The next match was set to start, and Mei Ling slowly walked up on stage. She was not looking forward to this fight as she knew it would not be any fun. She slowly made her way to her position and stood, wishing the match could hurry up and be over.
Up in the sect master seats, the sect master of Moon Crest Academy raised an eyebrow when he saw the young man who walked on stage. "Hmm… Kana, Mei Ling, may actually have a good battle."
"Oh? Why do you say that?" Kana asked as she looked at the young man on stage. Although he was somewhat handsome, he didn't seem to have anything in particular that seemed remotely interesting about him.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"His name is Chan Ci. He is close to breaking through to core formation and is known as the Walking Sword. He lives and breathes the sword. His sword qi is said to cut open mountains." the sect master replied.
"If all he can do is cut open mountains, then he won't last long. Wasn't the last contestant Little Ling went up against supposed to be good at the sword as well? I see no difference here. Wait until my family goes up against each other, then you will see real power." Kana replied but realized her words were kind of harsh. "Sorry. I was rude. But trust me. When you see their true power, you will understand."
"No. I do understand. I know how powerful your girls are. I was only speaking in the sense that she is holding her power back. It might be a good fight for her." The sect master had a smile on his face. He liked the fact that Kana really hasn't changed while she was someone who was much weaker than him just a few years ago. She has grown to the point that he couldn't even fathom. A true goddess walking upon man.
"That is true. Let's hope she can find some fun in this match. I hate seeing her looking so bored." Kana felt bad for Mei Ling. The little girl had a change of personality after being basically reborn. She had taken on too much of her father's personality, someone who could care less about anything but her family. Which was why when she killed so many, she felt nothing at all. Kana was relieved to know that, at least with her family, she seemed like the same old Mei Ling.
Back on the stage, Chan Ci stared at the young girl in front of him. He did not dare look down on her. He had been keeping an eye on the special five since the start of the tournament. Even witnessed the accidental killing of over ninety nine people. He had a slight fear towards this girl, but he had to fight her in order to not gain a heart demon. One thing about sword cultivation was they must always keep walking forward even in the face of death, or they will gain a heart demon and not be able to keep progressing.
Heart demons were what cultivators got when they met a wall. Something that makes it hard for them to keep going unless they are able to rid themselves of that which is holding them back. Sometimes it can be as simple as something like a family, a lover, or even a loss in battle. All of these kinds can create a heart demon.
For sword cultivators, it was all about moving forward one step at a time. You falter once, and you risk losing all your years of hard work. Chan Ci knew this well because he had almost faltered many times. But he still pushed through just like he was now.
Mei Ling looked at the young man in front of her and was slightly surprised by the young man's determined eyes. It was different from her last fight. This young man had eyes that seemed determined to win. At this, Mei Ling couldn't help but have a bit of expectation.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Let the battle begin!" Sect master Tian yelled out.
Chan Ci quickly dashed forward while slashing down with his sword. A long thin beam of sword qi was shot toward Mei Ling. Mei Ling smiled as she walked forward and received the attack. She used her sword and cut the sword qi in two. She already knew this was not the young man's strongest attack. It was more of a test than anything. Mei Ling smiled as she said: "Good! Keep coming!"
Chan Ci gritted his teeth as he spun the sword in his hand and began drawing a symbol in the air before sticking it with his sword. "Thunder slash!"
A beam of lightning flew towards Mei Ling. She was quite surprised to see an elemental attack. She also knew that she should not touch it, so instead of bulling through it, she quickly dodged to the side before sending out a blade of sword qi of her own. She made sure to keep the attack at Chan Ci's level since she did not wish to kill him. She also did not wish to win this battle so quickly because it seemed Chan Ci would finally be able to give her some entertainment.
Back in the sect master's seats, Kana was smiling as she watched the match. "Little Ling is smiling."
"It looks like she found someone who she can fight," Creige added with a smile.
"Mama, I know this is a bit off topic, but when Aunty Ako and Little Ling fight, will the barrier they are using for the battle stage be able to withstand their attacks?" Yana asked. It had been bothering her. She did not think the barrier could withstand a battle between two people who are on the level of goddesses now.
"I thought about that too, and I plan to stick up a new barrier around the stage so no one outside gets hurt. One attack from them at full power can destroy the entire platform."