Chapter 358: Floating Cloud Snow Shadow

Seeing that the time for the assessment had arrived, Yang Yi had already had people lock the wooden gate at the wooden fence that led to the platform here.

Outside the wooden fence, there were actually three or four Registered Disciples who had arrived late, both male and female, clinging to the wooden fence and pleading with Yang Yi in a low, humble voice. Yang Yi merely cursed at them a few times, then picked up a plate of mountain fruit and, while eating, raised his eyes to look toward the platform.

With the clanging of a bronze gong, the start of the second round of the assessment was announced.

Yang Yi only left two people to guard the wooden fence. He himself took some people and went off to patrol toward the large platform.

Xiao Yu, Ximen Kankan, and Shen Mizhi were standing in a long, dragon-like queue according to their numbers.

Duan Rong did not have a number anyway, so he simply made up the numbers and stood behind Xiao Yu.

Because there was no inspection when lining up, it was only when they went on stage that the people from the Inner History Department would check their Sect Cloud Token and number.

The number of people participating in the assessment was still quite large.

At this moment, the first batch of people had already begun to stand one after another in the large red-lined circles on the large platform.

There were quite a few circles closest to here that were still unoccupied, while at the far end, fighting had already begun in some places.

The crisp "Ding! Ding! Ding!" sounds of weapons clashing came from far and near.

And at the front of the queue here, the people from the Inner History Department were still continuously letting people through to walk into the few circles not far from here.

Duan Rong stood behind Xiao Yu; he could tell that Xiao Yu was a little nervous.

Duan Rong leaned down to Xiao Yu's ear and whispered, "It's fine. I cast a divination last night; you will all pass."

Xiao Yu turned her head and looked at Duan Rong with a faint smile. "Since when do you know how to cast divinations?"

Duan Rong laughed and said, "I learned it in the last two years. In case I end up drifting through the jianghu in the future, I have to have a trade to make a living, right?"

Xiao Yu rolled her eyes at Duan Rong, looked into his eyes, and said, "Fortune tellers are usually blind, you know."

"Isn't that simple?" Duan Rong rolled his eyes upward, tucking his pupils under his upper eyelids, leaving only the whites of his eyes exposed, truly looking like a blind person.

"Alright, alright! What kind of nonsense are you learning?!" Xiao Yu was amused by Duan Rong and lightly punched him on the shoulder.

With Duan Rong making such a scene, the nervousness in Xiao Yu's heart indeed dissipated quite a bit.

Seeing that Xiao Yu had calmed down, Duan Rong felt relieved and fixed his gaze on the large platform.

He saw that in just this short while, winners and losers had already been decided in some of the circles.

The numbers for these Registered Disciples were all randomly assigned within the Yougu of the giant statue.

At that time, every Attendant from the Inner History Department responsible for registration had twenty numbers, and they would distribute these numbers while registering.

In the random duels, the gap between the two people in some circles was quite large, so the winner could be determined very quickly.

Those who lost in the first round would be re-numbered and would line up at the back of the queue, waiting for the second round of fighting.

As soon as there was a vacancy in a circle over there, someone would call the inspector to let two people go over.

At first, it was just sporadic people deciding the results, but as time passed, the rate here changed from letting two people through at a time to six people at a time.

Soon, Xiao Yu and Ximen Kankan went on stage almost at the same time.

As for Shen Mizhi, because she was quite a distance away, she was still waiting in line at the back.

Around the large circles on the platform, there were basically two or three people gathered, watching the battle. These people were all those who had already won their previous fights.

Since this second round of the assessment had already been passed and they had nothing to do, and the wooden gate to leave this place was being guarded tightly by people from the Ruling Sect Justice Division, they just watched others fight here, which could be considered a form of entertainment.

Duan Rong followed Xiao Yu toward the circle where she was to fight. When they reached a certain point and saw Ximen Kankan about to turn toward another spot, Duan Rong suddenly kicked Ximen Kankan in the butt and said, "Fight properly for me; if you lose, I'll kill you."

Ximen Kankan brushed the shoe print off his butt and cursed, "You just wait for me."

