Holding the third seed, Fu Li had conserved his strength, waiting at his ease to comfortably defeat Shangguan Yan.
Her personal strength had never been exceptional; achieving such a high standing had relied entirely on the tremendous backing of the Shangguan clan.
They had persuaded a clan uncle to take the field on her behalf.
They had also paid a lavish price to hire the Nether Twin Fiends, rogue cultivators of renown from White Cloud Immortal City.
Only because of this had she secured third place in the first round.
Unfortunately, when the second round came, Huanghezi’s lackluster performance had caused her to tumble down to fifth.
Facing Du Changfeng from Mount Yuanhua, she had won by the skin of her teeth.
After that grueling contest, when matched against Fu Li, she had been defeated in fewer than fifty exchanges.
Now, Fu Li was set to face He Yuanqing, who held third place!
Confronting what might be his most perilous duel yet, Fu Li appeared remarkably at ease.
As he stepped onto the Sword Arena, he cast a glance toward Tao Wan in the distance.
The two exchanged a knowing nod.
They were allies; even if separated by rank, they could still coordinate.
When He Yuanqing flew down from the elevated platform, Fu Li offered a slight smile.
"Brother Yuanqing, please show some mercy in a moment!"
He Yuanqing’s brow furrowed. "You talk too much rubbish!"
Even as he spoke, a longsword materialized in his grasp. Spiritual energy surged violently around it—clearly a flying sword of magic treasure grade.
Faced with this imposing posture, Fu Li remained completely unhurried. First, he slapped a Vajra Talisman onto himself, then drew a shield and a flying sword.
He waited in full battle readiness!
Yet He Yuanqing was baffled.
Both of Fu Li's armaments were mere supreme-grade dharma artifacts.
While a supreme-grade defensive dharma artifact was certainly nothing to scoff at, the contest had progressed to this stage. Bringing out such toys against him—did Fu Li look down on him?
"Please!"
With that single word, Fu Li instantly launched his assault.
His flying sword moved nimbly, circling like a swallow under his deft control, constantly probing He Yuanqing’s defenses.
"Petty parlor tricks, unworthy of serious display!"
Snorting coldly, He Yuanqing swept his magic treasure flying sword in a devastating horizontal slash. A mighty torrent of spiritual energy poured forth, knocking aside the hovering sword.
The difference in their weapons' grades was substantial, and the power they could unleash naturally differed as well.
Next, He Yuanqing formed an incantation gesture, sending his flying sword streaking toward Fu Li.
The might of a magic treasure was immense. Wherever it passed, the supreme-grade flying sword could do little more than harass and obstruct.
Seeing this, Fu Li retreated.
With a flourish of his wide sleeves, several glints of cold light shot out.
They struck repeatedly against the sword-light of the magic treasure, gradually shaving away its unstoppable momentum.
He Yuanqing recognized those cold glints clearly—they were none other than the Fu clan’s proprietary dharma artifacts, the Essence-Binding Beads.
They possessed the unique ability to whittle away spiritual energy and bind their targets.
As the saying went, the first drumbeat aroused vigor, the second waned, and the third exhausted it. By the time the magic treasure sword slammed against Fu Li’s supreme-grade defensive shield, its power had been diminished to its absolute lowest.
*Boom!*
Before He Yuanqing’s eyes, Fu Li drifted lightly backward, visibly unscathed.
*If I merely control the magic treasure flying sword with basic maneuvers, I certainly won't defeat him.*
*I must bring out a finishing move!*
He Yuanqing had no desire to become tangled in an attrition battle with Fu Li like those of earlier rounds.
Trading hundreds of blows would not only drain a vast amount of his own spiritual power, but would also expose his trump cards to Danyangzi, who sat in second place.
Therefore, using the magic treasure flying sword to settle the match with one decisive blow was the only proper path!
With a flick of his mind, he reached out and summoned the weapon back. Like a fledgling swallow returning to its nest, the flying sword wheeled back before him, hovering above his crown.
His hands blurred through hand seals as radiant spiritual light blazed from the magic treasure. The talismanic arrays embedded within it began transmuting his spiritual power into a specialized strike.
"You chose not to use a magic treasure, so don't blame me!"
At the thought of the devastating might he was about to unleash, anticipation swelled in his chest.
