"Brother Yi, and this Senior Yi, how did you two end up fighting like this? As the saying goes, it's better to resolve a feud than to let it fester... Hey!"
When Zhang Junbao saw Li Ling about to fight Yi Tian, he immediately stepped forward to stop him, but Qin Sirong stopped him after he had only taken two steps.
Qin Sirong came here to cause trouble for the martial arts alliance, and now that the opportunity has come, she certainly can't miss it.
Although I don't know how skilled this annoying Yi Tianxing is, judging from the situation, he is also from the Famous Sword Manor. Yi Jifeng's previous display of skill was so high, so Yi Tianxing shouldn't be weak either. It would be perfect if the two of them were to fight now.
"Golden Sword Intent - Sword Shatters a Thousand Armies!"
Li Ling immediately unleashed the powerful Metal Element Sword Style. Among the Ten Styles of Heavenly Sword, the Metal Element has two sword moves: "Indestructible" and "Sword Breaks Through a Thousand Armies".
The "Invincible" technique focuses on breaking through defenses by targeting specific points; while the "Sword That Can Slay a Thousand Armies" technique is more ruthless and is suitable for overwhelming others with sheer force.
Yi Tianxing had practiced the sword techniques of Mingjian Villa for many years, and his swordsmanship was extraordinary. If Li Ling were to compare his proficiency with Yi Tianxing in the sword techniques of Mingjian Villa, he would definitely be a notch below him.
Therefore, Li Ling immediately unleashed a fierce sword technique, and the Golden Element Sword Style enveloped Yi Tianxing with a chilling aura.
"Good timing!"
Yi Tianxing sensed the ferocity of Li Ling's sword aura. He had also learned the swordsmanship of the Famous Sword Manor, and his understanding of the sword was no less than Li Ling's. He dared not be careless and used the unique method of the Famous Sword Manor to condense a long sword with the sword energy in his body and fight with Li Ling.
"Fire Element - Heavenly Fire Spreads Across the Plains!"
Fire overcomes metal, so Yi Tianxing directly unleashed his Fire Element Sword Intent. The two swords, one metal and one fire, clashed with a clang, sparks flying everywhere.
"Water Flows—The Azure Waters Rage On!"
Li Ling changed his moves, switching from the metal element to the water element. Metal generates water, and the Azure Nether Sword is originally a Yin sword, which greatly enhances the power of the water element, making his move even more powerful.
"Bang!"
The two clashed with their swords, and Yi Tianxing was knocked back several steps, his footsteps creating several deep craters in the ground. He only stopped after retreating five or six meters.
The sword in his hand, formed from condensed sword energy, nearly broke in two with this strike. In this exchange, Yi Tianxing suffered a slight loss, while Li Ling pressed his advantage and launched another attack.
Yi Tianxing unleashed his sword energy, instantly restoring his sword to its perfect condition. This time, he directly used an earth element technique that countered water element.
"Earth element - water cannot penetrate."
Moreover, Yi Tianxing had learned his lesson this time. After all, the sword in his hand was formed from his own sword essence, which was inherently inferior to the Azure Nether Sword in Li Ling's hand. He no longer confronted Li Ling head-on, but instead engaged in a battle with Li Ling using the interactions of the five elements.
This made their swordplay more intricate and dazzling, each displaying an extraordinary level of swordsmanship.
Yi Tianxing has been practicing the swordsmanship of the Famous Sword Manor since childhood, and over the decades it has become ingrained in his bones. Now he has reached the realm of a Grandmaster of the Innate Realm, and his understanding of the Yin-Yang and Five Elements is even higher than that of Li Ling.
For many years now, he has not needed to carry a long sword with him. In terms of skill, he has reached the level of "grass, wood, bamboo and stone can all be used as swords" in the five realms of Dugu Qiubai's swordsmanship.
Although Li Ling has only practiced swordsmanship for less than ten years, he has already reached the state of "man and sword as one" with his perfect control over his body. In addition, with the enhancement of the universe in his sea of consciousness, his spiritual power has continued to grow. Over the years, his understanding of swordsmanship has become inconceivable. Even Yi Yun can only marvel at Li Ling's extraordinary understanding of swordsmanship.
What Li Ling lacks now is simply the accumulation of time.
