Chapter 215: Battle Against Xiao Nan
After all thirty-two had drawn their numbers, the battle order for the thirty-two-man round also appeared on the Mysterious Stone.
As soon as this battle order was revealed, it immediately sparked a flurry of discussion among the crowd.
The thirty-two-man round was divided into two groups, each with sixteen people. In each match, one person would be eliminated. The final victors from each group would then face off in the ultimate showdown to determine the first and second places of this ranking battle.
However, the two groups, divided by the numbers drawn by all participating disciples, clearly had a massive disparity in average strength!
At the end of the Cang Feng Ranking Battle, it always devolved into a ranking battle among the four great sects—a pattern unchanged for centuries, and this time was no exception. Therefore, to compare the strength of the two groups, one only needed to compare the quantity and quality of the four great sects' disciples within each group.
In Group Two, there were seven disciples from the four great sects: Ling Yun, the young master of Tian Jian Villa, who everyone believed would certainly take first place; Shui Wushuang, Wu Xuexin, and Xia Qingyue from Bing Yun Fairy Palace were all in this group. The other three were Xiao Kuanglei and Xiao Zhen from Xiao Sect, and Fen Jin from Fen Tian Sect!!
The core disciples of the four great sects in this ranking battle were all in Group Two!
Ling Yun went without saying, with his Profound Force as high as the third level of the Earth Xuan Realm, dominating the entire venue. Shui Wushuang, Wu Xuexin, Fen Jin, Xiao Kuanglei, and Xiao Zhen were all at the ninth level of the Spirit Xuan Realm—their Profound Force second only to Ling Yun in this ranking battle, and all had the potential to take second place. The lowest was Xia Qingyue, at the eighth level of the Spirit Xuan Realm.
In contrast, Group One had only five disciples from the four great sects, and they were all the second or third tier of their respective sects: Ling Feiyu and Ling Jie from Tian Jian Villa; Xiao Nan from Xiao Sect; Fen Jue Bi and Fen Yuan Ge from Fen Tian Sect.
Among them, only Ling Feiyu was at the ninth level of the Spirit Xuan Realm. The others: Fen Jue Bi was at the eighth level of the Spirit Xuan Realm, Ling Jie was too young, at only the sixth level of the Spirit Xuan Realm, and Xiao Nan and Fen Yuan Ge were also young, having come mainly for experience, at the sixth and seventh levels of the Spirit Xuan Realm respectively.
The gap between the two groups was astonishingly large!
"Is the strength gap between these two groups really that big? Has the gap ever been this large in previous ranking battles?"
"Never. But since this is all based on the randomly drawn numbers of the participating disciples themselves, there's no way around this situation. We can only say that those assigned to Group One are incredibly lucky. Any one of the core disciples from Group Two could crush everyone in Group One."
"Anyway, no matter what, the final victor will only be Ling Yun."
"Great, Brother Yun's group has very few top-tier experts." Seeing the match arrangement, Cang Yue said happily.
Qin Wushang also nodded with a smile: "Not just few, practically none. It seems the goddess of luck has been favoring us. If our luck continues to hold, perhaps Yun Che won't stop at the thirty-two-man round—maybe he can break into the sixteen-man round! If that happens, it would truly be a miracle among miracles."
"The first match is Brother-in-law's. His opponent... ah, it's Xiao Nan of the Xiao Sect! Wow, a disciple of the Xiao Sect... but Xiao Nan's Profound Force is at the sixth level of the Spirit Xuan Realm. Brother-in-law has already defeated many opponents at the sixth level of the Spirit Xuan Realm. This match, he will definitely win too!" Xia Yuanba said with great anticipation.
"No," Qin Wushang was far less optimistic. "At the same level, the strength of disciples from the four great sects is far beyond that of disciples from other sects. Although Xiao Nan is only at the sixth level of the Spirit Xuan Realm, it wouldn't be surprising if he defeated disciples from other sects at the eighth level of the Spirit Xuan Realm. That's also why he managed to reach the thirty-two-man round with this level of Profound Force... Yun Che, do not underestimate him. If things go awry, remember what I said before."
"Yes," Yun Che acknowledged.
On the Sword Discussion Platform, Ling Wugou put away the Mysterious Stone that had displayed the battle order and announced in a clear voice, "The battle order for the thirty-two-man round has been determined. The first match will begin immediately. The combatants: Yun Che of the Cangfeng Imperial Clan and Xiao Nan of the Xiao Sect. Please prepare at once and step onto the stage within sixty breaths!"
