Zou Chen burst into a laugh as his Qi Sea vibrated, releasing a powerful Spirit Breath.
He seemed to have misinterpreted her words.
This kid—she craved a real duel to prove herself!
“Thank you for your concern, Junior Sister Ji. I am doing quite well, and I certainly won’t let you down! I will go all out in this battle, so bring it on!”
“Eh? You… you don’t really have to work that hard.”
Ji Shiyu shrank her neck back.
She looked around but couldn’t find her Lucky Star, making her feel even more unsure.
It was impossible not to feel nervous when being watched by so many people.
This was the first time she had stepped onto the stage during the main tournament, and she felt completely out of practice.
“What should I do, Ao Tian? He looks like he can really fight.”
The Yellow Chicken poked its head out and said,
“It’s not that he looks like it; he really can. His comprehensive combat power is 380, while yours is only 250.”
“You’re the 250! Who told you that?”
“The odds analysis from Shanhai Pavilion.”
“…”
“Do your best, Shiyu. I put all your money on you to win!”
Ao Tian flashed a wicked smile.
Ji Shiyu’s face instantly paled.
Her wallet had always been managed by that Phoenix Hatchling.
That was money she had earned through hard work and exploitation!
“What? You used my money to gamble! What if I lose?”
“There is no ‘what if.’ If we win, it’s luxury and models; if we lose, you’ll be the one modeling. If Xiao Xinran could win, why would you lose?”
“That’s easy for you to say! The Great Competition prohibits Ling Pets from participating, so you can’t help me. And I definitely don’t want to learn that move of hers where she drags the enemy down with her!”
Ji Shiyu felt like crying but had no tears.
She pressed her hands together and offered a prayer to the heavens.
“What are you doing?”
‘I’m cursing Senior Brother Zou to get struck by lightning.’
Ao Tian nearly spat blood in frustration.
“Have some damn ambition, will you? You weren’t this pathetic when you were bragging about being a mistress!”
“Junior Sister Ji, please!”
While they were talking, the longsword in Zou Chen’s hand erupted with crimson flames.
He transformed into a whirlwind of fire and charged straight at her!
Ji Shiyu bit her lip and focused with all her might, completely adopting her sworn father’s mindset.
‘You want my money? Over my dead body!’
The sword techniques of Sunset Peak were fierce and heavy.
He opened with a sword-hammer strike aimed directly at her head.
Ji Shiyu stayed calm and didn’t meet the blow head-on with Falling Cloud’s sharpness.
Instead, she mimicked the stance Lang Sanhuan had used earlier, flicking her sword upward to parry.
Mist Hidden Moving Clouds coiled around her blade.
Sizzle!
Golden ripples collided with the crimson Sword Qi, sending sparks flying everywhere.
Ji Shiyu managed a narrow defense, though the impact left her arms numb.
The gap in their cultivation was not small.
“Oh? The Sword Manual of Hidden Mist?”
Jing Tan’er straightened her posture, her eyes shimmering.
Her rebellious adopted daughter always seemed to bring something new to the table every time she appeared.
The Academy instructors were visibly moved and turned to look at the Grand Elder.
However, even the Vice Sect Leader was completely bewildered.
Once an Inner Disciple was promoted, they could only practice one Sword Canon.
There was absolutely no second way for them to access the secret arts of other peaks.
The possibility of stealing the techniques was extremely low, as no one dared to violate the ancestral rules by teaching others privately—let alone using them so openly during the Great Competition.
In the current world, only one person was qualified to practice the Sword Canons of all Five Peaks simultaneously: the Sect Master of each generation.
The last Falling Cloud Peak disciple proficient in the Sword Manual of Hidden Mist was Shen Zhong, the genius who had carried the title of Sword Dao Leader for 1,000 years.
Before deciding on the next successor, the Old Sect Leader naturally wouldn’t violate the sect rules either.
Was it possible that someone had truly learned it just by watching it once?
Ji Shiyu quickly provided the answer.
Within a few breaths, her delicate body was shrouded in mist.
Her Sword Qi formed an array to defend against the encroaching red clouds.
Compared to the girl on Sighing Peak who had followed the book word for word, Shiyu’s imitation was no longer just superficial.
Even the Sword Intent was being integrated within the starlight of her Sea of Consciousness.
Thanks to her earlier greeting, Zou Chen showed no mercy.
