Chapter 76: Who won?

This was the first time Theo experienced a sudden epiphany on the path of the blade. His strikes abruptly slowed. No words were needed. Opposite him, Liana instinctively matched his pace, easing her offensive. The moment lasted only a few seconds...

The next instant, when Theo swung the Crimson Edge again, its sharpness seemed noticeably duller at first glance.

Amidst the intricate dance of blade glares, his weapon flickered like a candle in the rain. Wavering yet never extinguished.

Instead, its glow only grew stronger!

A glimmer of approval flashed in Liana’s eyes.

He grasped it.

The essence of wildfire lies in its endless renewal, in the ebb and flow of destruction and rebirth.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Crimson and azure blade lights collided dozens of times in the blink of an eye.

To onlookers, it appeared as though Theo had been initially suppressed, surviving by the skin of his teeth, only to gradually turn the tide and stand toe-to-toe with Liana.

"Did these two start practicing combat in the womb?"

"I can barely follow their movements anymore."

Their duel had already surpassed most people’s understanding of the sect evaluation.

This was far beyond the level expected of rising talents.

Gradually, the crowd held their breath, eyes fixed on the arena.

The next moment, the Crimson Edge’s momentum surged.

Like a wildfire tearing through a downpour, it cleaved through the oppressive rain.

Gasps erupted from the spectators.

Was Theo about to win?

Would the match conclude so abruptly?

But Theo knew the truth. This was Liana deliberately allowing him to refine his intent by refusing to alter her stance.

Against this strike, thousands would be helpless. The sole exception was Liana.

Ting!

The blade sliced through the wind, poised to pierce her, only for Frost-Bite to materialize before it.

The tips of both blades collided with pinpoint precision.

The Crimson Edge pressed forward, bending Frost-Bite to its limit.

Yet Liana’s intent refused to vanish.

Theo’s heart tightened.

In that split second, he caught the faint curve of Liana’s lips and instantly understood.

Wildfire intent.

A surge of danger jolted through him. He redoubled his force, redirecting his blade without pause or hesitation, striking again in one seamless motion.

This was the advantage of having fifteen primary meridians in the Body Cleansing realm.

His stamina was inexhaustible. There was no fear of overexertion.

Clang!

Frost-Bite twisted in her grasp. Merging the relentless downpour of her art with the undying embers of wildfire.

One blade, two intents.

Liana flawlessy fused them, each compensating for the other’s weaknesses.

Theo sighed inwardly.

Hoping to match her with pure technique alone had always been a pipe dream.

He disengaged with Gale Shadow Step, retreating dozens of feet in an instant.

"Impressive," Theo admitted sincerely.

"It is nothing special," Liana replied, sheathing her blade without a trace of arrogance.

In her past life, she hadn’t mastered dual intents until much later. For him to push her this far was already remarkable.

What truly astonished her was Theo’s endurance and raw power. Unmatched by any Body Cleansing cultivator she ever encountered.

...

The arena fell into stunned silence.

Even the elders were momentarily speechless.

The brief exchange shattered their definitions of genius.

"How are the rest of us supposed to compete?" Elder Silas exhaled, breaking the quiet.

"Does anyone else get the feeling," the steward muttered, "that Liana has not even gone all out yet?"

The crowd’s bewilderment deepened.

It was true. Blade arts were just the tip of the iceberg for her.

The Aurora Spark, her innate constitution, her Inner Scenery energy. None had been tapped into yet.

"I am getting serious now," Theo declared.

"I am a realm above you," Liana countered, studying his determined expression before adding softly.

"Touch even a corner of my robe, and I will concede."

It was rare for the ice block to reveal her domineering side.

A sign that she, too, was fully engaged.

"Deal."

The challenge ignited a spark in Theo’s heart.

The next instant.

Both figures blurred into motion.

Hum.

The intense aura trembled, its mere presence carving deep marks into the stone floor.

Theo seemed to have transformed into a weapon himself. Radiant.

For the first time, he fully unleashed his Abyssal Physique in battle.

He knew Liana’s greatest strength was not her blade arts.

It was herself.

And so, Theo decided to meet force with force.

Boom.

The Crimson Edge trembled, enveloped in a storm of razor-sharp killing intent. Crushing momentum threatening to swallow Liana whole.

One strength to shatter ten thousand techniques.

At the same time.

As Frost-Bite moved, clouds of iridescent mist bloomed. Ethereal yet omnipresent. Within their rise and fall hid a blade’s sharpness.

No blade light could be seen, yet it felt as though ten thousand blades pressed against his skin.

Theo inexplicably felt surrounded on all sides.

No matter how fiercely he attacked, it barely stirred ripples in the mist.

The spectators were utterly spellbound.

They couldn’t even tell who held the upper hand.

All they saw were shifting hues of mist and surges of energy dissolving into the vast unknown.

The clashing auras conjured a thin fog in the air.

Clang.

Theo finally caught sight of Liana’s silhouette amidst the mist and struck without hesitation.

Yet instead of parting clouds, what awaited him was the sight of the young girl’s figure slowly fading away.

A complete miss.

"No wonder she said touching her hem would count as a win."

Theo was sweating bullets now.

He knew he couldn’t afford to drag this out any longer.

Hidden within the mist was Liana’s Aurora Spark. A frigid, insidious force that seeped into his bones. His thoughts were already growing sluggish.

Soon, even moving would become impossible.

Even the elders on the high platform sighed imperceptibly.

If they fought her, even while suppressing their cultivation to the Inner Scenery realm, not a single one would stand a chance.

They probably wouldn’t last as long as Theo had.

...

"If the mist can conceal a blade. Can killing intent do the same?"

Suddenly, Theo grasped something.

Meanwhile, hidden beneath his sleeve, he channeled the Seven Forges of the Quaking Earth.

The world around him slowed.

"Hm?"

Liana instantly noticed. Her movements became sluggish.

Before she knew it, Theo was already closing in.

He wasn’t using the Crimson Edge. The blade hung limply in his right hand.

Instead, he raised his left hand and brought it down in a slow, inevitable arc. A blunt-force strike imitating a heavy hammer.

It wasn’t fast.

Yet it carried a sense of inescapability. No matter how far one fled or how nimbly they dodged, there was no avoiding it.

Liana’s eyes flickered with realization.

The mist contracted instantly. A wisp of Supreme Yin acted as a thread, binding the scattered energy into a concentrated mass.

Boom!!

Time seemed to freeze.

Then, an uncontrollable storm of energy erupted in all directions.

Chaos engulfed the arena.

Sect Leader Elias slammed the table and appeared on the stage in a flash, pressing a single palm downward.

Within his grasp swirled a devouring void. A force that quelled the storm before it could wreak havoc.

His burning gaze locked onto the center of the stage.

Everyone else did the same.

Who won?

But under the scrutiny of countless eyes, silence fell once more.

Theo’s strike shattered the condensed mist.

He unleashed a technique far beyond the capabilities of the Body Cleansing realm. One that drained even his fifteen meridian channels of strength, leaving him nearly incapacitated.

Yet that wisp of Supreme Yin refused to dissipate, freezing him to the bone.

Damn, it is cold.

Before he could react, his arms moved on their own. Wrapping around Liana’s waist and pulling her down with him as he collapsed.

Thud.

Now sprawled atop her, Theo’s vision was blocked.

His already sluggish mind could only conjure one thought.

Even the ice block is soft and warm in the right places.

Liana seemed stunned.

She didn’t push him away immediately...