Chapter 130: Top Ten Experts of the Western Courtyard
"Good! Let me see just how capable you really are."
Jin Yueming's gaze darkened as her ten fingers curled into claw shapes. A faint layer of golden light flowed across the surface of the skin on her arms. She stood a full two meters and twenty centimeters tall, more robust than many men, with arms as thick as a bowl's rim and bulging golden sinews protruding from them.
"Boom!"
Her golden claws shot forward, aiming for Mo Qinglong's neck.
Mo Qinglong's body was much shorter than Jin Yueming's, but his speed far surpassed hers. He twisted sideways, dodging the golden claw strike. His left arm rotated slightly, and his war sword swung behind him as he thrust it in a reverse motion toward Jin Yueming's waist.
Jin Yueming dropped her arm, blocking the sword tip with her palm.
The palm and sword tip collided, sending out sparks of golden light with a loud "Bang!" sound.
What astonished everyone was that Jin Yueming's palm seemed forged from gold and iron. She blocked the sword tip barehanded without sustaining any injury.
"Heh! Mo Qinglong, with strength like this, you dare challenge me? You're still too weak!" Jin Yueming sneered coldly.
"Is that so? Then let me show you the power of the perfected Twin Sword Deer-Slaying Art." Mo Qinglong withdrew his sword, spread his feet slightly apart, and held the war sword with both arms positioned one in front and one behind, striking a peculiar stance.
"Perfected? You've cultivated the Twin Sword Deer-Slaying Art to perfection?" Jin Yueming's eyes widened in disbelief.
A spirit-grade mid-rank martial technique—how could it be so easily mastered?
"Whoosh!"
Mo Qinglong swung his sword with both hands, his body spinning rapidly, producing a whistling sword sound as if he had transformed into a fast-spinning windmill. Sword light flashed, and sword shadows filled every direction.
"Bang! Bang!"
Jin Yueming managed to block only three of Mo Qinglong's strikes before he knocked her to the ground. Fortunately, her defensive power was formidable; otherwise, she would have been severely injured.
Mo Qinglong landed on both feet. With a "Whoosh," he pointed his sword at Jin Yueming's head and said, "You've lost."
"Boom!"
The students below the challenge platform erupted, shouting Mo Qinglong's name. The male students cheered the loudest. After all, with one more male student in the top ten, the status of male students in the Western Courtyard would rise slightly.
"Mo Qinglong defeated Jin Yueming—unbelievable!"
"It's not that surprising. Didn't you hear? Mo Qinglong has perfected the Twin Sword Deer-Slaying Art, a spirit-grade mid-rank martial technique. In the Western Courtyard, only five people have perfected a spirit-grade mid-rank martial technique. Mo Qinglong is the sixth."
Zhang Ruochen stood below the platform and nodded. "Not bad. Mo Qinglong has already cultivated his sword intent to the realm of 'Sword Follows the Heart, Middle Stage.'"
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen caught a faint, alluring fragrance. He turned his head and saw Duanmu Xingling standing to his left, having appeared there at some unknown time, drawing a wave of envious and jealous stares.
Beside them, someone whispered, "Senior Sister Duanmu and Zhang Ruochen really do have a special relationship. I heard they've already been living together..."
"With Zhang Ruochen's talent, it's only natural that Senior Sister Duanmu would take an interest in him. Sigh! Senior Sister Duanmu has always been my goddess. If I could live with her, even for just one day, I'd gladly trade ten years of my life."
Duanmu Xingling had a petite, delicate figure, looking like a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl. Her skin was fair, her long hair cascaded like a black waterfall, and she held her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at Mo Qinglong on the challenge platform. "Mo Qinglong has actually perfected a spirit-grade mid-rank martial technique. He's definitely secured a spot in the top ten, and he might even contend for the top five. Zhang Ruochen, you've already reached the Mysterious Extreme Middle Stage, haven't you?"
"I just broke through two days ago... Ow! Why did you pinch me?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Duanmu Xingling's two jade-like fingers pinched Zhang Ruochen's waist and twisted hard. "Since you broke through, why didn't you tell me yesterday? I worried all night."
"What was there to worry about?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"I was worried that the Western Courtyard wouldn't get first place overall in the new student rankings. Did you think I was worried about you?"
Duanmu Xingling withdrew her hand, her innocent face breaking into a playful smile. "With your strength, you should be able to enter the Western Courtyard's top ten. Do you want to give it a try?"
Zhang Ruochen mimicked Duanmu Xingling's posture, crossing his arms over his chest, and said with a faint smile, "Let me observe first, then decide who to challenge."
"You're probably not very familiar with the top ten experts of the Western Courtyard. I can help you analyze them," Duanmu Xingling said. "The top five of the Western Courtyard are Luo Shuihan, Huang Yanchen, me, Tuo Muzi, and Ju Hailan. Except for Ju Hailan, the four of us are all Xuan List martial artists."
"Ju Hailan was the top new student of the Western Courtyard seven years ago. His strength is on par with those at the bottom of the Xuan List. He's just been unlucky, never managing to win ten consecutive matches in the Martial Market Arena, so he hasn't made it onto the Xuan List."
