Li Nanzhu glanced at her communication jade slip and quietly slipped away from her seat.
Zhu Yinxi closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, his jade flute faintly shimmering upon his knees. An hour later, Li Nanzhu returned and gave a slight nod to the group.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the hour for the match arrived.
"Pei Ji of the Sword Heart Sect versus Zhu Yinxi of the Five Elements Dao Sect!"
As the referee made the announcement, Zhu Yinxi, clad in white robes as pure as snow, drifted gracefully onto the arena. Pei Ji, dressed in the disciple attire of the Sword Heart Sect with his long sword hanging at his waist, followed closely behind.
Just as the members of the Five Elements Dao Sect were about to speak, Pei Ji suddenly raised a hand. "Wait a Moment."
His voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly across the entire venue, infused with spiritual energy.
The originally noisy spectator stands fell silent instantly. Even the referee, who was about to announce the rules of the match, paused mid-motion.
"I know what you are all concerned about." Pei Ji’s gaze swept across the Five Elements Dao Sect’s seating area before finally landing on Zhu Yinxi. "Since there are those who doubt my condition..."
He pressed the fingers of his right hand together like a sword and drew a bloody gash across his left palm.
Deep red beads of blood floated in the air, gradually forming a complex rune as his fingertips moved.
"I, Pei Ji, hereby swear a heavenly Dao oath—"
The blood talisman suddenly blazed with a blinding red light. Clouds surged and winds howled between heaven and earth as Pei Ji’s voice, amplified by his spiritual energy, resonated throughout the entire competition grounds!
"My condition today is perfect, and I carry no old injuries. In this battle, I shall give my all! If I violate this oath, my Dao heart shall shatter!"
Boom!
A bolt of golden lightning descended from the heavens, shattering the blood rune. The crimson light scattered like golden specks across the sky before finally condensing into a small golden mark that sank into the center of Pei Ji’s brow.
The heavenly Dao had sensed it—the oath was sealed!
The entire venue fell into a momentary hush before exploding into a deafening roar of discussion.
"A heavenly Dao oath?!"
"Pei Ji actually swore such a heavy oath!"
"I thought Pei Ji had exhausted himself significantly, but now it seems he really is strong!"
In the Five Elements Dao Sect’s seats, the group exchanged glances.
Li Nanzhu blinked and looked toward the Shenmu Sect’s spectator area. That kind-looking beautiful woman was staring at the arena, nearly dropping her teacup. It was only thanks to Lin Xiaowan quickly supporting her that she avoided being splashed by the tea.
"It seems we won't be needing that after all." Li Nanzhu spread her hands helplessly.
Feng Qingping put away the memory stone she had prepared and said with a light chuckle, "This certainly saves us some trouble. We don't even need the Shenmu Sect to verify his injuries anymore."
"This Pei Ji..." Duan Xianxing scratched his head, looking incredulous. "How did he suddenly have a change of heart?"
Jiang Yifan gazed toward the Sword Heart Sect’s spectator stand with a contemplative look. "Something is wrong. According to the previous arrangements, this shouldn't have been instructed by Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao."
"Indeed..." Li Nanzhu also frowned slightly. Given Cang Dongqing’s temperament, how could she possibly allow Pei Ji to do this? With her personality, if she had known Pei Ji intended to do this, she would have certainly found a way to stop him.
After all, doing so was in their best interest... Now that things had turned out like this... had some other variable appeared?
In the end, it was Duan Xianxing who spoke. "This is for the best. At least Senior Brother won't have to bear the reputation of winning an unfair fight."
On the arena, a hint of surprise flashed in Zhu Yinxi's eyes, and his expression softened slightly.
At the very least, Pei Ji taking the initiative to swear a heavenly Dao oath was far more dignified than them bringing in people from the Shenmu Sect to inspect his injuries.
Furthermore, even with the Shenmu Sect’s guarantee, people would still doubt if they had bribed the other party. In the end, there was no way to bypass a heavenly Dao oath.
In the Sword Heart Sect’s spectator seats, Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao and Zhao Wufeng looked at each other and let out long sighs. Qi Yunze, standing beside them, had a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"Junior Brother..." Zhao Wufeng closed his eyes. "This second disciple of yours..."