After saying that, he continued walking toward the circle for his number.

Duan Rong smiled and followed Xiao Yu to the other side.

Xiao Yu walked to the vicinity of the circle and saw a burly man already standing inside.

Duan Rong looked at Xiao Yu and said, "It's fine. I'll be right behind you watching you."

Xiao Yu gave a hum, and suddenly felt very confident.

With a sharp look in her eyes, she gripped her Qingling Saber and stepped into the circle.

The Attendant from the Inner History Department standing outside the circle announced the rules to the two of them once more, then paused slightly and shouted, "Begin!"

The moment the word "Begin" left the Attendant's mouth, the burly man opposite raised his hand, grabbed the hilt of the saber on his back and twisted it; the rope binding it behind him snapped instantly, and a broad-bladed saber was already gripped in his hand.

The man's eyes were bulging with rage, his legs stomping like elephant feet, and he rushed forward, then leaped into the air, slashing at Xiao Yu with his saber; the momentum was truly astonishing.

Xiao Yu's figure flashed, and she had already dodged it. Then, her figure reversed, and she unleashed a killing move from the Floating Cloud Snow Shadow Saber: Floating Cloud Snow Shadow.

One could see the blade shadows flickering, with murderous intent hidden within!

Seeing the blade shadows flickering, the man found it hard to distinguish the real from the fake, and that biting murderous intent was even moving stealthily.

He immediately retreated and slashed his broad saber horizontally at Xiao Yu, wanting to break her finesse with brute force.

This man's saber technique was clearly of the fierce and powerful style, with wide-open and sweeping movements.

But Xiao Yu did not retreat; instead, she advanced, and with one strike, she slashed at the blade of the man's saber.

"Ding!" With a sound, both of their web spaces between thumb and forefinger were shaken.

Duan Rong, who was watching from the side, had his pupils shrink slightly. In that instant of contact, he could already see that Xiao Yu not only surpassed the man in saber technique, but was also a cut above in the strength of her True Qi.

In Duan Rong's view, there was no suspense in this fight; Xiao Yu would definitely win.

Although Xiao Yu's Divine Soul strength was not outstanding—in the first round's Divine Soul test, she had only barely crossed the White Line.

But over these past three years, with Duan Rong's careful guidance in Martial Techniques, she had long since thoroughly understood and mastered the moves of the Floating Cloud Snow Shadow Saber.

Furthermore, in terms of True Qi cultivation, the three of them—Xiao Yu, Ximen Kankan, and Shen Mizhi—had cultivation resources several times greater than the average Registered Disciple due to the help of Duan Rong's alchemy.

Although Xiao Yu was still locked in a struggle with the man, in Duan Rong's eyes, the outcome was already a certainty.

He slowly left the crowd of spectators and headed toward Ximen Kankan's side.

In fact, among the three of them—Ximen Kankan, Xiao Yu, and Shen Mizhi—Duan Rong was most worried about Xiao Yu, but now it seemed that Xiao Yu's luck was quite good.

Duan Rong walked with unhurried steps toward the circle number where Ximen Kankan was.

Along the way, he walked while looking at the figures fighting in the circles he passed.

Having walked all this way, there was not a single martial arts style used by those people that he did not recognize.

Before long, Duan Rong stopped in front of a red-painted circle on the side with the characters "Jia Shen Sixty" written on it.

Ximen Kankan was inside, fighting someone with figures blurring in chaos.

Duan Rong's eyelids twitched slightly.

He had originally been least worried about Ximen Kankan, because Ximen Kankan had already achieved the True Qi Realm Second Layer. But he had not expected that his luck would be so poor as to encounter a master who was his equal.

Although the figures were blurring, after watching for two breaths, Duan Rong still identified the martial arts style of the person opposite Ximen Kankan.

The style that person was practicing was a martial art called the Eighteen Sweeping Leaf Sabers.

Although this name sounded incredibly vulgar, this martial art was actually extraordinarily powerful, with every move linked to the next, circling back and forth, becoming fiercer the longer it was fought in actual combat!

