Chapter 118: The Ranking Match

  I didn't originally plan to write these chapters, but since the characters were all mentioned in previous chapters, if I just glossed over them briefly, it would seem too shallow, so I continued writing, hoping everyone will keep reading.

  The remaining ten disciples were all shocked, not expecting Han Jiang to knock the opponent flying with one sword, completely without any power to fight back. But the more this happened, the deeper Chen Xuan's strength seemed to be. When everyone looked at Han Jiang, there were also a few pairs of eyes looking at Chen Xuan.

  Apart from Xiao Qiuyu, Chen Xuan is probably my greatest opponent this year. Although I haven't personally experienced Chen Xuan's knife technique, I can sense its power from Han Jiang's move earlier. At that time, the move was incredibly powerful, otherwise Han Jiang wouldn't have been left without even a chance to counterattack. Qian Kun thought to himself as he looked at Chen Xuan.

  Han Jiang walked down from the stage amidst everyone's shock, but there was no hint of joy on his face for defeating his opponent. He returned to his seat with a gloomy expression and rested for half an hour before the next match.

  The other four matches, although not as quick as Han Jiang's one-move victory, took nearly an hour to determine the winner. Ye Yun won this match, winning one round, and Han Jiang also won one round. Ji Wu Shang ended this match with a win as well. Half an hour passed quickly, and everyone had finished resting. The second match began, and all of them jumped onto the stage without any hesitation.

  The second match began quickly, and everyone's attention was once again focused on Han Jiang. This time, the opponent was much stronger than the previous one, let's see how Han Jiang would defeat his opponent.

  "I admit you're strong, but it's impossible for you to defeat me with just one move." said a disciple standing in front of Han Jiang.

  This disciple's ranking is much higher than the previous one, ranked tenth in the Sixteenth Peak. This time, because several dark horses emerged, even the tenth-ranked disciples did not enter the top ten.

  Han Jiang remained silent, his sword intent emanating from his body like a language, everything was expressed through the sword, and the five percent of sword intent continued to revolve around him.

  "Let me defeat you then!" The young man opposite saw that Han Jiang didn't respond to his meaning, and with a "brush" sound, the spiritual instrument in his hand opened up, surprisingly it was a fan, an extreme-grade spiritual instrument.

  The young man opposite him held a fan in his hand, made a left spin, and stepped on the Seven Stars to attack Han Jiang's face directly. The fan bones were all made of fine steel, emitting a cold iron air, and the whole person turned into a heavy virtual shadow. The fan in his hand was like a harvesting sickle, flying up and down, locking all the big holes in Hanjiang's body. Every move was extremely vicious and venomous.

  Han Jiang's long sword also moved at the moment his opponent launched a surprise attack. This time, he didn't directly thrust out with one sword, but instead re-formed the Firebird Formation. The myriad flying swords once again formed a gigantic firebird. When the firebird was fully formed, a scorching aura surged forth, and the young man opposite him felt as if he were about to be roasted alive.

  The young man saw the formation of the Firebird Sword Array by Han Jiang, and immediately changed his move. The fan in his hand did not choose to attack directly, but instead made a slanting stab at the beak of the firebird, wanting to break the firebird's sword array with one move.

  "Arrogant! Han Jiang let out a loud roar, possibly because his Firebird Formation had been broken through by Chen Xuan once before. Now everyone thought that the Firebird Formation could be easily broken, but Han Jiang's anger caused the formation's power to increase again. "The failure just now will be my lifelong shame. You also underestimate my Firebird Formation."

  The Firebird Formation changed again, the scorching aura deepened, and the young man opposite could no longer approach within a meter of the Firebird. Since he couldn't get close to attack, he switched to long-range attacks. The young man also transformed, his fan turning into dozens of iron bones, the fan fully opened, and the fan bones flew towards the Firebird with a sonic boom.

  Boom, dozens of fan bones collided head-on with the firebird, producing a huge roar. The scene everyone had expected did not appear, and the firebird array still stood upright on the stage, without being broken like when it fought Chen Xuan. On the other hand, the dozens of fan bones of the young man opposite were all knocked flying. Just as the fan bones were knocked flying, the firebird also charged towards the young man with a loud roar, its scorching breath almost roasting people directly.

