Chapter 1630: Iron Mountain Leaning

As soon as Zhi Yin entered the arena, he flicked his snow-white cape, and combined with his handsome face, immediately drew screams from the surrounding female disciples watching the match.

"Brother Zhi Yin is so handsome, I'm going to die!"

"Let's protect the best Brother Zhi Yin in the world!"

"Go, Brother!"

Hearing the adulation from the surrounding female disciples, Zhi Yin's previously gloomy mood, caused by Chu Chuyan, finally lightened. He gazed closely at the woman opposite him, a little lost in thought.

He had always thought Chu Chuyan was the most beautiful woman in the world, but he hadn't expected someone equally stunning to exist.

The woman before him possessed a beauty utterly different from Chu Chuyan's, every frown and smile captivating.

Of course, what was most mesmerizing was the movement of her chest, truly making one's eyes and heart beat along with it.

He took a deep breath, secretly admonishing himself not to do anything that would betray Fairy Chu. "I am devoted to Fairy Chu," he thought.

He then said to Pei Mianman, "Miss Pei, you should concede. With your strength, you are fully qualified to compete for the second-best spot, and securing a later qualification won't be difficult for you."

Pei Mianman used her fingers to smooth some wind-tousled hair from her cheek, and smiled faintly, "Thank you for your kind advice, Senior Brother, but I still wish to try."

At her words, Zhi Yin's smile froze, and an eerie silence descended upon the arena.

Since the Mount Luofu disciple who foolishly challenged a chief disciple returned severely injured just moments ago, this was the first person brave enough to challenge a chief disciple.

Many began to worry for Pei Mianman; after all, who wouldn't feel a fondness for such a beautiful girl with such a bright smile?

The sect leaders exchanged glances. Except for Guan Chouhai of Li Hentian, whose expression was rather grim, the others nodded in approval.

Wang Wuxie couldn't help but praise, "Cultivators of our generation should naturally possess such courage to face challenges and strive for first place."

The previous sight of everyone surrendering to chief disciples without a fight went against the true intention of the Nine Daoist Sects holding the grand competition to temper their disciples.

Guan Chouhai thought to himself, *This fellow talks a good game, but it's only because his disciple Wu Xiaofan isn't the one being challenged.*

He naturally wasn't worried that Zhi Yin would lose, but Pei Mianman's cultivation seemed quite high. A match against her would undoubtedly result in significant energy expenditure for Zhi Yin, potentially giving an unfair advantage to other group winners in subsequent matches.

Elder Xu from Mount Luofu looked even more displeased. *When my sect's disciple challenged Peng Wuyan just now, why didn't these people offer praise? Isn't it just because Pei Mianman is pretty?*

Yan Xuehen observed Pei Mianman carefully, silently nodding. This woman possessed extraordinary talent, and even more rarely, such resolute willpower and courage.

"It's a pity I didn't encounter her back then. If I had taken her as a disciple, her achievements would certainly not have been inferior to Chuyan's."

However, she suddenly thought of the relationship between Pei Mianman and Zu An, and mused, *If that were the case, both of my disciples would end up benefiting that boy Zu An. I'd probably wake up furious even in my sleep.*

Rage from Yan Xuehen: 202020...

On the other side, Qiu Honglei quietly tugged Yun Jianyue's sleeve. "Master, who do you think will win?" Yun Jianyue fell into contemplation. "It's hard to say. The big-chested woman has hidden her strength, but that pretty boy opposite her, as the chief disciple of Li Hentian, is also very powerful."

Qiu Honglei was speechless. Her master's habit of giving people nicknames hadn't changed, but indeed, they were quite prominent...

At Wuyou Temple, the young monk Jie Se asked the same question, "Master, which benefactor do you think will win?"

Master Jian Huang's expression was unfathomable. "Who do you want to win more?"

"I'd rather Miss Pei win. Her courage to challenge is very respectable," Jie Se replied subconsciously.

"Are you respecting her courage?" Master Jian Huang snorted. "Go back and copy your dharma name one hundred times, then silently recite the Heart Sutra one hundred times."

Jie Se: "???"

Xie Daoyun quietly asked Zu An, "Brother Zu, can Miss Pei win?"

After all, they had been classmates in Brightmoon City, so she naturally felt closer to Miss Pei than to Zhi Yin.

"Not necessarily," Zu An said, frowning. He then secretly transmitted a message to Pei Mianman using ki: "Da Manman, there's no need to take risks. You're almost guaranteed to secure the second spot right now."

After all, this pretty boy Zhi Yin was Li Hentian's chief disciple. With Da Manman's previous cultivation, she would likely be no match. He just didn't know how much she had improved recently.

Pei Mianman smiled brightly. "Brother Zu, even before I met you, I was a renowned prodigy. I don't want to lose to anyone."