Compared to Ximen Kankan's Splitting Sky Saber, it could be considered evenly matched, each with its own merits, and if the fight were to drag on, it might even slightly suppress the Splitting Sky Saber.

Duan Rong stood there with his arms crossed, his gaze flickering. He was very familiar with Ximen Kankan's Splitting Sky Saber and that Eighteen Sweeping Leaf Sabers. Duan Rong was currently deducing the method of mutual generation and restraint between these two martial arts.

However, after a few breaths, Duan Rong's eyes suddenly lit up.

He suddenly coughed and looked at a person beside him; that person, like him, was watching the battle here.

Duan Rong suddenly raised his voice and said to that person, "Brother, do you know where the strength of this Eighteen Sweeping Leaf Sabers lies?"

That person was slightly stunned to see Duan Rong strike up a conversation, because he did not recognize Duan Rong at all. Therefore, he just looked at Duan Rong in bewilderment.

But Duan Rong continued, "The strength of the Eighteen Sweeping Leaf Sabers lies in its continuous moves and the layers of force stacked upon one another."

That person's eyes flickered; he felt that what Duan Rong said made some sense, because his Senior Brother Chen had once used words with a similar meaning to describe his own saber technique.

That person's expression toward Duan Rong changed, and he said, "Brother has good insight!"

At this moment, Duan Rong glanced at the chaotic figures inside the circle, raised his volume a bit more, and said, "It is just that this martial art also has its weaknesses."

Ximen Kankan had always had keen senses; when Duan Rong coughed, he had already heard that it was Duan Rong nearby. At this moment, hearing Duan Rong suddenly raise his volume to speak about some martial arts weakness, he naturally pricked up his ears and listened intently while his blade shadows flickered.

Duan Rong said, "The weakness of this Eighteen Sweeping Leaf Sabers lies in the transition points of its continuous moves. The transition points of these eighteen sabers are usually at the two shoulders; it is just not easy to notice if one only observes with the eyes."

As soon as Ximen Kankan heard Duan Rong's words, he felt as if he had obtained a treasure.

All the moves of his Splitting Sky Saber were immediately directed at that person's shoulders. One could see Ximen Kankan's short, stout body, shaped like a winter melon, moving as nimbly as an ape, dodging and shifting, every move ruthless.

Once that Eighteen Sweeping Leaf Sabers was attacked at the transition points of its moves, the force immediately dissipated, and its power was greatly reduced.

Before long, that person was beaten by Ximen Kankan until he retreated step by step, with no power to fight back.

Suddenly, a copper gong sounded.

Ximen Kankan immediately jumped away. That person's face turned pale, and he looked down at his feet, only to see that one of his feet had already stepped outside the circle.

Ximen Kankan wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a breath of stale air. He turned his head and looked at Duan Rong with a grateful expression.

The person opposite Ximen Kankan also looked with a sinister gaze at Duan Rong, who was standing among four or five people watching the battle outside the circle. A snake-like, vicious glint shot from his eyes, and he raged, "Why are you flapping your tongue over there?!"

At that time, when Duan Rong pointed out the weakness of his martial arts in one sentence, this person had also been shocked in his heart!

That person looked at the Attendant of the Inner History Department responsible for inspection and registration, pointed at Duan Rong, and said, "This person is wagging his tongue over there, affecting the assessment; are you not going to do anything?"

That Attendant turned his head to glance at Duan Rong, looked back at that person, and said, "The rules do not say that people on the side are not allowed to speak."

Duan Rong said, "It is not that I wanted to speak; it is that this brother asked me."

Duan Rong was naturally referring to the person standing beside him. When the person beside him heard Duan Rong say this, his face instantly became very ugly.

The person who had just lost the fight then shifted his gaze and glared at the person beside Duan Rong, the muscles on his face twitching slightly. "So it was you!"

"Senior Brother Chen, it wasn't me."

But that person flicked his robe sleeve and had already left.

"Senior Brother Chen, listen to my explanation!" The person beside Duan Rong immediately chased after him.

