Chapter Thirty-Seven: Swift Victory

Before he could finish speaking, Li Sibai had already channeled his inner energy into the Xuantian Sword. At this moment, the sword was enveloped in a golden glow, with red points of light flaring up along its surface.

Li Sibai darted forward with lightning speed, executing the Xuantian Sword technique, "White Rainbow Piercing the Sun," aimed straight at Shi Tou.

Shi Tou, who had never cared much for this so-called useless outer disciple, hadn’t even considered Li Sibai a threat. But now, seeing the jet-black sword in Li Sibai’s hand suddenly blaze with golden light, he was caught off guard, thinking, “Could this sword be some kind of treasure?” Yet he had no time for further speculation as Li Sibai’s sword light was already upon him. Shi Tou hurriedly activated his protective aura of true energy, shielding himself, then raised his refined steel sword to block the Xuantian Sword. But his defense was futile; though Shi Tou was stronger, the Xuantian Sword was ponderous and formidable—the mere weight of its blade was overwhelming, not to mention Li Sibai’s own strength behind it.

Li Sibai’s move was a feint, designed to test Shi Tou’s reaction: should Shi Tou dare to meet it head-on, Li Sibai was ready for a clash; if not, he had follow-up maneuvers prepared. Thus, he held back slightly, using about eighty percent of his strength.

A resounding “bang!” echoed through the air, startling everyone present.

Shi Tou staggered back five steps before regaining his balance, while Li Sibai only retreated a single pace. Seizing that moment, Li Sibai propelled himself forward again, launching another Xuantian Sword technique, “Qi Like a Rainbow,” straight for Shi Tou’s chest.

After taking Li Sibai’s initial blow, Shi Tou was visibly shaken. He hadn’t expected Li Sibai’s strength to be so immense, nor the sword to be so heavy; beads of sweat broke out across his forehead. But in the blink of an eye, he had no time to strategize—Li Sibai’s Xuantian Sword was already at his chest. Shi Tou tried to employ the same cunning he had used against Zhang Ze, attempting to dodge and neutralize the attack’s force. As he moved to deflect the blade lightly, Li Sibai saw through his intent and refused to repeat Zhang Ze’s mistake. The “Qi Like a Rainbow” technique transformed from a direct strike into a deceptive move, the Xuantian Sword crashing down upon Shi Tou’s steel blade.

Shi Tou had no time to evade, and another thunderous “bang!” rang out.

Again, Shi Tou staggered back five steps, nearly losing his footing.

Now perilously close to the edge of the arena, Shi Tou felt a chill of impending danger.

Li Sibai, never one to relinquish the initiative, pressed his advantage. Instead of stepping back after his strike, he moved forward with even greater speed, unleashing another “Qi Like a Rainbow,” this time even faster, again targeting Shi Tou’s chest.

Shi Tou realized he could not withstand this blow—taking it would mean being knocked out of the arena. Unable to neutralize the attack with finesse, he saw that Li Sibai was well-prepared, his techniques ever-changing despite relying on the thirty basic Xuantian Sword forms, wielded with uncanny mastery and infinite variation.

Shi Tou steeled himself, abandoning any further deliberation. In a flash, he resolved to meet the attack head-on with his protective aura, simultaneously thrusting his steel sword at Li Sibai’s throat—a desperate move, risking everything.

The disciples below watched in trepidation, cries of alarm rising.

Elder Yun An, observing the dangerous exchange, grunted in concern, knowing that such attacks could easily lead to mutual injury.

Mo Yun remained calm. Though he hadn’t had a chance to spar with Li Sibai since returning, he chose to trust in Li Sibai and the conviction in his heart.

Shi Tou calculated carefully; his advantage lay in his protective aura. Attacking Li Sibai’s throat was meant to force him to abandon his offense, giving Shi Tou a chance to breathe. If Li Sibai pressed on, he would surely die, while Shi Tou’s aura would shield him from serious harm.

He believed any rational person would not risk everything; this would give him an opportunity to turn the tables.

Li Sibai saw that Shi Tou was willing to gamble his life. If he retreated now, he would lose his advantage completely, and his plan for a swift victory would be ruined.

Without hesitation, Li Sibai changed his footwork suddenly, his body seeming to retreat, dodging Shi Tou’s lethal thrust.

Shi Tou was overjoyed, thinking, “This kid has some sense after all.”

But he didn’t realize that as Li Sibai twisted away, Shi Tou had already begun to withdraw his sword, when Li Sibai spun around, the Xuantian Sword following his movement, executing “Light Through Shadow,” sending the blade straight for Shi Tou’s chest once more.

Shi Tou had no time to counter; in haste, he merely managed to hold his steel sword horizontally across his chest.

A loud “bang!” sounded, followed by the thud of footsteps, then a crash and a cry, “Ow!”

Shi Tou had been knocked off the arena.

His steel sword was sent flying into the air, spinning before plunging into the stage.

His protective aura had been shattered as well.

Clutching his chest, Shi Tou groaned, unable to help himself—blood welled up and spilled from his lips.

A roar erupted from the crowd of disciples below.

Before Elder Yun An could announce the result, the audience broke into heated discussion.

“What just happened? How did that useless outer disciple get so powerful?”

“No way! I placed a hundred Xuantian Jade Clear Pills on Shi Tou—this is a huge loss!”

“Did I imagine it? Did Li Sibai really win?”

“Bah! Shi Tou is pathetic, worse than me. Did he lose on purpose? Was he bribed by Li Sibai?”

“He must have thrown the match—give us our money back!”

Disciples who had lost their bets started protesting, unable to find the bookie, who had already slipped away. Their anger turned towards Shi Tou.

“Tell us, were you fighting a sham battle?”

“Did Li Sibai buy you off?”

“That’s right, hand back my Xuantian Jade Clear Pills!”

Elder Yun An stepped onto the stage, seeing the situation getting out of hand, and quickly instructed a few inner disciples to help bring Shi Tou up to the platform.

Sweeping his gaze over the betting disciples, he asked, “Did anyone place wagers?”

Though Elder Yun An was usually gentle, his look silenced everyone.

The sect’s rules were well known—while everyone tacitly accepted gambling, if it was exposed, expulsion would follow.

Seeing no one dared to speak, Elder Yun An declared, “The winner is Li Sibai!”