Mu Wenyan stepped onto the arena, dressed in white, the Bichen sword at his waist glinting with a cold, piercing light.
Mo Lin, on the opposite side, was still clad in his grey robes, his face betraying no emotional fluctuation.
"Mu Wenyan of the Five Elements Dao Sect. Please advise."
Mu Wenyan's cool voice echoed across the arena.
Mo Lin merely tilted his head slightly. His grey robes swayed gently in the morning breeze, and a hint of a smile that wasn't quite a smile curled the corners of his mouth.
The entire audience immediately erupted into an uproar.
"This cultivator from the Qingming Pavilion is quite insolent!" an old man in the spectator stands frowned. "Does he not even understand basic etiquette?"
"Exactly!" someone nearby immediately chimed in. "He refuses to even announce his background. He looks down on his opponent far too much!"
On the high platform, several Soul Transformation sect leaders also showed displeasure.
Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao's brow furrowed slightly, his fingers tapping gently on the armrest.
The Sect Leader of the Tianyan Sect stroked his beard and shook his head, whispering something to Liu Changhe, the Sect Leader of the Water Moon Sect.
Even Feng Weilan, who usually remained expressionless, frowned.
In the Sword Heart Sect's seating area, Qi Yunze's gaze also became sharp.
Li Nanzhu's heart skipped a beat. Even when Mo Lin had faced the somewhat arrogant Qin Lie earlier, he hadn't behaved like this. Yet, facing her Eldest Senior Brother, he was unwilling to maintain even the most basic etiquette...
Could he be targeting her Eldest Senior Brother specifically?
On the arena, Mu Wenyan's expression remained calm, as if the other's rudeness did not affect him in the slightest.
The referee hesitated for a moment. Seeing that Mo Lin truly had no intention of speaking, he could only say helplessly,
"Let the match begin!"
As soon as the words fell, Mu Wenyan's long sword was already out of its sheath.
He did not hesitate, the sword point aiming directly at Mo Lin's throat. There was no probing; his speed was so fast he left an afterimage in the air.
"Break!"
Where the sword point directed, space itself distorted slightly.
A green light flashed in Mo Lin's eyes. His body shifted strangely half a step to the side, narrowly avoiding the lethal strike. His right hand curved into a claw, and his fingernails had turned a bizarre greenish-black at some point as he lunged at Mu Wenyan's wrist.
Clang—!
The sword edge collided with the sharp claws, actually producing the sound of clashing metal!
Mu Wenyan's pupils constricted slightly. He flicked his wrist, and his sword technique changed instantly.
"Go!"
The long sword flipped violently. The blade traced a perfect arc, slicing directly toward Mo Lin's five fingers!
Mo Lin retreated in a panic, his hands rapidly forming seals. The familiar green patterns emerged once more, but this time—
Squelch!
The sword qi actually pierced straight through the patterns, drawing a spray of blood from Mo Lin's shoulder!
"Good!" A burst of cheering erupted from the spectator stands.
"Eldest Senior Brother actually wounded him!" Duan Xianxing excitedly grabbed Li Nanzhu's sleeve. "Before, even Qin Lie's Three-Spirit Combined Strike couldn't do anything to him!"
Li Nanzhu's heart shook.
Indeed, Mo Lin had been able to calmly resolve any attack before, even counter-attacking his opponents. But now, Mu Wenyan's sword could actually break through his defense directly!
"Eldest Senior Brother is probing him," Zhu Yinxi suddenly spoke, his voice cool. "In these hundred moves, he hasn't used his full strength."
Duan Xianxing scratched his head. "But Mo Lin devours power. Won't this consumption be too much?"
Feng Qingping chuckled softly. "When have you ever seen Eldest Senior Brother do something without being certain of the outcome?"
Sure enough, over the next dozen or so exchanges, Mu Wenyan's sword moves grew increasingly sharp, yet he still never exerted his full power.
Every strike precisely targeted Mo Lin's vitals, only to slightly withdraw at the final moment, forcing Mo Lin to constantly change his tactics.
