Daoist Competition

The way he controlled the sword light, aligning his will entirely with the sword ball, purely relying on Heart-Eye Sword Knowledge to seek out the enemy’s flaws, allowed his sword light to move unpredictably, coming and going without leaving a trace. This granted him the upper hand. However, he had not yet cultivated to a flawless state. He had to remain stationary, maintaining full concentration, to unleash his maximum power.

Once the sword light took flight, its speed was like lightning, often producing dozens or even hundreds of strikes in an instant. This required the Sword Intent and Divine Sense to be perfectly synchronized, leaving no room to focus on anything else.

If the strikes deviated even slightly from his intended aim during rapid maneuvers, it would be impossible to suppress the enemy.

Moreover, activating Twelve Swords in One Breath was no easy feat; it was instead a significant burden. For this reason, some sword cultivators in the Shaoqing Sect, even if skilled in the Splitting Light Technique, preferred to specialize in a single sword, avoiding overuse of this move to prevent excessive depletion of Primordial Qi and risking their opponent turning the tables on them.

At this moment, Zhao Guangwu was acutely aware of the rapid loss of Elixir Evil within his body. He knew all too well that if he continued like this and failed to suppress Zhang Yan soon, it would only be a matter of time before the tide turned against him.

However, before he could devise a countermeasure, Zhang Yan had already sensed that his opponent’s strength seemed to be waning. Zhang Yan’s gaze glimmered, and his Sword Force surged. The chaotic flashes of blue light began to press back the golden glow shrouding him, seemingly on the verge of breaking through.

Zhao Guangwu could not help but feel a surge of alarm. Compared to earlier, Zhang Yan’s sword light had become far more seasoned and precise.

Utilizing his proficiency in the Sixteen Swords in One Breath, Zhang Yan was capable of executing many sword forms. However, such techniques could not be imagined in isolation; they had to be honed through real combat. His untapped potential was still vast, and through this sparring session with Zhao Guangwu, he had gained new insights, unraveling much of the hidden intricacies of the Sword Dao.

Zhao Guangwu realized that if he could not take Zhang Yan down in one decisive move, continuing this protracted battle would only serve to sharpen his opponent’s swordsmanship. With this thought flashing through his mind, he decided to change tactics. He recalled his sword ball and stepped out of the battle circle.

Having assumed the offensive from the outset, Zhao Guangwu acted with ease as he withdrew. From a distance, he sheathed his sword and stood still, letting out a sigh. "I cannot stop Brother Zhang. There is no point in continuing this duel. Please proceed on your way."

He shifted aside, feigning magnanimity as he cleared the path ahead.

Zhang Yan let out a cold smirk. "Brother Zhao’s words come too lightly. You blocked my path without reason, and now you think you can leave at will? Do you take me for a pushover?"

With a point of his finger, his sword light extended, once again charging toward Zhao Guangwu.

Zhao Guangwu frowned deeply. He had a Hidden Sword Skill that allowed him to conceal himself nearby and launch a sudden strike. However, this technique required time to await the right opportunity. If the opponent was vigilant, it would be challenging to execute. He originally intended to fool Zhang Yan into believing he had genuinely retreated so he could catch him off guard, but Zhang Yan did not take the bait.

Seeing the incoming sword light, Zhao Guangwu had no choice but to collect his composure and respond.

This time, Zhang Yan had no intention of holding back. As the sword light clashed and halted Zhao Guangwu’s movements, Zhang Yan’s Sword Force immediately flowed in a relentless sequence of relentless strikes.

Zhao Guangwu had no desire for prolonged combat. Despite his extensive swordfight experience, after exchanging a few moves, he seized upon a flaw and once again attempted to escape using his Flying Sword technique.

But how could Zhang Yan allow him to slip away so easily? Earlier, he had merely sought to observe Zhao Guangwu’s sword moves, hence not unleashing his full strength. Now, seeing Zhao Guangwu attempting to flee, Zhang Yan immediately let out a shout. His body merged with his sword, transforming into a beam of light that lept forward, instantly cutting him off ahead and unleashing another strike.

