An Understated Dominance (Dustin Rhys)

"Look! Veronica is stepping onto the ring." "Veronica has been perfecting her skills for ten years. She's definitely going to make an impact this time!" "Go, Veronica! Bring glory to the Celestial Alliance!" The Celestial Alliance's disciples cheered as they watched Veronica stride confidently onto the battle ring.

As the top guild of Dragonmarsh, its disciples took great pride in their status. To them, anyone from their guild was bound to be superior to opponents from another guild.

Aurora smiled and said confidently, " With Veronica competing, this match should be a clear win for us." Given Veronica's skills, she might struggle against a well-known genius, but her opponent was an unknown young martial artist. For someone of Veronica's caliber, this was hardly a challenge.

"Her opponent is from the Mystic Arts Order, so we shouldn't underestimate them." Alicia shook her head slightly.

Veronica would have a clear advantage if it were just a matter of martial skills and cultivation. However, the Mystic Arts Order was known for its unpredictable and mysterious techniques. A lapse in vigilance could lead to a surprise attack, making the outcof the match uncertain.

"The Mystic Arts Order disciples rarely participate in these matches, so this is a rare chance to see their true capabilities," Fenley said with keen interest.

The Mystic Arts Order was the most mysterious of the three major guilds. Their disciples possessed profound cultivation and mastered a range of mystic arts.

It was this mystery that made them so intimidating. Generally, no faction wanted to provoke the Mystic Arts Order unless absolutely necessary.

"Are both contestants ready?" Oron glanced between them.

Once they nodded, he announced, "If there are no objections, the match starts now." He stepped away from the ring to give them the space they needed.

"I'm Veronica Campbell from Celestial Alliance." Veronica stood tall in her red battle gear, and her spear angled firmly toward the ground. Her expression was steely, and her voice was commanding.

"I'm Azalea Larson of the Mystic Arts Order. It's nice to meet you," Azalea said with a seemingly harmless smile. "I won't hold back in this fight. Be on your guard," Veronica warned.

"Okay," Azalea responded flatly with a nod.

Veronica launched her spear forward without hesitation with a swift flick of her wrist. The thrust was precise and lightning-fast.

The spear's tip gleamed with a silver light as it cut through the air and stirred up a fierce gust of wind.

Azalea noticed that and smirked. She quickly pulled out a coiled whip from her waist and flicked it with a sharp crack. The whip shot out like a striking serpent as it aimed to wrap around Veronica's waist.

The advantage of a longer weapon was clear. While Veronica's spear usually dominated standard weapons, it was at a disadvantage against the more extended reach of Azalea's whip. Before Veronica could close in, she was already within Azalea's striking range.

Azalea's whip was lined with barbs. If it wrapped around the target, a powerful yank would instantly tear through flesh and leave grueswounds.

"Hmm?" Veronica raised an eyebrow and immediately changed her approach from offense to defense. She intercepted the whip with her spear. The two weapons coiled around each other like entwined serpents.

Azalea took this opportunity to pull her whip to disarm Veronica.

"Bold move!" Veronica's eyes sharpened as she charged forward instead of retreating.

She used the whip's pull to her advantage while adjusting her spear mid-stride. With a powerful thrust, she aimed straight for Azalea's throat.

Azalea's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected Veronica to react so quickly, using the whip's pull to break free and launch a counterattack.

Such quick thinking was beyond what many grandmaster martial artists could achieve.

But Azalea wouldn't just stand there. She knew her whip wouldn't be as effective up close, but she had other tricks up her sleeve.

With a flick of her wrist, a barrage of poisoned needles shot out from her sleeve and darted toward Veronica.

Veronica's eyes narrowed as she was forced to abandon her attack. She used her spear to create a swirling vortex of internal energy before her.

The poisoned needles, caught in the swirling force, lost all momentum and were sucked into the vortex. Hence, the needles were rendered harmless. Veronica's spear spun faster, and the vortex grew larger. Once all the needles were trapped, Veronica redirected the vortex with a powerful sweep of her spear. She sent the needles flying back at Azalea with even greater speed.

It was the classic strategy of turning an opponent's weapon against them.

Azalea was caught off guard and quickly formed a protective barrier of internal energy. The needles struck it with a series of sharp clangs, and the impact pushed Azalea back several steps.

Veronica's superior combat experience gave her the upper hand in this first exchange.

"Break!" Veronica didn't waste a second. As Azalea stumbled back, her spear shot forward like a dragon. It was faster than the eye could follow.

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