Chapter 37: Chapter 37: The Strength of Shi Xiaole
With nearly a two-hour buffer, everyone’s emotions had calmed down. In their view, the champion had already emerged, so they watched the upcoming matches with a purely appreciative attitude.
The city lord of the second floor tried hard to disguise his triumph, but the sense of satisfaction on his face was so evident that even a blind man could see it.
On the stage, Shi Xiaole and Sha Zongheng stood five feet apart.
"Lele, I know you won’t admit defeat. But I’m curious, how are you going to block my Flowing Cloud Disc?"
Sha Zongheng chuckled, with a meaningful grin on his face.
He had adjusted his mentality very well. Knowing that he was no match for Lan Ning, he began to enjoy the excitement of competition.
"You’ll find out when you try."
Shi Xiaole’s face was unreadable.
Sha Zongheng’s eyes gradually became grave. He considered himself a skilled judge of character, and from Shi Xiaole’s every gesture, he felt a confidence that emanated from within.
"Then be careful."
Iron fan clung to his palm, and when it spun at high speed, Sha Zongheng clasped his hands together. The strongest strike of Flowing Cloud’s 18 fans, the Flowing Cloud Disc, was launched.
"Using your ultimate move right from the start?"
"It seems, Sha Zongheng wants a quick fight."
While everyone was speculating, the spinning iron fan was less than three feet from Shi Xiaole.
"Oh no, he reacted too late."
Ye Kang, watching from below the stage, became anxious at the sight of Shi Xiaole.
Many people believed that he was defeated by Sha Zongheng because he had not reacted quickly enough. This statement was both right and wrong.
It was right because he had indeed failed to react in time, and it was wrong because, even if he had the chance to do it again, he still had no confidence that he could block it.
The same held true for Shi Xiaole.
At a distance of less than three feet, Ye Kang, even if he exhausted his wits, couldn’t think of any way to block this attack.
Under the gaze of the audience - some anxious, some mocking, others indifferent - Shi Xiaole did something astonishing. He grasped the hilt of the blade at his waist.
Then, he swiftly drew his blade.
This ordinary sword draw gave a very extraordinary feeling. It seemed that what was unsheathed was not only a sword, but also Shi Xiaole’s soaring fighting spirit and formidable self-confidence.
Boom!
The Hundred Battles Blade struck onto the iron fan. The fan changed its rotation arc drastically due to the heavy hit and shot back faster.
"Not good!"
Sha Zongheng’s face changed abruptly, and he quickly initiated his nimble movements to narrowly dodge the iron fan. Nevertheless, beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
Nobody had ever broken his Flowing Cloud Disc in just one move.
The astonished Sha Zongheng, who knew the details, was shocked more than anyone else because only he knew that the Flowing Cloud Disc had three consecutive strikes, each stronger than the last.
He was even confident that the power of the third strike could almost match Jin Wuwei’s Dragon Tiger Fist.
However, Shi Xiaole had shattered his disc entirely with a single sword stroke, leaving no follow-up attack!
"This..."
Everyone on the scene was shocked.
Even the expressionless Lan Ning and Jin Wuwei were deeply engrossed.
"Such a powerful sword draw!"
The City Lord of Feiyan City murmured to himself.
How could a common Draw Sword Skill explode with such terrifying power when in the hands of this young man?
Instinctively, he looked at Su Yanru, but saw Su Yanru’s equally shocked expression, which made him puzzled.
Swoosh!
On the stage, Shi Xiaole executed Hundred Battles Blade Skill, each strike stronger than the previous one. By the twentieth move, Sha Zongheng, left without a fan, was forced to the edge of the stage, about to fall.
Sha Zongheng hastily shouted, "Lele, I admit defeat."
Only then did Shi Xiaole sheathe his blade and said, "Thank you for yielding, Senior Brother Sha."
What could Sha Zongheng say? All he could do was shake his head and force a smile.
He had come to contend for the first place, and now he was inferior not only to Lan Ning and Jin Wuwei, but also to Shi Xiaole. It really was... life is like a play.
However, he always had a feeling that Shi Xiaole did not go all out, but he wasn’t sure if he was overthinking.
"Shi Xiaole actually won against Sha Zongheng. My God, is this real?"
"The key point is not just winning, but the way he won so decisively. He suppressed Sha Zongheng throughout the fight. It’s too terrifying."
"Do you think Shi Xiaole could compete against Lan Ning?"
Someone couldn’t help but pose a question.
"That’s impossible. Shi Xiaole lags behind by three stages in cultivation. Moreover, Lan Ning’s Three-Stream Superior Sword Skill has reached the perfection of the Transformation Phase, flawless. What can Shi Xiaole use to win?"
"That’s true."
Having witnessed Shi Xiaole defeat Sha Zongheng, the impact on the audience was enormous.
Not to mention the young people, even the four lords and ten elders of the Golden Phoenix Tower were dazed.
"Is that guy really Lele?"
An elder couldn’t help asking a foolish question.
"First, it was fist technique, then sword technique, and now blade technique. Tower Master, your nephew seems to have quite the fortune."
The fourth tower lord stared at Su Yanru, his eyes reflecting a certain depth.
"Lele’s fortune is his business. If anyone dares to covet it, watch out for my wrath!"
Su Yanru issued a cool warning, her eyes sharp as knives.
The fourth floor master couldn’t help but tremble.
He was merely angry at his grandson’s defeat and wanted to intentionally cause some trouble for Shi Xiaole, but he didn’t expect such a big reaction from Su Yanru. This protective woman!
"Lan Ning, you have a competitor."
