The March sun was bright but not blinding, falling upon the Wuqu Terrace of Phecda Hall, making a tall, erected banner particularly conspicuous.
"Unrivaled Among Rank 9."
That's what was written on the banner, with small characters annotated beside it: "Unmatched at Rank 9, challenge if you disagree. Challenge fee: 200 merit points. Win, and it's fully refunded, plus an extra 500."
Jiang Li stood beside the banner, arms crossed, ignoring the stares of the other disciples.
His propensity for action was never low. Since he had decided to make a name for himself, he wouldn't hesitate. Plus, he could earn some merit points for his already empty pockets along the way.
As for whether the challenge fee would deter others, Jiang Li wasn't worried at all.
First, five hundred merit points were equivalent to a standard pursuit mission; the potential gain wasn't insignificant. The lack of challengers right now was merely due to observation.
Second...
"Such arrogance."
A disciple in a cyan robe approached. His burly frame carried a fierce aura, creating a sense of intimidation. "Outer disciple Li Chongyue, here to test this 'Rank 9 Unrivaled'."
[Jiang Li was already tall, but this Li Chongyue was half a head taller. His imposing figure didn't resemble a Mystic Gate disciple; instead, he looked like a valiant general charging into battle. His face was square and resolute, but his eyes held a trace of hostility towards Jiang Li.
This person might be like Yang Chong, also from the Jiang family.]
The Causality Collection was reliable as ever. No matter how subtle the attitude, if it existed, the collection could describe it, allowing Jiang Li to confirm the opponent's identity.
The second reason was precisely this.
—It doesn't matter; the Jiang family will make a move.
Since Jiang Li had set up the challenge platform, he wasn't afraid of having no takers.
The third purpose of setting up the banner and challenge: to identify some of the Jiang family members.
"Pay the merit points."
Jiang Li directly presented his disciple jade token. Li Chongyue didn't dither either, touching his own token against Jiang Li's.
Two hundred merit points were quickly transferred. The two then stepped back two paces each, assuming their stances.
Jiang Li held his long sword, pointing it diagonally towards the ground, his other hand held behind his back. His robes fluttered, hair danced in the breeze—his swordsman demeanor would absolutely make any brutish brawler envious.
Li Chongyue, on the other hand, dragged a heavy sword, slightly wider and longer than a standard long sword. His fierce aura intensified, and faint silver armor shimmered around his body.
This wasn't due to Li Chongyue's profound cultivation reaching the stage of solidifying form. Rather, his Heavenly Soldier Dao Fruit was nearing perfection. The phantom image of the Heavenly Soldier overlapped with his body; the next step was complete integration.
This person was definitely not mediocre.
Facing each other, Li Chongyue attacked first. He strode forward quickly, sweeping the heavy sword upwards from the ground. A fierce wind instantly raged, revealing pale white trajectories. The blade itself struck with the unyielding force of a mountain-cleaving axe, incredibly ferocious.
This upward slash was both fast and powerful, its force far surpassing Yang Chong's, and its speed was no less than his either.
More importantly, the intense aura merged with the sword, making the sword's momentum imposing and capable of unsettling the mind.
Li Chongyue had integrated [Heavenly Soldier Divine Might] into his moves. Every strike carried the sword's imposing presence. This individual possessed extraordinary skill in both his Dao Fruit and martial ways.
Facing this imposing attack, Jiang Li focused his eyes on the blade. [Seeking Return to Truth] prevented him from being intimidated by the sword's momentum. Talismans for lightness glowed on his cyan robe. His long sword, appearing frail compared to the heavy sword, unleashed scattered bursts of sword light.
In an instant, the clash of sword tips rang out incessantly like bells. Jiang Li struck the heavy sword nine times in rapid succession.
Each strike was precisely calculated, hitting the heavy sword's force points. Refined inner strength pulsed out with each hit. Combining deflection and attack, he managed to neutralize seventy to eighty percent of the heavy sword's momentum.
Then, Jiang Li swept the heavy sword aside with one strike, stepped forward, and flicked his long sword upwards, aiming directly at Li Chongyue's wrist.
