The long sword in Xiao Cen's hand slowly slipped from her grasp.
With a sharp clang, it clattered onto the sparring platform.
She could no longer hold herself up. Swaying, she collapsed directly onto the platform.
Yun Heng's expression shifted slightly. Just as she was about to stand up to check on her, a figure from the Eastern Region Imperial Family's viewing area rushed onto the sparring platform ahead of her.
It was Xiao Yin.
Xiao Yin quickly arrived at Xiao Cen's side to assess her injuries before carrying her away to the back for treatment.
Several imperial elders closely followed them out of the viewing area.
Yun Heng watched their retreating figures and sat back down.
Xiao Cen had likely collapsed on the sparring platform simply because she had exhausted her spiritual energy and physical strength, on top of suffering significant injuries.
Her life was not in danger.
With the first match over, the second and third matches officially began.
Bai Chu'an faced Wen Ai, while Ye Zezhi fought He Changxiao.
After a grueling battle in both groups, Bai Chu'an and Ye Zezhi ultimately emerged victorious.
Both had sustained varying degrees of minor injuries.
With the first three matches concluded, only the final match remained.
Yun Heng versus Xie Wujiu.
The atmosphere in the spectator stands instantly grew electric.
“It's finally here!”
“I've been waiting all day for this match!”
Nearby, a cultivator leaned back in his seat, looking completely relaxed.
“Yun Heng is definitely going to win. What's there to see?”
The person who spoke earlier immediately retorted, “I'm waiting to see how Yun Heng defeats Xie Wujiu!”
“Besides, Yun Heng shows off something new in every single round.”
“Who knows what tricks she has up her sleeve today?”
The people nearby nodded in agreement.
“I can't wait!”
“Look, they're taking the stage!”
On the main stage, Gong Yiding's voice echoed throughout the arena via the voice-amplifying array.
“And now, please welcome our final pair of competitors—”
“Yun Heng versus Xie Wujiu!”
The spectator stands erupted into thunderous cheers once more.
In the waiting area, Yun Heng and Xie Wujiu stood up at the same time.
They stepped onto the sparring platform from opposite sides, eventually standing face-to-face in the center.
Yun Heng looked completely calm and composed.
Her expression was relaxed, and a faint, subtle smile played on her lips from beginning to end.
On the other hand, Xie Wujiu's expression was noticeably solemn.
His right hand gripped his sword hilt tightly, his entire body tense and poised to strike at any second.
His eyes were locked onto Yun Heng with absolute vigilance, not daring to miss a single one of her movements.
Seeing Xie Wujiu like this, some in the spectator stands couldn't help but laugh.
“Isn't Xie Wujiu a bit too tense?”
“He wasn't like this in his previous matches.”
“How could he not be tense?”
“The one standing opposite him is Yun Heng.”
Another cultivator chuckled. “He won't be so terrified by Yun Heng that he can't even unleash his ultimate moves, will he?”
A wave of soft laughter rippled through the surrounding crowd.
On the sparring platform, the refereeing elder glanced at the two of them.
“Begin!”
As the words fell...
Xie Wujiu remained standing where he was, making no move whatsoever.
Yun Heng didn't strike either.
The two simply faced off, keeping their distance.
The cultivators in the spectator stands gradually began to look puzzled.
“Why isn't anyone moving?”
“It's one thing for Yun Heng—she was like this at the start of her last two matches.”
“But why is Xie Wujiu standing still too?”
“Did he really get scared stiff?”
In the Taihua Sword Sect's viewing area, the newly appointed Sect Master, Xu Changning, stared intently at the sparring platform, her palms drenched in sweat.
Xu Changning was none other than the former Grand Elder of the Taihua Sword Sect.
After Wei Quechen's death, she had taken over the position of Sect Master, barely keeping the heavily weakened Taihua Sword Sect afloat until now.
Before coming to the Five Domains Platform, she had specifically warned Xie Wujiu.
He must not go head-to-head with Yun Heng in this match.
Yun Heng's strength was unfathomable; no one knew where her true limit lay.
He could lose, but he absolutely must not risk his life just to win.
Furthermore, he was strictly forbidden from using underhanded methods against Yun Heng during the match.
Yun Heng was notoriously vindictive.
If Xie Wujiu actually played dirty, Yun Heng would never let him off easily, and it might even drag down the entire Taihua Sword Sect once again.
Xu Changning's heart beat faster and faster.
Please, let him have taken my words to heart.
On the sparring platform, the two continued their standoff.
Yun Heng looked at Xie Wujiu, who still hadn't budged, and knit her brows slightly.
What on earth was this guy trying to do?
He had clearly assumed a combat stance, yet he refused to advance and attack, choosing instead to stand there watching her warily.
Yun Heng curled her lips.
Since he wasn't going to make a move, she would go first.
Yun Heng's gaze suddenly sharpened.
In the next instant, two massive phantoms materialized before her simultaneously.
One snake.
One tiger.
The moment the two phantoms condensed, they lunged toward Xie Wujiu at extreme speed.
The crowd in the spectator stands couldn't even make out their appearances, seeing only two blurs flash past Yun Heng with a sharp whoosh.
“What did Yun Heng just summon?”
“How did they charge out so fast?”
Someone stared intently at the sparring platform, their tone hesitant.
“One of them should be the contracted spirit tiger she summoned in the first round.”
“But what is the other one?”
The person next to them was filled with confusion.
Just then, someone suddenly pointed at the sparring platform, their eyes wide with shock.
“Look!”
“That looks like an Emerald Poison Spirit Python!”
More and more people clearly saw the appearance of the second phantom.
It was a massive green spirit python, covered in fine, deep emerald scales that shimmered with a cold, metallic luster.
Though its body was thick and heavy, its speed was incredibly fast.
Its slit-pupil eyes glowed with an eerie green light, and sharp fangs could be faintly seen within its gaping maw.
“It really is an Emerald Poison Spirit Python!”
“This kind of spirit beast is extremely rare, and they are masters of using poison.”
The speaker swept their divine sense over it, and their voice instantly spiked in pitch.
“The mid stage of the Soul Transformation Realm?!”
“Another one of Yun Heng's contracted spirit beasts is actually at the mid stage of the Soul Transformation Realm?!”
Hearing this, someone slumped weakly back into their seat.
“This is completely unfair!”
“She actually has two Soul Transformation mid-stage spirit beasts!”
In the spectator stands, a female cultivator's breathing gradually grew rapid.
As if she had discovered something unbelievable, she suddenly grabbed the sleeve of the person next to her.
“Look closely at Yun Heng!”
The person she grabbed looked bewildered.
“What's wrong with Yun Heng?”
Following her companion's gaze, they carefully sensed the aura radiating from Yun Heng once more.
In the next instant, their eyes went wide, and they stammered incoherently.
“Yun Heng...”
“Yun Heng seems to have broken through again!”
“What?”
Several nearby cultivators looked over at the same time.
Someone immediately released their divine sense to carefully gauge the fluctuations of spiritual energy on the sparring platform.
Before long, his expression changed as well.
“It really is the peak of the Soul Transformation Realm!”
“Yun Heng broke through again!”
As soon as those words were uttered, the surrounding crowd erupted into an uproar.
The news spread like wildfire to other areas of the spectator stands.
More and more cultivators began to seriously sense Yun Heng's cultivation level.
“How is that possible?”
“Wasn't she only at the late stage of the Soul Transformation Realm a month ago?”
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