Chapter 215: The Heavens Move With Vigor

Including Zhang Rongzhi in the center of the platform, everyone looked left and right; apart from the graceful woman beside Lu Xingzhou, the Profound Heaven Sword Sect truly had no other external aid.

They expected their external aid to be few, but never imagined it would be this few...

In three days, couldn't you invite a few old contacts from Yongzhou?

Is it really just one person challenging two third-grade sects and the second-grade and first-grade powers behind them?

Are you mad?

Even Zhang Rongzhi began to suspect he had backed the wrong side, perhaps even harming the Profound Heaven Sword Sect. But with matters already at this point, he could not stop; he could only speak to preside: "This duel is of extremely high caliber, truly the first grand event since I assumed the post of Governor of Dongjiang Commandery. I have specially invited Elder Chu Zheng of the Wanhua Sword Sect to assist in arbitration, with General Tu of the Commandery Garrison and Commander Wan of the Commandery Demon Suppression Bureau assisting him."

"Upholding the principle of friendly competition, this duel does not permit death or permanent disability; anyone who uses lethal force is immediately declared the loser. If a magical treasure's power runs wild, the arbitration panel will intervene."

"The arena has been enhanced to absorb first-grade energy so it does not overflow; you may act freely."

As Zhang Rongzhi spoke these words, he felt somewhat uneasy. Elder Chu Zheng of the Wanhua Sword Sect is the great-uncle of Chu Qingchen, so he should stand on Lu Xingzhou's side without issue, but the problem is he isn't even sure how many first-grade experts the other side has; right now, there is a large crowd in the Dongjiang Gang's seats he does not recognize, and it is doubtful whether Chu Zheng can control the situation.

External aid should not have been allowed; one wonders what Shen Tang and Lu Xingzhou were thinking. Once external aid is involved, there are too many uncontrollable factors.

Actually, they hadn't thought much about it; it was simply because Lady Ye was present here, and she is a first-grade external aid, making this the strongest moment for the Profound Heaven Sword Sect currently. Lady Ye will not stay long, but Shi Zhong, as Shi Tielong's own uncle, can stay as long as he wishes; Shi Tielong can find others to strike at the Profound Heaven Sword Sect at any time. Dragging it out is greatly disadvantageous; it is better to settle everything in one decisive battle.

With matters already at this point, Zhang Rongzhi could only grit his teeth: "Do either side have objections?"

Shen Tang and Shi Tielong both stepped forward: "None."

"The order of combatants is decided by each side. Now, the first combatant may take the stage; shall the leaders of both sides begin?"

Zhang Rongzhi very much wanted the rhythm of the first match to be Shen Tang versus Shi Tielong; even if they lost everything afterwards, as long as the Sect Master's battle was won, some face could be saved.

However, Shi Tielong did not fall for this rhythm; he bowed and said, "For the first match, my uncle will act."

Shi Zhong slowly ascended the stage.

"..." Zhang Rongzhi's smile stiffened slightly, his heart filled with contempt. Shi Tielong truly lacked even the courage to face a young woman in her twenties directly; moreover, she is disabled. What kind of great sect leader are you? Even if you win the entire match, with a leader so cowardly, aren't you afraid others will mock the quality of your victory?

Shi Zhong stood in the center of the arena, gazing at Shen Tang, and said calmly, "Who from your side will compete? Sect Master Shen? Or Hall Master Zhang?"

Shi Zhong clearly did not believe that Shen Tang's single palm strike that day represented the final outcome; he wanted to make Shen Tang realize on the formal arena that decades of cultivation experience are not merely for show.

The strongest of the Profound Heaven Sword Sect are Shen Tang and Zhang Shaoyou; if Shi Zhong defeats the first two, he might very well achieve the feat of defeating ten opponents single-handedly.

That would not merely be an insult to the Profound Heaven Sword Sect, but a grand display that could make Shi Zhong famous throughout the world; who knows, he might even climb a few spots on the Great Qian Heroes List.

Shen Tang smiled slightly: "My sect is somewhat different from your gang... Of course, the Sect Master must stand at the forefront."

