"Smack!"
A sharp, piercing crack echoed through the air.
A wet leather whip lashed across Chen Tianji's face once more, carving a gruesome streak of blood along his skin. Blood trickled down his jaw as his vision blurred, yet a cold, resolute glint sparked in his eyes.
"Chen Tianji, you blind fool! Hand over the treasure, and I might spare your life!"
Feng Li's voice was as piercing as steel, and the long whip in her hand whipped through the air in deadly arcs, each strike carrying the weight of destruction. Dust swirled around the stone platform of the martial arena as the wind from her whip cut through the air like a tempest.
Chen Tianji inhaled deeply, gritting his teeth against the pain, forcing himself to stay upright. His hand clenched tightly around a mysterious jade pendant that glowed faintly—the very treasure Feng Li had been relentlessly pursuing.
"Hmph, do you think a few strikes will make me hand it over?" Chen Tianji said coldly. His voice was low, but it carried an authority that could not be ignored.
A flicker of surprise crossed Feng Li's eyes before she quickly regained her composure. Her whip strikes accelerated, moving faster than the eye could follow, each one aimed straight at Chen Tianji's vital points as if to tear him apart.
Chen Tianji closed his eyes, swaying slightly, relying solely on his other senses to gauge her presence and the trajectory of her whip. Like a ghost, he dodged each strike, though every evasion sent jolts of force through his body, kicking up dust from the stone floor that stung Feng Li's face.
"You… you can dodge!" Feng Li murmured in disbelief, then gritted her teeth and intensified her attack.
Chen Tianji's fingers whitened from gripping the pendant, but he refused to let go. In his mind, he recalled the sword techniques and array formations taught by his master. Though blind, a light burned within him, and the sword intent surged like a roaring tide.
"Then I have no choice!"
Time seemed to compress as Chen Tianji lunged forward, his body enveloped in a radiant aura of sword intent, surging toward Feng Li.
Feng Li's eyes widened in shock as she instinctively retreated. The sword intent struck like a flood, rattling her shoulders painfully, and even her whip trembled in her grasp.
"How… is this possible?"
Dust swirled across the martial arena, the tension so thick it was almost tangible. Chen Tianji stared at Feng Li, silently vowing that the pendant would never fall into her hands, and that he would not be defeated on the Sacred Sword Sect's arena.
Just as their auras clashed, a deep, commanding voice rang out from afar: "Stop! Feng Li, what are you doing?"
Feng Li flinched, frowning sharply. Chen Tianji seized the moment to steady his breath, his heart racing. He knew this was only the prelude—the true test had only just begun.