Chapter 16: Unexpected Victory and Hidden Strengths

The scene unfolding on the arena forced the Grand Elder to close his eyes.

The other elders, too, shook their heads with a sigh.

To them, the outcome of this duel was already a foregone conclusion.

Mu Xianxian, observing from the side, murmured softly:

“Yueyao’s heart has become troubled.”

On the arena.

A sudden sense of overwhelming danger, assailing him from all directions, caused Qin Yangjun to falter.

‘Slaying Immortals, Departing from the Mortal Realm…’

‘This diverged from the book’s narrative. Why had Yueyao immediately unleashed her ultimate technique?’

‘He knew his Heavenly Gang Sword Art was incredibly fierce and dominant, perfectly capable of withstanding an opponent one minor cultivation rank above him; its only true weakness lay in a lack of sustained power.’

‘Given that she was already a full rank above him, she merely needed to prolong the fight for another two or three exchanges. As his spiritual energy dwindled further, her victory would become effortlessly assured.’

‘The Yueyao of the book had executed this strategy flawlessly, yet now…’

With no time left for doubt, Qin Yangjun hastily circulated his spiritual energy.

A vivid bolt of lightning coiled around his wooden sword, while crackling arcs of electricity shimmered in the air around him. Qin Yangjun channeled every last wisp of his spiritual energy, knowing that to hold back even a sliver of power in this strike would spell his defeat.

“Slaying Immortals!” Yueyao cried out, her voice a sharp, clear peal. Her once ethereal form accelerated in an instant, morphing into a blinding streak of sword light. Simultaneously, the swirling mist on the arena floor coalesced into countless threads of sword qi. This unified torrent of sword light and sword qi surged relentlessly towards Qin Yangjun.

At that very moment, Qin Yangjun’s own power accumulation reached its peak. Gripping his wooden sword with all his might, he unleashed a fierce roar!

“Startling Thunderclap!”

Qin Yangjun, transforming into a flash of lightning, vanished from his original position.

The very next second, lightning and sword qi violently converged in the arena’s heart, erupting in a blinding, pallid flash.

For a fleeting moment, the watching disciples below were utterly dazzled, unable to keep their eyes open against the fierce brilliance.

As the blinding light receded, a colossal crater marred the very center of the training ground.

Countless sword marks crisscrossed the torn earth, and within the ravaged ground, faint arcs of electricity still pulsed and flickered.

Qin Yangjun stood resolute in the arena’s core, while Yueyao remained with her back turned to him.

Beneath their feet lay the splintered fragments of what was once a wooden sword.

Yueyao’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, for at the final crucial instant, she had distinctly sensed that Qin Yangjun’s spiritual energy was marginally weaker than her own. His ability to endure that strike was purely a testament to the aggressive might of his sword art.

Before she could even turn, Qin Yangjun’s carefree voice drifted from directly behind her.

“As expected of you, Junior Sister,” Qin Yangjun remarked, “the might of that sword strike truly rivals an attack from an early Nascent Soul (TL Note: A cultivation realm.) stage cultivator, wouldn’t you agree?”

Though Qin Yangjun maintained an air of serene composure, the truth was that the preceding exchange had thoroughly depleted his strength; he now found it difficult even to remain standing.

Yet, for reasons beyond his comprehension, a fresh surge of spiritual energy began to course through his veins moments after his previous reserves had been utterly depleted.

This newfound spiritual energy, however, was so meager that it couldn’t even sustain Qin Yangjun enough to make a single movement.

In fact, his Sea of Qi (TL Note: The dantian, a vital energy center in the body.) struggled to contain this fragile influx of spiritual energy, leaving him no choice but to let it slowly dissipate.

At this very moment, Yueyao could effortlessly send him flying with merely a light touch.

Nevertheless, he had resigned himself to his fate; it was, after all, an honorable duel, and he would not be losing unjustly.

‘Would conceding be a more dignified exit than being knocked clean off the stage?’

As Qin Yangjun was caught in his thoughts, Yueyao turned to face him, and in the very next second, her expression subtly changed.

She had seen that Qin Yangjun was inexplicably radiating spiritual energy, and what struck her most was that this energy shimmered with a distinct golden hue.

This was a manifestation of spiritual energy she had never before encountered from him.

She knew that sometimes, a shift in spiritual energy heralded the prelude to a new technique.

‘Does he still possess residual strength?’

A bitter smile touched her lips, quickly followed by a sense of profound relief.

‘He truly had a trump card up his sleeve.’ With the wooden sword now shattered, she acknowledged her inferiority in close-quarters combat against Qin Yangjun’s formidable Dao Body.

