Chapter 1652: Really Big

Zu An, who was drinking tea at the referee's stand, almost spat it out. "What's going on?"

The disciples around the arena also looked bewildered. "Isn't that just a toothpick? What's so big about it?" However, remembering Wu Xiaofan's renowned name, the group speculated that perhaps they hadn't grasped the hidden mystery, as Wan Guiyi on the stage looked solemn.

Wan Guiyi was indeed solemn at this moment, sensing that he had been locked onto by an unknown surge of energy.

"Brother Wan, be careful," Wu Xiaofan warned. Then, with a wave of his hands, the toothpick-like object transformed into a streak of light and shot towards his opponent.

A great alarm rose in Wan Guiyi's heart. He quickly employed his footwork to dodge to the side, but unfortunately, he was half a beat too slow. A blood-red gash opened on his arm; the toothpick had still grazed him.

He whirled around. After flying past, the toothpick suddenly turned back, like a miniature flying sword. Crucially, its return was without warning and incredibly fast, as if it completely defied the laws of physics.

Wan Guiyi dared not dodge carelessly again; instead, he swung his sword and thrust it towards the toothpick.

With a crisp clang, he accurately struck the toothpick. Gasps of astonishment rose from below the stage. Everyone was clearly impressed that Wan Guiyi could accurately hit such a tiny toothpick under these circumstances. One had to remember that because of its immense speed, they couldn't even see it clearly, let alone hit it while it was moving so fast.

The toothpick spun away after being struck, only to return ghost-like from another angle to attack again.

Wan Guiyi's expression changed, and he unleashed his swordsmanship to its utmost limit. The entire arena shimmered with cold light, crisscrossed by sword qi. The toothpick was even more elusive, forming a spherical attack net around him, striking from cunning angles in every direction. Due to its extreme speed, it created streaks of trailing light as it frictioned against the air.

On the high platform, Guan Chouhai's expression changed. "Is this Sword Control Art?" True Sword Control Art could only be achieved by Grandmasters in the Soul Manifestation Realm, who, after cultivating a Spirit Soul, could attach it to objects, literally beheading someone from a thousand miles away. Of course, within the various Grandmaster realms, some exceptionally talented individuals could employ a simplified version of Sword Control Art over short distances. But even in its simplified form, Sword Control Art was immensely powerful and caught people off guard. And anyone who could find a way to perform Sword Control could be considered a rare genius.

Wang Wuxie humbly stated, "It's not true Sword Control Art; it's merely his personal Natal Artifact that he has cultivated." Although he spoke plainly, everyone around him could detect his pride.

The group stared at Wan Tongtian, curious. Wan Guiyi was now at a disadvantage, so why wasn't he worried at all? Could it be that...

Soon, they had their answer. Wan Guiyi stopped thrusting his sword directly; instead, he held it with both hands in front of him. Immediately, a sky-shattering sword qi rose, and a magnified ethereal longsword appeared on the stage, centered around his body. At this point, no matter how cunning or elusive the toothpick's angle, it was repelled every time it struck the ethereal longsword.

Wan Guiyi opened his eyes and sneered, "When it comes to swords, I'm the professional!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised both hands and chopped down. A colossal sword qi cleaved directly towards Wu Xiaofan.

Wu Xiaofan's pupils contracted sharply, and a light shield instantly formed around him. The sword qi struck the light shield with a thunderous roar. Dust flew everywhere, and the entire arena was even cleaved directly in half.

Feng Wuchang of Guanxin Peak's eyelids twitched. "This is all money!" Apart from him, everyone else was more concerned about the outcome of the match, countless eyes fixed on the center of the smoke and dust.

Wu Xiaofan's figure slowly reappeared. Compared to before, his clothes were significantly damaged, clearly injured by the sword qi. Several spots on his face were also stained with dust. Since the start of this competition, no one had seen him in such a dishevelled state.

"He actually blocked it?" Wan Guiyi was momentarily stunned. "But it doesn't matter. Let's see how many more sword strikes you can take!"

As soon as he finished speaking, another massive sword qi formed and cleaved towards his opponent. This sword qi had completely locked onto the opponent; he had no chance to dodge.

Wu Xiaofan's expression was grim. With a wave of his hand, the toothpick ceased its futile attacks and returned to his grasp.

Wan Guiyi sneered inwardly. Did he think he could use such a miniature object to block his great sword? He would split him in half with one strike. He had been infuriated by the toothpick's elusive agility before, and now that he finally had a chance for a direct confrontation, how could he not be excited?

However, his smile quickly froze, and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"It's really big!" Someone exclaimed, and everyone's attention was drawn to the object in Wu Xiaofan's hand. The once miniature toothpick seemed to have consumed some miraculous elixir, growing immediately in the wind. It quickly became a massive staff tens of feet long, no less imposing than the opposing great sword, and even three parts larger.

