Chapter 599: Ch 599 - You’ll Know With a Look From Your Dual Pupils!

"Miss Ruzhi, what is the meaning of this?" Yino asked, raising an eyebrow in slight tension. He looked at the purple-haired girl standing at the alleyway entrance under the setting sun.

Yino had sensed something wrong back when the Immortal Alliance elder announced the roster for the next day’s tournament. In the game, Wen Ruzhi did not fight him in the second round.

This was either a butterfly effect caused by his participation, or she had deliberately manipulated the matchups.

He remembered quite a bit about this girl from the Divine Abyss Gate and her ancient dual pupils from his past life.

She was the younger sister of the sect’s crown prince, Wen Ruxiu. She was also the sworn enemy of the Frost Palace’s holy maiden, Nangong Xi, and one of the heroines of Heavenly Mandate. The original plot always featured Ruzhi and Nangong Xi appearing together. They would either fight each other over an opportunity or represent their respective sects to recruit the protagonist.

Yino had completely overshadowed Lin Che in today’s first round of the tournament. He naturally expected to replace the protagonist as Ruzhi’s new target.

He just did not expect her to be so impatient. The little demoness blocked his path halfway after he left the Immortal Alliance Pavilion.

"There is an abyss aura in your sword intent," the girl stated. She asked a simple question without any emotion. It was completely different from Yuyan’s mature and aloof demeanor.

Yino weighed her intentions. "So? We’ll fight tomorrow anyway. What are you trying to do?"

"I’m testing your limits first," Ruzhi replied flatly. She formed hand seals with two fingers in front of her chest without another word. Her chest was on the smaller side, giving her a very agile figure.

"This isn’t right, is it?" Yino clicked his tongue as her spiritual spell rushed toward him. He was forced to fight back.

Lin Che’s outstanding performance in the game had shocked everyone. It drew the curiosity of both Ruzhi and Nangong Xi. Even so, the girl never sought out a private spar like this.

Boom!

She gathered abyss power in her palm and blurred into an afterimage, thrusting a strike right at his chest.

Yino was no pushover. He stepped to the side and easily caught her wrist.

He knew hand-to-hand combat was not her strong suit. Her palm strike was merely a probe. For that exact reason, he refused to draw his sword. He opted to match her physical combat instead. Neither of them wanted to reveal their trump cards before the official match.

"You have good reflexes. I’d expect nothing less from a sword cultivator," Ruzhi praised. Her actions completely contradicted her words.

She twisted her hips and shifted her footing as she spoke then used the momentum to break free from his grip. She then launched a spinning kick from beneath her black and gold dress embroidered with the Divine Abyss Gate totem.

Thud!

Howling winds kicked up a cloud of dust around her raised leg. Yino’s hand clamped firmly around her ankle once the dust settled.

Yino curled his lips into a smile. He looked down at her leg and secretly channeled spiritual energy into his fingertips. He pressed two fingers together with his free hand and gently trailed them up her pale calf.

A black and gold coiled dragon totem surfaced on her flawless skin just moments after his touch.

"It seems there’s more to you than your rumored ancient dual pupils. I assume this leg totem has something to do with the ancient dragon sovereign of the Eastern Sea?" he asked.

Shock flashed across her purple dual pupils. An unprecedented wave of humiliation and anger quickly replaced it.

She came tonight just to test him. She chose physical combat to keep her trump cards hidden. She never imagined he would so easily uncover her deepest secret after just two exchanges. She bit her lip as the abyss aura surrounding her surged to a whole new level.

"You really are built differently!" she sneered then pushed her cultivation higher and vaulted into the air. She spun several times to rip her leg free from his grasp before launching another fierce kick.

She was getting serious this time. Her Divine Transformation stage gathered entirely in her calf. The strike whipped up a screaming gale right in front of his face.

Yino still refused to go all out. He merely raised his arm to block with his physical body.

Boom!

The sweeping kick slammed into his arm. The sheer force sent him flying several meters back into the alley wall.

Yino patted his sleeves as the dust cleared, remaining completely unbothered. He locked eyes with the charging purple-eyed girl the moment he stepped forward.

Ruzhi gritted her teeth. She thrust her pale hand forward with her fingers curled inwards. Terrifying demonic power from the Divine Abyss Gate pooled in her palm, forming the phantom image of a dragon claw as she sprinted.

"Little girl..." Yino remained unfazed. "Trying to capture me with just martial arts is a pipe dream!"

He focused his mind and timed her approach perfectly, thrusting out his own demonic claw.

"Cough!"

Another physical clash erupted between them. A soft cough escaped the girl’s lips once the abyss aura dispersed.

Yino clamped his hand around her neck. He lifted her entire body right off the ground. Her petite frame meant her arm span was much shorter than his. The five fingers pulsing with demonic qi stopped just an inch away from his throat.

"Still want to go?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. His grip on her throat slowly tightened.

Ruzhi gasped for air. She clawed at his arm and writhed in his grip. He had hoisted her up entirely with one hand thanks to her light weight. Her flailing legs kicked at empty air in a rather funny display. Yino couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

"Well? Do you see the physical difference between us now?"

Ruzhi glared daggers at him with her purple eyes while dangling in midair.

He casually held her in place, but he suddenly noticed something strange flashing through her humiliated and unwilling cold gaze.

"You fell for it!" she sneered.

Her ancient dual pupils radiated supreme divine might. They expanded like the eyes of an underworld mighty, shrouding the entire night sky and suppressing him from above.

Her dual pupil illusion technique instantly overwrote everything in his vision. He found himself plunged into a parallel world painted strictly in black and white. Even the nearby Immortal Alliance Pavilion and courtyard walls crumbled into fine powder.

Only Ruzhi’s eyes retained their vibrant color in this dual pupil world.

"You even pulled out your dual pupil technique. Did those few moves really humiliate you that badly?" Yino narrowed his eyes, mocking her as he finally began to treat her as a serious threat.

He knew she was no longer holding back. He dropped his playful act and activated the sword intent, preparing to go all out. These ancient dual pupils were no joke. He might have easily handled her in close-quarters combat, but losing to a dedicated sword user in a fistfight was nothing to be ashamed of. She had simply pitted her weakness against his strength.

Activating these dual pupils meant Ruzhi was finally playing her real hand.