Joseph's punch looked elegant and unrestrained, with every move and action exuding aesthetic beauty.
Yan Se formed a hand seal, and the Xuanwu Sword in his hand flew out. In the next second, the Xuanwu Sword spun in place, and its sword energy instantly whipped up a gust of wind.
Joseph was instantly engulfed by the gust of wind under Yan Se's move.
"No! This is impossible!" Johnson cried out subconsciously as he watched Joseph trapped in the whirlwind formed by the sword energy.
He then turned to look at Ye Bufan and said, "Ye Bufan, your sword is probably not ordinary, is it?"
Although Johnson seemed to be asking about the sword, he was actually questioning Ye Bufan, trying to find fault with Ye Bufan handing the sword to Yan Se.
Ye Bufan smiled faintly and said, "It seems that according to the rules of our martial arts exchange, there is no provision against exchanging weapons, is there?"
Johnson was speechless for a moment, his face turning red. He then snorted and turned back to watch the situation on the martial arts stage.
Joseph struggled to break free from Yan Se's sword energy vortex, but Yan Se would not let go of this opportunity.
Yan Se controlled his sword energy vortex, exhausting his true qi to fight Joseph until he was spent.
Joseph had not expected Yan Se to be so stubborn, wanting to wear him down.
"Hmph!" Joseph tried to break free from Yan Se's sword energy whirlwind, but Yan Se was very close, and the sword energy vortex moved as if it had locked onto Joseph.
"Buzz—"
After half an hour of consumption, Yan Se's true qi was depleted, and Joseph finally gave up struggling. Both men sat on the ground, panting heavily.
"Announce it," Joseph said, looking at Ye Bufan.
Johnson's expression turned ugly, but Joseph merely glanced at him without taking notice of Johnson's expression.
"A draw," Nodda said grimly.
Yan Se slowly got up and walked to Ye Bufan, handing the Xuanwu Sword back to him.
"Ye Bufan, give me back my sword," Yan Se said with a slight smile. "Thank you for your trust. I hope my performance was worthy of your trust and did not disappoint you."
"Sect Master Yan, your performance is a model for our Kyushu," Ye Bufan said. "I deeply respect you."
Yan Se smiled slightly and collapsed onto the floor, exhausted. Bai Zizhen quickly stepped forward. Ye Bufan took out a Qi Restoration Pill from his spatial jade pendant and gave it to Yan Se.
Soon, Yan Se felt the true qi from the Qi Restoration Pill spread throughout his body. His body felt like parched land receiving timely rain, slowly awakening, and he felt exceptionally comfortable.
"Thank you, Mr. Ye," Yan Se said, cupping his fists in a bow to Ye Bufan. Bai Zizhen also cast a grateful look at Ye Bufan.
Ye Bufan looked up at Johnson, who had a sullen expression. Johnson shouted at Ye Bufan, "Ye Bufan, this match is a draw, so when will the next match begin? I will still wager these thirty spirit stones."
Seeing this, Nodda still used the Ruyi Jade as a stake. Lupa and Rani exchanged glances, and finally, Rani shook her head at Lupa, signaling him not to act rashly.
"Eagle Nation—Crimson Flame Alliance—Anthony." The opponent slowly flew onto the martial arts stage, revealing his cultivation of the mid-stage Golden Core.
Song Mingqin took a deep breath and then leaped onto the martial arts stage.
"Land of Kyushu—Crimson Sword Sect—Song Mingqin."
"Song Mingqin, as far as I know, you shouldn't belong to the younger generation of cultivators, should you?" Nodda narrowed his eyes. He knew Song Mingqin was an elder on the Crimson Sword Sect's stage. By seniority, he shouldn't be considered part of the younger generation.
"Since ancient times, there has been no clear definition of how long the younger generation in the cultivation world lasts, or what age they are," Song Mingqin said. "When one cultivates to a certain realm, the aging speed of our bodies becomes incredibly slow. If I stand here now and tell you I am your peer, it wouldn't be an exaggeration, would it?"
Nodda's eyelids twitched as he listened to Song Mingqin. Song Mingqin continued, "Mr. Nodda, if I recall correctly, by age, your actual age seems to be similar to mine, doesn't it?"
Song Mingqin and Nodda were similar in age, but Song Mingqin had received guidance from Lin Xiaoyao and was a Grand Elder of the Crimson Sword Sect, leading many to believe Song Mingqin was very old.
Nodda's face turned from red to green. What Song Mingqin said was indeed the truth, leaving Nodda with no room to retort.
Others saw Nodda's reaction and knew that Song Mingqin was telling the truth.
"Mr. Nodda, do you still wish to place a wager?" Ye Bufan asked.
Nodda glanced at Song Mingqin, then at Anthony, and finally sighed, saying, "I won't bet on this round."
Johnson looked at Nodda and immediately frowned. Ye Bufan then took out his thirty spirit stones.
"I'll also wager thirty spirit stones," Ye Bufan said, placing his spirit stones out before Johnson could respond.
"This..." Johnson was utterly speechless and glared resentfully at Song Mingqin.
"Let's begin," Song Mingqin said, making a gesture of invitation to Anthony.
Anthony nodded and soared into the sky. Song Mingqin stood his ground. In the next moment, Anthony descended from the sky, aiming his palm at Song Mingqin on the ground. The palm wind formed a massive palm print, and the martial arts arena's floor was pressed with a palm print by this palm wind.
Just as Anthony's palm was about to strike Song Mingqin.
At this moment, Song Mingqin looked up, formed a sword art with his hand, and stabbed towards Anthony's palm.
Faintly, Ye Bufan saw that Song Mingqin's sword art was not his hand; he himself was a sword, an incredibly sharp sword. The sword and palm collided.
Although Song Mingqin was only at the peak of the early stage of Golden Core, he exuded an unstoppable momentum.
Anthony vaguely felt the strain and retracted his hand, disappearing from his original position.
Song Mingqin's sword cut through the air a few times, and then sparks flashed in the air. By the time Anthony reappeared, several cuts had appeared on his clothes, which had been sliced by Song Mingqin.
"You don't seem like a cultivator in the early stage of Golden Core at all," Anthony said, looking at Song Mingqin. He even suspected that Song Mingqin was using some special secret technique to conceal his aura.
But in reality, Song Mingqin was a genuine early-stage Golden Core cultivator. His strength stemmed entirely from his comprehension of the way of the sword.
"Sword Open!"
Song Mingqin slashed down with his sword, cleaving the air in half. Anthony felt the incoming sword energy, making it difficult for him to breathe.