"What?!" Ji Yanzhi froze. "It's not a sonic attack?"
In that split second of distraction, Zhu Yinxi suddenly vanished from his spot. When he reappeared, he was already behind his opponent, his jade flute striking the back of Ji Yanzhi's head with a dull thud.
"Bang!"
Ji Yanzhi's vision went dark as he stumbled a few steps. He spun around in a panic, only to see the jade flute aiming straight for the center of his face again.
"Clang!"
In his haste, Ji Yanzhi used a talisman to block, but the force of the blow left his arm numb. He realized with a jolt of alarm that Zhu Yinxi's close-combat skills were terrifyingly high!
"You..." Ji Yanzhi gasped in disbelief. "How can you use a flute to hit people like that!"
Zhu Yinxi offered a faint smile but didn't bother answering. The jade flute descended again, striking like a flurry of raindrops.
Ji Yanzhi dodged awkwardly, but several of Zhu Yinxi's feints with the flute threw off his rhythm. The temporary deafness caused by his own activated soundproofing talismans severely hampered his judgment. He tried to counterattack, only to find that his talismans couldn't be properly deployed at such close range.
Ji Yanzhi knew he couldn't let this drag on. He had to stop using the soundproofing talismans!
"Damn it!" He gritted his teeth and forced a teleportation talisman to activate, putting some distance between them. Just as he regained his footing, he heard Zhu Yinxi say softly, "Too late."
A water dragon roared across the arena, slamming into him and throwing him clear off the platform.
"Five Elements Dao Sect's Zhu Yinxi wins!" the referee announced loudly.
Xiang Lin bolted upright, staring in disbelief at the defeated Ji Yanzhi. Finally, he let out a heavy sigh.
The other elders looked as if they wanted to say something, but in the end, they all chose to remain silent.
"The Five Elements Dao Sect..." Xiang Lin narrowed his eyes. "We really do need to watch them..."
Unlike the heavy atmosphere over at the Wuji Sect, the Five Elements Dao Sect was a scene of celebration.
Duan Xianxing rushed up to Zhu Yinxi as soon as he stepped off the stage. "Second Senior Brother, when did you learn that move?"
Feng Qingping turned her gaze toward Li Nanzhu. "Little Junior Sister, be honest—did you teach Second Senior Brother that?"
Holding Suisui in her arms, Li Nanzhu's eyes sparkled. "That's right, I taught him!"
Mu Wenyan chuckled softly. "The Sword Heart Sect is going to have a headache now."
"Alright." Jiang Yifan stood up. "It's my turn now."
He walked toward the arena. His opponent for this round was Wen Qianhui of the Xuan Tian Sect—the very person Feng Qingping had deliberately lost to in her previous match.
Wen Qianhui wore a look of utter contempt. Though Jiang Yifan felt a flicker of discomfort, his expression remained impassive as he spoke.
"Jiang Yifan, Five Elements Dao Sect."
Wen Qianhui sneered. "Wen Qianhui, Xuan Tian Sect."
He flourished his sword. "I heard you only beat the Sword Heart Sect's Qu Chen in your last match because you relied entirely on magic tools?" His bronze sword pointed directly at Jiang Yifan. "What kind of dumb luck did the Five Elements Dao Sect stumble into this year?"
Below the stage, the faces of the Five Elements Dao Sect members darkened instantly.
Duan Xianxing nearly jumped out of his seat. "What the hell are you talking about!"
Li Nanzhu was trembling with rage, and Suisui's soul fire flickered violently in her arms. Feng Qingping had squeezed her array flags until they were deformed, and Feng Weilan's blade was practically vibrating in its sheath. The gold patterns on Zhu Yinxi's jade flute glowed faintly, and even the usually gentle Mu Wenyan had lost his smile entirely.
Wen Qianhui ignored their reactions and continued his mockery. "I heard that Duan Xianxing fellow—the one with the Natural Sword Physique—is acting like a little tagalong at the Sword Heart Sect every day now?" He let out a scoff. "As expected, a trash sect only produces trash disciples! Even its own members are disgusted with it!"
"Oh, right." He looked at Jiang Yifan with mock interest. "That Feng Qingping before wasn't much either. I knocked her off with just a few casual strikes. It looks like you aren't any better than she was."
The moment the words left his mouth, Feng Weilan drew his long blade, looking ready to storm the arena and hack Wen Qianhui to pieces!
Feng Qingping sensed his intent immediately and pinned him down.
No matter what Wen Qianhui said, they couldn't go up there, or they would be violating the rules of the assembly!
"Sixth Senior Brother, stay calm." Li Nanzhu also gripped Feng Weilan's sleeve tightly. "We'll have plenty of chances later!"
"Trust your fourth senior brother." Mu Wenyan patted his shoulder, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Don't make things difficult for Fifth Junior Sister."
At those words, Feng Weilan went still.
Li Nanzhu raised an eyebrow. As expected, mentioning Fifth Senior Sister was the key. Next time Sixth Senior Brother got worked up, just saying Feng Qingping's name would be more effective than anything else.
On the stage, Wen Qianhui's insults continued. "If you ask me, your Five Elements Dao Sect is just a bunch of losers! Reaching the top two at the Foundation Establishment stage was nothing but pure luck! Honestly, I didn't think you'd be able to smash your way in here by relying solely on magic tools."
He patted his bronze sword. "Today, I'll show you what real strength looks like!"
As soon as he said that, a deathly silence fell over the Sword Heart Sect's seating area.
Qu Chen stood up abruptly, his heavy sword hitting the ground with a loud clang.
Cang Dongqing's teacup shattered in her hand, splashing tea all over her. Pei Ji's face was so dark it looked like it could drip ink. "That absolute idiot..."
Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao narrowed his eyes. "The younger generation of the Xuan Tian Sect certainly has a big mouth."
Le Changxi sneered. "According to him, if we lost to the Five Elements Dao Sect, doesn't that make us even worse than trash?"
A layer of frost had already formed on Lin Shuang's scabbard. "The boy doesn't know his place."
Finally, Cang Dongqing smiled as she gathered the shards of her cup. She said softly, "Master, Senior Brothers and Sisters, please don't be angry. Since this Wen Qianhui is so confident, why don't we see... if his strength can actually match his eloquence?"
The implication was clear. Everyone turned their focus back to the arena.
The spectators also sensed the chilling aura coming from the Sword Heart Sect and fell silent. Only Wen Qianhui's arrogant voice echoed through the venue.
Meanwhile, the Xuan Tian Sect elder watching from below was nearly frantic. He never expected Wen Qianhui to be so reckless with his words!
One side was the current top sect, and the other was the former top sect. Even ignoring the sects themselves, both sides were backed by Soul Transformation stage experts!
Where did Wen Qianhui get the nerve?!
He didn't dare look at the other sections, fearing that a single glance would bring trouble his way. Just the gaze coming from Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao was enough to make him break out in a cold sweat.
Now, he could only pray that Wen Qianhui would win this match. He had to win, no matter what!
If he won, it would at least prove he had the strength to back up his words...
But if he lost...
The elder pushed the thought out of his mind, too terrified to contemplate the consequences.
'Wen Qianhui, you must win!'
Jiang Yifan simply stood there. He waited for Wen Qianhui to finish before speaking calmly. "Are you done?"
Wen Qianhui gave a provocative smile.
The referee finally received the signal to start and shouted hurriedly.
"Begin!"
The words had barely left his lips when Jiang Yifan's body shot forward like a bolt of lightning!
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