The sword strike she had just unleashed had, at a minimum, depleted seventy percent of her spiritual power. A technique of such magnitude meant she simply could not execute a second strike.

There was no longer any need for her to continue this battle.

With a soft sigh, Yueyao turned and bowed respectfully to Qin Yangjun.

“Senior Brother, you flatter me,” Yueyao said with a gentle smile. “Compared to you, Yueyao still falls far short. This round, Yueyao has been defeated. I… concede.”

“Huh?”

Qin Yangjun froze, caught completely off guard. He had been on the verge of uttering those very three words: ‘I concede.’

Yet, his opponent had spoken them first.

Clap! Clap!…

A few soft claps drifted down from above. Mu Xianxian began applauding with a gentle smile, and soon after, several elders followed suit, joining in the applause.

The referee below, jolted from his stunned silence, quickly moved to announce the outcome.

“Yueyao concedes! Qin Yangjun is victorious!”

No sooner had the referee’s voice faded than a thunderous roar of applause erupted from the crowd below the arena.

“Long live Grand Senior Brother!”

“Grand Senior Brother is truly incredible!”

“To think, Grand Senior Brother still had a hidden move, even after all that!”

“Grand Senior Brother is truly deserving of the title, Chief of the Heavenly Ranking.”

“That’s right, Chief!”

“Chief!”

“Chief!”

“Chief!”

“…”

The synchronized cheers echoed ceaselessly, while Hua Yaoyao, standing below, had gone absolutely wild, frantically shaking Qian Xiaoyu’s shoulders and continuously muttering.

“Grand Senior Brother! He won! He won! He actually won!!”

Unbeknownst to her, with her cultivation at the peak of Foundation Establishment, a half-step into the Golden Core (TL Note: Cultivation realms) realm, her full-force shaking was something the mere Qi Condensation (TL Note: A cultivation realm) realm cultivator Qian Xiaoyu simply couldn’t resist. Qian Xiaoyu was being shaken so vigorously that she became a mere blur.

It was Yu Lingyue, standing nearby, who finally noticed and quickly intervened, halting Hua Yaoyao’s frenzied actions.

Freed from Hua Yaoyao’s ‘toxic grip,’ Qian Xiaoyu’s legs instantly gave out, sending her to her knees. She braced herself with all fours, then promptly vomited.

Hua Yaoyao rushed to help her up.

“I… I’m so sorry… Junior Sister, are you alright?”

Meanwhile, below the stage, Cheng Lieqing lowered his head.

‘He’d never imagined Qin Yangjun harbored such profound hidden strength. It seemed he would have to meet with their insider tomorrow to discuss new countermeasures…’

With that thought, Cheng Lieqing took two steps back, turned, and vanished into the bustling crowd.

Meanwhile, on the arena, Qin Yangjun was still somewhat dazed, primarily because he truly hadn’t anticipated Yueyao’s concession.

“Honestly, I never anticipated such a conclusion,” Qin Yangjun confessed. “I barely managed to endure that last sword strike of yours. Had we continued, it’s quite possible Junior Sister would have emerged victorious.”

Yueyao merely offered a faint smile. Even now, Qin Yangjun was still thoughtfully considering her reputation, deliberately feigning an air of extreme struggle.

‘It seemed she had truly misjudged him in the past. This Senior Brother of hers was far from the pathetic figure she had once imagined.’

“Grand Senior Brother, you speak too highly,” Yueyao responded, her smile widening. “Yueyao accepts this defeat wholeheartedly.”

“Heh… Is that so?”

Qin Yangjun let out two dry laughs, feeling incredibly guilty at that moment.

Though he had no idea why Yueyao harbored such a misunderstanding, a victory was a victory, and that was all that mattered.

He would now have an opportunity to battle the protagonist before they had fully developed.

And so, Qin Yangjun, somewhat bewildered, managed to retain his position as the Chief Disciple of the Qiankun Sect.

Next came the reward ceremony. The top three on the Heavenly Ranking were all entitled to rewards: they could personally select cultivation techniques or weapons from the sect’s treasury.

While these rewards might be invaluable to others,

They held little significance for Qin Yangjun, who already had unrestricted access to the treasury.

He had already mastered most of the Qiankun Sect’s ultimate techniques.

Moreover, he understood the principle of ‘biting off more than one can chew.’ His current focus was squarely on mastering the one technique, one art, and one method etched within his memory.

As for elixirs and strength-enhancing pills, consuming too many could destabilize one’s Dao foundation, potentially hindering future cultivation.

Therefore, for him, these rewards were little more than a formality.

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