After the harsh battles of yesterday, everyone who remained for the second round of the qualifiers was a tough nut to crack.
However, the drawing for the Foundation Establishment Group today was a bit different.
“Since a disciple from the Biyue Sect was seriously injured and cannot compete, there are twenty-five people present in the Foundation Establishment Group today,” the Referee Elder announced the rules. “Therefore, there will still be one bye for the Foundation Establishment Group today. The person selected will advance directly to the top thirteen!”
This announcement caused a stir in the audience.
After all, the further one progressed, the richer the rewards would be, and the greater the chance of winning the championship.
The selection was still conducted via the spinning wheel.
As the wheel stopped, the recipient of today’s bye for the Foundation Establishment Group was decided.
Yu Qingyao of the Piaomiao Sect has received a bye this round and will advance directly to the top thirteen!
Yu Qingyao looked at the giant wheel in the center of the Martial Arts Platform. When she saw it had stopped exactly on the column with her name, her eyebrows arched slightly, but she quickly regained her composure.
“Wow, Junior Sister Yu, your luck is incredible! Now the Piaomiao Sect is guaranteed at least one spot in the top thirteen!” Su Qianqian appeared even more excited than Yu Qingyao herself.
Yu Qingyao returned to her seat and sat down while cradling her sword. “Mm, it isn’t a bad thing. Since I don’t have to fight, I can focus on watching Senior Sister’s match.”
Compared to the Foundation Establishment Group, the Golden Core Group was not as fortunate.
Since everyone there was an expert, they naturally would not allow themselves to fall into a state where they could not fight because of the previous day’s matches. Therefore, today would be a series of genuine battles to narrow twenty-six participants down to thirteen.
“First match: Li Qingzhou of the Taiqing Sect versus Wu Yan of the Piaomiao Sect!”
Hearing the names, Su Qianqian’s eyes lit up as she looked at Wu Yan. “Yesterday it was Senior Brother Zhao, and today it’s Senior Sister Wu. Our people are in the first match both days!”
“Mm. I’m heading down now.”
Wu Yan stood up and walked toward the arena.
‘Hey, why do you always run into these people lately, little Yan?’ Wu Yan followed closely behind her, looking at the young man across from them. He wore a Yin-Yang Fish Daoist Robe, had a fair face, and possessed a steady temperament.
‘Those Daoist priests love to fiddle with their theories of the Five Elements’ generation and the balance of Yin and Yang. In the end, they just stand there making hand seals as soon as they move. It’s so unoriginal.’
The inner Wu Yan clearly looked down on the Taiqing Sect, her words dripping with disdain.
“Wu Yan, Piaomiao Sect,” Wu Yan said with a nod, introducing herself.
“Li Qingzhou, Taiqing Sect.”
Li Qingzhou returned the salute with precise movements, displaying the typical rigor of a disciple from one of the Five Great Sects.
“I have watched your battles, Fellow Daoist Wu. They are fast and steady. Therefore, I will fight you with everything I have.”
“Match begin!”
As soon as the words fell, Wu Yan unsheathed her sword and charged forward, intending to end the fight in a single strike.
However, as a core disciple of the Taiqing Sect, although Li Qingzhou was not as famous as the Chief Disciple, Xie Wenyuan, his strength was certainly not to be underestimated.
Before Wu Yan could even get close to him, he formed a hand seal and stomped his foot heavily.
In an instant, red and blue Spirit Chi erupted, shielding Li Qingzhou within.
A ribbon of azure water swirled around his left side, while clusters of eerie blue flames burned on his right.
“That’s so cool!”
Clang —
Wu Nian struck Li Qingzhou’s protective Spirit Chi, but the feedback from the sword’s tip was very strange.
It was first sucked in, then a violent force surged out from the spot Wu Yan had hit.
Wu Yan decisively retracted her longsword and performed a backflip in mid-air to retreat.
A crater had already been blasted into the spot where she had just been standing by a red and blue shockwave.
Li Qingzhou stood in the center of the vortex formed by the two colors, lightly shaking his Whisking Dust. Two streaks of red and blue light flew around him like pets.
“Very keen reactions, Fellow Daoist Wu.”
Wu Yan did not speak. As she injected her spiritual power, the blade of Wu Nian became thin and transparent once more.
In the next heartbeat —
Wu Yan’s figure suddenly appeared behind Li Qingzhou.
Wu Nian thrust forward, slashed sideways, struck upward, and swept downward.
Every direction and every method of attack targeted the blind spots in Li Qingzhou’s defense.
