A Noble Duel

The state of the dueling arena shifted like the tides. Yang Gehu's waves gained the advantage with a weapon in hand. Just with spiritual aura alone, he was able to push Chen Wentian's flames back to the midpoint and beyond.

The glaive was certainly an impressive Spirit Lord Realm weapon. Crafted out of a blue-metallic metal, it stood well over two meters tall. Its blade was wide and curved like a heavy saber. The shaft was engraved with motifs of waves.

"Do you like it?" Yang Gehu taunted, "This is the Great Wave Glaive, a weapon exclusive to core members of the Yang Glan of Great Waves."

"Blah. Blah. Are you going to stand there and brag or actually do something?" Chen Wentian asked.

"Bastard! Take this!" Yang Gehu charged.

The glaive spun in his hand and came down like a crashing wave, bringing along with it a surge of watery spiritual energy.

"Great Wave Art! Rock Crushing Waves!"

Yang Gehu's attack swept over Chen Wentian's half of the arena. For a moment, he was no longer visible and even his blue flames were hidden.

But then, the waves dissipated, revealing a scaly golden phantom wrapped protectively around Chen Wentian's body. The layer of golden spiritual energy shifted, revealing to the audience that he was completely unharmed. Not even a strand of hair was wet from the impromptu shower.

"Do you like it?" Chen Wentian returned the previous taunt, "This is my Golden Serpent Robe."

It was indeed the Golden Serpent Robe. He had borrowed it from Lin Qingcheng as a precaution. Its defensive prowess was extreme, capable of protecting the user against all kinds of attacks.

Yang Gehu's face turned ugly. He didn't respond with words but with more attacks.

"Great Wave Art! Swift Breaking Wave!"

"Great Wave Art! Rippling Wave!"

Attack after attack crashed against the golden specter of a giant serpent. It was a tremendous show of offensive and defensive power and a display of two wonderous Spirit Lord Realm treasures.

"Golden Serpent Robe… did he get this from the Golden Basin Auction House?" Abbotess Wei of the Starry Wei Clan asked, "I've never heard of it before."

The abbotesses of the executive council were the closest to the action and could see the battle clearly above their heads.

Abbotess Yang scoffed, "Who knows, it won't be able to last much longer against my clan's Great Wave Art which specializes in long, continuous attacks!"

Wei Jiarong shook her head, "That golden aura hasn't weakened one bit after taking so many hits. I don't think it will break at all! Amazing!"

Many others soon realized this and so did Yang Gehu. He drew back his waves and retreated to his side. He had expended a great amount of spiritual energy in attacking so he had to be careful. Also, etiquette called for him to give his opponent a chance to attack.

Chen Wentian also understood and obliged. There was a pulse of light in his hand as a long, slender saber appeared. He twirled it with his wrist, filling the air with chirps and whistles. The blade flashed and danced, like an agile bird in flight. It was the Insightful Swallow Saber.

"You should probably take out some armor." He said.

"Shut up!" Yang Gehu spat, brandishing his glaive.

"Suit yourself."

Chen Wentian moved like the wind, like a soaring swallow, like a dragon within its domain in the blue sky. His body turned into a blur as he closed the distance between them.

Flying Dragon Saber Art, First Flight, Dragon Snatching the Sea!

The saber blade flashed three times in the form of three simultaneous slashes. He didn't bother announcing his move so everyone was left wondering what kind of attack this could be.

Yang Gehu spun his glaive around, forming a wall of water but this defense was far too optimistic. Chen Wentian's three saber strikes combined, turning into a giant dragon claw. They tore apart the water shield and directly clashed against the metal shaft of the glaive.

Clang!

"Puu!" Yang Gehu spat out blood as he was forced back many steps.

The shaft of his glaive now sported three fresh scratches. The front of his robes had also been shredded, revealing the pale white skin of his chest.

"I told you." Chen Wentian said.

He didn't press the attack. He could have finished off his opponent if it was an ordinary fight. But this was still an honor duel so he had to allow them to properly defend themselves.

Yang Gehu shot him a silent glare before putting his glaive to the side. He withdrew a complicated set of armor from his spatial bag and quickly put everything on. Once clad in blue and white plates of metal across his torso, arms, and legs, he grabbed his glaive once more.

"And what is this shiny costume called?" Chen Wentian asked.

"Wave Emperor's Armor."

"Good!"

Chen Wentian twirled the Insight Swallow and attacked once more. His body blurred as flashes of silver covered the enclosed arena. Accompanied by the roar of the wind, a sharp storm of invisible blades attempted to turn his opponent into mincemeat.

Flying Dragon Saber Art, Second Flight, Tempest of the Dragon Wing!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Yang Gehu was blown about but his defense held. Bolstered by the additional armor, he was able to block everything that came his way.

Chen Wentian didn't stop this time around and continued with a rapid, relentless attack pattern.

Flying Dragon Saber Art, Third Flight, Dragon Cry Decimates the Mountains!

A roar followed by a mighty slash shook the duel arena, threatening to split the entire hall in half if it were not for the protective array.

Flying Dragon Saber Art, Fourth Flight, A Dragon's Lament Rends the Sky!

A long melancholy cry rang out along with flashes of silver light, leaving long gashes across the upper half of the protective sphere.

Flying Dragon Saber Art, Fifth Flight, Divine Fury of a Thousand Days!

The two men within were swept away by a fearsome storm. Nobody could tell what was going on, only hear the sounds of continuous clashes.

Flying Dragon Saber Art, Sixth Flight, Soaring Arrogantly to the Heavens!

A massive explosion shook the sphere. It was so powerful that the air outside shook in protest. A figure flew out of the silvery storm in the middle and crashed against the boundary. From their glittering attire, now streaked with blood, and the giant glaive in their hand, everyone could see that the one on the losing end was Yang Gehu.

"What!" Abbotess Yang shouted, leaping to her feet.

Her sentiment was felt by many others. It was difficult to believe that Yang Gehu was still inferior while wielding the Great Wave Glaive and the Wave Emperor Armor. His items all complemented each other and benefitted the Great Wave Art. This setup should have been able to overcome one stage of spiritual strengthening and two mismatched immortal items.

The storm dissipated and Chen Wentian emerged, floating where he had been when the duel started. The Golden Serpent Robe shined merrily through several rips in his outer clothes. The Insightful Swallow was held loosely in one hand while his other hand was behind his hip in a relaxed stance.

"How was it? Do you want to give up? It will be easier for you if you do." Chen Wentian said casually.

"Pei! Not a chance!" Yang Gehu spat as his spiritual energy surged in defiance.

He picked himself up and rose back into the air. Although he was bleeding from many small wounds, his condition overall was still good. The Wave Emperor Armor didn't provide a perfect defense like the Golden Serpent Robes but it still drastically increased the wearer's durability.

"I told you over and over again," Yang Gehu said while pulling out a large gourd as big as his torso that was inscribed with a myriad of tiny blue inscriptions and symbols, "You're a nobody, you have no right to be arrogant in front of me! Now I will make you regret entering this dueling arena with me!"