Hah, what was he thinking?
When it came to the Zodiac Scripture, how could he possibly know more than the elders and prime disciple of the Armed Ape Tower?
Obtaining the inheritance of the Untethered Sage must have gotten to his head, but he really needed to stop thinking that he was all that special.
Zhao Yunxiao took a deep breath before turning his focus back to the fight.
He had only been distracted for a few moments, but for cultivators at the Dao Rune realm, countless moves could be exchanged with every breath. In fact, they were so quick that most cultivators below the Origin Core realm could not keep up with everything that was happening during the fight.
At this moment, Xiong Yekong was no longer visible to the audience, having been completely surrounded by puppet birds.
Wherever he went, the puppet birds followed. It did not matter how many of them he blew away, more just kept coming at him.
On the other hand, Ren Qiansha skilfully skirted around in the air, maintaining as much distance as he could from the beast that pounced at him at every opportunity. Even under the tremendous pressure of the puppet birds, Xiong Yekong had continued to reach him through sudden bursts of speed, rocketing through the air to slam into him.
The only problem for Xiong Yekong was that Ren Qiansha himself was not weak.
Even though Xiong Yekong was able to reach Ren Qiansha on multiple occasions, the latter was always able to neutralise his seemingly unstoppable attacks before pulling away once again.
"This is going to take forever," Xiong Yekong suddenly stopped and said. "Let's end it with the next move."
"Sure, let's end this," Ren Qiansha replied calmly, his face still as calm as before.
What happened next took the breaths out of those who were watching.
Essence energy imbued with the aura of metal erupted from Xiong Yekong, amplified further by the Feral Bracers on his arms. His body began to grow until he was almost twice as large as before. His hair and skin turned grey, and a metallic sheen covered his entire body, including his eyes.
"Watch closely, Junior Martial Sister Lu. This is Feral Claw Xiong Yekong's signature technique – Avatar of Metal!" Zhao Yunxiao exclaimed excitedly.
In response, Ren Qiansha waved the Gatekeeper, and all of the puppet birds started coming together. They did not just gather closely, but directly slammed into one another as they rapidly turned into a single huge globe of wood. As it grew larger, this globe of wood started changing in shape, transforming into a giant sabre that hovered above Ren Qiansha, big enough to cast a shadow over a large part of the Black Guardian Square. It was a sabre made of wood, but no one here doubted that it would be capable of cutting through steel, especially judging from the intense energy undulations that it emitted.
"Come!" Xiong Yekong shouted as he erupted with a speed multiple times that of before, shooting through the air towards Ren Qiansha.
Ren Qiansha waved the Gatekeeper, and the giant sabre descended almost just as quickly.
A man who was more metal than flesh. A sabre that was more wood than metal.
Under the intent gazes of the audience, the two collided in mid-air.
Bang-!
The explosion of energy from the collision formed powerful shockwaves propagating in all directions, akin to a supernova.
This time, Elder He Luoxuan decided to intervene.
With a wave of his hand, the shockwaves propagating downwards were neutralised in an instant, preventing the disciples present from suffering the aftershocks of the battle.
Up above, the uncontrolled shockwaves reached the heavens, directly dispersing the white clouds to reveal the clear blue sky.
Time seemed to have stopped as Xiong Yekong's fists slammed against the blade of the giant sabre, the two hovering unmovingly in the air as each sought to overpower the other.
And then, it finally happened.
Just like the white clouds above, the giant wooden sabre started to unravel under the pressure of Xiong Yekong's punch, turning back into countless small puppet birds. Having demolished the obstacle before him, Xiong Yekong continued on his original trajectory, passing straight through the centre of what had once been the giant wooden sabre as he made his way towards Ren Qiansha.
In this direct contest of power, Xiong Yekong had come out on top!
But just when everyone thought that Xiong Yekong was about to claim victory, Ren Qiansha made another wave of the Gatekeeper.
The countless puppet birds around Xiong Yekong suddenly shot back into position, reforming into the giant wooden sabre – this time with Xiong Yekong trapped within.
Not just that, but the giant sabre directly imploded, collapsing upon itself to form a dense wooden globe barely twice the height of an adult male. For such a large structure to be forcibly reduced to such a small size, one could only imagine the fate of the person within.
Silence descended upon the Black Guardian Square as everyone was caught by surprise by the sudden turn of events.
