Li Cheng, wielding his sword, struck towards Yun Man. Battles at the Golden Core Stage no longer required close-quarters combat; a Sword Qi formed by Spiritual Qi swiftly assailed Yun Man.
Yun Man remained unperturbed, countering with a sword strike of her own, returning the attack in the same manner.
Two immense Sword Qi clashed in mid-air, and the powerful shockwave instantly kicked up a cloud of dust. The less powerful Disciples of Immortal Sword Peak retreated in haste.
Even Qin Xiao took a few steps back; he, currently at Body Refining First Layer, dared not directly withstand such a powerful shockwave.
This first sword strike was merely a probe from both sides, a contest of their Spiritual Qi.
"How is this possible? Her Spiritual Qi is not at all weaker than mine. Could it be that she was already at the Golden Core Stage before joining the Sect? But observing her Spiritual Qi, she clearly just Broke Through recently?"
Li Cheng gained no advantage from the first probing Move, and his heart grew even more puzzled.
"As expected of a Heavenly Spiritual Root. Whether she Cultivated to the Golden Core Stage before joining the Sect or after, it's astonishing. After all, she's only sixteen or seventeen; a Golden Core Stage at this age is truly terrifying."
Yao Kaidong also marveled at Yun Man's Cultivation. This was beyond what could be described as a Genius.
"Is this all your strength? Nothing special. You still want to seek revenge for my Master? Simply laughable."
Yun Man had also probed Li Cheng's strength; she had only unleashed thirty percent of her power.
"Hmph, do you think this is my full power?"
Li Cheng was instantly provoked, swiftly gathering immense Spiritual Qi into his sword.
"Mountain Splitting Sword Art!"
Li Cheng shouted, and a gigantic sword shadow swiftly materialized from his sword, then cleaved down towards Yun Man.
"This is Senior Brother Li's ultimate Move! One sword can split a mountain. No one can stop it now!"
"No matter, Yun Man is also at the Golden Core Stage. With this sword strike, only Qin Xiao will die."
"The Saint is right, this Qin Xiao truly deserves to die."
As Li Cheng's Mountain Splitting Sword Art took shape, everyone on Immortal Sword Peak's side believed there was no suspense left.
"Oh no, this is bad! I wonder if my Disciple can withstand it?"
Watching the colossal sword shadow cleave down, Qin Xiao was also a little panicked. If he wasn't panicked, he'd be a fool; this was a life-threatening situation.
"Heaven Opening Sword Art!"
Yun Man likewise summoned her personal sword, infusing it with a large amount of Spiritual Qi.
In a normal spar, she could have completely avoided this sword strike, there was no need to meet it head-on. But now she couldn't avoid it; if she did, Qin Xiao behind her would suffer.
"What kind of Move is this? The Sword Shadow she's forming has even denser Spiritual Qi than Senior Brother Li's."
"Is she going to forcefully take Senior Brother Li's Move?"
"Why bother? All for that good-for-nothing?"
Seeing Yun Man not retreat but instead gather Qi to meet the attack head-on, everyone was puzzled.
"What benefit did this Qin Xiao give Yun Man? To the point where she's willing to take this Move head-on?"
Yao Kaidong couldn't understand it either. He could tell that Li Cheng used this Move to force Yun Man to evade, so he could slay Qin Xiao with one strike, without intending to harm Yun Man. But Yun Man seemed possessed, insisting on protecting Qin Xiao.
"Master, please retreat for now. The power of this Move is very strong. Let your Disciple repel them."
Seeing her own sword shadow fully formed, Yun Man quickly spoke to Qin Xiao behind her.
Qin Xiao no longer cared about his dignity and quickly ran backwards.
"Since you are so stubborn, then don't blame me."
Seeing that Yun Man not only didn't avoid but also planned to counterattack, Li Cheng no longer held back and cleaved down directly at Yun Man.
Yun Man remained calm, holding her sword with both hands, and slashed towards the sword shadow in the sky.
Then, two gigantic sword shadows exploded in the sky above Seven Stars Peak, and the powerful shockwave instantly swept across the entire Seven Stars Peak, even the entire Sect felt the commotion.
The forceful collision caused both of them to suffer a backlash.
Yun Man at this moment had a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth, while Li Cheng directly fell to the ground, spitting out large mouthfuls of blood, indicating a very severe backlash.
"This is impossible, this is impossible! It's the same backlash, why are you only so lightly injured?"
Li Cheng, while spitting blood, stammered a question to Yun Man.
"Because my Spiritual Qi is denser and purer than yours. Even at the same Realm, there are still differences in quality. My Spiritual Qi is not something you, a Golden Core Stage who forcefully Broke Through with Medicinal Pills, can compare to."
Yun Man wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and said disdainfully.
"Good, good, good! My Tian Yuan Sect has gained another Prodigy. Junior Apprentice Sister Yun, I will offer you new terms. Whatever Qin Xiao has given you, my Immortal Sword Peak can offer you double. I wonder if Junior Apprentice Sister Yun would consider joining my Immortal Sword Peak? At that time, my father will personally guide you."
