Clad in white and exuding charm, Gongliang Yuan wore a helpless expression as he said, “I’ve only recently entered the Saint Rank, and my strength is still weak. My Aura of Rivalry Doppelgänger will serve well to test your abilities! Dongbo, I truly wish to assist you, but with so many extraordinary experts watching and demi-gods of unfathomable strength around, I simply cannot afford to hold back.”
“There’s no need to be courteous, Elder Gongliang,” replied Dongbo Xueying.
“I will do my best to hinder and defeat you,” Gongliang Yuan declared. “If you cannot even overcome this Aura of Rivalry Doppelgänger, you will face mortal danger in the fifth and sixth matches.”
“I understand,” Dongbo Xueying nodded.
“Then come forth.”
Elder Gongliang Yuan stood still. Dongbo Xueying, cautious and observant, stared at the elder whose skin radiated an inner glow. He mused to himself, “Elder Gongliang Yuan always carries a divine sword on his back. If it’s not just a quirk, it must be related to the secret techniques he cultivates!”
Back when he was at the Water Source Daoist Temple’s Secret Technique Pavilion, although he ultimately chose the “Dragon Blood Cultivation Method,” he had perused many superior and Supreme Aura of Rivalry secret techniques. Though he did not study them at the time, reading them helped him gain experience and broaden his horizons. Thus, he was familiar with many special secret techniques that required carrying a weapon at all times.
Moreover, in the past six months, conversations with numerous extraordinary beings had imparted some common knowledge: the more one carried weapons, the more caution was required.
“Boom~~~” Dongbo Xueying’s mind stirred.
Instantly, the power of water surged throughout the battlefield, coalescing into endless waves that swept across a radius of several miles, forming a massive whirlpool brimming with hidden currents.
Amidst it all, Gongliang Yuan slightly furrowed his brows before smiling, “Dongbo, though newly entered into the extraordinary, your mastery of the mysteries of water is quite intriguing.”
Though he spoke thus, invisible winds encircled him, effortlessly blocking all hidden currents. In terms of cultivation, he was far superior to Dongbo Xueying!
“Dongbo, attack! If you just stand there foolishly, you won’t defeat me,” Gongliang Yuan stood unmoving, waiting for Dongbo Xueying to strike first.
“Alright.”
Dongbo Xueying had initially intended to remain still, hoping to observe any clues when his opponent moved. But according to the rules, he could only win by defeating the opponent.
“Whoosh.”
Dongbo Xueying strode across the water. Motionless until now, he moved like thunder! In the blink of an eye, he had closed the distance to Gongliang Yuan.
Strangely, the previously stationary Gongliang Yuan suddenly had his right hand gripping the hilt of the divine sword on his back, as if he had held it for ages. Yet, just a moment ago, when Dongbo Xueying approached, his hands had been relaxed at his sides… only to shift eerily in an instant, his right hand already on the hilt, time seemingly slowing.
“Clang!” The sound of the sword leaving its sheath.
Following it came a dazzling, cold blade of wind, so fast it was already before Dongbo Xueying’s eyes.
“Clack.” Dongbo Xueying’s expression changed; he immediately raised a black spear to block while rapidly retreating!
Fifteen Wind-Cutting Swords!
The secret technique cultivated by Elder Gongliang Yuan was the Supreme secret art “Fifteen Wind-Cutting Swords,” suitable for those who excelled in the mysteries of wind and wielded swords. Dongbo Xueying had seen this technique in the Secret Technique Pavilion. Among Aura of Rivalry techniques, some specialized in defense, others in offense.
Even those focused on defense usually had some offensive capabilities.
However, “Fifteen Wind-Cutting Swords” was an extreme, purely offensive technique! It offered no enhancement to movement or defense, but its offensive power was terrifying.
Cultivating this technique required constantly nurturing the sword with one’s consciousness. Once drawn, each sword strike would be faster than the last, like waves building upon each other, with the sword’s power continuously escalating. The mastery of wind’s mysteries needed to rise accordingly… only at ultimate mastery could all fifteen strikes be fully unleashed!
Of course, Elder Gongliang Yuan had only recently entered the Saint Rank and could not possibly reach the level of fifteen strikes. Even five or six strikes were formidable enough.
Against such a technique, escape was the only option!
One must not allow the opponent to unleash consecutive strikes in one breath! If the opponent’s swordplay was interrupted, he would have to restart from the first strike.
Each strike’s power must be consecutively unleashed without pause.
