165: Chapter 165 Swordsmanship Duel

On the arena, Lin Tian and Liu Yidao stood facing each other. A lake breeze blew in from the water, making the Yunxia banners at the four corners of the arena snap loudly. The noise from beneath the stage churned like boiling water, with all eyes focused on the two opponents, whose physiques were vastly different.

Liu Yidao was more than half a head taller than Lin Tian, with broad shoulders and a thick back. He carried his wide-bladed battle saber on his shoulder, its surface shimmering with a blinding golden radiance under the sunlight. He looked down at Lin Tian, a trace of undisguised contempt hanging on the corner of his mouth.

"Kid, since you've met me, you might as well just admit defeat." Liu Yidao's voice was not loud, but there was no obstruction on the arena, and every word clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

"A newcomer should act like a newcomer. Don't think that just because you relied on luck to get through the first round, you can actually go toe-to-toe with veteran Disciples. Admit defeat now, and you can still leave the stage with dignity. Later, when blades and swords have no eyes, I'm afraid you won't even have the chance to be dignified."

A burst of laughter erupted from below the stage. A few candidates stood with their arms crossed, leaning against willow trees, their faces wearing expressions of watching a good show. Someone whispered that while Liu Yidao's words were arrogant, his Golden Light Blade Technique certainly gave him the capital to be arrogant.

Chen Lang clenched his fists, his palms covered in sweat. Another member of Team 6 lowered their voice: "Junior Brother Lin, don't be provoked by him, stay steady."

Lin Tian smiled. It wasn't a sneer, nor was it a forced smile to save face; it was just a very ordinary smile, like the one he had when he heard Chen Lang talking about eating fish that evening by the lake.

He looked at Liu Yidao, his voice not loud, his tone calm and indifferent: "Admit defeat? I'm afraid you don't have the qualifications for that."

The laughter from below the stage stopped abruptly. The smile on Liu Yidao's face stiffened for a moment, then he let out a cold snort and brought the battle saber down from his shoulder, slashing it downwards. The tip of the blade carved a shallow white mark on the bluestone arena surface, sparks flying and then extinguishing.

His tone turned cold, no longer having any leisure to tease his prey: "Fine. Since you won't admit defeat, don't blame me for being impolite."

He made his move. The instant the battle saber behind his back was unsheathed, a golden blade light poured out from the scabbard, like a ray of sunlight compressed to its limit suddenly being released.

The Internal Energy infused into the blade had overflowed, forming a thin layer of golden Qi radiance along the edge of the blade, flickering unsteadily and emitting a faint hissing sound.

Golden Light Blade Technique—the authentic art of Jinxia Peak, a high-grade Yellow Rank martial art known for its fierce and overbearing nature. Liu Yidao had practiced this blade technique to the Major Achievement Realm; with one slash, the blade light was like a golden ribbon, powerful and heavy, with few people in the same Realm daring to take it head-on.

Several spectators in the front row below the stage were forced to take a step back by the blade wind, and someone exclaimed in shock: "What a sharp blade light! Liu Yidao used his full strength right from the start!" Another person chimed in, their voice carrying a hint of schadenfreude: "I wonder how that kid is going to block it; if he can't, he'd better jump off the stage quickly, don't lose your life over it."

The golden blade light had already slashed down to the top of Lin Tian's head. He did not jump off the stage, nor did he dodge to the side.

He took a deep breath, grasped the hilt of the autumn water sword at his waist with his right hand, and drew the sword. The instant the autumn water sword was unsheathed, a cold, clear sword light lit up on the arena. Compared to Liu Yidao's overbearing golden blade light, Lin Tian's sword light appeared restrained and calm.

Then he thrust his sword out. Xiaguang Sword Technique—five sword lights simultaneously appeared in the Void Realm, arranged in the shape of a plum blossom. Each one was as solid as a real sword blade, and one could vaguely see the patterns on the sword body within the sword light.

The five sword lights and the golden blade light collided in mid-air.

With a loud boom, the blade light and Sword Qi exploded simultaneously. A layer of fine stone powder was shaken up from the bluestone arena surface, and the grayish-white dust filled the air above the arena, blown by the lake breeze towards the audience below.

A few people who were standing too close coughed repeatedly as they were choked, rubbing their eyes while retreating. When they looked up at the arena again, everyone was stunned.

Lin Tian stood where he was, not moving an inch, his feet nailed to the bluestone arena surface as if they had taken root. The hem of his robe was blown gently by the aftermath of the energy, but the autumn water sword in his hand was as steady as a rock.

Opposite him, Liu Yidao also stood where he was, but his fingers gripping the sword hilt tightened involuntarily, his knuckles turning white.

Liu Yidao looked down at the web of his hand—it was fine, not cracked from the impact.

But he had used eighty percent of his strength in that slash just now. Even a veteran Disciple of the same Realm would have to retreat at least half a step to dissipate the impact force after taking his slash.

Yet this newcomer before him not only took it head-on without retreating a single step, but his sword momentum hadn't even been scattered.

He looked up and re-examined Lin Tian. The contempt and the condescending mockery from just before were all gone, replaced by a sense of seriousness forced out of him.

"Good kid, I really underestimated you." He held his battle saber horizontally in front of him, the golden Qi radiance on the blade shining a few degrees brighter, even more solid than before. "Next, I will fight seriously."

