Yin Yu's lips couldn't help but tremble slightly as she looked at Yin Long, at the casual manner in which he slowly pushed the surrounding crowd closer to the edge. The larger the organization, the more important they considered their face. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that their members lived and died for their pride, a fact Yin Long clearly knew well enough to exploit viciously.
Even Xiao Yin Yu showed a faint reaction to Yin Long's ultimatum, so how could the people involved not react violently? Yin Long sensed the Qi of the people in the crowd flare up rampantly, several of them leaning forward as if they were about to rush directly at him. The corners of his lips curved up in anticipation, but disappointingly enough, none of them charged at him.
No, they held themselves back at the last second, gritting their teeth so strongly that it seemed like they were about to break. They truly found themselves in a pickle, it would be disgraceful to let him project the sign, it would be disgraceful to lose, but it would also be disgraceful to win by sending a stronger cultivator, and it would be even more disgraceful if they ganged up on him. There was no way for them to come out ahead, a fact they were painfully aware of.
"Is there really a need to go this far just for some sparring matches? You were clever enough to bring out something like that so I'm sure you also know what'll happen if you actually project the sign high into the sky. Do you really want everything to break down so completely that we'll be left with no other path?"
While the rest of the crowd was deliberating on the best way to lose as little pride as possible, a heavy sigh rang out from behind them. The crowd automatically parted as a youthful man stepped forward, his scalp devoid of even a single strand of hair. He had brown eyes, but they were strangely pale, as if the colour in them had been bleached.
It was easy to see that he had a higher status than the rest of the crowd, not just from the fact that they parted to give way to him but also from the fact that he had reached the very peak of the Immortal Door realm, only half a step away from reaching the Earthen Door.
He spoke with a heavy sigh, but it was impossible to miss the threat he hid in his words. Pride was everything to a large clan, if it was already being stepped on then they may as well just utterly crush the one that was stepping on them, best to end it quickly before it harmed them further. Yin Long obviously knew this, but the smile on his face never waned, he simply raised his sword and pointed it at the man.
"You'd best stop me then."
Yin Long gave no regard for the difference in strength, and much less had to be said for the difference in standing. To some, it was part of the light that drew them towards him, to others it was part of his blinding arrogance. But to him, he had never given it any thought, it was just how he was. As for the bald man in front of him, Tue Shi Yang, he was clearly part of the latter faction.
"...One fight. I'll send out one more person to spar with you, please be content with that and leave afterwards, don't take us for a tiger whose tail you can step on as you please."
Shi Yang was able to maintain a high degree of calmness even when faced with the end of Yin Long's sword. The fact that he was seemingly able to decide something like this also confirmed Yin Long's guess that he had a rather high standing, he may have already entered the ranks of an elder.
He was only at the very peak of the Immortal Door realm, but even a clan that could control an entire city and a handful of villages within a Province were only led by people at the Earthen Door realm. After all, once you stepped past the Earthen Door realm you would be competing for the rank of Territory Lord. That was why a championship like this was so terrifying, several of the people taking part were at the level of city rulers and even some Territory Lords, the only restriction was your age.
"Tue Shuiye, you go up. Don't forget what you fight for."
Shi Yang turned his head slightly and called out one of the youths from the crowd, the young girl acting somewhat stiffly as she stepped forth. The fact that Shi Yang reminded her of the stakes only served to make her all the more nervous, her faintly pale blue eyes flickering quietly. But she knew what she had to do so she hardened her heart and stepped on the stage, brushing aside her short black hair and cupping her fists.
"Tue Shuiye, 6th Immortal Door and Inner Disciple of the Swordsoul Guardians."
The girl swiped her amethyst-embedded belt once she finished the introduction, a silver sword appearing in her grasp. Yin Long moved his gaze away from Shi Yang and onto the girl, cupping his hands to return the respect she had shown.
"Yin Long, 4th Immortal Door, wanderer."
He lowered his sword once he finished and inspected the girl, his sharp gaze sending uncomfortable shivers down her spine. Yet, the moment her gaze met his, she unknowingly found herself losing a bit of the animosity she felt, as if the depths of his pupils could tug at her soul.
Yin Long could tell that this girl was a bit different from the previous one he had fought against, and it wasn't just a difference born from cultivation. The way she carried herself was a bit different, her entire body was loosened up, it was to the point that she even held her sword quite loosely. Normally this would mean that it should be rather easy to knock her weapon out of her hand, but he felt that it wouldn't be the case here, and that fact alone made the corners of his lips turn up somewhat.
"Doesn't seem like you plan on coming to me, so allow me."
The girl showed no signs of making the first move, whether it be due to her having the higher cultivation or due to it being part of her style. As such, it was Yin Long who bent his knees and leaned forward, charging at her in a straightforward manner. Once he got in range, he raised his sword and brought it down upon her head. It was an exceedingly simple and straightforward move, one that could be easily deflected or blocked, it served no other purpose than to check how she would react.
Tue Shuiye raised her sword with a swift motion, placing it horizontally beneath Yin Long's descending blade. The two weapons collided, but Tue Shuiye started to move her arm the moment the two blades made contact. She tilted her sword sideways as if to deflect the attack, but she also moved her wrist softly so that her tilted blade rolled about in a wavy manner.
