With the referee's final verdict, the group from the Five Elements Dao Sect watching from the sidelines finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Feng Qingping rubbed her stiff cheeks from laughing too much and turned to look at Li Nanzhu. "Little Junior Sister, this idea of yours is truly..."
"As for matters of sword cultivators, how can you call it taking a shortcut?" Li Nanzhu blinked, imitating the rogue tone Duan Xianxing usually used. "This is called tactical innovation."
Zhu Yinxi gently stroked his jade flute, approval in his eyes. "Indeed. The rules only state that one cannot use magic tools refined by others; they never said one couldn't bring a few extra swords."
Mu Wenyan looked thoughtfully at Duan Xianxing, who was currently retracting his swords in the arena. "However, the other sects will definitely modify the rules to address this next."
"That doesn't matter." Li Nanzhu gave a cunning smile. "What our Five Elements Dao Sect is best at is adapting to whatever moves the opponent makes."
"The fact that they have to keep changing the rules because of us only proves one thing: they are wary of us. They fear our Five Elements Dao Sect."
"Little Junior Sister is right!" Duan Xianxing chimed in, having just jumped off the stage and hearing Li Nanzhu's words. He was the first to offer his support.
"How was my performance just now? Wasn't I super amazing?"
"Seventh Senior Brother is so amazing~" Li Nanzhu intentionally dragged out her tone. "Five whole swords~"
Duan Xianxing sat down carelessly on a chair. "You bet! We sword cultivators emphasize devotion—what's wrong with being devoted to finding a few more wives?"
At this moment, he had long forgotten his initial single-mindedness toward 'Wait a Moment'. He couldn't help it; having more was simply too useful.
In response, he received a sharp rap on the head from Feng Qingping. "Stop corrupting Little Junior Sister!"
"Ow! Ow! I was wrong! Fifth Senior Sister!" Duan Xianxing immediately clutched his head and begged for mercy.
"Alright, alright." Mu Wenyan raised a hand to stop the bickering among his juniors. "It'll be Little Junior Sister's turn in a moment. Tianyan Sect's Yun Wuchen... I'm afraid it won't be that easy for her against him."
"First Senior Brother, you're wrong about that!" Duan Xianxing raised his hand to signal his turn to speak. "When it comes to who can pull off more underhanded tricks, who can beat Little Junior Sister... Ow!"
This time, Feng Qingping didn't even need to act. Li Nanzhu couldn't stop herself from giving him a rap on the head. What did he mean by underhanded tricks!
That was clearly a perfectly legitimate strategy!
Furthermore, Li Nanzhu actually had an impression of this Yun Wuchen's name.
After all, in the original story, he was one of Cang Dongqing's suitors. Or rather, almost the entire generation of direct disciples of the Tianyan Sect became Cang Dongqing's supporters, which was even more absurd than the Sword Heart Sect.
She wondered if he had already established a connection with Cang Dongqing's side...
Meanwhile, at the nearby Tianyan Sect area.
Yun Wuchen and his other senior brothers were currently frowning deeply, and the expression of the white-bearded old man beside them wasn't great either.
"This... why are these hexagrams so strange?"
"Master, did you calculate it wrong?"
"Yeah, yeah," everyone chimed in at once. Then, each of them received a 'stroke of love' on their heads.
The white-bearded old man's beard practically curled up in anger.
"Every single one of you is questioning your master now? Do you understand what you're studying better than I do?"
"So, what do these hexagrams actually mean?" Yun Wuchen's eldest senior brother, Yun Xuanji, scratched his hair while staring at the copper coins scattered on the ground. "Why do they form an S-shape one moment and a B-shape the next?"
The white-bearded old man's beard bristled. "Vile disciple! This is the Tianyan Nine Palaces Hexagram! What do you mean by S-shape and B-shape!"
Second Senior Brother Yun Xingyan squatted on the ground and poked a copper coin. "But Master, the hexagram really does..."
"Shut up!" The old man slapped the back of Yun Xingyan's head. "You lot are a bunch of unlearned fools! You can't even understand the most basic hexagrams!"
