A Righteous Whirlwind Fire Dance

Bu Zhongyao departed this world quite peacefully. ... After Yue Wen's two attempts to push open the door had been cut short, Bu Zhongyao, twin blades in hand, scowled slightly. She fixed her gaze on Zhao Xing'er. "Little girl, I was originally planning to go easy on you, but I've changed my mind. If you want to blame someone, blame that precious big brother of yours for running his mouth!" "He's my boss," Zhao Xing'er replied with a slight frown. "He's a very good person. Don't talk nonsense about him." "Hmph." With a cold snort, Bu Zhongyao swept her reverse-gripped twin blades backward and dropped low, darting forward. Flitting like a butterfly through blossoms, she zipped toward Zhao Xing'er's flank at astonishing speed. An instant later, the blade in her left hand slashed toward Zhao Xing'er's ribs. Zhao Xing'er parried with the sword in her right hand. Sparks screeched and showered between them as ferocious, overwhelming sword energy instantly crushed the blade's gleam, leaving Bu Zhongyao feeling entirely immobilized! In a single clash, the disparity became glaringly obvious! *What surging sword energy!* Bu Zhongyao felt like a nimble waterfowl that had swooped down to snatch a loach, only to hoist it up and discover an elephant washing its member in the water. By the time she realized something was wrong, it was already too late; she could not resist the colossal force threatening to send her hurtling through the air! Her expression warped. The blade in her left palm suddenly flashed and flew from her grip, splitting into three bird-shaped rays of blade light that shot straight toward Zhao Xing'er's face! Vicious and deceitful! This was a secret technique hidden within her reverse-gripped blades. Both weapons were magic implements capable of manifesting flying daggers to slay enemies, making them virtually impossible to dodge in close-quarters combat. Normally, she would unleash this only against opponents whose strength surpassed her own. When facing Zhao Xing'er at first, she had assumed an easy victory was well in hand. Who would have guessed that Zhao Xing'er would unleash such formidable energy from the very first blow? Ruthlessness took hold of Bu Zhongyao, driving her to resort to this underhanded move right out of the gate. In her mind, the point of today's spar wasn't just winning; it was seizing this opportunity to showcase her prowess so Wangyou Media would sign her. Merely taking part in a livestream project would never make her famous. She not only had to win, she had to win decisively. This move caught everyone off guard. Beside the arena, the Gang Realm Dao protector's eyes flared with light, and he seemed poised to intervene. Yet in the blink of an eye, the hand he had begun to raise fell back to his side. Zhao Xing'er tilted her head, flashing two rows of bright white teeth. In that split second, she not only picked out which blade light was the real one, but caught the flying blade right between her teeth! A faint red glow danced in her eyes. She had also assumed this was a friendly spar, yet Bu Zhongyao had opened with such a sinister technique, nearly injuring her. Zhao Xing'er could not help but grow a little angry! "Oh no..." In the observation room, Yue Wen buried his face in his hand. "What are you worried about?" the man in the suit jacket sneered behind him. "The girl actually has some skill, catching Zhongyao's flying blade like that. If you're frightened by danger at this level, you shouldn't have brought her here in the first place." "You'll know what I'm worried about in a moment," Yue Wen muttered under his breath. With her left blade clamped between her foe's teeth, Bu Zhongyao didn't even have time to be shocked. Flipping her right-hand blade, she took advantage of Zhao Xing'er's inability to turn around in time and thrust savagely down toward her neck, accompanied by a sharp emerald sheen! Every strike aimed for a lethal point. In the observation room, everyone frowned. Even though they knew her blade style followed such vicious paths, it had been made explicitly clear beforehand that this was a friendly spar where everyone should pull their punches. To strike like this was crossing the line. Yet before a second could pass, their expressions transformed in unison into wide-eyed astonishment. Zhao Xing'er paid the reverse blade no mind whatsoever. The crimson light in her eyes erupted, and the twin swords in her hands whirled, bursting into spinning flames that