Disciples of the Pure Joy Palace were especially skilled at using their own natural advantages. The instant Ji Banlian finished saying “Please,” the brocade ribbon looped around her arms shot out like an enormous white python. It hissed as it tore through the air, like a snake flicking its tongue, making the ribbon seem all the more cunning and unpredictable as it wound forward.
Zhang Tiantai, however, had a heart as hard as iron. He had already gripped his long saber the moment Ji Banlian began speaking. As soon as the brocade ribbon showed itself, he raised the saber high and chopped down with tremendous force.
Saber qi surged like a wave, rolling forward. The brocade ribbon twisted like a serpent, winding toward it.
Saber qi and brocade ribbon tangled together, one fierce and sharp, the other soft and flexible. No one knew whether the saber would sever the silk or whether softness would overcome hardness.
All the cultivators widened their eyes and watched the two fight.
Zhang Tiantai and Ji Banlian possessed similar cultivation. Although their attacks looked very different, their actual power was comparable. For a time, waves of force blurred everyone’s vision, making it impossible to tell the outcome immediately.
The ends of the brocade ribbon were wrapped around Ji Banlian’s wrists. She raised her jade-like arms and spun gracefully, dancing lightly. The ribbon moved with her, darting forward and back, appearing and disappearing unpredictably.
Whenever the saber qi approached and seemed about to make contact, the ribbon slapped it aside and withdrew the instant it touched. In the end, the saber qi never managed to land a solid blow. Instead, the ribbon gradually dispersed the saber’s domineering force.
At this moment, Ji Banlian seemed to hold the advantage.
Su Xin watched with delight and turned to Xu Ziqing. “They’ve already exchanged one round. Brother Ziqing, who are you choosing?”
Xu Ziqing smiled. “Since you call me elder brother, naturally you should choose first.”
Su Xin coughed lightly. “Then I won’t stand on ceremony. In my view, Ji Banlian is as cunning as a fox. She’s probably going to win.”
Xu Ziqing smiled faintly. “Since you’ve chosen Fellow Daoist Ji, I’ll choose Fellow Daoist Zhang.”
Feeling that he had gotten the better end of the choice, Su Xin rubbed his nose and returned his attention to the fight.
What he did not know was that while Xu Ziqing carefully watched Zhang Tiantai and Ji Banlian’s battle, part of his consciousness sank into the ring to speak with his closest friend.
“Brother Yun, will you watch the battle with me?”
The man within the ring answered, “Yes.”
Ji Banlian appeared to have the upper hand, yet Zhang Tiantai showed no impatience. His expression remained cold and steady. He swung the saber horizontally, and the saber qi instantly changed direction.
At that very moment, the brocade ribbon happened to be coming toward it. The two were about to collide.
Seeing this, Ji Banlian twisted her slender waist sharply. The ribbon immediately spun into three circular layers and wrapped around her completely, like a celestial maiden beneath the moon, pure and beautiful.
She had withdrawn the ribbon because she refused to let it meet the saber qi head-on.
Xu Ziqing was puzzled. Both ribbon and saber were magical artifacts. Even if they truly collided, the ribbon might not necessarily be cut apart by the saber qi. Why was Ji Banlian being so cautious, unwilling to let it touch the saber qi at all?
Since he did not understand, he asked.
Yun Lie replied from within the ring, “To cultivate the saber, its edge must drink deeply of blood. Zhang Tiantai’s saber has already reached some attainment, and the saber qi carries the baleful qi of the dead. It can injure people severely.”
Xu Ziqing thought about it. “Ji Banlian’s brocade ribbon is extremely clean. If it makes contact, the saber’s baleful qi will contaminate it. Refining that qi away afterward would take considerable effort.”
Yun Lie said, “In addition, it also concerns the nature of the two magical artifacts.”
This was clearly another test. Xu Ziqing thought carefully before saying, “The long saber is domineering, but physically much shorter than the ribbon. Yet its saber qi can be released outward to injure from a distance. The brocade ribbon is extremely long and can extend, contract, and transform, giving it limitless possibilities. Unfortunately, in a situation like this, its strengths instead become constraints and leave it struggling.”
Only after hearing this did Yun Lie speak again. “If the situation becomes critical, Ji Banlian will stop caring about such concerns.”
Sure enough, Zhang Tiantai immediately seized the initiative. Swish, swish, swish. He slashed three times in succession, sending out three razor-sharp saber-shaped waves of force.
The three saber waves vibrated with a humming sound like ringing bells. They rushed toward Ji Banlian in a triangular formation, leaving her nowhere to dodge. If she withdrew the ribbon, she would be struck by the saber qi. If she kept it out, the ribbon would inevitably be tainted.
Seeing Zhang Tiantai’s fierce attacks, Ji Banlian’s delicate brows drew together. She made an immediate decision and stopped worrying about the ribbon. Her arms twisted in some subtle way, and the brocade ribbon suddenly began spinning like a top at tremendous speed. Ji Banlian stood at the very center, her expression solemn, with a trace of pained reluctance in her eyes.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
The three saber waves slammed into the “spinning top,” producing a rapid series of metallic clashes.
The “top” spun so fast that not even water could penetrate it. The saber force could not enter. Instead, it was shaved away layer by layer, scattering in all directions until all its power was worn down.
Zhang Tiantai remained calm and swung his saber repeatedly.
Saber force and “spinning top” collided again and again. Gradually, rust-colored stains appeared across the white surface, while its spinning speed began to slow.
Zhang Tiantai stayed steady and suddenly shouted, “Ha!”
The next instant, a saber wave ten chi long burst out.
