Ji Wuye stood unflinching, his expression utterly calm and unperturbed, not a single bead of sweat forming on his brow.
In stark contrast to the others who knelt under the immense pressure, he remained upright, though the trembling ground around him betrayed the effects of Yuan Xu's Zone.
Meanwhile, Wei Xun's plump figure swayed slightly as her mouth hung open in awe, her raven tresses styled in a half-updo while the rest cascaded freely down her back, the silken strands swaying with her movements.
"Wow..." she breathed, amazement clear in her widened eyes as she witnessed Ji Wuye withstanding the crushing force. Though she knew that Ji Wuye relied on a skill back then to counter her attack, and there was also an unconfirmed fact that his physical strength was equal to a 7th realm martial artist, now she was sure that was a fact.
The others, like Su Xinyi and Kang Xiang, furrowed their brows, eyes narrowed as they analyzed the situation, their minds racing as beads of perspiration materialized on their furrowed foreheads.
Only Yu Lei, his gaze heavy-lidded and indifferent, watched the unfolding battle with casual disinterest, showing no outward excitement. Elder Qiao, too, remained serene, leisurely puffing on her long-stemmed ivory pipe as she observed with quiet anticipation.
Lian Rougang's delicate features were a portrait of conflicting emotions – disbelief warring with unmistakable worry etched into the creases of her brow. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, even as her lips curved into a faint, proud smile at witnessing her beloved Junior Brother withstanding the oppressive weight of a Zone.
Across the way, Yuan Xu's face contorted with disbelief and growing unease. "How? How?!" He sputtered, unable to comprehend how this irritating Junior could possibly endure his Zone.
Could he, Yuan Xu, an Inner Disciple of Elder Qiao, truly be that weak? His gaze flickered uncertainly towards his Master, meeting only disappointment and indifference reflected in those steely eyes.
'It must be some sort of skill that he got from damned Tower! That has to be it!' Yuan Xu convinced himself inwardly, his expression hardening with renewed determination. Unsheathing his jian from his waist with a metallic hiss, he settled into a combat stance – left arm extended forward, right leg planted firmly.
"Impressive, but using a skill in a sparring match? How disappointing!" He taunted, words laced with disdain even as Ji Wuye's crimson eyes remained unwaveringly fixed upon him, his mind clearly elsewhere.
On the other hand...
'Is this what they call a Zone?' Ji Wuye mused to himself, experimentally moving his arms and legs. While the invisible pressure bore down heavily upon him, the only discernible difference was that he had to exert significantly more effort to casually maneuver his limbs through the oppressive force field.
'Well, compared to a Sword Zone, this is nothing,' Ji Wuye mused inwardly, recalling how Elder Mu's Sword Zone had once forced him to half-kneel.
Now that he was experiencing a Zone firsthand for the first time, it was the perfect opportunity to test something else. He unsheathed his jian in a fluid motion, the metallic ring perfectly coinciding with the moment his Senior Brother settled into his combat stance.
As soon as Ji Wuye's fingers wrapped around the hilt, a transparent screen flickered into existence before his crimson eyes:
image [https://i.ibb.co.com/B2rqSjR/Notif-3.webp]
CRACK!
The very instant the words flashed across his vision, the ground beneath Ji Wuye's feet shattered, cracking outwards in a spiderweb of fissures as it sank slightly inwards. The oppressive, invisible pressure that had been mercilessly bearing down upon him vanished in an instant, the force dissipating as though it had never existed.
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His expression remained utterly impassive, crimson eyes now gazing calmly, indifferently at Yuan Xu as his jian hung loosely in his right hand.
On the opposing side, Yuan Xu, who had been channeling his Qi to maintain the Zone, was caught completely off guard. Both knees buckled abruptly, his jian and combat stance crumpling to the ground in an inelegant heap as the pressure sustaining him evaporated without warning.
A collective gasp of shock rippled through the assembled spectators. Yuan Xu, now the victim of his own assault, gulped down ragged breaths, sweat pouring down his body as he knelt with both knees driven into the hard-packed earth, leaning forward with his face nearly brushing the dirt.
'W-what just happened?' His mind whirled, mouth agape as he fought to catch his breath, chest heaving with the exertion. For some inexplicable reason, his muscles twitched erratically, the flow of Qi through his meridians and Dantians disrupted into utter chaos.
"Oh my... so it can do that as well," On the other hand, Elder Qiao murmured, lounging leisurely upon her rounded stone chair. She blinked mildly, clearly surprised, but her eyes swiftly narrowed as she observed the stark contrast between Yuan Xu's disheveled state and Ji Wuye's composed poise.
"Impossible... how did Junior Brother Ji do that?" Kang Xiang's eyes were wide, eyebrows raised high as the words tumbled from his lips in an astonished mutter.
'Is that the same skill he used back then? But I thought it only worked on physical attacks?' he thought inwardly, his expression twisted into a deepening frown, eyes narrowing suspiciously upon his brother Yuan as he gnawed anxiously at the tip of his nail. He thought maybe Yuan Xu had gone easy on Ji Wuye.
