Bai Hu smiled, his battle intent rising similarly with Cheng Xia.
Both of them seemed quite skilled with close combat, unlike Zhang Yun Guang who was more proficient in long ranged spells. Even with his unique palm technique, he could not compete when Bai Hu or Cheng Xia closed the distance.
Thus, it would be most interesting to see who would win among Bai Hu and Cheng Xia.
Would the famous pure metal spiritual root with its superior reputation as a Heavenly Spiritual Root come out on top? Or would the unknown strength of lightning and wind triumph?
Zhang Yun Guang chuckled and cupped his hands, "I guess I shall watch from the sidelines for this one. I wish the two of you the best of luck"
Whoosh!
As graceful as a crane, the scholarly young man leaped backwards, his white robes fluttering in the wind. Zhang Yun Guang landed near the outer ring of the spectator area with a dull thud. His eyes were filled with interest for the imminent exchange.
Bai Hu and Cheng Xia entered the circular arena and spaced themselves equally, cupping their hands and bowing slightly.
"I hope you don't hold back"
Cheng Xia smirked, "Likewise"
Weng!
A burst of blue light enveloped the arena and the translucent hourglass formed once again.
Bai Hu took out his Black Sky Gold Spear and wrapped the shaft with his Fire Silk Scarf. The red fabric enveloped the blackened shaft of the spear, wrapping around the boy's hands to provide a better grip.
Meanwhile, Cheng Xia took out his trusty steel sword which glinted in the morning light.
As the seconds passed, Bai Hu couldn't help but notice that his opponent's sword was not even a low grade magic treasure. At most, it was made from some rare materials, making it sturdy, but he couldn't imagine a genius like Cheng Xia using such a poor weapon.
Cheng Xia noticed his look and smiled wryly, "My mentor does not want me to rely on such things, thus he forces me to use a regular sword until my strength is sufficient enough"
"Impressive," Bai Hu said simply.
He meant it however, as one could only imagine how much Cheng Xia's strength would grow if he was allowed to use a magic treasure.
Many cultivators rely on these treasures to gain an advantage in battle, as if one's cultivation is similar, their treasures often are one of the main factors to determine the winner.
At long last, the last of the sand within the illusory hourglass fell, accompanied by two gusts of wind.
Bai Hu left a trail of lightning in his wake as he recklessly charged towards Cheng Xia, while Cheng Xia left behind deep gashes in the ground as he did the same thing. The next instant, their weapons clashed.
Clang!
Metal clashed with metal, sending shockwaves and sparks out in all directions. The dust clouds were cleared up instantly to reveal the two young men at the center of the arena, their weapons locked as they each tried to overpower the other.
They seemed to be at a standstill, their weapons interlocked with neither party giving in.
Suddenly, Bai Hu slammed the end of his spear against Cheng Xia's shin, catching him off guard before jumping backwards into the air.
Cheng Xia recovered from his surprise quite quickly, but that was more than enough time for Bai Hu to twist around midair.
Swish!
His hand flashed as he threw the Black Sky Gold Spear forward with all his might. With a thought, the Fire Silk Scarf wrapped around the end of the spear and his wrist.
Cheng Xia's eyes widened and he quickly entered a defensive stance. The tip of the spear collided against the flat part of his sword, knocking him back several steps as he blocked the strike.
Bai Hu landed on the ground with a dull thud, his Fire Silk Scarf remaining straight as if an invisible hand was pulling on the other end. With a thought, the entire scarf went up in flames.
Fwoom!
Cheng Xia hurriedly jumped back even farther to avoid the fire, while Bai Hu was largely unaffected despite much of his arm being on fire.
Having the fire element within his set of Spiritual roots, Bai Hu would be much more resistant towards flame compared to Cheng Xia, whose metal attribute has an innate weakness towards fire.
As expected, the metal qi that Cheng Xia used to strengthen his sword was slightly dimmer where it had come into contact with Bai Hu's fire.
