Chapter 112: Yun Man Defeated, Pure Yang Set

Gong Yuankui was surprised by Yun Man’s attack at point-blank range, but he was not worried. He raised his sword to block.

Even though Gong Yuankui had already witnessed Mountain Severance’s power and raised his guard accordingly, he was still driven back more than ten meters by the sword Qi.

This was the effect of the Pure Origin Pill; the exact same move carried far greater force, especially delivered at such close quarters.

Seeing Gong Yuankui pushed back, Yun Man did not pause, pressing the attack immediately. She knew her strike was only meant to draw out an opening, not to genuinely injure or defeat him.

Having blocked Mountain Severance, Gong Yuankui no longer dared to take her lightly, sweeping his sword around to parry once more.

Yun Man’s blade was deflected yet again.

This was what it meant to counter movement with stillness. He did not need to track his opponent; he only had to guard his own openings to defend against her attacks.

Of course, this strategy only worked against weaker opponents. Someone far stronger could simply attack head-on without looking for an opening.

More than ten moves passed, and Yun Man still could not land a blow on Gong Yuankui.

It was not that Gong Yuankui did not want to attack. He faced the same problem as Yu Heguang: he was slower than Yun Man. Trading attacks would only leave more openings.

He too was waiting for an opening. He was certain that a single well-timed strike would be enough to finish her.

“Ah, my precious disciple is likely going to lose. Her speed has the advantage, but against such an iron turtle, there’s just no way through. Dragging this out is nothing more than a pointless war of attrition.”

Qin Xiao saw the situation clearly. Gong Yuankui’s defense was airtight; without overwhelming power, cracking it was nearly impossible.

Yun Man herself felt that deep sense of helplessness. It was much like sparring with Qin Xiao-when you cannot breach the defense, any effort is wasted.

“Block this next move, and I’ll concede.”

Unwilling to drag the match out further, Yun Man prepared to unleash her second technique, Earth Rending.

“Earth Rending!”

With a swift leap, Yun Man soared into the air, bringing a formidable wave of sword Qi crashing down from above.

Gong Yuankui knew how powerful this move was. Even Yu Heguang had failed to block it, so he dared not be careless.

“Pure Yang Barrier!”

Unwilling to take chances, Gong Yuankui activated his Protective Dharma Treasure.

After a loud explosion, Yun Man stood some distance away, drained. Gong Yuankui, at the center of the blast, was hidden by dust.

As the dust slowly settled, Gong Yuankui stood framed beneath a shimmering golden barrier. Though he looked slightly disheveled, he had successfully held his ground.

“I concede.”

Yun Man accepted the outcome readily. It was not that she lacked fighting spirit, but continuing this deadlock was meaningless. Better to let her master handle the rest. Find the original chapter at nоvelping.com.

With that, she hopped down from the competition platform.

“The Pure Yang Sect certainly doesn’t stint on resources. They even handed the Pure Yang Crown to Gong Yuankui.”

Wei Jian muttered to himself as he stared at the golden barrier.

“Great Elder, you’re saying that’s the Pure Yang Crown, a High Grade Dharma Treasure? Isn’t that the Sect Leader’s personal item?”

Su Lin asked with a hint of confusion.

“Indeed. It seems the Pure Yang Sect intends to groom Gong Yuankui as the next Sect Leader. That old bastard actually parted with this.”

Wei Jian had initially suspected Gong Yuankui was merely a direct student of the Great Elder, but it appeared his intelligence was off. The young man was likely the Sect Leader’s own Personal Disciple.

“Master, I lost.”

Yun Man announced with a nonchalant expression.

“Fine, you lost. Why say it so loudly? Stay here and watch your master win. Oh, and give me the boots back, just to be safe.”

Qin Xiao had no answer to Yun Man’s unapologetic attitude. He did not blame her, though; he simply asked for the boots back as a precaution.

Once he was ready, Qin Xiao jumped onto the platform. He did not show off by walking through the air this time, or people would curse him again.

“Brother Kui, long time no see.”

Qin Xiao greeted him warmly.

“Didn’t we literally see each other yesterday?”

Gong Yuankui replied, looking somewhat bewildered.

“Uh-never mind. Let’s begin.”

Realizing the fellow was a bit too literal, Qin Xiao dropped the small talk.