Seeing this, Li Chongyue quickly rotated his sword horizontally, blocking the incoming tip with the flat of his heavy blade. He then struck the other side of his blade with his palm, unleashing a shockwave of True Qi. The force surged like a raging current, bending the long sword, which then sprang back, forcing Jiang Li to take a sharp step back.
Subsequently, Li Chongyue swept his iron sword horizontally. Amidst the howling wind, he intended to press his advantage.
Unexpectedly, the sweep stopped halfway, forced to halt abruptly. This was because Jiang Li, after retreating, had lowered his stance, pointing his sword tip upwards, poised and waiting.
If Li Chongyue insisted on attacking, the sweep would only pass over Jiang Li's head, while his own long sword would pierce through Li Chongyue's arm.
This simple point forced Li Chongyue to retract his power forcefully. The backlash of True Qi caused a stabbing pain in his meridians.
Within just two or three exchanges, Li Chongyue had fallen into a disadvantage, and his opponent was far from using his full strength; after all, Jiang Li wasn't purely a martial cultivator.
"Can't be wrong."
Two figures quietly appeared before Phecda Hall, Luo Yi in front, Yang Chong behind. At this moment, Luo Yi gazed at the battle on Wuqu Terrace and confirmed, "One hand holding the sword, the other pinching fingers for calculation—this is the Louguan Sword Art."
Since the fight began, Jiang Li's left hand had remained behind his back, unmoved. This was extremely unconventional for swordplay.
Generally, a swordsman uses their right hand for the sword and their left hand to form a sword finger for balance. Keeping the left hand behind the back is quite disadvantageous for wielding a sword. Among all the sword arts of the Dinghu Sect, likely only the Louguan Sword Art had this characteristic.
Perceiving opportunities and calculating various factors is an extremely mentally taxing task. Unless one possesses exceptional calculation ability for mental arithmetic, one hand must be used for auxiliary calculation.
Thus, this also created a small weakness in the Louguan Sword Art.
"Chongyue, attack his left flank."
Luo Yi's lips moved slightly, transmitting his voice across the distance.
Li Chongyue, currently being forced back, instantly understood upon hearing this. He executed the Cirrus Cloud Step, turned, and swept towards Jiang Li's left side, forcing Jiang Li to slightly slow his offense. He then continuously shifted positions, wielding his sword like lightning, furiously attacking Jiang Li's left flank.
'He noticed.'
Jiang Li sensed something, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings, spotting Luo Yi's figure. 'Sure enough, this Li Chongyue is from the Jiang family.'
Seeing Luo Yi, Jiang Li no longer had any doubts about Li Chongyue's allegiance.
This was an enemy.
Since he was an enemy, he deserved an enemy's fate.
Jiang Li suddenly stepped back. The sleeve of his right arm shook, and talisman after talisman flew out.
He brandished his sword, using Qi to adhere the talisman papers to the blade, and thrust forward.
"Bang!"
Firelight exploded on the sword. The Fire Thunder Talismans attached to the blade activated, striking the heavy sword along with the sword's force. The impact traveled to Li Chongyue's arm, making his fingers go numb and instantly splitting the skin between his thumb and forefinger.
Li Chongyue, known for his strength, encountered even greater brute force.
Jiang Li swung his sword horizontally, each strike like a blazing fire. Precise calculation allowed him to combine the force of each sword strike with the explosion of a Fire Thunder Talisman. With the two forces unified, each strike forced Li Chongyue back one step.
"Bang bang bang bang..."
After ten steps, Li Chongyue's arms felt numb as if struck by lightning. The heavy sword held defensively in front of him began to tremble uncontrollably.
The final strike.
Jiang Li brought his sword down. Firelight erupted, the force incredibly fierce, as if carrying the weight of a thousand jun. Li Chongyue blocked horizontally with his sword but felt as though Mount Tai was pressing down on him. His knees involuntarily buckled, forcing him to kneel on the ground.
"Thump!"
His knees hit the ground with a dull thud, accompanied by the faint sound of bone cracking.
Jiang Li retracted his sword and stated calmly, "Next."