While the onlookers remained stunned into shocked silence, the only sound to break the heavy quiet came from Ji Wuye's measured footsteps as he slowly approached Yuan Xu's half-kneeling form.
"Show me your Sword Aura, Senior Brother," Ji Wuye's tone was devoid of concern, his provocative words ringing out and causing the trembling in Yuan Xu's body to still abruptly.
'My Quick Adaptation hasn't triggered yet...' Ji Wuye mused inwardly, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Thanks to his Senior Brother Yuan acting as an unwitting test subject, Ji Wuye had confirmed his hunch.
If his Deflecting Blows skill could block something as formidable as a Zone, then it likely possessed the capability to rebuff a Sword Zone - or anything similar for that matter. 'That's just another metric to measure,' he added to himself.
Under the weight of Ji Wuye's steady gaze, Yuan Xu rose slowly from his kneeling position, veins bulging prominently and his long, disheveled hair drenched with sweat. His eyes, however, burned with deep, seething resentment.
"How dare you! How dare you!" Yuan Xu's roar tore from his throat as he lost himself to unbridled anger. The faint blue aura of Qi enveloping his body like a protective shell rippled and became unstable, his eyes rolling back as he continued to bellow.
In the next instant, a surge of Qi flooded into Yuan Xu's jian. The steel blade, originally coated in a faint azure glow, began to radiate with searing brilliance, transforming into a blinding, sun-like incandescence that mimicked the dazzling radiance of the overhead daylight itself.
Simultaneously, while shouting and undergoing this transformation, Yuan Xu gripped the glaring orb of sun-like Qi enveloping his jian with both hands, settling into a stance with his body leaned forward, hands bent at the sides, and the jian raised to face level.
"Heavenly Sunward Strike!" Yuan Xu's bellow shook the air. In the next breath, he stomped down hard with his right foot, leaving a crater in the shattered ground, and pulled back with his left, causing his entire body to swing forward in a blinding arc. The overwhelming light from his sun-like Sword Aura flooded the area in searing brilliance.
Utter destruction trailed in the wake of Yuan Xu's steps as the violent, sun-bright Sword Aura carved through their surroundings, searing and burning everything in its blazing path.
…
image [https://i.ibb.co.com/YPpGPLk/Notif-1.webp]
image [https://i.ibb.co.com/YPpGPLk/Notif-1.webp]
image [https://i.ibb.co.com/YPpGPLk/Notif-1.webp]
Meanwhile, Ji Wuye stood utterly still, awaiting the assault through the entire process. He had returned his right palm to rest upon the jian at his side, crimson eyes remaining locked unwaveringly on the rapidly approaching blinding light that appeared almost sluggishly slow to his perceptions.
'Well, thanks, Senior Brother,' Ji Wuye's inward thoughts carried a hint of amusement as he read the series of transparent prompts flickering across his vision.
image [https://i.ibb.co.com/n6FQDZv/Notif-1.webp]
Simultaneously, Ji Wuye's crimson irises flared with an incandescent glow as another transparent screen flashed before his eyes, instantly neutralizing and dispelling the grand blinding effect of Yuan Xu's Sword Aura. What remained was a clear, unobstructed view of Yuan Xu charging directly at him.
Yuan Xu gripped the jian poised for a deadly diagonal slash, the blade flashing as he committed his full weight behind the vicious attack. However...
Just as the razor edge was about to cleave towards Ji Wuye's torso, he calmly repositioned his own jian before him in a smooth, casual motion. The next instant, another transparent screen flickered across his vision:
image [https://i.ibb.co.com/B2rqSjR/Notif-3.webp]
SHRILLLL!
Both their jians trembled violently upon impact. Yet it was immediately, unmistakably clear that Yuan Xu was the one being overpowered. His eyes flew wide with shock as his body seemed to defy gravity itself, propelled backwards and suspended in mid-air, while Ji Wuye remained utterly unaffected, his footing as sturdy and unshakable as an ancient Fusang tree.
SWOOSH!
In the next breathless instant, Ji Wuye's form blurred and rematerialized directly before his airborne Senior Brother. Without a single word uttered, his silhouette towering over Yuan Xu's bent and distorted position, Ji Wuye delivered a devastating kick with punishing force.
BANG!
Yuan Xu's body was launched backward at incredible speed, the sheer force of Ji Wuye's kick propelling him like a ragdoll through the air. This sudden, explosive action incited a flurry of shocked reactions from the observing Inner Disciples, who scrambled to intercept Yuan Xu's trajectory, fearing he would careen heedlessly off the precipice's edge.
SHIRLL!
Unexpectedly, the shrill resonance of zither strings being plucked pierced the air. Just as Yuan Xu was about to hurtle over the cliff's perilous lip, an invisible wave of Qi enveloped his entire body, arresting his momentum in an invisible embrace and halting his dangerous plummet.
"You are naughty, Little Brother," Elder Qiao's melodic voice rang out, an undercurrent of amusement lacing her words as she surveyed the scene.