The martial contest was as expected and the final was between Yu Nianzhen and Xuan Dong.
Just before the final game, Jiang Yue and Yu Nianzhen sat in a protective formation in the participant area.
"Azhen, you have to be careful." Jiang Yue said and frowned.
He worried that the Ice Palace sect and the Thunder God Temple would play tricks in the final game.
"Donât worry, I will be okay. What about you, are you ready?" Yu Nianzhen asked and looked at his husband solemnly.
"I am ready." Jiang Yue assured.
"XiaoYue, you canât wrong yourself. If something goes wrong, leave quickly and I will be right behind."
"I..." Jiang Yue wanted to protest but Yu Nianzhen didnât give him a chance.
"We have the golden teleportation talisman. I can teleport to your side at any time."
Jiang Yue wasnât convinced but he didnât argue.
When the time came, he planned to proceed according to the situation.
However, his priority was always Yu Nianzhen.
If Yu Nianzhen was in danger, Jiang Yue wouldnât hesitate to appear at his side.
Seeing Jiang Yue didnât argue, Yu Nianzhen heaved a sigh of relief and his eyes softened.
"How about
a good luck kiss?" He teased.
Jiang Yue smiled and moved closer to his husband.
"I also need good luck." He said.
"In that case..."
Soon after, their lips met and for a moment, they forgot the danger they were about to face.
However, just because they were in a world of their own didnât mean the world outside would wait for them.
Before they had enough of each other, a loud bell echoed around the Ice Palace sect.
Xuan Ke injected a thread of qi into the protective formation and the two separated.
"Itâs time." Yu Nianzhen said.
"Mmmm." Jiang Yue nodded but didnât move away from Yu Nianzhen.
He looked like a lazy cat and Yu Nianzhen was immediately charmed.
"Alright, get up quickly." Yu Nianzhen said and subconsciously rubbed his husbandâs hair.
"I know."
With a sigh, Jiang Yue stood up and both walked out of the protective formation.
"Brother Yu, are you ready?" Xuan Ke asked.
"Mmmm." Yu Nianzhen nodded.
His indulgent mood had already been suppressed and replaced with a sharp demeanour.
"Go ahead." Jiang Yue said and patted Yu Nianzhen on the back.
"I am leaving." Yu Nianzhen said and left.
After he left, Jiang Yue dismantled the protective formation and also left with Xuan Ke.
Although they expected Yu Nianzhen to win the final game, they didnât expect the Ice Palace sect to act honourably.
In that case, they made a backup plan to make they got what they wanted.
For the finals, everyone was more excited than before.
"I didnât expect two dark horses to enter the finals." Someone said.
"The rear wave pushes the front wave, so the new replaces the old."
"Thatâs not necessarily true." Someone refuted.
"What do you mean?"
"Fellow Daoist Yu can be called a back wave that pushes the front wave but fellow Daoist Xuan is not at that level yet."
"I agree. Fellow Daoist Yu has fought many powerful opponents but fellow Daoist Xuan has not."
"You canât blame him for this..." Someone started but was interrupted by mocking laughter.
"Everyone can see that his path was cleared before he started the journey."
The crowd fell silent and none dared to say more.
They all knew what had happened but they didnât need to talk about it.
After all, they were just casual cultivators.
How could it be their turn to criticise the Thunder God Temple and the Ice Palace sect?
"Although fellow Daoist Xuan has not encountered powerful opponents, the power of his flames cannot be denied." Someone argued.
"I heard the power of pure yang flames is comparable to the power of heaven and earth fires."
"A heaven and earth fire hasnât been born in the Cangxing world for more than ten thousand years. Who knows how powerful they are."
"I think itâs possible. In some sense, those with a yang physique are also treasures of heaven and earth."
In this way, the spectators continued to speculate and the opponents finally stepped on the stage.
Yu Nianzhen was extremely handsome with deep features, lean but not thin figure, and a cold temperament.
On the other hand, Xuan Dong was easygoing and cute.
He was bald, had a red mole between his eyebrows, and a sunny smile that brightened the world around him.