“It’s useless, Fellow Daoist Wu.”
Li Qingzhou’s defense seemed to possess a life of its own.
When Wu Yan attacked the left, the water current rushed to that side to neutralize the force while a fire snake launched a sneak attack from the right.
When Wu Yan attacked from above, the water and fire instantly intertwined into a shield, blocking her strike.
No matter how fast or sharp Wu Yan’s attacks were, that red and blue vortex always managed to block them in time and immediately launch a counterattack.
Li Qingzhou moved with strange footwork, staying out of Wu Yan’s range. Meanwhile, the fire snakes and water dragons around him continued to attack her, disrupting the rhythm of her pursuit.
‘How about it, little Yan? Do you want to try asking this venerable one for help? This venerable one knows how to deal with this Daoist priest~’
Wu Yan ignored the temptation.
As she increased her spiritual power, the blade of Wu Nian became even more transparent and light.
Simultaneously, Wu Yan’s movements became even more fluid and rapid.
Sword light flashed around Li Qingzhou. Every time she swung her sword, Wu Yan would change her angle for the next attack.
“You are wasting your effort, Fellow Daoist Wu.”
Li Qingzhou did not understand why Wu Yan persisted with an attack pattern that had clearly been proven ineffective.
But since his opponent was so stubborn, he felt it was a good opportunity and decided to take the initiative.
As the Whisking Dust drifted through the air, nine earth spikes suddenly erupted from the arena floor, lunging toward Wu Yan as she was about to land.
Wu Yan’s reactions were also swift. The moment the spikes emerged, she adjusted her posture and shifted her center of gravity to the edge of the spikes’ range. At the same time, she did not forget to attack Li Qingzhou.
Rip —
Although Li Qingzhou’s footwork was fast and his water shield was timely, he was eventually wounded by Wu Yan’s Sword Chi, which tore the clothing on his chest.
‘As I thought.’
Wu Yan murmured to herself.
Then, pushing off with both feet, she leaped up from the earth spikes, and a fierce gale erupted from her longsword.
The moment the gale was about to hit Li Qingzhou, the earth spikes beneath Wu Yan’s feet crumbled into powder. Then, the water shield protected Li Qingzhou again, blocking the blow for him.
Wu Yan approached Li Qingzhou once more, but this time she did not use any techniques.
“Oh? Has Fellow Daoist Wu given up?”
The water shield blocked Wu Yan’s attack again. Then, a fire snake lunged restlessly from behind him, aiming straight for Wu Yan’s face.
“Piaomiao Sword Arts — Startling Swan.”
Wu Yan’s cold voice echoed in Li Qingzhou’s ears.
A violent storm surged, blowing the water shield in front of Li Qingzhou into countless tiny droplets. The scattered droplets were then carried by the storm, extinguishing every fire snake behind him.
“What?!”
Li Qingzhou was shocked. He hurriedly tried to reform the Water-Fire Dual Array around himself.
But this time, Wu Yan would not give him another chance.
Wu Yan’s figure blurred. In the next instant, Wu Nian was already held horizontally against Li Qingzhou’s neck.
“You lost, Fellow Daoist Li.”
The hair on Li Qingzhou’s forehead stood on end from the wind. He was clearly still in a state where he had not yet processed what happened.
It was only when the referee announced Wu Yan’s victory that he regained his senses.
“Fellow Daoist Wu, how did you notice the flaw in my defense?”
Even though he already had a faint suspicion, he still asked.
“The earth spikes.”
Wu Yan’s answer was concise and hit the mark.
Indeed, it was just as he thought.
“The earth spikes.”
Although he could master the Five Elements Arts through the unique cultivation methods of the Taiqing Sect — and even manipulate two opposing attributes simultaneously — his control ultimately depended on himself.
His total spiritual power was fixed, and his mind could not remain absolutely focused on everything at once.
Maintaining the Water-Fire Dual Array for defense and counterattacks was already his limit. At the time, he thought he had grasped a great opportunity to win, but in reality, he had handed the victory over.
“If I hadn’t used those earth spikes…”
Before he could finish, Wu Yan interrupted him.
“It might have taken me a bit more effort.”
Seeing Wu Yan’s sincere expression, Li Qingzhou smiled in resignation.
Finally, he cupped his hands toward Wu Yan. “Even though I was eliminated by you, I still hope you can reach the finals. It would be best if you could win the championship.”
At this point, he chuckled.
“That way, I might be able to brag for the rest of my life — that I was eliminated by the champion.”