When I woke up, the entire cultivation world was talking about my master.

At noon, both sides took their positions on the ring.

Qionglan stepped onto the center of the stage and announced in a clear, elegant voice:

"Taiyi Sect, Jade Capital Pavilion—Chu Xianlan."

"Taiyi Sect, Tianxia Pavilion—Ji Cheng'an."

"Greetings!"

Chu Xianlan bowed respectfully and looked up at the platform once more. This time, Yi Chen also looked back at him from afar, and their eyes met unexpectedly. However, his master's gaze was deep and unfathomable, as if he had done something wrong...?

Just as he was pondering this, a sharp, mocking voice pierced the air: "You still have the leisure to daydream?"

very noisy.

Chu Xianlan was forcibly drawn back to her senses and scanned Ji Cheng'an from a distance, only to discover that the other party was not wearing any magical artifacts. It seemed that he had learned his lesson.

Then Ji Cheng'an drew his sword in a flash.

The sword rang out with a sharp clang, its cold light aimed directly at the opponent's face.

"Chu Xianlan, today I will prove to everyone that you are not worthy of standing in this position, and you are not qualified to be my opponent!!"

He gave a smug, self-righteous smile.

"Of course, if you surrender voluntarily, I will be lenient with you."

These words caused an uproar in the audience.

It wasn't just because Ji Cheng'an was openly provoking them, but also because the sword in his hand was of truly extraordinary quality.

The sword was entirely azure, with faint water patterns formed by spiritual energy visible. Chu Xianlan's eyes widened slightly. Since Ji Cheng'an had been interrupted from casting spells several times before when he drew his sword, this was the first time he had observed the Fourth Prince's sword up close.

Tsk tsk tsk, the Azure Water Sword, a first-grade Heavenly Rank, is indeed a royal treasure. I just wonder how effective it will be in Ji Cheng'an's hands.

One discerning person's eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "Incredible! This sword is amazing!"

For a moment, everyone in the audience sighed in admiration at Ji Cheng'an.

What a fine sword! What a fine sword!

Exclamations of praise rose and fell, and Ji Cheng'an was bathed in the gaze of the crowd. It should have been a moment of high spirits, but why did it sound a little strange?

"Your Highness, what a fine sword!" Chu Xianlan clapped repeatedly, not holding back her praise. "Here's a friendly reminder: boasting will get you struck by lightning."

Ji Cheng'an's expression changed: "You—"

"clang!"

A deafening gong suddenly rang out, the arena was surrounded by a barrier, and the competition began in an instant. Two figures leaped from their original positions, and a powerful wave of energy surged and swept across the entire arena. Radiating spiritual light, the two Golden Core stage auras erupted without reservation.

The scene instantly became heated, and the onlookers couldn't wait any longer:

"Ooh ooh ooh ooh! Let's fight! Let's fight!"

"Let's go! Let's go!"

Some demons, unaware of the situation, asked curiously, "I remember... that one in yellow and white clothes was a weapon cultivator, right? What kind of weapon did he use? Could he possibly contend with a sword cultivator?"

"Brother, new here, huh?" A disciple from the Thousand Refinements Hall patted him on the shoulder. "Just keep reading."

"Oh? Could you reveal the secret behind it?"

The disciple smiled mysteriously and said meaningfully, "Our Senior Brother Chu... he cultivates no ordinary techniques."

Soon, everyone noticed something was wrong.

Because the dust and smoke initially stirred up by the collision of spiritual energy on the arena never dissipated.

Like a thick fog, everything was shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

"What's going on?"

"What happened inside? Why can't I see anything?"

Down in the audience, Xiao Huandu clicked his tongue with his arms crossed, "Throwing out a smokescreen right at the start, how wicked."

This can be considered a basic operation for weapon cultivators in combat. The Illusionary Smoke Bomb is a small magical artifact that can briefly interfere with vision and divine sense detection. It doesn't last long, but it's enough to confuse people.

"The smell is really strong." Zhu Ling waved her hand in front of her face.

"Cough cough! What tricks are you playing?!" Ji Cheng'an stood impatiently in the thick fog, saw a blurry figure flashing rapidly, and suddenly raised his sword to thrust—

All that could be heard was a soft laugh coming from the right rear.

"Three feet seven inches long, two fingers wide, its sound is like the sound of waves crashing on the blue sea..." The voice calmly measured the size and characteristics of his natal sword, then appeared ghost-like to the left rear, "The sword is a good sword, but the person who uses it is not worthy of it."

Ji Cheng'an quickly reacted and threw out a fierce killing move, but unfortunately, he missed again.

"Chu Xianlan, what kind of skill is hiding! Do you dare to come out and face me head-on!"

