On the arena stage, sword light crisscrossed through the air as spiritual energy exploded!
Xu Yujun's offensive was like a violent storm, ceaseless and unrelenting. Each strike carried the sharpness and power to tear through the void, completely enveloping Lu Xiaoluo's figure within it.
Lu Xiaoluo's form constantly wove and dodged within the dense sword net, her long sword in hand parrying and blocking. She appeared to be in dire straits, her figure trembling slightly with each collision, as if she would be completely overwhelmed in the next second.
Gasps of alarm rose and fell from below the stage, everyone holding their breath for Lu Xiaoluo.
However, in stark contrast to the audience's tension, atop the high platform, core disciples of Xianling Holy Land such as Xiao Chen, Han Yu, and Ji Lingxiu showed no worry on their faces. They appeared unusually calm, even vaguely... understanding?
"Junior Sister Xiaoluo... seems to be gradually adapting?" Jiang Che scratched his head, mumbling uncertainly.
Han Yu's gaze was sharp as an eagle, tightly fixed on the arena, nodding slightly: "You're not mistaken, her rhythm has stabilized."
Ji Lingxiu's lips curved into a barely perceptible smile: "Master said that Junior Sister Xiaoluo's resilience far exceeds that of ordinary people."
The reason they remained so composed was because they knew better than anyone the details of Lu Xiaoluo's background and the special nature of her cultivation technique.
Lu Xiaoluo's initial foundation came from the Kunlun Mountain-Guarding Sword Intent left behind by her father, Lu Ming. This sword intent was heavy as a mountain, enduring as water, excelling at prolonged defensive combat, concealing tremendous power within stillness. Later, when she became a disciple under Chen Chang'an, he discovered that her temperament was calm and resilient, her spiritual perception keen. She was even more suitable than Han Yu, known for his calm precision, to cultivate Xianling Holy Land's strongest defensive sword technique—Sky-Blocking Strike!
However, Lu Xiaoluo's path differed from Han Yu's.
Han Yu's Sky-Blocking Strike had already developed his own style, balanced between offense and defense, concealing sharp counterattacks within his defensive maneuvers. Lu Xiaoluo, with the help of her senior brothers and sisters, successfully merged the essence of her inherited "Mountain-Guarding Sword Intent" with "Sky-Blocking Strike," forging a completely different path—the Ultimate Defense!
Her sword was not for killing enemies, but for protection! Pouring all her spiritual power, consciousness, and will entirely into defense, becoming the most solid barrier!
At this moment, on the arena stage.
After the initial few exchanges of flustered adaptation, Lu Xiaoluo's gaze gradually became as calm as still water. She no longer attempted to trace the trajectory of her opponent's lightning-fast sword strikes, nor did she panic at the surging qi and blood from each collision.
She took a deep breath, and the trajectory traced by the long sword in her hand suddenly changed!
No longer pursuing the deflection of each strike, but rather unfurling in a grander, more rounded rhythm.
"Om—!"
An incredibly condensed, seemingly world-isolating transparent sword gang quietly emerged, circling around her body like the most loyal guardian. This was the supreme defensive form of Sky-Blocking Strike!
Xu Yujun's violent and swift sword light struck this seemingly thin sword gang, yet it was as if it had slashed into an endless deep sea and quagmire. The tremendous power was layer upon layer dissolved, guided, dispersed, unable to shake its foundation!
At the same time, a heavy, steady sword intent, ancient and unchanging like Kunlun's mountains, permeated from within Lu Xiaoluo—Mountain-Guarding Sword Intent! This sword intent did not directly participate in defense, yet it seemed omnipresent, meticulously filling every imperceptible gap and flaw in the operation of "Sky-Blocking Strike," making her defensive system become seamless, impenetrable!
"Ding ding ding ding—!"
Dense collision sounds continued to ring out, but the tone changed from the previous sharp and piercing to dull and heavy!
Lu Xiaoluo's figure no longer stumbled backward, but instead stood firmly rooted on the arena like a boulder! Let the violent winds and rain come, she remained immovable!
The situation that had appeared on the verge of collapse, of imminent defeat, miraculously stabilized in just a few breaths!
"This... how is this possible?!"
"She blocked it! She blocked everything!"
"Elder Lu's defense... is too abnormal!"
The audience below the stage was dumbfounded, exclaiming in disbelief.
The most frustrated one was Xu Yujun.
The more he fought, the more stifled and uncomfortable he felt! His opponent before him seemed to have truly become a ten-thousand-year-old turtle that had completely withdrawn its head and limbs into an incredibly hard shell! No matter how exquisite his sword techniques, how violent his offense, how powerful his strength, slashing at that turtle shell produced nothing but some spiritual ripples and dull sounds, seemingly having no effect at all!
The opponent simply didn't counterattack, just defended single-mindedly. Yet this defense was watertight, giving him a sense of powerlessness with nowhere to strike!
What made him want to spit blood even more was that when he frantically attacked and felt the opponent's aura seemed to show a barely perceptible decline from the massive consumption, he saw Lu Xiaoluo's free left hand extremely naturally brush against the storage bag at her waist, pull out a jade bottle, and without even looking, pour a shimmering spiritual pill into her mouth.
In the next moment, the spiritual power around her body instantly recovered to fullness, even vaguely showing improvement. Those bright large eyes stared spiritedly at him, as if saying: "Continue, I can still take it!"
Xu Yujun: "???"
He nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood! How was he supposed to fight this?! He was exhausting himself mentally and spiritually, expending tremendous effort in his assault, while his opponent was replenishing like eating candy beans? Was there any basic fairness left in this arena?!
He had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue his fierce assault. Various trump-card techniques with tremendous power emerged endlessly, sword light tearing through the sky with alarming momentum. On the surface, he appeared to completely dominate, pressing Lu Xiaoluo with no ability to fight back.
But only he himself knew clearly—if this continued, the first one to be drained dry would absolutely be himself! The opponent's defense seemed bottomless, and she could replenish her condition at any time. This was simply cheating!
On the high platform, Xiao Chen, Han Yu, and the others exchanged glances, all revealing knowing smiles.
They had long expected this outcome. Lu Xiaoluo's "Absolute Defense" combined with the supreme Recovery Pills personally refined by her Master, enough for her to consume like candy, was simply the nightmare of all strong-attack type opponents.
Xu Yujun had kicked an iron plate this time.
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