Chapter 1652: It’s Really Big

Zu An, who had been sipping on some tea, spat out everything in his mouth. He thought, What the hell?

The disciples were also stunned. Isn’t it just a toothpick? How is it big?

However, when they remembered Wu Xiaofan’s reputation, they wondered whether maybe there was something about the situation they just hadn’t comprehended yet.

Wan Guiyi’s expression was grave; naturally, he took the situation seriously, because he could feel that he had been locked onto by a mysterious energy.

“Brother Wan, please be careful,” Wu Xiaofan reminded his opponents. Then, he pushed his hands together. The toothpick-like object turned into a small streak of light and flew toward his opponent.

Wan Guiyi got on his guard, and quickly used his movement skill to evade to one side, but he was still a moment too late. Blood erupted from his arm as the toothpick rushed past. He suddenly turned around to see that, after the toothpick passed by him, it turned around again like a pocket-sized flying sword. More importantly, it moved unpredictably, and it was extremely fast, almost as if it didn’t follow the laws of physics.

Thus, he didn’t dare to dodge anymore; instead, he brought his sword down toward the toothpick-like needle.

Clang!

A loud and clear noise resounded as Wan Guiyi accurately struck the toothpick.

The crowd erupted with cries of alarm; they were all filled with admiration, as Wan Guiyi had been able to hit such a small toothpick precisely even in such a situation. After all, they couldn't even see it clearly because of how fast it was, let alone intercept it.

The toothpick was knocked away, but it quickly attacked again from a different angle. Thus, Wan Guiyi’s expression changed, and he brought out all of his sword skills. The entire stage flickered with cold flashes of light, and sword ki flew all around the place.

However, the toothpick was even more strange and unpredictable. It moved so quickly, it formed a visible trail due to the friction as it moved through the air. It practically formed a spherical cage around Wan Guiyi as it attacked him from all kinds of different directions.

…

In the elevated judges’ area, Guan Chouhai’s expression changed. He muttered, “Is this a sword control skill?”

A true sword control skill was something only those at the life soul stage could use. Once one cultivated a yin soul, it could be attached to an object. Then, a cultivator could truly behead someone from a thousand miles away.

Of course, there were a few exceptionally talented individuals who could perform a simplified form of a flying sword technique within a shorter range. However, even a simplified sword control technique was extraordinary, and would be very difficult to defend against. Every single person who could do such a thing was a truly outstanding genius.

Wang Wuxie said humbly, “It cannot be considered a true sword control skill. It is nothing more than his own soulbound magic weapon.” Even though he downplayed it, the others could still sense the pride in his voice.

They all looked at Wan Tongtian, feeling curious as to why, even though his son was in such a disadvantageous position, the father didn’t seem worried in the slightest. Could it be…

Soon after, they received their answer. Wan Guiyi no longer brandished his sword against the toothpick, but instead held it in front of him. Then, a shockingly large wave of sword ki arose. With him at the center, a large projection of his sword appeared on the stage. Now, no matter how tricky and difficult to deal with the toothpick was, it bounced off whenever it made contact with the longsword projection.

Wan Guiyi’s eyes widened as he said with a sneer, “If we’re talking about swords, I’m the expert here!” As he spoke, he brought the sword in his hands down. The massive blade of sword ki came crashing down on Wu Xiaofan.

Wu Xiaofan’s eyes rapidly contracted. A barrier of light instantly gathered around him. The sword ki struck the barrier, causing an enormous explosion. Smoke and dust soared into the air. The entire stage was cleaved in two!

Watchful Peak’s Feng Wuchang’s eyes twitched. All of this is money!

Aside from him, however, everyone else was more concerned with who had won and who had lost. Countless pairs of eyes stared at the debris-filled ruins.

Wu Xiaofan’s figure gradually emerged. Unlike before, his clothes were already in tatters. He had clearly been wounded by the sword ki, and his face was covered in dirt. This was the first time he had been left in such a sorry state.

“You actually stopped it?” Wan Guiyi exclaimed, stunned. “But it doesn't matter. Let’s see how many you can take!” Another massive blade of sword ki slammed down as soon as he finished his sentence. It had already completely locked down on his opponent; there was no way for Wu Xiaofan to avoid it.

Wu Xiaofan’s expression turned grave. With a wave of his hand, the toothpick stopped its futile attacks and returned to him.

Wan Guiyi sneered. Are you going to use something so delicate to stop my massive sword? I’ll just cut that sword, and you with it!

Earlier, he had been very frustrated by the toothpick’s flexibility and unpredictability. Now that he finally had a chance to fight against his opponent head-on, how could he not be excited?

However, his smile quickly froze on his face. His eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets.

“It really is so big!”

No one knew who first said those words, but the attention of all those present was drawn to the item in Wu Xiaofan’s hands.

The once-delicate toothpick seemed almost as if it had consumed some miracle drug. It began to grow until it became a thirty-meter-long staff. It was no smaller than the opposing giant sword at all; in fact, it was likely even a bit bigger!

