Chapter 530: Standing Out Before the Crowd

Outside the great palace, two figures stood on opposite sides, facing one another.

Behind Li Tianyao stood six sword attendants. Dressed in a white brocade robe, he looked as though he had stepped out of some legendary tale. His white robes were as pure as snow, his bearing as sharp as a blade. However, Lishang, the Xinghai Sect's vice sect master, stole the spotlight that should have been his. To keep the exchange fair, she suppressed herself to the early True Immortal Realm.

She also released a faint green glow around her. Her serpentine tail slowly dissolved and reshaped into a pair of flawless jade feet.

Barefooted, she stepped onto the floor, her long hair drifting freely. The hem of her veil swayed with the breeze, revealing a smooth chin, a trace of red lips, and the hint of a shallow dimple.

Wang Sheng hadn't thought much of her half-serpentine form. However, now that she had transformed into a human, he found himself quietly stunned.

A fiendish grace radiated from within her. Her beauty seemed natural, not artificial.

Wang Sheng only had a moment of admiration, not any sort of sudden infatuation. He just instinctively took a few more glances at something pleasing to the eye.

From her sleeve, she slowly took out a longsword that had a serpent-head mark on its hilt. The blade shimmered with rippling patterns like autumn water as a cold aura spread through the area.

Lishang twirled her sword in a light flourish, lowered her sword so the tip angled toward the floor, and calmly looked forward. "Let's begin, Young Master Li."

She clearly carried herself with pride and confidence. Otherwise, she would not have given up the advantage of her tail and fought Li Tianyao barefoot.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Lishang."

Li Tianyao cupped his fists. With his right hand, he traced a sword finger through the air. One of the immortal swords in the sword attendants' hands flew from its sheath, circled twice in the air, then landed in his hand.

The moment he caught it, his aura changed. His earlier sharp edge softened, becoming as light and ethereal as the wind.

"This sword is named Delicate Wind Rainbow. It measures three

chi

and one

cun

, forged from Divine Echoing-Wind Stone. I will wield it with the Snow Wind Sword Art of the North-River Sword Sect."

Lishang nodded slowly. Her calm gaze had a touch of solemnity.

Wang Sheng did not know much about the renowned North-River Sword Sect. He had only heard that it ranked among the top celestial gates of the Eastern Sky Region. It had countless disciples and off-heritage sect members. Moreover, Golden Immortals guarded it.

Lishang naturally took its sword art seriously.

Growing more interested, Wang Sheng focused on the two combatants. The pair stood motionless, yet they had already begun clashing in spirit, and their auras had already locked onto each other. He felt as though he could hear two sword intents clashing.

Li Tianyao steadied his immortal power. His breathing slowed, yet his power burned as if ignited by the sword in his hand, ready to burst forth at any moment.

By contrast, Lishang stood like a block of ice. She seemed still, yet she showed no openings.

Only Yao Xingzi, a few elders, and the two Heavenly Immortals from the North-River Sword Sect remained in the palace. With amusement in their eyes, the two Heavenly Immortals spoke to each other using voice transmission. They clearly believed Li Tianyao would once again bring honor to his sect.

Linyuan, who should have been seated in the great palace, had unknowingly walked to Wang Sheng's side. Wang Sheng glanced at the elder but didn't say anything. Instead, he just resumed watching the fight.

The two combatants had built up momentum, like arrows nocked and ready to fly.

Li Tianyao was a generation younger than Lishang and the one seeking pointers. Naturally, he had to strike first.

The audience didn't have to wait for long. As soon as he was fully prepared, he took a step forward.

Their locked auras pulled taut. With a single swish, Lishang vanished and reappeared near Li Tianyao. She executed a clean, simple thrust while avoiding any vital point, and the serpent-marked sword seemingly split heaven and earth. Its sword radiance simmered beneath the surface, dazzling yet resisting eruption.

Her attack reached the maximum speed of early-stage True Immortals.

