Chapter 109: The Rules

"Excellent! Excellent!"

Sitting in the front row of the spectator area, Nangong Hao was overjoyed to see Nangong Xue resolve her opponent with such clean and swift precision. He smiled and said to the deacons beside him, "It seems this girl Xue has made significant progress since she last went out!"

The other deacons, including Xie Cang, nodded repeatedly with smiles. Although they knew that Lin Feng was certainly no match for Nangong Xue, the fact that she had defeated a Great Completion Blood Qi realm martial artist like Lin Feng with such a simple motion of drawing and sheathing her sword was a great honor for the Nangong family.

To finish off a Great Completion Blood Qi expert with a single, effortless strike was something not even an average peak-level Blood Qi practitioner could achieve. Yet, Nangong Xue had done it, which only went to show that her strength far surpassed that of an ordinary peak-level Blood Qi cultivator.

"Hmph!"

Hearing the boisterous laughter and seeing the beaming faces of Nangong Hao and his companions, the Sect Master of the True Martial Sect let out a cold snort. Although he had long since stopped hoping for Lin Feng to win, the fact that his most prized disciple could not even withstand a single blow made him feel quite embarrassed.

In contrast, Tie Muqiu, who sat beside the True Martial Sect Master Jin Cheng, showed no signs of disappointment. Instead, he let out a strange, sinister chuckle: "Deacon Nangong Hao, don't be too happy just yet. This is only the beginning. Let’s just let you have a taste of sweetness; for the next two rounds, you had better prepare yourselves for the crushing disappointment of falling from the clouds."

The defeat of Lin Feng meant nothing to him. All he cared about was winning this competition, and there was no need for him to concern himself with the pride of the True Martial Sect, which relied on him anyway.

Upon hearing Tie Muqiu’s words, the members of the Nangong family turned grave. Most of them silently acknowledged that winning even one of the remaining two rounds—or even forcing a draw—would be quite difficult.

"Don't speak so soon," Xie Cang retorted loudly, his straightforward nature preventing him from mincing words. "The outcome is not yet decided. Speaking too confidently will only make it harder to clean up the mess later."

"Then just watch," Tie Muqiu replied with a sinister smile, unfazed.

Amidst the chatter of the onlookers, Ye Cheng mentally replayed Nangong Xue’s movements from just a moment ago. From that brief glimpse, he could sense that while the power of her sword technique hadn't necessarily increased, its speed had become eerie, as if it had jumped several levels.

"It must be the boost from that Spirit Martial Art," Ye Cheng mused to himself.

"This little girl is quite impressive; she actually knows how to borrow the momentum of the wind, blending her sword technique into it to increase its speed!"

Elder Mu’s voice suddenly echoed in Ye Cheng’s mind, filled with a trace of approval.

"Borrowing the momentum of the wind?" Ye Cheng was surprised—not because the terminology was overly profound, but because of Elder Mu’s tone of approval. He knew that despite his own rapid cultivation over the past year, he had yet to earn such praise. If Elder Mu was impressed, then this 'momentum of the wind' was surely not simple.

"Indeed. Everything has a spirit, and naturally, rules exist—such as the Rule of Earth, the Rule of Wind, the Rule of Rain, and so on. There are three thousand Great Daos, and under each, there are countless rules."

"This 'momentum of the wind' is a form of the Rule of Wind. It can be considered an entry-level understanding. While it doesn't increase one's cultivation level, it allows a martial artist to unleash combat power far beyond their actual realm. It can even allow for cross-level battles; the more profound the understanding of the rules, the greater the combat power."

"Rules must be very difficult to comprehend, right?" Ye Cheng asked internally. If they were easy to learn, they wouldn't warrant such praise from Elder Mu.

"Indeed. Once a martial artist reaches the Primordial Spirit realm, it is no longer Qi that determines combat strength, but rather the comprehension of these rules. The more one comprehends, the stronger one becomes. Below the Primordial Spirit realm, ninety-nine percent of practitioners never touch upon these rules. Only those with exceptional talent and specific opportunities can grasp them."

"This girl has likely focused on swordsmanship for many years. The sword is a weapon of speed, pursuing the limits of velocity and precision. She clearly has a natural talent for it. Combined with the Spirit Martial Art she recently acquired, the two merged to allow her to grasp this 'momentum of the wind,' making her sword speed several times faster than it would be otherwise," Elder Mu explained patiently.

"Grasping such rules is too difficult," Ye Cheng sighed inwardly. From Elder Mu’s words, he understood that this was not something one could force. It could not be achieved through external help; it relied entirely on one’s own talent and opportunity.

As Ye Cheng and Elder Mu discussed the rules, Nangong Xue walked down, surrounded by the expectant gazes of the crowd. Her pretty face remained expressionless and cold, like an iceberg that had not melted in a thousand years.

However, what the crowd didn't notice was that her gaze inadvertently swept over Ye Cheng in his black robe before quickly shifting away. She walked down with light, graceful steps.

"Ye Cheng, you should go first this round. Remember to challenge that guy Hai Chao. The rules strictly state that no one can forfeit, so compared to a cold-blooded maniac like Tie Muqing, this Hai Chao is a safer bet—at least he won't leave you crippled," Nangong Lin said, setting aside his signature honest smile and speaking with a grave expression.

"Tie Muqing—is that person dangerous?"

"Dangerous is an understatement. You don't know this, but during his three years in the military, the number of people who died by his hand is countless. Since he returned, anyone who challenges him ends up either dead or severely maimed." Nangong Lin looked toward the cold, distant figure of Tie Muqing as if he were a monster. "Relatively speaking, Hai Chao is much safer. Although his strength is higher than yours, it shouldn't be by too much..."

Hearing Nangong Lin’s concern for him, Ye Cheng felt a warmth in his heart. The two hadn't known each other long, yet Nangong Lin treated him with genuine sincerity. However, if he took on Hai Chao, Nangong Lin would have to face Tie Muqing. Given Nangong Lin's strength, he couldn't possibly withstand the latter. And since the rules forbade forfeiting, it was clear the other side intended to cripple the Nangong family’s outstanding disciples.

Thinking of this, Ye Cheng decisively interrupted Nangong Lin: "Are you confident you can walk away safely from Tie Muqing?"

"No," Nangong Lin blinked, shaking his chubby face. He didn't understand why Ye Cheng asked this.

"Then leave Tie Muqing to me. You go in the second round and challenge Hai Chao," Ye Cheng said with an unquestionable tone.

"Ah?" Nangong Lin was stunned, then hesitated. "But this isn't about whether we get hurt or not. If you do this, I’ll be fighting Hai Chao and you’ll be fighting Tie Muqing—we have no chance of winning at all!"

"Don't worry about that. I have a seventy percent chance of dealing with Tie Muqing," Ye Cheng said confidently.

Hearing this, Nangong Lin’s eyes lit up. Did he have a hidden trump card? Nangong Lin glanced at Nangong Xue, who had already stepped down; she had overheard their entire conversation.

After receiving a nod from Nangong Xue, Nangong Lin stopped insisting. With a sigh of resignation, he dragged his heavy frame onto the bluestone arena and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"I challenge Hai Chao!"