roared skyward. "Whirlwind Fire Dance Sword Technique—!" The furiously whirling flames blasted Bu Zhongyao away immediately. Following close behind, Zhao Xing'er's figure blurred, instantly transforming into a blazing red tornado that hurtled forward with a deafening roar. It was like a tornado tearing through a parking lot! Beside the arena, the Dao protector's face drained of color, and his figure shot forward in a blur. The spectators in the observation room were utterly flabbergasted. For a martial cultivation method to display such wondrous phenomenal might was exceedingly rare. Liu Yuanjun let out a soft exclamation and murmured, "Martial spirit red glow?" "She has another ultimate move...?" Yue Wen took a deep breath, feeling a touch of despair. "Hit her! Go on, hit her! Serves her right!" *Boom—!* Within a breath, the fiery whirlwind slammed into its target. The expanding sheet of fire from the explosion blocked everyone's sight. When the wind and flames finally cleared, crackling clusters of fire burned across the arena, as though it had just endured carpet bombing. Bu Zhongyao lay unconscious in the Dao protector's arms, half her body charred black, her survival uncertain. However arrogant she had been a moment ago, she was just as peaceful now. Even the Dao protector cut a rather battered figure. The side of his body shielding Bu Zhongyao was scorched and torn, and a sleeve still burned until he swept his arm to extinguish the flame. *Even a Gang Realm cultivator ended up in such a sorry state taking that hit?* Zhao Xing'er's explosive strike drew countless stunned stares. Yet she looked far from proud of herself. Instead, wearing an apologetic look, she stepped forward and bowed politely to the Dao protector. "I'm so sorry, I burned your clothes." "It... it's fine." The Dao protector seemed caught off guard, his pride stung. He muttered, "I only got burned because I wasn't being careful. I've been meaning to get a new set anyway, and I didn't know what to do with the old one." ... "Take Miss Bu to the infirmary. The spars will continue." He Caihua stepped forward with her entourage, inspected the situation, and resumed the proceedings. Before the next round began, however, she turned back to remind everyone once more, "Let me emphasize this again: keep it friendly and stop when the point is made. The company does not wish to see anyone harmed." The immortal sect disciples present frequently sparred with fellow disciples on ordinary days, so they naturally understood what pulling their punches meant. Earlier, Bu Zhongyao had been desperate to show off for the sake of her own interests, and she had looked down on rogue cultivators, figuring that critically injuring one would cost her nothing more than a little compensation money. That was why she had struck with such venom. She never imagined she would reap what she sowed, provoking Zhao Xing'er into delivering an even nastier beating. After winning the match, Zhao Xing'er hung her head and walked behind Yue Wen. "I'm sorry, Boss. I still couldn't hold back and ended up hurting her." "It's fine, not your fault," Yue Wen consoled her. Though the scene had unfolded in a flash, anyone with discerning eyes could see what had happened. Had Zhao Xing'er not been shielded by her martial spirit red glow, she would likely have suffered injuries far worse than Bu Zhongyao's. Naturally, he supported a righteous whirlwind fire dance. After that single fight, the surrounding immortal sect disciples looked at Zhao Xing'er with entirely different eyes. Originally, they had assumed these two rogue cultivators were selected purely because of their good looks, holding prejudices against them both as rogue cultivators and as eye candy. Only after crossing hands did they realize this wasn't eye candy at all—it was a Molotov cocktail. Whoever touched her was going to get burned! The next duel between the female cultivators featured a saber-wielding girl with long straight black hair, dressed in a small collared shirt and pleated skirt. She had fair skin, bangs cut across her brow, and a sweet appearance, yet exuded a gloomy aura. The other was a dark-skinned girl in training robes, tall, lean, and sunlit, who also appeared to specialize in martial arts. Standing together, they looked like an anime girl and a tanned athletic student from the same class, their vibes presenting a striking contrast. Generally speaking, sects in the cultivation world that specialized in martial arts were considered