This person had originally wanted to curry favor with this Senior Brother Chen. This Senior Brother Chen was not only his fellow townsman, but his cultivation talent was also outstanding. He had originally thought that after Senior Brother Chen won, he would properly cheer and flatter him, but he had not expected that this kind of thing would happen.

Speaking of Xiao Yu, she had also already decided the outcome on her side. She used her fast saber to stab the left leg of the burly man, and the man's movement was hindered, so he was soon forced out of the red circle by Xiao Yu.

Seeing that she had won, Xiao Yu had a joyful expression. She turned her head to look behind her, but saw only a few scattered spectators, and there was no sign of Duan Rong.

The joy in Xiao Yu's eyes instantly faded.

Duan Rong had said he would wait for her here.

Sorrow lingered in Xiao Yu's heart.

After the Attendant of the Inner History Department finished the registration, she walked away slowly.

As soon as she left, her expression shifted, and she walked toward Ximen Kankan's side. Approaching the battle circle, she indeed saw Duan Rong standing among the crowd watching the battle.

Xiao Yu's heart plummeted to the bottom.

"So, in your heart, I am not yet as important as Ximen Kankan."

Xiao Yu's expression was ashen, and her state of mind was like an unbalanced scale.

Ximen Kankan jumped out of the circle, registered with the Attendant, and walked to Duan Rong's side.

Ximen Kankan patted Duan Rong and said happily, "Thanks for this round!"

Duan Rong saw that Ximen Kankan was speaking to him with such a rare, grateful attitude. He was just about to say something when he saw Ximen Kankan suddenly look not far behind Duan Rong and say, "Xiao Yu!"

Hearing this, Duan Rong turned his head and saw Xiao Yu standing there with a desolate expression.

Duan Rong smiled and walked over.

At this moment, Xiao Yu's state of mind was desolate. Seeing Duan Rong walk over, she very much wanted to turn and walk away, but as she stared blankly at Duan Rong smiling and looking at her, her two feet were like nails, unable to move at all.

Duan Rong walked up to Xiao Yu and smiled, "You won?"

It would have been fine if he hadn't said anything, but as soon as he spoke, a bean-sized tear dripped from Xiao Yu's eyes.

Duan Rong clearly saw a tear flash in the daylight.

Xiao Yu turned her head slightly, then turned back, her expression already normal. She gave a miserable smile and said, "Mm. I won."

Ximen Kankan jumped over and smiled, "I won too."

Looking at the shadow in Xiao Yu's miserable smile, Duan Rong understood her thoughts.

He immediately began to explain to Xiao Yu in a somewhat flustered manner, saying that in the duel between Xiao Yu and that burly man, Xiao Yu was slightly superior in both martial arts moves and True Qi realm, so it could be said there was no suspense, which was why he had come over to check on Ximen Kankan.

Xiao Yu looked at Duan Rong's slightly nervous expression and had already begun to forgive him.

Then, Duan Rong proceeded to break down the burly man's broad and open saber technique in detail for Xiao Yu, and even explained why Xiao Yu's Floating Cloud Snow Shadow Saber was able to counter that man's saber technique.

As he spoke further, Duan Rong's insights unexpectedly aligned secretly with many of the subtle feelings Xiao Yu had experienced throughout the duel.

The resentment in the depths of Xiao Yu's heart had already dissipated quite a bit.

Duan Rong continued to explain that he had originally thought there shouldn't be any problems over at Ximen Kankan's side, after all, Ximen Kankan had already achieved the Second Layer of the True Qi Realm; he had intended to go over for a quick look and then return to her side, but he hadn't expected that trouble would arise over at Ximen Kankan's, which ended up holding him back.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu asked about the duel on Ximen Kankan's side.

Ximen Kankan then vividly recounted, point by point, how Duan Rong had exposed the weaknesses in his opponent's martial arts and how he had managed to turn the tide in one fell swoop.

Ximen Kankan was quite excited at this moment, his mouth like a rapid-fire cannon, detailing the process with every single detail included.

As Xiao Yu listened, she finally turned her head and gave Duan Rong a deep look.

At this moment, she had completely forgiven Duan Rong.

(End of chapter)