The Separation and Combination Light Splitting technique proved effective against those unversed in the Sword Dao. However, against someone of Zhao Guangwu’s caliber, it was less straightforward. Thus, Zhang Yan capitalized on his specialty, foregoing intricate techniques and relying instead on the swifter Sword Escape Technique to prevent Zhao Guangwu from gathering momentum to counterattack.

Zhao Guangwu saw the speed of Zhang Yan’s sword light—unmatched and inescapable. He had no choice but to halt and parry once again. Yet no sooner did he fend off a few strikes than he felt mounting pressure. Zhang Yan was circling him, relentlessly weaving in and out of range, with his sword light striking from impossibly tricky angles, leaving Zhao Guangwu hard-pressed to defend.

If this continued, just a single mistake would lead to his defeat. Zhao Guangwu dared not take these risks. With a loud shout, he dispersed his sword ball, transforming it into twelve streaks of sword light to force back the Star Sword Ball. Without hesitation, he launched into a beam of light in a desperate escape.

However, he had barely covered much distance when he saw a flash of radiance ahead—as Zhang Yan once more blocked his path. With a long howl, Zhang Yan drove his sword forward as before.

As the sword light shot forth, it resembled a meteor chasing the moon, emanating bitter cold that stung the skin, forcing Zhao Guangwu to defend himself before he could regroup. After stabilizing his position slightly, he realized his earlier haste had been unwise. Thus, instead of rushing to flee, he launched a series of fierce attacks.

Zhang Yan smirked inwardly as he expanded his sword’s radiance, effortlessly parrying Zhao Guangwu’s offensive.

When Zhao Guangwu noticed he had temporarily gained a slight upper hand, he covertly shifted backward. Suddenly, he initiated a spell and shot off into the distance with a beam of light.

Zhang Yan sneered. He had anticipated such a move. Almost simultaneously, he deployed his Sword Escape Technique, catching up in just a few breaths and delivering a devastating sword strike.

Seeing that he still could not escape, Zhao Guangwu cursed under his breath and was forced to stop and fend off Zhang Yan once more.

After several bouts of this cat-and-mouse game, Zhao Guangwu understood that there was no hope of escaping today.

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Though a sword cultivator himself, Zhao Guangwu felt immensely frustrated in the face of Zhang Yan’s relentless assault. It was as if his abilities were being suppressed, leaving him unable to unleash his full power.

With the rapid exchange of sword lights leaving no margins for distraction, Zhao Guangwu’s earlier flurry of moves had drained too much of his Primordial Qi. A slight ripple in his concentration at this moment caused a tiny gap to appear in his sword net—an oversight that might have been trivial at his peak but now did not escape Zhang Yan’s acute perception.

Zhang Yan’s eyes gleamed fiercely. Letting out a low shout, he split the Star Sword Ball into sixteen beams of sword light. Instead of scattering them, he condensed them into a tight, concentrated area, launching a ferocious and unrelenting assault.

Zhao Guangwu was caught off guard by this sudden maneuver. Alarmed, he reacted swiftly, spreading his sword light wide. His expert swordsmanship enabled him to narrowly deflect the attack.

At this critical juncture, Zhang Yan seized the timing. With a flick of his finger, six drops of You Yin Heavy Water shot forward in rapid succession, piercing the air like a string of pearls.

Zhao Guangwu, caught unprepared, could not discern what these were in the fleeting moment. His current sword momentum was spent, leaving him no time to intercept the attack. He could only summon his Elixir Evil in haste to shield himself.

Yet each droplet of the Heavy Water carried the weight of a thousand pounds, far beyond what an improvised Elixir Evil defense could bear. The drops struck his chest, abdomen, and shoulders with crushing force. In an instant, his ribs, shoulders, and collarbones shattered. Zhao Guangwu spat out blood violently, letting out a pained scream as he clung to the last shred of his consciousness. Invoking his life-saving spell, he transformed into a streak of sword light and fled in a desperate retreat, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

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...(To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, you are welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)