In Changling, using poison was thought to be dishonorable. In the eyes of most cultivation places, this was definitely unorthodox. Yet, at this time, no student felt it was unfair that Xie Rou had won.

This sword had come from Min Mountain Sword Sect’s Sword Valley.

They reflected. Even if Xie Rou had not picked this black sword, when they entered the valley, the sword would have been within, but they would not have picked such a lusterless sword.

Compared to the students, the cultivation place teachers watching were even more shocked.

In both cultivation and combat experience, they surpassed the students present, so they could see that this “Poisoned Dragon Water” was very suited to the sword forms that Xie Rou was good at. If not for that “Mount Guan Wind and Rain” and those wild thrusts, the “Poisoned Dragon Water” could not have immediately produced so many threads of poison.

Xie Rou herself did not dare to believe that she had won against Huang Jinlian. She looked towards Ding Ning, Zhang Yi and the others. Then, she looked at Ding Ning again, wanting to say something.

“Rest,” Looking at her trembling body, Ding Ning said softly.

Xie Rou paused. Then she nodded, and bowed her head to rest with slight shyness.

At this time, the energies within her were in disorder, and her organs were affected. She needed to calm down and rest. Yet, seeing her so obedient, Ding Ning felt cold. He thought that what he had done might be wrong. Maybe, he should have been colder towards her.

“He Zhaoxi against Lu Duo.”

Many people’s gazes were still focused on Xie Rou’s sword, their shock lingering, but the cool voice sounded.

The other seven fights had yet to finish. And yet, there was an empty field. The Min Mountain Sword Sect cultivator arranging the battles seemed to not want it to be idle and immediately arranged for a battle.

He Zhaoxi was coincidentally on Ding Ning’s side.

He Zhaoxi’s opponent Lu Duo was ranked twenty second on the Book of Talents. He came from the Celestial Longevity Sword School, and was far higher in the ranking than He Zhaoxi.

Yet, at this time, everyone’s gaze lingered on the sword in He Zhaoxi’s hand.

Seeing that He Zhaoxi’s sword was as thick and wide as a horse-chopping sabre, all the students on the other side of the hut unconsciously had the same thought: What sword was this?

“I am going.”

He Zhaoxi’s eyebrows rose slightly as he spoke simply to the group. Then he walked towards the empty battlefield.

A youth in purple robes walked at the same time. He was naturally Lu Duo, the most exceptional of Celestial Longevity’s disciples in this generation.

His figure appeared thin and weak compared to He Zhaoxi. He looked like a youth compared to an adult. But even with Xie Rou’s victory in front of him, he had absolute confidence facing He Zhaoxi who came from Green Vine Sword School.

So looking at He Zhaoxi who had walked out quietly, this thin youth had a small scornful smile.

“Please.” He Zhaoxi stopped immediately when he entered the field. He held his sword ahead of him horizontally and then spoke to Lu Duo.

Lu Duo frowned slightly and also held his sword up.

He Zhaoxi attacked.

Boom!

Two bursts of dust rose from under He Zhaoxi’s feet as he accelerated.

Lu Duo stilled slightly, eyes flashing with shock.

He had not expected He Zhaoxi to be so direct. Also, He Zhaoxi’s burst of power was extremely strong and he had advanced more than a hundred feet before he could even make a movement.

The two bursts of dust under He Zhaoxi’s feet did not dissipate outwards and came towards him like giant arrows.

Lu Duo did not panic at losing the initiative.

He gave a shout, and the silver longsword in his hand created a beautiful sword energy.

He turned sideways, creating multiple afterimages, as the beautiful sword energy stabbed towards He Zhaoxi from the side.

Attack against attack, speed against speed.

He was confident he was faster than He Zhaoxi. He was the fastest student of the Heaven Nurturing Sword School. His sword manual was one that demanded the fastest speed.

Pew!

A line of fire seemed to ignite on He Zhaoxi’s left arm.

The green smoke came from the friction of his clothing being destroyed by the sharp sword energy and then being compressed.

