10: The Tragedy of the Ji Family

The victory of Ji Fei greatly boosted the morale of the Ji Family.

Soon, Ji Ruoxi also welcomed her own match.

She walked onto the arena, like a blooming snow lotus, cold and beautiful.

Her opponent was Zhao Yu of the Zhao Family. Zhao Yu was an outstanding talent among the younger generation of the Zhao Family and was skilled in using a soft whip.

Zhao Yu looked at Ji Ruoxi, a flash of admiration in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by the desire for battle: "Ji Ruoxi, it is said that you are the most talented person in the Ji Family. Today, I would like to see it for myself!"

Ji Ruoxi gently drew her long sword, the blade emitting a crisp Dragon roar.

Zhao Yu initiated the attack first. She waved the soft whip in her hand, and it curled toward Ji Ruoxi like a nimble snake.

Ji Ruoxi's footsteps were light, dancing like a butterfly, cleverly avoiding the soft whip's attack.

At the same time, she thrust her long sword out diagonally, aiming straight for Zhao Yu's wrist.

Zhao Yu hurriedly retracted the soft whip. The soft whip spun in the air and lashed out at Ji Ruoxi again.

Ji Ruoxi was unhurried. Her long sword rotated rapidly in front of her, forming a curtain of swords that blocked the soft whip.

Seeing that one whip strike had not worked, Zhao Yu felt a bit impatient.

She increased the intensity of her attack, and the soft whip struck at Ji Ruoxi like a storm.

Ji Ruoxi, relying on her exquisite swordsmanship and flexible footwork, searched for an opportunity to counterattack amidst the soft whip's assault.

She observed that when Zhao Yu used the soft whip, her center of gravity would shift slightly every time she exerted force.

Ji Ruoxi had an idea. She deliberately pretended to be unable to withstand the attack and retreated step by step.

Seeing this, Zhao Yu thought Ji Ruoxi could no longer hold out and attacked even more fiercely.

Just as Zhao Yu's soft whip lashed out again, Ji Ruoxi seized the opportunity. Her figure suddenly accelerated, and her long sword thrust out like lightning, heading straight for Zhao Yu's chest.

Zhao Yu was shocked and wanted to retract the soft whip to defend, but it was too late.

Just as the long sword was about to pierce Zhao Yu, Ji Ruoxi turned her wrist. The blade brushed past Zhao Yu's clothes and stopped in front of her throat.

Zhao Yu's face went pale, and she stood there blankly.

The audience below cheered for this brilliant sword strike by Ji Ruoxi.

Ji Ruoxi sheathed her sword, bowed slightly to Zhao Yu, and then walked off the arena.

Clan Leader looked at Ji Ruoxi, his eyes full of approval: "Xi'er, very good. You have displayed your strength while still leaving room for restraint."

The victories of Ji Fei and Ji Ruoxi allowed the Ji Family to successfully turn the situation around, making them on par with other families in the number of people advancing to the next round.

The upcoming matches would be the real tough battles, with every opponent being the top Disciple of the other families.

The tournament determined the qualifying spots, and after a short break, the second round of matches began.

The first to appear for the Ji Family was still Ji Ming. His opponent this time was Zhang Xuefeng of the hereditary enemy, the Zhang Family. Zhang Xuefeng was one of the people who had hidden their 6th-layer Realm cultivation this time.

It was a pity that Ji Ming ultimately failed to perform the miracle of successfully challenging a higher level.

Although in this match, he displayed a tenacious fighting spirit and impressive strength, tangling with He Feng for dozens of moves.

With every move, he gave his all, dancing his long sword until it was airtight. Amidst the flickering sword shadows, the sharpness of the Major Achievement "Gale Sword" was fully displayed, which was quite astonishing for the 5th-layer Realm.

But after all, Zhang Xuefeng's cultivation was superior. Just as Ji Ming began to feel the strain, Zhang Xuefeng suddenly unleashed his cultivation, and his entire Aura instantly climbed.

He saw his long sword change abruptly, actually unleashing the Zhang Family's hereditary Martial Skill—the Yellow Rank Advanced Rising Sun Sword Technique.

For a moment, the sword light flashed, like a scorching sun, sweeping toward Ji Ming overwhelmingly.

Ji Ming could not dodge in time, and that sharp sword radiance ruthlessly split him in two with a single strike.

With a "thud," Ji Ming's body fell heavily to the ground, blood instantly staining the arena red.

This was the first death since the start of this selection tournament.

The members of the Ji Family witnessed this scene, and flames of anger instantly ignited in their eyes.

Their faces flushed red with anger, and their clenched fists had white knuckles. Some could not help but curse loudly, while others were full of grief.

The orderly ranks of the Ji Family Disciples instantly became agitated, their anger toward Zhang Xuefeng about to erupt like a volcano.

They found it truly hard to accept that Ji Ming had died so tragically on the arena.

On the arena, the competition continued.

Even though the members of the Ji Family were full of anger, they dared not rashly interfere with the competition under the noses of the Peerless Sect envoys.

Immediately after, the next match began, with the two sides being Ji Fei and Li Boyu of the Li Family.

At first glance, this duel seemed to have no suspense. Ji Fei's Realm had reached the 6th-layer Early Stage, while Li Boyu was only at the 5th-layer Peak.

"Fei'er, you must win!"

