Qu Chen clutched his left shoulder and stepped down from the arena, his heavy sword dragging a shallow trail along the ground.
When he returned to the Sword Heart Sect's viewing stand, his eyes met Duan Xianxing's.
"Hmph!" Qu Chen snorted coldly. He wanted to say something, but remembering what had happened in the Forest of Demonic Beasts, he ultimately walked away with a cold expression.
Duan Xianxing, who was munching on a spirit fruit, looked puzzled by the snort. "Did he skip breakfast?"
Qu Chen walked straight to the seats where Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao was located.
He dropped to one knee, propping himself up with his heavy sword. "Master, your disciple was incompetent and failed to win."
Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao raised a hand to signal him to rise. "It matters not. That Jiang Yifan used nine magic tools in a row, most of them consumables. Such a fighting style is simply unreasonable."
Qu Chen still kept his head down. "But I should have seen through his tactics..."
"Stand up," Ling Xiao said, his tone softening. "It was inevitable that the Five Elements Dao Sect would enter the team battle. By making him exhaust so many magic tools today, you've saved us some trouble later."
Pei Ji stood to the side, hugging his sword. "Third Junior Brother, do not blame yourself. If Jiang Yifan truly had strength, why would he rely entirely on magic tools? It’s clearly because his own cultivation is insufficient."
Qu Chen finally straightened up, his expression clearing slightly. "Thank you, Master. Thank you, Senior Brother."
Cang Dongqing handed over a cup of spiritual tea. "Have some tea to relax, Third Junior Brother. Since Jiang Yifan used so many consumable magic tools, he won't be able to bring out many more during the team battle."
Lin Shuang pursed her lips and eventually spoke up. "Furthermore, the fact that he has to rely on magic tools against his enemies shows that his true strength is nowhere near yours, Senior Brother Qu."
Qu Chen took the tea, his expression finally relaxing. "Thank you all for the kind words."
Cang Dongqing lightly touched her tea cup and smiled. "Besides, their Senior Brother Duan with the Natural Sword Physique is now already..." she smiled meaningfully.
Le Changxi said coldly, "I just didn't expect the Five Elements Dao Sect to be so wealthy and generous, even willing to throw away so many consumable magic tools."
"It matters not." Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao waved his hand. "Once they get into the team battle, no amount of magic tools will be enough." He looked toward the arena. "What we should focus on now is the battle between Zhu Yinxi and Yun Xuanji."
At this time, Zhu Yinxi held a jade flute in his arms, his white robes as pure as snow. His gaze swept over Li Nanzhu, who was watching from below; his little junior sister's warning from yesterday still rang in his ears.
"Second Senior Brother, you must have noticed during the fight against Yun Wuchen that the Tianyan Sect excels most at the art of deduction. That Yun Xuanji is Yun Wuchen's second senior brother, so he will definitely predict your attack trajectories."
Zhu Yinxi withdrew his gaze and looked at Yun Xuanji opposite him. The latter held a jade ruler, his expression calm.
The moment the match began, Yun Xuanji took the lead. With a light tap of his jade ruler, countless crystalline threads shot out, descending upon Zhu Yinxi like an inescapable net.
Zhu Yinxi remained unfazed. His fingers formed a seal as a surge of blue spiritual energy flowed in his palm. "Water Curtain of the Heavens!"
A azure curtain of water appeared out of nowhere, blocking all the incoming threads.
A flash of surprise crossed Yun Xuanji's eyes; Zhu Yinxi's control over water-element techniques was clearly beyond his expectations, but he immediately changed his move.
This time, the threads were chaotic and disorganized, hiding a deadly intent.
Zhu Yinxi's footwork shifted as his hands formed another seal. "Water Dragon's Cry!"
A water dragon soared from his palm, scattering the incoming threads one by one.
Li Nanzhu watched intently from below. "Second Senior Brother's water-element techniques have become even more refined..."
Compared to that disorganized column of water he had shown her when they first met, the difference was like heaven and earth—though she couldn't rule out the possibility that he had simply been startled by her back then.
