Chapter 109: Defeating Luo Yunbing, Tianyuan Sect Wins

Just before her fist hit Qin Xiao, Luo Yunbing reduced her strength. He really was foolish enough to offer no resistance. She feared she would kill him with one punch.

“Bang!”

A heavy thud echoed across the arena.

Luo Yunbing was driven back nearly ten meters.

Qin Xiao, by contrast, remained completely motionless, not even a fold out of place on his robes.

Although she had reduced her strength in time, it was still a powerful punch. On impact, Luo Yunbing felt as though she had struck incredibly hard black iron.

Her arm was still a little numb from the recoil.

“How is that possible? Why was my sister knocked back by the recoil?”

Luo Yunshuang stared in utter disbelief.

She had clearly seen her sister pull her punches at the last instant, yet such a blow was still far beyond what any ordinary person could endure. How could he remain entirely unscathed?

“Am I seeing things? The lad didn’t suffer the slightest scratch?”

“Could this Mysterious Yin Sect disciple have taken a fancy to the brat? Is she throwing the match this openly?”

“He’s a little handsome, but not as handsome as me. Why don’t I get that kind of romantic luck?”

“You? Fair-skinned and plump, with a sexy little mustache. Care to become this old man’s Dao companion?”

“You’re too kind, Senior, but I’m not interested in that.”

The spectators began wondering whether Qin Xiao and Luo Yunbing were having a fling. She was going far too easy on him.

“I underestimated you. So you rely on a protective treasure; no wonder you dared to act so arrogant.”

Suffering a setback on her opening move, Luo Yunbing drew her sword, certain that Qin Xiao must be harboring some defensive Dharma Treasure.

“Not bad. You shouldn’t have held back just now, though. How am I supposed to judge your strength?”

Qin Xiao was at a loss. Her last-second restraint had kept him from gauging late-stage Nascent Soul strength.

“Then see if you can gauge this sword strike properly.”

His words infuriated Luo Yunbing. So much for her good intentions. If she had not feared killing him with one punch, she would never have held back.

Angry, she thrust her sword straight at him. More and more Spiritual Qi gathered on the blade as she approached.

“Not dodging? Then I’ll pierce right through you.”

Throwing aside all restraint, Luo Yunbing no longer cared whether Qin Xiao could withstand the blow; she was determined to make him pay for provoking her.

Qin Xiao’s expression changed at the sight of her full-force sword thrust. She was trying to kill him! His Heart-Protecting Turtle Shell was away for repairs, so he dared not take this blow directly.

As the sword drew closer, Qin Xiao hurriedly brought his palms together.

“Hundred Percent Barehanded Blade Catch!”

Qin Xiao shouted aloud, clamping his hands shut just in time to trap the tip of the blade. Follow the newest chapters on novelping(.)com.

The force was not so easy to stop. Still holding her sword, Luo Yunbing pushed Qin Xiao back more than ten meters before they came to a halt.

He did not really know any Hundred Percent Barehanded Blade Catch technique. He had already spread his Divine Sense and anticipated Luo Yunbing’s movements, allowing him to catch the blade just in time.

“How is this possible? How could you catch it? And with your bare hands?”

Qin Xiao had shocked Luo Yunbing again. Her thrust was hard enough to dodge, let alone catch. Even another late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator would have been forced back, yet he had caught it with his hands.

“I refuse to accept this! It’s a fixed match!”

“Indeed! They aren’t even bothering to pretend anymore!”

“Fixed match! Fixed match! Fixed match!”

The spectators could accept the first punch as a test. But how could he possibly catch that sword strike too? The Mysterious Yin Sect and Tianyuan Sect must have arranged this privately. That was why the crowd objected: outsiders had set up a betting pool, and many had backed the Mysterious Yin Sect to win and Tianyuan Sect to lose. Some had staked everything they owned.

“It’s over, it’s over! I bet a thousand Spirit Stones. I’ve lost this time.”

“A thousand? I put five thousand on the Mysterious Yin Sect. With Yun Man injured, I thought they had a good chance. Now I could slap myself.”

“Good thing I backed Tianyuan Sect. Four thousand stones at one-to-three odds means eight thousand profit. Not bad at all.”

