Chapter 16: Sword Duel

Long Yan stared fixedly at the arena, not even blinking!

Yes.

He had betrayed Li Shuang.

But.

He couldn't be blamed entirely.

If Li Shuang hadn't been so cold and frost-like in her daily life, if she could have given him a little more care like Zhao Zhao did, how could he have ended up like this?

It was precisely because of Zhao Zhao's appearance that he realized a sword spirit could possess emotions; that dreamlike, sweet sensation had caused him to fall into it uncontrollably.

Choosing Ye Zhao Zhao and forming a sword spirit contract with her—he had no regrets!

Without Li Shuang, he was still the invincible Dragon Chant Sword.

And what about Li Shuang?

Without him, where else could she find a precious sword with a sword spirit?

Shen Yue's precious sword had a sword spirit assisting him.

Li Shuang had been at a disadvantage from the very beginning.

Long Yan could hardly wait to see the look of profound regret on Li Shuang's face after she lost!

"Long Yan... Long Yan... Long Yan?"

Long Yan was watching so intently that it took several consecutive calls from Ye Zhao Zhao to snap him out of it.

"Master," Long Yan said, his expression instantly softening as he looked at Ye Zhao Zhao.

A sweet smile rose on Ye Zhao Zhao's face. "Watching so intently? Is there actually suspense in this match?"

Long Yan hesitated.

He had told Ye Zhao Zhao that Li Shuang's swordsmanship was negligible and that she relied entirely on his assistance.

But...

Having been Li Shuang's sword spirit for so long, Long Yan actually knew that her mastery of swordsmanship was extraordinary.

In the various battles Li Shuang had experienced over the past few years, he had actually provided her with no assistance at all.

He had only told Li Shuang that he disliked fighting and killing, and she truly had never forced him.

His heart and eyes were filled only with Ye Zhao Zhao; even within the sword spirit space, he thought of her every moment.

Regarding Li Shuang's swordsmanship, Long Yan only knew it was certainly impressive, but he had never truly paid close attention.

"What's wrong?" Ye Zhao Zhao looked at Long Yan in confusion. "Is this question that hard to answer?"

Long Yan's heart trembled.

To emphasize his own importance, he had spoken with absolute certainty to Ye Zhao Zhao, claiming that without him, Li Shuang would be nothing but a useless waste.

His words were, naturally, exaggerated many times over.

However, it was absolutely impossible for him to change his tune now.

He could never lose the image he had built in front of Zhao Zhao.

Moreover.

Shen Yue possessed the edge of a precious sword; Li Shuang was not necessarily destined to win.

"Shen Yue has a higher chance of winning," Long Yan said after careful consideration.

Ye Zhao Zhao smiled slightly.

The people who understood the sword cultivators of the Sword Sect best were their sword spirits.

Since Long Yan had said so, Second Senior Brother was bound to win.

Ye Zhao Zhao was already calculating in her mind how she would spread the news once Li Shuang lost, and how she would destroy her reputation as a sword dao genius! If she followed this step-by-step, she didn't believe she couldn't provoke Li Shuang's negative emotions.

On the arena.

Shen Yue looked coldly at Li Shuang, a bright red sword held in his hand.

"My sword is named Lieyang!" Shen Yue declared loudly. "Li Shuang, where is your sword?"

Indeed.

Where was Li Shuang's sword?

Long Yan stared fixedly at the arena.

Li Shuang's expression was calm. In the next moment, the Black Abyss Sword appeared in her hand.

She said indifferently, "My sword is named Black Abyss."

Black Abyss?

Ye Zhao Zhao couldn't help but let out a light laugh.

This Li Shuang was truly desperate; she actually brought out this piece of trash, the Black Abyss!

Because she had been unable to wake the Black Abyss sword spirit for a long time, Ye Zhao Zhao had never seriously forged this sword. Even now, it was only slightly better than a sword embryo, barely qualifying as a first-tier precious sword.

Shen Yue's Lieyang, having undergone several upgrades, was now a third-tier precious sword.

Based solely on the sharpness of the weapon, Shen Yue held a massive advantage.

Seeing the Black Abyss, Long Yan also breathed a small sigh of relief.

A trace of disdainful laughter appeared at the corner of his lips.

How proud and arrogant Li Shuang used to be.

She would likely rather die than use a precious sword bestowed upon her by someone else. Now, she had brought out this Black Abyss sword that Zhao Zhao didn't want; it was clear that without him, she was truly at a dead end.

Jiang Rongyi glanced at Li Shuang, also feeling a bit surprised. He confirmed with the two, "Are both parties ready?"

Shen Yue nodded coldly. "Naturally."

Li Shuang also nodded.

Jiang Rongyi then announced loudly, "I will reiterate the rules. In this arena match, the use of spiritual power is forbidden; it is a pure competition of swordsmanship! If one side surrenders or is knocked off the arena, they are considered defeated. If anyone uses spiritual power midway, they will also be deemed defeated."

Seeing that both Shen Yue and Li Shuang agreed, Jiang Rongyi stepped down from the arena and announced, "The swordsmanship competition begins!"

The competition officially started, but Shen Yue was in no hurry to strike. With a mocking expression, he said coldly, "Li Shuang, you always said my swordsmanship was overly aggressive but lacked detail, and that if I encountered a true expert, my flaws would be easily exploited. But in reality? The Lieyang swordsmanship I perform in coordination with the Lieyang sword is unmatched among disciples of the same rank! As the Eldest Senior Sister, you always liked to nitpick just to show off yourself. Before, I didn't bother arguing with you. But now that you are no longer a member of Lingxu Peak, I don't need to be polite to you!"

"I want you to watch closely! How my Lieyang swordsmanship will drive you into the depths of failure!"

Li Shuang's expression was indifferent. "So, you always thought I was merely nitpicking."

"What else?" Shen Yue sneered. "You truly went to great lengths to prevent me from succeeding. Unfortunately, your hypocritical face was seen through long ago!"

Li Shuang quietly looked at the cold-faced Shen Yue.

Shen Yue's foundation in swordsmanship had been built bit by bit with her help.

She had tirelessly explained and corrected every single move and stance of his.

And now it had turned into...

Her nitpicking?

Then she would let Shen Yue feel exactly how vulnerable a swordsmanship lacking detail could be.

Li Shuang's hand gently stroked the blade of the Black Abyss Sword. She said softly, "Today shall be the Black Abyss's first battle. No sword is trash. They will realize this very soon."

Inside the internal space of the Black Abyss Sword.

In the furthest corner, a transparent spirit lay sleeping.

The spirit was curled into a ball, barely resembling the form of a child.

The spirit had been sleeping for a long time, showing no intention of waking.

Li Shuang did not mind.

Humans choose their sword spirits, and sword spirits choose their masters.

If she wanted to gain the recognition of the Black Abyss sword spirit, she naturally had to demonstrate some skill.

"Li Shuang, just watch!" Shen Yue sneered. "Watch how the Lieyang swordsmanship you criticized so heavily will knock you off this arena."

Shen Yue could no longer wait to show off. He took a step forward, and the Lieyang sword descended like a falling meteor, its sword qi crashing down violently!

Li Shuang stood quietly in the center of the arena without moving, as if she were about to be ignited by the scorching swordsmanship in the next instant.