Chapter 182: The Duel Wagered on Si Yuyan

Afterward, Jiang Xun and He Luyun waited in the training room; a moment later, Yun Ruling and the Master of the Soul Path arrived as promised.

In appearance, Yun Ruling was a young man of indeterminate age, dressed in white robes with a silver-white belt; he stood about one meter eighty tall and looked rather unremarkable, yet he possessed a unique temperament.

Jiang Xun had seen this same temperament in his two older brothers, Cang Xingyan and Tian Yueling.

Perhaps it was simply the unique temperament of royalty.

The other middle-aged man was dressed in a dark purple robe, had some stubble on his face, and his hair was tied up casually, giving him a lazy look; if not for the fact that he was the Dao Master of Tianwai Island, Jiang Xun would have assumed he was someone from a Demonic Sect.

"Dao Master He, you've come quite early," the purple-robed man said with a smile as he looked at He Luyun.

"I only just arrived not long ago," He Luyun nodded, exchanging polite pleasantries.

"Is this the new Inner Sect Disciple you've taken in?" The man then sized up Jiang Xun: "He looks decent enough. Dao Master He, you aren't trying to scout out a man for yourself, are you? Hahahaha, just a joke, just a joke."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xun frowned; the implication behind these words was that he was just a pretty boy and certainly no match for Yun Ruling.

"How could Dao Master He possibly fancy someone like me? I am still too green; unlike you, you may look middle-aged, but you must be quite charming. How many wives and concubines do you have now?" Jiang Xun said, looking at the Master of the Soul Path.

Upon hearing this, the corners of He Luyun's mouth curled up slightly, though he quickly hid it well.

"Eh, those who cultivate the Dao pour their hearts into their training; matters between men and women are not my forte," the Master of the Soul Path waved his hand and laughed, though the smile did not look very pleasant.

After all, Jiang Xun's plain words actually meant: You are already this old and still haven't found a wife, yet you have the nerve to talk about others?

"Aren't we here for a spar today? Let's skip the idle chatter," He Luyun said, which served to smooth things over.

"Yunyi Dynasty, Yun Ruling," Yun Ruling said, looking at Jiang Xun upon hearing this.

"Tianyu Dynasty, Tian Zeyan," Jiang Xun replied.

The two then walked together to the center of the training room.

"Ruling, the opponent is just a disciple at the Peak of Initial Stage of Transformation Realm who just joined Tianwai Island; don't take it too seriously," the Master of the Soul Path said, looking at Yun Ruling.

"No, you must give it your all," Jiang Xun said immediately upon hearing this.

"Oh? You are quite confident?" The Master of the Soul Path frowned upon hearing this: "Don't get yourself killed."

"Since the Dao Master has said as much, dare you make a bet with me?" Jiang Xun looked back at him and smiled.

"Fine, this old man will bet with you," he replied without the slightest hesitation: "If you win..."

As he spoke, he waved his hand and produced a banner that was primarily black and purple, embroidered with strange patterns: "This Purple Spirit Banner of mine will be yours!"

"Purple Spirit Banner?" Jiang Xun looked at it; it truly looked extraordinary.

"This is a Sacred Artifact of the Soul Path, the personal weapon of Dao Master Yan," He Luyun said.

"Dao Master Yan is truly generous," Jiang Xun said with a smile upon hearing this.

"Kid, what if you lose the bet?" Dao Master Yan then asked, looking at Jiang Xun.

"You can take my head."

"Eh, I wouldn't dare take the head of the Tenth Prince of the Tianyu Dynasty," Dao Master Yan waved his hands repeatedly upon hearing this.

Wouldn't that just be asking for trouble?

"Then let's make it equal; you can take this Sacred Artifact of mine," Jiang Xun said, waving his hand to toss out the Liu Hong Sword.

Seeing the Liu Hong Sword, the group was stunned; they never expected Jiang Xun to be able to produce a Saint Grade sword.

"Good! Straightforward," Dao Master Yan nodded, his eyes full of excitement, as if the Liu Hong Sword were already his.

"You want to drive me away that badly?" Si Yuyan asked from within the sword.

"Rest assured, I won't lose," Jiang Xun responded, then turned to look at Yun Ruling.

"It seems I have been underestimated by you," Yun Ruling said, looking at Jiang Xun.

"Well, a man has to fight for his pride; you were the ones who looked down on me first," Jiang Xun smiled.

"Out of respect for you being a Prince of the Tianyu Dynasty, I will not take your life, rest assured," Yun Ruling said, as several iron rings appeared in his hands; it seemed these were his weapons.

"Out of respect for you being a Prince of the Yunyi Dynasty, you won't die either," Jiang Xun said, then lunged directly toward Yun Ruling in a single bound.

He performed a backflip in mid-air and slashed down with his sword.

"Moon Gazing of the Baiyun Sect?" He Luyun was indeed a sword practitioner; he recognized it at a glance.

Yun Ruling raised the iron rings to block the Liu Hong Sword, and the next moment, the iron rings were split in two.

Yun Ruling hurriedly jumped backward to dodge.

"It really is a Sacred Artifact!" Dao Master Yan said upon seeing this.

Jiang Xun held his sword horizontally at his side and began to condense sword Qi; seeing this, Yun Ruling immediately struck his remaining two iron rings together.

The small iron rings emitted a tremendous booming sound, striking directly at Jiang Xun's soul.

Si Yuyan had braced herself, but discovered that after the sound waves reached Jiang Xun, they were bounced right back.

"This is!" Si Yuyan was startled; back at the Void Sect, she herself had been left helpless by this very move of Jiang Xun's.

Bang!

Yun Ruling was struck by his own sound waves and immediately felt dizzy; had he not been a practitioner of the soul, he likely would have suffered severe damage.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xun's sword Qi had already been unleashed, and an ice-blue flame was slashed out.

Dao Master Yan was stunned to see this; he had never seen such a flame before!

Yun Ruling also felt that the ice-blue strike was a very bad sign; he threw out one of the iron rings, which spun in the air, creating water blades around it that collided with the flames.

Yet, to his surprise, his water blades were instantly frozen, and the iron ring was also frozen solid, falling to the ground and shattering into pieces.

It was clear the temperature was extremely low.

Seeing that the "flame" was still heading toward him, Yun Ruling had no choice but to manifest a bell-shaped Dharma Artifact, forming a bell-shaped protective barrier around his body.

Bang!

With a loud crash, the flames were blocked, but the barrier was frozen solid and shattered upon impact.

Before Yun Ruling could react, Jiang Xun used the Moon Gazing move again, lunging right into Yun Ruling's face and slashing down with his sword.

Yun Ruling had not expected such a situation at all, and his physical constitution was indeed very poor; he could not dodge now, and subconsciously, he closed his eyes...

Yet he waited a long time, but Jiang Xun's sword did not fall.

"I have won." Jiang Xun's voice came, and Yun Ruling opened his eyes; Jiang Xun's sword was pressed against his chest, a mere millimeter away, and now even if he trembled, his heart would be pierced through by Jiang Xun.

"Gulp..." Looking at the Liu Hong Sword at his chest, Yun Ruling could not help but swallow his saliva.

He Luyun and Dao Master Yan were also stunned.

A Treasure Grade Magical Artifact shattered directly upon hitting the ground? Treasure-grade Protective Gear was also unable to withstand a single blow?

Is this the Ice Flame?

And... just now, did he deflect Yun Ruling's Divine Soul Attack back?

"A Spirit Severing initial stage 【cultivator】 beating me, a Spirit Transformation Great Perfection, until I have no power to fight back... I submit."

Yun Ruling stepped back and cupped his hands in salute.