"Miss Yao?" Lan Yueli stepped gracefully to Li Yao's side. Naturally, she knew her well.
"Director Lan," Li Yao greeted softly, her expression troubled.
"Miss Yao, you should have stopped Li Yun," Lan Yueli said, her tone edged with concern. "Challenging Zhao Xiaotian is far too reckless."
"I…" Li Yao faltered, words failing her. Guilt pressed down heavily on her chest. If she hadn't come to the Treasure Pavilion today, none of this would have happened. And now, if Li Yun were to be injured, or worse, killed, because of her, she knew she would never forgive herself.
Meanwhile, on the stage, Zhao Xiaotian sneered. "Li Yun, are you ready? You chose this fight yourself. If you die, don't blame me." His voice was casual, dismissive, as though Li Yun's life meant nothing.
In his eyes, Li Yun wasn't worth drawing his sword against. Overwhelming him would be child's play. And if he killed the boy who had humiliated him at the auction, his elders would only rejoice.
Zhao Xiaotian's bloodlust simmered just beneath the surface. He could barely restrain his urge to strike. 'If this fool hadn't stepped onto the fighting stage, I wouldn't have dared to kill him. But here? Life and death are left to fate. No one can protect you now.' His eyes glinted with murderous intent.
Li Yun, however, remained utterly calm. His faint smile carried a quiet, unshakable confidence. "Zhao Xiaotian, you can make your move first. If I strike, I'm afraid you won't even have the chance to attack."
"You're courting death!" Zhao Xiaotian snapped. Enraged by the provocation, he could no longer hold back. With a flash of steel, his Dark Light Sword hummed to life, exuding a bone-chilling aura. Internal energy surged, weaving into his technique, and in the blink of an eye a blade of icy brilliance condensed before him.
"Hahaha! Li Yun, today I'll let you witness the power of the Mortal Rank Middle-Grade Moon-Slaying Sword Art!" Zhao Xiaotian's voice echoed proudly across the arena.
In truth, he didn't even need such a powerful technique to kill Li Yun. Everyone in Azure Wind City knew Li Yun's history as a so-called waste with no attributes.
Even if he wasn't completely attribute-less, his foundation must be pitiful. Against Zhao Xiaotian's peak Marrow Cleansing Realm strength, what resistance could he possibly muster?
Still, Zhao Xiaotian unleashed the Moon-Slaying Sword Art. This was his chance to show off before a massive audience, to make the city envy him. He wanted the world to see that he, Zhao Xiaotian, had already begun to master a technique that many Xiantian Realm experts struggled to comprehend.
The sword light roared to life, radiant and terrifying. A frigid wind swept across the hall, making even those far from the stage shiver as if the cold steel were pressed against their throats.
Gasps erupted from the crowd.
"Hiss! What kind of martial art is that?"
"Such terrifying power! I'm standing all the way down here, and I can already feel the chill crawling into my bones. If I were under that strike, I wouldn't last a second!"
"Idiot," another scoffed, "that's the Mortal Rank Middle-Grade Moon-Slaying Sword Art! It's famous for its ferocity. You're just a Bone Refining Realm cultivator, how could you even dream of resisting it?"
The first man's face flushed red. He forced an awkward laugh, unable to argue.
"A middle-grade mortal sword art… Zhao Xiaotian really mastered one? Aren't those techniques reserved for experts in the Xiantian Realm?"
"What's so strange about it? His father is Zhao Lieyang, head of the Zhao Family. With that kind of backing, it's nothing for him to obtain one."
"You fool, obtaining such a technique is one thing. Mastering it is another! Do you know how many so-called geniuses can't even scratch the surface of a middle-grade mortal sword art? Yet Zhao Xiaotian has clearly reached a usable level."
"Mastery?" another voice cut in skeptically. "Don't exaggerate. At most, he's only grasped the basics. With his cultivation at the peak of the Marrow Cleansing Realm, it's impossible for him to unleash the art's full might. But even just a glimpse of its power is terrifying enough."
The discussion swelled like a tide. For most cultivators, a Mortal Rank Middle-Grade martial art was a luxury worth tens of thousands of gold coins, something far beyond their reach.
Many spectators looked to the stage with grim certainty in their eyes. The outcome seemed inevitable. Li Yun would be buried under Zhao Xiaotian's sword.
"Surrender, quickly! Just surrender, I can still stop it!" Lan Yueli's heart raced as she stood below the fighting stage, her gaze locked on Li Yun. Every muscle in her body was tense, ready to spring forward the instant he admitted defeat. If he gave even the slightest sign, she would rush up and block Zhao Xiaotian's blade before it was too late.
Li Yao's face had turned ghostly pale. Unlike Zhao Xiaotian, she had never even touched a middle-grade mortal sword art. She could clearly feel it, even if Zhao Xiaotian's Moon-Slaying Sword Art was still shallow, its power far outstripped the low-grade mortal sword art she had spent years mastering. Against that frigid sword light, she knew Li Yun's life hung by a thread.
On the stage, Li Yun narrowed his eyes as the brilliant sword light roared toward him like a streak of icy lightning. "So this is the Mortal Rank Middle-Grade Moon-Slaying Sword Art?" he muttered, his voice calm despite the pressure. His lips curved faintly. "Its power is impressive, but in your hands, it's nothing but wasted brilliance."
With that, he drew his weapon.
It was not a treasure of renown, not some shining artifact, but a simple blade, the Flame Crest Sword. An ordinary mortal rank low-grade weapon, its value a mere few hundred gold coins. In the eyes of the spectators, it was trash compared to the Dark Light Sword in Zhao Xiaotian's grip, a blade worth over ten thousand gold coins.
Yet Li Yun's expression never wavered. He whispered softly, almost reverently, "Crimson Sun Flame Sword Art."
For the first time since he had learned it, Li Yun unleashed this technique in combat. His second-tier comprehension illuminated Zhao Xiaotian's sword strike as though it were transparent glass. To others, it was fierce and dazzling. To him, its flaws screamed to be noticed.
'What a fool. He hasn't even cultivated this technique to the Proficient Stage.'
Li Yun shook his head slightly, then raised his sword and swung it at the incoming sword.
Clang!
The Dark Light Sword jolted violently. Zhao Xiaotian's grip faltered, and the treasured blade flew from his hands, clattering loudly onto the arena floor.
Clang!
Li Yun's Flame Crest Sword halted at Zhao Xiaotian's throat, the cold edge kissing his skin.