"Hee hee hee, I've been hidden for so long, and you've finally seen through me? It seems you are indeed a worthy opponent for me to take seriously!"
At this moment, Yuwen Xiang dropped his previous humble demeanor and instead looked down upon Tang Qin.
This disgusted Tang Qin.
All the good feelings she had for him vanished.
"Tch! What are you so proud of! Our battle isn't over yet! Even if you're at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, so what? I don't think I'm completely without a chance to fight!"
Hearing this, Yuwen Xiang's contempt deepened.
"Is that so? After a few probing moves, I'm almost certain your cultivation is only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. Even if your martial arts are somewhat special, is it not a pipe dream to defeat me by two cultivation levels?"
Tang Qin was even more dismissive.
"Whether it's a pipe dream or not, we'll only know after we fight! Enough with the nonsense, make your move!"
After saying this, Tang Qin did not wait for Yuwen Xiang to attack as she had stated. Instead, she launched a preemptive strike, raising her claws and instantly conjuring a massive dark green energy mass in front of her.
"Illusionary Dream Swirl!"
With a soft shout, the energy mass was propelled forward, roaring and charging directly at Yuwen Xiang.
Yuwen Xiang felt the power carried by this energy mass from afar. His expression turned serious, and he instantly sheathed his short sword. He also drew his hands apart, condensing a slightly smaller energy mass and pushing it forward.
"Boom!"
The two energy masses exploded instantly, dissipating into the air shortly after. At the same time, Yuwen Xiang's mockery returned.
"This move of yours is indeed powerful, but your strength is too weak, and you can't unleash even a fraction of its power. If you were like me, having reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment, I might have been defeated directly by this move. It's a pity..."
Tang Qin herself naturally knew the approximate power of her move. She hadn't expected to decide the outcome with this single move, after all, "Mystic Dream Phantom Claw" was not a martial art known for its head-on confrontation.
She didn't waste any words with Yuwen Xiang. Before he could finish speaking, she channeled the spiritual energy throughout her body, moved her form, and charged towards Yuwen Xiang at extreme speed.
In an instant, the arena was filled with Tang Qin's afterimages.
Each figure attacked Yuwen Xiang from a different angle, the afterimages leaving behind distinct dance poses, maximizing the offensive while also drawing exclamations of admiration for the beautiful spectacle from the audience below.
"It's too beautiful! Simply too beautiful! How is this a duel, it's clearly a cultural performance from the heavens!"
"Breathtaking! I can't imagine what kind of supreme being could create such a powerful martial art while also making the attack so aesthetically pleasing!"
"This is too much of a test for the combatant's state of mind! With such exquisite moves, how could one possibly have the focus to fight!"
"If it were me, I'd probably just be someone admiring the dance on stage!"
The discussions from the audience were not wrong; Tang Qin's series of moves did indeed make Yuwen Xiang's reactions slower.
This was also a trace of illusionary effect unique to "Mystic Dream Phantom Claw."
However,
Yuwen Xiang's strength was far superior to Tang Qin's.
Therefore, this illusionary effect did not cause him to freeze for long. He quickly regained his senses.
"Clang clang clang!"
The clash of weapons, the sparks flying from the short sword and claws, added a unique charm to this beautiful visual feast, while also allowing the audience below to hear the intensity of the battle.
At this moment, no matter how strong Yuwen Xiang was, facing Tang Qin's seamless attacks, he could only focus on passive defense.
At the same time, Yuwen Xiang's heart also began to look at the beautiful woman before him, who only possessed early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, with new respect!
She truly had the strength to contend with him forcefully!
As time ticked by, both of them began to show signs of fatigue.
Especially Tang Qin.
Although Mystic Dream Phantom Claw provided her with immense offensive capabilities, the consumption of a Heavenly-tier martial art was indeed something she, at her early-stage Foundation Establishment, could not afford.
"This won't do! I need to think of another way!"
