If I stay in the Hehuan Sect, I'll live off the pampered daughters of the Heavenly Pride Sect.

On the battle platform, Lu Qingheng had already drawn his sword and saluted.

He was still wearing that unremarkable sect uniform, and his sword was not fancy either; there were even old marks on the scabbard.

Liang Zhuo was dressed in a red outfit with fire patterns embroidered on the cuffs, and his brows carried a hint of weary condescension.

Liang Zhuodao.

"Junior Brother Lu, you've done quite well to get this far."

Lu Qingheng said.

Please enlighten me.

Liang Zhuo smiled.

"Aren't you going to say a few more words, like demanding fairness, or expressing your unwillingness to join a faction prematurely?"

Some people in the audience laughed.

Someone on the outer gate seat immediately became angry.

"What does he mean?"

"What Senior Brother Lu talked about last time was the rules, why is he using this to stab people?"

"Is this the demeanor of a direct disciple of Crimson Cloud Peak?"

The elder in charge looked at Liang Zhuo.

"On the dueling platform, refrain from provocation."

Liang Zhuo cupped his hands in greeting.

"This disciple knows his mistake."

Mo Chengyue looked at Liang Zhuo's gesture and suddenly said.

"He doesn't admit his mistake."

Lin Wanqing asked.

"What is that?"

Mo Chengyue said.

"He's letting Lu Qingheng get angry first."

Qin Wanzhuang said.

"Anger makes the sword dance wildly."

Su Qingying nodded.

"If Lu Qingheng is in a hurry to prove himself, he will be led by the fire magic."

Xie Buci looked at Lu Qingheng on the stage.

"Let's see if he can hold back."

Lu Qingheng didn't reply, but simply held the knife horizontally in front of him.

Liang Zhuo's slight disdain faded, his palms glowed with crimson light, and with a shift in his footwork, his palms swept across the table.

The Fiery Cloud Palm spread out not a wave of fire, but several wisps of shifting heat.

They circled around from the left and right, gradually narrowing Lu Qingheng's retreat route.

Lin Wanqing asked nervously.

"Is he trying to force Lu Qingheng closer to the edge of the battle platform?"

Qin Wanzhuang said.

"Yes."

Su Qingying said.

"If Lu Qingheng retreats, his retreat will be blocked; if he advances, the Burning Scripture Force awaits him."

Wenren Jidao.

"Draw your sword."

Lu Qingheng drew his sword as expected.

The blade flash was small, but very steady.

Instead of cutting through the fiery cloud head-on, he used the back of his blade to deflect the first burst of heat, then used the tip of his blade to disperse the second burst of fire. He shifted his feet diagonally, avoiding the side where Liang Zhuo's palm strike was at its strongest.

Excited shouts came from the outer seats.

"good!"

"Senior Brother Lu, hold on!"

Liang Zhuo chuckled softly.

"With your incomplete techniques practiced to this level, it's no wonder people are praising you."

Lu Qingheng said.

"I only practice what I can practice."

Liang Zhuodao.

"Then let's see how far you can go with your training."

The fire patterns on his palm brightened, and the previously scattered fire clouds suddenly converged, transforming into a red wheel that spun close to the ground.

The crimson wheel did not attack the chest or the head, but instead pressed down on Lu Qingheng's wrist and knee where he held the knife.

Su Qingying said in a deep voice.

"He wants to cripple Lu Qingheng's subsequent sword techniques."

Qin Wanzhuang said.

"The methods are very cunning."

The playfulness in Xie Buci's eyes faded considerably.

"If this strike hits, it may only appear as an imbalance on the surface, but the internal meridians will be in disarray for half a day."

Lin Wanqing said urgently.

"Don't the elders in charge care?"

Mo Chengyue said.

"We're still within the boundary."

Jin Qiaoqiao said.

"The most disgusting thing in the industry."

Yu Jianhuan clicked her tongue softly.

"They hit you like a knife grazing the edge, cutting through your flesh and then claiming you didn't bleed."

Lu Qingheng was forced to retreat three steps by the crimson wheel, and he tried to tear a gap in the lower edge of the fire wheel by slicing horizontally with his blade.

This was the moment Liang Zhuo had been waiting for.

He withdrew his left palm and turned his right palm out of his sleeve. Instead of heading straight for Lu Qingheng's chest, the palm shadow circled around from where the blade flashed and went close to the inside of Lu Qingheng's forearm.

Mo Chengyue's eyelids twitched.

"broken."

Lin Wanqing asked hurriedly.

"What's wrong?"

Su Qingying had already gripped the sword sheath tightly.

"That's not the main stance of the palm technique."

Qin Wanzhuang said.

"It is the power of burning scriptures."

A sword intent rose from Wenren Ji's body.

"Crossing the line".