“You can’t escape, Dongbo,” Gongliang Yuan’s voice rang out as boundless gales surged around Dongbo Xueying, powerful winds hindering his movements.
As Dongbo Xueying rapidly retreated, Gongliang Yuan had already executed two more strikes in midair.
By the fourth strike, the sword was already before Dongbo Xueying, leaving no room for evasion.
If evasion was impossible, then face it head-on!
Against the “Fifteen Wind-Cutting Swords,” counterattacking was also a method, aiming to disrupt the opponent’s accumulating momentum.
“Clack.” Dongbo Xueying’s spear erupted into flames, fiercely thrusting at his opponent. Upon collision with the divine sword, the blade, leveraging the rebound force, swiftly retreated and immediately launched an even more terrifying fifth strike! The Gale Winds accompanying this strike was minimal, yet the blade itself was more refined and swift.
The previous collision had been weak.
This left Dongbo Xueying frustrated. Despite his fierce attack, the opponent merely brushed off the impact and retaliated with greater speed. He felt the crushing disparity in technique. Though Gongliang Yuan might have been inferior to Dongbo Xueying during their early extraordinary days, years of cultivation had made him formidable, and his ascension to the Saint Rank attested to his prowess.
Under normal circumstances, perhaps only one out of ten Skyborne Rank extraordinary beings could ascend to the Saint Rank!
Dongbo Xueying, fortunately aware of the principle that the newly strong are easily broken, had incorporated Soft Force into his mastery of fire’s mysteries. With a twist of his spear, his fire techniques seamlessly transformed into water techniques, immediately retracting the spear to reduce his defensive area.
“Whoosh.”
The spear barely blocked the fifth strike.
The divine sword barely touched and retracted, swiftly launching the even faster sixth strike… This strike was so fast that Dongbo Xueying’s eyes could barely follow. He could only grit his teeth and do his utmost to block, relying on the defensive capabilities of his water techniques.
“Swish~~~” The spear moved in circular, sealing-like motions, with swirling water.
“Boom!!!”
This strike was no longer the light swordplay of before.
It unleashed the accumulated might of each preceding strike. Truth be told, the Aura of Rivalry Doppelgänger was far slower than the lightning-wielding native extraordinary being before! Yet now, at the sixth strike, the sword speed had reached a point where Dongbo Xueying could only instinctively defend, the force being terrifyingly immense.
Dongbo Xueying felt a powerful impact on his spear. He spun the spear shaft to dissipate the force, but the impact still sent the shaft recoiling backward, striking him.
“Spit.”
Dongbo Xueying was flung backward, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Though bloodied and retreating, Dongbo Xueying remained excited—he had blocked it! If he hadn’t, the strike would have landed on him, possibly costing him an arm or a leg. Though the fourth match wouldn’t cost his life, a severe injury would mean defeat.
Then Dongbo Xueying landed on the water’s surface, gazing at the distant Gongliang Yuan.
Why didn’t he pursue?
Throughout his backward flight, Dongbo Xueying had faced his opponent, ready to defend at any moment. Logically, being flung back was the perfect opportunity for a follow-up attack.
“Hmm?” Dongbo Xueying noticed that the White Robe-clad Gongliang Yuan’s skin had become translucent, the radiant glow even more pronounced.
“Congratulations, Dongbo. You’ve won! Unfortunately, I could only use the most ordinary sword provided by the Xihuo Palace,” Gongliang Yuan glanced at his sword. “Without long-term nurturing of the sword with my consciousness, its power is significantly diminished, allowing me to unleash merely six strikes.”
His true strength could unleash eight strikes!
The Fifteen Wind-Cutting Swords could be considered moderately mastered.
“Elder Gongliang, I was already quite strained. Why didn’t you continue your assault?” Dongbo Xueying asked.
“This Aura of Rivalry Doppelgänger contains limited extraordinary Aura of Rivalry, sufficient only for a single use of Wind-Cutting Six Strikes,” Gongliang Yuan smiled. The Fifteen Wind-Cutting Swords consumed Aura of Rivalry exponentially with each subsequent strike. His Aura of Rivalry Doppelgänger’s remaining Aura of Rivalry was too scarce to unleash even the first or second strikes effectively, posing no real threat to Dongbo Xueying.
“Truly unexpected! At merely the first tier of the Myriad Realms, you managed to withstand my Wind-Cutting Six Strikes,” Gongliang Yuan laughed.
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