Tang Qin continued her fierce offensive while contemplating what else she could do to secure victory.
"There's no other way! I have to use that move. Otherwise, my spiritual energy might run out soon!"
Tang Qin was anxious.
If this were not a rookie arena match, she would have been confident in defeating this late-stage Foundation Establishment opponent.
However, in this sparring match, she could not use the Spirit Gathering Pills provided by Han Lang to sustain her spiritual energy.
Otherwise, she could fight like this all day!
Even through attrition, she could wear down this late-stage Foundation Establishment Yuwen Xiang to death!
With no other choice, she could only burn her remaining spiritual energy to the fullest, accelerating her attacks on Yuwen Xiang.
Then, seizing an opening in Yuwen Xiang's overwhelming defense, she shook her body, and all her spiritual energy surged forth.
Instantly, a monstrous beast materialized around her, her claws transforming into the beast's talons, carrying immense power as they madly clawed at Yuwen Xiang.
"Gluttonous Beast Claw!"
As Tang Qin let out a fierce cry, thunderous exclamations also erupted from the audience.
"Holy crap! With this power, are we sure this is from a cultivator at the early stage of Foundation Establishment?"
"Tang Qin's strength is almost certain, but to unleash such a move is truly unbelievable!"
"Is this the power of an Earth-tier martial art? Is an Earth-tier martial art this strong?"
"Brother, are you implying that this martial art surpasses Earth-tier?"
"Surpassing Earth-tier? Heavenly-tier? What are you joking about!"
The audience below watched in shock, while Yuwen Xiang, at this moment, felt like he was facing a formidable enemy.
Even with his late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, he felt a tremor of fear with this move.
The reason was not only the power of this move but more so because there was no way to dodge it; he could only endure it head-on!
Helplessly, he channeled all his spiritual energy into his short sword. With the surge of immense spiritual energy, the short sword instantly transformed into a colossal sword.
Although the giant sword was large, its agility was no different from the short sword. It slashed and chopped, fiercely defending against the monstrous beast's attacks.
"What do you think, who will win this match?"
"It's hard to say. Now it all depends on who can last longer!"
"In that case, Yuwen Xiang might have a greater chance of winning, right? After all, the spiritual energy reserves of the late stage of Foundation Establishment and the early stage are vastly different!"
"But the power of this monstrous beast and that giant sword can't be compared! Their consumption rates must also be different!"
"It's too early to make a conclusion. I think we should just settle down and enjoy the show!"
As they spoke, Tang Qin was already showing signs of exhaustion. The monstrous beast's attack speed had noticeably slowed.
With a "bang," the monstrous beast collapsed, and Tang Qin, covered in sweat, knelt on the ground, gasping for breath.
On the other side, Yuwen Xiang was not in much better condition. Although he was standing, the immense consumption left him unable to advance.
At this moment, both of them were almost depleted of their fighting capacity. If they were to continue, it would be a race to see who could recover faster!
Tang Qin did not give up. Almost without hesitation, she immediately closed her eyes and began to recover with all her might.
Yuwen Xiang was also not idle. Without moving his body, he was absorbing spiritual energy from all directions.
"Pat!"
A soft sound.
The crowd watched the stage with bated breath, only to see Yuwen Xiang slowly walking towards Tang Qin, step by step.
"He's recovered! Yuwen Xiang recovered first!"
"As expected of the late stage of Foundation Establishment, his strength is still slightly superior!"
"What a shame! I actually hoped Tang Qin would win!"
The audience below saw it clearly, and Tang Qin also realized that the outcome was decided.
At this point, she no longer persisted. Rather than letting Yuwen Xiang defeat her outright, it was more decisive to surrender.
"I... I surrender!"
Upon hearing these words, the referee
It wasn't until the end that the referee announced Yuwen Xiang as the winner.
Tang Qin then took out a Spirit Gathering Pill, popped it into her mouth, and walked off the stage as if nothing had happened.
But this scene was