King-Grade Spirit Ruins, Ji Linglan!

Li Guanqi’s eyes narrowed as he murmured softly, “Here she comes!” Upon the arena stage, a woman clad in water-blue robes floated upward. Her aloof, proud demeanor, paired with her breathtaking beauty and delicate, curvaceous figure, instantly drew a chorus of wolf-whistles from the crowd. It was Lingxiao Pavilion’s Ice Queen, Ji Linglan. Tightly gripping an ice-blue longsword in her left hand, the woman fixed an aloof gaze upon Zhao Beichen. Parting her vermilion lips, she stated coolly, “Ziyang Palace’s spot this year—Lingxiao Pavilion claims it!” Zhao Beichen tucked his hands into his sleeves, his smiling eyes curling into crescents. From that handsome visage, a soft voice responded, “With just you?” Clang! Ji Linglan drew her sword, and a thin mist of frost instantly billowed around her! Boom! A massive phantom of an icy flower, fully three feet wide, abruptly manifested behind her head! A Flower of Frost! The instant the frost flower’s phantom appeared, everyone in attendance was shaken! One had to realize that throughout all her previous battles, Ji Linglan had never once revealed her spirit ruins! Qin Xian’s brow furrowed slightly as he murmured, “A special spirit ruins? To think Lingxiao Pavilion also took in such a monstrously talented disciple this year!” Li Nanting clenched his fists tightly, his eyes glued to Zhao Beichen on the stage as he spoke in a low voice. “I fear it isn’t that little girl from Lingxiao Pavilion we need to watch out for. This Zhao Beichen who suddenly emerged from Ziyang Palace is the one we must be far more wary of.” The onlookers were all taken aback by such a peculiar spirit ruins manifestation, and clamorous discussions broke out across the crowd. Praise for Ji Linglan’s natural talent flowed without restraint. After all, those capable of awakening a tangible spirit ruins implement were extraordinarily few to begin with, let alone one with such a uniquely attuned, specialized spirit ruins. Standing where he was, Zhao Beichen narrowed his eyes. Glancing at the frost dusting his body, the corners of his mouth curled slightly. “A king-grade spirit ruins? Heh, somewhat interesting.” Clang! A longsword cast entirely in dark gold suddenly cleared its scabbard! Both cutting edges shimmered with a faint golden radiance, appearing incomparably sharp. With a flick of his wrist, he produced several flourishing sword-flowers, and then his feet exploded forward! Thump! The bluestone paving within dozens of feet beneath Zhao Beichen’s feet shattered in an instant! Up in the spectator stands, Li Guanqi’s brow furrowed as his heart tightened, unable to keep from murmuring in a heavy voice, “So fast!” Even through Li Guanqi’s mind’s eye, he caught only a blurred afterimage bursting forth. Boom! A thunderous boom rang out as a sharp beam of sword light materialized right before Ji Linglan! Clang! Frigid chill wrapped around her longsword as Ji Linglan instantly met her opponent’s blade! Under the eruption of boundless force, her figure drifted back more than a hundred feet. That staggering power had torn open the webbing between her thumb and forefinger from just a brief clash. Frost immediately crept over the torn skin, freezing the wound shut in an instant! Then she uttered a low cry: “Frost Steps!” Swish! Every inch of ground beneath her feet instantly turned to frozen tundra! Her speed surged by a full thirty percent compared to before! Upon this layer of frost, she moved even faster, far more agile. Clang, clang, clang! The sword in Zhao Beichen’s hand moved at his whim, bound by no rigid forms or techniques. Yet every thrust was deadly, delivered from extraordinarily tricky angles. His sword speed was on par with Li Guanqi’s! Only now that she was entangled with Zhao Beichen did the woman truly understand what it felt like to face Li Guanqi. Originally, Li Guanqi’s peerlessly swift swordplay had not left much of an impression on her from afar. Only now, confronting Zhao Beichen, did she realize just how difficult it was to handle a sword light as relentless and dense as driving rain! Almost nothing could stop that mighty metal-attribute origin energy. Furthermore, his boundless origin energy firmly