Purple Cloud Fist

Within the dueling platform.

Shi Huaqiang dashed towards Shi Qincheng in order to support her as she stood up. She knew that even though Shi Qincheng was able to break her fall, landing on both of her legs, her legs would still have to withstand a bit of force.

"Are you okay?" Shi Huaqiang placed her arm under Qincheng's right shoulder before grasping on her left. She then let out a smile as they walked outside the dueling platform. "That was a good fight."

"Hehe." Shi Qincheng lightly chuckled as she wiped off the blood trickling down her mouth with her robe. "Truly a good fight indeed. Also, is our bonding later still going to happen?"

At that instant, Shi Huaqiang put on a shocked expression before asking, "Y-you don't mean... you're declining our bonding?"

Seeing that a few beads of tears welled up on Shi Huaqiang's eyes, Shi Qincheng hurriedly wiped off these tears as she replied, "N-n-no! That's not it! I just wanted a bit of time to dress up!"

Rather than smiling wryly, Shi Huaqiang laughed till her heart's content as she looked at Shi Qincheng's currently worried expression before giving a cheerful smile. "Don't you worry, you can have all the time you want to dress up! I would have to dress up as well anyway. I can't lose out to the beauty of my good friend, right?"

Hearing Huaqiang's statement, Shi Qincheng could not help but laugh as well before smiling while Huaqiang walked Qincheng to the spectator seats.

Most of the male spectators could not help but look at the two young beauties in front of them and dream up of situations where one of the these two beauties were either their lovers or wives. They could not help but be enthralled as they looked at the two.

After escorting Qincheng to the spectator seats, Shi Huaqiang gave Qincheng a nod before going back to where the 7 remaining participants were. Now that she was with the other 7, Shi Xingtai nodded inwardly. The final 8 were now here!

"Alright, with that duel over, let us now officially start the quarterfinals of the Novice Tournament!" Shi Xingtai announced as he released 8 wisps of qi that was grouped into 4 pairs not long after.

"Let us start with the first duel." Shi Xingtai tapped on the leftmost pair of qi strands from his perspective, which then circled around the 8 participants before settling on two specific participants and entering their bodies.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Unlike before, once the two qi strands entered the two participants' bodies, the bodies of the chosen participants glowed a faint blue, showing the spectators the matchup for this first duel.

The two participants looked at their bodies for a bit before searching the other one that had their body glow as well. Not long after, their eyes widened simultaneously in surprise as they nodded towards each other before heading inside the dueling platform.

While the two were heading towards the dueling platform, Shi Xingtai took this time to announce the matchup of the first duel to the spectators. "The first duel of the quarterfinals shall be between Shi Li and Shi Ziyun!"

"Shi Ziyun?" After hearing this name, one of the spectators could not help but repeat this name. As this name lingered in their minds, they looked at the participant that was going to fight against Shi Li.

Shi Ziyun, from their point of view, was someone at around 14 or 15 years of age according to her looks while her height was around the same as Shi Li's. Not only that, her beauty was almost comparable to Shi Qincheng's while her body exuded an aura of immense strength, starkly contrasting with her looks.

As Shi Li and Shi Ziyun were positioning themselves at both ends of the dueling platform, a spectator instantly recalled something and exclaimed, "Shi Ziyun... Isn't she the Purple Phantom?"

"Eh?" After hearing the moniker Purple Phantom, all of the spectators could not help but look at Shi Li with pity as they heard the rumors of the Purple Phantom's capabilities.

According to the rumors they've heard, the Purple Phantom was someone who could fight against 3 cultivators at the first Martial Adept stage simultaneously while being at the peak of the Martial Novice stage. This was possible due to her special martial technique named the [Purple Cloud Fist]!

Shi Li looked at Shi Ziyun who was at the other end of the dueling platform and said, "Nice to meet you, my name is Shi Li. I hope we can have a good fight."

Seeing that the previous playboy she knew was acting extremely courteous, which she noticed even yesterday, Shi Ziyun was polite as well in her answers as she clenched her fists while taking a battle stance. "Nice to meet you as well. As you've heard from the spectators, I'm also known as the Purple Phantom. I hope you don't underestimate my capabilities."

Shi Li could not help but chuckle at this as he gripped on the hilt of Sundering Flame tightly. "How could I underestimate such a woman like you? How about we just fight with 3 moves. You move first, the one who concedes first loses."

Shi Ziyun thought about it for a while before nodding. "Alright, I accept."

"Let the duel begin!" Shi Xingtai instantly announced the start of the first duel as he noticed that the banter between the two of them was done.

Whoosh!

In an instant, the aura within the dueling platform felt extremely suffocating, with one side exuding a scalding heat hidden beneath a wondrous strength, while the other side was exuding a feeling of an immense strength that was everywhere, fleeting at times, and forceful at other times.

"Hehe!" Shi Ziyun lightly laughed as she ran closer towards Shi Li, contracting her fist as an incorporeal purple haze gradually covered the contracted fist.

Shi Li looked at this fist and felt that this fist was weak, yet immense strength was hidden within. He bent his knees perpendicular to the ground and placed Sundering Flame at the front of his chest, ready to deflect the attack with his [All-encompassing Sword] technique.

"Take my fist! Purple Cloud Fist: Fleeting!"

Whoosh!

Just as Shi Ziyun shot her fist towards Shi Li, the purple haze covering her fist instantly disappeared, making Shi Li dumbfounded as to what he was going to dodge.

He looked around his surroundings and saw that there was nothing peculiar. He even looked at Shi Ziyun for a bit before asking, "Was that fist a joke?"

"Whether or not that fist is a joke... you'll find out soon enough." Shi Ziyun lightly smiled as she took a few steps back.

Shi Li raised his eyebrow as he continued to look at Shi Ziyun, wondering if she was bluffing. Not long after, he suddenly felt a feeling of danger from behind his back, but it was already too late.

Pow!

From the perspectives of the spectators, a purple haze manifested from behind Shi Li's back and...

Punched him!

"Eh?" Shi Li was caught unaware, falling down on the ground face first with a thud.