Is it over?
As everyone was wondering that, cracks started appearing on the small wooden globe, quickly growing until they covered the entire globe.
Boom-!
The wooden globe burst apart, revealing Xiong Yekong who was now covered almost completely in blood.
It was a gory sight, but no one found it to be tragic. Instead, looks of admiration could be seen in the spectators' eyes as they watched his bloody self hovering in mid-air.
At this point, they could not help but wonder. Would their bodies even have remained, had they been subjected to Ren Qiansha's earlier move?
"Impressive," Ren Qiansha said as he waved the Gatekeeper. Even he seemed to have been moved by what he was seeing, respect filling his heart as the remnants from the exploded wooden globe once again reverted to take the form of countless puppet birds.
"Hahaha! Not nearly impressive enough!" Xiong Yekong laughed as his body slowly returned to its original state. "I admit defeat this time. It would appear that I am still lacking for now, but you'd best believe that I will be challenging you again in the future!"
"Hah, then you'd best prepare something else that is enough to tempt me into fighting," Ren Qiansha let out a smile of relief. The Gatekeeper and the puppet birds around him turned into specks of light before disappearing.
"Don't worry, I will make it worth your time!" Xiong Yekong tossed a spatial pouch over before returning to his seat.
Ren Qiansha did not speak further as he returned to his seat as well.
Just like that, the fight between Feral Claw Xiong Yekong and Thousand Blade Ren Qiansha ended, with the latter claiming victory.
Due to the sheer scale of the fight, nobody stepped up to issue another challenge for quite a while. Instead, hushed discussions spouted everywhere as people exchanged their thoughts and insights on what they had just witnessed.
"Did you see everything clearly?" Zhao Yunxiao asked.
"Not everything," Lu Zhiying shook her head in disappointment. "They are too fast. I could only catch around five percent of the fight, maybe less."
"That's more than good enough," Zhao Yunxiao patted her gently on the head. "If you think about it, your fighting style bears certain similarities to that of Thousand Blade Ren Qiansha. If you intend to continue on this path, it might be good to study his fighting style as reference."
"Mm, I got it!" Lu Zhiying nodded.
"It's good to move with an end goal in mind, but try not to stress over it too much as well," Gu Qiansi added. "You have only just started on the path of cultivation. We don't know what could change in the next few months, not to mention years. It's best not to be too fixated on anything."
"Your Senior Martial Sister Gu is right. Set your goal now, but be open-minded enough to change it along the way, if necessary," Zhao Yunxiao said. "You still have a long journey ahead of you, so there's no need to stick to one particular path just yet."
Before Lu Zhiying could respond, a loud commotion suddenly drew their attention back to the floor of the Black Guardian Square.
There, standing in the centre, was yet another unexpected challenger.
"I, Cheng Kai, challenge any Essence Physique realm cultivator who is confident in their own battle capabilities!"
Crimson Sword Cheng Kai, yet another person who had already been selected as an attendee for the upcoming Duyuan Martial Meet.
Just what was going on this time?
At the very least, that was the thought running through the heads of the disciples from the other great sects. As for the Black Tortoise Sect disciples, they had a fairly good guess of what was going on.
Cheng Kai had always been someone who enjoyed engaging in battles. Seeing the fight between Xiong Yekong and Ren Qiansha must have stirred up his battlelust, which in turn led to him coming up to issue an open challenge.
However, would there really be anyone who dared answer his call?
His reputation of being invincible at his cultivation level had already spread far and wide. Even core disciples at the same cultivation level were not his match, so who could possibly be willing to step forward and embarrass themselves in front of everyone?
Indeed, as Cheng Kai's gaze swept across the audience members, everyone who was at the Peak Essence Physique realm unanimously chose to look away, including those from the other great sects. Not a single one of them was interested in fighting him, or at least not under such circumstances.
"Tch, how disappointing!" Cheng Kai clicked his tongue in irritation. "In that case, I challenge you!"
As he spoke, Cheng Kai raised his sword and pointed it straight towards the section for the Vermilion Bird Sect.
Quan Hui's eyes immediately lit up in anger as she saw the sword being pointed in her direction.
Was the duel in the mystic realm not enough for him? Did he want to fight again?
Well, so be it!
If he wanted a fight, then a fight he would get!