Standing across each other, they exuded different auras and the area around them adapted to them.
"Brother Yu is very talented." Xuan Dong said and smiled excitedly.
When he heard that, Yu Nianzhen frowned.
He was not familiar with Xuan Dong and didnât like being called âbrotherâ.
However, he didnât want to get drawn into the young manâs pace so he chose to ignore it.
"Fellow Daoist Xuan is also very talented."
"You really think so?" The monk asked excitedly.
"Itâs not what I think. Itâs what is." Yu Nianzhen replied.
Although they were opponents, he wouldnât disregard Xuan Dong to raise himself.
In the same way, he wouldnât wrong himself to raise his opponent.
What he said was the truth.
Xuan Dong was born with a yang physique and he was favoured by the heavens.
Not only was his cultivation speed faster than ordinary cultivators, but he rarely encountered bottlenecks.
"Just now, I heard them say that I am not as talented as brother Yu." Xuan Dong said and Yu Nianzhen frowned.
He didnât know how to deal with this kind of person but he didnât want to waste time talking nonsense.
"That is none of my business." He finally said.
"Brother Yu is very calm."
Yu Nianzhen didnât reply but just looked at the monk.
He didnât know what Xuan Dong was about so he chose to wait and see.
In fact, Yu Nianzhen didnât want to end the fight too quickly.
If he did so, Jiang Yue wouldnât have enough time to carry out his plan.
"Brother Yu is a hero who can leapfrog to defeat seniors with only one sword. Does brother Yu plan to defeat me with only one move?"
âWhatâs with this person?â Yu Nianzhen wondered but his thoughts did not show on his face.
Most importantly, he couldnât tell what Xuan Dong was trying to do.
Even when asking such a question, his lips curled in a sunny smile and his eyes were filled with excitement.
"Brother Yu, I think you are going to fail this time round?"
"Is that so?"
Originally, Yu Nianzhen didnât plan to use one sword to defeat Xuan Dong.
It wasnât because he couldnât but because he wanted to buy time for Jiang Yue.
Although he was a little unwilling, his heart was clear about their priorities.
More than keeping his âone swordâ record, it was more important to rescue mistress Bing Lan.
However, when Xuan Dong said he couldnât, Yu Nianzhen wanted to prove that he could.
âIf I can keep him talking until XiaoYue finishes his plan, I wonât have to drag the fight.â He thought and looked at Xuan Dong.
"Why do you think I canât defeat you with one sword?"
"Because I am strong." Xuan Dong said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"My yang flames wonât lose to phoenix fire or heaven and earth fires."
When he said that, the audience was ignited.
Xuan Dongâs words were tantamount to challenging Lin Huang who had phoenix fire.
"That may be so but my sword can cut through your fire."
"Brother Yuâs swordsmanship is divine but my fire can melt your sword."
Yu Nianzhen didnât say anything to that.
Although everyone guessed that his sword was made of special materials, they didnât know which materials.
If they realised it was made of mother of iron and essence of iron, Yu Nianzhen would definitely be besieged.
Mother of iron was a primordial metal which could only be met and never sought.
Even if it was met, it was rare to find a piece that was large enough to forge a sword.
Knowing this, Yu Nianzhen didnât dare to dangle such a treasure in front of others.
For now, his plan was to use his natal sword sparingly and keep it out of sight when not using it.
[XiaoYue, how is it going?] Yu Nianzhen transmitted.
With the way their conversation was going, he and Xuan Dong would soon fight.
When that happened, his control over the situation would be greatly reduced.
[Almost done.] Jiang Yue returned and Yu Nianzhen sighed in relief.
"Brother Yu, I have a good idea."
"What idea does fellow Daoist Xuan have?"
"Since brother Yu likes to defeat people with one sword, why donât we decide the match with one move?"
When the words fell, there was an uproar in the crowd.
Everyone had been listening to the conversation between the two and didnât expect Xuan Dong would suddenly make such a decision.
After all, defeating people with one move was Yu Nianzhenâs strength.
"Does he want to show that he can crush fellow Daoist Yu even when he is at a disadvantage?" Someone asked.