When the thick fog finally dissipated, Ji Cheng'an was shocked to realize that he had been the one launching the attack, and his opponent had not shown any intention of retaliating.

Chu Xianlan stood leisurely not far away, even waving her hand nonchalantly, "Come on, let me see how you do a few more sword strikes."

Ji Cheng'an was furious.

He finally understood that this clumsy delaying tactic was nothing more than an attempt to deplete his spiritual power; it was utterly despicable and contemptible!

Is this all the personal disciple of the dignified Immortal Lord Jixue is capable of?

I thought they might have some amazing tricks up their sleeve, but it turned out to be nothing special.

Ji Cheng'an frowned and lowered his head. He drew a line with his left hand and held the sword horizontally under his chin with his right hand. The water vapor around him instantly condensed, and a sky full of azure sword shadows appeared!

The audience erupted in cheers.

"That's more like it."

"Finally, they're getting serious!"

Pei Fang'an narrowed his eyes on the high platform. "Not bad, it's a sword formation."

The elders also showed their approval.

Being able to summon such a large-scale sword formation in an instant at the early stage of the Golden Core realm, Ji Cheng'an certainly has reason to be proud and also possesses the talent for cultivation.

The sword formation unfolded layer upon layer, scattered like stars in the air, enveloping most of the arena in a chilling sword intent. Ji Cheng'an curled his lips into a smile, flipped his palm, and all the water swords' blades simultaneously aimed at the other person on the stage—

Such a massive display made Chu Xianlan's figure appear exceptionally small and lonely.

"Get out of here," Ji Cheng'an said in a deep voice.

As they spoke, countless sword shadows shot towards them at incredible speed. Chu Xianlan retreated several steps, using a backstep to create some distance, feigning a disheveled dodge, and even sustaining a sword wound.

It looked like he was being brutally beaten on his own.

Even Qionglan frowned, displeased, and said, "What is that kid doing?"

At least he's in the early stage of the Golden Core realm; he can't be without the ability to fight back, can he?

At this moment, most of the arena was shrouded in humid air, like a water prison. Chu Xianlan still did not attack. He was forced to the edge by countless sword lights, and he would fall off the arena if he was not careful.

Yuan Hou sat among the elders, listening to their exclamations of praise, and leisurely sipped his tea.

He glanced at Yi Chen frequently, his tone laced with smug satisfaction, "The Fourth Prince's Thousand Shadow Sword Formation is probably unmatched among his peers..."

"not good!"

Suddenly, Wei Yi, who was standing beside Yuan Hou, changed his expression slightly.

Lord Yuan frowned: "Why are you so startled?"

Before the words were even finished, the battle situation changed drastically!

A sharp sword flashed across her jade-like face, and a few strands of her dark hair fell to the ground.

"Hiss, disfigured." Wei Jin narrowed his eyes.

The tiny scratches appeared instantly and bled immediately. Chu Xianlan casually wiped them away, sighing inwardly, "What happened to the rule of not hitting someone in the face?"

"With this level of skill, you dare to stand on the same stage as me?"

Ji Cheng'an had long disliked his smiling face and wished he could add more scars to make him stop smiling.

"How boring." He had also had enough of the cat-and-mouse game and gradually became impatient. He gathered all the power in his formation and prepared to end the battle with a thunderous strike.

Just when the audience thought the outcome was decided, Chu Xianlan kicked off the water droplets on her feet and stood on the only dry edge of the entire arena.

Then, without haste, he raised his hand, and a golden light shone between his fingers. A golden bead the size of a copper coin was held between his fingers, making a faint buzzing sound.

He looked up, gave Ji Cheng'an a strange smile, revealing a sharp canine tooth.

Ji Cheng'an: "...?"

The weapon-refining elder of the Thousand Refinements Hall stood up and roared, "You little madman!! Why don't you take it easy! Those are four whole Thunder Storage Pearls!"

"—Boom!"

The next second, lightning erupted throughout the entire arena, a dazzling display of white light!

"What—!" Ji Cheng'an, who was at the center of the lightning, was caught completely off guard and was enveloped from head to toe in a net.

When did this plan even begin?!

Thousands of electric currents surged wildly with the water flow, making the entire sword formation the best conductor of electricity. The azure water swords exploded one after another amidst the lightning, and the series of loud noises stimulated the nerves of everyone and every demon.

The entire audience was stunned.

Silence reigned.

"Damn it." Xiao Huandu slowly uttered two words, "What grudge do you hold against me?"

Amidst the raging wind, Chu Xianlan raised her hand to press down her disheveled hair, feeling her heart pounding in her chest. She wasn't afraid, just a little excited.

Surprised or not?

Not surprised?

Is it stimulating?

People have to pay the price for what they say.

He had warned us long ago that boasting would bring divine retribution.