Most of those shouting about a fixed match had backed the Mysterious Yin Sect. Those who had backed Tianyuan Sect said nothing.

“What? There’s an outside betting pool? Why didn’t anyone tell me? I’ve missed out badly.”

Qin Xiao’s Divine Sense reached far enough into the stands for him to catch every word.

Qin Xiao no longer cared how many Spirit Stones he had. But by his reckoning, money he had not earned was money lost. This time, he had lost a fortune.

“Silence! Anyone attempting to disrupt the competition again will be expelled from the grounds!”

Wei Jian, the Mysterious Yin Sect’s Great Elder, heard the accusations and shouted.

When the hecklers saw that it was the Mysterious Yin Sect’s Great Elder, they fell silent. A Body Integration cultivator was not someone to heckle.

Wei Jian looked deeply troubled. What was going on? Bing’er had taken a Spirit-Burst Pill to reach the late Nascent Soul stage. A protective treasure might shield Qin Xiao, but how could it explain him catching her attack?

Many others wondered the same thing. Their cultivation was high enough to see the techniques and the situation clearly, unlike the spectators. They knew Luo Yunbing had not held back, yet Qin Xiao had caught the sword.

“Let go.”

Luo Yunbing tried to pull her sword out of Qin Xiao’s grip. It would not budge, so she had to tell him to let go.

“Ah, my apologies. I was distracted by some gossip just now.”

Only when she called out did Qin Xiao release his hands. He had been listening to the spectators talk, preoccupied with his missed profits. He had forgotten he was still holding her sword.

“Courting death! You dare ignore me mid-fight?” Read this novel at novelрing.com for the best experience.

Luo Yunbing was angry again. Fighting her, he still had time to listen to gossip? How little did he think of her? She stopped caring about techniques and hacked wildly at him.

Qin Xiao only dodged the occasional attack aimed at a vital spot. Her wild slashes posed no threat to him. He knew she was angry, so he let her land a few blows.

“That’s the spirit! Don’t hold anything back!”

“Hack him down!”

“Don’t let up! Chop him to pieces!”

Seeing Luo Yunbing slash wildly at Qin Xiao, those who disliked his showing off and those who had bet on the Mysterious Yin Sect shouted encouragement. At last they could vent their frustration. This boy showed off far too much.

In Tianyuan Sect’s waiting area, Lin Tiancheng was frantic. Yun Man and Lin Shimeng looked perfectly calm and were even exchanging healing Pills.

“Are you two blind to what’s happening out there? Make him step down this instant!”

Lin Tiancheng was frantic, while Yun Man and his daughter looked unconcerned. He could only urge them to act.

“Father, calm yourself. He is in no danger.”

After answering her father, Lin Shimeng went back to talking with Yun Man.

The two had joined forces. With new disciples coming, they were the senior pupils and had to form an alliance. They could not let the newcomers take over.

Under Luo Yunbing’s continued slashes, Qin Xiao’s clothes were torn to shreds. If he had not avoided blows to certain places, he would have been naked by now.

“Enough. Hacking about like this tells me nothing useful. Step down.”

Qin Xiao felt he had seen enough. He used his Hundred Percent Barehanded Blade Catch again, trapping her sword between his hands.

“Let go.”

Luo Yunbing tugged at the sword, but it still would not move. She called out again.

“I refuse. Will you step down voluntarily, or must I escort you? My patience has its limits after taking so many of your blows.”

Qin Xiao did not want to waste time. If she kept this up, she could not blame him for taking action.

“Bing’er, withdraw. We concede defeat.”

Seeing that Luo Yunbing still wanted to persist, Great Elder Wei Jian called out.

Su Lin was about as strong as Luo Yunbing. If she could do nothing to Qin Xiao, the result would be the same for him. Better to concede than embarrass themselves.

“Still refusing to release it?”

Since the Great Elder had spoken, Luo Yunbing had to step down, however unwilling she was.

“I’m letting go, but don’t forget our wager. Tomorrow morning at the Heaven No. 1 Room, I’ll expect you.”

Qin Xiao spoke quietly to Luo Yunbing before releasing the sword.

Without answering, Luo Yunbing pulled her sword free and walked off the platform.

The Mysterious Yin Sect’s elder had conceded, so there was no need to continue. Tianyuan Sect had won this match.