"Uncle," Qi Yunze said softly, "a swordsman should be thus."
Ling Xiao looked toward the arena, his eyes reflecting a mixture of complexity and gratification. "Forget it, forget it. Perhaps... we were wrong."
"The struggles between sects... should not involve you all."
Qi Yunze’s gaze was firm. "The Sword Heart Sect will win." He paused. "But not through such means."
Ling Xiao’s fingertips trembled upon hearing this, but ultimately, he said nothing.
He had occupied a high position for far too long; even if he wanted to say something, he did not know how to start.
On the other spectator stands, the reactions of the various sects varied.
An old man with a white beard from the Tianyan Sect slapped the table in admiration. "Good! This is the spirit a cultivator of our generation should have!"
At the Hehuan Sect’s seats, Rong Yuying covered her crimson lips with her round fan, her beautiful eyes sparkling. "Interesting... Is the Sword Heart Sect about to undergo a change?"
On the arena, Pei Ji’s long sword left its scabbard, the blade pointing directly at Zhu Yinxi. "Fellow Daoist Zhu, please!"
Zhu Yinxi held his jade flute horizontally, a faint green light flowing over the body of the flute. "Please."
The referee nearby let out a long sigh of relief as he saw the two exchange salutations.
"The match begins!"
Pei Ji’s long sword struck like a rainbow, a golden sword qi bursting through the air. "Break!"
Zhu Yinxi tapped his jade flute lightly, and a deep blue water screen manifested out of thin air. "Water Curtain of the Heavens!"
Clang—!
The sword qi collided with the water screen, producing a deafening roar. The resulting shockwave caused the protection array around the arena to tremble violently.
Pei Ji’s figure flickered as his sword momentum abruptly changed. "Slash!"
This strike was as fast as lightning, aimed directly at Zhu Yinxi’s throat. Zhu Yinxi shifted his footwork and spun his jade flute. "Water Dragon's Cry!"
A water dragon roared forth, colliding head-on with the sword qi.
Boom!
The aftershocks of the explosion sent spiderweb-like cracks across the floor of the arena.
On the spectator stands, Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao frowned and raised his hand to perform a hand seal. "Reinforce!"
A beam of golden light shot from his fingertips into the protection array around the arena. The originally tottering barrier instantly became as stable as before.
Battle intent surged even higher in Pei Ji’s eyes as he raised his long sword high!
Seven golden sword qi wove into a net, pressing down upon Zhu Yinxi from all sides. Zhu Yinxi’s expression grew solemn as his jade flute suddenly lit up. "Five Elements Heavenly Sound!"
Five-colored sound waves intertwined into a net, crashing against the sword qi.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Amidst a series of explosions, the arena floor cracked inch by inch.
Zhu Yinxi was blown back three steps by the air current, a trace of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. Pei Ji was similarly struggling; the robes at his chest had been torn open by the sound waves.
"Exhilarating!" Pei Ji laughed loudly. "Again!"
He turned his long sword, and a blinding golden light suddenly erupted from the blade. "Absolute!"
This strike carried the momentum to destroy heaven and earth. Wherever the sword qi passed, even the air produced sharp sonic booms. Zhu Yinxi did not dare to be careless and pressed his jade flute to his lips. "Heavenly Sound Soul-Suppression!"
Screech—!!!
The piercing sound of the flute suddenly exploded. The sound waves and sword qi remained locked in a stalemate in mid-air. The protection array around the arena trembled violently once more, forcing Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao to reinforce it yet again.
Both sides were using means they had never employed before. Whether it was Pei Ji’s sword moves or Zhu Yinxi’s techniques, the spectators were left speechless.
"They were indeed holding back before." Qinghe looked at the two on the arena in disbelief before turning to Rong Yuying.
"Senior Sister, if you were on the arena, could you win?"
Rong Yuying shook her head slightly. "Within two hundred moves, I would certainly be defeated." She paused before continuing, "Unless I used my trump cards, and even then..."
She watched the two fighters who were locked in a fierce struggle.
"They are both still keeping cards up their sleeves."
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