“Considering you treated us to a meal yesterday, I’ll let you strike first.”

Gong Yuankui knew Qin Xiao’s defense was formidable, so he was in no hurry to attack. He wanted to see what Qin Xiao could do on the offensive. If he was another iron turtle who could only defend, Gong Yuankui was sure to win.

“Since Brother Kui is so polite, I won’t stand on ceremony.”

In a blur of motion, Qin Xiao closed the distance instantly, driving a full-powered fist straight toward Gong Yuankui’s chest.

Gong Yuankui was utterly stunned. This was the first time he had witnessed Qin Xiao’s true speed. He had assumed that someone incapable of cultivating who could merely walk on air already defied common sense, but this velocity easily surpassed many late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

The spectators who were witnessing Qin Xiao move at full speed for the first time were equally dumbfounded. They had all pegged him as a defensive specialist relying entirely on protective treasures, yet the speed he just displayed was leagues beyond ordinary Nascent Soul experts.

Qin Xiao paid no attention to their reactions and landed a solid punch. He expected Gong Yuankui to be sent flying a long way, even if he was not knocked off the platform. Get faster updates on novelping.com.

But the result surprised him. Gong Yuankui’s shirt burst apart, revealing gleaming armor underneath. Gong Yuankui was not knocked back at all; instead, Qin Xiao’s fist went a little numb.

“What? Pure Yang Armor? Does Gong Yuankui have dirt on the higher-ups or something? How on earth did they hand him the Pure Yang Armor as well?”

Wei Jian lost his composure entirely at the sight of the armor. Lending the Pure Yang Crown was one thing, but parting with the chest piece defied belief.

Another High Grade Dharma Treasure had just surfaced on Gong Yuankui’s person. In the span of a single match, the youth had already unveiled two High Grade Dharma Treasures.

“Don’t tell me they gave him the Pure Yang Sword too?”

Wei Jian muttered in sheer disbelief, though deep down he knew the answer was almost certainly yes.

Each of the three items was a High Grade Dharma Treasure on its own. Together, the set rivaled a Top Grade Dharma Treasure and was one of the Pure Yang Sect’s sect-protecting treasures.

“Brother Qin is truly extraordinary. A single strike was enough to trigger the autonomous defense of the Pure Yang Armor.”

Twitching slightly at the edge of his eye, Gong Yuankui forced an expression of calm.

Thank goodness he was wearing the armor, or that punch alone would have cost him the match.

“Brother Kui… is that thing a High Grade Dharma Treasure?”

Feeling the numbness in his hand, Qin Xiao asked doubtfully.

“Indeed. This is one of the sect-protecting treasures of the Pure Yang Sect, the Pure Yang Armor-a High Grade Dharma Treasure. The crown from before is another.”

Gong Yuankui admitted frankly, knowing full well that many in the audience already recognized the gear.

“A whole set? What else do you have? A sword?”

Qin Xiao felt as though the heavens were crashing down on him. Just what kind of background did this old boy have?

“It seems Brother Qin knows about our sect’s treasures too.”

Gong Yuankui smiled, stowing his previous blade and drawing a brilliant golden sword instead-the Pure Yang Sword.

Earlier, Qin Xiao had only felt as though the sky was falling. Now it really had collapsed. A High Grade Dharma Treasure set that rivaled a Top Grade Dharma Treasure—was he supposed to stake his life on this fight?

Suddenly, it all clicked for Qin Xiao. No wonder the bookmakers had dared to offer odds of one to eight; they must have caught wind of this beforehand. Damn it all, he had taken a massive loss today!

“Second Elder, did you know about this beforehand? Is that why Eldest Senior Brother refused the Spirit-Burst Pill, and you approved of his choice?”

Cang Xing asked with a wry, bitter smile.

“Exactly. With his strength and those three treasures, why would he need a Spirit-Burst Pill?”

Han Mingyuan wore an expression of absolute certainty. This victory was locked in.

“Brother Qin, since you recognize these three Dharma Treasures, shall we say you concede, or would you like to exchange a few blows before doing so? You’re far stronger than your disciple, and I must admit, I’ve been quite eager to spar with you.”

With all three treasures out, Gong Yuankui was almost certain to win. But he still wanted to spar with Qin Xiao, so he asked what Qin Xiao preferred.