He did not hold back just because his opponent was a New Student.
He was equally shocked.
He was clearly facing a Falling Cloud Peak disciple, yet it felt as if he were fighting a piece of sticky candy from Hidden in Mist Peak.
Her smokey sword momentum was airtight.
Ji Shiyu bit her lip, her graceful figure flickering in and out of the mist as she mentally traced the word “Sword” over and over again.
Every move she executed was one Lang Sanhuan had used—the same moves that had suppressed Xiao Xinran before she released the Flame God.
Now, they left Zou Chen with no opening to exploit.
However, she couldn’t win just by doing this.
Ji Shiyu’s Qi Sea couldn’t withstand a battle of attrition as well as Zou Chen’s could.
Thus, a golden rain began to fall from the sky.
The girl used Spirit Control to rise into the air, pointing her sword toward the earth.
She utilized the Falling Cloud mental cultivation method to execute Rosy Clouds Spring Rain!
“The Clear Mist Sword Canon!?”
Huo Tian Tian’s mouth hung wide open.
A third, completely different sword style had appeared!
Qin Xing, who was also watching from outside the Rosy Fragrance Pavilion, remained calm.
She had known about this since she was raising the children in Yudu.
Shiyu’s habit of using Xinran’s moves against her had always made the other girl furious.
Shiyu knew the Sunset Sword Classic just as well.
The blonde-haired girl’s moves were unconventional.
To the uninformed spectators, it was a beautiful sight, but the disciples of the Five Peaks were stunned.
Is this the Formless Spiritual Root!?
“Hmph!”
Zou Chen was slightly taken aback, but he immediately released his spiritual energy.
A vigorous aura erupted from his body, incinerating the parasitic seeds in the blink of an eye.
Junior Sister Ji had indeed caused him a lot of trouble and wasted a significant amount of his spiritual energy, but these cheap tricks weren’t enough to defeat him!
The mist and rain intertwined, dousing the fire.
When Zou Chen pushed through the clouds and looked up, he saw Ji Shiyu treading upon the seven stars with the blazing sun at her back.
A burst of brilliant starlight erupted from her body, and her Spirit Breath changed abruptly.
“Forgive me!”
The Star Princess reappeared, radiating brilliance.
The beautiful, blonde-haired and silver-clad sword cultivator stunned the entire crowd.
It was as if a fairy from the myths of the Upper Realm had descended to the world.
It also made the Princess’s eyelid twitch as she recalled some unpleasant memories.
“So… so bright!”
The Star Dust and the scorching sun reflected off each other.
Suddenly, Zou Chen’s body jerked violently.
He began to twitch uncontrollably, and his eyes rolled back into his head.
Just as the duel reached its climax and the suspense was at its peak, one side fell from the sky like a kite with a broken string, unable to even hold onto his sword.
“Eh?”
Commotion rippled through the crowd.
The referee Elder froze for a long moment before reacting, quickly riding his sword to save the man.
If he fell like that, he would be smashed into a pulp.
Ao Tian looked at the pale young man foaming at the mouth and asked in confusion,
“You haven’t even made your move yet. Why did he go down?”
Ji Shiyu scratched her head.
“Maybe he was intimidated by my overbearing aura?”
“No way. Don’t tell me he really got struck by lightning.”
The blonde girl and her pet whispered to each other for a long time until they heard the report from the Clear Mist Peak disciples at the medical station.
They reported awkwardly that Senior Brother Zou had suffered an induced epileptic seizure and was unable to get back up.
“…”
“…”
“…”
The entire arena fell into a dead silence.
Even the person involved was stunned, not knowing where to even begin criticizing the situation.
Looking at Zou Chen again, he was flopping around like a fish that had just been hooked.
The Elders had to shove a sword hilt into his mouth to keep him from biting his tongue.
“Grand Elder… this?”
Strange things happened every year, but they were particularly frequent this year.
Someone truly was blessed by a lucky star; no one who stood in her way seemed to meet a good end.
The Vice Sect Leader wiped his sweat and said solemnly,
“Does that even need to be said? Naturally, the winner is Ji Shiyu of Falling Cloud Peak.”
If the Head Seat of Sunset Peak hadn’t been absent, he surely would have spent several minutes cursing the shamelessness of the First Peak for using such underhanded methods to persecute a fellow disciple.