Chapter 172: Stunning Reversal

It truly was Bing Qianshan in the flesh!

"No need for formalities," Bing Qianshan said in a casual manner, and all of the sword qi around him instantly faded as he remained suspended in mid-air.

He drifted down to the front row of the spectator stands, then sat down on the middle seat.

The front row of seats had been vacant throughout the entire duration of the tournament, but they were wiped down and kept in pristine condition every single day.

Now that Bing Qianshan had arrived, the seats were finally occupied by the figureheads of Celestial Being Warrior Academy, the Guardians' northern headquarters, and the Heavenly Capital Hall of Protectionists.

All of them were watching the first-year grand final with rapt focus as if this were a valuable learning experience for them.

The referee's face was also flushed with excitement as he loudly declared, "The first battle of the first-year grand finals will be fought by Ding Jieran of White Cloud Warrior Academy and Shen Changshan of Celestial Being Warrior Academy! Please step onto the platform!"

Bing Qianshan was barely able to contain his exasperation as he sat in his seat, feeling as if this were a complete waste of time.

What could he possibly stand to gain from watching a bunch of battles between students? He couldn't understand for the life of him why Dongfang Sansan had instructed him to come here to take a disciple.

Despite his internal gripes, Master Nine's orders had to be followed.

Bing Qianshan's eyes were filled with boredom and disinterest. He was thinking to himself that he would be able to better stand up to Master Nine someday if he could defeat Xue Fuxiao in battle.

The entire venue had fallen completely silent, with everyone overawed by Bing Qianshan's presence.

Furthermore, everyone could sense that he didn't seem to be in a very good mood.

All of the important figures beside him were doing everything in their power to try and appease him, but he remained as cold and unresponsive as a block of ice.

The more they tried to speak to him, the more annoyed he became. It was like having a swarm of annoying mosquitoes buzzing incessantly around him.

Shen Changshan took a deep breath as he stepped forward, and Ding Jieran did the same from the other side.

In contrast with Shen Changshan's excitement at the opportunity to show off his swordsmanship to Bing Qianshan, Ding Jieran remained as calm and focused as ever.

Given his ties with the Night Demon Church, he knew that no opportunity would befall him.

His only hope and desire was to do something for the academy while he still could.

He knew that he wouldn't be able to live for very long, and he wanted to make the most of what little time he had left.

Shen Changshan was practically overflowing with battle intent, while Ding Jieran was giving off such a cold and lonesome aura that it was as if he were completely detached from the rest of the world.

Bing Qianshan couldn't help but turn his attention to Ding Jieran.

There was something different about him. He felt like he could see a piece of himself in this boy, and the lonesome aura of finality that was completely unbefitting a boy his age only further added to Bing Qianshan's intrigue.

Shen Changshan held his sword in one hand while extending a salute with the other.

"Please enlighten me, Brother Ding!"

Ding Jieran drew his sword with his right hand before returning the salute.

"Please enlighten me!"

In the next instant, the two swords clashed with a resounding clang, marking the commencement of the battle.

Fang Che was seated in spectator stands, still reminiscing about the countless rays of radiant sword qi emanating from Bing Qianshan's body upon his arrival.

Had he done that just to show off? Fang Che didn't believe that to be the case.

Fang Che closed his eyes as he replayed the scene in his mind.

Upon his grand entrance, his body had obscured the sun, while his sword qi had combined with the sun's radiance.

That was clearly a demonstration, a silent display of sword intent or sword aura.

Those at the top were constantly thinking of nurturing the next generation, and that was one of their most admirable qualities.

This was a very direct display from Bing Qianshan. As for how much enlightenment one could attain from witnessing his sword aura, that would be up to them.

If you got something out of that, there's no need to thank me. If you're stupid enough to think that I did that purely to show off, then that's your problem.

Fang Che's eyes remained closed as he continued to reflect on what he had just witnessed.

All of a sudden, Bing Qianshan sensed a slight disturbance in the air, as if something were resonating with his sword intent.

His eyes instantly lit up slightly.

Could it be that some prodigy in the stands actually grasped something from my entrance?

He discreetly released his spirit sense toward the source of the disturbance, and his gaze quickly locked onto Fang Che.

All of a sudden, Fang Che felt a burst of radiant sword intent piercing directly toward his glabella, and it was as if a scintillating sun of sword intent had appeared in his consciousness.

The radiant streaks of sword extended far and wide, illuminating even the darkest depths of space.

Fang Che was ecstatic. He knew that Bing Qianshan had detected him and had cast a hint of sword qi his way. He hurriedly focused his full attention on this ray of sword qi, determined to make the most of this opportunity.