The attack was deflected to the side and had its power shaved off by the rolling motions, Tue Shuiye slashing her blade sideways at Yin Long's throat through the opening she had produced. But the moment she started to swing her sword, which moved a bit faster than it should have, Yin Long also reacted.
His blade had been deflected, but he was someone who personally used a similar style so it would be strange if he didn't know a way or two to counteract it. The moment his sword slid past the tip of her weapon, he gathered his strength and flicked his wrist, the deflected slash morphing into a sideways sweep.
Its power wasn't entirely satisfactory due to the hastiness at which it was produced, but the whole point of this type of attack was to catch your opponent off-guard. And it certainly did what it was supposed to, Tue Shuiye ending up somewhat flustered when she saw that Yin Long seemed perfectly fine with trading wounds.
She hurriedly and awkwardly halted her slash, raising and bending her arm to position her sword vertically in front of Yin Long's blade. The two weapons collided again, Tue Shuiye once again moving her wrist to have her sword move in a wavy pattern. She blocked his sword head-on, but the wavy motions shaved away at the strength within his weapon in a somewhat strange manner.
It didn't quite negate it as a normal block would, the fact that it was being shaved away instead was proof of that. It also didn't redirect the power like a deflect or parry would so he didn't immediately understand the intent behind her actions. And sadly, it seemed like he wouldn't get to understand it straight away either.
Whether it was due to her being forced into an awkward position or if it was because she wasn't entirely familiar with the technique, she failed to maintain the wavy motions and thus didn't manage to properly shave away the power inherent within Yin Long's attack. The wavy pattern seemed to suddenly backfire strangely as she lost control of it, the tip of her sword rolling too far back and poking against the side of her chest.
Yin Long's sword slid along her blade at the same time, and since the tip of her weapon was already poking her chest, it was obvious where his blade would end up. But before the edge of his weapon could cut through her robe, he halted its momentum and pulled it back, which was done rather easily since it was a hasty attack that already had most of its power shaved away.
"That was good, that's what I wanted to see. Again, don't mess it up this time."
Yin Long took a few steps back as he spoke, giving the girl a bit of breathing room to compose herself. But of course, this also meant that she had to endure the same shame as the previous girl. Not only was she toyed with and spared at his convenience, he even spoke like a teacher trying to see her growth.
Yin Long couldn't care less about the girl's shame, he was convinced that her strange wavy motions were intrinsically tied to the unique sword technique of this clan. She cracked a bit too early this time, but he should be able to figure out a few things if he pushed her a few more times and personally experienced it.
But what a shame, it seemed like Yin Long was born under an unlucky star that doomed him to be disappointed in situations like these. He gave her time to compose herself before he attacked again, and while she indeed dealt with his first attack easily, she cracked again on the third one. He once again stepped back, but then she failed again on the second, and then again on the third. He gave her multiple chances, but whether it was due to inexperience or stress, she constantly failed on the second or third attack. She got to show off what seemed like the start of the unique technique, but the constant failure meant that she could never show the next steps, nor the proper utilization.
"What a disappointment, you can leave now."
Yin Long broke her posture once more, but this time he didn't pull back his sword and allowed the tip of his blade to rest against her throat. He tilted his head slightly as he spoke to indicate that he was bored of her flailing now, an act that made her bite her lips so hard that a few drops of blood trickled out.
Her legs tensed up in protest, but the unchanging position of Yin Long's sword meant that even taking half a step forward would end her life. Her gaze slid sideways and landed on Shi Yang, who nodded his head with a somewhat stiff expression. They had brought out a cultivator two small realms above him, but that still wasn't enough to take down this arrogant challenger. Neither side had used their laws or Qi so it wasn't an utter defeat, but it was still a heavy hit.
"That was the one fight. Now, please leave so that we can still conclude this peacefully."
Shi Yang gestured towards the open gates, his expression stiff yet not revealing too many emotions. This was the crossroad, the next step would be one that led to a future that couldn't be taken back once it was chosen. But sadly for Shi Yang, which of the two paths Yin Long would step on had already been decided ahead of time.
"She wasn't skilled enough, so I haven't learnt enough yet. I'd ask you to let me look over your clan's unique sword technique, but I've heard that you're quite protective of it."
He didn't leave the stage, nor did he take down the sign he had put up, his gaze focused firmly on Shi Yang. Tue Shi Yang's expression turned a few shades gloomier when Yin Long spoke, but he had already been able to guess Yin Long's goal thanks to his earlier words.
"So that really was your goal... Indeed, there is no way we can hand it to outsiders."
That technique was the result of their sweat and blood, they had refined it over countless years as they studied their section of the key. It was the greatest treasure of the clan, giving it away to others was the same as abandoning what made their clan unique. Yin Long had already expected Shi Yang's answer, only giving a simple nod in response.
"Yeah, I expected as much."
He swept his interspatial ring and brought out two of the crystal stones he kept tucked away, flicking his wrist twice as he threw them out and activated them. One landed under the sign and the other by the open gate, his Qi activating both of them. The crystals drew in the surrounding Qi and used it to form a projection of the image in front of them high into the sky. In only a short few seconds, an image of the kicked-open gate and the sign welcoming all challengers appeared in the sky above the city, visible even to those outside the city.