Wu Xiaofan roared, clutching the huge staff, and swept it towards the great sword.

A deafening explosion erupted, the sound of both sides' primordial energy shattering and annihilating each other. Both figures on stage swayed, and a trace of blood simultaneously spilled from the corners of their mouths, clearly indicating they had sustained significant internal injuries.

Wan Guiyi finally understood what the opponent meant when he previously said, "Mine is very big, you'll have to bear with it." Despite this, intense fighting spirit flashed in his eyes, and he cleaved again with his great sword. "Again!"

Wu Xiaofan also roared repeatedly, no longer maintaining his previous calm and composed demeanor. The staff and the great sword collided countless times in the air. The terrifying fluctuations of primordial energy even required several referees to work together to reinforce the arena's barrier, preventing injuries to the surrounding spectators.

The disciples of the Nine Sects were all horrified. With such terrifying power, if it were them, wouldn't they be instantly pulverized? Lou Wucheng, Zhi Yin, and other chief disciples, usually arrogant, also looked grim, wondering if they would appear utterly dishevelled on the stage.

At this moment, people from Biluo Palace rose to their feet, exclaiming one after another, as they saw Wan Guiyi blasted to the ground, covered in blood, struggling to get up. Unfortunately, his injuries were too severe, and he failed several times. In the end, he gritted his teeth, propped himself up with his long sword, and shakily stood upright. Across from him, Wu Xiaofan slowly descended from the air, his clothes as tattered as a beggar's, also bleeding profusely, evidently wounded by the opponent's sword qi. However, the fact that he could still stand upright so easily clearly meant the victor had been decided.

Wan Guiyi's eyes were filled with unwillingness. He tried to draw his sword several times, but the simple action that was usually effortless now felt as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Wu Xiaofan sighed, "I had an advantage in today's match. If Brother Wan hadn't been injured in his previous match, I might not have won this one." Everyone praised him inwardly. This Wu Xiaofan was indeed worthy of being recognized as the top young talent; both his cultivation and his demeanor were truly admirable. However, some sharp-eyed individuals noticed that his hand, hidden behind his back, was also trembling incessantly, clearly indicating Wu Xiaofan's state was also extremely poor. Therefore, what he said was likely true: a fully recovered Wan Guiyi fighting him might not necessarily lose.

Wan Guiyi fell silent, then after a long while, exhaled. "A loss is a loss; there's no need for so many excuses." With that, he propped himself with his long sword and slowly moved off the stage, step by painful step.

Wan Tongtian watched with a pang of heartache and quickly flew over to support him. "Father, I'm sorry." Wan Guiyi could no longer hold on and collapsed into his embrace. Wan Tongtian's old tears streamed down. "No, my child, you've done incredibly well."

Seeing this scene, Grandmaster Huoling, from a distance, snorted coldly, then said to Pei Mianman, "Next time, you must win. Let everyone in the Daoist sect see who truly dependable from Biluo Palace is." Although her foundation was a bit shallower, she had received two byes, and her advantage lay in being well-rested. She might even win the championship.

Pei Mianman helplessly said, "After all, Senior Brother was bringing glory to Biluo Palace. There's no need to kick him while he's down, is there?" Master truly held an extreme grudge against the Palace Lord.

"He lost, what glory is there to gain?" Grandmaster Huoling snorted, feeling immensely annoyed, but she did give up her plan to go over and mock them.

Grandmaster Jianhuang of Wuyou Temple suddenly sighed. "Ah." "What's wrong, Master?" the young monk Jiese asked curiously from the side.

"I fear for the future of our Buddhist sect," Grandmaster Jianhuang said, his brows furrowed.

"Why do you say that?" Jiese, the young monk, rubbed his bald head, somewhat puzzled.

"Look at these disciples of the Daoist sect; they are truly overflowing with talent. Then look at the successors of our Buddhist sect," Grandmaster Jianhuang said, glancing at Jiese, shaking his head with a sigh, appearing somewhat disheartened.

The young monk Jiese: "..." "In the end, I was wrong to trust you; I shouldn't have opened my mouth to respond."

Feng Wuchang of Guanxin Peak quickly announced Wu Xiaofan as the winner of the first match, then proceeded to the next bout: Peng Wuyan of Kongming Island versus Shi Dingtian of Taixuan Cave. He glanced at the recently destroyed arena, thinking, "Fortunately, I'm reliable and prepared several spare arenas."

Before Qiu Honglei stepped onto the stage, Yun Jianyue's expression was solemn. "Be careful later; these Daoist disciples are not simple." Having just witnessed the match between Wu Xiaofan and Wan Guiyi, she too abandoned her dismissive attitude. The main reason was that Qiu Honglei couldn't use her charm techniques in plain sight, and many of her usual moves were also unusable, so she might very well suffer an unexpected defeat.