Chapter 406 - 212: The Grand Competition Officially Begins

Chapter 406: Chapter 212: The Grand Competition Officially Begins

Yang Wenqing chuckled softly, stood up, and first cast a Dust Clearing Skill on himself, washing away any specks of dust that might have settled during his night of meditation. He then carefully cast one on the still soundly asleep Lan Ying.

Perhaps due to the subtle fluctuation from the Magic, or maybe it was her biological clock, Lan Ying groggily opened her sapphire-blue eyes. She looked around blankly at first, then her gaze focused on Yang Wenqing. She instinctively fluttered her wings, flew up unsteadily, and landed on his broad shoulder.

As soon as she had her balance, she rested her small head against Yang Wenqing’s cheek, found a comfortable spot, and drowsily began to doze off again, looking as if she hadn’t had nearly enough sleep.

Yang Wenqing let her be and gently pushed open the door to his room.

The hallway was very quiet. Outside the adjacent room belonging to Sun Chen, Li Ping stood watch dutifully. Seeing Yang Wenqing emerge, he gave a slight nod in greeting.

Yang Wenqing nodded in return, then walked to the stairwell. When he reached the first-floor hall, Qin Huaiming and Gu You were already there. They were sitting at the lone tea table, quietly sipping tea. Seeing Yang Wenqing come down, Qin Huaiming beckoned for him to come and sit.

Yang Wenqing walked over and sat down. Lan Ying shifted her position on his shoulder and continued to doze. Qin Huaiming poured him a cup of clear tea. Gu You, for once, was not talking; he just sipped slowly, his gaze fixed on the window, lost in thought.

The time it took to drink half a cup of tea passed in silence. Light footsteps sounded on the stairs as Sun Chen came down, with Li Ping following behind him. He had changed into a simple, dark blue common robe. After bowing to Qin Huaiming and Gu You, he also sat down.

Qin Huaiming poured him a cup of tea as well and said gently, "There’s no rush. Drink it slowly. Calm your mind."

Sun Chen held the teacup with both hands and took small sips. Yang Wenqing also drank his tea slowly, letting the warm liquid and its subtle fragrance soothe away any last trace of restlessness.

When both had finished their tea and their auras had settled into a state of calm, Qin Huaiming finally set down his cup and stood up. "It’s about time. Let’s go."

Gu You also stretched and grinned. "Let’s go!"

Sun Chen said a word to Li Ping, who immediately stopped following. Yang Wenqing went up to Sun Chen, and together they followed the two elders out of the hall, heading along the mountain path toward the Martial Arts Arena on the mountainside.

...

The Martial Arts Arena was situated on a wide, open flatland on the southern slope of Jade Chime Island, with its back to a mountain cliff and its front facing the sea.

The grounds were paved with sturdy, dark-azure megaliths, their edges inscribed with complex reinforcement and protection runes. In the center was the flat dueling platform, around which simple viewing stands had now been set up.

When they arrived, the people from the Beixuan Sect and the Yunji Sect were already there. The attendant Qi Cultivation disciples from each sect had already prepared their seats, complete with soft cushions, low tables, and even tea and refreshments.

Lei Yue sat on the east side with Wu Qing, Shi Zheng, and Chen Yuan. Ge Yunhai sat on the west side with Lin Xiyun and Leng Zhi. They were separated by the dueling platform and a central aisle, a clear division between them.

The atmosphere was completely different from the previous day at the main hall’s entrance. There were no pleasantries, no conversation. Wu Qing was meditating with her eyes closed. Shi Zheng silently polished a sheathless, broad-bladed short knife. Leng Zhi’s gaze was fixed forward, staring at nothing in particular. Lin Xiyun, however, wore a faint smile, her fingers unconsciously tapping on her knee as if she were running through calculations.

Seeing the Xuanyue Lineage arrive, Lei Yue and Ge Yunhai simply looked up and gave a slight nod in acknowledgment. Their disciples, including Wu Qing and Lin Xiyun who had been chatting and laughing with Yang Wenqing just yesterday, had all transformed into the most proper of contestants. Not a single one came over to greet Yang Wenqing or Sun Chen.

Once the Xuanyue Lineage was seated in their reserved southern section, the three leading elders—Qin Huaiming, Lei Yue, and Ge Yunhai—rose simultaneously and walked with steady steps to the center of the Martial Arts Arena.

Qin Huaiming’s gaze swept over the disciples of the Three Sects, his voice carrying across the entire arena:

"The rules for today’s competition between the Three Sects are simple. On this platform, you will rely on your own abilities. There is no need to hold back; display everything you have learned. This platform itself has protective properties, and we three will be watching from the side. Should a situation arise that threatens your foundation or your life, we will intervene. However, the moment we do, the party we intervened for will be considered the loser of that match. Do you all understand?"