In Li Ling's hands, the Azure Sword seemed to come alive, transforming into a dragon that could advance or retreat, using feints and real attacks. The Azure Sword's Taiyin sword energy would suddenly become the killing force of metal, or the continuous flow of water. A casual strike could become a deadly move, and a hidden, seemingly ordinary flaw could become a deadly trap.
Yi Tianxing, on the other hand, had a deeper understanding of swordsmanship. Whenever Li Ling attacked with his sword, he was always able to fight Li Ling to a standstill with his incredible swordsmanship.
"That's amazing!"
Zhang Junbao, who was watching from the sidelines, was so amazed by the two fighters that he couldn't help but gape, not knowing how to express his astonishment.
Qin Sirong, on the other hand, looked pale and her pretty face darkened. The higher Li Ling's martial arts skills were, the more difficult he would be to deal with, which was definitely not a good thing for her.
In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged over a hundred blows, with Li Ling gradually gaining the upper hand and slowly drawing Yi Tianxing into his rhythm.
The sword's momentum seemed to gradually envelop Yi Tianxing completely, and the sword's light, barely an inch long, repeatedly broke through Yi Tianxing's moves and struck his internal energy.
If Yi Tianxing hadn't entered the Innate Grandmaster realm more than ten years ago, and hadn't been more advanced than Li Ling in his understanding of Yin-Yang and Five Elements, and had repeatedly blocked Li Ling's Azure Nether Sword with his protective qi, he would probably have had several more wounds on his body. Even so, he gradually became disheveled.
There are two reasons for this situation. One is that the Azure Nether Sword in Li Ling's hand is a supreme treasure, while Yi Tianxing's sword is merely formed from true qi.
The second reason is that Li Ling's true energy is replenished by the 'World Essence Liquid' of the Qiankun World, while Yi Tianxing can only absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from the outside world.
"puff!"
Yi Tianxing's protective qi was struck by Li Ling again. Yi Tianxing suddenly activated his true qi, directly knocking Li Ling back. He also took several steps back, looking at Li Ling in surprise: "How can you be so monstrous, kid? It seems like you have an inexhaustible supply of true qi!"
"Hmph, if you can't do it, just say so! Why all the nonsense!" Li Ling, of course, couldn't tell Yi Tianxing the reason, and said coldly, "Today, I'm going to teach you a lesson!"
Although he had the upper hand, Li Ling did not dare to be careless. Although he seemed to have the upper hand, his opponent still had the ultimate move of the Eight Styles of Famous Swords that he had not yet used.
In the TV series, Yi Tianxing was just one step away from reaching the realm of "Eight Swords Flying Together". This means that Yi Tianxing has likely already comprehended the second level of all the Yin-Yang and Five Elements concepts. As long as he comprehends the third level of any one of the seven concepts, he can reach the realm of a Grandmaster of the Innate Realm.
Li Ling has only reached the second level of the Water Element realm, which is much lower than Yi Tianxing's level.
He currently has a slight advantage thanks to his faster recovery speed and the Azure Nether Sword in his hand, but if his opponent goes all out, it will be very difficult for him to avoid suffering losses given his current level of cultivation.
However, Li Ling also knew that this was a great opportunity to comprehend the Eight Forms of the Famous Sword. By sparring with Yi Tianxing, he could make further progress in his understanding of swordsmanship. Therefore, he was both serious and somewhat expectant.
"Hmph, your skills are indeed impressive, but your level is still a bit lacking. No matter how much true energy you have, it's useless if you can't hurt me. I'll stop playing with you for now. Until we meet again!" With that, Yi Tianxing flashed away.
"Don't go!"
Li Ling was taken aback when he saw that this guy didn't even try to get revenge after suffering a loss, showing none of the tenacity of a master, and just left like that.
This delay allowed the other party to move more than ten feet away, so he hurriedly chased after them.
However, although these ten-odd zhang seemed not far, a master of lightness skill could reach them in a single breath, it made it impossible for Li Ling to easily catch up with Yi Tianxing, and Li Ling did not want to use his mental power to fly.
Li Ling used his inner energy to circulate his lightness skill, spending almost half an hour, but the distance between the two did not decrease at all. In the end, Li Ling had no choice but to give up and turn around to return to the inn.