The beautiful scene of attacks drifting like snowflakes vanished in an instant, leaving most of the audience stunned, including Yan Yi and Li Chenghu.
Yet in the very next moment, Yan Yi, whose eyes were fixed on the battlefield above, suddenly narrowed her gaze.
The thirty six swords in a single breath stopped.
The Swimming Dragon Art movement technique also stopped.
Having just circled to Zhong Ruochen’s upper left with the Coiling Dragon Stance, Yu Qing swung his arm and struck with another sword.
This time there were no dancing sword shadows, nor any dazzling movement technique.
It was as if everything had suddenly been reduced from complexity to simplicity.
There was only one sword.
At least, that was what the vast majority of the audience saw. The fighters were now much closer to the ground, allowing most cultivators in the arena to see clearly.
They saw one man and one sword shooting forwards like a streak of light towards Zhong Ruochen.
But to Zhong Ruochen, who was facing the attack directly, it was entirely different.
The countless sword shadows had disappeared, yet what replaced them was an overwhelming sense of deadly danger.
Others saw one sword.
She saw three.
The countless sword shadows before had never given her such a fatal sense of threat.
These mere three swords did.
There had to be a reason.
The previous barrage had layers and sequence.
This time, however, the three swords struck together.
They appeared to have no order of precedence, arriving simultaneously, leaving her with nowhere to dodge and no way to block them.
Indeed.
Yu Qing had once again used the Three Swords as One technique that he had previously employed against Shi Dao.
It was also the highest level he had currently reached with the Dust Sealing Sword Technique.
The Dust Sealing Sword Technique contained six moves.
The thirty six swords in a single breath was merely the foundation for cultivating the technique.
The first move was Thirty Six Swords as One.
The second was Eighteen Swords as One.
The third was Nine Swords as One.
The fourth was Three Swords as One.
The fifth was One Sword.
The sixth was called No Place Without the Sword.
The entire sword technique was a process of transforming complexity into simplicity.
According to the manual, the fewer the sword moves, the greater their power.
However, the Three Swords as One Yu Qing was using was not the genuine fourth move described in the manual.
He was nowhere near that level.
What he was actually using was an incomplete version of the first move, Thirty Six Swords as One.
At present, he could barely merge three swords.
He himself had no idea how effective this incomplete first move truly was against an enemy.
He had never genuinely tested it in battle.
His encounter with Shi Dao hardly counted.
Especially against an expert like Zhong Ruochen, he had no idea whether it would succeed.
He only knew it was the strongest technique he currently possessed.
If even this failed, then he had no remaining means to defeat her.
At that point, all he could do would be look for an opportunity to leave the arena.
In other words, admit defeat.
So he gambled.
He abandoned the encirclement advantage he had worked so hard to establish.
That gamble immediately filled Zhong Ruochen with alarm.
She was momentarily at a complete loss.
It was already too late to dodge.
Nor could she simply compete with hand speed as before.
All three swords arrived simultaneously.
In her haste, she had only two hands.
She instinctively made the choice most favourable to herself.
Protecting the vital areas first was always the correct decision.
Yet the instant both palms met the sword edges, her heart skipped a beat.
She had blocked nothing.
More precisely, she had struck empty air.
A terrifying thought flashed through her mind.
He knows illusion techniques.
It’s an illusion!
She watched helplessly as the third sword thrust towards her.
She hurriedly reached out and grabbed it.
This time she caught it firmly.
Only then did she realise that this sword alone was real.
What she did not know was that whichever two swords she chose to block would always be false.
The one she ignored would always be the real one.
These three swords could all be considered fake.
Or all be considered real.
Calling them illusions was not entirely wrong.
The sword technique itself created the illusion.
The piercing agony through her heart, however, was utterly real.
She felt it before she even realised she had caught the sword.
Yu Qing had succeeded.
His sword pierced into her body.
Blood immediately sprayed out.
Zhong Ruochen gripped the sword tightly.
She saw the murderous intent in Yu Qing’s eyes.
She knew he intended to kill her.
She could feel that he wanted to seize the opportunity to slice her body open with a single stroke.
