Chapter 131: Victory

As Yang Jing's dark longsword swept towards Chen Mobai's neck, a ripple of water instantly transformed into a massive water barrier, separating the two.

*Bang!* The longsword struck the water barrier, unleashing a thunderous splash!

"I've clearly seen all your techniques throughout these seven rounds of combat," Yang Jing declared. "Except for that purple flame sword qi talisman, I have a way to counter everything else."

After the dark longsword shattered the water barrier with a spiraling tremor, it shot straight towards Chen Mobai's chest.

*Crack!* But at that moment, the shattered water barrier instantly froze under a breath of icy air, transforming into a multitude of ice cones that sealed off the space between them from all directions.

*Bang, bang, bang, bang!* The sounds of ice cones being shattered by the dark longsword echoed across the arena. Yang Jing, like a bolt of dark lightning, broke through all obstructions and struck towards Chen Mobai's right shoulder.

Chen Mobai's spiritual sense exploded, tracking his opponent's movements. He raised his right hand, covering his entire arm with black water, which then rapidly froze into an ice claw. In the nick of time, he caught the dark longsword that was aimed at his shoulder.

However, at that instant, black smoke rose from Yang Jing's other hand, forming a short staff that slammed towards Chen Mobai's forehead.

The Water Element Shield spontaneously appeared again, blocking the black staff within Chen Mobai's line of sight.

At the same time, Chen Mobai's spiritual sense fluctuated once more, veins bulging on his forehead. He immediately expanded the Water Element Shield to cover his entire upper body.

A tremendous force struck his waist, sending him flying into the air.

"What I see with my eyes is indeed different from reality," Chen Mobai mused.

Replaying the brief minute of combat in his mind, Chen Mobai began to search for clues regarding Yang Jing's cultivation technique.

First, his vision would become distorted at crucial moments.

Second, her black smoke seemed similar to the Profound Ice Transformation, capable of freely changing forms. However, it also appeared to have a medium akin to black water, possibly a specially condensed "gas."

Finally, Chen Mobai sensed another, more powerful source of spiritual energy within her.

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!* At that moment, Yang Jing gripped her sword again. The short staff in her hand had transformed under her control into four small black daggers, which flew towards Chen Mobai ahead of her.

"Her illusions cannot deceive spiritual sense," Chen Mobai realized.

Chen Mobai found some weaknesses in Yang Jing's technique, but he had not yet reached Foundation Establishment, so he couldn't project his spiritual sense outside his body.

"Fortunately, my spiritual sense can enter the spiritual entities I control along with my spiritual energy. I'll try this then."

With a thought, Chen Mobai activated the Evasion Technique, and his body began to move erratically.

All the black daggers aimed at him missed their mark.

As expected, while Yang Jing could confuse his vision, she could only resort to close-quarters combat when facing Chen Mobai's unpredictable movements.

Just then, Chen Mobai waved his hands, and all the black water, controlled by his spiritual sense, transformed into slender ice spikes that shot out towards a large area in front of him.

"It's useless," Yang Jing's voice echoed from three meters to the left of where Chen Mobai was looking. "You're not even seeing the real me."

Yet, just as she was about to strike, her eyes widened. Her entire body seemed to recoil in pain, blasting backward in the opposite direction.

"Just a reminder," Chen Mobai said with a faint smile, standing still as he watched Yang Jing clutch her injured waist. "The same trick won't work on me."

"You couldn't possibly have seen my true body," Yang Jing stated, wincing as she pulled out the ice spike that had nearly pierced her abdomen.

"You know, the most terrifying thing on a battlefield is a rookie marksman," Chen Mobai continued. "Because even they don't know where their bullets will fly. Just now, some of those ice spikes, even I didn't know where they'd go. Lucky for me, one of them hit you."

As Chen Mobai spoke, he clutched his waist where Yang Jing's short staff had struck him earlier. Though protected by an ice armor, the force had still penetrated, leaving him in some pain.

"You won't have this kind of luck next time," Yang Jing declared, looking up. Then, she abruptly vanished from the arena.

Chen Mobai frowned. That wide-range ice spike attack was extremely energy-intensive; he could only use it two more times at most.

Fortunately, though, after this test, he had figured out a way to break through the illusion.

"Here!"

The Water Element Shield appeared out of thin air to Chen Mobai's left, blocking the dark longsword that suddenly lunged from seemingly nowhere.

Yang Jing's eyes widened in disbelief, but then she vanished into the void again.

*Whoosh!*

Chen Mobai turned his head to look behind him to the right, and the Water Element Shield shifted to that side, blocking the dark longsword once more.

*Bang, bang, bang, bang!* Yang Jing's figure appeared from all directions, seemingly omnipresent, yet each of her attacks was anticipated by Chen Mobai, who blocked them in advance with his Water Element Shield.

"Drip!"

A drop of sweat trickled from Yang Jing's chin, landing on the arena floor with a faint sound that echoed like thunder in her ears.

"So that's it!"

She looked up at Chen Mobai's surroundings and finally noticed tiny, transparent water droplets floating within a two-meter radius around him, covering every angle.

Every time she attempted an attack, she had to approach Chen Mobai. But as soon as she got close, she would touch these suspended water droplets, thus being detected by Chen Mobai, who controlled them.

No wonder her clothes felt so wet.

Not good!

But by the time Yang Jing understood, it was already too late.

A bone-chilling cold erupted from her body, and then she was completely covered in a layer of white frost.

Chen Mobai raised his right hand, and dozens of water droplets coalesced into an ice pillar. Guided by his spiritual sense, it smashed into the frozen Yang Jing's chest.

"I have one last move!"

A sharp pain shot through her chest. Despite being completely frozen, Yang Jing's eyes suddenly glowed with an eerie light, meeting Chen Mobai's gaze.

Spiritual sense attack!

Chen Mobai felt a slight tingling pain in his forehead.

He hadn't expected Yang Jing to be capable of a spiritual sense attack before reaching Foundation Establishment, but the fruits of his diligent practice of the Spirit Nurturing and God Forging Art now manifested themselves.

A wisp of Yang Jing's spiritual sense had barely entered his Sea of Consciousness before it was blocked by the two green sprouts of his meditation.

Chen Mobai's body swayed, but he quickly regained his balance.

"How is his spiritual sense so stable?" Yang Jing wondered. "Wasn't it cultivated with Thought Incense?"

That thought flashed through Yang Jing's mind, and then she fainted from the spiritual sense backlash.

Chen Mobai slowly opened his eyes, frowning as he looked at Yang Jing, who lay unconscious on the arena floor.

A formidable opponent!

Just then, the referee teacher stepped onto the stage. After glancing at the fallen Yang Jing, he approached Chen Mobai and announced the final result.

"Congratulations," he declared. "You are the champion of this combat tournament!"