Yun Che did not dilly-dally. He immediately rose and walked toward the Sword Discussion Platform, with Cang Yue and Xia Yuanba's nervous cheers at his back... after all, this time he was facing a disciple of the four great sects!
"Nan'er, go ahead. Your opponent this time should be one you can defeat with ease, but it's only 'should be,' not 'absolutely.' Remember what Grandfather said: never underestimate any opponent, no matter who they are." Xiao Wuji instructed Xiao Nan.
"Yes, Grandfather." Seeing that Yun Che had already taken the stage, Xiao Nan also stood up, took a light breath, leaped high into the air, soared several dozen zhang, and then landed lightly on the Sword Discussion Platform, standing opposite Yun Che.
"Yun Che... this name, I feel like I've heard it somewhere before." Looking at the two on the stage, Xiao Wuji frowned and murmured to himself.
"Xiao Nan's first opponent is actually this dark horse who climbed up purely on outrageous luck. Hah, he's really lucky. If he loses this, it would be an utter disgrace." Xiao Kuanglei said in a low voice beside him.
On the stage, Xiao Nan had already taken out his weapon—a gleaming, emerald-green sword named the Wind Spirit Sword, a powerful Earth Xuan-grade weapon. He cupped his fist with the sword in hand toward Yun Che: "Xiao Nan, core disciple of the Xiao Sect, requesting your guidance!"
Because of Xiao Kuangyun, Yun Che's impression of the Xiao Sect was extremely poor. However, Xiao Nan was clearly a different type from Xiao Kuangyun. His expression was firm, his demeanor courteous, and even facing this "extremely weak" opponent, his eyes were full of gravity without the slightest hint of contempt. Yun Che nodded and took out the Overlord Giant Sword: "Yun Che, disciple of the Cangfeng Mystic Palace... requesting your guidance... Elder Ling, no need to wait sixty breaths. We are ready to begin."
"Alright!" Ling Wugou nodded: "The first match of the thirty-two-man round—begin!"
As soon as Ling Wugou's voice fell, the previously noisy Sword Discussion Platform instantly fell silent. All eyes were fixed on the stage, but not on Xiao Nan of the Xiao Sect—they were watching Yun Che. These were two combatants with an extremely vast difference in Profound Force levels, but this time, no one uttered any jeers, disdain, or outright declarations that Yun Che was doomed to lose. Because in Yun Che's previous matches, every time people said something similar, Yun Che would respond with a result that left them dumbfounded and red-faced.
Now, more people were curious whether this Yun Che, who had miraculously reached the thirty-two-man round with True Xuan Realm Profound Force, could create another miracle and defeat even this disciple of the Xiao Sect.
In a sense, the desire to see dramatic outcomes could also be considered a latent human instinct.
On the Sword Discussion Platform, as soon as Ling Wugou finished speaking, a sharp storm suddenly erupted from Xiao Nan's body and his Wind Spirit Sword, swirling wildly around him. This storm was not intense, but it was extremely sharp, like countless knives dancing chaotically. Even the spectators far from the center of the platform could vaguely feel a chilling, piercing aura.
In contrast, facing such an imposing aura, Yun Che looked at Xiao Nan with an unchanged expression. His body and heavy sword showed no movement, nor did he show any sign of launching an attack.
"Take this... Wind Extreme Sword!"
Xiao Nan thrust his Wind Spirit Sword forward. Instantly, the storm around him merged with dozens of sword shadows, rolling toward Yun Che with a piercingly cold wind sound. Wherever it passed, the extremely hard surface of the Sword Discussion Platform was torn apart piece by piece.
The power of this sword strike drew exclamations from all around.
"Wahhh... such, such a terrifying sword momentum!" Xia Yuanba cried out in shock, his eyes full of fear. Even someone like him, an entry-level Xuan Adept at the Initial Xuan Realm, could clearly feel the terror of this strike.
"One of the advantages of the four great sects is their extremely powerful profound arts and techniques! Against this sword strike, no opponent of the same level from outside the four great sects could withstand it head-on!" Qin Wushang said gravely.
"Dodge quickly!" Cang Yue shouted nervously.
The storm and countless sword shadows came at Yun Che's face simultaneously, but he still didn't move, as if petrified. It was only when the storm and sword shadows were right in front of him, violently blowing his hair and clothes, that he finally acted... In the previous second, he was like an immovable mountain; in the next, he suddenly became an erupting volcano.
