Volume 1, Chapter 119 – Sudden Complications

A blood-red longsaber appeared in Zhao Jing’an’s hand, and a streak of crimson blade qi shot skyward, cleaving the descending river of water into countless thin streams that scattered in all directions.

“Zhao Jing’an is borrowing external power. Doesn’t that count as breaking the rules?” Hao Pojun revealed his figure and shouted loudly at Elder Xin.

Elder Xin gave a small shake of his head and said calmly, “Formations are also part of one’s strength. It doesn’t count as a violation.”

A trace of pride flashed through Zhao Jing’an’s eyes. In truth, he was simply exploiting a loophole in the rules, using the form of a formation to graft a portion of external power onto himself. This was one of his trump cards for this martial meet.

Shi Lan felt the situation growing tricky. Zhao Jing’an’s current aura was far beyond that of an ordinary ninth-stage Innate Realm martial artist, only half a step away from the Earth Fiend Realm. If she had to face him like this, she was far from confident.

Hao Pojun’s expression turned gloomy, a hint of anger in his eyes as he looked at Zhao Jing’an, who was wrapped in that shadowy armor. He lifted the jade bead in his hand once more.

Splash… splash!

An even more violent current gushed out of the bead. Under Hao Pojun’s control, the water turned into nine overlapping waves, the roar of their rolling completely drowning out the thunder rumbling from the sky as they surged toward Zhao Jing’an like a furious flood dragon.

Zhao Jing’an stepped into the air, the blood light of his saber flashing repeatedly as it carved out a web of blade shadows, hacking apart layer after layer of surging water. Saber qi spilled in all directions as his strike chopped toward Hao Pojun’s waist, as if he meant to cut him clean in half.

Hao Pojun swept his arm, sending the Calming Water Pearl in his hand crashing straight into the descending blade.

“Clang—”

With a thunderous crash, the Calming Water Pearl was knocked off at an angle. Zhao Jing’an twisted his saber, diverting its line, then flipped his hand and lifted the blade in an upward slash. The saber’s radiance flared wildly as it chopped toward Hao Pojun’s neck.

Facing the saber qi slashing toward him, Hao Pojun neither dodged nor retreated. Instead, he gave a quiet sigh.

“I concede.”

Rеad οո KatReαdіnɡСаfе

Zhao Jing’an’s dark red eyes were filled with crazed killing intent. Even after hearing Hao Pojun admit defeat, his saber qi did not slow in the slightest as it cleaved mercilessly toward Hao Pojun’s throat.

“Puff—”

A figure appeared between the two of them, and the saber qi Zhao Jing’an had unleashed popped like a punctured balloon, vanishing in an instant.

“The match is over.”

Elder Xin pinched Zhao Jing’an’s blade between two fingers and spoke mildly. Then he pressed a hand to Zhao Jing’an’s shoulder and forced him back down onto the arena as he announced the result.

“Rakshasa Manor, Zhao Jing’an is the victor.”

“Zhao Jing’an, your victory in this meet is shameful!”

Hao Pojun recalled the Calming Water Pearl, threw down this sentence, and left the arena.

As his senses cleared, Zhao Jing’an felt no particular concern. Winners are honored and losers despised. As long as he won, what did it matter what methods he used?

“Zhao Jing’an, do you need time to adjust your breathing and recover?”

Elder Xin landed back on the arena and asked.

Zhao Jing’an shook his head decisively. He could not maintain this state for long and would soon enter a period of weakness afterward. Naturally, it was best to end things quickly.

“In that case, Shi Lan, come up. We’ll begin the match immediately.”

Rеaԁ оո ΚаtReαⅾіոɡCαfе

Elder Xin beckoned toward Shi Lan.

“Elder, I have an issue.” Shi Lan shook her head slightly. “In the last bout, I drove my qi too hard and suffered some internal injuries. I need time to adjust.”

Zhao Jing’an’s method of boosting his strength clearly had a time limit and inevitably carried side effects. Shi Lan’s plan now was to drag things out until that period ended before fighting. Her chances of victory would rise sharply that way.

“Oh? You realize that if you deliberately delay the match, this elder has the authority to rule you the loser directly?” Elder Xin’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Sky Thunder Hall has no shortage of physicians. Do you want me to invite one to check your condition?”

Shi Lan was left speechless and could only step forward and leap onto the arena.