A faint smile appeared on Bing Qianshan as he severed his connection with that ray of sword qi, allowing it to remain with Fang Che.

That ray of sword qi will fade away in three days. How much you can get out of it within those three days will be up to you.

All of a sudden, he felt in a much better mood.

At the very least, this hadn't been a completely wasted trip.

Reinvigorated by this pleasant surprise, he began to truly focus his attention on the unfolding battle.

All of the important figures beside him were oblivious to what had just happened, but they could sense that his mood seemed to have improved.

Could it be that he was very pleased by the displays of swordsmanship from the two clashing students on the platform?

This was a very exciting thought.

At the moment, Shen Changshan held the firm upper hand in the battle. Could it be that he had managed to catch Bing Qianshan's eye?

On the platform, Shen Changshan was going all-out, exerting complete dominance over Ding Jieran, determined to put on the best possible display of his aptitude as a swordsman.

Ding Jieran was forced to passively defend for dear life while resisting the urge to switch his sword to his dominant left hand.

"Shen Changshan's sword techniques are still a little lacking in polish, but he already has the makings of a great swordsman," the dean of Celestial Being Warrior Academy remarked with a faint smile, and it appeared that he wasn't speaking to anyone in particular.

However, someone beside him immediately chimed in in support, "Indeed. I've heard that he's cultivating the kingly sword, and that's certainly showing through. Even at such a young age, his sword already possesses a hint of a regal aura."

A hint of mockery appeared on Bing Qianshan's face as he scoffed, "I don't know anything about the sword, so I won't make a comment."

Everyone immediately fell into a sheepish silence, as if they had been slapped in the face, and the conversation had been completely shut down.

"In my eyes, a sword is a sword, it's as simple as that," Bing Qianshan harrumphed. "There's no kingly sword or godly sword, it's just a sword, an instrument for killing, plain and simple."

That was all that he spoke on the matter.

There was one more thing that he had refrained from espousing, which was that compared with Shen Changshan, who was trying to imitate a kingly aura with all his might, Ding Jieran's swordsmanship was much more pure and unadulterated.

He struck to kill with every single attack, displaying no fear, nor any intention of trying to be something that he wasn't.

Unfortunately, his cultivation base and sword intent were both inferior to his opponent.

As the battle progressed, Ding Jieran fell to more and more of a disadvantage.

The disparity in power and cultivation base was simply too great.

However, this was perhaps something that even Ding Jieran and his teammates themselves were oblivious to, but when it came to their tenacity and mental fortitude in battle, particularly against opponents more formidable than themselves, they excelled far beyond their peers.

A student from another academy in Ding Jieran's position would've already crashed to a defeat, yet he was still able to hold on for dear life.

This was a result of the contrasting ethos championed by the two academies. White Cloud Warrior Academy placed high value in practical experience, while Celestial Being Warrior Academy valued cultivation base above all else.

In other words, one academy focused on the accrual of real-world experience, while the other focused solely on grades.

As a result, the students of Celestial Being Warrior Academy were superior in cultivation base, while the students of White Cloud Warrior Academy were superior in mental fortitude.

Li Changkong had no doubt that White Cloud Warrior Academy would defeat Celestial Being Warrior Academy in battles of life and death, but sparring matches like these favored the side with the superior cultivation base.

Another important reason behind the superior mental fortitude of Mo Ganyun and the others was their regular sparring matches against Fang Che.

In particular, after facing the pressure of Fang Che's immense baleful qi in battle, fighting other students their age felt like child's play.

The thought of Fang Che had Li Changkong heaving a forlorn sigh.

It was truly a pity that he had been barred from taking part in the tournament. Otherwise, the first-year title was all but in the bag!

Ding Jieran was doing everything in his power to defend himself, but more and more wounds were being inflicted onto his body, and he was losing blood fast.

However, he didn't surrender, and his eyes remained as calm and composed as ever.

Before long, his clothes had almost been completely stained bright red, but he still didn't give up.

Shen Changshan had already forced Ding Jieran to the edge of the platform, and with a thunderous roar, he lashed out with all his might, intending to end the battle with one final blow.

However, right at this moment, Bing Qianshan's pupils abruptly contracted slightly as he truly focused his full attention on the battle for the first time.

The scabbard in Ding Jieran's left hand had slipped out of his grasp, only for his sword to take its place.

He pierced his sword through the air with all his might as his robe and hair billowed around him, and it was only in this instant, upon switching to his dominant hand, that his sword qi as an innate swordsman fully shone through.

His sword pierced through the air like a radiant shooting star, an all-out attack that fully encapsulated the fearless spirit of his swordsmanship.