She clamped both hands desperately around the sword that had pierced between her shoulder and chest, preventing him from doing as he pleased.
At the same time, her other palm blasted fiercely towards him.
Yu Qing responded just as quickly.
With a Dragon Capturing Hand, he instantly seized her wrist, locking it tightly.
Zhong Ruochen could sense that her cultivation was slightly stronger than his.
The sword embedded in her body was slowly being forced back out by her strength.
Yet strangely, the wrist he had seized could not break free.
His method of applying force was peculiar.
More accurately, the gripping power of his claw was extraordinarily strong, far exceeding what his cultivation level should have allowed.
The moment Yu Qing grabbed her wrist, he immediately swung his body, subtly adjusting their positions as they tumbled through the air.
Zhong Ruochen, whose back now faced the ground, was instantly filled with horror.
She was slower to react than Yu Qing.
She was also inferior to him in close quarters combat.
It was already too late.
All she could do was use every ounce of cultivation to resist.
Yu Qing, meanwhile, used every bit of his strength to prevent her from slowing their descent.
Boom!
Her back slammed into the ground.
Yu Qing’s plan had succeeded.
Fortunately, by the time they completely lost control of their fall, they were no longer very high above the ground.
As the two fought at close range with every ounce of their cultivation, their energies collided violently.
Combined with the tremendous impact of striking the earth, both of their face coverings exploded away simultaneously, revealing their true appearances.
Yu Qing had no time to admire the beauty of the woman before him.
Gripping the sword hilt, he exerted force once more.
The blade plunged even deeper.
It pierced straight through her body, pinning her firmly to the ground.
Fresh blood poured from the wound.
Zhong Ruochen parted her lips in pain.
She stared at the man pressing down upon her, intent on taking her life.
For the first time, she clearly saw his fierce face.
Then her vision was swallowed by dust.
A massive cloud of dust rose where they struck the earth.
Beside them was an enormous mound of loose soil, created earlier by Zhong Ruochen’s tornado.
On the VIP platform, Yan Yi shot to her feet, looking ready to move.
Li Chenghu also stood up with a solemn expression.
Xiang Lanxuan quickly stole a glance at both of them.
Zhao Dengzi slowly rose as well, equally grim.
Every one of them had seen Yu Qing’s sword pierce Zhong Ruochen’s body.
They had also seen that it was Zhong Ruochen’s back that struck the ground.
Long Xingyun’s mouth hung wide open.
That foolish Scholar Laureate would not actually kill his own fiancée, would he?
Judging from the situation, he genuinely did not recognise her.
That itself was not difficult to understand.
Before entering the cultivation world, it was perfectly normal for an unmarried young lady to have never met the man she was betrothed to.
But the problem was that she was Earth Mother’s disciple.
Had that foolish Scholar Laureate really killed Earth Mother’s direct disciple?
“Elder Sister!”
Wen Ruowei cried out in grief.
Ignoring every rule of the Sunrise Tournament, she immediately flew into the arena to save her.
Kunling Mountain disciples had been stationed around the arena all along.
Seeing this, they immediately flew up to stop her.
“Do not act recklessly!”
However, they were no match for Wen Ruowei.
With a single exchange, she sent them flying.
Her figure disappeared into the swirling dust.
A loud bang soon sounded from within.
Yu Qing was kicked flying out.
Locked in a deadlock with Zhong Ruochen, he had no ability to retaliate.
He could only endure Wen Ruowei’s attack and was sent flying.
Desperate to save her sister, Wen Ruowei did not hold back.
The kick was extremely heavy.
Yu Qing staggered backwards several steps after landing.
He even coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The entire audience erupted in shock.
Many people stood up.
Wen Xin and Xiao Hong watched anxiously, their hearts in their throats.
Nan Zhu, Mu Aotie, and Baili Xin could no longer remain seated.
All three leapt into the arena.
The lone Kunling Mountain disciple present could not possibly stop so many people.
Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie hurried over to support Yu Qing.
Mu Aotie asked whether he was alright.
Nan Zhu pointed towards the two women emerging from the dust and cursed loudly.