Wu Xiaofan roared and swept the giant staff toward the sword.

A deafening explosion resounded as both sides’ ki destroyed each other! Both combatants staggered, a bit of blood trickling out from the corners of their mouths. They had both received considerable injuries from the exchange.

Wan Guiyi finally realized why Wu Xiaofan had said ‘Mine is very big. You’ll have to endure it.’ Even so, a vigorous fighting spirit ignited in his eyes. He raised his giant sword and brought it down, calling out, “Again!”

Wu Xiaofan also roared endlessly, no longer appearing as calm and composed as before.

The massive staff and the giant sword clashed countless times. The terrifying ki that erupted from the collisions actually required many of the judges to work together to control the stage area and prevent the surrounding spectators from getting injured.

The disciples of the nine sects were horrified. If any of them had to face such terrifying power directly, wouldn’t they be instantly crushed into meat paste?

Lou Wucheng, Zhi Yin, and the other proud disciples all had ugly expressions. They knew that they would have been in quite the difficult situation if they were the ones fighting instead.

Just then, Jadefall Palace’s people all got up and cried out in alarm. They saw Wan Guiyi being knocked down by a strike. He struggled to crawl to his feet, his entire body dripping with blood. Unfortunately, his injuries were too severe, causing him to fail again and again. Eventually, he stabbed his sword into the ground, clenched his teeth, and barely managed to stand up.

Meanwhile, Wu Xiaofan slowly descended from the air. His clothes were already tattered like a beggar’s, and his body also dripped with blood, clearly as a result of his opponent’s sword ki. However, he could still stand calmly. Victory and defeat had already been decided.

Wan Guiyi was unwilling to give up. He tried to attack with his sword again, but the movements that normally seemed so easy now seemed impossible.

Wu Xiaofan sighed and said, “I had an unfair advantage in today’s fight. If Brother Wan hadn’t been injured before this fight, I might not have been able to win today.”

The spectators all approved of those words. Wu Xiaofan was the one people all publicly acknowledged as being number one in the younger generation, after all. Whether in terms of his cultivation or temperament, those were both great enough to convince them all.

However, some sharp-eyed spectators noticed that his hands, which were both behind his back, trembled continuously. Wu Xiaofan was definitely in extremely poor condition. Thus, he was likely telling the truth. If the two of them had fought at their peak, it would indeed be hard to say who was stronger.

Wan Guiyi remained silent for a while. Eventually, he harrumphed and said, “A loss is a loss. Why bother making excuses?” Then, he used his sword as support and walked toward the edge of the stage, one step after another.

Wan Tongtian felt really sorry watching his son, and quickly flew over to help him.

“Father, sorry,” Wan Guiyi said, unable to hold on. He fell straight into his father’s arms.

Wan Tongtian’s eyes were full of tears as he replied, “No, my child. You’ve already done extremely well.”

The distant Elder Huo Ling snorted as she saw the scene. Then, she said to Pei Mianman, “You have to win next time, and let these daoist sects see just who is more reliable from our Jadefall Palace.”

Even though Pei Mianman’s foundation was weaker, after two byes in a row, she would likely have the advantage after saving her strength for two rounds. Taking the final victory wasn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility.

Pei Mianman said helplessly, “Senior brother fought for the glory of our Jadefall Sect. There’s no reason to throw stones at him while he’s down, is there?”

Master’s resentment toward the palace lord really is too much…

“A loss is a loss; what glory is there from that?” Elder Huo Ling harrumphed. She felt extremely irritated, but she also gave up on her thoughts of going over and ridiculing the other side.

…

Tranquility Temple’s Master Jian Huang suddenly released a deep sigh.

“What is it, master?” the little monk Jie Se asked curiously.

“I feel that our Buddhist sect’s prospects are worrisome,” Master Jian Huang said with furrowed brows.

“Why do you say that?” Jie Se asked as he rubbed his bald head, feeling a bit confused.

“Look at these daoist sect disciples, and how abundant in talent all of them are. Then, look at our Buddhist sect’s inheritors,” Master Jian Huang said as he gave Jie Se a look. He shook his head while sighing and looked extremely downcast.

Jie Se was speechless. Why did I even bother trying to start a conversation with master…

…

Watchful Heart Peak Master Feng Wuchang quickly declared Wu Xiaofan the winner of the first round. Then, he began the next competition. Emptiness Isle’s Peng Wuyan would fight Supreme Mystery Cave’s Shi Dingtian.

He gave the destroyed stage a look and thought to himself, Thank goodness I was prepared and had several reserve stages ready.

Before Qiu Honglei went on stage. Yun Jianyue said with a serious expression, “Be careful up there. These daoist sects are full of tricks.”

After witnessing Wu Xiaofan and Wan Guiyi’s fight, her previous contempt was now gone. Qiu Honglei couldn't use her charm skill in front of so many prying eyes, and many of her other skills couldn't be used either. There was a chance that she wouldn’t win.