A trace of irritability flashed in Mo Lin's eyes.
He had thought that with his technique, he could at least exert some influence on Mu Wenyan. But the reality was worse than he had anticipated—those ever-successful green patterns were practically non-existent before Mu Wenyan!
"Strange..." the Tianyan Sect Leader frowned. "Does Mo Lin's technique seem ineffective against Mu Wenyan?"
Ling Xiao's gaze was profound. "It's not ineffective. It's being countered."
On the arena, Mo Lin finally could no longer restrain himself.
He violently tore open his grey robe, revealing green patterns that covered his chest. Those patterns spread rapidly, condensing into a bizarre rune over his heart!
With a low shout, the rune suddenly burst with a blinding green light. The entire arena was instantly enveloped in a green mist, forcing even the referee to retreat.
"Can the sect leaders really be certain this isn't some heterodox path?"
At this moment, even the disciples from various sects became uneasy. It wasn't that they were cowardly; it was just that they had only ever seen such eerie techniques used by evil cultivators.
Within the green mist, Mu Wenyan's figure was faint. The green light on his sword tip grew more intense, actually forming a light barrier around him that kept the green mist at bay.
Just as everyone thought Mu Wenyan would continue to maintain his defense, the green light barrier suddenly rippled.
Mu Wenyan's wrist holding the sword turned slightly. The spiritual light on the blade began to flicker on and off rhythmically.
"Is Eldest Senior Brother... adjusting his spiritual energy?" Feng Qingping narrowed her eyes.
Mu Wenyan's sword tip flicked upward. That seemingly solid light barrier suddenly dissipated, and the green mist instantly surged forward, completely swallowing him!
"Why did Eldest Senior Brother drop his protection?!" Duan Xianxing jumped out of his seat in anxiety, his voice cracking.
Li Nanzhu stood up abruptly, her chair flipping over on the ground.
Her pupils dilated as she watched that eerie green mist completely envelop her Eldest Senior Brother. The outline of Mu Wenyan's white robes was faintly visible in the mist, but she couldn't see the specific situation.
The spectator stands were in an uproar.
"Referee! Stop the match immediately!" a Beast Taming Sect elder stood up and roared. "This mist will devour spiritual energy!"
On the high platform, several Soul Transformation sect leaders stood up at the same time. Ling Xiao's fingertips were already gathering spiritual light, ready to intervene at any moment.
At this critical hair's-breadth moment, a light chuckle suddenly came from within the green mist!
"So that's how it is."
Mu Wenyan's voice was clearly audible, carrying a hint of understanding.
Immediately after, a blinding white light instantly tore through the thick fog!
"What?!" Mo Lin's expression changed drastically as he stumbled back several steps. The rune on his chest flashed violently and began to crack inch by inch.
The mist dissipated, and Mu Wenyan stood holding his sword, his white robes spotless. A faint smile touched the corners of his lips.
"You..." For the first time, Mo Lin's voice wavered. "How is this possible..."
In the spectator stands, Duan Xianxing's mouth hung open. "Eldest Senior Brother is actually fine?!"
Li Nanzhu breathed a long sigh of relief, only then realizing her back was soaked with cold sweat.
She keenly noticed that Mu Wenyan's sword-holding posture had undergone a subtle change—the sword edge was three inches lower than usual.
"I understand now," Zhu Yinxi said softly. "Eldest Senior Brother intentionally removed the protection."
On the arena, Mu Wenyan turned his sword edge slightly. "Your technique is indeed difficult for ordinary cultivators to handle."
His voice wasn't loud, yet it clearly reached everyone present. "Unfortunately..."
The sword light flared!
This strike was faster than anyone could have imagined. Everywhere the sword edge passed, even the light seemed to distort.
Mo Lin frantically formed seals, the rune on his chest flashing madly, but the moment the sword edge touched it—
Crack!
The rune shattered on contact!
"Ah!"
Mo Lin let out a scream and stumbled back.
The entire venue fell into a dead silence!
Rate on N.U.