Pulling back his arm, Bai Hu retrieved the Black Sky Gold Spear, letting the flames of the Fire Silk Scarf dissipate to conserve qi.
Cheng Xia smiled and assumed an upright stance, pointing his sword straight at Bai Hu as if challenging him.
Bai Hu concentrated his energy into his legs, "Dancing Crane".
His body shifted, turning into an afterimage as 3 copies of himself appeared around Cheng Xia.
"Charging Bull!"
3 bull projections appeared and charged at the swordsman.
Bang!
Cheng Xia leaped up into the air, his sword swinging in a wide arc around him to strike each of the copies of Bai Hu.
Poof!
2 of the clones disappeared and the real Bai Hu jumped back to avoid the attack. Meanwhile, Cheng Xia landed swiftly on the ground and made a hand seal.
Swish! Swish!
In a flash of light, half a dozen swords identical to the one in Cheng Xia's hand appeared in the air, all pointing at Bai Hu with gleaming sharpness.
"Flying Sword Strike"
Whoosh!
The swords in the air zipped towards Bai Hu at high speeds, cutting through the air without any resistance.
Bai Hu's pupils dilated as he realized his body likely isn't fast enough to counter attack against these swords. Loosening his body, he quickly jumped lightly into the air and twisted his body in midair.
Swish! Swish!
Although fast, the swords couldn't change directions at will. Bai Hu was able to narrowly avoid the swords as they zipped past him, taking fabric off of his robe.
The swords dissipated after some distance, and Bai Hu landed in a slightly crouched position. One of his hands formed hand seals in quick succession.
"Spirit Trapping Bell!"
Weng!
A large golden bell appeared above Cheng Xia with the intention of trapping him. However, Cheng Xia merely smiled and thrusted his palm upwards.
"Iron Buddha Palm!"
A gray palm projection shot up and pierced through the slowly descending bell with ease. The bell dissipated in the air into golden motes of light.
Bai Hu stood up straight, his spear glinting in the light as his mind raced to figure out a strategy.
His other treasures likely will only distract him, as this particular opponent is both strong and skilled enough to ignore his other treasures aside from the Black Sky Gold Spear. This also applies to much of his basic techniques as well, making this battle particularly difficult to win.
He didn't have any more time to think however, as Cheng Xia was already charging at him at full speed.
Bai Hu crouched slightly, anticipating a straightforward but swift attack. He was just about to lunge forward when Cheng Xia's sword flashed with a dangerous light.
"Hundred Sword Slash"
Weng!
Bai Hu's neck hairs bristled as he felt a chilling sensation shoot up his spine. Without hesitation, he wrapped the Fire Silk Scarf around his limbs, covered his chest with the Black Scale Shield, and spun the Black Sky Gold Spear in front of him.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The wind whistled as Cheng Xia's arm became nothing more than a blur to Bai Hu's eyes. The air flowed tumultuously as the sound of metal scrapping against metal rang out.
Bai Hu's ears were ringing and his head was starting to hurt, but he was not about to stop defending for even half a second. It felt as if his arms were repeatedly being struck by a huge metal pole, a pole that was equally sharp as it is heavy.
Cheng Xia laughed into the air, his sword arm still a blur in any onlooker's eyes.
"Hahahaha! Fellow Disciple Bai's reaction speed sure is top notch!" his eyes glimmered, "I hope this isn't all that you have!"
"Tsk!"
Bai Hu grit his teeth as he spun his spear, sparks flying in all directions as it clashed with Cheng Xia's blade. It was quite difficult to find an opening, especially with the increasing speed of Cheng Xia's strikes.
Furthermore, the sharp qi that was flowing through the air had begun to cut away at Bai Hu's robe, and it wouldn't be long before his flesh was cut too.
Bai Hu's brow furrowed, 'The metal element isn't known as the sharpest one for nothing, I need to create an opening...'
It was easier said than done, as Cheng Xia was likely watching Bai Hu's every action, and a single slip up can lead to openings in his defense and his defeat.