Chapter 159: The Third Round of the Law Meeting (Part Four)
The news of Lu Cixian challenging Xie Xingzhi quickly spread throughout Jiuyue Mountain like a tsunami.
On the jade tablet, several prominent dark characters scrolled down, dominating the headlines with an imposing presence.
The title read: "[Lu Cixian draws Xie Xingzhi man, have you seen it, fellow taoist friends?]"
Attached image: Souvenir Stone
Soon, the disciples of various sects who were on standby watching eagerly, while picking their feet.
"Lu Cixian is challenging Xie Xingzhi? What luck does Lu Cixian have?"
"Should we bet? I bet on Xie Xingzhi."
"I bet on Xie Xingzhi plus one."
"I bet on Xie Xingzhi plus two."
"Taoist Friend Lu, you will definitely lose, right? What's the point of this bet?!"
"Then let's bet on whether Lu Cixian will lose in a more embarrassing way or a more miserable way."
"Do you taoist friends even realize how ridiculous you all are? Does Taoist Friend Lu know?"
...
Alright, now she knows.
In front of Qiao Wan, Li Pan calmly put away the jade card and asked, "Did you see everything?"
Qiao Wan looked away from the curious crowd who didn't mind meddling and solemnly replied, "Yes, I saw."
Li Pan nodded, "Alright, for the next few days, I will arrange special training for you."
Qiao Wan raised her hand seriously, "Senior! I have a question!"
Li Pan responded, "Speak."
"Why do you still want to do special training if you can't beat Xie Xingzhi?" Qiao Wan understood that Li Pan, who was serious and diligent as a Buping College official, never wasted time on meaningless things and always sought to maximize his own interests. In a way, he was similar to Ma Huaizhen.
Knowing that she would lose to Xie Xingzhi, Qiao Wan couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Could it be that she actually had the strength to fight against him? Just like the exciting stories she had read before.
Qiao Wan, a positive and determined protagonist, sets out to challenge an impossible boss, the arrogant prodigy Xie Xingzhi. When everyone, including a group of bored disciples, loses hope, a mentor named Li Pan appears. After facing various difficulties and obstacles, at the critical moment, the protagonist shouts with anger, unleashes their potential, and successfully defeats the boss, thanks to friendship, family bonds, perseverance, and other beautiful qualities.
If the boss is a true villain, then they will be defeated completely. If the boss is a young genius (emphasis on "genius"), they will be recruited to join the protagonist's group.
Unfortunately, Li Pan, who has seen many hardships, doesn't have the same optimistic and enthusiastic mindset. He looks at Qiao Wan coldly and says, "Don't make the academy lose face by losing poorly."
In just a few days, no matter how much effort is put into training, some things cannot be achieved.
But even so, Qiao Wan was still sweating profusely in front of the courtyard of Buping College.
She admitted that she couldn't defeat Xie Xingzhi, but as Li Pan said, even if she lost, she had to do it with dignity.
A few days quickly passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was the day Qiao Wan and Xie Xingzhi were going to fight.
During these few days, Qiao Wan hadn't seen Xie Xingzhi once.
The man was still wearing a simple Taoist robe today, with his black hair tied up with a jade crown.
In contrast, she specially changed into a tight-sleeved shirt and wore long boots, trying to keep everything simple and convenient for her moves.
As she turned her head, she saw many familiar faces in the audience seats.
Qi Feidao casually waved his hand while holding a grass stem in his mouth, already prepared to witness Qiao Wan being defeated by Xie Xingzhi.
Meng Canglang, who was sincere, showed a slightly encouraging expression on his face, but it seemed forced.
Qiao Wan shifted her gaze and looked at Xie Xingzhi.
Perhaps because she knew the result early, Qiao Wan wasn't as nervous as she imagined when she fought against Xie Xingzhi. Instead, she felt... excited?!
Her heart was filled with excitement, and adrenaline rushed through her body. Every muscle seemed to be screaming, eagerly anticipating the fight. She had actually grown accustomed to and started enjoying the exchange of punches and kicks, the feeling of flesh meeting flesh, the taste of sweat and blood.
As Ma Huaizhen lazily gave the signal from the high platform, she no longer suppressed her excitement. Qiao Wan leaped up and charged forward immediately!
Clang!
The swords collided, creating a shower of intense sparks.
Xie Xingzhi opened his eyes wide, surprised that Lu Cixian dared to roll up his sleeves and face him.
With a stern expression, he gripped his sword tightly.
This was different from the time they wrestled in the hot springs, the time they fought for the pig in the illusionary realm, and the time they were chased in Youxian Town. This time, Qiao Wan was truly engaging in a real fight against Xie Xingzhi.
In a flash, the swords clashed on the arena, creating a beautiful dance of sword energy.
But Xie Xingzhi, who had become famous at a young age, was a formidable opponent. In no time, Qiao Wan felt the pressure and quickly stepped back, holding her sword horizontally to defend herself.
Seizing this opportunity, Xie Xingzhi pursued relentlessly, his sword descending like a towering mountain.
There was a gasp from the audience.
At that moment, the disciples from the three teachings sitting in the audience suddenly realized that Lu Cixian had grown significantly.
Comparisons can be frustrating. Though Lu Cixian couldn't compete with the extraordinary Xie Xingzhi, he had been steadily improving. Unbeknownst to them, the seemingly unknown young man on the stage had become the center of attention at the Three Teachings Law Meeting.
The force of Xie Xingzhi's strike was as heavy as a thousand kilograms.
Qiao Wan's arm trembled, but she took a deep breath and took a step back, steadying herself. The stone beneath her feet couldn't bear the weight and began to crack inch by inch!
With determination, Qiao Wan clenched her teeth and poured all her strength into her right hand, successfully parrying Xie Xingzhi's sword.
