Chapter 207

Chapter 207: One’s Own Path

Yan Zhong He looked at the faces of the Sword Sect and felt pain in his chest. This time, his plan had been to let his three Disciples sweep the field and crush the Sword Sect’s younger generation. At first, everything went smoothly. Then Li Shuang came out of nowhere. Though only Golden Core Stage, she beat Cong Xin and Wu Ling Chuan in a row. The Tyrant Blade Sect’s provocation turned into a total joke. Even though on the Divine Transformation Stage platform Ren Gu still held the upper hand and had won, it was no longer a crushing win; his goal of breaking the Sword Sect’s young backbone could not be met.

Yan Zhong He said sharply: “Ren Gu, enough playing around. Finish it quickly.”

Ren Gu snapped to attention, jumped out of the exchange, and let a blood red, killing aura roar skyward; the huge saber in his hands swelled even larger. He leaped into the air and called out: “Jiang Rong Yi, I have kept you company long enough. Right now, it ends,” and the giant blade crashed down at Jiang Rong Yi.

Jiang Rong Yi looked up at the massive blade. Its edge had locked onto his breath, and there was no way to escape its range. But he had never planned to run. He drew a blue sword and drove it into the platform; in the next instant, the sword split into countless phantoms that wrapped around him as he called: “Sword Formation: Heavenly Cycle Equilibrium Array.” A blue light shield rose and covered him.

Ren Gu’s face tightened. A Sword Formation. He suddenly felt his own strength pouring toward Jiang Rong Yi until the two of them reached an even level; only then did the transfer stop. At the same time, the power of his saber was forcibly reduced, and Jiang Rong Yi’s sword barely held his first strike.

Yan Zhong He’s expression turned ugly; he glanced at Meng Yi Fei and said in a low voice: “The Heavenly Cycle Equilibrium Sword Formation. This formation can force a balance between the two sides. Sect Master Meng, your Disciple truly inherited your teachings.” He was thinking of the Path of Balance, Meng Yi Fei’s way of forcing a fifty fifty draw. Jiang Rong Yi had truly stepped into the door of the Path of Balance. He had underestimated the Sword Sect Disciples.

Meng Yi Fei said calmly: “Only Minor Completion.”

Yan Zhong He gave a cold laugh and said: “But he is not you. After forcing such a formation, how long can he last? The final winner will still be Ren Gu.”

Meng Yi Fei did not argue, because Yan Zhong He was right. Jiang Rong Yi was already near his limit. Besides the formation being beyond his current reach, his soul had been shaken by Ren Gu’s Heaven Severing Blade over their long fight; his spirit was unsteady.

Up in the air, Ren Gu shouted: “I want to see how long you can hold,” and he swung again, this time even harder. Jiang Rong Yi gritted his teeth and held the array, but a swarm of blood red, evil aura flooded his sea of consciousness; his soul twitched, and the formation began to wobble. The huge blade fell, and this time it was not averaged out by the formation.

Jiang Rong Yi looked into the fierce blade light, and a hard light flashed in his eyes: [Master said the Path of Balance values equal footing.] [So Master plots day after day, balancing this side and balancing that side.] [Master also said that this is the true meaning of the Path of Balance.] [But is it really?] [If I follow Master’s way, right now I should admit defeat.] [But I don’t want to.] [My blood is still boiling.] [Win or lose, there is one more sword I want to swing.]

All the heat that he had held back in his blood burst out. A thousand phantoms became one. Jiang Rong Yi held nothing back. He stopped thinking about the Path of Balance and stopped thinking about retreat. He only knew that his blood was boiling. This sword had no set pattern; it was just his anger roaring.

Blade and sword clashed in the air.

Watching from the side, Meng Yi Fei froze. It was the first time he had seen his Disciple drop his calm mask. He had thought Jiang Rong Yi was a copy of himself. He had thought Jiang Rong Yi would follow his steps, keep the Sword Sect’s balance, and hold back. But from the fury in this sword alone, he understood. Jiang Rong Yi was not him. Even with the same Path of Balance, Jiang Rong Yi used balance only to gather strength for this final strike. His Disciple had more hot blood than he did.

Meng Yi Fei’s hand clenched the arm of his chair without him realizing.

Blood red aura and blue light wove together in the sky, evenly matched for a time.

“Senior Brother Jiang,” voices rose from the crowd, “Senior Brother Jiang,” and Sword Sect Disciples shouted one after another. Just as Li Shuang had said earlier, the honor of the Sword Sect was not something one Disciple could carry alone. Right now, Jiang Rong Yi was showing this with his actions. The honor of the Sword Sect would be guarded by thousands upon thousands of Sword Sect Disciples together. They lifted their eyes to the light above, and their blood surged.

With all of his rage, Jiang Rong Yi pressed down the blood red light with his blue glow. “Break,” he roared. The sword light split the saber light and shot like a long streamer at Ren Gu.

Ren Gu’s heart shook. He had always thought he could end the fight at any time, yet Jiang Rong Yi had pushed him to this point: [Am I going to lose?] [No. I cannot lose. Otherwise, the Tyrant Blade Sect will be the biggest joke today.] He struggled to block, but he could not. He just could not stop it.

As the sword light drew near, fear flashed in Ren Gu’s eyes. But at that instant, the killing aura in Jiang Rong Yi’s sea of consciousness burst all at once. His hand loosened for a moment, and the sword light dimmed. Ren Gu seized the chance and stopped it. He could tell that single move had drained all of Jiang Rong Yi’s strength; winning now would be easy.

Jiang Rong Yi looked at him and smiled as he said: “I admit defeat,” then he jumped off the platform.

Ren Gu stared in disbelief: [What is with these Sword Sect Disciples? Is Jiang Rong Yi copying that Jiang Yi?] He had only needed to swing once more to defeat him completely, but before he could, Jiang Rong Yi had already given up.

Jiang Rong Yi lost, yet a thunderous cheer rolled across the field as if he were the winner.

Ren Gu’s lips trembled; he glanced back at Yan Zhong He.

Yan Zhong He’s face had gone iron blue. He said in a flat voice: “The Sword Sect Disciples are quick to surrender. In the end, when young Disciples compete, it is still a contest of peak combat power. Ren Gu beat Jiang Rong Yi, so he beat all the Sword Sect Disciples. Added together, they still are not as good as my Disciple. Sect Master Meng, do you admit it or not?”