.
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.
YOU ARE READING
The Endless Promise
FantasíaYin Xiaolong, the fearsome black dragon, is finally dead. But as the world rejoices, he awakens - reborn as Zhang Luoyin, a powerless human poisoned by his own family, and who is identical to his former self. Even worse, he must marry Xu Weiyan, the...