He gripped the saber with both hands and stepped forward. This step was extremely heavy, and as his foot landed on the bluestone arena surface, it shook stone powder up from the cracks.

Immediately after, his blade moved—not one strike, but an entire sheet.

Blade light poured out from his hands in an endless stream, one strike after another, each faster than the last. The golden blade light connected into a single sheet, like a golden sea scorched red by the setting sun, pressing down towards Lin Tian with overwhelming force.

The noise from below the stage disappeared completely, and everyone held their breath.

Even those candidates who had previously mocked Lin Tian had to admit at this moment that Liu Yidao's Golden Light Blade Technique was truly worthy of its reputation. When the continuous blade momentum was unleashed, those in the same Realm who could withstand it head-on could be counted on one hand.

Lin Tian moved as well. The autumn water sword danced in his hands, and the Xiaguang Sword Technique was executed move by move. The sword light surged out in layers like colorful clouds, colliding with that golden sea of blades.

Clang, clang, clang, clang—the sound of the blades and swords colliding was as dense as a rainstorm hitting banana leaves. Every time the blade edge and sword edge collided, a trail of sparks would splash out, flickering uncertainly under the sunlight.

The two fought from the center of the arena to the edge, then back from the edge to the center. The golden blade light and colorful sword light intertwined and entangled, with the roaring sound incessant. A dozen moves passed in the blink of an eye, and the arena was surprisingly still in a stalemate.

The people below the stage could no longer hold back.

"Good heavens! It's been over a dozen moves, and this kid can actually still hold on!"

"Hold on? Look closely, he's not just holding on, he's counterattacking! His sword technique is clashing head-on with Liu Yidao's blade technique, and he's not at a disadvantage at all!"

"What kind of joke is this—he's a newcomer, how long has he been in the sect? How could his sword technique be practiced to this level?"

Those people who had previously mocked Lin Tian felt their faces burning, wishing they could swallow back every word they had just said.

The members of Team 6 were getting more and more excited the longer they watched. Chen Lang's clenched fists had long since loosened, turning into an action of forcefully slapping his thighs; he didn't even care that his thighs were aching, only repeatedly muttering that Junior Brother Lin was doing a great job.

Ma Gang stood in the front row of the crowd, arms crossed, looking at that lean yet steady-as-a-rock figure on the arena, his mouth slowly curving up. The Wind Master's judgment, indeed, could not be wrong.

On the arena, the two sides had fought for dozens of moves. Both the blade momentum and sword moves had reached their limit, and the spectators below the stage could no longer distinguish which was blade light and which was sword light.

Just when everyone thought this match would continue to be a stalemate, the autumn water sword in Lin Tian's hand suddenly changed its rhythm.

Previously, his sword light had always been five streaks, clashing head-on with Liu Yidao's Golden Light blade sea, evenly matched. At this moment, he was no longer holding back.

The Internal Energy in his Dantian was suddenly raised, the Meridians in his arm swelled slightly, and the autumn water sword slashed down from mid-air—not five sword lights, but seven.

Seven sword lights lit up simultaneously, spreading out in a fan shape, like seven meteors connected in a line. Xiaguang Sword Technique, Major Achievement Realm: one sword, seven lights.

Liu Yidao's Golden Light blade sea was hit head-on by these seven sword lights. Five sword lights neutralized the blade momentum, and two sword lights seized the opportunity to tear open a gap in the blade net, slashing towards him from left and right. Liu Yidao's expression changed.

He hadn't expected the power of his opponent's sword technique to suddenly increase—having fought for dozens of moves without a clear winner, he thought Lin Tian's limit was five sword lights, and he was already calculating how to find a flaw in the subsequent exchanges to win in one blow. But now his opponent had suddenly added two more, and these two sword lights were like two heavy punches hitting the weakest point of his defense. Gritting his teeth, he stomped hard on the ground, his body shifted horizontally to the left, narrowly avoiding the sword light coming from the left, but he couldn't dodge the one on the right in time.

He held his battle saber horizontally in front of him, infused Internal Energy into the blade, and took it head-on. With a loud boom, the sword light collided with the blade, and Liu Yidao felt his right arm shake violently, a tearing pain shooting up from the web of his hand, and half his arm went numb.

The blade was knocked wide open by this strike, leaving his center completely exposed. Immediately after, a sword mark sliced open the sleeve of his right arm, and fresh blood gushed out from the wound, flowing down his forearm.

His entire body was knocked backward, his back slamming into the stone pillar at the edge of the arena with a dull thud, causing the Yunxia banner on the stone pillar to shake violently.

The battle saber in his hand clattered onto the bluestone arena surface, and the golden Qi radiance on the blade flickered twice before extinguishing.

Liu Yidao gritted his teeth, propping himself up on the stone pillar with his left hand as he tried to stand, reaching his right hand toward the battle saber on the ground. Just as his fingers touched the hilt, a cold, clear sword light descended from above, stopping steadily three inches in front of his throat.

The tip of the autumn water sword shimmered with a faint, cold light under the sunlight, and behind the sword tip was Lin Tian's face, so calm that no expression could be discerned.

"Do you still want to fight?" Lin Tian's voice was not loud, but the entire lake shore heard it clearly.