Mo Chengyue said in a low voice.

"He's almost there; he's positioned where the referee could hesitate."

Xie Buci looked toward the deacon's seat.

"The elder in charge also noticed it, but it wasn't appropriate to stop it immediately."

Lu Qingheng reacted quickly on stage.

He swung his elbow back, using the hilt of the knife to block the base of his palm, and used the momentum to pull himself back.

However, Liang Zhuo's burning energy did not dissipate; instead, it wrapped around the hilt of the knife and drilled into his wrist.

Lu Qingheng frowned, and his sword strike slowed down by half a point.

Exclamations erupted from the seats outside the gate.

"Senior Brother Lu!"

"He used dirty tricks!"

"Isn't that a foul?"

Someone on the Crimson Cloud Peak sneered.

"It's normal to get injured in a duel; if you can't handle losing, don't go on stage."

"Didn't Lu Qingheng say he only wanted a fair fight? Fairness means each person relying on their own abilities."

"A fragmented technique is still just a fragmented technique; it will be exposed when faced with a direct disciple."

Lin Wanqing was so angry that her face turned red.

How could they say that?

Yu Jianhuan looked at the stage, her voice soft yet tinged with coldness.

"Because no foul was called, they can turn dirty work into skill."

Jin Qiaoqiao said.

"If Lu Qingheng falls, people will only remember that he lost."

Qin Wanzhuang looked towards the deacon's seat.

"If the referee doesn't act soon, the outer disciples will lose heart."

Mo Chengyue remained silent.

He looked toward the seat on Tianqing Peak.

Shen Zhaoxuan sat there, his posture unassuming, his sword placed in front of his knees, but his gaze remained fixed on the battle platform.

Taking advantage of Lu Qingheng's wrist pulse being disturbed, Liang Zhuo pressed down with a series of palm strikes.

Lu Qingheng used the Broken Blade Technique to deflect the attack and barely managed to block the front, but was forced to the edge of the battle stage by the second crimson wheel.

Liang Zhuodao.

"Admit defeat, Junior Brother Lu."

Lu Qingheng gritted his teeth.

"The game is still undecided."

Liang Zhuo smiled.

"If you keep pushing yourself, it won't just be your reputation that gets damaged."

Lu Qingheng raised his blade diagonally, intending to cut through the gap in the crimson wheel.

But his spiritual energy faltered for a moment, and the blade's light slowed down by a fraction.

As soon as a smug look appeared in Liang Zhuo's eyes, his right palm pressed down on Lu Qingheng's shoulder.

This blow was not fatal.

If the fight were to be truly decisive, Lu Qingheng would be unable to fight today.

Just as the elder in charge raised his hand to make a move, another voice came from the seat of Tianqing Peak.

"Liang Zhuo's move has already used the burning energy to bypass the weapon and invade the opponent's meridians."

Everyone turned their heads at the same time.

Shen Zhaoxuan stood up and bowed towards the deacon's seat.

"This disciple requests the elder in charge to review this."

A murmur of surprise rippled through the room.

Immediately, someone stood up on the side of Crimson Cloud Peak.

"Shen Zhaoxuan, what do you mean?"

"Is Tianqing Peak also going to speak up for the outer peak disciples?"

"The contest on stage is a battle of wits, and victory or defeat depends on one's own ability. What right do you have to interfere?"

Shen Zhaoxuan did not look at those people.

He continued to bow toward the deacon's table.

"This disciple is not interfering in the outcome of the battle, but if this method is not investigated, everyone can use similar means to damage someone's foundation."

The elder in charge looked at the protective jade talisman, then at the faint, pulsating spiritual energy on Lu Qingheng's wrist.

Liang Zhuo's face turned ugly.

"Senior Brother Shen, we are both candidates. Isn't it inappropriate for you to speak up now?"

Shen Zhaoxuan said.

"Precisely because we are all candidates, we should abide by the rules even more."

On the seat of the Crimson Cloud Peak, an elder raised his eyes and spoke in an unfriendly tone.

"When young disciples are fighting, some minor clashes are inevitable. Shen Zhaoxuan, you're being too lenient."

The elder from Tianqing Peak, hidden in the shadows, did not speak, but his fingertips paused lightly on the armrest.

Xie Buci squinted.

"Third brother, did you see that?"

Mo Chengyue said.

"I saw it."

Lin Wanqing asked urgently.

"What do you see?"

Xie Buci said.

"The elder from Tianqing Peak didn't stop him."

Qin Wanzhuang said.

"This shows that Shen Zhaoxuan's decision was not made on a whim."

Su Qingying looked at Shen Zhaoxuan.

"Is he saving Lu Qingheng?"

Wenren Jidao.

"picture."

Jin Qiaoqiao looked at Mo Chengyue instead.

What do you think?