"Fine with me!" Quan Hui stood up without hesitation, a fierce fighting spirit almost bursting out from within.
"Sit down already! You have already lost to me before, so why would I want to fight you again?" Cheng Kai rolled his eyes. "I'm talking to the one sitting beside you!"
"You...!" Quan Hui's anger rose to the extreme, but a gentle tap on her shoulder eased her emotions a little.
The young lady who stood up beside her was an unfamiliar face to most. She looked pleasant and had a gentle air about her, with free-flowing long black hair that was adorned with a butterfly-shaped gold pin.
"Fellow Cultivator Mei Shufang, am I right?" Cheng Kai asked.
The moment those words left his lips, everyone immediately understood who this young lady was. According to the reports, Mei Shufang was one of the members of Quan Hui's group during the recent opening of the Four Symbols Mystic Realm – a core disciple of the Vermilion Bird Sect!
Were they about to witness yet another core disciple in action?
"That's my name," Mei Shufang nodded. "However, I am not going to fight you now. You are strong, but not strong enough to be my match. If you really wish to fight, then come find me after you have broken through to the Origin Core realm. I will gladly take you on then."
Her words were like thunder striking through the minds of those present.
She spoke with indifference, as though she were a senior giving guidance to a junior. However, no one saw it as arrogance. Instead, the natural way in which she spoke, and with such utter confidence, gave others the impression that she could truly back up her words.
Clearly, Cheng Kai felt the same.
"It's fine even if I am not your match. I just want to see the difference between us right now," Cheng Kai said. "If a fight is too much for you, then how about just one move? Feel free to use that same move that you executed back in the mystic realm."
"Are you deaf?" Quan Hui snapped. "Junior Martial Sister Mei already said that you are not her match! Why are you being so stubborn?"
"What do you think, Fellow Cultivator Mei?" Cheng Kai clasped his fists towards Mei Shufang, completely ignoring the blabbering Quan Hui.
Huu-!
"I will be right back," Mei Shufang told Quan Hui after letting out a helpless sigh.
"What? You don't have to listen to that brute, Junior Martial Sister Mei!" Quan Hui protested.
"It's fine. This won't take long," Mei Shufang assured before flying off to land in front of Cheng Kai. "Just one move."
"Just one move," Cheng Kai repeated in confirmation. As he raised his sword in preparation, the aura of a Peak Essence Physique realm cultivator erupted from him like water gushing through an open dam.
Ahead of him, Mei Shufang started to emanate the slight aura of a Primary Origin Core realm cultivator.
Peak Essence Physique against Primary Origin Core. It was a gap of just one boundary, yet this one boundary also marked the difference between two distinct cultivation realms.
Cheng Kai's combat talent was undeniable. After all, that was what had allowed him to claim invincibility within the same cultivation level. However, would that alone be enough to overcome this difference?
That was the thought in everyone's mind as Cheng Kai shot forward, slashing out without holding anything back.
And they immediately got their answer.
The moment Cheng Kai entered striking range, Mei Shufang shot forward as well. Her opponent's sword slashed out at an unimaginable speed, but she managed to evade it with such smooth weaving of her body that it seemed surreal.
With that, her palm slammed mercilessly into the abdomen of the wide-open Cheng Kai.
Boom-!
Under everyone's shock and surprise, Cheng Kai was sent flying with a single clean hit.
"Even the strongest flood dragons can only cower before a true dragon," Mei Shufang said while tidying her robes. "I stand by what I said earlier. Feel free to look for me again when you have broken through to the Origin Core realm. You might stand a chance then."
Cheng Kai was not injured too heavily from that palmstrike, but he did not rush into getting up nevertheless. Instead, he lay there motionlessly on the ground, watching the clouds float by slowly up in the sky above.
Only he knew what was going through his mind at this moment.
Silence fell upon the entire Black Guardian Square as those in the audience fell into deep thought as well.
Who did not know that cultivation level was a huge factor in determining the outcome of battle?
However, the truth was that Cheng Kai was more than capable of jumping ranks to fight, and even defeat, opponents of a higher cultivation level. For Mei Shufang to beat him so easily, it could only mean that Mei Shufang was someone similar – someone who was at the very top of her cultivation level.
Not many had heard of Mei Shufang's name until recently. But from the looks of it, she definitely did not get named as a core disciple for no good reason!