Li Cheng's blood-spitting did not elicit any pity from Yao Kaidong; instead, he tried even harder to win over Yun Man.
This caused the already injured and blood-spitting Li Cheng to spit out another mouthful of blood before fainting.
"Useless! Go help him back."
Looking at the unconscious Li Cheng, Yao Kaidong only felt that this good-for-nothing had disgraced him.
"I appreciate the kind intentions of your Immortal Sword Peak, but what my Master has given me, your Immortal Sword Peak cannot afford, let alone double. There's no need to mention this again."
Yun Man didn't believe Immortal Sword Peak could also give her a drop of spirit liquid every day. Even when her Yun Family was prosperous, they only gave Family Disciples one drop per month, and that was only for direct descendants; collateral branches received one drop every three months.
The preciousness of spirit liquid far exceeded its so-called market price; even if Immortal Sword Peak was wealthy, they couldn't afford such a consumption.
"Oh? There's something my Immortal Sword Peak can't provide? Why don't you tell me? If we're talking solely about Spirit Stones, perhaps my Immortal Sword Peak can't compare to Immortal Medicine Peak, but what my Immortal Sword Peak possesses, the other Peaks cannot rival."
Yao Kaidong didn't believe there was anything his Immortal Sword Peak couldn't provide. Even Medium Grade Magic Treasures, besides the Sect Master having one, his Immortal Sword Peak also possessed one.
"Hey, hey, hey, Disciple, don't say too much, be low-key, low-key."
Qin Xiao, fearing Yun Man would blurt out the matter of the spirit liquid, quickly stepped forward to stop her.
"Master, rest assured, your Disciple knows the priorities."
Yun Man naturally understood what Qin Xiao meant. She wasn't a fool; she naturally wouldn't speak of such a thing. She understood the principle that an innocent man is guilty only when he possesses a treasure.
"Could it be that Junior Apprentice Sister Yun has taken a liking to this young man? Everything she said was just an excuse, right?"
Yao Kaidong no longer cared about appearances. Since you're so protective of this young man, then this Saint doesn't need to show mercy. When the time comes, I'll have my father forcibly capture him. If he cannot be used by me, then I'll drain his value and kill him.
"What nonsense are you talking about? This is my Master! If you speak such wild words again, don't blame me for being impolite to you!"
Yun Man was only sixteen or seventeen, and had never heard such outrageous remarks. For a moment, she was a little flustered.
"Oh? Impolite to me? Do you know that this Saint is at the Late Stage Golden Core Realm? I am not a good-for-nothing like Li Cheng. If you don't know what's good for you, this Saint doesn't mind teaching you a lesson."
Seeing that persuasion was useless, Yao Kaidong directly tore off his facade.
"Is the Saint planning to bully the weak?"
Qin Xiao had also heard of this Yao Kaidong. He was already at the Late Stage Golden Core Realm at such a young age. His Disciple was only at the Early Stage Golden Core Realm; their strength difference was too great. She absolutely must not act impulsively.
"So what if I'm bullying the weak?"
Yao Kaidong's Spiritual Qi surged, ready to make a Move at any moment.
"Stop!"
Just as Yao Kaidong was about to make a Move, Grand Elder Yao Tiansheng arrived.
"Father."
Upon seeing Yao Tiansheng, Yao Kaidong immediately became well-behaved.
"Get back to Immortal Sword Peak, stop making a fool of yourself here!"
Yao Tiansheng showed no mercy to his son, directly scolding him.
"Your son obeys."
Yao Kaidong shot Qin Xiao a fierce glare before leaving in discontent.
"Many thanks, Grand Elder, for resolving the situation."
Qin Xiao stepped forward, cupped his fists, and thanked him. The necessary etiquette still had to be observed, after all, the other party was the Grand Elder.
"This matter was merely a farce. I hope Junior Apprentice Nephew will not take offense. This old man has other matters, so I shall not linger."
After saying this, Yao Tiansheng flew away.
It wasn't that he truly cared about Sect rules, but rather that the earlier clash between Yun Man and Li Cheng had already attracted other Peak Masters. He had no choice but to show up, otherwise, what would the other Peak Masters think?
"Are you alright?"
As soon as Yao Tiansheng left, Sect Master Lin Tiancheng arrived, looking at the tattered Qin Xiao and asking with concern.
"Thank you, Sect Master, I'm fine."
Qin Xiao quickly thanked him. He knew the Sect Master was quite good to him, but due to Sect regulations, he had set the three-year agreement. Fortunately, he had already taken in a Disciple.
"There are only twenty-odd days left until the Sect Disciple Grand Competition. This Yao Kaidong has a narrow mind. Be careful, he might seek revenge then. If you are outmatched, remember to concede. With me here, your life will naturally be protected."
Lin Tiancheng patted Qin Xiao's shoulder with a hint of guilt.
"Your Disciple understands. Thank you, Sect Master."
Qin Xiao also nodded in response.
"Then I'll be going first. If anything happens, report it to the Sect. Never act rashly."
After speaking, Lin Tiancheng also flew away.
"Disciple, back to the room, continue your secluded Cultivation."
Seeing that no one else was coming, Qin Xiao greeted Yun Man and walked towards the room.