as xu nian carried chen xifeng back to the preparation area for medical treatment, the second group''s battle had already started.

    dugu jingcheng and feng rain stood opposite each other, both with eyes sharp as swords.

    the audience clenched their fists in anticipation.

    "who do you think will win this match?"

    "i think it''s dugu jingcheng, especially since we''ve already seen his swordsmanship. it''s really amazing."

    "well, that''s not necessarily true. feng rain possesses the innate sword spirit body and is quite strong in swordsmanship too. it is said she has also mastered ''man and sword as one.''"

    the audience buzzed with discussions, debating endlessly over who would win the duel.

    xu nian also watched the scene quietly, curious about the special characteristics of the innate sword spirit body.

    "dugu jingcheng, i''ve wanted to fight you for a long time, and now i finally have the chance. next, i''ll show you that your ''little sword saint'' title is nothing but an empty reputation," feng rain said coldly, producing an exquisitely crafted silver-white long sword in her hand.

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    dugu jingcheng didn''t retort. with a flip of his palm, a xuan iron sword appeared in his hand.

    ever since xu nian shattered his sword last time, he had replaced it with this xuan iron sword.

    "come on, unleash the sword rain!"

    with a light shout from feng rain, her sharp sword directly slashed towards dugu jingcheng.

    the sword glowed menacingly, and the sword qi fell like rain, flying towards dugu jingcheng.

    "that was a fast sword. a nine-star warrior can so easily stimulate sword qi; feng rain''s strength is really impressive."

    "yes, being able to instantly release such an amount of sword qi, both her swordsmanship and cultivation are extraordinary. this battle won''t be decided until the very last moment!"

    the audience was deeply moved. with her first move, feng rain had showcased her extraordinary skills.

    dugu jingcheng''s eyes, however, did not fluctuate much; he casually swung his sword.

    a streak of sword radiance swept out, instantly disintegrating the sword rain executed by feng rain.

    "buzz!"

    but feng rain''s second sword followed closely, striking with extraordinary fierceness and speed like lightning, aiming directly at dugu jingcheng''s heart.

    dugu jingcheng twisted his wrist, and his xuan iron sword transformed into a blur, piercing directly with a thrust.

    the tips of the swords collided, and the sword qi surged!

    a look of seriousness flashed through dugu jingcheng''s eyes, but there was no sign of fear; a strong white wave burst from his xuan iron sword, radiantly shining with immense brightness.

    indeed, dugu jingcheng was using the light element slash he had used against xu nian before, but this time, the move was even more potent, its power doubled.

    "it seems that these days, dugu jingcheng has been enhancing his technique," xu nian muttered to himself.

    "go!" feng rain shouted delicately, waving her sleeve, and the three sharp swords hovering in front of her sped out, stabbing towards dugu jingcheng.

    at this moment, the sword light in dugu jingcheng''s hand had reached its peak, his strike resembling a reverse-hanging galaxy.

    "pff!"

    the sword radiance collided with the flying swords controlled by feng rain.

    "boom!"

    a loud noise thundered, and suddenly the whole sky turned into a tempest.

    feng rain''s sharp swords were blown away, embedding themselves in the wall of the platform, and feng rain herself spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

    dugu jingcheng stood in the storm, his posture wavering, his clothes fluttering, utterly unaffected by the force.

    feng rain looked at her flying swords that had been blown away, a complex glint flashing in her eyes.

    she had lost!

    defeated by dugu jingcheng—his final sword strike had indeed been beyond her expectations.

    "i concede!" feng rain declared loudly.

    the crowd was instantly abuzz, thoroughly shocked.

    dugu jingcheng decisively defeated feng rain and advanced to the top four.

    dugu jingcheng placed his sword back into his storage bag, readying to return to the preparation area.

    however, feng rain watched dugu jingcheng''s retreating figure and said, "dugu jingcheng, one day, i will defeat you and become the number one sword dao genius of east field county."

    dugu jingcheng paused his steps, turned his head, and responded, "if you aim to be the number one sword dao genius of east field county, your opponent shouldn''t be me, but xu nian!"

    the audience was stunned, even doubting if they had misheard.

    what did dugu jingcheng mean by that?

    was he admitting that his swordsmanship was inferior to xu nian''s?

    feng rain also stood frozen, her heart tumultuous like a stormy sea.