"My god! Am I seeing things?"
"In their first exchange, Yi Xiaoyao used the same Swordsmanship as Tang Ruoxue and actually came out on top?"
"Yi Xiaoyao’s Swordsmanship... it’s that powerful!"
Their first clash alone was enough to send gasps of astonishment rippling through the training grounds.
On the high platform, the various important figures also revealed looks of surprise.
"Judging from that exchange, at least in his comprehension of the Earth-Cutting Swordsmanship, Yi Xiaoyao is nearly perfect, far surpassing Tang Ruoxue!"
"I thought Tang Ruoxue’s talent in the Sword Dao was already extraordinary, but I never expected Yi Xiaoyao’s to be even more astounding!"
These were elders from the Major Sects. With their discerning eyes, they could naturally see what made Yi Xiaoyao so remarkable.
Tang Ruoxue had only taken ten days to comprehend the Swordsmanship to the Minor Success stage, a feat that even veteran masters of the Sword Dao might not match, yet Yi Xiaoyao shattered her technique with a single slash.
And Yi Xiaoyao had managed to do it within the same ten days!
The vast difference in their Swordsmanship was self-evident. It was clear who was superior.
"Don’t get too smug! Next, I’m going to make you suffer a miserable defeat!"
Fury flashed in Tang Ruoxue’s eyes. With a sharp cry, Spiritual Power surged from her hand, instantly coating the body of her sword.
The blue Spiritual Power concentrated on the blade’s edge. As she moved, it bloomed into a silvery-blue sword flourish.
As Tang Ruoxue’s slender, jade-like hands moved with nimble grace, a series of Sword Shadows swirled out before her, kicking up a fierce wind.
"Flowing Light Swordsmanship!"
Before her voice had faded, Tang Ruoxue was already charging toward Yi Xiaoyao.
Everyone present could see that the Flowing Light Swordsmanship she was using this time was several times more ferocious than before.
"Tang Ruoxue is using her Spiritual Power now. A moment ago, it was just a contest of Swordsmanship, but this time, it includes a clash of Spiritual Power."
"Tang Ruoxue has a huge advantage in Spiritual Power. After all, her Cultivation is a full layer higher than Yi Xiaoyao’s."
"Yi Xiaoyao’s Spiritual Power might be domineering, but against a gap of an entire layer of Cultivation, it doesn’t matter how strong his Spiritual Power is. It’s useless!"
Although Tang Ruoxue had been at a disadvantage just now, the crowd was still overwhelmingly confident in her victory. The difference in Cultivation level said it all.
At this moment, Tang Ruoxue was seething with rage after being thwarted in their first exchange.
"Yi Xiaoyao, it’s no surprise you reached that level after diligently practicing one technique, the Earth-Cutting Swordsmanship. But its greatest weakness is speed! I can easily defeat you with the Flowing Light Swordsmanship, which is renowned for its speed!"
Tang Ruoxue was full of confidence. ’He’s only so good with the Earth-Cutting Swordsmanship because he put all his effort into practicing just that one technique,’ she thought.
And the Flowing Light Swordsmanship was the ultimate counter to the Earth-Cutting Swordsmanship. Tang Ruoxue refused to believe that Yi Xiaoyao could, like her, learn three different types of Swordsmanship in just ten days.
At this thought, a confident smile touched her lips, and a flurry of Sword Shadows burst from her hand.
Each Sword Shadow was so fast it was a blur, its speed astonishing!
"Flowing Light Swordsmanship?" Yi Xiaoyao scoffed. His voice then grew heavy, and with the sharp gaze of a master critiquing a disciple, he pointed out the flaws in Tang Ruoxue’s technique.
"Speed is indeed the essence of the Flowing Light Swordsmanship, but unfortunately for you, you’ve blindly pursued speed while ignoring the true meaning of the ’flowing light’ in its name. Your form is riddled with openings! Besides, your speed... is still too slow!"
Riddled with openings! Too slow!
Hearing this critique, everyone on the training grounds froze, their faces a mask of astonishment.
After all, in their eyes, the Swordsmanship Tang Ruoxue was currently displaying was already perfectly executed and incredibly fast.
Sword Shadows that the naked eye couldn’t even follow were being called too slow? Riddled with openings, even?
The crowd immediately began to suspect that Yi Xiaoyao was just bluffing and talking big.
But in the next moment, when they saw Yi Xiaoyao move, they all held their breath.
On his Bloodthirsty Sword, Dark Spiritual Power crept along the blade until it reached the tip.
With a flick of his wrist, his sword slashed out!
