Refusing to Yield

"As it should be!!" Qin Wushang unleashed his Sword Ruins with a roar, moving like a swimming dragon as he opened with a cloud sword stance, lunging toward Li Guanqi! Zhou Shiyu had the weakest cultivation among the group. When he felt Qin Wushang's Sword Soul realm sword intent, his eyes went wide. "So strong!" A realm that geniuses of the outside world could barely reach seemed commonplace here. "He's probably not even forty yet..." Xu Junlin's expression was just as grave. His strength was neck and neck with Qin Wushang's; in fact, relying on the advantages of his spear, he could even hold a slight edge. Yet the power Qin Wushang displayed now was noticeably greater than when they had sparred before! "Son of a dog, he actually held back against me during our spar." Ye Mohan narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the shifting movements in the arena. From beginning to end, Li Guanqi remained breezy and calm. Even though his cultivation realm was slightly suppressed by his opponent and the circulation of his primal energy was hindered, he was still completely composed. Ever since suffering successive upheavals, Ye Mohan had become a man of few words. Yet he knew full well how formidable Li Guanqi was. To fight from a lower realm now... perhaps there was another purpose behind it. *Does he want to show us how to deal with an enemy of a higher cultivation realm?* *Boom! Thud!!* *Spurt!!!* While various thoughts ran through their minds, a muffled crash suddenly rang out from the ring. Immediately after, a figure flew backward through the air, spraying blood. Hurtling backward, Qin Wushang's eyes bulged slightly, his body bowed like a cooked prawn... A wound slashed across his chest, stretching nearly across his entire shoulder. His gaze swept around, but Li Guanqi was nowhere to be seen. "He's gone!!" Xu Junlin spread his divine sense, only to find no trace of Li Guanqi's presence. Zhou Shiyu couldn't even follow their moves. Ye Mohan's expression darkened as he called out, "Behind him!" *Buzz!* Qin Wushang's eyes flashed. With no time for shock, he forcefully twisted his body and swung his sword behind him in a rapid flurry of slashes! Li Guanqi struck him across the back with a single sword slash, then leapt three feet back. Lightning flickered beneath his feet; standing virtually in place, he evaded every single one of Qin Wushang's strikes! Every dodge was contained within mere inches... Shock flashed through Qin Wushang's eyes. "How can this be?!" *Boom!* "Revelation!" *Boom!* His aura erupted, yet there was a slight pause. Li Guanqi, having vanished again, gave a slight flick of his left hand. In an instant, thunder and lightning surged through heaven and earth, immediately transforming into tens of thousands of Thunder Spears that shot violently toward Qin Wushang!! The sudden assault instantly disrupted Qin Wushang's offensive rhythm. Slashing through the lightning with his sword, he retreated rapidly. Yet two massive thunder pythons followed him like shadows. Suddenly, his back slammed into what felt like a wall, and the moment his movement was halted—layers upon layers of sealing spirit incantations enveloped an area of ten zhang around him!! Qin Wushang's face fell. Gathering his primal energy, he struck out fiercely! *Boom, boom, boom!* He broke free in the brief moment before the barrier could completely solidify. Yet before he could catch his breath for even a second, he discovered he had collided with another seal! A cross-shaped pillar of lightning plunged from the heavens. In the nick of time, Qin Wushang flicked his wrist, reversed the direction of his blade, and slashed horizontally with the momentum! *Boom!* The pillar of lightning shattered. Qin Wushang stood in midair in quite a disheveled state, gasping for breath. Meanwhile, Li Guanqi stood a hundred zhang away, one hand clasped behind his back, his eyes flickering in thought. A deathly silence hung inside the Sword Prison realm. Not only Qin Wushang... Xu Junlin and Ye Mohan both wore grave, expressionless looks. The atmosphere was exceedingly heavy. Ye Mohan and Xu Junlin exchanged a glance, each seeing despair in the other's eyes. From start to finish, Li Guanqi's aura had not fluctuated in the slightest. Which meant... with a cultivation only at the peak of the mid Mahayana realm, facing these half-step Tribulation Transcendence realm combatants, his performance could only be described as an overwhelming crush. In a clash lasting barely a dozen breaths, had Li Guanqi wished it, Qin Wushang would have died six or seven times over. Li Guanqi had possessed countless opportunities to gravely wound him. If the spectators could sense it, how could Qin Wushang not know it himself? On that single strike to his back alone, Li Guanqi had had ample time and opportunity to take his head off! As for his subsequent moves, every single step had fallen right into Li Guanqi's calculations. At every turn, Li Guanqi had held the power to kill him! Qin Wushang's composure wavered, his face turning ashen. He began to doubt himself. Was his strength truly so pathetic? Zhou Shiyu was struck dumb with shock. *Is this what he's capable of? His strength is simply beyond words.* It was unimaginable—if such an enemy appeared on the battlefield, what would they do? Li Guanqi dispersed the spirit sword in his hand, his tone turning somewhat solemn. "Wushang, you have too many wasted attacks... During the fight, your attention was solely fixed on what was right in front of you. The moment you couldn't sense my presence, you panicked. You cannot rely so heavily on divine sense to track an enemy's movements! At times... the aura tracked by divine sense will deceive you. Like... this." *Boom!* Primal energy circulated within Li Guanqi's body, and with a blur of motion, nine identical copies of himself appeared! Whether in appearance or aura, every single one was real. Each Li Guanqi could even attack independently. Ye Mohan shut off his divine sense and fixed his gaze unblinkingly on two of the figures, his brows furrowed tightly. All nine Li Guanqis turned back to look at Ye Mohan with a faint smile. "Very good." Qin Wushang did not understand, but Ye Mohan spoke in a low voice: "Killing intent. The desire to strike. Though divine sense can pick up on them... the eyes and one's intuition are clearer." Li Guanqi nodded, dispersing the clones, and said, "Exactly. In a fight to the death, think three steps ahead for every step you take. Especially against a powerful enemy, your job is not merely to parry them, but to anticipate them. Trading blow for blow, exchanging sword strikes back and forth—that's how fools fight." Qin Wushang fell into deep thought. Li Guanqi rubbed his hands together and hooked a finger at Xu Junlin. "Come on, Old Xu, your turn." Zhou Shiyu had assumed that seeing how terrifying Li Guanqi was, Xu Junlin and Ye Mohan would choose not to continue. Yet both men's reactions were surprisingly identical. Both stepped forward simultaneously, Ye Mohan declaring with surging battle intent, "Let me go first." Xu Junlin curled his lip and cursed, "What's the rush? Fighting over a beating now? Scram, wait your turn." With that, Xu Junlin stepped forward with spear in hand, feeling a tense excitement. "Heh, let me give it a shot." Li Guanqi smiled faintly and condensed another spirit sword. He glanced back toward Ye Mohan. "If any of you can force me to wield my sword with my left hand, consider that passing the first tier." For reasons unknown, a spark of battle intent began to ignite in Zhou Shiyu's heart as well. He slowly sat cross-legged, resting a massive pitch-black greatsword across his lap. Over his heart, the phantom of a golden chain shimmered with spiritual radiance. Ye Mohan furrowed his brow, looking at Zhou Shiyu's chest in utter astonishment. *What the hell is that? A chain bound around his heart? No... that chain pierces straight through his heart before wrapping around it! This guy... is no ordinary fellow...*