The fight escalated rapidly.
Xiao Ling attacked like a darting shadow, small but impossibly fast. Each movent was aid at ng Bai's vital points, her little spear always slipping through openings with frightening precision.
The spectators quickly changed from amused to alard.
"That is not a normal child..."
"Her killing intent just flashed for a second."
"She is using lethal techniques. What kind of girl is this?"
Lin Mu's group watched intently.
Cattaleya leaned forward with wide eyes. "Is she monster disguised as a doll?"
Elyon's eyes narrowed as he examined her steps and the subtle rhythm in her attacks. Finally he spoke up.
"She is not simple at all."
Lin Mu glanced at him. "What do you see?"
Elyon lowered his voice. "She is using assassination arts. I recognize that flow and footwork. Those strikes are all ant to kill, not spar. Her movent technique is the Groundless Lurking Steps. Assassins use it to slip past perception."
Lin Mu's brows rose.
Groundless Lurking Steps was not a technique one picked up casually. Assassins cultivated it for decades, hiding their presence and striking from blind spots.
Elyon continued, "She keeps her appearance youthful on purpose. A small girl lowers the guard of anyone she faces. That is classic assassin psychology. She is probably from a hidden assassination clan. They raise their children like this."
ng Bai on the other hand was losing ground rapidly.
Each ti Xiao Ling attacked with her cute smile, her strikes beca lightning fast and aid straight at organs, arteries, and joints. Then when ng Bai countered, she would revert back to acting fragile and scared.
She even squeaked once and hopped back dramatically, making part of the crowd gasp in sympathy.
Then she lunged again with killing intent colder than winter.
It was a terrifying duality.
Cute on the outside. Murderous on the inside.
Lin Mu could see ng Bai's hesitation growing. His disciple was trapped between instinct and compassion.
Xiao Ling slid under ng Bai's defense and nearly pierced his thigh. He blocked just in ti, but the recoil numbed his arm.
The audience was shocked.
"He is losing!"
"But he is a Dao Treading realm cultivator!"
"How can a Nascent Soul realm girl be pushing him back?"
Lin Mu had enough.
"NG BAI, FOCUS!"
His voice cracked like thunder across the arena.
ng Bai jolted, his daze breaking. His eyes cleared. The hesitation that had been holding him back evaporated. He realized instantly what he had done wrong.
He had judged an opponent by appearance.
He had let her cuteness seep into his heart, throwing off his balance.
And Dongxu Ning... she was watching.
If he lost to soone two stages below him because he got fooled by a pair of
big watery eyes, he would never be able to face her again.
Xiao Ling's next attack ca in a blur, aid directly at his sternum.
This ti ng Bai reacted with full force.
GURGLE
SPLASH
Water Qi surged around him like a crashing river. His aura swelled, flooding the ring with a wave that soaked the tiles and reduced visibility.
Xiao Ling's eyes widened just a little.
Then she grinned.
"You are fun after all, big brother."
But ng Bai was no longer distracted. He spun his spear with full strength, creating a sweeping arc of swirling water. The torrent crashed into Xiao Ling before she could dodge.
Her tiny body was flung like a pebble caught in a tidal wave.
She shot out of the ring and rolled across the ground until she stopped against
the protective barrier.
The referee raised his hand imdiately.
"Winner, ng Bai!"
The entire audience erupted.
So in disbelief.
So in admiration.
So in confusion at how a cute child had nearly killed a grown man.
ng Bai lowered his spear and let out a heavy breath, the last traces of
hesitation vanishing from his eyes.
Xiao Ling, still sitting against the barrier, rubbed her forehead. Her expression
was pouting and teary, but her eyes held a glint of sly mischief.
She sat up and called out in her sweet voice, "Big brother ng Bai is so an. I
almost won too."
Lin Mu exhaled slowly.
Cattaleya burst into laughter.
Daoist Chu wiped sweat from his forehead.
Elyon shook his head. "Assassins... always troubleso."
ng Bai stepped out of the ring while Xiao Ling continued to act pitiful and adorable, waving her fist at him as if he had broken her favorite toy.
But Lin Mu could see it clearly.
Behind that sweetness, Xiao Ling's eyes glimred with the calculating curiosity of a predator who had just discovered a new and interesting threat.
ng Bai's battle had only just begun after defeating Xiao Ling.
The little assassin girl left him sweating more than any foe in his mory, and
she had nearly overwheld him despite being two whole major realms below him. But now that his mind was clear and he understood his mistake, he fought
properly.
With renewed focus and sharper instinct, his next opponents were far easier to deal with.
Opponent after opponent stepped forward, and ng Bai defeated each one with clean, efficient spear techniques. His movents beca smoother with each match, his intent sharper, and his flow more seamless. Even Dongxu Ning noticed the subtle improvent that settled into his rhythm after every
exchange.
The seventeenth match arrived and ng Bai nearly lost his balance from fatigue, but he steadied himself. He pushed through the eighteenth match with a precise combination of Piercing Fang and Shadow Fang.
His spear beca like a dart of flowing water, unpredictable and swift. The nineteenth match was against a Dao Treading realm cultivator. A ripple of excitent moved through the juniors' stadium as soon as the foe stepped into
the ring.
"Both at Dao Treading realm."
"This will be a good one."
People leaned forward with expectation.
ng Bai felt his pulse rise, but instead of anxiousness, it was excitent. He unleashed Echoing Thrust, allowing the montum of one strike to lead into the next. His spear beca a blur, thrust after thrust chaining together.
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