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG...
Red light and silver light crisscrossed as the sound of blades clashing rang out continuously.
Yi Xiaoyao was still using the Earth-Cutting Swordsmanship, the very technique that was supposed to be countered by the Flowing Light Swordsmanship.
Tang Ruoxue paid no mind to Yi Xiaoyao’s earlier words. ’Even if what he said is true,’ she thought, ’I can still crush him with my superior Spiritual Power.’
But in the next instant, she discovered that every time their swords met, the Spiritual Power coating her blade was inexplicably devoured by his. Moreover, his Spiritual Power possessed a domineering Power of Destruction!
This sudden turn of events made it impossible for her to leverage her advantage in Spiritual Power, let alone press that advantage to defeat Yi Xiaoyao.
Yi Xiaoyao’s eyes narrowed slightly. ’My Spiritual Power is incredibly domineering. Even though Tang Ruoxue’s Cultivation is a layer higher than mine, the might of her Spiritual Power can only match my own.’
’In that case, victory or defeat will once again come down to who has the stronger Swordsmanship.’
Although the Earth-Cutting Swordsmanship was countered by the Flowing Light Swordsmanship, Yi Xiaoyao’s sharp eyes continuously spotted the openings in Tang Ruoxue’s technique, allowing him to fight back with ease and grace.
Not only that, but he also kept shaking his head and calling out her flaws.
"There! Your movements are chaotic! An opening!"
"There! Your rhythm is inconsistent! An opening!"
"Slow! Too slow! An opening! An opening!"
An opening! An opening! An opening!
Each sharp cry was like a piercing needle, stabbing directly into Tang Ruoxue’s heart.
A total beatdown! Even with a lower Cultivation level and his Swordsmanship being countered, Yi Xiaoyao was still completely dominating Tang Ruoxue!
The Bloodthirsty Sword truly lived up to its name as an Evil Sword capable of resonating with the Sword God Bloodline. Its sharpness and power were far superior to Tang Ruoxue’s longsword, leaving a new nick on her blade with every clash.
And every time Tang Ruoxue heard Yi Xiaoyao point out another flaw, her heart would fall into chaos. Her Swordsmanship became increasingly erratic, and her figure, much like the notched sword in her hand, looked utterly wretched.
The more this happened, the more Tang Ruoxue gritted her teeth, desperately trying with all her might to make her Swordsmanship faster and more stable.
But even when she gave it her all, even when she performed better than she ever had before, she still couldn’t touch a single hair on Yi Xiaoyao’s head or the corner of his robes.
"The Flowing Light Swordsmanship Tang Ruoxue is using is supposed to be the perfect counter to the Earth-Cutting Swordsmanship! So why is she performing so poorly?"
"Even with the advantage in both Spiritual Power and Swordsmanship type, she’s being completely controlled by Yi Xiaoyao!"
"Look! Yi Xiaoyao is using the Flowing Light Swordsmanship now!"
The crowd’s murmurs came to an abrupt halt as everyone turned to look.
Sure enough, as Yi Xiaoyao shifted his sword style, the previously fierce and powerful Bloodthirsty Sword instantly became light and graceful!
"Next, allow me to show you what the *real* Flowing Light Swordsmanship looks like!"
As soon as he finished speaking, shadows of the Bloodthirsty Sword spread out around him like blood dissolving in water. A red silhouette flashed, about to clash with Tang Ruoxue’s Sword Shadow with a sharp CLANG!
"You... you learned the Flowing Light Swordsmanship too!"
Tang Ruoxue was utterly shocked.
But Yi Xiaoyao didn’t give her any time to be surprised.
He used the same Flowing Light Swordsmanship, but he produced several times more Sword Shadows than Tang Ruoxue, which surged toward her like a tidal wave.
It was the epitome of speed!
And yet, even at such a speed, his movements remained methodical and utterly flawless!
Not only that, but even Yi Xiaoyao’s figure began to leave behind Illusions.
"Fast! Too fast! This is unbelievable!"
"I can’t even see Yi Xiaoyao’s movements anymore, let alone his Sword Shadows! How can he be so fast?"
"Yi Xiaoyao’s Swordsmanship... it’s actually reached the Great Success stage!"
Compared to the Swordsmanship Yi Xiaoyao was now demonstrating, what did Tang Ruoxue’s earlier display even count for?
Amid an uproar of astonishment and exclamation, the entire training grounds erupted.
Tang Ruoxue, in particular, who was enveloped by the bloody light of the sword, felt the color drain from her beautiful face.