Master of Nine Stars

With Gao Lingwei behind him, Rong Taotao couldn’t very well dodge. He gripped his halberd with both hands and hurriedly raised it to block!

CLANG!

Following the crisp ring, an immense force traveled up the halberd shaft, and Rong Taotao was forcefully knocked back a step!

But Gao Zehua’s assault was relentless, leaving no openings whatsoever!

Gao Zehua spun abruptly, and the Water Saber in his hand once again came chopping down viciously on Rong Taotao’s halberd shaft!

HISS... Rong Taotao sucked in a sharp breath. ’Even though my strength is boosted by Douxing Qi, he’s a peak Soul Captain. Once he gets riled up, he’s a real handful.’

"So you like to spin?" Gao Zehua snorted, then started spinning himself!?

He spun at a tilt, his arms spread wide, each brandishing a Water Saber. With every half-rotation, a Water Blade would slam heavily onto the shaft of the Heaven-piercing Halberd!

The blows were heavy and powerful!

Again and again, the strikes rained down, forcefully suppressing Rong Taotao and driving him back step after step.

For a moment, a wave of gasps and shouts swept through the crowd.

"Whoa... is that the human spinning top?"

"Rong Taotao was spinning his weapon, but this guy with the little braid is spinning himself? Hahaha, seventeen rotations in two seconds?"

"Is... is that Beijing Opera?"

"What Beijing Opera? This is just a game of Whac-A-Mole, isn’t it?"

On the field, Gao Lingwei’s voice came from behind Rong Taotao. "I’ve got the left."

Instantly, Rong Taotao relaxed his right hand’s grip on the halberd shaft, redirecting the force of Gao Zehua’s Water Saber down toward the ground.

At the same time, Rong Taotao tightened his left hand on the shaft, quickly turned sideways, and swung the Heaven-piercing Halberd horizontally. The sharp Crescent Blade flashed as he aimed a slicing cut at Gao Zehua’s head!

Sensing danger, Gao Zehua pushed off hard with his foot, darting to the side and breaking into a roll to disperse the momentum.

"Running away? You think you can just run after putting on a show!?" Rong Taotao immediately lunged after him.

"You go after him," Gao Lingwei commanded sharply. Her Long Halberd swung from behind her in a mighty chop, intercepting Lin Xiaoxiao, who had been about to rush to the rescue. Lin Xiaoxiao’s expression changed instantly, and she cried out in alarm, "Zehua!"

Gao Zehua had just scrambled to his feet from the roll when he heard Lin Xiaoxiao’s cry. He instantly knew something was wrong. Without even turning to look, he instinctively spun back around and blocked, crossing his Dual Sabers in an "X" in front of his face.

CRACK! The crossed sabers locked with the intricate head of the Battle Halberd. The gleaming Ironspear Point even grazed the tip of Gao Zehua’s nose—it was a hair’s breadth away!

Gao Zehua broke out in a cold sweat. He had just scrambled up from his roll and was still off-balance when the halberd thrust at him. He stumbled backward several steps.

Seeing that Gao Zehua was about to fall, Rong Taotao immediately pressed his attack!

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! Rong Taotao stabbed again and again, aiming directly for Gao Zehua’s heart!

Gao Zehua’s face was a mask of shock and fury. Already unsteady on his feet, the immense force of the Long Halberd sent him sprawling, landing flat on his butt.

’Alright!’

’Whac-A-Mole, was it?’

Gao Zehua kicked his legs frantically, scrambling backward as fast as he could. Rong Taotao stabbed again and again, his halberd plunging into the turf and grazing Gao Zehua’s body with each thrust. It was one terrifyingly close call after another!

"Zehua!"

"Your opponent is me." Gao Lingwei’s gaze was piercing. With a powerful horizontal sweep of her Long Halberd, she once again forced Lin Xiaoxiao back several steps.

Lin Xiaoxiao desperately wanted to go rescue Gao Zehua, but she was discovering to her despair that the girl in front of her...

...was every bit as ferocious as Rong Taotao!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! The sound of weapons smashing together was incessant. Not only did Lin Xiaoxiao have no opportunity to disengage, but she was also being steadily beaten back by Gao Lingwei, getting farther and farther away from Gao Zehua!

In an instant, the green field had been split into two separate duels.

On one side, Gao Lingwei’s attacks were swift and fierce, full of grand, sweeping motions and unstoppable momentum.

On the other... well, although Rong Taotao’s assault was equally ferocious, it looked somewhat comical no matter how you saw it.

The sight of the Heaven-piercing Halberd stabbing repeatedly into the turf next to a frantically kicking, retreating Gao Zehua formed a modern masterpiece.

"Run Tu and Cha"

"They’ve split the battlefield! It’s one-on-one duels!" Su Wan clenched her fists, her eyes wide with excitement.

"She’s using a saber! Contestant Gao Lingwei has switched to a saber!?" Dai Liunian’s attention, however, was on the two female combatants. "Lin Xiaoxiao uses Dual Sabers! She’s been honing that art for years, yet Gao Lingwei actually abandoned her usual Heaven-piercing Halberd and picked up a Long Straight Saber... WHOA!!!"

Dai Liunian couldn’t help but marvel. After switching from halberd to saber, Gao Lingwei’s assault became several times more ferocious!

Dai Liunian continued, "Gao Lingwei’s skill with the Long Straight Saber is actually on par with her Heaven-piercing Halberd?"

With her long hair flying, the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow in Gao Lingwei’s hands moved with incredible ferocity. Up-swings, sweeps, thrusts, and chops—she didn’t give Lin Xiaoxiao a shred of an opportunity to react.

Lin Xiaoxiao fell back continuously, but Gao Lingwei’s long legs pressed forward relentlessly, closing the distance with every step.

"Die, or surrender!" Gao Lingwei narrowed her beautiful eyes, staring intently into Lin Xiaoxiao’s. An overwhelming aura pressed down on her opponent.

This was simply not something a conventional Martial Artist would do!

Of course, one could look at an opponent’s eyes, but how could you possibly keep your gaze locked on them for the entire fight?

Wouldn’t you need to watch their body movements? Wouldn’t you need to read their attacks and defenses?

This Gao Lingwei...

Her saber was fast, but she was faster!

This confidence, this level of skill and audacity—it could only have been forged by fighting her way out of a Corpse Tide!

In the past, Gao Lingwei could face a whole circle of Snow Corpses and Ghosts and handle every single one. How could that compare to facing a single opponent now!?

Was dealing with an entire circle of enemies the same as dealing with just one?