"We understand!" the six contestants replied in unison, their voices echoing across the empty Martial Arts Arena.

"Good." Lei Yue took over, his voice booming like a great bell. "First match: Sun Chen of Xuanyue versus Wu Qing of the Beixuan Sect. Both contestants, enter the ring!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Chen immediately stood up. He soothed the little fox that followed him, and it nodded understandingly. He then bowed to Qin Huaiming and Gu You before striding to the center of the dueling platform.

Across the platform, Wu Qing also stood up. She gave Lei Yue a slight nod, her usual cheerful smile gone, replaced by a look of deep concentration.

The two stood ten zhang apart in the center of the platform and bowed to each other with clasped hands.

"Please enlighten me, Senior Brother Sun."

"Junior Sister Wu, please."

The moment the words left their lips, the match officially began!

Sun Chen struck first. His hands rapidly formed a series of seals, and the aura around him suddenly grew ethereal. Because he could draw upon a greater amount of external Five Yang Qi, he had been able to cultivate the orthodox Yuqing Secret Technique, Liu Jia Qi Men, despite only being in the Marrow Cleansing Realm!

This technique involved controlling the ubiquitous, harmonious Yang Qi of the Five Elements within a small area to create various ’Qi Men’ effects, such as trapping, harassing, or defending.

Spiritual Light flickered at Sun Chen’s fingertips. On the platform, the space around and beneath Wu Qing distorted slightly as an invisible retarding force was silently generated, attempting to interfere with her movement and the circulation of her Spiritual Qi.

At the same time, several condensed, pale-gold Qi Blades materialized out of thin air and slashed toward Wu Qing from different angles with a sharp whistle.

Wu Qing remained unflustered. She formed a sword-finger with her right hand and traced a symbol in the air before her. A translucent, pale-blue water curtain, clear as flowing water, instantly unfurled to shield her. This was the defensive variation of her renowned Water-Soft Sword Control Technique, ’Water Curtain of Heavenly Splendor.’

TCH! TCH! TCH!

The pale-gold Qi Blades struck the water curtain, creating a series of soft hisses. The curtain rippled, but it resiliently blocked the attack.

Meanwhile, Wu Qing’s figure moved like a fish in water. Using a Body Technique that seemed gentle but was actually extremely fast, she skillfully weaved through the invisible retarding field Sun Chen had set up, managing to evade several subsequent, more hidden restrictive auras by a hair’s breadth.

Gu You activated a Sound Insulation Array and spoke quietly to Yang Wenqing, "Your Senior Brother Sun’s Liu Jia Qi Men has reached the rudimentary level. If that Wu girl has no other tricks up her sleeve, she’s probably no match for him. You need to pay close attention and feel the subtlety of this orthodox Yuqing Magic."

Yang Wenqing nodded. ’The match started so abruptly. No long-winded speeches from the administration or the City Defense System. It’s actually a bit jarring.’

Hearing his martial uncle’s words, he instinctively focused more intently. Lan Ying was also staring seriously at the fight on the platform.

At this point, their initial probing had ended.

Wu Qing knew she couldn’t get caught in the rhythm of Sun Chen’s Liu Jia Qi Men; she had to disrupt his spellcasting. With a sharp cry, a shimmering sword light, like the glistening surface of autumn water, shot out. It carved gentle arcs through the air like a living creature, stabbing at Sun Chen from an extremely tricky angle. Even before the Sword Qi arrived, a feminine yet pervasive penetrating force had already enveloped him.

Sun Chen’s expression remained unchanged. His footwork was profound as he moved, as if he could predict the future, always barely dodging the sword light just before it reached him. Then, the seals his hands were forming changed again, and the effects of his Liu Jia Qi Men shifted accordingly.

Within the area covered by his Magic, walls of earth and rock would sometimes rise to block the sword’s path. At other times, tough vines would spring from nowhere to entangle the sword light. Then, sparks of fire would splash out, burning away the feminine nature of the Sword Qi.

Wu Qing’s attacks grew more frantic. She changed her Sword Technique again, shifting from gentle to swift. Streaks of sword light rained down like a torrential downpour, covering a massive area. Sun Chen, however, remained composed, using his Liu Jia Qi Men to construct layers of defense. He would occasionally counterattack with the qi of metal and fire, forcing Wu Qing to pull her sword back to defend.

Seeing Sun Chen’s advantage growing more and more obvious, a look of grim determination flashed in Wu Qing’s eyes.

She suddenly retracted her sword and retreated several steps. The autumn-water-like flying sword hovered before her, letting out a soft hum. She then brought her hands together, forming an extremely complex hand seal. Her aura abruptly changed—the gentle, water-aspected Spiritual Qi was instantly replaced by a searing presence!

"Senior Brother Sun, be careful!"

Wu Qing shouted, an unnatural flush rising on her face.