"Hoo!"
Lingxiao was defeated; a portion of the Dragon Qi flowed into Li Zhexiong, seemingly extending the Little Loach Dragon Soul above his head!
"I accept your concession."
Li Zhexiong sheathed his sword, his expression shifting from hollow and emotionless back to bewildered as he spoke softly.
Having said that, he flickered and returned to his Secluded Dragon Platform.
"How is this possible..."
Lingxiao still hadn't recovered from the astonishing and decisive sword strike of Li Zhexiong's earlier.
He reached to touch his neck.
There was a damp sensation, and his neck also felt a tingling pain.
He raised his hand to see a smear of blood...
Just a little more.
He nearly got killed in one strike by this Li Zhexiong, whom he had always looked down upon!
If not for Li Zhexiong showing mercy, he might really have lost his head!
Only now did a wave of fear and panic surge through Lingxiao's heart!
This guy was a dark horse as well!
At this moment, the crowd also came to their senses from their shock, their gazes toward Li Zhexiong filled with wariness.
Lingxiao's strength ranked within the top ten among the nearly twenty Heaven's Pride competing in the Ascending Dragon battle, yet he was defeated in one strike by this obscure and unimpressive elder!
Isn't that to say, if Li Zhexiong were to face them, even if he couldn't defeat them in one blow, he could still beat them with a few more strikes?
'What a terrifying Intent Domain!'
Only Ji Changxin discerned the terrifying Selfless State contained within Li Zhexiong's sword strike!
Mu Jinyu's eyes also flashed as he thought to himself: 'This old fellow truly lives up to his reputation as the former number one on the Divine Rankings. He once, at the Seventh Layer of the Divinity Transformation Realm, killed a Fanxu Realm expert. Now having reached the Fifth Layer of the Fanxu Realm, he's indeed stronger!'
"Buzz!"
All too soon, the Dragon Qi within everyone's bodies began to stir again.
The Ascending Dragon Platform was about to select the next opponents for the duel.
"Boom!"
At that moment, Lingxiao, still on the Ascending Dragon Platform, his own Dragon Qi boiled up once again, indicating he had been chosen by the platform again!
"Boom!"
Meanwhile, the Loach Dragon Soul above Ye Wushuang's head also soared with overwhelming Dragon Qi!
"Didn't expect it, Senior just defeated you, and now it's my turn to take you down!"
Ye Wushuang sneered, casting a sideways glance at Mu Jinyu filled with killing intent, before striding onto the Ascending Dragon Platform!
Lingxiao quickly calmed down.
Although the current situation seemed like a consecutive battle, having quickly lost to Li Zhexiong before, he hadn't actually expended much Essence, Qi, and Spirit, remaining in top condition!
Thus, he wasn't afraid to face off against Ye Wushuang!
Soon, the two of them started the duel!
Though Ye Wushuang was only at the Sixth Layer of the Fanxu Realm, having seen Li Zhexiong at the Fifth Layer defeat Lingxiao with one strike, no one dared to underestimate Ye Wushuang!
Sure enough.
Initially, Ye Wushuang was at an absolute disadvantage in the fight with Lingxiao.
But as time went by, Ye Wushuang gradually began to gain the upper hand.
On the other hand, Lingxiao, battling Ye Wushuang, appeared like a small white flower in a storm, constantly showing signs of being torn apart.
"What's happening?"
"What's going on with Lingxiao? Why is he falling into disadvantage so quickly and finding it increasingly difficult to withstand the opponent's Sword Momentum?"
Gu Rulong, Xuanyuan Qianqiu, and Chen Huaiyu all watched with bewilderment.
Ji Changxin then spoke up, "It's because the opponent's Cultivation Body is unusual; it can absorb Lingxiao's Sword Qi to strengthen itself, thus making it more daring in battle, and despite Lingxiao starting at a disadvantage and failing to seize the opponent, he gradually falls into decline!"
Upon hearing Ji Changxin's insight, everyone observed the duel on the Ascending Dragon Platform with care.