With masterful footwork, Li Tianyao switched positions in rapid succession. He swayed like a willow leaf in the wind, instantly reversing his forward momentum and drifting backward in an uncanny arc. A sweep of sword radiance sliced across from the side, and his immortal sword landed precisely on the tip of Lishang's blade.

The attack was broken. Even Lishang looked slightly surprised.

At once, Li Tianyao counterattacked without holding back in the slightest. Three sword phantasms appeared before him, pointed at Lishang's throat and face.

Watching from the side, Wang Sheng frowned. He saw the light in Li Tianyao's eyes and felt a sigh rise within him.

He seems extraordinarily obsessed with victory.

Lishang had lost the initiative, yet her offense remained smooth. Her jade foot tapped lightly on the ground as she swept to the left, waving her hand to unleash serpent-shaped sword phantasms that danced like a nest of writhing snakes.

They looked ready to swallow Li Tianyao whole, but he moved like drifting willow fluff. Whenever force gathered in front of him, he swiftly retreated the other way, then exploited the openings in her moves to counter.

A few exchanges later, the two seemed to have started fighting in earnest. Their sword intents surged sharply.

They rose from the ground into the air. Their immortal swords burst with completely different sword auras. One scattered sword energy in slicing arcs, while the other stretched sword radiance a hundred

zhang

long.

Golden serpents danced one moment. Celestial winds roared the next.

The two flashed through the sky like fleeting shadows, and sword cries echoed throughout the Xinghai Sect. Those below the Primordial Immortal Realm wouldn't even be able to track the aftershocks or the primal qi fluctuations; all they'd see were two blurs flickering endlessly in the air and showing an interesting display of sword techniques.

Wang Sheng watched with keen interest. It was rare for him to find opportunities to appreciate refined sword arts.

Neither side held a clear advantage. However, Wang Sheng already had a sense of how the battle behind the sword radiances would end.

Lishang's sword art clearly focused on speed. Its techniques were simple, yet with constant polishing, they had gained impressive killing power. Moreover, each consecutive strike was faster than the last.

Despite limiting herself to the early True Immortal Realm, Lishang's serpentine sword unleashed a relentless assault, leaving one afterimage after another in the air. One strike was all it would take to defeat Li Tianyao.

However, Li Tianyao's sword art had its own distinct flavor. It looked like he used speed against speed, offense as defense. In truth, his footwork was too peculiar. Using the gusts of Lishang's sword techniques, he swayed and shifted from side to side.

He even kept his left hand behind his back, parrying and breaking his opponent's attacks with one hand on the sword. It gave him an unnecessary touch of flair.

Wang Sheng quietly shook his head. He felt that Li Tianyao was being deliberately showy with this display.

More importantly, Li Tianyao's calmness came from the fact that Lishang had not aimed at his vital points. If this were a true fight to the death, and he had no other techniques, he would be forced to block all over the place in panic. Her fast sword art would have driven him into a miserable situation already.

A sudden sword cry rang out, and Lishang's assault abruptly grew faster. Pale serpents seemed to appear in the sky, snapping at Li Tianyao.

Li Tianyao's sword radiance burst forth, forming wind blades to clash against hers.

Moments later, the sky was filled with shattered sword radiance and sword phantasms. As the two wove back and forth, Lishang gradually pulled ahead. Her longsword danced wildly, forcing Li Tianyao into constant retreat. He could barely parry with his immortal sword now; he had to rely completely on his footwork to avoid being overwhelmed.

Their immortal swords' clashes echoed in the air.

Anyone above the True Immortal Realm could already tell that Lishang was taking control of the match.

Outside the palace, Linyuan stroked his beard and laughed. "That young sect master truly wields a refined sword art. The North-River Sword Sect lives up to its name, and the Celestial Wind Sect will surely flourish in the future."

The nearby Xinghai Sect cultivators all smiled and nodded, though none of them were truly pleased.

The vice sect master was one of the Xinghai Sect's three strongest immortals. Even with her cultivation limited to match Li Tianyao, losing still wasn't an option. If she lost, the Xinghai Sect would be mocked. The sect master's newly raised morale would immediately be punctured.

