The Dao Treading realm opponent was forced back step by step. Finally ng Bai's Breaking Point pierced straight through the man's defenses and sent him flying out of the ring. The audience erupted in cheers as ng Bai breathed heavily.
The twentieth match pushed him even harder. His spear clashed with another Dao Treading realm youth. They fought nearly thirty exchanges, spear shadows clashing like waves against stone.
Finally ng Bai used the Earth Shaking Sweep to destabilize his foe's footing. Then his Skyward Ascent thrust sent the opponent straight into the air. Before the youth could recover enough to land safely, he crashed outside the ring.
ng Bai stood panting, sweat dripping down his back. His spear trembled faintly in his grip. His spirit Qi reserves had dwindled to a thin trickle. He had little more left.
The referee asked him if he wished to continue.
ng Bai straightened, then shook his head. "I will stop here!"
The audience clapped loudly, impressed by his endurance and composure.
ng Bai walked back toward the audience stands. Lin Mu and the others were waiting for him, seated among the Dongxu clan mbers.
When ng Bai approached, Lin Mu's expression was a little stern.
"You made a mistake."
ng Bai lowered his head. "I know, master."
"You let your guard down because of appearance," Lin Mu said calmly. "That is unacceptable in any realm. Especially in combat."
ng Bai swallowed hard, sha rising.
Then Lin Mu raised a hand and placed it on his shoulder.
"You corrected yourself in ti, and you fought well afterward. That is what matters. Learn from this."
ng Bai's shoulders visibly loosened. Relief washed across his face, and he finally let out a slow breath.
Dongxu Ning, who had been watching quietly, leaned forward slightly and said, "You did great, ng Bai. That last fight was very clean. I am sure you will reach far."
Her voice was soft but sincere.
ng Bai, caught off guard, blinked once, twice, then turned scarlet as he smiled.
That mont lasted barely two seconds before Cattaleya smacked him on the back hard enough to knock his breath out.
"Do not forget my words, Bamboo Pole. Cute or not, a foe is a foe"
"Yes senior!" ng Bai choked, rubbing his spine.
Elyon clicked his tongue. "She was an assassin. Even a Nascent Soul realm assassin can kill soone stronger. You would have been severely injured, if not dead, had you not snapped out of it."
ng Bai nodded vigorously. "Never again. I understand."
But despite all of that, sothing else was bothering him.
He kept feeling eyes on him.
Uncomfortable eyes.
When he subtly glanced around the stadium, he spotted Xiao Ling seated far in the back, swinging her legs casually while eating candied hawthorn.
She had that sweet smile again.
But she also did not look away.
ng Bai shuddered.
'Why is she looking at like that?'
He forced himself not to stare back.
Lin Mu, on the other hand, did not ignore it. With his immortal sense already extended over the stadium, he traced her presence naturally. Her cultivation was stable, but her killing intent fluctuated in tiny waves, like a shadow flickering behind a lantern.
'Strange.
There was sothing on her that Lin Mu could feel but could not identify. Sothing hidden deep under layers of trained concealnt.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
'What exactly are you?'
When the junior bracket ended for the day, Lin Mu's group left the stands. ng Bai relaxed sowhat as the lingering pressure of Xiao Ling's gaze faded behind him.
But Lin Mu and Elyon noticed sothing else.
Xiao Ling stood up quietly and followed them into the crowd.
Elyon drifted closer to Lin Mu. "She is trailing us."
"I know," Lin Mu answered. "Do not confront her yet. She has not acted beyond watching"
Elyon's tail twitched. "Should I remove her if she tries anything?"
Lin Mu shook his head. "For now, keep an eye on her. Sothing is unusual about her cultivation. See if you can uncover her background."
"Yes. I will look deeper." Elyon faded away, blending into the moving crowd until even most immortals would miss him.
Thankfully, for the rest of the day, nothing happened. Xiao Ling eventually vanished into the alleys of the Great Fist City, stopping her pursuit for reasons
unknown.
The next several days passed smoothly.
Lin Mu and his group spent their ti watching more matches and wandering through the massive markets that had sprung up for the tournant. Vendors from hundreds of worlds sold everything from body refining tonics to even High Grade weapons. ng Bai sparred a few tis with Dongxu Ning, and their progress beca obvious to everyone.
Lin Mu visited the prize hall more often than anyone else.
There were five prize halls across the city, each handling point exchanges, and
they were constantly crowded. The rewards for points varied greatly. So were basic immortal stones, others rare herbs, tools, or fragnts of Dao
materials.
Lin Mu traded fifteen hundred points from his streak for a water elental pill called as Tide Pool Pill. A simple but useful thing. His water core was sitting at ninety seven percent and every bit helped.
He scanned the other rewards.
Most things he wanted were far above his current point total.
He closed the book gently and made a small note to himself.
Next streak must be at least ten tis larger.
Cattaleya looked at the reward lists as well but found nothing worth her ti.
She told Lin Mu that only the final prize interested her. Everything else was beneath her or unnecessary.
Thus she simply kept accumulating points without exchanging anything.
On the fifth day, her turn ca again.
She entered the stage with her usual confidence and people cheered loudly. rchants had even prepared banners with her silhouette and flicking pose. Betting houses nearly overflowed as countless people chose her to win again.
She began her streak instantly.
Flick.
Flick.
Flick.
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