outmatched Ji Linglan’s by more than a margin! Under this vigorous barrage of origin energy, the woman gradually grew hard-pressed to hold her ground, taking several sword strikes across her body. Boom! The phantom frost flower behind Ji Linglan abruptly blazed with brilliant blue light, and the might of her sword surged explosively! A slash swept across Zhao Beichen’s face, but he dodged it just in time. Forced back several yards, Zhao Beichen stood in place with a grim expression, slowly raising a hand. The horizontal cut across the bridge of his nose had already formed ice crystals. He slowly peeled the ice crystals away, and a trickle of warm blood slid down his nose. Lowering his eyes, Zhao Beichen looked at the glaring blood on his finger, and his previously smiling expression turned thoroughly cold. Straightening his posture, his face showed neither joy nor sorrow, stripped of all expression. Ji Linglan stood with her sword poised, chill swirling around her and her eyes cold as ice. Every muscle in her body was taut, vigilant against Zhao Beichen’s every move. Zhao Beichen closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and snapped them open! Boom! In an instant, Zhao Beichen was enveloped in golden radiance, with phantom silhouettes of sword light occasionally flickering within the gleam! The razor-sharp pressure instantly sheared the bluestone paving within thirty paces into countless fragments! This soul-shaking pressure caused Ji Linglan’s pupils to contract to pinpricks! Watching Zhao Beichen on the stage, Li Guanqi’s heart grew exceptionally grim. It seemed he had still underestimated Zhao Beichen before! What the youth had displayed just now was already enough to crush Guan Qingyun! And what was more... “Ji Linglan is also far stronger than Guan Qingyun!” Buzz! The massive arena suddenly began to tremble. Standing where he was, Zhao Beichen merely crooked a finger, and nearly a hundred golden longswords abruptly materialized out of thin air beside Ji Linglan, hurtling toward her in a barrage! Frost surged from beneath her feet, instantly blanketing a radius of thirty yards around her! Golden longswords detonated across the arena in ceaseless explosions! Within the golden flashes, a disheveled silhouette darted and leaped continuously, accompanied by the repeated flashes of several freezing sword lights. Boom, boom, boom, boom! The thunderous roaring lasted for more than a dozen breaths! Across the entire arena, hardly a single intact bluestone tile remained. Craters pocked the stage across a hundred-yard expanse. Only then did Li Guanqi release the breath held in his chest, murmuring in a low voice, “A spirit incantation... one from the top two hundred! “From the looks of it, it should be the one ranked one hundred ninety-second: Geng Metal, Wild Dance of Crimson Gold!” Each of those golden spirit swords packed the power of a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator striking with full force! It was hard to imagine such a terrifyingly potent spirit incantation being unleashed by a Foundation Establishment youth. Moreover, from start to finish, Zhao Beichen had merely stood in place and hooked his finger. Even after unleashing nearly a hundred strikes, his face remained calm as still water, his origin energy consumption barely noticeable. It was difficult to fathom just how vast the Dao platform within his dantian truly was! Everyone held their breath, staring into the swirling curtain of dust. Swish! A beam of frigid sword light sliced through, blowing away the dust upon the stage. The woman stood proudly where she was. Though marked by more than a dozen wounds across her body, her gaze remained as sharp as ever. Blood no longer seeped from her frost-sealed injuries, and the phantom frost flower behind her head had long since vanished. In its place was a snowflake mark emblazoned upon the center of her brow! Around her, countless icicles abruptly condensed out of the empty air! Densely packed, they hovered by the thousands. As her figure charged toward Zhao Beichen, the icicles gleaming with an ice-blue chill shot toward him like a storm of arrows! Ignoring the sky full of icicles, Zhao Beichen murmured softly, “Done playing with you.”