Clan Leader's eyes were wide open, staring fixedly at the battle.

On the referee stand, the two Peerless Sect envoys were smiling and leisurely sipping tea.

Their gazes were surprisingly not on Ji Fei, who seemed to have victory in his grasp, but were closely watching Li Boyu, who had deliberately disguised his Realm.

"Since you do not know what is good for you, then you will only meet the fate of defeat!"

The corners of Ji Fei's mouth lifted slightly, revealing a confident smile, his eyes flashing with the excitement of impending victory.

In a flash, murderous intent flickered across his face and vanished. His feet slid violently, and his figure rushed toward Li Boyu like lightning.

The long sword in his hand was like a Dragon leaving the sea, thrusting rapidly, and in an instant, he had stabbed seven times.

Every sword strike was extremely precise, aiming straight for Li Boyu's vital points.

In this round of attacks, Ji Fei did not hold back his strength and fought with all his might.

Every sword strike carried a sharp sword wind, and that invisible yet substantial Profound Qi wrapped within the sword wind, with the attack range covering several meters.

It seemed as if in the next second, Li Boyu would be instantly torn apart by this sharp sword technique.

However, at this critical moment, something strange happened.

Li Boyu, who on the surface only had the strength of the 5th-grade Acquired Realm, had a leisurely expression, as if he were strolling in his own courtyard.

He just took a few relaxed steps and actually happened to avoid Ji Fei's sharp edge, which was like a storm.

Ji Fei fully believed that this full-force strike of his would definitely be able to slay Li Boyu under his sword.

Therefore, from the very beginning, he had unleashed his thunderous killing move without any reservation, completely failing to consider retreat or defense.

He also did not consider the changes and turns of the sword technique, vainly attempting to kill his opponent in one move.

"Hahaha!"

Li Boyu flashed his figure, and after dodging Ji Fei's last sword strike, the long sword in his hand suddenly flicked upward.

The sword wind whistled, as if cutting through the air, emitting a gloomy rustling sound like ghosts wailing.

A powerful wind blade condensed from Profound Qi, like a piece of white silk, cut fiercely toward Ji Fei from bottom to top, unstoppable.

"Clouds Scatter, Clouds Vanish!"

This was actually the killing move from the Li Family's highest swordsmanship—the Yellow Rank Advanced Flying Cloud Sword Technique!

"Die!"

"Pfft!"

The power of this sword strike by Li Boyu was truly astonishing, actually severing Ji Fei's right arm that was holding the sword.

Hot blood sprayed out like a geyser, splattering onto the arena.

"Ah!"

Ji Fei let out a shrill scream, lost his balance instantly, and fell heavily into a pool of blood.

The heart-piercing pain caused his body to uncontrollably twitch and spasm, and he soon fainted.

"Brother Ji Fei, you and I are of the same Realm, so I could only go all out. I really couldn't hold back my sword technique. You mustn't blame me for being too heavy-handed."

Li Boyu feigned sighs with his mouth, but his tone was sarcastic, revealing a disgusting hypocrisy.

Clan Leader saw this scene, anxious as if his heart were burning, and leaped onto the arena.

He picked up Ji Fei and hurriedly handed him over to the people of the Ji Family for emergency treatment.

At this moment, every member of the Ji Family had flames of anger burning in their eyes.

They clenched their fists tightly, their teeth chattering, their angry gazes as if they wanted to swallow Li Boyu alive.

The entire Ji Family crowd, due to this sudden turn of events, fell into extreme grief and oppression, like a volcano about to erupt.

"Li Family!"

Clan Leader stood up with a "whoosh," furious to the point of his hair standing on end, his eyes wide as if to spew fire, and directly questioned the Li Family Clan Chief: "Your conduct is simply despicable and shameless to the extreme! To actually hide your Realm and deal such a ruthless blow is truly infuriating!"

"Hahaha, Brother Long, you flatter me,"

The Li Family Clan Chief was not someone to be trifled with and immediately mocked him without hesitation, a playful smile hanging on the corner of his mouth, "You wouldn't be a sore loser, would you? We didn't violate any rules. On this arena, it's all about one's own ability. What, your boy's skills are inferior, and instead you blame us?"

"Enough! Stop the noisy quarreling here!"

At this moment, that referee with the surname Zhang finally spoke, his voice loud and clear, carrying indisputable authority.

"Li Boyu wins! Ji Fei, relying on his slightly higher Realm, blindly underestimated his opponent, which led to losing the initiative. This is purely his own doing!"

"As a Martial Artist, before you have completely defeated your opponent, where do you get the qualification to be arrogant and conceited?"

"Furthermore, Li Boyu hiding his cultivation does not count as a violation! Everyone present, who can say they don't have their own trump cards?"

"Stop nagging, the competition continues!"

Once these words were spoken, although everyone on the field had their own thoughts, they could only temporarily suppress their emotions.

The members of the Ji Family were full of indignation, but in front of these Peerless Sect envoys, they could only secretly grit their teeth.

The people of the Li Family faintly exuded triumph, and Li Boyu had the corners of his mouth slightly lifted, looking as if victory was already in his grasp.

The atmosphere of the arena, due to this series of twists and turns, became increasingly tense and oppressive, and everyone's gaze unconsciously turned toward the next group of contestants about to take the stage.