"How do you know?"

Wilson's voice remained devoid of any fluctuation. The authority he exuded, whether intentionally or not, made one feel oppressed at heart.

"You just returned from the Northern Border, so you naturally wouldn't know about his progress. I've been keeping a close watch for you. In these three days of elimination rounds, Lie Yanchen hasn't had a single match that lasted over five minutes. Moreover, his 'Flowing Cloud Sword Technique' has already broken through to the 'Unity Realm'."

"Oh?"

Wilson replied blandly, seemingly unsurprised. Ferdinand was secretly taken aback by his reaction: Could it be that General Wilson foresaw such divine progress from his protégé?

Presently, he only nodded slightly and then focused his gaze on the arena.

The morning sunlight, though not as glaring as noon, cast rippling bands of light across the eyes of those looking up at the ring. The slight sting, when touched by the gentle breeze, immediately transformed into waves of comfort.

On stage, the specially invited referee raised his hand to signal the start of the match!

A swirl of wind quietly circled around Su Chen, kicking up a few wisps of dust on the ground. For some reason, merely watching the arena made the audience below feel a sense of autumnal desolation.

Concentrated and still, two upright figures suddenly moved to attack together!

"Lie Yanchen, Flowing Cloud Sword Technique!"

An ear-piercing shout resonated from below!

Graceful as the white clouds, Lie Yanchen moved with the wind beneath his feet, his white attire rustling. In an instant, a Soft Sword slithered out from his sleeve like a cunning snake, tearing through the air with a swish, shooting straight for Su Chen's neck!

Su Chen's eyes narrowed, switching from advancing to dodging sideways. In a flash, an arc of white light streaked across his shoulder, bursting into a brilliant starburst in mid-air!

Not giving Su Chen a chance to retaliate, Lie Yanchen's toe tapped the ground, lifting him several inches into the air, like a light bird, aggressively moving towards Su Chen! With a flick of his sword tip, a spiraling gust of wind attribute energy suddenly appeared. The sword veered diagonally, aiming at an opening to Su Chen's lower right, slipping past!

Swish, swish, swish!

The wind attribute energy at the sword tip shrieked, and just as the sword tip was about to tear through Su Chen's sleeve, the energy detached and plunged into Su Chen's chest!

A faint whiff of blood rose, and Su Chen's brow furrowed slightly. His toes forcefully stomped the ground, and he rapidly retreated several meters. The corner of Lie Yanchen's charming mouth gradually curved upwards, the sword tip tainted with traces of blood, trembling slightly like a venomous snake, pointing directly at Su Chen.

Below the stage, an uproar had already erupted!

The elegance of that sword had noble young ladies screaming in shock!

"Lie Yanchen!"

"Lie Yanchen!"

"Lie Yanchen!"

Dolmont widened his eyes in disbelief, staring at the scene before him, mouth agape for a long time unable to close, swallowing a gulp, he dryly said, "This... this kid actually wounded Su Chen?"

"Hehe, didn't I tell you not to miss other treasures."

Tianhui chuckled lightly.

Dolmont was momentarily dazed, suddenly feeling a tremor in his heart, a sense of unease slowly surfacing. He clenched his fist, forcing himself to calm down, "Don't panic, don't panic, it's just the beginning..."

Up ahead, at the royal seating.

Jin Chengxuan looked at Ginny with a curious fear, "Girl, is this young man really the Su Chen you mentioned? How is it that after just one round, he was wounded by Lie Yanchen's Soft Sword?"

Ginny had just recovered from her shock, furrowing her brow, the corners of her mouth slightly curled up, "Father, I don't know what's going on either, but what I said must be true."

"That might not be certain, princess. Haven't you heard an old saying: Hearsay is not to be believed, perhaps you were misled by some ignorant individuals, who knows?"

"Impossible, Brother Nalan told me personally, how could it be false?"

Ginny said, clearly a bit agitated.

"My brother might just be teasing you, haha."

Nalan Yan said nonchalantly.

Jin Chengxuan also shook his head calmly, soothing her, "Girl, you need not worry, whatever the case, we will see as we continue watching."

In his heart, he also concluded that his daughter might be credulously believing idle talk.

