Defeating Guan Qingyun!

Staying low, Li Guanqi flashed through several evasive shifts in quick succession, circling around to Guan Qingyun's flank before thrusting violently with his sword!! *Pfft!!* The blade impaled Guan Qingyun through his left shoulder in an instant!! Realizing his perilous position, Guan Qingyun clamped his left hand down hard on the sword running through his shoulder! At the same time, his own blade slashed diagonally toward Li Guanqi's neck! If this blow landed, Li Guanqi would be decapitated! Even if it failed, it would force Li Guanqi to pull back his weapon, buying Guan Qingyun a precious breath of respite! Yet Li Guanqi threw his left palm against his sword's pommel, eyes bloodshot as he let out a thunderous roar. "Die!!" *Squelch!!* He drove the sword upward with an upward diagonal flick, a slash that nearly tore off Guan Qingyun's entire left arm! Simultaneously, gripping his scabbard with his left hand, Li Guanqi slammed it violently against his opponent's incoming blade!! The blistering flames scorched Li Guanqi's left hand pitch-black. Yet Li Guanqi thrust his right hand high into the air!! *Thud!!* He drove a savage front kick into Guan Qingyun's chest, sending him flying several zhang away! Just when everyone thought the victor had been decided— Still flying backward through the air, Guan Qingyun abruptly unleashed a vicious slash toward Li Guanqi, who was already closing the distance!! The sword carved an elegant arc of fire through the sky, hurtling toward Li Guanqi's neck. A flicker of amusement crossed Li Guanqi's heart. His sword, which had somehow already returned to its scabbard, whipped out in an instant! Unleashing a Rushing Thunder Sword Slash, he left the onlookers seeing only a streak of purple lightning pierce straight through the flames!! *Clang!!* *Chink!!* The longsword drove through Guan Qingyun's shoulder blade, pinning him dead to the arena floor! Li Guanqi stomped his right foot onto Guan Qingyun's left wrist and slammed his knee down, pressing hard against his throat!! Guan Qingyun lay ashen-faced, the fluctuations of origin power around him faint to the point of extinction. He stared up with hollow eyes, looking as though all his wounds and agony had nothing to do with him. He could not believe he had lost—lost to an obscure blind sword cultivator. "I... lost?" Motionless on the stone floor, Guan Qingyun found his dantian already completely empty. That final slash had been his desperate last gamble! His left arm hung on by barely a shred of skin at the shoulder, while his right shoulder was pinned to the arena floor by the piercing blade. All that met his gaze were the blind swordsman's pure white eyes—eyes devoid of any emotional ripple, lacking even a sliver of mockery. It was as if Li Guanqi were merely carrying out an ordinary task he had set his mind to; whoever his opponent was made no difference at all. *Whoosh!!* Only now did the crowd beneath the stage finally snap back to reality: a disciple of the Great Xia Sword Sect had genuinely defeated Xuanmen Palace's genius disciple, Guan Qingyun! The disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect hugged each other like madmen, erupting into ecstatic cheers. Among the crowd, several elders wore starkly different expressions. Qin Xian clenched his fists, his face flushed with unmistakable excitement. Only Li Nanting remained motionless, pursing his lips and watching the youth on stage with deep concern. He knew the true trial was only just beginning! Whatever their motives, the remaining disciples of Xuanmen Palace would now stop at nothing to defeat Li Guanqi! They would not hesitate to use the dirtiest, most underhanded tricks! They simply could not stomach the humiliation of being eliminated in this round by Li Guanqi alone. If that happened, Xuanmen Palace's loss would be catastrophic. Tu Kui gazed at the youth on stage with mixed emotions; this boy had brought him far too many surprises and wonders. The lame man looked on with even deeper worry, his eyes lingering on Li Guanqi's injuries. *Schwick!* Li Guanqi wrenched his longsword free, turned, lowered his gaze, and said softly, "You are arrogant, but you are also strong." Sensing less than half his origin power remaining, Li Guanqi took a deep breath on the arena stage. He had to use what little origin power he had left to defeat eight more disciples from Xuanmen Palace in succession! Only now did he truly understand why this challenge—one granting eliminated sects a chance to defy fate—was named the Purgatory Challenge! Thinking about it from another angle, if Guan Qingyun had been the last to step up, Li Guanqi would not have possessed the slightest hope of victory! Standing in place, Li Guanqi felt as though the clamor around him had been shut out. Stopping the bleeding from his wounds, he immediately circulated his cultivation method, frantically regenerating his origin power. He knew the real challenge had only just started! This brought to mind his trials within the Hundred Champions Illusion. At the thought, the corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved slightly into an enigmatic smile. The thrill of walking the edge of life and death in a mere instant made his mind exceptionally clear! Soon, the heavily injured Guan Qingyun was carried away. Ji Linglan's lovely eyes shimmered with brilliant light as she watched the youth on stage, her lips parting slightly as her breath grew heavier. Zhao Beichen, by contrast, had completely cast aside any contempt he held for Li Guanqi. A fellow capable of defeating Guan Qingyun head-on was worthy of his attention! Though proud, he was never conceited! Yet his attention meant only that he had taken note of Li Guanqi; in his view, Li Guanqi had already exhausted all his tricks just to beat Guan Qingyun. If Li Guanqi ever faced him directly, having played all his trump cards, he would pose no threat whatsoever. *Whoosh!* A disciple from Xuanmen Palace flashed onto the high stage. One look at his eyes was enough to tell how deeply wary he was of Li Guanqi. Unexpectedly, this disciple was a saber wielder. With a wave of the elderly overseer's broad hand high in the sky, battle erupted in an instant! Right from the start, the tall, slender disciple executed his movement technique without hesitation, retreating violently. At the same time, he retrieved several talismans and pills, swallowing them down! His surging pressure was far greater than that of the very first disciple! Li Guanqi, however, remained rooted in place. To him, stalling for even a sliver of time was a victory. He could seize this window to rapidly restore his origin power! Swallowing his own medicinal pills, Li Guanqi felt the origin power gradually returning within him and couldn't help letting out a faint smile. Before long, however, the opponent caught on to his intention. Shifting directions several times in an elusive rhythm, he darted straight toward Li Guanqi! Li Guanqi drove power through his feet and murmured softly, "Azure Lotus Heavenly Gang Sword!" In an instant, chilling light flashed between them as six purple lotuses shot toward the disciple!! *Boom!!* A tremendous roar shook the arena. Dozens of sword cuts bloomed across the Xuanmen Palace disciple's chest! *Thump!* A single sword form! Sword dao prowess so unyieldingly dominant that it bordered on unreasonable allowed him to vanquish another disciple in a heartbeat! Everyone stared dumbfounded at the sight. Ye Feng couldn't help muttering under his breath: "Old Li's sword skills... are way too strong!" "Unreasonably strong!" Zhong Lin said with a bitter smile, "It looks like... we've been the ones dragging down his cultivation progress all along." Yu Sui'an stood right next to Li Nanting, her chubby little hands clutching tightly at the elder's robes. Looking up at the old man with tearful eyes, she asked in a trembling voice, "Grandpa Li..." "The little blind boy... he's definitely going to win, right?" Li Nanting did not dare look down. Staring straight ahead, he said softly, "The moment he chose to step onto that arena, he had already won!"