"With your strength, you're still a bit behind the Xuan List martial artists. You can't defeat any of the five of us. That leaves the sixth-ranked Cai Chen, the seventh-ranked Sikong Shu, the eighth-ranked Xue Qingchuan, the ninth-ranked Liu Ning, and the tenth-ranked Mo Qinglong."
"You've seen Mo Qinglong's fight with Jin Yueming. He's cultivated a spirit-grade mid-rank martial technique, and his combat power is closing in on Ju Hailan's. The tenth spot definitely isn't his final ranking."
Zhang Ruochen nodded, staring at Mo Qinglong, who carried two swords on his back. "I think his cultivation isn't as simple as it seems. He was still holding back during the fight with Jin Yueming. His true strength might be greater than you imagine."
"Is that so? What did you notice?" Duanmu Xingling asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "His spiritual power should have reached the twenty-second level. Moreover, he uses twin swords. Controlling twin swords to the realm of 'Sword Follows the Heart, Middle Stage' is several times harder than controlling a single sword. So, his mastery of sword intent should be on par with yours, nearing the 'Sword Follows the Heart, High Stage' realm. If his speed and power are also concealed, then his true strength should be about the same as yours."
Hearing Zhang Ruochen's words, Duanmu Xingling's expression turned serious. "Has he been hiding all along, only now revealing himself? If he challenges me, I'll force out his true strength."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "Since he's been hiding his strength all this time, he must have his reasons. If he challenges you, it would be too conspicuous and push him into the spotlight. I suspect he won't challenge you and will continue to keep a low profile."
"Then why did he challenge Jin Yueming if he wanted to stay low-key?" Duanmu Xingling asked.
Zhang Ruochen replied, "Because he also wants to enter the Intermediate Ruins."
Duanmu Xingling suddenly understood. "I see."
Duanmu Xingling had great faith in Zhang Ruochen's judgment, so she began to regard Mo Qinglong as a potential competitor.
Just then, Duanmu Xingling's eyes lit up as she looked at the challenge platform and laughed. "Zhang Ruochen, your sweetheart is going to challenge someone too."
She was referring to Zi Qian.
Zi Qian had a slender figure and a clear, beautiful face as she stepped onto the challenge platform one step at a time.
In an instant, the challenge platform fell completely silent. Everyone stared at the white-robed beauty standing on the platform. She was so stunning, like a celestial maiden stepping out of a painting.
Students from the other three courtyards also buzzed with discussion, letting out exclamations of admiration.
"I've only ever heard of the three beauties of the Western Courtyard, all Xuan List martial artists who dominate the Western Courtyard undefeated. But today, I find that even a new student from the Western Courtyard is this beautiful, no less than the three beauties."
"She's the second-ranked new student of the Western Courtyard. Her strength is not to be underestimated. I wonder which rank she'll challenge?"
"She'll probably challenge someone in the top hundred. With her strength, she can already defeat Mysterious Extreme Great Perfection martial artists."
...
Zhang Ruochen was also curious. Who would Zi Qian challenge?
Zi Qian stood gracefully on the platform and said, "I challenge the ninth-ranked Senior Sister Liu Ning."
Below the platform, countless people were stunned.
A new student dared to challenge the top ten?
Zhang Ruochen was slightly surprised as well, but he knew Zi Qian wasn't reckless. Since she chose to challenge Liu Ning, she must have some confidence.
"She's quite bold to challenge Liu Ning. Liu Ning was the second-ranked new student five years ago, in the same year as Sister Chen. If Sister Chen hadn't overshadowed her, Liu Ning might have been the top new student that year," Duanmu Xingling said. "Zhang Ruochen, your sweetheart is probably nine times out of ten going to lose."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Does Liu Ning have any weaknesses?"
Duanmu Xingling thought for a moment. "If I had to name a weakness, it's the same as mine—a deficiency in speed."
Duanmu Xingling was already fast, but compared to those ranked higher on the Xuan List, her speed disadvantage became apparent. That was why her ranking on the Xuan List was far below Huang Yanchen's.
Of course, after cultivating the Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow, Duanmu Xingling's speed weakness had been compensated, and her ranking on the Xuan List had surged into the top hundred, reaching eighty-eighth place.
Zhang Ruochen said, "If Liu Ning has a speed weakness, then Zi Qian might have a chance to win."
As Zhang Ruochen and Duanmu Xingling exchanged words, Liu Ning and Zi Qian had already begun their battle.
Although Zi Qian's cultivation was only at the Mysterious Extreme Great Extreme Stage, her speed was extremely fast, reaching fifty-seven meters per second.
Liu Ning was at the peak of the Mysterious Extreme Great Perfection Stage, but her speed was only fifty-four meters per second, much slower than Zi Qian's.
Liu Ning's greatest strength lay in her power. Just the shockwaves of true qi from her punches forced Zi Qian to retreat repeatedly, as if she might lose at any moment.
"Do you think being faster than me means you can win? You underestimate me. I became the ninth-ranked expert of the Western Courtyard through sheer hard-earned strength," Liu Ning said with a cold laugh.
Zi Qian steadied herself, lightly touched her robe, and produced thirty-six silver needles. She channeled her true qi into her palms, releasing it from her center, and the thirty-six silver needles floated between her hands.
With a push of her arms, propelled by true qi, the thirty-six silver needles transformed into a streak of silver light, flying toward Liu Ning.
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