The Endless Promise

108. New Rules

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Yao Shanfeng flung five talismans into the air, and they shimmered into an array of red flame beasts, comprising a tiger, a hawk, a serpent, a boar, and a wolf.

'Impressive!' Lord Li thought from the viewing box as the beasts roared and charged forward toward Xu Min.

But Xu Min didn't move an inch.

"Mirror Lotus."

Seven purple petals bloomed around him, spinning, humming softly.

The hawk struck first, then the boar, but they were both redirected by the Mirror Lotus, and sped back towards Yao Shanfeng.

Yao Shanfeng hastily cancelled the move, and the beasts vanished, but in the same breath, his eyes locked on Xu Min, and almost thirty hunting blades appeared around Xu Min.

"Hunt's End!" Shanfeng yelled, and he was instantly amidst the blades, flashing from one to the other in a series of attacks.

It was fast! So fast that even some of the Elders leaned forward, struggling to keep track.

A deadly final technique that targeted vital points and aimed to end a match in a few swift strikes.

But Xu Min's aura had already flared.

"Falling Star Blade!"

His sword spun from his back like a comet, intercepting Yao Shanfeng's hunting blades with matching speed, and they clashed in midair, ringing like bells in the wind.

Xu Min twisted and cast another talisman down at the ground.

"Binding Vine!"

Green light exploded beneath Shanfeng's feet, wrapping him in roots and chains of qi, and the crowd gasped.

There was a moment where Shanfeng struggled against the vines, and the audience thought Xu Min had won, but Shanfeng suddenly roared and activated a red talisman with his teeth!

"I would rather die than lose here!" He raged, as his aura burst outward, tearing through the vines, and a sudden explosion knocked both fighters backward...

Xu Min landed first, flipping in the air and sliding back in a crouch, but a thin line of blood had appeared at his temple.

Yao Shanfeng dropped from the sky, skidding across the tiles, panting heavily.

Several of his blades were broken, and most of his remaining talismans required more energy than he had left.

But he glared at Xu Min, who glared right back.

Blocking the effects of that attack had taken almost all of Xu Min's qi, and his sword was no longer spinning.

Yao Shanfeng leapt first, attacking Xu Min with all that was left of his energy, and Xu Min blocked, casting them in a lock. Both leapt apart and struck again and again, clashing at several points on the platform.

But eventually, both were tired out, panting on opposite sides.

"I would rather die-..." Yao Shanfeng panted. "... than lose here...!" He brought out another talisman which would probably end his life or cause some serious damage.

Both young men locked eyes, each ready to move again.

But then Xu Min hesitated.

He could feel it. His body and qi were at their limit. If he pushed now, he might cause himself lasting damage again, and he remembered his years of being limited by the Qi Deviation.

Also, he couldn't help hearing Sect Leader Xu's voice in his head:

"...no title or victory is worth harming your foundation... try your hardest, but don't harm yourselves to win!"