WHOOSH-! WHOOSH-! WHOOSH-!
Lu Xiangyuan's figure blurred again, faster than before, flickering across the stage like a phantom.
He bounced from spot to spot-left, right, high, low-changing directions so rapidly that even his afterimages left afterimages.
(I will increase my speed to the point that he can't react even if he is able to predict my attack.)
This ti, he ca from the front.
A suicidal angle for most, but the last direction anyone would anticipate-from right in front of Bai Zihan's gaze.
A cruel grin twisted on Lu Xiangyuan's face.
(THERE! React to THIS if you can-!)
He thrust forward, sword trembling with speed enough to split the air-
SLAP!!!
Another crisp, rciless sound cracked across the arena.
Then-
BOOOOM-!!
Lu Xiangyuan was sent flying again, flipping in midair before slamming onto the tiles face-first.
"...He... he got slapped again..."
"No way! That makes two... TWO slaps... And Bai Zihan doesn't seem to take this seriously."
"Why did Lu Xiangyuan even decide to attack from the front? Doesn't he know that Bai Zihan is also very fast?"
The elders stared blankly. After all, they acknowledged Bai Zihan's speed and would have absolutely avoided attacking from the front, which is far easier to counterattack than striking from behind.
To say the least, it was a reckless gamble for Lu Xiangyuan, who thought he could catch Bai Zihan off guard by doing so.
Lu Xiangyuan was once again dumbfounded. Once might be luck, but twice?
"And why does a damn slap hurt so much?"
Lu Xiangyuan realized sothing strange. Bai Zihan's slap hurt so much that it reminded him of the ti before he had started cultivating.
After cultivating and becoming strong, such pain usually ca only from powerful techniques, not a re slap.
It wasn't only because of Bai Zihan's superior strength or the fact that he strengthened his hand with qi-it was the timing,
Right before one launched a full-speed attack, their qi briefly shifted forward, leaving gaps.
Normally, these gaps lasted so little ti they were irrelevant.
But if the gap between two fighters was vast, one could exploit it to deliver a counterattack far stronger than normal defenses could withstand.
When Lu Xiangyuan attacked, Bai Zihan struck at the single instant when his qi was most unbalanced-right before impact.
A perfect counter!
A slap at that mont hurt more than a heavy punch.
This was why Lu Xiangyuan felt pain that exceeded even when taking direct hits from stronger attacks.
Lu Xiangyuan's hands trembled as he tried to rise, humiliation burning hotter than the pain.
His ears still rang from the second slap. His cheek burned as if branded with fire.
But the worst pain wasn't physical-It was the creeping, suffocating realization.
(His speed... is comparable to mine... No-faster?)
His pride shattered piece by piece, each fragnt stabbing deeper into his chest.
"No... no... that's impossible..."
He clenched his teeth so hard they creaked.
(I am Lu Xiangyuan... the fastest Spirit Severing cultivator below Void
Refinent... No... no matter what, I can still win!)
His trembling stopped. His rage steadied. Resolve-twisted, desperate-lit in his eyes.
"So what if your speed is great?"
He spat, voice cracking.
"You think that's enough to beat ?"
He slamd his sword into the ground.
The air shook.
Gasps rippled through the arena.
"That's...!"
"He's using that technique!?"
"A Heaven Sword Sect Earth-Grade movent art-Heavenly Soaring Steps!"
The ground fractured beneath Lu Xiangyuan's feet as light gathered around him, compressing, condensing-his body becoming impossibly light, his qi surging to its peak.
"Heavenly Soaring Steps!"
Lu Xiangyuan's speed skyrocketed.
His figure blurred-
Then vanished.
WHOOSH!!!
A sonic boom exploded as he reappeared behind Bai Zihan-no, in front-no, above-
Even the Void Refinent elders had to focus intensely just to track flashes of his presence.
"This is Lu Xiangyuan's full power!"
"He's even faster than before!"
Then-
Lu Xiangyuan's voice tore through the air, dripping with murderous determination:
"Bai Zihan-LET'S SEE YOU IF YOU CAN SURPASS THIS!!"
He struck.
A full-power, Earth-Grade, speed-amplified thrust-so fast the sword beca a streak of light, space distorting around it.
He felt victory. Certain. Absolute.
Not only was this one of the highest-grade movent speed techniques, Lu
Xiangyuan had also achieved greater mastery over it, making him the fastest cultivator at his realm.
"Nine Shadows Flowing Light Sword!"
Bai Zihan used the technique-but without a sword, it was naturally incomplete.
He didn't need full offense. He only needed the speed.
Bai Zihan had no intention of ending the fight quickly.
If he wanted, Lu Xiangyuan would already be unconscious. But this wasn't about speed or victory-it was about teaching a lesson.
Lu Xiangyuan-and by extension, the Anti-Sect Leader Faction-had touched his bottom line.
Bai Zihan intended to make this brutal and unforgettable.
He didn't care about the Heaven Sword Sect's politics, nor the Anti-Sect
Leader Faction's sches.
They had chosen him as their target. That was enough.
He would humiliate Lu Xiangyuan-not rely defeat him, but shatter his confidence in the very skill he prided himself on: his speed.
WHOOSH-WHOOSH-WHOOSH-!
The arena beca a blur of afterimages. Even the Void Refinent elders struggled to track them.
Lu Xiangyuan's figure flickered like lightning, moving with the full force of Heavenly Soaring Steps, his speed amplified beyond anything he had achieved.
(At last... now I can surpass him!)
He thought, teeth gritted.
But he had forgotten one crucial fact.
The Bai Clan-renowned for combat cultivation and strategic mastery- possessed techniques unmatched in speed.
Nine Shadows Flowing Light Sword, mostly known for its fast and unpredictable attack, required incredible movent speed for full potential.
And Bai Zihan had mastered it.
Lu Xiangyuan's advantage lay in Heavenly Soaring Steps being purely a movent technique, amplifying speed without relying on attack.
Theoretically, this could match the movent component of Nine Shadows
Flowing Light.
But Bai Zihan's base speed had already far exceeded Lu Xiangyuan's. Even with the technique, Lu Xiangyuan could only hope to keep pace-not surpass. A storm of qi exploded across the stage as the two collided. Their afterimages intertwined and multiplied-a hundred afterimages moving faster than the eye could follow. The arena itself seed to quake under the force of their clash.
Lu Xiangyuan's sword arced, streaking with golden light. Every movent carried the fury of his Heaven Sword Sect training, designed to overwhelm. But Bai Zihan was already there-always a step ahead, always in the perfect position.
SLAP!!!
A crisp, rciless sound tore through the chaos.
Lu Xiangyuan's world spun.
He tumbled uncontrollably, slamming onto the arena tiles with a force that made the crowd gasp.
Dust exploded outward-another reminder of Bai Zihan's supremacy. Even the most elders struggled to track what had happened-Both of their speed was too fast for them to judge.
However, the result spoke for itself. Bai Zihan was too fast for Lu Xiangyuan and the outco remained the sa after both of them used their Techniques.
Lu Xiangyuan groaned, the sting of Bai Zihan's palm igniting fire along his cheek.
(How... How can this be? Even with Heavenly Soaring Steps... I am still slower...
I cannot...!)
But deep in his pride, a stubborn defiance refused to die.
"I... I can still win!"
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