Yet, through his gaze, he saw Fu Li pointing toward him with complete composure.
The supreme-grade flying sword streaked forward like a shooting star.
*Trying to interrupt my ultimate strike while I'm focused on gathering power?*
*Hmph, too naive.*
Just as the flying sword arrived before him, a piece of jade flew from his waist, radiating an uncanny spiritual quality.
Gasps erupted outside the Sword Arena.
"It’s a supreme-grade dharma artifact with automatic guardian abilities!"
"Isn't that the Ruyi Jade Thumb Ring, the famous artifact used by that Master of the He clan during his Foundation Establishment days? To think it was bestowed upon Senior Brother He!"
"With that, Senior Brother Fu won't be able to disrupt Senior Brother He's finishing strike!"
While the crowd buzzed, He Yuanqing wore a self-satisfied sneer on the arena stage.
Even among supreme-grade dharma artifacts, his automatic-protecting Ruyi Jade Thumb Ring was not something easily breached.
Watching the incoming supreme-grade flying sword split into three sword-lights that darted toward him from tricky, treacherous angles, he snorted derisively.
*Far too simple!*
In the next instant, the Ruyi Jade Thumb Ring divided into three smaller jade rings, parrying the converging sword-lights in the nick of time.
Yet He Yuanqing felt a creeping sense of unease.
It was as though he had overlooked something.
*Wait! No!*
*The Essence-Binding Beads!*
He snapped his head down. Countless points of icy gleam had already closed in around the three smaller jade rings from every direction.
At that very moment, Fu Li pressed his palms together, making an empty grasping gesture from afar.
The supreme-grade flying sword suddenly merged back into one.
A single condensed ray of sword-light plunged straight toward He Yuanqing's brow through the opening between the three jade rings.
"Damn it!"
He Yuanqing cursed internally. Forced to abandon his mostly charged ultimate strike, he hastily produced a shield in the nick of time.
He blocked the lethal blow.
Yet while he had parried the sword, the immense power of a magic treasure could be unleashed, but not easily reined in.
He Yuanqing looked up in horror as a surging tide of spiritual energy exploded out of control from his flying sword.
Standing closest to it, he bore the brunt of the immediate backlash.
*Boom!*
A deafening explosion rang out!
He Yuanqing was hurled dozens of paces through the air.
Through the swirling smoke, a figure tore across the arena.
Ahead of that figure, the supreme-grade flying sword darted like a soaring dragon, piercing through the billowing waves of residual spiritual energy and lunging straight for He Yuanqing’s head.
"How can this be?"
He Yuanqing’s eyes went wide, filled with sheer despair.
In the next breath—
*Whoosh!*
The figure arrived, his hand catching the hilt of the flying sword from behind.
The sword's tip pointed straight between He Yuanqing’s eyebrows, quivering slightly.
"Brother Yuanqing, thank you for the match!"
"How could this happen!" He Yuanqing refused to accept it. He opened his mouth, wanting to vent his bitter grievance.
Yet the moment he spoke, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
*Pfft!*
Fu Li stepped aside to avoid the spray, turning his gaze toward the Gold Core elder presiding over the defensive ward.
The elder from Dragon Head Peak looked upon him with approval.
"In this battle, Fu Li is victorious and advances to the next round!"
"You may rest for one double-hour."
Fu Li smiled faintly, sheathed his sword, and walked off.
Only He Yuanqing remained on the arena, his face deathly pale.
He could not believe he had lost so simply, so swiftly!
By all rights, Fu Li had reached the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment long after he had.
What was worse, he had not even had the chance to deploy his most crucial trump card.
No one offered an answer to his bewildered despair.
Up on the Heavenly Palace, however, the gathered Gold Core Masters had already seen through every nuance.
"He was completely read!"
Luo Chen looked up. The speaker was none other than Master Shixiang of Hundred Blossoms Palace.
Quite unusually, she had taken a flicker of interest.
Looking at the dejected He Yuanqing displayed in the Water Mirror Art, she evaluated:
"Whether in cultivation realm or weapon grade, he stood above Fu Li."
"Had he fought steadily and methodically, Fu Li would have surely fallen under his sword within two hundred exchanges."
"Yet his desire for victory was too eager; his mind was entirely fixed on preserving his strength for the next opponent. He forgot that only by fighting steadily and securing this victory would he earn the right to face Danyangzi."
