Chapter 267: The Air Feels Like it's Burning!

Many years had passed since the day Scholar Sun, the renowned Confucian scholar, first saw Di Nufeng. Nevertheless, whenever Scholar Sun looked at Di Nufeng now, he couldn't help but remember the afternoon when Elder Huang had taken him to see a baby in diapers.

Back then, he never would have expected that the pure and innocent baby would grow up to be someone like this.

Elder Huang seemed to be able to tell from Scholar Sun's gaze what he was reminiscing about. Then Elder Huang looked at Scholar Sun with a meaningful glance, as if to say, "It's all because you suggested handing her over to Tian Xinling to raise her. You should have expected this."

Scholar Sun glared angrily, his expression seeming to say, "I suggested that solely because of your ambiguous relationship with Tian Xinling. You didn't say no to that suggestion, did you?"

Elder Huang panicked and began blinking furiously, as if to say, "Don't spout nonsense! We're just friends!"

"

Heh.

" Scholar Sun showed a mocking gaze and chuckled.

Di Nufeng was confused and asked, "Why are you two making these expressions? The match has started."

"Ohhhhhhhhh."

The two old men hastily and obediently turned their heads back to the stage, moving in perfect synchrony.

This was the match that had garnered everyone's attention. After all, it was Jiang Yuebai's fight. Many disciples of the Mount Shu Sect and various immortal sects in the spectator stands were cheering loudly together.

"Jiangjiang will surely win!"

Elder Huang quickly joined in the cheer.

Jiang Yuebai was considered a seeded player. For participants like her, it was rare to exert full effort during the first few rounds, often concealing their true powers. Only matches at this level would be slightly more exciting.

Her opponent today was Xue Jiang, a senior sister from her own peak.

Xue Jiang had clean features and, while not conventionally pretty, emanated an aloof and cold aura similar to that of Daoist Yan. In fact, the female disciples of Falling Azure Peak all displayed auras reminiscent of their teacher.

Jiang Yuebai, dressed in white, looked pristine and ethereal, like a goddess—no further description was necessary.

Xue Jiang knew Jiang Yuebai well and immediately closed in on her, attempting to win through her close-ranged sword skills.

She knew she couldn’t compete with Jiang Yuebai in long-range attacks using divine techniques.

Even as Xue Jiang approached, Jiang Yuebai showed no fear. The two sword cultivators unleashed powerful sword light, engaging in an intense close-ranged combat.

The scene of the two women fighting was both beautiful and fierce.

After a few exchanges, the audience, especially the martial arts cultivators from the Great Astral Sect, were surprised. They knew that Daoist Yan’s execution of the Heaven-Raising Sword demonstrated unparalleled fierceness, but they hadn’t realized her profound foundation in the cultivation of sword skills.

From the series of attacks and counters, it was evident that both disciples had strong cultivation in martial arts, having clearly dedicated time to their training.

If Chu Liang had tried using the Forbidden Ground against these two, he wouldn’t have been able to defeat them within seconds. He had only succeeded against Mu Yueting by exploiting her weakness.

The sword light intertwined, manifesting in the air and intersecting to form dazzling patterns. Any slight graze could result in missing limbs and broken legs.

This exchange of attacks and counters continued for forty to fifty rounds, with the sword light becoming more fleeting and moving even faster. The spectators held their breath, tense and anxious, fearing that any moment could bring a sudden change.

The battle between Xue Jiang and Jiang Yuebai gradually reached a critical point. At the moment Xue Jiang performed a mid-air turn, she suddenly drew out another longsword.

She now held both swords in hand.

The rules of the Mount Shu Summit stated that only one flying sword and an enchanted tool could be taken up on stage. This meant that her enchanted tool was a flying sword, which aligned with the rules.

In a long-range fight, having another flying sword wouldn’t mean much. But at this moment, the two were in close combat and evenly matched. Having another weapon gave Xue Jiang an extra advantage!

Seeing Xue Jiang holding two swords and emanating a fierce sword aura that seemed to immediately overpower Jiang Yuebai, Jiang Yuebai could be seen wanting to back away.

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

However, Xue Jiang quickly caught up and fiercely attacked her with both swords.

This was the advantage Xue Jiang gained by sacrificing the chance to bring an enchanted tool. She was clearly counting on winning through close-range combat. How could she give Jiang Yuebai the chance to create distance?

Her sword attacks moved like a dragon!

"Jiangjiang..."

