But no matter what, she had to defeat Lin Yi, she could not let him disrupt the plan she had meticulously prepared for so long.
At that moment, as the successive rounds of martial arts competition concluded, under the watchful gaze of many Inner Sect Saints, Lin Yi also faced a formidable opponent.
In terms of strength, Xue Wanliu was a cut above Shangguan Tiance and Dugu Sheng, on par with Gu Shentong.
Such a strong opponent was undoubtedly a formidable challenge for Lin Yi in the eyes of many Inner Sect Saints.
Whether Lin Yi could enter the top three of the Swordsmanship Convention hinged on, whether he could defeat Xue Wanliu.
Thus, not only the Inner Sect Saints, but also several Semi-Saints and Venerable Realm Elders were deeply concerned about this battle, believing it to be Lin Yi’s critical fight.
However, what they did not know was, even Gu Shentong had been defeated by Lin Yi, so how could Xue Wanliu, who was nearly equal in strength, possibly stand as his match?
Once Xue Wanliu ascended the platform, he wasted no words and drew his longsword with lightning speed!
"Thunder Origin Sword Tribulation!"
The longsword whistled through the air, bringing forth myriad thunderous strikes akin to willow branches, coalescing into a Thunder Sea, enveloped Lin Yi in its fearsome Momentum instantly.
Sword Qi thunder snakes rampaged, leaving behind scorched sword marks on the Battle Platform with their astonishing power.
"Xue Wanliu’s swordsmanship has always been known for its dominance, once one fails to withstand his offensive, falling into disadvantage, it becomes very difficult to turn the tables," observed the Half-Saint Xuan Yu, watching the two figures on the Battle Platform.
"Indeed, Xue Wanliu is unlike the others; if someone weaker than him were to look for a chance to win, they would simply be crushed from beginning to end, ultimately exhausted and defeated without any suspense."
"Although Xu Qing is extremely talented, his cultivation level remains at the Sealing Marquis Realm Third Level, which is ultimately too low. He can only win by surprise with his own swordplay, and now that he is up against Xue Wanliu, he has met his nemesis."
Black Sword Half-Saint and Ming Guang Half-Saint weren’t too optimistic about Lin Yi, thinking it was likely that he would stop here.
"With just the cultivation of Sealing Marquis Realm Third Level, making it this far is already quite impressive."
Red Flame Venerable said, "We can’t set our expectations too high for Xu Qing."
Even if Lin Yi lost this battle, it would not prove anything, nor would it change his status as the number one Heavenly Pride of the Holy Land.
But faced with Xue Wanliu’s strong attack, Lin Yi showed no panic. A towering Sword Intent burst forth from him, transforming him into a sword incarnate!
Man and sword as one, in an instant, he pierced through the thunder and collided with Xue Wanliu’s strike.
A thunderous boom resonated as the wave-like Sword Qi surged in all directions, impacting on the protective shield of the Battle Platform, causing the entire structure to shake violently.
Even the spectators hundreds of meters away changed their expressions and hurriedly retreated in the face of the sharp Sword Qi aftershock.
Lin Yi and Xue Wanliu were both sent flying dozens of meters away before they finally came to a stop.
However, on Xue Wanliu’s arm, the Sword Qi had left deep, bloody gashes, from which blood dripped down, hitting the ground with a "drip-drip-drip" sound.
In contrast, Lin Yi, although his arm’s clothes were torn, remained unharmed.
"How is that possible?"
Xue Wanliu, seeing Lin Yi unharmed, also revealed an incredulous look. The previous chaotic Sword Qi had enveloped both men, so why was he injured while Lin Yi was unscathed?
Taking advantage of Xue Wanliu’s shock, Lin Yi already thrust his sword forward. Judging by the agility of this strike, Lin Yi was clearly unaffected!
Caught off guard, Xue Wanliu sustained another bloody gash from Lin Yi’s sword.
Having been hit by Lin Yi again, Xue Wanliu’s dominating momentum was no more, and he thoroughly fell into disadvantage.
Witnessing this scene, a trace of surprise surfaced in the eyes of Black Sword Half-Saint aloft the high platform, "Why was he unharmed in that previous exchange? Could he have cultivated his meat body to such a formidable extent?"
"It’s unlikely; the meat body is the hardest to train. How could Xu Qing, with such high achievements in the Sword Dao, also expend great effort to cultivate his meat body?"
Ming Guang Half-Saint stroked his chin, his face showing a thoughtful expression, "Do you think Xu Qing, like Xue Qianzhong, actually possesses a powerful Sword Body by nature?"
Half-Saint Xuan Yu’s eyes suddenly lit up and he mused, "Even Xue Qianzhong’s Small Sword Body does not reach such a level."
"There are many types of innate Sword Bodies, it seems Xu Qing possesses a particularly rare and special one."
Hearing this, the Semi-Saints, as well as the Venerable Realm Elders, were all shocked.
Lin Yi, actually has a special Sword Body?
That could easily explain why Lin Yi caused such phenomena at the Sacrificial Altar, and how he could sweep through the Sword Realm so effortlessly, making it to the Eighth Level.