All fifty-four profound gates were fully opened. His violent Profound Force erupted in an instant. The Overlord Giant Sword in his hand swept horizontally against the storm of sword shadows, creating a massive vortex of force that heavily collided with Xiao Nan's sword shadow storm.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The intense collision sounds were deafening. The swing of the heavy sword was like releasing a ferocious flood dragon, using its invincible body and claws to fiercely charge into the sword shadow storm. Amid the collision sounds, the sword shadow storm released by Xiao Nan was crushed layer by layer under the force of the heavy sword's swing, completely vanishing into nothing... But the power of the heavy sword did not dissipate there. It continued forward, bringing a fierce gust of wind that swept over Xiao Nan's body, causing his breath to catch momentarily as he nearly stumbled backward from the impact.
Wh-what!?
Xiao Nan's hands and heart trembled simultaneously, his face filled with deep disbelief.
Facing Yun Che, he had not underestimated him. The sword strike just now, though not his ultimate move, was one of his strongest techniques. After releasing it, he was certain that Yun Che could not possibly withstand it head-on. His only choice was to evade with all his strength. Xiao Nan had already gripped his sword tightly, his eyes locked on Yun Che's position, ready to pursue like lightning after he moved, catching Yun Che off guard and seizing the initiative for a quick victory.
He never imagined Yun Che would choose to face it head-on instead of evading... and with a seemingly casual swing, he completely blocked it!
"He actually... blocked it!"
"Is this Yun Che really at the True Xuan Realm? Even I couldn't block Xiao Nan's sword strike head-on!"
The surrounding spectators were nearly numb from extreme shock. Yun Che was like a monster, continuously presenting one impossibility after another starkly before their eyes. Especially those from the Xiao Sect, who knew the power of that sword strike well, their faces changed drastically.
Yun Che stepped forward, his Profound Force surging all over. His heavy sword swept horizontally, and instantly, a terrifying storm swept across the Sword Discussion Platform. Under this storm, Xiao Nan couldn't even breathe, let alone open his eyes. He quickly withdrew the sword he had intended to meet with... because all his instincts told him that this sword strike had the might to shatter mountains and split the earth. If he faced it head-on, he would at least be severely injured, at worst killed.
He had no time to be shocked that a True Xuan Realm profound practitioner could unleash such a terrifying attack. He channeled his Profound Force beneath his feet, instantly lifting his body more than a dozen zhang into the air, dodging Yun Che's violent strike. At the highest point of his ascent, the space around him suddenly rippled like water, and behind him formed the faint shadow of a giant cyan eagle, wings spread as if about to fly, proud and fearless.
Xiao Nan plummeted downward, his entire figure merging into the shadow of the cyan giant eagle as he fell, as if transforming into a diving eagle. His sword pointed forward, carrying an extremely sharp aura aimed directly at Yun Che's chest. Where the sword tip passed, air rippled like water.
The sword thrusting down from above was extremely sharp. Even from more than ten zhang away, Yun Che felt a terrifying sensation of being pierced through. But bearing the heavy sword, he would never retreat before a light sword. Unchanged in expression, he swung his arms and thrust his sword upward.
The might of the heavy sword was like a mountain overturning and the sea churning. In the direction the heavy sword pointed, even space showed slight distortion. Yun Che's first strike had been immediately dodged by Xiao Nan. Now, Xiao Nan was in midair, and even if he wanted to dodge, it was impossible. But facing Yun Che's violent blow, his eyes showed no tension—only determination and a fleeting cold gleam.
The giant eagle shadow behind him suddenly spread its wings, and on the Wind Spirit Sword, a cyan light blazed.
Sssssk!!
The force storm raised by Yun Che's swing was actually cut apart by Xiao Nan's sword with an ear-piercing tearing sound, splitting to both sides like water being cleaved head-on.
The Wind Spirit Sword, having cut through the Profound Force storm, thrust forward with an extremely sharp aura, stabbing directly into Yun Che's left shoulder.
"Ahhh!!" Cang Yue cried out in alarm, her face turning pale instantly.
"What?! Wh-what sword technique is this? It... it actually cut apart Profound Force!" Qin Wushang was also greatly startled.
"A little surprising, but it's safe after all. The outcome is decided." Looking at the sword that had pierced Yun Che, Xiao Kuangyu of the Xiao Sect smiled faintly.
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