The first exchange ended in a draw. Each summoned back their magic treasures, confronting each other across the distance. It was clear to any discerning observer that both parties had merely been probing, holding back their full force.
In reality, the gap in strength between the two was quite apparent. Ye Qingcheng was at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and not long after establishing her foundation at that, while Zhu Wudao was solidly in the middle stage. Logically, Zhu Wudao should have been able to defeat Ye Qingcheng within three moves, but faced with such a beauty, he found it somewhat difficult to bring himself to strike her down. Another point was that his magic treasure was inferior to Ye Qingcheng's. Her Jade Crystal Sword was a famous treasure within the Taiyi Sect, exceptionally powerful, equivalent to a Middle Grade Magic Artifact. In contrast, Zhu Wudao's Iron Rake wasn't even classified.