Everyone spectating was silent. The crowd supporting Jiang Yuebai grew nervous.

Although Jiang Yuebai was strong, the senior and junior sisters of Azure Falling Peak were also formidable. With calculated strategies and unexpected turns of events, there were seeded participants in every instance of the Mount Shu Summit who ended up losing earlier than expected.

Before this fight started, some people worried that the Azure Falling Peak would intentionally have Xue Jiang lose the fight to guarantee Jiang Yuebai's victory. After all, Xue Jiang was a difficult opponent. The smart strategy would have been for Xue Jiang to give up early so Jiang Yuebai could conserve her strength for later matches. There were peaks that had done this before.

But it was clear that Xue Jiang had no interest in giving up. In fact, she was demonstrating a strong urge to win!

While everyone was nervous for Jiang Yuebai, she finally moved in a gentle manner.

Whoosh!

She disappeared.

When she reappeared, she was several zhang away at the edge of the stage.

She had used Dimension Compression.

Xue Jiang remained calm. Gnashing her teeth, her body vanished in a flash.

Whoosh!

She used Dimension Compression as well!

Immediately, she kept up with Jiang Yuebai's movements, closing in on her! The spectators below exclaimed in rapid succession with two consecutive bursts of shock.

It was no secret on Mount Shu that Jiang Yuebai knew how to perform Dimension Compression. However, many visitors from other sects were surprised to see the immortal art being performed so easily.

But when Xue Jiang also performed Dimension Compression, everyone was astonished.

Xue Jiang had always maintained a reserved demeanor, never revealing her true strength and techniques.

No one had any idea she was this strong!

In the next second, the crowd’s jaws collectively dropped and never closed back up.

Because Jiang Yuebai moved twice.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Her body flashed twice, instantly teleporting to the edge of the stage on the other side.

Xue Jiang was surprised. The person in front of her had disappeared. Immediately, she realized that Jiang Yuebai had appeared behind her.

Unfortunately, her control of the Dimension Compression was not as proficient as Jiang Yuebai's. Performing it once within such a short time was already her limit, and she could not catch up again.

When she turned around, she saw this huge beam of sword light.

She then realized that Jiang Yuebai was finally no longer interested in continuing this fight. Jiang Yuebai lifted her hand and executed the Heavenly Sword Seal!

This was a sword seal derived from a simplified form of the immortal art, Heaven-Raising Sword. Among techniques below the level of immortal art, this was considered one of the strongest.

Xue Jiang had nowhere to hide. She could only form a hand seal and counter with the same Heavenly Sword Seal.

The two powerful bursts of sword light clashed, exploding across the entire stage, filling the air, and spreading to the sky! Within the blink of an eye, Xue Jiang's sword light was crushed by Jiang Yuebai's.

The moment the two sword lights clashed, Xue Jiang's defense shattered!

Xue Jiang was most adept in close-range sword skills, and Jiang Yuebai was in no way weaker in this area.

Additionally, Jiang Yuebai excelled in using divine skills, against which Xue Jiang had no way to defend.

Her defeat was justified.

Without waiting for the Heavenly Sword Seal to reach her, she flew back and landed below the stage.

Jiang Yuebai immediately deactivated the sword seal and flew back. She took her senior sister's hand. Despite their fierce battle on stage, she had a very strong bond with Xue Jiang.

The two girls left the stage holding hands, while the entire area resounded with cheers for Jiang Yuebai's name. A wave of excitement swept across the public square, fueled by her excellent performance.

Even when the next pair of participants took the stage, cheers of "Jiangjiang" continued to echo through the crowd.

At this moment, Ling Ao stood on the stage, his entire being radiating an intense urge to fight. Facing the Golden-Core cultivator from Jade Sword Peak, he once again demonstrated the explosive power of his physique, defeating his opponent with a single punch[1].

Since the start of the competition, he had maintained a record of winning each match with just one strike! With four punches, he made it to the top four.

That was one more than the number of strikes it took Chu Liang to win three rounds.

After his victory, Ling Ao still exuded a blazing fighting aura. He looked around and suddenly fixed his gaze on Chu Liang.

For some reason, Chu Liang felt a strong hostility in his stare.

Why?

Chu Liang wondered.

He felt very puzzled.

I didn't provoke you.

Hmm... I don't think I did?

...

The results of the three quarterfinal matches were not surprising. The semifinalists of Mount Shu were Xu Ziyang, Jiang Yuebai, Ling Ao, and Chu Liang.

