Chapter Forty-One: Advancing to the Top Four

To possess a spiritual weapon was akin to gaining an extra ally out of thin air; fighting two against one naturally increased one’s chances of victory.

“Brother Yang Xiao, my bone fork is crafted from the leg bone of a low-level multi-horned beast. Its power is considerable. If you’re willing to concede now, it’s not too late. Otherwise, you’d best be careful,” Kunshan warned Yang Xiao kindly. In his mind, now that he had a spiritual weapon, besting an unarmed opponent would be easy.

Earlier, Yang Xiao had gained an advantage while both fought bare-handed, but now with Kunshan wielding a spiritual weapon, his strength had doubled, greatly increasing his likelihood of winning.

Yet Yang Xiao remained calm. He tapped his storage pouch and drew out a jet-black spear—the very one he’d seized from the two burly men who had intercepted him.

“You have a spiritual weapon as well, and of decent quality!” This time it was Kunshan’s turn to be surprised. Obtaining his bone fork had been no easy feat, and he’d assumed Yang Xiao could not possibly possess a spiritual weapon. Yet Yang Xiao now produced a mid-level spiritual weapon, which astonished him.

Though Kunshan realized his chances of victory had dwindled, he was unwilling to give up. Gripping the bone fork, he infused it with spiritual energy and launched an attack at Yang Xiao.

As Kunshan’s spiritual energy surged into the bone fork, a phantom of a giant beast appeared—its body bristling with dozens of uneven, sharp horns, presenting a bizarre sight. Clearly, this was the original multi-horned beast.

With the appearance of the beast’s phantom, the bone fork’s power soared; its force far exceeded Kunshan’s own, elevating his strength by a realm or two, making it possible for him to fight above his level.

Witnessing the bone fork’s formidable power, Yang Xiao was a little surprised as well. Though his opponent’s weapon was of a lower grade, it complemented his cultivation method, allowing him to exceed his usual limits.

Yang Xiao likewise channeled spiritual energy into the spear, which immediately emitted a haze of black spiritual aura. Then, he drew upon the thunder force contained in his lightning mark and infused it into the spear, layering it with the power of thunder. With this combined strength, Yang Xiao felt reassured and boldly met Kunshan’s bone fork head-on.

As the weapons clashed, sparks flew in a dazzling display. This time, Yang Xiao completely parried Kunshan’s attack and even pressed him back.

After all, the quality of his spiritual weapon was superior, giving Yang Xiao a distinct advantage.

Kunshan, seeing his initial strike fail, launched several more assaults, but Yang Xiao neutralized them with ease, greatly shocking Kunshan. His spiritual energy was rapidly depleted, and with it, his stamina. Soon, Kunshan was visibly struggling.

Observing this, Yang Xiao judged it was time to take the initiative, especially since several other matches on the platform had already concluded. He shook his spear, pouring spiritual energy into it, and struck down at Kunshan.

Kunshan tried to block with his bone spear, but this time he could not withstand the blow—his bone spear was knocked aside. Seizing the moment, Yang Xiao stepped forward and punched at him. Kunshan quickly raised his palm to defend, but in his weakened state, he was no match for Yang Xiao’s strike and was sent flying several meters, landing hard on the ground.

At this point, Kunshan realized the gap between himself and Yang Xiao was not small. Clearly, Yang Xiao had not been fighting at full strength from the outset; otherwise, he would have lost much earlier.

Climbing to his feet, Kunshan cupped his hands and said, “Thank you, Brother, for holding back.” He knew Yang Xiao had shown mercy; otherwise, that final blow could have left him seriously injured. Given the rules of the platform—though it was forbidden to kill, serious injury was not excluded—he would have been foolish not to express his gratitude. In such duels, injuries were unavoidable; one could not perfectly control every attack. If the strikes were too weak, it would be difficult to defeat the opponent; if too strong, serious injury might result.

Yet Yang Xiao’s blow, despite its apparent might, had only caused Kunshan minor injuries, for Yang Xiao had deliberately held back.

Under such circumstances, Kunshan naturally felt compelled to thank Yang Xiao.

Yang Xiao also cupped his hands and replied, “You’re too courteous, Senior Brother. Your mastery has opened my eyes.”

Kunshan forced a smile. “You are the true expert, Brother. I am far inferior. But the next opponents on the platform will be even more difficult. You must be careful.” With those words, Kunshan left the platform.

“Thank you for the warning,” Yang Xiao said, expressing his gratitude once more. He knew that only four contenders remained; all were outstanding disciples and not easily dealt with. Still, his original intention had merely been to reach the top four—not to vie for first place. Now that he had achieved his goal, there was no need to continue competing.

Yang Xiao thought to himself: regardless of who his next opponent was, he would spar for a while, then concede, thus avoiding further matches. Whoever ultimately won and became candidate for young sect leader was of no concern to him. His wish had been fulfilled; it was time to withdraw.

After the intense battles, only four remained on the platform: besides Yang Xiao, the others were Ling Yunmei, Qing Yuhe, and Hao Gang. Yang Xiao knew Ling Yunmei and Hao Gang, while Qing Yuhe was renowned throughout the sect.

Earlier, Yang Xiao had observed the other matches; Ling Yunmei and Qing Yuhe had both defeated two outstanding male disciples of the Giant Spirit Sect. Hao Gang had bested Ling Yunmei’s junior sister, another disciple of Master Withered Glory. Thus, only Ling Yunmei remained among Master Withered Glory’s disciples in the top four.

When Hao Gang defeated Master Withered Glory’s female disciple, the master’s face darkened. But upon seeing Ling Yunmei easily overcome a male disciple from the Giant Spirit Sect, she smiled and nodded, clearly placing great confidence in Ling Yunmei. She seemed to hope Ling Yunmei would seize the championship, obviously coveting the position of young sect leader. She wished for Ling Yunmei to become the young sect leader and eventually inherit the sect master’s mantle, thus elevating her branch of the Giant Spirit Sect to the leadership and bringing it honor.