Third Senior Brother Yun Guaming weakly raised his hand. "Master, I think I understand... Is the hexagram saying that it's not a good day for us to go out?"
"Bullshit!" The old man kicked over the divination tray. "This is a sign of chaotic heavenly secrets and the reversal of yin and yang! It means we will encounter a variable today!"
Yun Wuchen asked cautiously, "Then... is this variable good or bad?"
The old man narrowed his eyes and suddenly stared at Yun Wuchen. "Who is your opponent today?"
"Five Elements Dao Sect's Li Nanzhu..." Before Yun Wuchen could finish, he was kicked by the old man toward the arena.
"Heaven's secrets must not be revealed! Hurry up and get on that stage to compete!"
Before Yun Wuchen could react, he was sent soaring into the air, flying toward the arena in an extremely ungraceful posture.
Just as Li Nanzhu stepped onto the stairs, she saw a gray shadow crashing toward her and quickly ducked to the side.
Thud!
Yun Wuchen crashed face-first onto the edge of the arena, stirring up a cloud of dust. The audience fell silent instantly, and even the referee was dumbstruck.
The corner of Li Nanzhu's mouth twitched—this was a far cry from the descriptions in the original novel.
In the original work, the disciples of the Tianyan Sect all had an ethereal and immortal air. What was with this guy lying on the ground with his backside in the air? He couldn't be a fake, could he?
In the audience, Duan Xianxing spat out a mouthful of tea. "Hahaha! Is the Tianyan Sect performing an 'aerial acrobat' act?"
Feng Qingping massaged her forehead. "They are one of the Eight Sects, after all. This is a bit too..."
"Cough, cough..." Yun Wuchen struggled to climb up, brushing the dust off his Daoist robes. When he looked up, he happened to meet Li Nanzhu's peculiar gaze.
Their eyes met, and the air suddenly froze.
Alarm bells immediately rang in Li Nanzhu's mind: Is this the supposedly cold and aloof Yun Wuchen from the original story? Why does he look like a complete idiot? Could he have been hexed by Cang Dongqing? No, that look in his eyes isn't right! So he has already linked up with her, has he? It seems I must finish this match quickly and not give him any chances!
Meanwhile, inside Yun Wuchen's mind: Master said I would encounter a variable today... Could it be her? She looks so fierce; could she be here to collect a debt? I haven't owed anyone money lately...
Both of them instantly solidified their own assumptions, and the expressions they used to look at each other became increasingly strange.
"Arena Two: Li Nanzhu of the Five Elements Dao Sect versus Yun Wuchen of the Tianyan Sect!"
The referee's voice made the atmosphere between the two even more tense.
"Match begin!"
As soon as the words fell, Li Nanzhu flicked her Wanxiang Brush. Three water arrows shot toward Yun Wuchen in a triangular formation. The latter, however, calmly took half a step to the side. The water arrows grazed the edge of his clothes without even dampening the fabric.
"Huh?" Li Nanzhu frowned slightly and followed up with five consecutive fireballs. As if he had anticipated it, Yun Wuchen turned gracefully a few times, and all the fireballs missed their mark.
In the audience, Duan Xianxing's eyes widened. "How can this guy act like he can predict the future?"
On the arena, Li Nanzhu suddenly remembered that the Tianyan Sect specialized most in the art of deduction! This guy must be secretly calculating the trajectory of her attacks.
At that thought, she intentionally slowed her movements. She slowly raised her Wanxiang Brush, making a feint to attack. Yun Wuchen indeed moved to the left in advance. To his surprise, the tip of Li Nanzhu's brush suddenly pivoted. "Vine Bind!"
Several vines sprouted from the ground on the right. Caught off guard, Yun Wuchen's right foot was firmly ensnared. Surprise flashed across his face; he clearly hadn't expected this move.
"Just as I thought." The corner of Li Nanzhu's mouth curled up. "Let's see how long you can keep up your deductions!"
She no longer followed any predictable patterns, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, her transitions between moves completely irregular.
Yun Wuchen's anticipations began to fail frequently, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Rate on N.U.