Many onlookers let out soft laughs. With tens of thousands of onlookers, as long as some were laughing, it sounded like a thunderous explosion; Shi Tielong's old face turned bright red, but he maintained a blank expression, pretending not to hear.

Shi Zhong lowered his eyelids slightly: "Arena combat is not like an ordinary palm exchange. I hope Sect Master Shen's strength matches her confidence."

Lu Xingzhou pushed Shen Tang's wheelchair onto the stage, bent down, and whispered in her ear: "Be careful."

Shen Tang said softly, "Understood."

Lu Xingzhou pressed his lips together, turned, and descended the stage.

The surrounding sounds gradually faded away.

In summer, there was no wind, and the blazing sun hung high above. On the stage, the two faced each other, one standing and one seated, yet without them noticing, their robes fluttered without wind and their hair tips lifted slightly.

Their bodies' spiritual energy had already begun to surge.

Shi Zhong said calmly, "Considering Sect Master Shen's disability, please strike first."

Shen Tang smiled, drew her flying sword, and thrust it into the ground with a "whoosh": "Done. Your turn, sir."

Shi Zhong's eyes turned sharp; with a "clang," his flying sword hovered before him.

The onlookers suddenly felt the sound of a tsunami arise, as if angry waves and surging tides were condensing on the stage, ready to erupt with devastating force.

"The Wrath of the Blue Waves has reached this extent," Shen Tang said leisurely. "A first-grade powerful sect indeed has some skills."

As her words fell, the flying sword thrust into the ground leaped up, hovering before her in the same manner.

Silent and soundless, not even the characteristic purple qi appeared; it seemed like a small boat facing surging waves, appearing ready to capsize at any moment.

Without agreement, both flying swords simultaneously rushed toward each other.

In the ears of the onlookers, the sound of surging giant waves rang out, as if they were placed within a river breaching its dam, making humanity seem so small.

Yet that wisp of sword light from Shen Tang remained unaffected, piercing straight through, like a small boat resolutely shuttling through giant waves; let the angry waves sweep over, yet it did not waver.

The heavens move with vigor; the superior man strives unceasingly. Even without using the Imperial Ultimate Shocking World Sutra, the Profound Heaven Sword Art remains a first-grade sword technique.

The two swords collided; energy crashed and surged violently, and the ferocious power swept outward, but was restricted and absorbed by the arena formation, unable to affect the surrounding crowd.

With just this single sword strike, the power was evenly matched.

The onlookers were horrified; even the arbiters on the stage, including Zhang Rongzhi, were moved. Shen Tang's mid-third grade level can truly fight across levels against a lower second-grade expert, showing no weakness at all!

Moreover, at their level, whether one is disabled is no longer important; they basically do not need to move?

Just as this thought occurred, they saw Shi Zhong's sword light, after being struck by Shen Tang, shatter like a wave crest breaking, splashing countless water droplets that each formed a sword, flying down from all directions toward Shen Tang.

The best strategy against such an assault is to retreat, avoiding the center of the sword qi siege, and seeking a weak point elsewhere to break the situation.

It is truly difficult for someone in a wheelchair to maneuver and retreat like that.

However, Shen Tang's wheelchair truly "zhu-li" shot backward; the sword qi from the front and sides all missed their mark.

The crowd: "..."

The next moment, the sword light erupted violently; seizing the instant when the opponent's sword qi missed and weakened, it pierced through clouds and broke the moon, rushing straight for Shi Zhong's throat!

Shi Zhong "whooshed" aside, lunged his body toward Shen Tang's wheelchair, and slashed diagonally with his sword.

He had figured it out: long-range "beam clashes" were actually more advantageous for Shen Tang; in close combat, her wheelchair was difficult to utilize. Taking advantage of her flying sword being outside while she was unarmed, getting close to bully a disabled person was the most advantageous move.

It also meant that a dignified second-grade cultivator no longer had the confidence to crush a third-grade cultivator through the application of power...

Looking at Shi Zhong lunging close, a hint of mocking smile appeared in Shen Tang's eyes.