They quickly realized that, indeed as Ji Changxin said, Lingxiao's fearsome Sword Qi couldn't harm Ye Wushuang; instead, Ye Wushuang absorbed it, making his momentum stronger and more daring with each battle!
"What's happening?"
"What Cultivation Method is he using?"
Ji Changxin pondered for a moment, "It should be the long-lost 'Swallowing Yuan Sword Body'!"
"'Swallowing Yuan Sword Body'? What kind of cultivation method is this?" someone curiously asked.
Ji Changxin replied, "'Swallowing Yuan Sword Body' is a cultivation method where one must first destroy one's Dantian, replacing it with a Life Spirit Sword, transforming oneself into a sword, and with the sword as one's spirit to practice. Hence, it restrains all Sword Techniques. Without absolute dominance to overcome a practitioner of the 'Swallowing Yuan Sword Body,' any Sword Cultivator entangled with its practitioner will find no advantage whatsoever!"
"What?"
Everyone, digesting Ji Changxin's explanation, realized that Ye Wushuang's performance was indeed similar to the 'Swallowing Yuan Sword Body.'"
Swaying, everyone remarked, "To train with this requires destroying one's Dantian first; that's quite ruthless!"
"Perhaps it wasn't a voluntary destruction, but rather his Dantian was destroyed, forced to switch to this cultivation method..."
"But reaching this stage of cultivation is quite impressive!"
"Fortunately, I'm not primarily a sword technique practitioner, otherwise, facing off against him might be troublesome!"
Some were glad, while others worried.
Those joyful were naturally not primary sword technique practitioners; they hoped Ye Wushuang would defeat Lingxiao to lighten their burden of top competitors.
Conversely, those worried were like Lingxiao, dedicated to sword techniques.
If even the senior apprentice from the Lingxiao Sword Sect struggled against Ye Wushuang, can they really win?
Mu Jinyu's eyes flashed with animosity.
"'Swallowing Yuan Sword Body'? So this explains it... I was wondering how you could still remain vigorous after I destroyed your Dantian!"
"However..."
"Even if you switched to 'Swallowing Yuan Sword Body,' so what? I defeated you before, destroyed your Dantian; if faced again, I could do it again, or even kill you!"
With this in mind, Mu Jinyu felt killing intent rising within him!
Ye Wushuang had nearly killed Jian Ruyan, ultimately causing Jian Ruyan and Wen Rou to swap bodies, a grudge Mu Jinyu has never forgotten!
As he believed restoring the girls' bodies was more pressing than his grudge with Ye Wushuang, he hadn't initially sought revenge!
But with Ye Wushuang now daring to jump under his nose, he didn't mind ending this lingering grievance!
"Puff!"
It was then Lingxiao made a misstep, seized by Ye Wushuang's opportunity, hurled off the Ascending Dragon Platform in one strike.
After which, the Dragon Soul atop his head shuddered, apportioning a part of the Dragon Ki to surge toward Ye Wushuang's Dragon Soul!
With a further diminishing share of Dragon Ki, Lingxiao's Dragon Soul dimmed to the bleakest, perhaps one or two more losses and he'd be quietly exiting the Hidden Dragon Conference!
"I accept your concession!"
Ye Wushuang sheathed his sword, bluntly said, his gaze wrapped with assassination intent at Mu Jinyu, sneering, then returning to his Secluded Dragon Platform.
Despondent, Lingxiao drifted away.
"Buzz!!"
The Secluded Dragon Platform commenced its selection of dueling opponents once more.
This time it turned out to be Ji Changxin against another member from a Noble Family.
Without a sliver of doubt, Ji Changxin asserted dominance without showcasing much prowess, effortlessly defeating his opponent.
Allowing his Great Ran Dragon Soul to become even more magnificent.
"Buzz!!"
At this moment, the Four-Clawed Jiao Dragon Soul above Mu Jinyu's head suddenly blazed in golden radiance.
It was finally his turn to compete!
The present crowd tensed in anxiety at the sight.