“Just do your best, young lady. If it cannot be done, there’s no need to injure yourself.” Gu Rentong said slowly.

Shi Lan did not look back. She summoned her war halberd and looked toward Elder Xin.

“Begin the match.”

“Swish—”

Before the words had even stopped echoing, a streak of blood-colored saber qi tore through the air, chopping straight down at her.

Shi Lan dropped her body low to dodge. The war halberd in her hands surged forward like a dragon rising from the sea, thrusting toward Zhao Jing’an’s head.

The crazed killing intent flooded back into Zhao Jing’an’s eyes, his gaze turning an even deeper scarlet. His figure flickered as he slipped past the halberd’s edge, and the saber in his hand flipped.

Blade light sprayed out in all directions, chopping toward Shi Lan’s legs. Shi Lan’s expression did not change as true qi poured into the Cloud-Stepping Boots under her feet. She kicked off into the air, her body flipping upside down as the war halberd in her hands brushed a half-circle. Halberd light shot out over a zhang, stabbing straight toward Zhao Jing’an’s back.

Zhao Jing’an twisted his blade back, holding the saber behind him to block the thrust. Although the halberd’s edge was stopped, the immense power contained within the strike still sent him stumbling.

Reαⅾ оո ΚаtReаԁіոɡСαfе

Having missed her strike, Shi Lan pulled back and retreated, widening the distance between them.

Zhao Jing’an turned and took a single step, appearing right in front of Shi Lan. The killing intent in his eyes intensified as he unleashed dozens of saber shadows in an instant, bearing down on her like a collapsing sky.

Saber qi crisscrossed the air, mingled with Zhao Jing’an’s frenzied roars.

Each time Shi Lan made contact, she immediately withdrew, refusing to clash with Zhao Jing’an head-on. Using the boost from the Cloud-Stepping Boots, she drew him around and around the arena.

She had already noticed that in his current state, while Zhao Jing’an was terrifyingly strong, his mind seemed sluggish, driven only by crazed offense.

Burning through true qi so recklessly could not last long.

Sure enough, in less than half a quarter of an hour, the phantom wrapped around Zhao Jing’an’s body suddenly shattered.

Zhao Jing’an’s previously fierce aura collapsed at once. He no longer had the strength to sustain that frenzied assault.

Sensing the change in Zhao Jing’an, Shi Lan slid forward in a single step. The halberd shaft in her hands whipped across his body like an iron rod, sending him flying tens of zhang into the air.

Before Zhao Jing’an could catch his breath after hitting the ground, the halberd’s edge was already pressed against his neck.

Zhao Jing’an closed his eyes briefly and gritted his teeth. “I… concede!”

Below the arena, Gu Rentong could no longer maintain his calm. He clenched his fist in excitement and let out a low shout of approval.

Shi Lan let out a long breath and looked toward Elder Xin as he approached. It should all be over now.

Rеаd оո КαtReаԁіոɡСαfe

Elder Xin walked up beside Shi Lan and, without slowing, stepped past her.

“Greetings, Hall Master.”

Hearing the voices behind her, Shi Lan turned to look and suddenly realized that at some point, two more men had appeared on the arena.

One of them looked around forty, wearing a purple brocade robe patterned with lightning. He was of medium height, with a square face and eyes that crackled with light like lightning, impossible to look at directly.

The other looked no more than twenty-three or twenty-four, dressed in a sky-blue robe, tall and straight-backed, with a streak of lightning-shaped marking on his forehead. He was strikingly handsome, his whole body exuding an aura of upright righteousness.

The middle-aged man looked at Shi Lan and smiled faintly. “If this young lady wishes to claim the championship of this martial meet, you will still have to defeat one more person from Sky Thunder Hall.”

At the sight of this man, a commotion immediately rippled through the crowd around the arena.

“Shen Tianlan?! So that’s how it is. No wonder Sky Thunder Hall is being so generous this time!”

“No surprise at all. This Seven-Treasure Enlightening Jade Dew was obviously prepared for Shen Tianlan!”

…

“There’s such a rule?” Shi Lan frowned and looked toward Gu Rentong below the arena.

Gu Rentong nodded with an unpleasant expression. “This rule has been around since the martial meet was first founded, but Sky Thunder Hall has almost never sent anyone to attend before. In past years, this step was basically skipped outright. If they hadn’t suddenly pulled this today, I doubt I’d even have remembered it.”