Chapter 758: Wind and Thunder Shadow Evasion

On the sword fighting platform, the eight light pillars of the Mystic Eight-Array Diagram shifted endlessly around Li Bufan and Gu Tengfeng. As the light swirled, it dragged their consciousness into an illusionary array where armies of thousands charged toward them.

"East Court's Sword Team... is nothing special!"

Seeing everything under his control, Liang Xiao, Central Court Second Team's flag keeper, nodded to his teammate beside him. He guided this teammate through the array diagram's sole life gate[1] to ambush Li Bufan and Gu Tengfeng while they were distracted by the illusions.

A single decisive strike—whether knocking them out or sealing their meridian gates—would render them combat ineffective, securing victory.

"Tyrant Steel Slash!"

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The Central Court Second Team member flashed into the Mystic Eight-Array Diagram, grinning coldly as he raised his sword. Channeling all his true qi, he unleashed a ruthless slash toward Gu Tengfeng.

He knew Gu Tengfeng's cultivation surpassed his own—this strike wouldn't kill him, but it would incapacitate him long enough.

To his shock, the sword qi passed straight through Gu Tengfeng's body before exploding violently. Dust billowed across the platform. The Central Court member's eyelids twitched wildly.

"Impossible... Did I kill him?"

But he soon realized—his blade had struck nothing but an illusion!

How?

Gu Tengfeng and Li Bufan should have been trapped!

"Leng Yi, retreat now!" Liang Xiao roared, but his warning came too late. A bolt of violet lightning descended from above, piercing Leng Yi's body. His muscles seized, and he collapsed, paralyzed.

The one who struck Leng Yi with thunder energy was, of course, Li Bufan.

While Liang Xiao had schemed cleverly, East Court's Sword Team was no fool. With Gong Cheng as their strategist, they had suspected the opponent's aggressive tactic—leaving their flag-guarding zone seemingly undefended was a bait. The two figures charging into the array weren't Gu Tengfeng and Li Bufan at all, but Wind and Thunder clones conjured by Li Bufan.

Their true selves had hidden in the platform's shadows all along.

This move was Li Bufan's secret art from the

Wind and Thunder Transformation

: Wind and Thunder Shadow Evasion!

By shrouding himself in wind and thunder energy, he could merge with shadows—a profound application of wind and thunder conscious realms.

Even Ling Feng had marveled at this technique when first witnessing it, and not even his Eye of the Emperor could replicate it.

Wind and Thunder Transformation

truly lives up to its name as a secret art passed down from the ancient Yijian Sect!

(Author's Note: Ling Feng's Heavenly Dao Eye's first divine inscription can copy ordinary martial skills, but techniques like Feng Yan's Sky-Imprisonment Finger or Yan Jinghong's Spear of Frost require specific bloodline ability or domains—similar to kekkei genkai/bloodline limit in Naruto. Ling Feng's Chaotic Physique allows him to bypass elemental restrictions but not bloodline-based limitations.)

"The Mystic Eight-Array Diagram is impressive, I'll admit!" Gu Tengfeng's figure materialized from the void, violet lightning crackling around him. His body trembled slightly, his appearance disheveled.

Forced into the shadow evasion by Li Bufan, he'd endured the thunder energy's purification despite lacking a Wind and Thunder physique.

Liang Xiao's expression hardened. With Leng Yi incapacitated, he—a mere array master—stood no chance against close combatants.

"Damn it!"

Central Court Second Team's captain, Luo Hong, paled. The tables had turned. Before, Ling Feng couldn't break free; now, they were trapped.

Ling Feng sneered, his sword weaving a net of razor-sharp qi that suppressed all three opponents. "Leaving so soon? Not a chance."

The match's outcome was sealed.

Without ceremony, Li Bufan knocked Liang Xiao flying with a punch before cleanly severing Central Court's Vermilion Bird battle flag.

"First round—East Court's Sword Team wins!"

The judge's declaration sparked thunderous cheers. A seemingly hopeless reversal had electrified the crowd.

This match was nothing short of thrilling and intense.

"

Yeah!

"

The audience erupted in cheers—this was a true clash of wisdom and strength, a breathtaking spectacle.

"What a move from Li Bufan! Who would've thought he had this up his sleeve?"

Even Vice-Director Tong chuckled from the judges' platform, stroking his beard, "a reversal even I didn't foresee!"

"Grand Commandant Li has a worthy grandson!" Nearby mentors nodded in agreement—Li Bufan's performance had been stellar.

"Now you understand why caution is warranted," Li Yunting said coolly to his teammates. "Underestimate no one in that team—not Gong Cheng's tactics, Gu Tengfeng's experience, Li Bufan's skill, or Ling Feng himself."

Lu Qingshan clenched his fists, his earlier arrogance dampened.

While Ling Feng's brilliance often overshadowed his teammates, this match revealed a perfectly coordinated unit.

Even without Ling Feng, they remained formidable!

"The next rounds hold no suspense. The Second Team fulfilled their purpose by exposing Li Bufan's abilities." Li Yunting closed his eyes briefly, then opened them with renewed resolve.

In three days, the third round's top-three battles would begin.

Their eventual clash with East Court would be legendary!

The Central Court's Sword Team had long stood as an unbeatable legend, effortlessly crushing the other four courts. But this time, East Court's sudden rise had put them under tremendous pressure.

Aside from Mu Liufeng and Yue Yunlan, this battle-hardened team was made up mostly of seasoned veterans. Like Gu Tengfeng, they were in their final year at Tianwei Academy, and in this last tournament, none of them wanted to walk away in defeat.

All except Mu Liufeng, whose arrogance from his sudden power surge left him blind to reality. His unstable dao heart could no longer temper his newfound strength.

1. Life gate - the only entry point into an array diagram ☜