On the arena, Zhu Yinxi's water dragon clashed violently with Yun Xuanji's threads, sending water splashing everywhere. A starlight shimmered in Yun Xuanji's eyes as his left hand inconspicuously brushed the end of the jade ruler.
"Bind!" Yun Xuanji suddenly changed his move. The threads transformed into countless tiny snakes, coiling toward Zhu Yinxi from every tricky angle.
Zhu Yinxi moved lightly, his fingers forming a seal. "Water Shield!"
A mirror made of flowing water emerged in front of him, reflecting all the incoming threads.
Yun Xuanji frowned slightly. His opponent's response was clearly outside his calculations. He tapped his jade ruler repeatedly, and the threads suddenly became sharp, cutting the water mirror into fragments.
Zhu Yinxi remained calm. With another flick of his fingers, the shattered water mirror instantly transformed into countless fine water needles, flying back toward Yun Xuanji.
Just as they were about to hit, Yun Xuanji eerily stepped half a pace to the side, barely avoiding them. Simultaneously, a transparent barrier emerged, and the remaining water needles struck it with a series of crisp metallic pings.
'He really is deducing...' Zhu Yinxi thought to himself.
In the following exchanges, Yun Xuanji was always able to dodge Zhu Yinxi's attacks in advance, as if he could foresee the future. It seemed he no longer intended to clash head-on but chose to fight a battle of attrition.
However, Zhu Yinxi's offensive did not slow down. He noticed that before every prediction, Yun Xuanji's left hand would instinctively brush the end of the jade ruler—that was the subtle movement he made when performing his deductions!
"So that's how it is..." A sharp light flashed in Zhu Yinxi's eyes, and his finger seals suddenly changed!
Nine water dragons rose into the air simultaneously from all directions, each carrying a fierce momentum as they lunged toward Yun Xuanji!
Yun Xuanji's pupils shrank. His left hand immediately brushed the end of the jade ruler as his figure constantly wove through the gaps between the water dragons.
"It's useless," Zhu Yinxi said softly. His finger seals changed again, and the water dragons that had been dodged suddenly exploded, turning into a rain of water needles. In his haste, Yun Xuanji tapped his jade ruler repeatedly. Just as the transparent barrier formed, Zhu Yinxi had already placed the jade flute to his lips.
At the Five Elements Dao Sect's seating area, everyone simultaneously covered their ears. Even Duan Xianxing, in the Sword Heart Sect's viewing area, quickly stuffed two clumps of spiritual energy cotton into his ears.
Just as everyone's confused gazes turned toward them—
"SCREECH—!!!"
A flute sound that seemed to pierce the heavens suddenly erupted. It was like a blunt knife scraping against an iron plate. The entire arena shuddered under the sound waves, and the protective barrier rippled violently.
"Ah!"
Yun Xuanji had already prepared full defenses, but he never expected the sound his opponent produced to be so agonizingly shrill. In his shock, he instinctively used both hands to cover his ears.
In that exact moment, a divine sense attack slammed into his sea of consciousness. The jade ruler in Yun Xuanji's hand fell to the ground with a clang, and traces of blood seeped from his seven orifices.
The spectators and referees below, and even the various sect elders watching, felt as if they had been struck by lightning.
"My ears!!!"
"What kind of demonic sound is this?!"
"Help! I'm going deaf!!"
Only then did they realize why the people from the Five Elements Dao Sect had acted so strangely just moments ago.
They knew exactly how destructive Zhu Yinxi's flute music was!
What kind of decent music cultivator produces a sound like this?!
Zhu Yinxi seized the fleeting opportunity. With a twist of his jade flute, a blue water dragon enveloped in sound waves struck Yun Xuanji's chest directly, blasting him off the arena.
"I... you..." Yun Xuanji collapsed on the ground, two lines of blood trickling from his ears.
The entire venue fell into a dead silence.
After a full ten breaths, the referee finally raised a trembling hand. "The... the Five Elements Dao Sect... Zhu Yinxi wins..."
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