Troublesome Opponents (I)

"I challenge Xu Lanyi of Ten Thousand Flower Valley!" A bright voice was heard across the plaza.

It was the next round after Song Wushuang's duel and this challenge came once again from a member of the Tower of Swords. Although they wore the same drab gray uniform as the others, there was something particular about this person. For one, he was quite youthful, no more than thirty or so in age. His cultivation was also not at the peak of the Spirit Initiate Realm but at the 9th Level, the same as Xu Lanyi.

"Hmm." Chen Wentian scratched his chin and pondered the issue.

There had to be something else. It was unlike the Tower of Swords to offer a fair duel with how they had been behaving.

"Master?" Xu Lanyi questioned.

He gave up and waved his hand, allowing her to go. The worst it could be was a fair duel so he saw no problem with it.

Xu Lanyi nodded and jumped off the stands and onto the platform below. Unlike her sisters before her, she wore an eye-catching outfit that was midnight black in color. It had a rather tight fit and suited the purpose of accentuating her tall and fit physique. This combined with short wind-swept black locks with frosted tips gave her a more masculine appearance that was tempered with a pretty face and feminine charm.

There was almost no trace of the Xu Lanyi of the past that had been a member of Glacier Palace. Her present state was a pure expression of her personality which had been locked away by the strict rules of that icy place for so many years.

"Xu Lanyi present!" She answered the call, striking a pose with one hand on her hips and another sweeping hair out of her eyes.

"Showoff." Li Yuechan muttered from a distance.

The twins giggled amongst themselves while Song Wushuang shook her head.

Chen Wentian smiled and enjoyed the show.

"Duelists, head to your assigned dueling platforms!" Yang Kaitian declared.

Xu Lanyi faced off against her opponent. She was taller than him by half a head and she smirked confidently.

"I didn't know a frigid nun could have such a sense of style. You have truly opened my eyes today." Her opponent said.

A wave of anger rushed to Xu Lanyi's head. So, they were throwing insults already…

"How old are you? A midget like you should still be sucking on their mother's teat." She retorted.

The second-best way to insult a man was to question his height. The first was, of course, his manhood but she was saving that for another time.

The man's face contorted into a frown, briefly ruining his somewhat handsome features, "My name is Peng Xifan, aged thirty-one. And lucky for you, I am a core disciple of the Tower of Swords."

"Begin!"

As the voice of immortal Yang Kaitian boomed over their heads, Xu Lanyi summoned the power of ice. A huge slab of white ice appeared amidst a fog of spiritual energy. Her chosen weapon was an oversized two-handed sword. Its blade had a width of four fingers at the base. The entire blade was almost as tall as her.

She swung it around in front of her, sending forth waves of icy sword energy. "How many core disciples does your master have? Does he even know your name?"

Peng Xifan drew his sword and deflected the incoming attack. His sword was a classic design and he wielded it with one hand.

"Then, let our swords do the talking." He responded.

"Let's!" Xu Lanyi shouted and charged at him.

Through a swirl of sword energies, the two clashed together brilliantly. Her greatsword smashed down on his thin piece of steel.

To the uninitiated, the larger weapon should have crushed the other into pieces but Peng Xifian held back the attack without much struggle. His sword was already of high quality and it was now encased in a thick layer of sword energy that held a deep foundation.

"Too slow!" He shouted and counterattacked.

His movements turned into a blur as he parried the large hunk of ice and directly slashed towards Xu Lanyi's arm.

Xu Lanyi saw the danger and stamped both feet on the ground. With a surge of strength, she somersaulted over Peng Xifan. Using the momentum, she swung her sword down towards the back of his head.

He was equally agile. He rolled to the side and swiped blindly behind him. The move was excellent, forcing Xu Lanyi to heave her heavy weapon back towards her body to defend.

After several more similar clashes, the two broke apart and glared at each other. Xu Lanyi's hair was in disarray and it seemed that a small clump had been sheared off by her opponent's sword. Peng Xifan seemed mostly fine except for heavy breathing from the exertion.

"Cheh, I didn't expect you to be strong like a cow." Peng Xifan said, "But I should have expected it since your sword is clumsy and dumb like a cow."

"You rabbit bastard." Xu Lanyi spat.

She was beyond frustrated and not just by his insults. He could back up his talk with real skill. She could feel it every time their swords touched. She didn't know if she could beat him but she definitely wasn't going to back down.

All thoughts of playing it safe disappeared. She had no intention of utilizing the reliable strategy that her other three sisters had already employed. She refused to run away from such a detestable opponent!

Her eyes glowed white as the power of Icy Marrow surged through her body. She stood up straight and brandished her oversized sword once more.

"Good!" Peng Xifan exclaimed, "Now, let me show you how a true sword cultivator fights!"

His own spiritual energy surged, sword intention wrapping around him in a tight cocoon. This wasn't any ordinary sword energy such as that from the Sword of the Galant Gentleman. This was something else entirely. It contained tremendous sharpness and a profoundness that couldn't quite be grasped.

There was only one explanation, this was a true immortal sword art. This was the Lonely Sword Wanderer!

Peng Xifan's sword danced in his hand. With three strides, he had arrived in front of Xu Lanyi. His sword flashed, landing three consecutive strikes on her blade. Through the cacophony of noise, her ice sword broke in two with the top half shattering in a shower of ice.

In one continuous movement, Peng Xifan had slipped past her guard as his sword tip leaped towards her vitals.

Xu Lanyi clenched her teeth and forcibly twisted her body to avoid being hit. She drew more energy from her spiritual sea, reformed her ice sword, and added more power to her Icy Marrow.

"Hya!" She shouted as she swung her sword wildly.

There was no subtlety to her moves, only raw strength supported by the huge dimensions of her weapon.

But her opponent was a true sword art and her counter was far too naïve.

Peng Xifan parried the attacks like they were nothing and came at her again. His sword was blindingly quick. His movements were too shifty to predict.

The mantra of the Lonely Sword Wanderer was one sword against all enemies, one lonely sword against the world. It was a sword style that dominated opponents through continuous attacks, non-stop movement, an all-out offense.

Pa!

Ka!

Xu Lanyi's ice sword was broken once more. She retreated in alarm, still facing her opponent, as she tried to reform another sword.

Peng Xifan gave chase, not giving her room to breathe. His sword tip aimed for her chest, coming closer and closer as his speed even managed to overtake hers.

The two of them slid towards the edge of the dueling platform. She was rapidly running out of room to retreat but he kept her on this path. They were too close. His sword was merely a fingertip away from her. It was too late to change direction or she would simply be struck down.

Finally, her heels hit the edge of the stone platform just as his sword tip barely touched her black robes in the space between her breasts.

There was a surge of spiritual energy as the protections within her clothes activated, pushing her further away from the danger. This was followed by a separate column of spiritual energy from the observing judge who put further distance between the two duelists.

Xu Lanyi came to a sliding halt twenty paces out of bounds. She looked up to see Peng Xifan's smug smile which filled her heart with frustration.

She had lost.

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