The lazy young man didn't react at first, until someone next to him nudged him, and only then did he come to his senses.
"Duanmu, stop spacing out, hurry up and go!" someone shouted.
The young man was stunned, then looked around at the people with a puzzled expression. At the same time, he glanced at the arena, and only then did he realize that Yun Cheng was staring intently at him.
"Ah? Me?" The young man named Duanmu stood up, utterly surprised.
"That's right, it's you. Come down, quickly, don't waste time," Yun Cheng shouted again.
Upon hearing this, the young man immediately pulled a long face and flew from the disciple viewing stands, landing reluctantly on the arena.
"Deacon Yun Cheng, can this disciple admit defeat?" The young man first gave Lin Aoxue an awkward smile, then seriously asked Yun Cheng.
Yun Cheng immediately rolled his eyes upon hearing this.
"Less nonsense. It's just a spar with Lin Aoxue, not sending you to the battlefield. Let me first state the rules: no killing blows, stop when appropriate, and I will intervene to stop you at critical moments," Yun Cheng announced the rules, then exited the stage.
As he left, he activated the protective formation on the arena. This was a safety measure to prevent their attacks from flying off the stage and injuring other disciples.
The young man scratched his head speechlessly, then respectfully bowed to Lin Aoxue.
"Hehe, um, Senior Sister Lin, nice to meet you, my name is Duanmu Xiaorong," the young man introduced himself.
Lin Aoxue was originally very serious, but upon hearing this guy's name, she couldn't help but want to laugh, though she didn't. After all, a grown man named Xiaorong sounded strange.
Many disciples outside the arena couldn't help but laugh when they heard his name.
"I want to laugh every time I hear Duanmu's name. Xiaorong, Xiao Rong, I can't stand it. His parents really had the nerve to give him such a feminine name," a disciple who knew Duanmu teased.
Duanmu Xiaorong felt slightly embarrassed upon hearing the discussions about his name from outside the arena.
"Silence!"
"You two, stop spacing out, you can start now. Many more people need to go on stage, don't waste time."
Yun Cheng first quieted the disciples outside, then urged Lin Aoxue and Duanmu Xiaorong to begin quickly.
Lin Aoxue also stopped wasting time, but just as she was about to make a move, Yun Yun's voice suddenly rang in her ear.
"Ao Xue, you are not allowed to use your ability anymore," Yun Yun reminded.
Lin Aoxue, who was about to make a move, froze upon hearing this, because if she wasn't allowed to use her ability, then she could only use the Wind Intent Sword Heart Art.
Duanmu Xiaorong also took out a sword.
"Senior Sister, pardon me," Duanmu Xiaorong said, then took the initiative to attack.
Cultivators in the Linghe Realm can slightly release spiritual power, thereby generating stronger power. He swung his long sword, and a white light shot towards Lin Aoxue from dozens of meters away.
And Lin Aoxue, seeing the opponent attack, instantly soared into the air, dodging the blow.
"Dividing Light Wind Spirit Sword." After Lin Aoxue took to the air, she formed a sword incantation with her hand. Her treasured sword emanated a faint cyan glow, and then six sword shadows shot out consecutively.
These six sword shadows, as if possessing their own will, attacked Duanmu Xiaorong from six different directions.
"This? How is it a high-grade Wheel Sea cultivation technique right from the start? And six sword shadows?" Duanmu Xiaorong quickly defended against the sword shadows shooting from six directions.
The six cyan sword shadows, under Lin Aoxue's activation, continuously attacked Duanmu Xiaorong.
After defending for a moment, Duanmu Xiaorong also used a powerful move.
"Swift Wind Sword Art." Duanmu Xiaorong's body left a afterimage, disappearing from his original spot, evading Lin Aoxue's sword shadow encirclement. Then he leaped up and slashed at Lin Aoxue with a sword.
He intended to interrupt Lin Aoxue's move. When performing the Dividing Light Wind Spirit Sword, one cannot move; once they move, the move must be canceled.
Lin Aoxue saw this guy attacking her, immediately broke off her hand seals, and blocked Duanmu Xiaorong's attack with a backhand sword. However, Duanmu Xiaorong's goal had already been achieved.
But he had underestimated Lin Aoxue a little. A powerful gust of wind suddenly erupted from Lin Aoxue's body, forcing Duanmu Xiaorong back in one go.
"Damn, such a strong spiritual power impact! What kind of joke is this? How can someone in the Linghe Realm have such abundant spiritual power?" Duanmu Xiaorong was very puzzled.
The moment Duanmu Xiaorong was forced back, Lin Aoxue seized his opening, first throwing her weapon.
Duanmu couldn't dodge and could only deflect Lin Aoxue's treasured sword with his own. However, the moment he deflected Lin Aoxue's treasured sword, Lin Aoxue also vanished from Duanmu's sight, appearing behind him.
"Not good." Duanmu, realizing he had been hit, immediately activated his spiritual power defense to protect his body, but even so, he had to take a blow from Lin Aoxue head-on.
"Floating Cloud Palm." A white mist emanated from Lin Aoxue's right hand, and with a final palm strike to Duanmu's back, the palm energy, like clouds, carried a powerful thick mist that blasted Duanmu away.
"Pfft!" Although Duanmu Xiaorong had anticipated Lin Aoxue's attack, their realms were similar, and Lin Aoxue's Floating Cloud Palm was a top-grade Wheel Sea cultivation technique. This palm strike was very powerful, shattering Duanmu Xiaorong's defense and landing directly on him.
Duanmu Xiaorong flew out and crashed into the formation barrier, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
"This?" The crowd outside fell silent for a moment.
They all thought Lin Aoxue had only cultivated for three years, and even if her realm reached the peak of Linghe, she surely wouldn't have combat power. Unexpectedly, her combat experience was quite rich.
Defeating an old disciple of the same realm who had cultivated for decades in less than ten moves was enough to demonstrate Lin Aoxue's combat talent.
"Are you alright, kid?" Yun Cheng quickly flew onto the arena and checked on Duanmu Xiaorong, who was lying on the ground.
Duanmu Xiaorong shook his head, indicating he was fine. Yun Cheng checked his injuries, confirmed they were not serious, and then announced.
"First spar, Lin Aoxue wins."
Then, Duanmu Xiaorong, supported by Yun Cheng, left the arena and returned to his spectator seat.
Lin Aoxue had already held back with that palm strike; she only used seventy percent of her strength. If she had used full power, Duanmu would have been severely injured if not dead.
"Duanmu, are you alright? You lost so badly, were you doing it on purpose?" a disciple next to Duanmu asked with a puzzled expression.
They knew Duanmu Xiaorong well; this guy was considered a master among those at the peak of the Linghe Realm, yet he was defeated in less than ten moves.
Duanmu Xiaorong took out a healing pill and consumed it.
"You go try it? Do you really think Senior Sister Lin becoming a Personal Disciple of the sect was just luck? How unlucky, I should have known not to come watch the competition, just got beaten for nothing," Duanmu Xiaorong complained while healing.
After winning, Lin Aoxue also returned to Ye Liuyun's side.
"Hey, how was it, pretty good, right?" Lin Aoxue said to Ye Liuyun with a smile.
"Not bad, but you should at least let him lose gracefully. You were still too heavy-handed, aren't you afraid of being resented? You stand still, I'll be right back," Ye Liuyun said, then leisurely walked towards where Duanmu Xiaorong was.
Lin Aoxue didn't know what Ye Liuyun was going to do, so she stood still and watched.