26. The Duel 2
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There was thunderous cheer as Zhang Cheng and Weiyan approached the center of the platform and bowed to each other...
"Xiaoyan, I look forward to dueling with you." Zhang Cheng said with a smirk.
But Weiyan didn't even respond, which made him scowl darkly.
'Hmph! Let's see how long you can keep your pride!'
They both turned and took ten steps in the opposite direction, as was customary, and then they faced each other again.
"Begin!" Haoyuan shouted, and both released their auras.
"Disciple Zhang has risen two stages!" A disciple said. "He will soon reach Profound Rank Seven!"
"Heh! 3rd Disciple Xu climbed even faster!" Another observed.
"Yes! She climbed almost seven stages and is now at the ninth stage of Rank Five!"
"With a small push, she can reach Rank Six!"
"Too bad it won't help in this fight. Disciple Zhang is too far ahead."
"Yes, but she will eventually close that gap! She'll lose the battle today, but win the war later! All the best, 3rd Disciple Xu!"
"We're cheering for you, Erudite Swordsman!"
Most of the disciples cheered for Xu Weiyan, and Zhang Cheng's expression had turned extremely sour.
It would be a lie, if he said he didn't see Weiyan as a threat.
His level was outstanding, but Xu Weiyan's cultivation speed was scary!
'Perhaps it's good if we don't marry...' He admitted.
It would be a shame if his own wife outranked him later on.
But he liked Weiyan way too much!
He could not allow such a beautiful and talented person to end up with anyone else, much less his useless younger brother!
He held out a hand, and his sword appeared; a sleek, dark purple sword, surrounded by violet aura.
Weiyan's sword appeared as well, hovering in front of her, and the disciples oohed and aahed. It was a beautiful snow-white sword, surrounded by white flames.
"Our 'White Sparrow'! Jayo!!" The disciples chanted a relentless cheer, and with two fingers, Weiyan directed her sword toward Zhang Cheng.
Zhang Cheng prepared to block, but just before the sword reached him, it split into three different swords.
"Ho? So you've learned sword arts?" He easily deflected all three swords. "Still too immature!"
But Weiyan had vanished, and she appeared behind Zhang Cheng. Her sword appeared in her hand, and she swung it down in a wide arc, but Zhang Cheng swivelled and blocked easily, sending a shockwave around the arena.
Weiyan leapt away, and struck four times more, clashing with him each time, but the fifth time was a feint, and Zhang Cheng suddenly found himself within a formation, trapped and unable to move.
"When --?" He looked down at the lotus-shaped six-point seal beneath him, and he realized Weiyan had been casting it little by little, each time she had struck.
"You tricky little-!" There was a series of mild explosions, as weiyan set off the seal beneath Zhang Cheng, and they were both engulfed in smoke.
"What's happening?!" The disciples wondered, unable to see anything.
"Look!"
Weiyan burst out of the smoke and gingerly landed a small distance away, watching as the smoke cleared away.
The smoke cleared to reveal a severely annoyed Zhang Cheng, completely unharmed within a crystalline shield.
He held up two fingers, and his sword was suddenly behind Weiyan!
Weiyan leapt away, barely evading it, but five more came at her, which she had to deflect.
She saw an opening and lunged forward, swinging her sword low, but Zhang Cheng leapt away using qinggong.
Weiyan easily followed after him, stepping through the air to reach him, but he was waiting for her and resumed his onslaught of attacks with his six swords.
Weiyan gracefully spun through the air, evading the swords, and she directed three of hers at him. But he was too fast for her, and he deflected her swords easily.
With a quick hand seal, Zhang Cheng multiplied the number of his swords to twelve, sending them after Weiyan with a renewed vengeance. This forced Weiyan to constantly defend, and she was getting pushed back.
She hastily scribbled an air talisman to shield herself, but though they blocked the swords, Zhang Cheng had used her constant defending to his advantage, and he appeared behind her.
Before she could react, he had hit her back with his palm, sending her flying forward.
She caught herself at the last second, but coughed out blood.
"Hmph!" Zhang Cheng came after her at once, giving her barely any time to recover, and he waved his hand, making the twelve swords stream towards Weiyan.
Weiyan scribbled another air talisman, which blocked the swords, but Zhang Cheng appeared behind her again, and she had to fend him off.
Her sword reappeared in her hand, just in time to clash with his, but Weiyan found herself getting weaker and slower.
"Xiaoyan, just give up!" Zhang Cheng taunted. "The move I used on you earlier was actually an attack on your meridians! Your qi will be in disarray for a while, and it will only get worse the more you struggle!"
Weiyan was indeed finding it hard to mold qi, and Zhang Cheng's swings were getting heavier and heavier.
She couldn't use qinggong anymore, so she was grounded, struggling to match his strength and speed.
After blocking one of Zhang Cheng's swings, he disappeared and appeared behind her, ready to strike her with his palm yet again...
But Zhang Cheng suddenly felt someone grab his wrist and shove him aside.
A small explosion forced Zhang Cheng to leap away, and they were engulfed in smoke again.
When the smoke cleared, everyone gasped in surprise!
Zhang Cheng was on one side of the dais, while on the other side, Weiyan stood behind a rather unexpected figure.
"Zhang Luoyin?!" One of the disciples exclaimed in shock.
A sudden hush settled on the Arena, and they all looked at the figure.
It was indeed Zhang Luoyin, who appeared neater and more refined than anyone had seen him in recent years, and though his face was covered, it was clear that all the injuries he had just two days ago had vanished!
Was that even possible?!
His hair was bundled up in a ponytail which fell down his back in long black waves, but two front clumps fell on either side of his face.
His hand held Weiyan's wrist, firmly holding her behind himself, and she stared at his back in shock.
A memory instantly slid into her mind...
After Yin Xiaolong had rescued her at the Lava sea, she had nearly been attacked in the Forest of Snakes, and he had pulled her behind him exactly like this...
Apart from the difference in hair and robes, this person's back was too similar.
'Why does he remind me of Yin Xiaolong...?' She wondered, and then gasped when Luoyin turned to face her.
'Even his eyes are - !'
But Luoyin suddenly hit three of her acu-points, snapping her back to reality.
"What are yo-?"
"Zhang Cheng's move just now was dangerous. I undid the worst of it, but you should rest a little." He informed her calmly, as if this was a safe practice session.
Weiyan shook her head, realizing the immediate problem. "2nd Young Master Zhang, why did you come here?! Don't you know he will harm you?!"
"Tch. Get out of my sight." Luoyin simply hit two more of her acu-points, rendering her unable to move.
It was the same thing she had done to him the night he had the fever, and she found herself falling backwards, but someone caught her.
She looked up to see Xu Min's smiling face. "Little Sister! Don't worry, I'll take you home to rest!" He threw her arm over his shoulder and leapt off the dais with her.
Meanwhile, Zhang Cheng's eyes had nearly popped out in surprise.
"Luoyin!" Zhang Cheng shook his head to overcome the shock. "What trick did you pull?!" It was impossible for Luoyin to stop him like that.
"Hmph. Even if you remained silent, I'd still address you." Luoyin slowly turned to face him. "How many layers of skin do you have? Trying to bully someone of a lower level into marrying you..."
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