lower-tier because martial cultivation methods offered far less versatility and creativity than supernatural arts—unless bolstered by an immortal body-grade gift like the martial spirit red glow. A rather discriminatory term for them was "crude martial artists." Only in a place like Jiangcheng City, which had few sects, could disciples of such martial sects earn a seat at the table. The outcome confirmed as much. The girl with long straight black hair hailed from the Hidden Dragon Pool in the suburbs of No. 6 City, and her Shadow Profound supernatural power was exceedingly bizarre. Melting her body into the shadows, she appeared and vanished unpredictably, striking and fleeing in turns. Though the dark-skinned girl across from her possessed greater strength and superior martial skills, she had no choice but to concede defeat after sustaining several slash wounds. Yue Wen's eyes lit up as he watched that Shadow Profound supernatural power. In reality, such stealth supernatural powers could not display their full potential on a sparring ground. In the complex environment of a wasteland zone, they would be truly ghostlike and elusive. He could consider buying a technique of this sort from Da Long to prepare for future ventures into the wasteland zones. With the female duels concluded, Zhao Xing'er and the girl with long straight black hair passed the selection. Next came the male duels. The pair drawn for the first match consisted of a red-haired young man in tight leather clothes and pants, and a muscular man wearing a black tank top. Rather surprisingly, the arrogant red-haired man, who looked like a biker, also hailed from the Hidden Dragon Pool and was the sect sibling of the girl with long straight black hair. After all, while one couldn't say their styles were completely identical, they were utterly unrelated. The muscular man was no surprise, being another martial artist. His fists carried the explosive force of diamond, kicking up roaring gusts of wind with every swing. This duel of biker versus gym trainer was practically a repeat of the previous match. Stepping onto the stage, the red-haired man scattered over a dozen flickering wisps of spiritual fire, melting himself into their shadows to move without a trace. It seemed that even among the Shadow Profound supernatural powers, there were differences. The girl with straight black hair cultivated blade shadows, while he cultivated fire shadows. The muscular man smashed one cluster of spiritual fire after another in fury, yet when shattered, the flames scattered like stars across the sky, multiplying the more he struck. In the end, under the relentless scorch of the blazing fire, he had no choice but to admit defeat in frustration. The upper limit of martial cultivation methods lay in overwhelming force conquering all technique; without absolute offensive and defensive superiority to crush the opponent, one remained helpless before ever-shifting supernatural powers. Watching the match, He Caihua smiled. "This generation of Hidden Dragon Pool disciples is quite exceptional." Afterward, she turned her gaze toward Yue Wen. The opponent Yue Wen had drawn was none other than the man in the suit jacket who had mocked them first. His attire was crisp and businesslike, his hair slicked back with grease to a high shine. He didn't look like he had come to fight at all, but rather to attend a cocktail party, exuding an arrogant air. Stepping onto the training floor, the man in the jacket sneered. "Seeing that girl's moves just now, maybe you two really did come prepared. But I'll soon make you understand the true gulf between an immortal sect disciple and a rogue cultivator." "What a cliché taunt," Yue Wen muttered, shaking his head. Disinclined to entertain him, he added, "Show whatever moves you've got." The moment his words landed, the man in the jacket dropped into a horse stance. With a loud *pop*, his jacket burst apart, leaving only an undershirt that revealed arms covered in tattoos of dragons and tigers. "I am Chen Hao, the twelfth-generation heir of the Sky-Piercing Sect! I have long tempered the Dragon Tattoo Art across my entire body! Let's see how many divine tattoos you can force me to unleash today! Come! Jie-jie-jie-jie—!" Yue Wen stared in astonishment. What kind of bizarre legacy was this Dragon Tattoo Art? The price of cultivating it was far too high. Didn't this mean that from his very first day in the sect, he was permanently disqualified from taking the civil service exam?