Chapter 739: 144: A Sword Defeats Chi Guang (Seeking Monthly Tickets at the Beginning of the Month)_3

Chapter 739: Chapter 144: A Sword Defeats Chi Guang (Seeking Monthly Tickets at the Beginning of the Month)_3

Others couldn’t understand, but she had seen enough to know Li Hao’s nature.

“He behaves so much like an old acquaintance of mine,” Bian Ruxue whispered softly from not far away.

As a saintess from the Sword Ancestor Holy Land, they had come to watch the battle and stood relatively close to each other.

Lin Qingyue was somewhat surprised and looked at her, asking, “What?”

Bian Ruxue’s eyes filled with distant thoughts as she spoke in a low voice, “Once during my childhood, there was also a prodigy who loved to paint and play chess, showing little interest in martial arts. Yet his talent for martial arts was terrifying, no less remarkable than the Saint Heir of the Holy Lands. Alas, he was too playful.”

Lin Qingyue was slightly stunned, knowing that Bian Ruxue hailed from the Mortal World. Was there such a monster there?

...

“That can’t really be considered playful, can it?”

Lin Qingyue said, “He was just doing what he liked. Isn’t what we pursue in cultivation to follow our hearts and be carefree? He’s already at ease now.”

Speaking of this, she looked toward Li Hao, envy showing in her eyes.

Bian Ruxue looked at her and said, “Isn’t what you’re seeking the Great Accomplishment of the Sword Dao?”

“Yes, and no,” Lin Qingyue’s gaze shifted to the figure painting. She said pensively, “If I had someone by my side, Sword Dao wouldn’t necessarily be unavoidable. After all, our aim in cultivation toward becoming a Saint is nothing more than to be free and untroubled.”

Bian Ruxue’s eyes revealed a hint of disappointment as she averted her gaze and said indifferently, “I’m different from you. I want to see the highest view, even at the cost of my life with no regrets!”

Lin Qingyue glanced at her, sensing the other’s indifference, seemingly disdainful of her words. She didn’t take it to heart and just smiled gracefully, saying,

“Perhaps the most beautiful scenery is right at the foot of the mountain. Standing high only provides a distant view, but the true beauty might not be at the summit.”

“How would you know if you’ve never seen it? With such a temperament, it’s unlikely your Sword Dao will achieve Great Accomplishment without his guidance.”

Bian Ruxue stated, unwilling to continue the conversation.

Lin Qingyue’s smile emerged, “But it’s precisely because of my nature that I can receive his guidance. That’s my luck, and the master has said that luck is part of strength, too. The prodigies all have the fate of the Heavenly Dao accompanying them, which shows that my fortune is not bad.”

Bian Ruxue frowned, her Sword Saint master had said much the same, and she couldn’t refute it.

“You said your acquaintance from the Mortal World was like this, too. What happened to him later, could it be that he was Qingfeng?”

Lin Qingyue’s eyes moved with interest as she inquired.

She found it hard to imagine that there might be a second person like Qingfeng in the world.

Bian Ruxue’s thoughts drifted, but she quickly regained her composure and shook her head, “After my master took me here, I’ve been out of touch with matters of the Mortal World. It’s impossible that he’s Qingfeng, their auras are completely different, and that is something one can’t disguise or change.”

Hearing this, Lin Qingyue thought no more of it, cast a glance at Li Hao, and murmured,

“Don’t you envy him?”

Envy? Bian Ruxue gazed at Lin Qingyue with astonishment, but when she saw that hint of tenderness in her eyes, she seemed to understand something. Her gaze grew even colder as she said,

“Your Sword Dao won’t take you far.”

After that, she had no intention of further conversation.

Lin Qingyue discerned her thoughts, smiled indifferently without anger, and no longer addressed her, knowing their personalities differed and they were not kindred spirits.

As the arena battles intensified, aside from Li Hao and Chi Guang, the other competitors also displayed considerable strength. The top ten battles gradually approached their climax. The much-anticipated showdown between Li Hao and Chi Guang didn’t happen prematurely—only when both had advanced to the final round did they eventually confront each other.

“We thought we’d get a good show early on, but they didn’t meet until the final battle.”

“It seems like a fated duel!”

“Is Divine Skills stronger or is Sword Dao stronger; the contention between Divine Skills and Sword Dao at the Dao Entrance Level has been a matter of debate since ancient times. With the end of this battle, we should have an answer.”

Many in the audience turned eager, at last, the final battle arrived.

Li Hao finished painting the portraits of the nine prodigies, and now that it was time for the finals, he put away his painting board and ink.

This action, in the eyes of many, made it seem as if Li Hao was getting serious.

Chi Guang was the first to stand on the combat platform. Seeing Li Hao put away his painting supplies, a smile tugged at his lips. In his previous battles, Li Hao seemed still preoccupied with his painting, but facing him, he began to get serious.

However, it remained to be seen whether he could force even a fraction of Chi Guang’s strategies… Chi Guang’s eyes flickered, briefly scanning the crowd below before resting on a few figures in kasayas with shaven heads, then withdrawing his gaze.

At that moment, Li Hao also stepped onto the combat platform.

Having sketched each one, Li Hao had already determined that Chi Guang was essentially at a level of his own, apart from himself, among these top ten.

The others’ cultivation experiences were at most around twenty-two thousand, while Chi Guang was at thirty-five thousand. The gap was too large.

To know, the difference between a Semi-Saint and Chi Guang was only over ten thousand experience points.

And a gap of ten thousand experience points in painting, when manifested in battle, is overwhelming!

This also went to show just how vast the difference must be between the Sword Master who initially provided three hundred and seventy thousand experience and a Semi-Saint!

“As I expected, our final showdown comes down to us,” said Chi Guang as the Array solidified, yet he didn’t rush to make a move.

Li Hao nodded. “Thanks for yielding.”

Seeing Li Hao wasn’t interested in saying more, Chi Guang’s brow quirked. He had felt a certain mutual respect for Li Hao as a fellow monster, but the latter didn’t seem to feel the same closeness.

Although he initially had little regard for Li Hao’s focus elsewhere, after a round of competition, he thought that, apart from a few rare individuals from the Holy Land, only Li Hao might barely keep pace with him.

His real rivals were destined to be among the others representing the Canglan Realm and departing for the many worlds beyond.