziling took out a jade box from his sleeve. Inside lay three seeds glowing with a faint blue light, their surfaces covered in eerie patterns.
"Fellow Daoist Feng," Zhou Ziling cupped his hands. "Please, guide me."
Feng Weilan nodded slightly, and his long blade was already unsheathed.
"Begin the match!"
Zhou Ziling struck first. With a flick of his finger, the three seeds shot out, erupting into a blinding blue light the moment they hit the ground.
Countless vines burst from the earth. These vines were a deep, ghostly blue, covered in thorns that constantly seeped a purple-black venom.
Feng Weilan did not dare to be careless. Gold and earth spiritual energy intertwined on his blade, forming a sturdy barrier. He moved rapidly through the vines, each strike precisely severing the vine nodes.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
With three consecutive strikes, three main vines were severed. However, the severed vines healed instantly and split into even more branches. In the blink of an eye, the entire arena was covered in ghostly blue vines.
"It’s useless," Zhou Ziling said, his hands forming seals. "My soul-siphoning vines only multiply the more you cut them."
Feng Weilan's gaze narrowed as he suddenly changed his moves.
He stopped slashing at the vines and instead poured earth-attribute spiritual energy into his blade, slamming it into the ground.
Boom!
The arena shook violently as a circular wave of earth spread outward. Everywhere it passed, the vines were crushed to dust. This time, the severed vines failed to regenerate.
"Nice!" Duan Xianxing shouted excitedly, causing the surrounding spectators to look at him with displeasure.
Seeing this, Li Nanzhu quickly covered his mouth and pulled him to the side.
At this moment, Zhou Ziling remained unhurried. A small, emerald-green snake suddenly darted out from his sleeve. "Go!"
The green wood spirit snake shot out with lightning speed, moving faster than the naked eye could track.
Feng Weilan dodged hastily, but he was still bitten on the wrist. Immediately, a sensation of numbness spread up his arm.
"He’s poisoned!" Li Nanzhu cried out.
"There was no mention of this spirit pet in the records!" Feng Qingping also showed a solemn expression.
"I suspect the Beast Taming Sect provided it," Jiang Yifan said with a dark expression. "Didn't that person say the Sword Heart Sect had allied with at least four other sects..."
No matter how anxious the people below the stage were, the battle on the field had already reached a white-hot stage.
Seeing he was bitten, Feng Weilan acted decisively. He used his left fingers like a blade to slice open a wound, channeling his power to force out the poisoned blood. Simultaneously, his right hand never stopped swinging the long blade, slashing toward Zhou Ziling.
Zhou Ziling clearly had not expected Feng Weilan to remain so fierce after being poisoned. In his haste, he only managed to twist his body to avoid a vital strike, but a blade qi left a bloody gash across his shoulder.
"You..." Zhou Ziling's expression changed. "You can actually withstand the venom of the green wood spirit snake?"
Feng Weilan did not answer; his offensive grew even more ferocious.
His blade techniques seemed simple, yet every strike carried the weight of a thousand pounds. Zhou Ziling was forced to retreat repeatedly, continuously releasing various poisonous substances to block the attacks.
Bang!
After another heavy blow, Zhou Ziling was shaken back seven steps, a trace of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. He gritted his teeth, formed a seal, and suddenly took a crimson pill from his robe and swallowed it.
"A burning blood pill!" Zhu Yinxi’s face paled. "He’s burning his essence blood to boost his cultivation!"
After taking the pill, Zhou Ziling's aura surged, and a bloody light radiated from his body. With a wave of his hands, countless poisonous vines flew from his sleeves, each one carrying a piercing blood-red light.
Feng Weilan did not dodge. Gold and earth spiritual energy fused on his blade, turning into a chaotic blade light that met the attack head-on.
Boom!
The two forces collided, triggering a massive explosion.
Once the dust settled, both men were seen half-kneeling on the ground, blood at the corners of their mouths.
"Both sides are down..." Duan Xianxing murmured.
Feng Weilan struggled to stand, using his long blade to prop up his body.
His robes were riddled with holes from the corrosive venom, and his exposed skin was covered in greenish-purple poison spots, but his eyes remained as sharp as blades.
Zhou Ziling also tried to stand, but he suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood and collapsed backward—the backlash of the burning blood pill, combined with his previous injuries, finally made it impossible for him to hold on.
"Arena Nine: Feng Weilan of the Five Elements Dao Sect wins!"
As the referee announced the result, Feng Qingping had already rushed onto the arena to support the staggering Feng Weilan. "Weilan!"
Feng Weilan managed a weak smile. "...I'm fine." After saying that, he fainted.
By the time Li Nanzhu and the others rushed over, the match notification sounded again.
"Arena Eleven: Li Nanzhu of the Five Elements Dao Sect versus Leng Ruxiang of the Mysterious Ice Valley!"
"Junior Sister, go to your match. I've got him here." Feng Qingping patted Li Nanzhu's shoulder before lifting Feng Weilan onto her back and quickly heading back to their residence. Mu Wenyan, the second senior brother, went with her.
As Li Nanzhu walked onto the arena, her mind was still replaying Feng Weilan's battle.
Opposite her, Leng Ruxiang had been standing quietly for some time, dressed in an ice-blue gown, her very breath carrying a trail of white mist.
"Fellow Daoist Li," Leng Ruxiang nodded slightly. "Please."
Rarely, Li Nanzhu did not respond verbally, only nodding in silence.
Once the command to begin the match was given, Leng Ruxiang struck first with a palm strike. The temperature on the arena plummeted, and a layer of thick ice instantly froze the ground.
Li Nanzhu did not dare to delay, immediately circulating the Kalpa Fire Dance Sutra as crimson flames ignited on her sword tip.
Bang!
Ice and fire collided, sending clouds of white mist into the air.
Leng Ruxiang's transitions were incredibly fast. Every palm strike carried a bone-chilling cold, attacking from different directions; a single lapse in concentration would lead to frozen meridians.
Seeing this, Li Nanzhu's sword style also shifted. She stopped meeting the attacks head-on and instead used water-attribute spiritual energy to perform the Xuanze Two-Polarity Sutra.
Her swordplay became as soft and fluid as water, the blade drawing arcs that redirected the incoming ice palm force one by one.
Sizzle—
A palm wind brushed past Li Nanzhu's left shoulder, and her sleeve was instantly covered in a layer of white frost.
Li Nanzhu felt a sharp sting in her left arm as the flow of spiritual energy became sluggish. She immediately changed her move, the fire-attribute spiritual energy on her sword surging to force out the cold air that had invaded her body.
"Mysterious Ice Sealing the Heavens!" Leng Ruxiang changed her technique again, pressing her palms together as a bone-chilling current swept across the entire field.
Li Nanzhu sensed danger and retreated rapidly. At the same time, her left hand quickly formed water-attribute seals while her right hand's sword ignited with fire, manifesting water and fire spiritual energy simultaneously.
Boom!
The clash of ice and fire produced a violent explosion.
When the dust settled, Li Nanzhu's sword tip was stopped three inches from Leng Ruxiang's throat, while Leng Ruxiang's palm wind was pressed against her heart.
"A draw?"
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