Li Mo was earnestly recalling the teachings of his Ice Chunk teacher, completely focused on the practical application that Xie Xuan was demonstrating before him. He was tuning out all outside distractions like a stubborn cat ignoring its owner.
He was seriously trying to communicate with the sword rhythm within the Divine Sword of the Celestials.
Perhaps the realm he envisioned was different from what Ice Chunk and the others perceived—he could only feel faint and blurry sword rhythm fluctuations.
Each move was one he had practiced; after minor achievements, a response began to resonate within him.
Not enough…
A little more…
So, Li Mo continued to connect with the sword rhythm, searching for an opportunity to strike.
Meanwhile, across from him, listening to the incessant chatter from the purple-clad eunuch, Xie Xuan—who had been struggling to gain the upper hand—was starting to lose his cool:
“Stop yapping already, what is this, a trick to ruin my life?”
Xie Xuan’s composure cracked.
“Here’s my chance!”
Li Mo’s eyes suddenly sprang wide open.
Buzz—
The aloof Divine Sword of the Celestials finally responded to him with a faint resonance.
A bright sword shadow erupted from his consciousness soul, just like the swords of those boorish heroes he had studied, charging straight ahead with a flair for swift vengeance.
“No way!”
Xie Xuan’s physique shook as he unexpectedly found Li Mo’s counterattack perfectly timed, catching him completely off guard.
The direct and unyielding sword cut through the mental web he had woven in an instant.
By the time he reacted and quickly raised his ancestral wooden sword to fend off the attack, his brain felt like it had taken a sledgehammer hit, and his vision darkened.
Xie Xuan stumbled back, bracing himself against the ground on one knee.
That one strike ultimately cleaved through his consciousness soul.
He didn’t have Li Mo’s freakish soul strength, and his chest felt heavy.
“You actually grasped the sword rhythm in the Divine Sword of the Celestials to such an extent. I didn’t believe it before.”
Xie Xuan shook his head and clasped his hands in resignation: “I concede.”
Li Mo chuckled and reminded him: “In this mind duel, the first move is what counts. If you were to strike again, who knows who would ultimately win? Why are you giving up so easily?”
“Didn’t you not use a hammer? Winning a single move with a sword means you should claim victory.”
Xie Xuan was surprisingly straightforward about it.
The arena fell silent for a moment.
“This kid, did he just manage to win against Xie Xuan for real?!”
Du Wufeng’s eyes widened as he leaned back slightly.
Winning against Xie Xuan was not the same as winning against anyone else.
On the Qianlong List, Xie Xuan still stood as the visible top swordman of the new generation; if Li Mo won against him, wouldn’t this kid become even more obsessed with swordsmanship in the future?
“Who told you to randomly hand a book to Eunuch Chen to read aloud?”
Xie Yiding seemed a bit irritated. If only Xie Xuan had managed to keep his cool, he wouldn’t have exposed himself.
“I’m just getting old and confused!”
Du Wufeng slapped his thigh.
“Sigh, reckless by nature—it’s no wonder others are like this.”
Xie Yiding sighed silently as he looked at his adopted son.
“Wait, that’s it? He won just like that?”
“Did something serious happen? I didn’t see them fight at all!”
The audience from the Imperial Capital and most martial artists were left bewildered. They didn’t even witness a decent match; they only heard the story, and suddenly Xie Xuan was stumbling back, immediately conceding.
“Xie Xuan lost a move in the mind duel, so he concedes?”
“He learned swordsmanship from the Cold Fairy, right?”
“Is there another option?”
“Wow… If the Cold Fairy’s martial arts skills are this terrifying, anyone she teaches can defeat Xie Xuan in one move?”
“Winning-by-marriage combat—if I didn’t understand this nickname before, I have some idea now.”
“The Cold Fairy’s beauty could overshadow even the top of the Hundred Flowers List, and her martial skill is phenomenal. What does she see in Li Mo? Just to boost his luck with women?”
Darn it.
Little Li, the swordman, sighed. He never expected that just because he didn’t use his hammer, he’d be caught off guard without drawing his sword.
“Li Mo, your learning’s pretty good.”
Ying Bing wore a serious expression like that of a holy Ice Chunk teacher:
“But Xie Xuan didn’t commit fully; if you want to stay in the top three, you can’t be complacent and must keep working hard.”
“Do I need to plant strawberries too?”
Li Mo had learned more than just swordplay during this time.
He wasn’t foolish; he had realized that Ice Chunk seemed to want to teach him something beyond mere swordplay…
“Well, I guess this is… enough.”
Ying Bing rubbed her big-headed doll’s head, her pace quickening a bit.
As the day wore on…
The Qianlong Conference had completed multiple rounds of battles, determining the winning and losing groups, separating them into twenty-five people, while fifty others were completely eliminated.
Overall, those entering the winning group roughly consisted of the top fifty from the Qianlong List; the chances of shocking upsets were pretty slim.
This showed that the Yantian Sect’s rankings were still quite accurate.
The few dark horses that triumphed over higher-ranked opponents were all familiar faces…
Huang Donglai, with a deep understanding of poisons, proved to be unbeatable against anyone he fought, even if they were stronger than him.
Thus, the scenes on the arena often looked like…
He escaped, he chased! He fled with finesse, while his pursuer foamed at the mouth!
Three battles, three victories!
Yet he wasn’t the most bizarre.
Murong Xiao had somehow learned the Buddha’s Lion’s Roar; although he hadn’t mastered it enough to harm anyone with sound waves, his volume was certainly impressive.
Hence, one would see on the arena:
The bald monk sitting there, spitting out flowery language, his opponent quickly turning red with fury, giving it their all, only to end up hitting themselves.
The monks from the Floating Temple in the audience felt utterly embarrassed, wanting to sneak away, even lacking the courage to admit that the winner was one of their disciples.
Two wins and one draw!
Xiao Qian was the most normal one, encountering strong opponents, facing thrilling battles each time.
One win, one loss, one draw.
Naturally, Li Mo was paying the closest attention to those sword talents wielding divine weapons.
If he were to draw his sword, every duel was bound to be a grueling fight…
“Jiang Yu is going up.”
Ying Bing quietly reminded him.
Li Mo focused his gaze.
Boom—
The golden dragon wielding the divine sword emanated an overwhelming aura, and as it was unleashed, an immense pressure surged forth like a tidal wave.
It seemed like the entire Imperial Capital was faintly resonating with it.
Even the spectators, even those in the fourth stage, felt the tremendous oppression pouring down upon them, gasping for breath.
“He hasn’t even used the Eight Desolations Combined Seal, and he’s this strong already?”
Though he had not advanced in realm, he felt he was dozens of times stronger than last time!
Li Mo furrowed his brows.
Could it be because… he was in the Imperial Capital?
………
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