  The young man opposite was shocked, the spiritual instrument in his hand had been knocked flying, and with bare fists it was impossible to block the giant firebird. The youth thought frantically, seeking a way to defeat the enemy. But the firebird didn't give him time to think, within a few breaths it was already within a foot of the young man;

  The phoenix let out a long, mournful cry, and the entire square was filled with its cries, carrying a sense of sorrow, regret, and loss. This was Han Jiang's emotional resonance, and the massive shockwave sent the young man flying off the stage, tossing him hundreds of meters away. One move, just one move had defeated his opponent. This time, Han Jiang had truly shocked everyone. If the previous match could be attributed to luck, this one was a display of true strength. With just one Phoenix Formation, he had sent the tenth-ranked Master Brother flying off the stage. Even some of the strong practitioners on the high platform showed expressions of regret. Such strength couldn't enter the top ten; it was truly a pity. Everyone thought this way, but the match couldn't be changed.

  Han Jiang defeated his opponent and glanced at Chen Xuan with a gloomy expression, but quickly withdrew his gaze. However, these actions did not escape Chen Xuan's notice. Chen Xuan was secretly sneering to himself, thinking that Han Jiang had already developed a murderous intent towards him. The fact that he had been defeated by Chen Xuan on the arena had fueled his hatred. But Chen Xuan thought to himself, "No matter, those who dare to defy me will never have a good ending."

  One hour later, this round ended again. This time, except for Han Jiang and Ye Yun's consecutive victories in two games, the other eight people were one win and one loss. After resting for half an hour, everyone got back on the stage. The third round was a real test. At this time, many people's spiritual power had begun to be severely depleted, making it difficult to hold on until the last round. However, the competition was like that, and there was no room for change. In the midst of life-and-death battles, these situations were unavoidable. Insufficient spiritual power was something that nobody could solve. Even absorbing Yuanling Dan to recover spiritual power wouldn't restore it to its peak state. Being able to recover to 70% was already a good effect.

  This round's opponent for Han Jiang was surprisingly the last-ranked disciple, not even ranked above the eldest senior brother of the Sixteen Peaks. The moment he stepped onto the stage and saw that his opponent was Han Jiang, he directly gave up on the match, didn't even have the courage to fight, and admitted defeat.

  Han Jiang politely excused himself and returned to his seat, looking towards the other four matches. In this match, Ye Yun's opponent was Ji Wu Shang. The two men's strengths were almost evenly matched, one ranked twelfth and the other ranked fourteenth, with little fluctuation. Ji Wu Shang held a red tassel spear, a weapon commonly used by women. This Ji Wu Shang actually used such a weapon, Chen Xuan thought to himself that he was indeed glass-like after all.

  Ye Yun stood with his sword, and three parts of the sword's intent were scattered. Seeing Han Jiang's five-part sword intent, Ye Yun's three-part sword intent seemed a bit inferior. However, anyone who can comprehend the sword's intent is a genius, not everyone can understand it. The difference lies in their opportunities - Han Jiang was personally taught by a master swordsman, while Ye Yun relied solely on his own intuition. If Ye Yun continues to develop like this, he may even have the chance to grasp the ultimate realm of the sword, surpassing mere sword intent and entering the realm of the sword's true essence. This is the ultimate goal for all those who practice the sword, and in Danxuan Gate, only the master of Qiankun Hall has reached this level. Perhaps Ye Yun will be able to achieve it in the future, as his comprehension of the sword intent was achieved through his own efforts, giving him a greater chance of reaching that threshold.

  "I didn't expect that we wouldn't make it to the top ten again this year, but you guys have produced a dark horse in Mount Shanyue, and even if you can't enter the top ten, your ranking will still be greatly improved. Last year I defeated you, but it seems like you've come prepared this time, and your strength has increased several times over last year."

  "Not bad, last year we lost to you and Luoyun Fei, and Lian Shanfeng only ranked 14th, but this year I will win back. Although no matter how hard I try, I won't be able to change Lian Shanfeng's ranking, but I will fight with my honor, I won't give up any match." Ye Yun said confidently

  "I like your personality, but your strength has increased, and mine has also risen a lot. You want to win me? It's probably very difficult" Ji Wushang said with a soft smile.

  Ji Wushang put on a gentle and charming appearance to everyone, but Ye Yun's heart was filled with disdain. However, considering they were fellow disciples and siblings under the same master, she didn't show it too obviously.

  "After fighting, I finally know that this year I will win back all the matches I lost last year. Lu Yunfei has already been eliminated, so let's start." Ye Yun said, drawing his long sword and thrusting it straight at Ji Wu, who was holding a red tassel.