"What was that? What kind of technique did the Sword Fairy use?"
"Nothing. It's her Sword Intent hacking through his body!"
The crowd erupted in excitement. Even some of the more battle-hardened cultivators found themselves marveling at Jiang Jianxin's speed.
Meanwhile, Elder Hu Zhen gritted his teeth. The cut on his sleeve was shallow, barely grazing his skin. His wound didn't hurt him but Jiang Jianxin's speed truly baffled him.
His face darkened, but instead of retreating, he let out a guttural laugh.
"Hah! Is this all? You dance around like a butterfly, but do you have the strength to break my defenses?"
He smacked his chest with his free hand and a metallic clang resounded through the arena.
The sound was unnatural, like someone striking an armored plate.
The disciples of the Ironclad Blood Sect smirked.
"Oh! That's our Elder's [Ironblood Body Refinement Technique]! His body is now tougher than spirit-grade armor!"
"He let himself get cut to make a point. Sword Intent is nothing in front of absolute defense!"
"Hah! Let's see how long that fairy can dance!"
Hu Zhen stomped forward again. His saber was wreathed in a thick, oppressive force, its blood-colored energy swirling menacingly with his Saber Intent.
Since the Sword Fairy made it a point to attack him with her Sword Intent, he's aiming to show which one was superior.
Rather than a single calculated strike, he unleashed a flurry of rapid, crushing blows. Each swing of his saber left afterimages in the air which would then chase after the Sword Fairy, cutting through her own afterimages as she gracefully flitted across the stage.
The weight of his attacks caused the arena floor to tremble. And the force of his strikes sent waves of energy crashing against the formation barriers.
Lin Mo, who was standing below, couldn't help but take a step back. He was still an ant compared to the two expert cultivators battling it out atop the stage.
Even without the use of the store's products, their fight had already surpassed what Yan Wei and Zhou Rui showcased two days ago.
Watching the wave of Saber Intent coming at her, Jiang Jianxin remained unfazed.
She stepped back, her movements remaining as smooth as a flowing water, dodging each swing with the precision of a master calligrapher painting their masterpiece.
The gap between them was like a thin sheet of ice, barely a breath's width apart but it was always just enough.
Then, she retaliated.
Three strikes of her sword in an instant.
One across his chest.
Each cut was shallow yet precise, like a swordsman accurately poking through holes of their opponent's armor.
As the Ironclad Blood Sect Elder's blood got drawn again, the audience cheered for the Sword Fairy's excellence.
"She's playing with him!"
"No, not just that. She's also probing his technique. She's studying the weaknesses of his Ironblood Body Refinement."
Retreating a few steps, Hu Zhen scowled. He was unwilling to lose face so quickly.
With a growl, he activated another martial technique.
His body seemed to swell as his veins bulged before a layer of thick, iron-like spiritual energy covered his skin, turning it red.
His spiritual pressure intensified, exuding the presence of an indomitable force.
"[Iron Tyrant Body]!" Someone from the audience exclaimed. "That's one of the Ironclad Blood Sect's secret techniques! It makes him almost invulnerable to sword strikes! If he's using that with his own Body Refinement Technique, Sword Fairy's sword strikes might not be able to cut a dent anymore!"
A sneer formed on Hu Zhen's face. "Let's see you cut through this, little fairy."
The bleeding from his cut wounds immediately stopped and closed as if it was never there at all.
Following that, his spiritual energy surged causing an almost suffocating pressure to surround his opponent.
Jiang Jianxin narrowed her eyes but still chose to not respond. Instead, she took another step forward, raising her sword at an angle.
The next exchange was like a storm. Hu Zhen swung his saber with overwhelming power, each strike enough to split a boulder in two. Yet Jiang Jianxin's movements remained light and flowing, her sword slipping through the smallest openings.
She never clashed directly, only redirecting, slicing at weak points, and wearing down his defenses with pinpoint accuracy.
To the spectators, it felt as if they were witnessing a battle between a raging beast and a graceful crane dancing through a typhoon.
With this, Hu Zhen's frustration grew.
No matter how much force he exerted, he couldn't land a solid hit on Jiang Jianxin. His iron-hardened body began accumulating thin cuts, none fatal but enough to chip away at his confidence.
"Am I truly this inferior against her?" Doubt started clouding his mind.
However, that was only for a moment as Elder Hu Zhen gritted his teeth before sneering.
"Hah! You can cut me a hundred times, and it won't matter if your blade can't break through!"
With a deafening roar, his saber lit up with a sinister glow.
"[Crimson Fang Execution]!"
A sudden burst of energy exploded outward, forcing Jiang Jianxin to leap back.
Hu Zhen's entire body pulsed with a dark red radiance, and his veins bulged as if his very blood had turned into molten steel.
The audience members felt their chests tighten.
"What is this aura…?"
"His physical strength has increased again!"
Lin Mo's eyes gleamed. "Oh? So he's burning his blood essence to enhance his power?"
Liu Xiaoyu, from her betting stall, let out a whistle. "He's getting desperate."
Indeed, Elder Hu Zhen was using a secret technique of the Ironclad Blood Sect. By igniting a portion of his blood essence, he could temporarily skyrocket his physical attributes.
It was a trump card—but one with severe consequences.
Jiang Jianxin narrowed her eyes. She understood that he had abandoned his defenses for a moment of fierce aggression.
Then, she adjusted her grip.
A sense of stillness fell over the battlefield.
For the first time since the match began, she shifted her stance into a more aggressive posture.
Then as the ripple of Sword Intent spread from her body, she let go of her sword, allowing it to circle around her, a hint of her spiritual energy connecting his fingers to the hilt of the sword.
She's now showcasing a more advanced technique than her Sword Intent.
The [Flying Sword Technique]. Despite its name, it's an advanced sword technique that requires one to comprehend their own Sword Will.
The moment she waved her hand, everyone felt it.
Time seemed to slow yet her floating sword shot through the space in a blink of an eye.
A single, peerless sword stroke.
A horizontal line of silver light cut across Hu Zhen's charging form.
Hu Zhen's saber, still mid-swing, froze in place.
His smirk faltered as a single, thin line of blood appeared across his torso.
Then, with a loud clang, his saber fell from his grip.
Hu Zhen staggered back, clutching his bleeding chest.
The audience roared fervently.
"One strike! She ended it in one decisive blow!"
Jiang Jianxin exhaled slowly as the floating sword returned to her hand.
She looked down at the kneeling Elder Hu Zhen and said a word for the first time since their duel began while pointing the tip of her sword at his neck in a single, elegant motion, "Do you yield?"