Sha Zongheng walked over to Lan Ning after descending from the platform.
Lan Ning merely smiled silently, making it clear that he was thinking too much.
Sha Zongheng dismissed the idea with a bored lip curl.
Reason told him that no matter how powerful Shi Xiaole was, he couldn’t be compared to Lan Ning. But he just wanted to provoke Lan Ning, not expecting her to be so firm-hearted.
In the upcoming competitions, Jin Wuwei faced Ye Kang and defeated him with the Dragon Tiger Fist.
Lan Ning faced a master from the fourth floor master’s faction, who conceded immediately.
At this point, the crowd began to feel a little bored.
The only remaining suspense was probably whether Shi Xiaole was stronger than Jin Wuwei.
The new round of competition began, and to everyone’s surprise and delight, in the third match of this round, Shi Xiaole faced off against Lan Ning.
"Although the result is predictable, it should be an exciting match."
"Exactly, and through this match, we can roughly see who is stronger between Shi Xiaole and Jin Wuwei."
On the stage, Lan Ning was dressed in blue, with a graceful figure and long, waist-length hair, she appeared as an untouchable ice queen.
In contrast, Shi Xiaole, in his green outfit, carrying a sword and a blade, exuded the vitality and vigor of youth.
The crowd couldn’t help but marvel, secretly thinking what a perfect pair they were.
"Hey, why do all you capable and attractive women like putting on such an aloof front?"
Unexpectedly, Shi Xiaole blurted out this question.
This was primarily because Lan Ning’s stern face reminded him of Mao Wenjing from Huajian Sect. He felt the two women were somewhat alike.
However, to Lan Ning, this sounded like flirtation.
"You’re courting death!"
Flushed with anger, Lan Ning shouted, jabbing her sword towards Shi Xiaole.
Shi Xiaole drew his blade.
Bang!
The clash of sword and blade had Shi Xiaole matching Lan Ning hit for hit, causing an uproar in the crowd.
Even after Shi Xiaole’s enhancement, the Draw Sword Skill was only a middling martial art. It wasn’t too exaggerated that he could match Lan Ning, who wasn’t going all out.
With her attack obstructed, Lan Ning pressed on instead of backing down. She thrust her sword at Shi Xiaole, who countered with the Battle Blade Skill and gradually fell behind.
Many people recognized that Shi Xiaole’s blade was probably an explosive move which couldn’t be used arbitrarily. As long as one could avoid the first blow, he would be ’easy’ to handle.
Clang...
The stage was filled with an exchange of sword and blade, shadows overlapping. Unnoticed, the two had engaged in combat for over fifty moves.
Lan Ning seemed to be losing patience, she warned, "Get ready."
With a swift slash of her sword, shockingly, she displayed her signature skill, the Light Sword Great Method.
The perfected Light Sword Great Method forced Shi Xiaole to retreat three steps with its first strike.
The second strike even drastically reduced Shi Xiaole’s blade strength, revealing a weakness.
"Off the stage with you,"
Seizing the opportunity, Lan Ning thrust her third sword, the decisive victory stroke.
People seemed to already see the clumsy figure of Shi Xiaole falling off the stage. Some sighed, saying that ultimately, Lan Ning’s position was unshakeable.
As the tip of the sword got closer, Shi Xiaole, calm and composed, clapped his left palm several times at the empty space. Suddenly, an invisible cage stopped Lan Ning.
Taken by surprise, Lan Ning’s sword deviated from its path, unintentionally stabbing elsewhere.
"So, you actually had a backup plan?"
It would be a lie to say that Lan Ning wasn’t surprised. However, the more it was so, the more determined she was to defeat Shi Xiaole. Today was her moment of achieving glory and she wouldn’t allow anyone to ruin it.
Because of the interference from the Heaven and Earth Net Force, Lan Ning’s sword skills were greatly compromised and no longer as formidable as before. But as Shi Xiaole divided his attention, his blade skills were also greatly discounted.
At last, the two were evenly matched, battling from fifty moves, to sixty, and finally to over five hundred, but a winner was still not decided.
"The only explanation for Shi Xiaole being able to interfere with Lan Ning’s Light Sword Great Method is that he has also cultivated a top-tier skill of the third grade, and has also reached the Transformation Phase," people commented as they observed the situation on the stage.
Who could have predicted that Shi Xiaole, who was overlooked at the beginning of the competition, could reach this point, not yielding an inch to Lan Ning.
"Hmph, even if he doesn’t lose now, as time goes by, Shi Xiaole will surely lose!" The second floor master, who didn’t expect an unexpected turn, was extremely irritated by Shi Xiaole.
However, he was right. Shi Xiaole’s internal power cultivation was three realms lower than Lan Ning’s. Even with the support of the Fuyang Qi Skill, after over six hundred moves, he was still showing signs of weakness.
"You still refuse to admit defeat?"
Lan Ning put in all her strength, launching sword strike after sword strike, causing Shi Xiaole to struggle to cope.
"This is the extent of my regular strength, I managed to keep up with Lan Ning at the ninth layer of Hidden Qi for over six hundred moves."
While retreating, Shi Xiaole summed up the battle.
"Even though I’m not as good as you, I don’t plan on losing."
Glancing at his aunt in the distance, Shi Xiaole finally activated the Stone Qi Cyclone. With the help of the Cyclone, everything within three feet was under control, and Lan Ning’s sword technique suddenly showed numerous flaws.
Clang, clang, a few times.
Shi Xiaole repelled Lan Ning’s sword attacks, snatching her sword with a reverse grip.
