Chapter 699: Shooting the Net
What Ju Luyi didn’t expect was that this simple gesture immediately sparked a discussion among the Senior Sisters around her.
"Huh? Senior Brother Song Yan... is he greeting Senior Sister Zhao?"
"No way..."
"Senior Sister Zhao, do you know Senior Brother Song?"
The female Cultivator in purple was a little puzzled, but still nodded thoughtfully: "Hmm... Last time, we might have met once in the Market."
"Senior Brother Song only met you once, and he remembered you, Senior Sister Zhao."
"Oh my, could it be..."
Ju Luyi looked up in a daze, gazing at the Senior Sisters who were discussing animatedly.
However, she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief in her heart: "So he was greeting Senior Sister Zhao..."
"I thought there was something wrong with the Dao robe I made for him earlier."
Her little heart, which had been full of self-doubt, finally settled down.
In the surrounding spectator stands, speculation about the outcome of this decisive battle had always been a very popular topic.
"Senior Brother Li Yi’s position in the ’A’ group for this decisive battle should be a sure thing."
"Indeed. But the ’B’ position has many variables."
"Senior Sister Yuwen Yao’s strength is undoubtedly formidable, and Senior Brother Song Yan can be considered a dark horse."
"Hmm, Senior Brother Song’s Sword Control technique is indeed exquisite, but upon closer thought, he is, after all, only at the Qi Refining Stage Seventh Level, so he’s at a disadvantage in terms of accumulating Spiritual Qi."
A small hand tugged at Song Yan’s Dao robe.
Looking back, Xiang Zhaoling’s expression was very strange; if he had to choose a word to describe it,
it would be ’cunning’.
"Senior Brother, they’re all talking about you~"
Song Yan looked at this extremely dangerous girl, his emotions complex.
During the selection stage, he actually didn’t know much about the Sect Prodigies like Li Yi and Yuwen Yao, but he was extremely wary of Xiang Zhaoling.
He hadn’t expected that she seemed not to have participated in too many battles, ultimately only getting a minimal number of spirit patterns.
But this did not make Song Yan relax his guard.
The night outside Lingxi Market was still vivid in his mind.
"Junior Sister Xiang, please don’t make fun of me. If we meet on the stage, please show mercy."
Could he, in his current state, survive such a bizarre attack?
He didn’t know, but... he could try!
Despite his apprehension, facing a potential formidable enemy, his Dao Heart and Sword Intent had inexplicably made Song Yan a little excited.
"Oh, my dear brother, don’t call me Junior Sister Xiang anymore, it sounds so distant. That night we already..."
"Junior Sister Xiang, watch your words!!!"
Before she could finish, Song Yan’s face darkened, and he quickly interrupted her.
He knew that this strange girl would not say anything proper.
Senior Brother Sun Zhengfu, beside him, looked shocked, staring at him in disbelief.
"Junior Brother Song, you... you two..."
His gaze was like looking at a beast.
"No, Senior Brother Sun, she is..."
Xiang Zhaoling giggled, covering her mouth, as if she enjoyed creating such misunderstandings.
Just as the three were bickering, a loud bell rang suddenly from the center of the Sword Debate Platform.
The originally noisy Sword Debate Platform instantly fell silent.
Everyone’s eyes simultaneously looked towards the bottom of the giant stone sword peak.
Seven spirit jade seats were arranged in a line, and the six Peak Masters had already taken their seats one after another.
The middle seat, however, remained empty.
That was reserved for the Sect Master, Daoist Lijun.
"Silence."
Elder Luo Xiaming, the Wipe Sword Peak Master, slowly spoke.
His voice spread throughout the entire Wipe Sword Peak. This Wipe Sword Peak Master had, for once, put on his formal Dao robe today.
"Today, I will keep it brief."
"There are three rules for the decisive stage."
He lightly tapped his fingertip, and a huge cloud curtain slowly unfolded above Wipe Sword Peak.
Golden runes gradually appeared on it.
"First, the first round will be a random draw elimination battle, twenty-two advancing to eleven."
"Second, the next round will be a round-robin tournament, where the eleven promoted Disciples will engage in round-robin battles. Each Disciple must fight one match against each of the other ten."
"Winning a match earns two points, a draw earns one point, and a loss earns zero points."
"The final top ten Disciples will be determined."
"Besides the final ten Disciples, the Elders will comprehensively evaluate the Disciples’ performance during the Wipe Sword selection and decisive stages, and select two additional individuals as substitutes."
"A total of twelve individuals will participate in the Nine Pulses Peak Meeting at Dragon Pool Mountain three years from now."
As his voice fell, all the Cultivators on Wipe Sword Peak began to whisper.
"There’s even a round-robin tournament..."
"Then for the Disciples in the decisive battle, today will probably be a fierce fight..."
"Senior Brother Li Yi is already capable of sustained combat, so this way, Senior Brother Li Yi will become stronger the more he fights, making it even harder for the other Disciples to catch up."
Buzz—
A sudden sound of Sword Qi piercing through the air interrupted all discussions.
All the Elders present simultaneously rose and bowed towards the sky in the direction of Dragon Head Peak.
"Welcome, Sect Master!"
A flash of sword light suddenly arrived from within the clouds.
In the blink of an eye, it landed before the middle seat.
The sword light dispersed, revealing the figure within.
Daoist Lijun appeared extremely young. This Golden Core grand Cultivator wore no luxurious robes today, only a simple dark blue Dao robe.
"Begin."
With these three brief words, the curtain for the decisive day officially rose... The drawing numbers had already been distributed into the hands of each Disciple.
There were only five Sword Debate Platforms in total, so only five sword debates could be held simultaneously.
If any match ended early, subsequent drawn matches would be moved up, and a dedicated Elder in charge would provide a reminder.
Song Yan drew the number "seventeen".
"Central Sword Debate Platform, One versus Sixteen."
"Northwest Sword Debate Platform, Two versus Seven."
"Northeast Sword Debate Platform, Three versus Fourteen."
"..."
Disciples whose numbers were called began to ascend the stage one by one. The discussions and shouts of the Cultivators watching from all around the peak grew boisterous, their voices soaring into the clouds.
Song Yan’s name was not called, so he calmly began to observe the battles on the five Sword Debate Platforms.
What caught his attention was the match between number two and number seven on the Northwest Sword Debate Platform.
It was a duel between an unfamiliar Disciple and Shao Sichao.
Shao Sichao had Breakthrough to the Qi Refining Stage Seventh Level Realm at some point. Judging from his Dao robe, he had joined Ling Quan Peak.
His opponent was a Disciple from Taiping Peak, whom Song Yan didn’t recognize and couldn’t name.
However, since he was able to enter these twenty-two positions, he must have some skill.
Watching Shao Sichao on the stage, Song Yan’s mind kept replaying what Yan Xun had said back on Bei Ya Mountain.
"Senior Brother Shao, why would you lie about such an irrelevant matter..."
While he was contemplating, the battle on the stage was already nearing its end.
The opponent was already struggling.
Shao Sichao’s aura, however, remained steady. A flash of green light passed through his palm.
It seemed as if a seed burst open in his palm, and green Spiritual Qi swirled between his five fingers.
"She Wang."
The green light shot out, instantly breaking through the opponent’s protective Spiritual Qi. At the same time, a wisp of green Spiritual Qi entered the opponent’s body.
The Inner Sect Disciple immediately stiffened, his movements rapidly slowed down, and then he uncontrollably collapsed to the ground.
The victor was decided.
"Northwest Sword Debate Platform, Number Seven, Shao Sichao wins."