These four had advanced to this stage with clear advantages... if high intelligence could be counted as an advantage. It was foreseeable that the semi-finals would be absolutely spectacular.

Currently, Xu Ziyang was still the undisputed favorite, but many believed that Jiang Yuebai had the strength to challenge him.

Despite being at the Spiritual Awareness Realm, Ling Ao, with his mysterious and unpredictable nature, often won against people of higher cultivation realms, gaining a following. Chu Liang, of course, had his supporters, mainly from Silver Sword Peak and the neighboring areas.[2].

But Chu Liang had no time to worry about this.

Because the recreational event was happening the day after the main competition and it was the semifinals of the Mahjong Tournament.

And for the first time in his life, Chu Liang encountered a formidable opponent in the game of Mahjong.

Three familiar faces sat around the table.

The lively, excited young girl was Xu Ziqing of Jade Sword Peak. The slender, sharp-eyed young man was Lackey A. The stunning girl in fluttering white clothes, sitting like a beauty in a painting, was Jiang Yuebai.

Xu Ziqing and Lackey A were both somewhat clever, so it wasn't surprising that they had made it through the preliminaries. But the fact that Senior Sister Jiang was also in this group made things tricky.

Interestingly, out of the four semi-finalists in the main competition, two were at this table, drawing many gazes from around the area.

Lackey A glanced left and right, torn between loyalties. He knew he couldn't possibly beat Chu Liang, but with Senior Sister Jiang here, should he hope for Big Bro to win or for Jiangjiang to win?

This was quite the dilemma.

Xu Ziqing's eyes sparkled with excitement.

Wow, Senior Brother Chu and Senior Sister Jiang at the same table—is this fate?

Are they going to intentionally give each other the tiles they need?

I don't care if I lose, but I'm so curious. If they played properly, would Senior Brother Chu let Senior Sister Jiang win, or would Senior Sister Jiang let Senior Brother Chu win?

I think Senior Brother Chu will let her win.

No matter how I see it, he should be the one to take the initiative.

"Winning combo." Before three turns had passed, Chu Liang pushed his tiles forward, his expression somewhat serious.

He has no intention of letting her win!

Xu Ziqing thought.

Jiang Yuebai, sitting opposite Chu Liang, had eyes gleaming with determination.

In the second round, Jiang Yuebai drew only two tiles before pushing them forward, "Winning combo."

Chu Liang nodded slightly as he looked at her.

Both of them were starting to display a strong fighting spirit through their eyes.

In the third round, the pace suddenly slowed.

Chu Liang had always won because of his excellent memory and deduction skills. From the first round, he remembered where the tiles were going, which allowed him to know what tiles he and others were drawing. He would deduce what choices the other three would make under these circumstances and determine how he could achieve his goal the fastest.

Usually, by the time he finished drawing his tiles, before anyone started discarding, he had already planned which tile he would win with and in which round.

In this kind of deduction, playing with smart people was easier than playing with fools because a smart person’s discarding path was predictable. A fool, however, might unexpectedly disrupt Chu Liang's carefully deduced path.

But there was another scenario: playing against someone extremely intelligent.

This opponent would have the same mental acuity as Chu Liang, predicting each move just like him, making the game more challenging. It would be like a chess match, where each player has to plan their every move while predicting their opponent's next move.

Both players would be exceptionally skilled at mahjong, able to predict each other's tiles while disrupting each other's plans. A long, grueling battle would ensue as both tried to stay one step ahead of the other.

For the first time, Chu Liang and Jiang Yuebai felt the pressure of facing a worthy opponent. After subtly testing each other in the first two rounds, the third round became a sudden and fierce exchange of strategies.

It felt as though flames were burning between them.

Xu Ziqing and Lackey A were also silently making their deductions about the mahjong game. However, their skills in deduction were worlds apart from those of Chu Liang and Jiang Yuebai. Though the four of them sat at the same table, it felt like they were in two entirely different realms.

Feeling the increasing pressure from both sides, Xu Ziqing's eyes darted around nervously, while Lackey A's peripheral vision roamed. Both felt a suffocating tension, as if the earth were about to collide with Mars!

"The air...feels like it's burning!"

1. One punch man ☜

2. So six people? Di Nufeng, Liu Xiaoyu’er, Golden-Furred Hou, Shang Ziliang, Lackeys A and B...Idk if Lin Bei counts or not because he should be supporting Xu Ziyang. ☜