He had no time to change his sword move. He was still swinging his wide sword forward, but Lu Duo’s beautiful sword energy arrived first.

At least in this, Lu Duo was faster than him.

But then Lu Duo and many of the students and teachers watching this battle looked on with shock and disbelief.

He Zhaoxi did not change his attack. He used his left arm to greet Lu Duo’s sword. A spray of blood came from He Zhaoxi’s arm, and then there was the sound of bone and metal grinding together.

Lu Duo’s face turned white.

His sword had completely penetrated He Zhaoxi’s slightly raised left arm and was stuck in the arm bone. But He Zhaoxi seemed to not feel the pain and the thick and wide blade in his hand did not halt.

A vast wind seemed to be pressing on his chest.

In great terror, Lu Duo gave a sharp scream. He was going to press on his sword to cut off He Zhaoxi’s arm, and then he would cut towards He Zhaoxi’s waist.

But at this time, He Zhaoxi shouted, and his sword sped up.

Lu Duo’s eyes were filled with an indigo sword light. His fighting spirit collapsed completely. His vital energy, under the threat of danger, unconsciously flooded out wildly from under his feet.

He released his sword and flew backwards like a leaf.

He Zhaoxi advanced, raising his sword.

Under Lu Duo’s terrified gaze, a waterfall of blood came from his chest and abdomen!

Sharp inhales sounded.

A terrifying wound appeared on Lu Duo’s chest and abdomen as though it would split apart Lu Duo’s body.

Tantai Guanjian’s body disappeared from next to Jing Liuli.

Once blood poured from Lu Duo’s chest, he appeared next to Lu Duo. In the next moment, he took Lu Duo and disappeared into the shadows of the cliff.

He Zhaoxi swayed slightly. He pushed his wide sword into the ground in front of him and then gripped the silver longsword stuck in his arm. In the next breath, he pulled the silver longsword from his arm.

A piercing scraping sound.

Many students paled even more.

He Zhaoxi put the end of a roll of gauze in his mouth and then used his right hand to bandage and stop the bleeding.

Zhang Yi was shocked speechless. He had not expected He Zhaoxi to use such a fierce method to directly and quickly win this battle.

Xu Lianhua and Xia Wan exchanged looks.

Then the two of them took a deep breath. They needed to calm their emotions.

He Zhaoxi’s left arm was very seriously injured. He likely could not move it. But by using his left arm, He Zhaoxi managed to defeat Lu Duo… Other than that quick attack, Lu Duo had not had the opportunity to display anything else.

This kind of battle and this kind of victory caused them to feel they had to reexamine Ding Ning’s group.

“Zhe Heishi facing Cheng Xiang.”

“Xiao Ting facing Zhao Bingzhou.”

Many people had not calmed down yet, but the Min Mountain Sword Sect cultivator responsible for the trial spoke emotionlessly to arrange new battles.

“Chen Liqiu against Xu Lianhua.”

“What!”

Like waves, before one fell, another wave higher would erupt. Hearing the words, many students exclaimed in disbelief.

Xu Lianhua was stunned.

Xia Wan’s mouth and eyes were wide in disbelief. She had been one of the ones who had exclaimed.

On the other side in the darkness, Chen Liqiu was stunned.

“Why would it be like this?” Chen Liqiu said in a slightly strange tone. He looked expressionlessly at the Min Mountain Sword Sect cultivator and said, “This is on purpose?”

Everyone could understand his emotions right now.

The exclamations had not just been because this was a battle between two people ranked highly in the Book of Talents, but because everyone knew that Chen Liqiu and Xu Lianhua had been very good friends before entering this valley.

In this situation when they had just broken up to the two sides of the hut, arranging the two of them to fight was too cruel.

Yet, on hearing Chen Liqiu’s shout, the Min Mountain Sword Sect cultivator holding the scroll shook his head without any emotion and said indifferently, “I am not intentional, I am random.”

Translator Ramblings: The host is a troll …