Using voice transmission, Wang Sheng told Linyuan, "Senior, Xuni's sword art from the Ancient Era is quite remarkable."

Linyuan glanced at Wang Sheng. He then gave a slightly embarrassed smile. "I apologize for hiding her identity earlier, but she really is my disciple. Please do not take offense."

Wang Sheng replied, "Senior, you should tell the vice sect master that the Celestial Wind Sect's heir is hiding something behind his sword techniques."

"Oh? What is it?"

Instead of giving specifics, he briefly answered, "My cultivation is too shallow to tell for sure. I simply feel something is off."

Linyuan focused fully on the fight in the sky. Unfortunately, although he had broad knowledge, he wasn't a sword cultivator; he truly could not detect any flaw.

Li Tianyao counterattacked less and less, evidencing that even his willow-fluff-like footwork had limits. Lishang certainly held the advantage now.

However, the tide of the battle suddenly shifted.

Li Tianyao abruptly launched a fierce counterattack. His sword techniques transformed from a gentle breeze to a violent storm, as if trying to reclaim the upper hand in one go.

Remaining composed, Lishang sped up even further. Serpent spirits seemed to coil around her as her thrusts came at sharper angles. True Immortal Realm immortal power surged through her sword. Her attacks looked light, yet they were strong enough to cleave mountains.

The two exchanged dozens of rapid sword strikes. Sword phantasms overlapped in the air, metallic ringing echoed nonstop, and primal qi burst in all directions.

Lishang suddenly frowned. For some reason, she stopped and then retreated sharply.

Li Tianyao's lips curved in a faint smile. He stepped in odd, nimble angles, and his sword spilled countless wind phantasms with sword radiance weaving through them.

Lishang could only lift her sword to defend.

From there, it took only sixteen moves.

Prang!

The serpent-marked immortal sword in Lishang's hand snapped in half, its tip to the middle of its spine shattering into a dozen fragments. Faint green ripples still lingered on the pieces.

Seizing the chance, Li Tianyao relentlessly rained down a storm of sword phantasms on her.

Lishang snorted coldly. Light burst around her, and her aura soared several levels in an instant. With a single sweep of her sleeve, the sword phantasms shattered completely.

The Celestial Wind Sect's heir hovered in the air, smiling at his opponent.

With a frosty expression, the Xinghai Sect's vice sect master nodded slowly. She tossed the broken half of her immortal sword aside. "Your sword is formidable, Young Master. I concede. This round goes to you."

Li Tianyao gently replied, "Thank you for the guidance, Senior, but this was only a friendly exchange. We need not speak of victory or defeat."

He glanced at the broken half of the sword embedded in the ground and cupped his hands.

"I feel quite ashamed for accidentally destroying your sword. I will send someone to deliver a treasured sword later as an apology."

Lishang simply shook her head slightly, quietly descended, and flashed back into the palace. The Xinghai Sect's immortals now wore awkward expressions.

Li Tianyao also descended with his sword on his back. With a casual flick, his immortal sword flew back to the waiting sword attendant, who in turn took out a brocade cloth and carefully wiped its blade.

Li Tianyao didn't seem satisfied yet. After landing, he remarked, "I had a lot of fun sparring with Senior Lishang. Does the Xinghai Sect have any other experts on the Dao of the Sword? I wish to befriend others through the sword. Let us all spar and test our skills."

This man...

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The expressions of the Xinghai Sect's immortals all darkened at once. Though they had a few sword cultivators, they had all witnessed Li Tianyao's profound sword art. Hence, no one dared step up.

At that moment, Wang Sheng calmly picked up a celestial fruit and tossed it casually. It landed precisely on the hilt end of the broken serpent-marked sword, which was stuck in the ground, and remained balanced on it.

Li Tianyao frowned slightly. He glanced over, puzzled at what the Xinghai Sect's fairly ordinary off-heritage sect member intended.

The people standing before calm-faced Wang Sheng instinctively stepped aside, opening up a clear path to him.