With a powerful force, Xie Xingzhi took a step back, surprised to find that Qiao Wan's sword was swiftly following him.
"Swift Kill!" shouted Qiao Wan.
Xie Xingzhi blocked with his horizontal sword!
The blades clashed once again!
Crack...
A barely audible sound reached their ears.
Xie Xingzhi's forehead twitched, showing confusion. He furrowed his brow and said, "Your sword."
Qiao Wan, holding her sword, also noticed.
Li Pan was right, she needed to forge her own spirit sword sooner or later.
After just a few exchanges, her sword had cracked! Cracked!!
Although he was sitting quite far away, Qi Feidao could still see the commotion on the stage.
"Lu Brother, is your sword cracked?" Qi Feidao's expression was peculiar.
Although he had been to Buping College once and knew it was poor, he didn't expect it to be this bad!
Without a sword, should Lu Cixian continue to fight Xie Xingzhi head-on?
"Your sword is cracked," said Xie Xingzhi in a deep voice. "It's better to surrender early."
He was giving advice.
Lu Cixian, without his sword, can't possibly win against him.
Even if Lu Cixian has his sword, he still can't win against him.
The difference between having a sword and not having one is whether Lu Cixian loses quickly or slowly.
However, the young man in front seems completely unaffected. He throws away his broken sword and begins to stretch his muscles. Calmly, he raises his head and says, "Come."
The audience below erupts in chatter.
Is Lu Cixian going to fight Xie Xingzhi with his bare hands?
At this moment, those with sharp eyes have already noticed the change in Lu Cixian. A faint spiritual energy wraps around his whole body, and his slender fingers form a fist. Faint sparks of electricity crackle on the surface of his fist.
Just like how Li Pan sees the third round as an opportunity for Qiao Wan to level up in the game.
Qiao Wan takes a step back.
Now, Xie Xingzhi is like a high-level elite monster.
Since she can't win, she might as well test how much progress she has made in this time period against Xie Xingzhi.
Lu Cixian was stubborn and unyielding, Xie Xingzhi frowned slightly and said, "I told you, you can't beat me, you might as well give up now."
"How do you know if you don't try? Even if I can't beat you, I'll still give you a few punches!" Qiao Wan grinned and charged forward again.
She still hadn't avenged the stolen pig!
Her kick landed right on Xie Xingzhi's right cheek!
Following that, a flurry of punches rained down on the man's face, causing his head to repeatedly tilt back.
Xie Xingzhi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth expressionlessly and said, "Alright, then I'll give it a try."
His eyes sparkled with determination.
Xie Xingzhi didn't have any flaws in his moves, unlike Elder Martial Brother who was easily pushed over. It seemed like something strange had intervened. Elder Martial Brother's weaknesses were quite clear - he couldn't keep up with his stamina and was restricted by the Golden Cicada Seal. Dealing with Elder Martial Brother mostly relied on "entangling" and "dragging things out." That's why Lu Pihan mainly used straightforward and brutal sword moves, directly suppressing any teasing from his opponent.
Soon, someone started to notice that something was not right.
Qi Feidao rubbed his chin and said, "Little Fang, did you notice? Lu Xiong is fighting without any set pattern."
Set pattern?
Fang Lingqing furrowed his brows and looked thoughtfully towards the stage. He had fought against Lu Cixian and knew that although he looked as clean and pure as snow, his moves were especially complex. And yet, within that complexity, there was a trace of a noble and orthodox style. It seemed invisible, but in this world, every move and countermove had a set pattern to follow. Unless one was blindly and randomly striking.
Lu Cixian was clearly in that state.
Sitting in the audience.named Yu Xingzhi had a gloomy expression. "Has Lu Cixian given up on himself?" he asked.
Even though he had just been slapped twice, Yu Xingzhi remained determined to witness how Lu Cixian would be defeated. He firmly planted himself in the audience.
"It's not so much that he's given up on himself, but rather that he's testing his opponent," Meng Canglang commented while watching the two on stage.
Everyone's fighting style reflects their personality to some extent. For example, Meng Canglang's sword moves were smooth and steady, flowing with large openings and closings. He maintained a stable mindset and excelled at grasping the bigger picture.
Lu Cixian changed his move with every strike, which didn't seem like he was fighting for victory, but rather using Xie Xingzhi as a way to test his own moves.
First move: Graceful Footwork. Second move: Wuxiang Technique.
Third move: Throw Your Thunder. Fourth move: Modified Throw Your Thunder.
...
However, Xie Xingzhi also showed no mercy, causing the woman named Qiao Wan to have a swollen and bruised face with blood flowing.
With each move, Qiao Wan put in all her strength, fighting while carefully observing. She wanted to know how much damage her attacks, as powerful as Xie Xingzhi was, could cause. She also wanted to see how much damage she could withstand after training her body.
Under this reckless and relentless fighting style, the young man's body soon turned red.
The audience couldn't help but be amazed.
"Even with this, Lu Cixian still wants to fight?"
"I see now," thought a young cultivator, clenching his fist silently in his heart. "As long as we hold onto hope and persevere, we can definitely achieve the final victory!"
Xie Xingzhi frowned, unsure of what Lu Cixian was trying to do.
Although the young man was beaten up with bruises and swelling, his eyes were still sharp and determined.
Even in this state, he wanted to keep going? Lu Cixian was indeed a worthy opponent.
Since the other party was so persistent, Xie Xingzhi firmly gripped his sword, ready to show Lu Cixian the respect he deserved.
Just as she was about to give it her all, Qiao Wan felt a chill down her spine and dodged a fierce sword strike, jumping back.
Before Xie Xingzhi could attack, she shouted loudly with a powerful stance, "I surrender!!"