The sword slashed directly at her side of the neck, arriving instantly; Shen Tang moved with lightning speed, and her bare hand actually grasped the sword blade!

Purple qi swirled over her palm; the sword blade was like falling into the myriad manifestations of mountains and rivers, unable to invade even a fraction.

The onlookers erupted in uproar; Shi Zhong's heart also jumped violently. He tried to withdraw his sword but found he could not pull it back for the moment!

Shen Tang's seemingly empty right hand slapped the wheelchair armrest; the armrest opened a mouth, and with a "bang," a thousand trees bloomed with ten thousand pear blossoms, unleashing a burst of fire directly at Shi Zhong's old face, covering him head to toe.

At the same time, the flying sword that Shi Zhong had just dodged circled back and thrust straight at Shi Zhong's back.

Attacked from front and back, with his sword already seized, Shi Zhong felt an overwhelming sense of crisis, his scalp going numb. His body's yuan qi suddenly erupted, forcibly repelling the Rain of Pearls needles charging at his face; he decisively abandoned the sword, twisted his body, and the flying sword behind him returned to Shen Tang's hand, pursuing with another strike.

Using Nine, seeing a multitude of dragons without a head, head and tail connecting, heaven and man becoming one.

Judging solely by this control over the flying sword as if it were an extension of her own arm, Shen Tang already possessed the bearing of a grand master; even the old Sect Master of the Tianxing Sword Sect back in the day might not have reached this level.

"Boom!" The sword light chopped into the ground to the side; Shi Zhong clumsily dodged the sword light, looking at the deep scar on the ground with a cold sweat, his shock still lingering.

Shen Tang held the sword Shi Zhong had abandoned in her left hand, tossing it up and down: "Still fighting?"

Shi Zhong's old face turned a deep purple.

If speaking of a life-or-death battle, he certainly still had many hidden moves available. But judging by the rules of the arena duel, with the flying sword already confiscated by the opponent, he had naturally lost; what the hell was there to fight for! To forcibly demand continuing the fight under the gaze of thousands—did he still want to keep his face?

The ten thousand people in the arena fell into silence.

No one had expected that a third-grade fighter crossing levels to battle a second-grade fighter would result in such a calm and easy victory... From the look of the battle, Shen Tang hadn't even expended much energy, winning a match for free!

Second-grade isn't cabbage!

On the Great Qian's Hero List, one could already enter the top hundred! Even counting those hidden away and uncounted, the top two or three hundred was always achievable.

That is to say, Shen Tang's strength on the surface could already enter the top hundred! Was this the disabled young girl who had fled for her life like a homeless dog just half a year ago?

Zhang Zhang Rongzhi on the platform finally showed a look of relief: "Judging by the arena duel rules, the outcome is decided; no further entanglement is permitted. Sect Leader Shi, your sect may send out a second person. Will Sect Leader Shi descend to fight personally this time?"

Shi Tielong stared at his uncle on the platform like a wooden chicken.

Originally, Shi Zhong, with his white beard and hair, at least looked spirited and vigorous, but now his expression was desolate, his spirit broken, eyes hanging low; his white hair was somewhat disheveled, as if he had aged several decades in an instant.

Originally, he had been dreaming of defeating ten opponents single-handedly, wanting to become famous throughout the world. This time, he lost to a young girl who could be his great-granddaughter, and she was disabled!

He had lost face all the way to his grandmother's house; the psychological blow to the old man was undeniable.

Even his second-grade uncle had lost; was Shi Tielong going to go up there to court death?

Beside him, another middle-aged man with a long beard slowly rose: "The Tianxing Sword Technique truly lives up to being a first-grade sword skill, so powerful it commands a new respect. I am somewhat itchy-handed and wish to seek instruction from Sect Master Shen."

Zhang Zhang Rongzhi asked: "Who is your lordship? State your name first."

That person smiled slightly: "Chunshan Pavilion, Gu Xuyang. My inferior disciple shares a classmate bond with Mr. Lu of the Tianxing Sword Sect."

The crowd erupted.

Gu Xuyang, Grand Elder of Chunshan Pavilion, a first-grade Dao cultivator!

(End of this chapter)