Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
To be honest, even though they knew who was right and who was wrong, none of them would mind. They had all been defeated by Kong Luoyue in the finger-guessing game and were resentful for that. So, all they wanted to do was laugh when they saw someone pick the fruit of victory from him, and no one would uphold the justice for him.
Besides, once a person entered the field, the decision was final and no one could change that.
When Tie Qingcang made his appearance, the people of the other sects thought that he was Luo Dajiang, who had fought previously. After all, both of them were tall and burly, and their demeanors were equally imposing.
Many of them thought of the rules Du Yangfan had laid out before the matches and understood his intention, so it was only reasonable for Luo Dajiang to fight the match now. To them, there was nothing unusual about the decision.
On the other side, Yang Ping slowly rose to his feet and casually walked down the stand with a sword in one of his hands.
According to the status he assigned himself, Yang Ping thought he should fight the match of the top experts. Yes, he was sent to fight the match of pillar forces because there was no alternative, but he did not like it all the same, and even felt a little uncomfortable.
Tie Qingcang stood in the field like a tall iron pagoda, watching coldly as Yang Ping walked in his direction. At the moment, he was full of confidence.
‘This Yang Ping is definitely no match for me!’
Coincidentally, neither of them was a talkative person. They stood in the field for only a brief moment and then the fight began.
One of them used a sword, and the other used…a great sword.
Yes, the sword used by the Gold-Hand Scholar Tie Qingcang was one size larger than those used by commoners. Its blade was wider by two fingers and longer by one foot, while it weighed double as an ordinary broadsword. It was truly a great sword.
The match between the two men was full of sparks from the very beginning. Swords were swung at each other while the men advanced and retreated as they exchanged blows over and over again. As a result, streaks of blue sword energy spread out in all directions.
The phenomena of energy dissipation was caused by the fact that both men were well-matched in strength and could no longer control the extra power.
Yun Yang’s face grew grave as he watched them fight. Yang Ping’s cultivation base was stronger than he had expected.
According to his expectations, Residence of Nine Supremes would scarcely find a tough opponent among all the sects with lower-class Celestial Luck Banners, as the strength of everyone below Shi Wuchen had improved significantly. But, this man actually had the strength to equal Tie Qingcang. Apart from his physical strength, which was slightly weaker, the ingenuity of his techniques and the profoundness of his mystical Qi were not inferior to that of Tie Qingcang. Judging from all these, it was hard to tell who would win the match in the end.
‘I can’t believe there is someone with such a formidable strength in a sect ranked the eighth! Since he is fighting now, does that mean Thousand Mountains Sect has a stronger expert who will fight the match of the top experts later? And, is Du Yangfan’s strength stronger than his? But, why can’t I see it at all?
‘I’ve underestimated all the heroes in the world…It seems that the final goal has to be adjusted…’ Yun Yang sighed. Initially, he had planned to climb straight up to the middle-class, but he doubted it was achievable considering the situation he saw now.
As thoughts thronged Yun Yang’s mind, he did not know that the higher-ups of the seventh, sixth, and fifth sects were sweating all over as they watched the two men fight.
The outcomes of the previous few matches were all decided by either a swift saber stroke or a quick death. Although the results were shocking, they only meant that the gap between the fighting strength of both sides was tremendous and not on the same level, while these higher-ups could see nothing beyond that. But now, as both men were fighting each other with equal strength, they instantly figured out their true strength.
It was at the peak fourth-tier of the Saint realm. Moreover, both of them were at this level, and none was slightly weaker.
The top experts in their sects were at this level as well.
It was hard for them to believe that there were experts of such a formidable strength hiding in these two sects. They could still accept the fact that Residence of Nine Supremes had one, as it was new here and they knew nothing about its true strength and reserves. But Thousand Mountains Sect…Why had it not challenged the higher-ranking sects when it had such a mighty trump card?
Not to mention their Seven Stars Formation. Even though the formation was defeated by Residence of Nine Supremes’s Nine Peaks Formation, it was one of the best formations in all the previous matches of formations fought between the top ten sects with lower-class Celestial Luck Banners. It might not be the best one, but it could surely enter the top three.
Therefore, no matter which sect it challenged, Thousand Mountains Sect could certainly win two matches. So why was it so low-profile and forbearing?
The sect leader of Thousand Mountains Sect, Du Yangfan, felt depressed as he sensed the quizzical glances throwing at him from all around him.
‘You think I don’t want to challenge?’
‘The reality is, Thousand Mountains Sect has only one genius whose cultivation base is absurdly strong. And even if we can win the match of formations, we will have only two victories, as we have no one to win the other matches. Therefore, it is a waste of time for us to challenge, and it will also expose our strongest trump card!’
‘Otherwise, I would have long challenged you guys. I’m not a fool!
‘It is because there is no other way now that I have to use the trump card, to fight for the last chance of winning or even the last bit of benefits for my sect! You have no idea how depressed I am right now!’
The two men had fought fiercely for an hour. Suddenly, both of them shouted at the same time while leaping up together to strike each other with swords. A rapid clanging noise rang out in the air as sparks flew out into all directions.
Crack!
The two swords broke at the same time; the broken blades flew forward quickly with the momentum while the men were knocked back by the powerful impact.
Tie Qingcang laughed as his sleeves suddenly ripped into pieces and flew away while a golden light burst out of his hands!
“That’s…Gold-Hand Scholar’s golden hands!” Someone exclaimed from outside the field.
Then, Tie Qingcang rushed forward at a high speed like a bolt of lightning, raising a hand that was shining with a blinding golden light. His power was even stronger than before!
Yang Ping’s hand was on his storage ring and he was about to take out another sword to fight again. However, Tie Qingcang’s golden hand was already on him, so he did not have the time to do that. Left with no other choice, he backed off as he mustered all his mystical Qi and raised his palm to defend himself.
With a loud rumble, Tie Qingcang was greeted with the counterattack Yang Ping unleashed with the strongest mystical Qi. He was thrown back into the air, but when he landed on the ground, he launched another wave of attack without the slightest hesitation. A bright golden light flickered and flashed, shining on the entire field and making it look as if it were made of pure gold.
