Time flies, and two more years have passed in the blink of an eye.
"Overhead Strike!"
"Thousand Wind Sword!"
The direct clash between the staff and the long sword.
Nalan Yanran was sent flying backward, but with her agile body movements, her figure swayed like willow catkins, effortlessly dissipating the impact force from being struck.
With a stomp, Yun Tianming continuously unleashed Dou Qi energy beneath his feet, using the recoil force to transform his body into a high-speed projectile.
"Weightless Body Technique!"
Nalan Yanran cultivates Wind Attribute Dou Qi, known for its speed, and coupled with exclusive body techniques, her speed surpasses others of the same level by one or two grades.
"Swoosh~"
Nalan Yanran's robes swirled in a vortex as she swiftly dodged Yun Tianming's rapid charge with a high-speed shift.
"Be careful, Senior Tianming!"
Nalan Yanran wielded her long sword, while her other hand formed a sword seal. With the sword vibrating violently, she condensed two green energy sword qi, transforming them into two arrows shooting out like released strings!
"Well done! Junior Yanran's Wind Spirit Fractal Sword is already showing promise, able to control two sword qi simultaneously."
Yun Tianming praised, facing the oncoming energy sword qi without a hint of panic on his calm face.
"Bursting Void Steps!"
Lifting a foot and stepping through the air, as if stepping on invisible stairs, Yun Tianming's body soared into the air right where he stood!
"Flight? This is an Ability that only experts above the Dou Spirit level can achieve!"
Nalan Yanran widened her eyes in astonishment.
"No need to be surprised, Junior Yanran. It's just a special Ability using body techniques," Yun Tianming said casually as he maneuvered through the air, avoiding the pursuit of the energy sword qi while explaining.
Upon hearing this, Nalan Yanran couldn't help but give him a glance, inwardly complaining: "We're both mere Dou Practitioners, how come you can fly?". Seeing that the energy sword qi couldn't catch up with him, Nalan Yanran had no choice but to dispel the sword seal in her hand.
With the threat of the energy sword qi removed, Yun Tianming's figure slowly descended from the air. After all, maintaining the levitating Ability of Bursting Void Steps required continuous energy expenditure, which consumed a huge amount of his Dou Qi. Thankfully, he practiced the Earth Rank Low Level Qi Method, otherwise, his body would have been exhausted long ago!
Activating the Nourishing Divine Wood, he rapidly absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to replenish his Dou Qi.
"Senior Tianming, your Qi Method is also quite special."
Nalan Yanran's face turned slightly pale, and her breathing began to quicken. In their sparring, they had used many Black Rank Dou Techniques. She was already drenched in sweat, while Yun Tianming didn't even seem short of breath. This puzzled Nalan Yanran greatly. Clearly, they both practiced Black Rank High-Level Qi Methods. Logically, there shouldn't be such a big gap in their endurance Abilities, right?
"A Wood Attribute Qi Method excels in recovery and healing. Isn't that reasonable?" Yun Tianming said with a straight face, spouting nonsense.
He practiced an Earth Rank Low-Level Qi Method, which, on the surface, differed by only one level from a Black Rank High-Level Qi Method. However, the gap between tiers was incomparable!
"Is that so."
Nalan Yanran frowned. Limited by her personal experience and narrow vision, she couldn't judge the truth behind Yun Tianming's words. Moreover, she would never imagine that he practiced an Earth Rank Low-Level Qi Method. After all, throughout the Misty Cloud Sect and even the entire Jia Ma Empire, there wasn't a single Earth Rank Qi Method. Who would have thought that in the hands of a mere Dou Practitioner, there would be an Earth Rank Qi Method coveted even by Dou Emperor-level experts?
"Senior Tianming, I'm running out of stamina. Let's decide the outcome with one final strike!"
Nalan Yanran lifted her hand and removed the pink silk ribbon that restrained her hair. Her waist-length black hair, silky and smooth, added a touch of maturity, albeit only a hint. At 15 years old, she was far from being considered graceful or charming. Holding her long sword aloft, she formed several sword seals with one hand. The gentle breeze surrounding her immediately turned into a furious whirlwind, emitting concentric circles of faint cyan ripples continuously expanding from the girl's delicate body.
The sunlight above seemed to respond to some kind of summoning, gathering on the tip of the sword, emitting a dazzling brilliance!
"Extreme Wind: Dazzling Sunset!"
A Black Rank High-Level Dou Technique, one of the top-notch skills of the Misty Cloud Sect!
With Nalan Yanran's current strength, she naturally couldn't unleash the true power of this Dou Technique, and it was very difficult to control.
The immense energy caused the long sword in Nalan Yanran's hand to tremble continuously, like a wild and untamed stallion. Any slight mistake could cause it to break free. Nalan Yanran gritted her teeth, firmly gripping the sword with both hands.
"Don't rush, steady your mind, be careful of the backlash from the Dou Technique."
Yun Tianming didn't interfere with Nalan Yanran's preparation for the Dou Technique throughout. After all, they were just sparring as fellow disciples, not engaging in real combat. Otherwise, if they were to fight for real, why would they let each other hold back their powerful moves?
"Senior Tianming, get ready to receive my attack."
Nalan Yanran took a deep breath, struggling to control the increasingly furious radiance of the Daybreak Sword in her hand.
"Alright."
Yun Tianming's Soul Perception was very strong. He judged that the power of this strike from Nalan Yanran was not to be underestimated. Even a Dou Master would be seriously injured if they took it head-on!
"Boom!"
He planted his Mountain-crushing Staff heavily on the ground, and as he clenched his fists, a large amount of dark green Dou Qi surged throughout his body.
"Deep Forest Assassination!"
A Black Rank High-Level Dou Technique! It was the Black Rank Mid-Level Dou Technique, Green Wood Thorn, which was snatched from Mu Zhan and improved through system enhancement.
With the powerful Nourishing Divine Wood Qi Method, Yun Tianming wielded the Black Rank High-Level Dou Technique without as much difficulty as Nalan Yanran. He lifted the Mountain-crushing Staff from the ground, infusing it with abundant wood-element Dou Qi.
"Hum!"
The Mountain-crushing Staff seemed to be infused with life, rapidly sprouting branches and leaves like a tree. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a towering giant tree, with sharp wooden spikes densely covering its branches, looking quite intimidating!
"Indeed, very powerful."
Nalan Yanran's eyes lit up as she looked at Yun Tianming, her admiration for his strength evident in her gaze.
The collision between the radiance of the Daybreak Sword and the towering giant tree created quite a commotion, the sound piercing through the clouds and reaching other peaks of the Misty Cloud Sect.
"Boom!"
A blast from the direction of the Sect Master's Residence caught the attention of many disciples of the Misty Cloud Sect.
"Is that the commotion caused by Junior Sister Yanran and Junior Brother Tianming sparring again?"
"Goodness! How can these Dou Practitioners spar so fiercely, even more intense than Dou Masters?"
"Tsk tsk~ Junior Sister Yanran is the young lady of one of the three major families in the Imperial Capital, the Nalan Family. Five years ago, she was personally chosen by the Sect Master to become a direct disciple. And as for Yun Tianming, I heard he was just a beggar before being picked up by the sect as an outer disciple. How did he rise up so quickly in just a few years?"
The disciples discussed fervently. They could accept that Junior Sister Yanran, as a young lady from a prestigious family, surpassed them, but it was hard for them to accept that Yun Tianming, from humble origins, could also outshine them.
****
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