Chapter 411 - 215: Fighting Wu Qing, an Easy Victory

Chapter 411: Chapter 215: Fighting Wu Qing, an Easy Victory

Yang Wenqing was in meditation, regulating his breath. Lan Ying crouched quietly in his lap, her eyes occasionally flicking open to scan their surroundings like a dutiful little guard. She ignored the little fox calling to her from nearby.

Sun Chen sat beside Yang Wenqing, also meditating.

Gu You, however, was far from idle. He’d pulled a handful of unknown dried nuts from somewhere and, with his legs crossed, was cracking them open and tossing them into his mouth with a satisfying CRUNCH.

In the Beixuan Sect’s seating area.

Lei Yue’s imposing figure sat upright in the main seat, like an iron tower anchoring a mountain.

Wu Qing’s aura finally stabilized.

Lei Yue looked at Wu Qing and said in a low voice, "With your current foundation, you can use that Red Gold Sky Splitting Array once every three months, at most. Otherwise, you risk damaging the Fourth Transformation foundation you worked so hard to build."

Wu Qing pressed her lips together tightly.

"You already used it this morning," Lei Yue continued. "If you use it again this afternoon, it will set your cultivation back by at least three years. On top of that, your run in this Grand Tournament will be over. You need to think this through yourself."

Lei Yue looked into her eyes.

He saw indignation in them, a sharp intensity, and a defiance she was struggling to suppress.

"Are you afraid of losing?"

Lei Yue asked.

Wu Qing froze. She opened her mouth, wanting to say, "I’m not," but the two words were stuck in her throat, refusing to come out.

She was afraid.

Lei Yue watched her for a long time, then said only one thing: "If you’re afraid of losing, don’t fight."

Wu Qing froze.

Lei Yue didn’t look at her. His gaze traveled past the arena stage to Yang Wenqing as he spoke. "On the battlefield, those who fear death die the fastest. In the arena, those who fear losing suffer the most crushing defeats."

He looked away, his voice deepening.

"If you step into the ring this afternoon carrying that fear, you’ll have already lost before the fight even begins."

At his words, Wu Qing lowered her gaze.

...

The afternoon sun crept across the Martial Arts Arena. Hours had passed, yet the palpable tension among the disciples of the Three Sects had not faded. In fact, it had only grown thicker.

Shortly before one-thirty, Wu Qing was the first to rise. She walked toward the arena stage, her gaze fixed on Yang Wenqing.

Yang Wenqing felt her gaze and opened his eyes. After calming Lan Ying, he too rose and walked toward the arena stage.

The two stopped, standing ten zhang apart.

Wu Qing looked up at Yang Wenqing. Three years ago, she had seen him as a piece of uncarved jade, still in need of polish. No, to be precise, as recently as yesterday she’d still felt that way. It wasn’t until after the morning’s battle that she realized just how much she had underestimated him.

A sudden, faint smile touched her lips, tinged with self-mockery and a hint of acceptance.

"Junior Brother Yang..." she began, "I once thought I had a chance in this Grand Tournament. But after watching you and Senior Sister Leng in action this morning, I now know the ultimate victor will be decided between the two of you. Since the outcome is already set..."

She raised the sheathed sword in her hand. "I will give this match my all, even if it means I won’t be able to continue in the tournament."

Yang Wenqing looked at her. He could see in her eyes the unyielding will unique to Cultivators.

"Senior Sister..."

he began softly, then gave a cupped-fist salute. "Please."

"Very well."

The moment the word left her lips, Wu Qing moved.

There was no probing. No maneuvering. No gradual escalation.

She slammed her hands together, forming the same Dharma Seal she had used that morning. The color instantly drained from her face, but her aura skyrocketed.

Above the Martial Arts Arena, the afternoon sun blazed down. But upon the stage, another scorching sun was igniting.

In a flash, Wu Qing ripped her clasped hands apart...

A Red Gold Array instantly erupted with her at its center, bursting from the bluestone slabs in a blinding, crimson-gold light. This was her ultimate strike, fueled by a mind as clear as a mirror, now completely free from the obsession of victory or defeat.

The moment the Array Map took shape, the very air on the stage seemed to vanish for an instant.

Then...

An unparalleled, ferocious wave of sharp, metallic Spiritual Qi erupted skyward, weaving itself into a destructive, crimson-gold field. Guided by her will, countless blades of energy converged into a crimson-gold torrent powerful enough to tear the very stage asunder.

This torrent crashed down on Yang Wenqing with the purest, most uncompromising brute force.

Yang Wenqing didn’t retreat.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but that he couldn’t.

The crimson-gold torrent covered too wide an area and came on too fast. Even pushing his Wind Manipulation Technique to its absolute limit, he could never escape the destructive field in time.

Besides, he never intended to retreat.

With a deep breath, the surging Spiritual Qi within his Qi Sea instantly began to boil!

The simplest form of protective golden light materialized around him. He pressed his palms together and, using his own body as the nexus, pushed the thin, golden barrier to its absolute limit.

He had practiced this Dharma Seal for more than ten years, reaching a point where he could manifest it with a single thought. Thanks to his modifications, he could adjust the flow of Spiritual Qi more efficiently, making its defensive capabilities equal to those of some complex, multi-layered Dharma Seals.

BOOM!

The instant the crimson-gold torrent slammed into the golden barrier, an ear-splitting shriek erupted.

It was the sound of the razor-sharp metallic energy clashing against Yang Wenqing’s surging Spiritual Qi. The bluestone slabs beneath his feet cracked and shattered. The overwhelming force of the impact sent him skidding backward, his feet carving two deep furrows in the stage. Under the relentless assault, his protective golden light began to warp violently.

But he did not fall.

He poured every last wisp of Spiritual Qi from his Qi Sea into the protective golden light. A five-colored profound radiance enveloped him as his Spirit Gathering Array activated. Simultaneously, the Golden Core World in his Sea of Consciousness began to frantically absorb and refine ambient Spiritual Qi, replenishing his depleted Qi Sea.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

Just when everyone thought it was about to shatter, Yang Wenqing’s protective golden light stabilized. It was spiderwebbed with fractures, but it refused to break.