The two figures, one as mighty as a tiger and one as graceful as a dignified swan, were entangled in a beautiful dance of the sword.
Each time his opponent slashed sideways, Yuan Jia seemed to glide backwards, effortlessly preventing the sharp edge from touching even the hem of his sleeves. Favouring dodging over directly blocking, he kept a constant distance with the other, away from the web formed by the sabre's advances yet still counterattacking from time to time. His sword was in his non-dominant right hand, and it was obvious that he was still in the midst of testing his opponent.
In contradiction to Yuan Jia's seemingly weightless figure was that Falling Stars disciple's firm and unyielding pose. For every step he moved forward, the saber seemed to grow in power and became even more forceful than before. He was unflustered by Yuan Jia's constant evasion and continued cutting a path a head of him.
Suddenly, barely thirty seconds after the match had started, Yuan Jia's expression changed abruptly and waved his sword sideways, blocking the sabre heading for his unprotected waist.
In the next few seconds, he switched his sword-wielding hand and blocked the following attacks directly as well.
The crowd started murmuring. Some looked bewildered, while others, especially the ones with higher cultivation, did not seem surprised.
As Yuan Jia began to attack more proactively and the pace of the match picked up, a few groups of disciples around Jiang Shiqin were discussing fervently. Phrases like "stronger than expected" and "too soon" were repeatedly stated.
"Yuan Jia should have done that earlier," a clear voice rang out next to him.
Jiang Shiqin glanced at Su Dai, whose current thoughtful expression was a large deviation to her usual carefree smile and flirtatious attitude.
"His usual way of testing the opponent won't be of much help when fighting someone of the same level, especially when it's somebody like Fu Zhiheng who put in maximum efforts even at the very beginning." Su Dai spoke, her eyes still fixated on the field below. "The pressure on him exceeded what he can handle comfortably. He has lost the initiative."
In simpler terms, Yuan Jia had underestimated his opponent and overestimated himself. Though he was holding himself quite well against the blue-clothed man, his light smile had disappeared. So had the faint arrogant aura sticking to him.
Understanding that the longer the fight dragged on, the more adjusted Yuan Jia would be to the current pace, the Falling Stars disciple's eyes flashed with determination as his saber moved faster and faster, rolling power packed behind every slash. Beads of sweat clung to his honey-colored skin, but the intensity and speed of the his saber were so great that the curtain of air seemed to be cut in half as he drove the blade forward.
Somewhere among the audience, somebody started cheering.
The two continued to exchange blows. Yuan Jia's exquisite robe was no longer untouched, the silky fabric marred by several small gashes. The green-veined sword danced in his hand, defending one moment and attacking the next. There was a sort of strange beauty in this scene, of such a dangerous weapon being brandished like one would wield a finely crafted ink brush made from the most precious materials. Nonetheless, however beautiful his movements were, the fact that Yuan Jia was forced to retreat backwards every few seconds showed the disparity of strength in this situation.
Jiang Shiqin glanced at the elders' grandstand. Those wearing green robes of similar design to Yuan Jia - senior cultivators in his sect - retained their composure even when witnessing their treasured disciple in a disadvantage. It was either that they had absolute confidence in Yuan Jia, which Jiang Shiqin highly doubted seeing that the other was also in half-step to Jindan, or that this flawless composure had been honed and perfected for a long period of time.
His lips tightly pressed together, Jiang Shiqin mentally sighed in disappointment. Couldn't those elders be typical villains that started yelling the moment something displeasures them? Why did they have to possess such high EQ and an outwardly noble character?
Abruptly, everybody's breath momentarily halted as Yuan Jia launched a fierce attack, forgoing his water-tight defense as his sword whipped across the air like bolts of lightning striking towards the opponent. Energy currents crackled around his blade as its shape headed straight for the other's vulnerable parts, and the other contender seemed to have a harder time countering this change in style.
Yet, some cultivators frowned at this supposedly astonishing show of ability. Even Su Dai's long fingers, clasped around her tea and in the midst of bringing the cup, stilled.
"Is there something wrong with what Young Master Yuan did?" Asked Jiang Shiqin, his voice seven part perplexed and three part expectant.
"Not really..." Su Dai answered in a vague tone. "It's just that Harmony Sect's sword should be calm and unhurried, as elegant as a breeze in spring and as tranquil as a flowing river. Softness against hardness, lulling the heaven and earth."
Yuan Jia's almost frantic wielding of the sword was nowhere near that description. There was a harsh light in his eyes and his lips were tightened at the corners.
Obviously, Yuan Jia knew that his actions went against the essence of Harmony Sect's style, but he couldn't think of another way to break his predicament. Fu Zhiheng's moves were too domineering, and every slash of that intimidating saber would make him break out in cold sweat. He would rather take a risk and stake everything on this one chance instead.
Unfortunately, his gamble failed.
Fu Zhiheng brought his saber forward to intercept the other's sword and forcefully twisted the blade sideways. An alarm blared in Yuan Jia's mind, and he could only watch helplessly as the saber bypassed his guard in a half-curved movement, striking directly at his exposed throat. A cold gush of air rushed pass him as sharp metal approached his bare skin.