Ginny nodded silently, looking up at the arena, as if hoping to find an answer on it.

Little did they know, this match hadn't truly begun yet...

Watching Lie Yanchen's slightly raised mouth, Su Chen's slightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, yet his expression was no longer composed.

Without a sound, he glanced at the bloodstain on his chest and then, under the concentrated gaze of everyone holding their breath, beckoned provocatively at Lie Yanchen. The audience, who initially thought he was about to admit defeat, all perked up, cheering even more wildly!

Below the stage, Wilson's eyes narrowed slightly, his mouth also slightly arched, revealing a hint of a mocking arc.

"Arrogant brat."

"Hehe, young people these days seem to love saving face, even when at a disadvantage, they still present as unwilling to admit defeat."

Ferdinand laughed.

Wilson nodded slightly.

Catching Su Chen's provocative signal, Lie Yanchen smiled nonchalantly, shook his wrist, and the Longsword instantly issued a soft hum.

"Watch closely, next is the second form of Flowing Cloud Sword Technique, Whirlwind Dances the Willow."

Before he finished speaking, Lie Yanchen transformed into a phantom, the longsword in his hand moving straight forward without any recoil. Su Chen sidestepped once more, but this time, his speed was noticeably faster, and the distance of evasion was broader. As the phantom flashed by, it seemed to puncture the airstream, pushing a fierce gust ahead. Strangely, after this move, Lie Yanchen's figure flickered in and out as if weaving through the vast mist, with only the sword tip's chill consistently sparking!

Suddenly, Lie Yanchen had darted in front of Su Chen, yet Su Chen hadn't retreated out of the attack range yet. The sword light wriggled like a dragon's tail, instantly carving out a beautiful arc, slashing across Su Chen's back. Fortunately, Su Chen had already released a layer of azure wind brilliance, shielding his body. Without looking back, he directly pushed off the ground, flipping backward in mid-air, landing behind Lie Yanchen.

Without turning, Lie Yanchen bent sharply backward, extending his right hand, the longsword flipping backward, while exerting hidden force with both feet, resembling drooping willows, moving simultaneously with the sword!

Anticipating such an attack from Lie Yanchen, Su Chen sharply raised both hands, surprisingly catching the sword tip between his palms, exerting force, twisting, causing Lie Yanchen to spiral up with the motion!

In the spin, a flash of stars glinted at the corner of Lie Yanchen's eye. Suddenly, his right palm applied force, pressing on the sword hilt, as a wind attribute spiral energy climbed along the blade, swarming towards Su Chen!

Su Chen snorted coldly, releasing his palms, sidestepping instantaneously, and kicked at the sword hilt, intending to kick it away; however, Lie Yanchen seized the sword again, his wrist twisting abruptly, the sword body twisting snake-like, entangling Su Chen.

"Flowing Cloud Sword Technique third form, Silver Snake Constricts!"

As it was about to wrap around Su Chen's neck, the longsword bounced out again, shooting terrifying speed towards Su Chen's face! Su Chen felt a chill in his heart, his steps quickly shifting nimbly, narrowly avoiding the strike, but unexpectedly, as the extended blade was about to hit him, it curved back in!

Seeing it about to coil around Su Chen's neck, Lie Yanchen's mouth curled into a smug arc of trickery achieved, but unforeseen, a sudden change occurred!

The Soft Sword wrapped around Su Chen, yet he suddenly vanished into a circle of fragmented shadows. Meanwhile, he appeared above Lie Yanchen's head!

Lie Yanchen couldn't dodge in time and was kicked by Su Chen, knocking him back! In mid-air, he braced against the ground with his sword, spinning like a swallow, barely landing several meters away from Su Chen. His gaze towards Su Chen had already turned solemn and cold.

This seemingly arrogant fellow had been hiding his true strength all along. Though his power hadn't changed, why had his speed suddenly become so formidable?

Below the stage, the scene had long become chaotic. Especially among Jin Chengxuan and Wilson's sides. However worried, they remained fixated on every move of the two in the arena.

Lie Yanchen's lips, which were already showing hints of a menacing smile, pressed his sword arm straight as a touch of somber killing intent appeared in his expression.

"Very well."

"""

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