"Fu Li saw right through this. Thus, right from the start, he kept his distance, focusing on dragging the fight out with hit-and-run tactics."
"Over an extended bout, Fu Li would have lost. But he had thoroughly dissected He Yuanqing’s mentality and knew his opponent would look to finish it in a single strike."
"That was how it happened: He Yuanqing attempted to gather power for a finishing blow, only to be dismantled piece by piece, ending up consumed by the backlash of his own magic treasure."
As this commentary concluded, the various Gold Core Masters nodded in agreement.
Fu Li’s raw might was slightly inferior, but his calculating mind and tactical execution far surpassed He Yuanqing’s.
Or rather, there was no such thing as mere 'raw power.'
Combat talent was itself an integral part of strength.
Listening to the analysis, Luo Chen also nodded slightly.
It aligned closely with his own assessment.
The only thing that struck him as odd was why Fu Li had gone to such great lengths to choreograph the duel and swiftly secure the win.
Given his alliance with Tao Wan, wouldn't it have been far better to let He Yuanqing win comfortably and then let a fully rested He Yuanqing exhaust and test Danyangzi in second place?
***
Luo Chen's perplexity was mirrored in the private exchange between Tao Wan and Fu Li.
"You changed the plan?"
"I did," Fu Li replied through voice transmission as he meditated to adjust his breathing. "Because I realized He Yuanqing is too weak. He couldn't possibly force Eldest Senior Brother to reveal his trump cards."
In the distance, Tao Wan fell into contemplation.
So Fu Li had changed his mind on the spot, deciding to win this duel so he could challenge Eldest Senior Brother himself?
He truly was a man of his own mind.
Tao Wan pondered the thought.
Yet as she looked at Fu Li resting calmly and restoring his condition with absolute composure, a sense of discord struck her.
*No!*
*He doesn't just want to clear the obstacles so I can claim the Dao Seed position!*
*Beneath that gentle, courteous facade lies an unyielding determination that yields to no one. His goal is the Dao Seed position as well!*
Once she realized this, Tao Wan’s expression shifted subtly.
At this moment, their alliance had become exceedingly fragile, for they were separated by only a single rank.
If Fu Li won, he would become her direct opponent!
Allies?
Even allies had to establish who was primary and who was secondary!
Whether she, Tao Wan, would marry into the Fu clan in the future or a Fu clan daughter would marry into the Tao clan carried entirely different implications!
Time slipped quietly by.
A double-hour passed in the blink of an eye.
"The seventh duel: Fu Li versus Danyangzi!"
"Will both disciples step into the arena!"
A rolling voice resonated from the Dragon Head Peak Gold Core elder.
In the next instant, Fu Li rose to his full height and transformed into a streak of light, landing on the Sword Arena.
Eldest Senior Brother Danyangzi arrived riding a cloud.
Looking at the man before him, the usually taciturn Danyangzi finally spoke.
"Junior Brother, you are no match for me. Concede!"
"Subduing the enemy without fighting—Eldest Senior Brother, that's quite a clever idea," Fu Li replied with a faint smile, the longsword in his hand gleaming with spiritual radiance. "However, the Dao cannot be illuminated without proof! This Dao Seed position is something I desire as well!"
Danyangzi fell silent.
Wasting no more words, he produced a longsword in his hand as well.
Up on the Heavenly Palace, Luo Chen, who had been watching the duel closely, raised an eyebrow in surprise.
A supreme-grade dharma artifact?
Throughout the entire first round of battles, Danyangzi had consistently fought with a flying sword of magic treasure grade.
Why swap his weapon just as the finals approached?
Amid his confusion, he looked toward the Gold Core Masters.
This time, it was Master Chiding who spoke.
With a sigh, he said, "Danyang's spiritual power is nearly exhausted!"
With those words, Luo Chen instantly grasped why Danyangzi had altered his preferred combat style.
During the gauntlet of the first round, Danyangzi had been forced to strike fiercely and swiftly.
By ending battles quickly, he had solidified his first-place standing while securing as much time as possible to recover his condition.
His plan had certainly possessed merit.
However, the second round had been an equally demanding contest of mind and strength.
The first round had lasted half a month, and the second three days.