“Since when are helpers allowed to join the Sunrise Tournament? Is there any justice left? Where are the people of Kunling Mountain? Are they all dead?”
Qin Fujun, together with the other tournament supervisors, all flew into the arena from the host platform.
Even Princess Chaoyang became furious.
She rushed to the edge of the VIP platform and pointed into the arena.
“Master Zhao, are helpers really allowed in the Sunrise Tournament?”
At this moment, she had completely and unreservedly taken Yu Qing’s side.
Had her mother not been present, she probably would have rolled up her sleeves and entered the arena herself in defence of fairness.
“Shut your mouth!”
Yan Yi, who was already walking forwards, casually grabbed her daughter by the ear and pulled the troublesome girl behind her.
Tie Miaoqing also slowly stood up.
Her eyes were filled with uncertainty and disbelief.
She had already seen Yu Qing’s face.
If Yu Qing alone, with his hair hanging loose, had been difficult to recognise, then the appearance of Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie supporting him on either side made it impossible not to identify him.
Even if Yu Qing had still been wearing his face covering, she would have recognised him.
Sun Ping, standing beside her, also revealed a shocked expression.
She had never dreamed that the person competing for victory in the Sunrise Tournament would actually be Yu Qing.
Unable to help herself, she glanced worriedly at the immensely powerful Li Chenghu.
After seeing Yu Qing’s true face, Xiang Lanxuan’s heart nearly leapt from her chest.
She quietly turned to look at Governor Mi Yunzhong, who was waiting outside.
Seeing no reaction whatsoever from him, it was obvious that he had not recognised Yu Qing.
Only then did she secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
After all, portraits and real people were never exactly alike.
Besides, the Scholar Laureate still wore his long, dishevelled hair.
Supporting Zhong Ruochen, Wen Ruowei emerged from the gradually settling dust.
She still held a blood stained sword in her hand.
It was Yu Qing’s sword, the very blade that had pinned Zhong Ruochen to the ground.
She had pulled it free.
Zhong Ruochen looked utterly dishevelled.
Her hair was a mess.
Her clothes were in disorder.
Much of her body was stained with blood.
She walked weakly, her face pale.
Although the clothing between her shoulder and chest had been soaked red, the wound had stopped bleeding after emergency pressure point treatment.
Whoosh!
Wen Ruowei hurled the sword at Yu Qing.
Mu Aotie stepped forwards and caught it.
Nan Zhu pointed furiously and cursed.
“What are you trying to do? Is nobody in charge anymore? Have all the people of Kunling Mountain died?”
If he had been strong enough, he would have rushed over and fought her himself.
Wen Ruowei ignored him completely.
Pointing at Yu Qing, she shouted angrily,
“You bastard!”
She raised her hand to tear away her face covering.
She wanted him to see exactly who she was.
She wanted him to realise who he had injured.
She wanted to ask whether he felt any shame.
But Zhong Ruochen immediately grabbed her hand.
Shaking her head, she said,
“We’re leaving.”
“Elder Sister!”
Wen Ruowei refused.
She felt leaving like this was letting Yu Qing off too easily.
She had always spoken well of him.
Yet he had shown such ruthless intent towards her sister.
“Leave.”
Zhong Ruochen’s tone left no room for argument.
Wen Ruowei stamped her foot in anger.
Left with no choice, she supported her sister and walked straight out of the arena.
Kunling Mountain Sect Master Zhao Dengzi, who had personally arrived to take charge, raised a hand.
He signalled all the Kunling Mountain disciples not to interfere.
He ordered them to clear a path and allow the sisters to leave.
He then turned decisively to Qin Fujun.
“Zhang Zhichen wins. Announce it.”
Yu Qing had already turned around, presenting his back towards the VIP platform.
He repeatedly nudged Nan Zhu.
Only then did Nan Zhu realise what had happened.
His face changed dramatically.
He hurriedly tore a strip from his clothes and covered Yu Qing’s face again.
Then he quickly pulled Mu Aotie aside and whispered a few words.
The two of them immediately slipped away from the arena in a rather awkward manner.