*If I don't even dare to challenge Zhi Yin, how can I hope to defeat Chuyan?*

Sensing her resolute attitude, Zu An found it difficult to dissuade her further. After a moment of silence, he smiled and said, "Go ahead and fight with confidence, Da Manman. I'll handle any consequences for you."

Pei Mianman gave him a bright smile. Their hearts were already in sync, so there was no need for many words of thanks.

Opposite her, Zhi Yin felt a momentary dizziness. *This Miss Pei's smile is truly beautiful.*

*Later, I'll go easy on her; I can't let her lose too badly.*

So, in a gentlemanly manner, he made an inviting gesture. "Miss Pei, please make your move."

His graceful posture made many female disciples' eyes sparkle with admiration:

"Brother is so handsome!"

"He truly deserves the title of 'Noble Young Master of Li Hentian!'"

Pei Mianman did not defer. She slowly drew her longsword. "Senior Brother, forgive my offense."

With that, her longsword carried a surge of wild force and thrust towards him.

The sword in her hand looked incredibly light, yet to everyone's surprise, when wielded, it unleashed a powerful, wide-sweeping, and fiercely aggressive fighting style. Crucially, each strike carried an aura of extreme ferocity, as if she were a female general who had survived countless battles. Disciples with slightly lower cultivation levels nearby found it difficult to even breathe.

The disciples of the Nine Daoist Sects all changed their expressions. Many contestants who had previously lost to her were now completely convinced. They had thought she merely relied on her strange black flames and that her true strength might not have surpassed theirs, but in that instant, everyone realized she hadn't been using her full power before.

A hint of nostalgia appeared on Zu An's face. He recalled how, in the Yin Ruins secret realm, Pei Mianman had served as the female War God Fu Hao for many years, striking fear into enemies on the battlefield. She had long integrated that fierce bravery into her very bones. Anyone who mistakenly thought she was a delicate, pretty face would likely suffer greatly.

As expected, Zhi Yin had never anticipated her attacks would be so overpowering, and for a moment, he was thrown into a scramble.

Fortunately, his movement technique was exquisite, allowing him to narrowly dodge her attacks each time. However, he had completely forgotten his earlier intention to go easy on her.

Several times he wanted to counterattack, but having lost the initiative, it was not so easy to regain it.

Sword energy crisscrossed the arena, and the cape fluttered, dazzling the surrounding disciples. Some marveled at Pei Mianman's fierce attacks, while others admired Zhi Yin's extreme movement technique.

It was the first time they had ever seen a chief disciple forced into such a predicament.

Suddenly, there was a crisp sound, and a piece of white fabric fluttered down. It turned out that Zhi Yin had failed to dodge in time, and his cape had been sliced off by Pei Mianman's sword.

Gasps immediately erupted throughout the arena. No one had expected Zhi Yin to be the first to suffer a disadvantage. Could the first chief disciple be about to fall?

In previous Daoist Grand Competitions, it wasn't unheard of for chief disciples to be defeated in the group stage, but such instances were exceedingly rare. Throughout the entire history of the Daoist sects, only three or four recorded cases existed, and each served as a negative example for all sects to teach their disciples.

Those few could be said to have been nailed to the pillar of shame for a thousand years. Was Zhi Yin about to become the new laughingstock?

However, there were still discerning observers in the arena. Wan Guiyi, also from Biluo Palace, snorted coldly, "That Zhi Yin, just to look cool, insisted on wearing that cumbersome cape all the time. He's finally paid the price this time. But now, he actually has a chance."

As expected, without his cape, Zhi Yin's movement technique became much more agile.

After dodging a sword strike, he lowered his shoulder, stomped his foot on the ground, causing ripples to appear on the arena floor. Using the power of the earth, he then leaned his entire body against her sword.

The sword in Pei Mianman's hand instantly bent like a full moon, letting out a trembling groan.

Fortunately, her reaction was extremely swift; she flipped backward several times, landing near the edge of the arena, thus neutralizing the immense force.

Nevertheless, a faint, unnatural blush appeared on her face, indicating she had sustained an injury.

"Iron Mountain Lean!"

Someone knowledgeable in the arena exclaimed, and several chief disciples' eyes narrowed.

This was Zhi Yin's unique technique: using his entire body as a conduit, he would draw upon the power of the earth for a violent collision, said to have the force of a mountain crashing down.

Witnessing it firsthand today, its power was indeed extraordinary.

At this point, Zhi Yin did not press his advantage. Instead, he gracefully said to Pei Mianman, "You've pushed me this far, and that's enough to be proud of. However, if you don't use your black flames now, I'm afraid you won't get another chance."

His every gesture once again caused a group of female disciples to shriek in excitement: "He's so smooth, I really..."

Meanwhile, the male disciples nearby all twisted their mouths and rolled their eyes.

"Then Senior Brother must be careful." No sooner had Pei Mianman finished speaking than a circle of blazing black flames enveloped her body.