The “spinning top” had exhausted its defensive strength and could no longer grind away the saber force. The moment they collided, the ribbon gave a mournful sound, followed by the sharp noise of cloth tearing.
Bang!
It shattered completely.
The snow-white ribbon broke apart like a swarm of white butterflies, scattering under the impact of the saber force and revealing Ji Banlian, who had been protected safely inside.
Ji Banlian’s face had gone slightly pale. Clearly, dissolving the saber qi through the dancing ribbon had been far from easy. By now, she had probably consumed more than half of her spiritual power.
Zhang Tiantai’s expenditure of spiritual power was no less than hers.
He was using the Heavenly Saber Unfettered Art, a cultivation art practiced by everyone in the Divine Saber Sect. It was exceptionally fierce and domineering. Once cultivated to great depth, it naturally gave its user an intimidating presence.
Zhang Tiantai had practiced this saber art for thirty years and had immersed himself in it deeply. It allowed the treasured saber in his hands to unleash saber qi and saber force. Within the entire Divine Saber Sect, only his master, the current sect leader, stood above him. No one else was his match.
Yet producing saber qi and saber force was not easy and consumed a great deal of spiritual power. Even with Zhang Tiantai’s current profound cultivation, he could only manage roughly ten such slashes. To break Ji Banlian’s defense, he had already used six. Only four remained.
Ji Banlian looked at the shredded silk, and anger flashed through her eyes. “Brother Zhang truly showed no mercy. This little sister has learned something today!”
Zhang Tiantai was unmoved. “During a martial contest, going all out is the soundest strategy.”
Ji Banlian was furious, but there was nothing she could do.
The disciples of the Pure Joy Palace were all women and famous for their ribbon dances. Unlike women of the demonic path, they were not wanton or unrestrained. Naturally, many male cultivators pursued them and wished to marry them. Under ordinary circumstances, if they wanted to contend for something, they often enjoyed an advantage.
Unfortunately, the Divine Saber Sect was full of men who had no idea how to cherish delicate beauty. Not only did they fail to soften because of the women’s looks, whenever they encountered them, they held nothing back. How could that not make the women angry?
Still, Ji Banlian was the foremost dancer of the Pure Joy Palace, and her temperament was exceptionally firm. She knew how important this martial contest was. With her cultivation, she was more than likely to remain in the end, but people from the great world were watching. How could she not make a strong showing? More importantly, the gatekeeper was handsome and extraordinary. If she could form a favorable connection with him, it would benefit her greatly after she entered the great world.
She had lost her composure somewhat just now, but she could not continue doing so. If she left Senior Tang with a poor impression, the loss would outweigh the gain.
Thinking this, Ji Banlian smiled faintly. “Then Brother Zhang, please be careful.” As soon as the words fell, she turned her palms over, and two jade bangles appeared around her wrists.
Three jade bells were set into the bangles. She gave her wrists the slightest shake, and an extraordinarily clear, light, ethereal chime rang out. The instant it sounded, people could not help shivering.
Zhang Tiantai’s thick brows furrowed. A grave expression appeared on his resolute face. He gripped the saber hilt with both hands and became even more vigilant than when he had faced the brocade ribbon.
Ji Banlian smiled lightly, spread both palms before her eyes, and gave them a slight shake. Ding!
Zhang Tiantai’s wrist trembled involuntarily.
He immediately came back to himself and tightened his fingers around the hilt. The veins on his arms bulged visibly.
Ding! Ding!
Ding-ding!
The chimes came one after another, slow and crystal clear. Ji Banlian rose onto the tips of her toes and spun as though no one else were present. Her pale-yellow ruqun floated lightly, like a half-open flower.
Inviting yet refusing, revealing yet concealing, her dance steps were light and graceful, each one seeming to land directly upon the heart.
Every time the jade bells rang, Zhang Tiantai’s heart beat with them. As the ringing gradually quickened, his heartbeat accelerated too.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
The bell tones became like a sudden downpour. Zhang Tiantai began panting heavily. His face flushed, his eyes losing their clarity as spiritual power surged chaotically through his meridians, as though his body could no longer contain it.
Only the fingers gripping the saber ever more tightly showed that he was still resisting.
By now, all the spectators sensed something was wrong.
It was not only Zhang Tiantai’s behavior. A faint gauze-like veil had suddenly appeared before them. This was the restriction Tang Wenfei had placed for their protection.
Yet the thin veil now seemed to be struck repeatedly by some invisible force, as though something were trying to break through. The veil merely trembled lightly and dissolved every impact with effortless ease.
The cultivators closed their eyes, then opened them again. Bursts of differently colored light appeared in their pupils.
Green light flickered in Xu Ziqing’s eyes as he stared straight into the center of the hall.
As expected, ripples of sound spread outward in rings around Ji Banlian’s dancing figure, swelling and shrinking as they encircled Zhang Tiantai.
Zhang Tiantai’s eyes were bloodshot. Like a trapped beast, he had been bound tightly in a net woven of sound waves. Forget swinging his saber. He could not even lift an arm.
Was Ji Banlian going to win this battle?
Ji Banlian smiled sweetly, every gesture and movement carrying an indescribable rhythm.
Yet Xu Ziqing could see fine beads of sweat forming at her temples.
Before the battle began, one contestant had planned to use domineering saber qi to end matters quickly, while the other had intended to wear down her opponent’s spiritual power first and then suppress his will.
Zhang Tiantai had underestimated the strength of his opponent’s defense, while Ji Banlian had not expected him to be capable of, or willing to, release three saber attacks at once.
Thus one had lost her accompanying magical artifact, while the other had fallen into his opponent’s scheme. Now the battle had somehow become a pure contest of endurance.