Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi pursed his lips, thinking to himself, Such an arrogant personality! She speaks like she’s an empress. It’s hard not to admire and respect her…

Beside him, the starry-eyed Ye Feng grabbed his arm and exclaimed, “Did you hear that?! Did you hear that?! Fuck, I’ve fallen in love with that woman!”

Li Guanqi shrugged. “Then you should kneel and lick her feet to prove your love.”

Ye Feng pouted and shuddered, shaking his head vigorously. “With that icy temperament, I’d be lucky to get a word out of her even if she became my Dao partner. I’m not destined for that kind of luxury. Guess I’ll have to console myself in the arms of the brothel girls…”

His fellow disciples couldn’t help but smile.

Before long, it was the Soaring Heavens Sect’s turn. Their opponent was the Great Illusory Valley Sect.

Onstage stood a refined-looking young man from the Great Illusory Valley Sect, slightly over six feet tall, his posture as straight as a sword.

His white robes made him look like an immortal from the heavens. His handsome features only amplified the effect, prompting shrieks of admiration from the girls in the crowd.

The crowd started to discuss them. A middle-aged man whispered, “Tan Tingxi of the Great Illusory Valley Sect. I heard that he also has a King Spirit Root and reached the peak of the Foundation Building Realm in just a year! That’s real talent!”

Tan Tingxi’s warm smile brimmed with confidence in his own charm. Watching Guan Qingyun make a fool of himself earlier had only sharpened his desire to take down the Ice Queen.But Ji Linglan didn’t even glance at him. She looked up at Ge Qing in the sky and asked, “Can we begin?”

However, Tan Tingxi would never let go of such a good chance to show off. He unsheathed his sword with a clang and chuckled. “Miss Linglan, what’s the rush? Why don’t we take this time to get to know each other? I’ve admired you for a long time.”

Ji Linglan saw Ge Qing nod and didn’t bother replying. Her brow furrowed slightly as she murmured, “You talk too much.”

Whoosh!

In a flash, she vanished. Only a glimmer of sword light marked her high-speed charge.

A golden light flared under Tan Tingxi’s feet as he rushed to meet her, slashing down.

Metallic vital force surged through his body, sharp as a blade, and rays of sword light shot toward her in dazzling arcs.

Tan Tingxi heard something breaking, and a light flashed before his eyes.

She blocked all his sword lights, and with a flick of her wrist, her sword spun, sending out waves of icy air. The vortex of sword light was so fierce it nearly tore the sword from his grip. He hastily let go.

Her attack hit the hilt of his sword instead of his arm, so he was left unscathed.

Tan Tingxi’s eyes narrowed. He hadn’t expected her attacks to be so fierce. Gripping his sword tighter, his vital force surged as he stood on high alert.

Suddenly, he shouted, “Golden Tower Sword!”

His sword shone brightly, and a storm of attacks rained down on her.

At the same time, he pulled out several talismans, slapping them onto his thighs. With a flash of light in his left hand, a silver-wire suit of soft armor appeared, which he quickly put on.

The crowd yelled at him for being shameless, but he ignored them and charged at her again.

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

Metal clashed as the cold gleam of blades danced across the stage. The two fighters flashed from one spot to the next, their swords locking again and again.

When Li Guanqi watched him retrieve his talismans, he saw nothing shameless in the tactic. Victory was all that mattered—people would remember only that he defeated Ji Linglan, not the methods he employed to do so.

But while Tan Tingxi’s sword techniques were elegant, they were riddled with flaws.

Ji Linglan darted across the stage, vital force surging through her as a layer of frost crept up her blade. Waves of icy air spread outward with each swing, her gaze sharpening.

Suddenly, Li Guanqi muttered in a low voice, “Now!”

Boom!

The girl, who had been steadily retreating, abruptly stopped. The tile beneath her shattered in a one-zhang radius. She lowered her stance, gathering power in her sword, eyes narrowing as she muttered, “Solemn Frost.”

Whoosh!

An ice-blue sword ray flashed through the air. Tan Tingxi’s arm fell to the ground with a thud, still holding his sword.

Ji Linglan pressed her bloodied sword to his throat. Half an inch further, and it would pierce through. With a quick flick of her wrist, she drew a clean arc in the air and sheathed her sword.

She leaped offstage without a single unnecessary movement.

The Ice Queen lived up to her reputation, maintaining an icy expression. She did not show any emotion over her victory.

The crowd roared in applause. It had been a dazzling fight, with both sides fighting well.

In the end, Ji Linglan’s skill proved superior. Even so, the experienced cultivators recognized her fundamental superiority from the start.

Something unexpected happened as the crowd was still marveling at her strength.

Ji Linglan strode straight toward the Daxia Sword Sect’s area. They were up next, and many eyes were on them thanks to their performance in the first round.

As she approached, the onlookers buzzed with speculation.

Ji Linglan came to a stop before Li Guanqi. Standing three chi away, she fixed her gaze solely on him, ignoring even the shocked Qin Xian and Li Nanting.

Looking at Li Guanqi, Ji Linglan said calmly, “You saw that coming, didn’t you?”

Li Guanqi gave a mysterious little shrug and nodded without a word.

Ji Linglan furrowed her brow slightly, then said evenly, “You’re strong. I hope we get to fight.”

As she turned to leave, Ye Feng called out teasingly, “Aren’t you going to ask his name?”

Without glancing back, Ji Linglan replied coldly, “If he’s strong enough, I’ll naturally learn his name.”