Chapter 69: Great Battle: Shi Kong

Clang! Clang!

In a ruined alley among the ruins, two figures wreathed in Xiang force collided, their blades and spears slashing rapidly at each other, speckles of spearlight and bladeglow tearing continuous fissures into the nearby broken walls.

The shattered stones beneath their feet were constantly flung upward, striking the surrounding walls with a rhythmic pitter-patter.

Li Luo's expression turns solemn; his twin blades whirled into a continuous cascade of bladeglow, like endless waves rolling one after another toward Shi Kong.

In contrast, Shi Kong's expression remained far more calm; even as Li Luo's assault came unceasingly, he chose to break it with raw power—each spearpoint infused with Lei Xiang force sliced through layer upon layer of bladeglow.

The two clashed fiercely, their Xiang forces colliding violently.

Yet in this prolonged struggle, Shi Kong visibly held the upper hand, occasionally piercing through Li Luo's defenses with his spearpoint, posing a grave threat.

Each time this happened, Li Luo would fire glowing orbs from the tips of his blades, erupting in blinding light, forcing Shi Kong to retreat defensively.

Thus, though Shi Kong held a slight advantage, he was clearly displeased—this was not the outcome he desired.

As the battle intensified, Shi Kong seized an opening, his gaze suddenly sharpening; the Lei Xiang force dancing along his spear grew wild and frenzied.

"High-grade Xiang Art: Thundering Bird!"

On Shi Kong's spear, Lei Guang blazed fiercely; a piercing birdcall rang out, thunderous and deafening, shaking Li Luo's ears until he went momentarily deaf.

Deafened, his vision filled with blinding Lei Guang—the Lei Xiang force on Shi Kong's spear had transformed into a furious thunderbird, lunging at him with ferocious intent.

Li Luo's wave-like bladeglow shattered instantly.

But as the spearpoint howled toward him, a water mirror suddenly materialized before Li Luo.

"Waterlight Magic Mirror!"

Hum!

The thunderbird slammed violently into the water mirror, sending ripples cascading across its surface—but the next instant, a torrent of immense force erupted from within the mirror, colliding with the thunderbird.

Boom!

Thunder roared; the shockwave of Xiang force cracked several of the alley's broken walls.

Both Li Luo and Shi Kong were flung backward, their feet scraping deep marks into the ground.

Shi Kong's face was icy; his gaze fixed on Li Luo like a hawk's sharp eyes: "Is this the strange water mirror art you used to force Song Song Yunfeng into a draw during your preliminary exam?"

Clearly, he had gathered some intelligence on Li Luo.

"You can call it the Great Draw Art!" Li Luo laughed.

Ignoring Li Luo's mockery, Shi Kong swung his spear, Lei Xiang force surging again as he unleashed another Thundering Bird.

Li Luo raised his hand, summoning the Waterlight Magic Mirror; both men were thrown back once more.

The two continued their grueling exchange, but despite Shi Kong's advantage, his attacks could never pierce Li Luo's "Waterlight Magic Mirror"—the battle settled into a stalemate.

To the countless eyes watching beyond Bai Ling Mountain, this scene drew a chorus of astonished murmurs—this outcome was clearly unexpected.

The young master of Luo Lan Mansion had remained obscure these past years in Tian Shu Commandery, keeping a very low profile, yet who could have imagined that, during this Academy Grand Exam, he would shine so brilliantly?

Truly, he is no less than the son of those two.

Cai Wei and Yan Yan Lingqing watched in stunned amazement—this Li Luo had, without notice, reached Dao Le Ba Yin. Remember, just a month ago, he was still an empty Xiang; though some prior accumulation contributed, such a rapid cultivation speed still left them astonished.

In the end, it could only be attributed to accumulated strength finally bursting forth.

As countless eyes beyond the mountain marveled, Li Luo and Shi Kong's clash continued for several more minutes.

Until, at one moment, Shi Kong struck again with a cold, icy spear thrust—Li Luo summoned the Waterlight Magic Mirror, and a torrent of rebounding force surged back.

But this time, faint Lei Guang suddenly danced across Shi Kong's body, forming a faint lightning armor; the rebounding force, upon contact, was entirely absorbed, causing the Lei Guang to flare even more violently.

This sudden change made Li Luo's eyes narrow; he instantly retreated in a burst of speed.

But Shi Kong moved faster—his spear swept horizontally, carving a swath of Lei Guang that struck Li Luo's body directly.

Thud!

A low sound rang out; Li Luo was blasted backward, his short blades carving two long grooves into the ground before he finally stabilized his stance.

A streak of blood appeared at his lip; intense pain throbbed in his chest—he had been wounded by Shi Kong's sudden strike.

Fortunately, his own Xiang was "Waterlight," possessing potent healing power; as he channeled his Xiang force, the pain in his chest rapidly receded.

Li Luo gazed ahead—Shi Kong stood with his spear, expression cold and detached, faint Lei Guang forming a barely visible light armor over his body—the very armor that had absorbed the rebounding force of Li Luo's "Waterlight Magic Mirror."

"Furious Thunder Armor?"

Li Luo frowned slightly; Lyu Qing'er had warned him before—this was Shi Kong's trump card. Once the Thunder Armor appeared, it not only greatly enhanced Shi Kong's defense but also boosted his attack power and speed—extremely troublesome.

As Li Luo's thoughts turned, Shi Kong gave him no chance to recover—he moved instantly, Lei Guang flaring, charging straight at him.

This assault was far more violent than before.

Li Luo no longer met force with force; he flicked his fingers repeatedly, firing Waterlight Bullets that erupted in blinding light to block Shi Kong's advance.

But Shi Kong had anticipated this—he closed his eyes, and his spear, wreathed in wild Lei Guang, swept across the entire area where Li Luo stood.

Li Luo's feet rippled as if on water, sliding backward to evade the attack zone.

Yet Shi Kong's assault never ceased—like a thunderstorm, roaring continuously as he pursued relentlessly.

In the alley, broken walls cracked under the shockwaves; Li Luo retreated in haste, Shi Kong chased without pause, Lei Guang flickering, Waterlight flowing.

This time, all of Li Luo's techniques had lost their effect.

With the Furious Thunder Armor's enhancement, Shi Kong now completely crushed Li Luo.

At the foot of Bai Ling Mountain, sighs of regret arose—by this stage, the gap was clear: Li Luo could not overcome the nine-ink Shi Kong.

It seemed the golden reputation of Nanyang Academy as the top academy of Tian Shu Commandery was now in jeopardy.

(End of Chapter)