Throughout that extensive period, Danyangzi had fought entirely alone.
Even though he had reached the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment many years ago, his reserves of spiritual power had suffered immense depletion.
Now, in this third round, fighting his way up from ninth place had only taken three days.
Even for a sect-trained Foundation Establishment elite, restoring oneself to peak condition so rapidly was impossible.
Back then, when Duan Feng had fought with all his might against Fairy Miaoyu of Yuzhen Daoist Temple and exhausted his spiritual power, it had taken him a very long time to gradually recover.
Because of that, Luo Chen had not even assigned Duan Feng to any of the combat missions dispatched in every direction during that period.
Danyangzi possessed a deeper foundation than Duan Feng and recovered faster.
Yet his consumption was correspondingly immense!
Therefore, in this penultimate battle, he had chosen a supreme-grade dharma artifact.
For one, it demanded far less spiritual power.
For another, it avoided He Yuanqing’s mistake, allowing him to overwhelm Fu Li through sheer, unyielding prowess.
Sure enough, the battle on the Sword Arena unfolded just as Luo Chen anticipated.
The two mostly engaged in probing strikes, focusing on seizing upon each other's mistakes.
Neither used high-cost, ultimate finishing moves even once.
Before long, over a hundred exchanges had passed.
Fu Li finally could no longer hold back.
In a battle of attrition, he was simply no match. Within those hundred-odd clashes, he had already sustained light injuries.
If he did not stake everything on a desperate gamble, the battle would only grow harder and his chances slimmer.
*Thud!*
A massive wooden pillar abruptly appeared upon the Sword Arena.
Coiled dragons wrapped around the pillar, crisscrossed with heavy iron chains.
A chorus of whistling roars surged forth.
"What kind of magic treasure is that?" Luo Chen asked in surprise.
As he wondered, Qingyunzi, seated at the head, shook his head.
"Senior Brother Fu’s lifespan is nearing its end; to think he would bestow even the Dragon-Binding Post, the natal magic treasure he nurtured for so many years, upon his descendant."
The Dragon-Binding Post?
Judging by the name, it seemed to be a magic treasure meant for suppression and restraint.
"Yet it is not something Fu Li refined himself after all. In his haste to deploy a magic treasure, he has exposed his opening."
"Fu Li is about to lose!"
Master Chiding muttered a couple of remarks.
Just as the two Gold Core Masters predicted, the moment Fu Li could no longer resist using the Dragon-Binding Post, Danyangzi’s eyes flickered.
He did not even spare a glance at the coiled-dragon chains reaching toward him through the void.
In the next instant, the purple mark between his brows shifted.
A wisp of purple flame spread outward from his body, racing forward along the coiled-dragon chains.
Fu Li’s face turned deathly pale.
"The Purple Zenith Heavenly Fire!"
He had never expected that Eldest Senior Brother would directly unleash the source true fire integrated into his own body just to deal with him.
Now, the scorching heavenly flame crawled along the chains.
With his own mind bound to the Dragon-Binding Post, he could not escape its wrath unscathed.
"I'm finished!"
Just as despair seized his heart, a gentle breeze swept across the arena, turning the Purple Zenith Heavenly Fire back upon itself.
The Dragon Head Peak elder glanced at the dumbfounded Fu Li, then announced in an indifferent tone, "In this battle, Danyangzi is victorious!"
Just like that?
Yet beneath that apparent simplicity, Danyangzi had seized that fleeting flaw to strike directly at Fu Li's most vulnerable point.
The Dragon-Binding Post was exceedingly formidable!
However, it was not something Fu Li had personally refined over decades. His control was too sluggish, and the mental link was far too pronounced, creating the very opening that allowed his defeat.
Outside the Sword Arena, cheers erupted like mountain torrents and ocean waves. Countless disciples shouted slogans like "Eldest Senior Brother is invincible!" and "Long live Eldest Senior Brother!"
The appearance of the Purple Zenith Heavenly Fire signified an assured victory.
This had already been the norm in the previous True Disciple Sword Contest.
Its resurgence today once again cemented Eldest Senior Brother's undefeated record.
Up on the Heavenly Palace, the fleeting glimpse of purple flame replayed endlessly in Luo Chen’s mind.
"The Purple Zenith Heavenly Fire..."
Chapter 343