Could it be that I am the cruel villain?

Some strange words.

Jiang Feng scratched his head. He could understand what Senior Sister meant—it wasn't that the two of them would literally be eliminated together, but rather that their skills were similar.

If they exhausted all their strength, there would be basically no way for them to continue into the next round. So, regardless of whether they win or lose, they could only stop here.

"Not necessarily. Senior Sister, at least have some confidence in Junior Sister. Not only did you teach her Swordsmanship, but I also taught her quite a few things. Have you forgotten my true teachings?"

"Hmm?"

She tilted her head.

That sentence seemed to surprise her a bit, and her gaze showed a hint of distrust. It wasn't that she looked down on her Junior Brother; she believed that in terms of talent, he was not inferior to anyone. The problem was that he had a very short cultivation time.

Moreover, there was the question of her Junior Brother's ability to teach. Knowing how to fight and teaching others to fight were two different things, and she really didn't think Jiang Feng could teach anything substantial in just two months.

But when she saw Jiang Feng's confident expression, her heart seemed to skip a beat. Just as she was about to speak, before she could say anything, an intense Thunder Light exploded right in the center of the Martial Arts Arena!

"Look quickly, what's that?"

"Thunder, Five Elements Thunder? No, this feels like Demon Thunder, mainly used to slay ancient artifact spirits and break altars and temples! What is the background of this new disciple of the Sword Immortal?"

"The Thunder Technique has begun to change. Who in our mountain is a master of Thunder Technique, teaching her so excellently? Could it be directed by Peak Master Wei?"

"Entangled by a Thunder Dragon, this... I remember Zhu Mingfeng didn't have such a Cultivation Technique, nor such methods..."

Zzzt——

Accompanied by the piercing sound of thunder reverberating throughout the Martial Arts Arena, Liang Yu's Heavenly Thunder descendence sent the entire Purple Cloud Palace into a frenzy!

Even the elderly who were reminiscing about the past fell into a tacit silence, their expressions revealing astonishment as they focused all their attention on the center of the Martial Arts Arena.

The girl, who initially had long black and green hair, now astonishingly had white hair, with her hair tips carrying the purple light unique to Thunder Light—blindingly bright. Holding an Inconsistent Sword in each hand, she pointed at Junior Brother He before her.

"Apologies."

She uttered three words.

Before the slightly dazed Junior Brother He could react, a Thunder Sword flew right towards him!

"This."

Stunned.

In previous combats, Liang Yu had exclusively been using a sword. From the outermost arena of the Martial Arts Arena until now, she had not employed any Daoist Skill. Everyone present believed Liang Yu was a pure Sword Cultivator since she had entered under Liu Tangxi's tutelage.

Even the aged Great Elder and Gu Yuanshan's eyes were full of shock—no one had expected that this young girl could pull out something new at this point?

"Excellent, excellent, just a few days ago, her victory over a Core Formation disciple was enough of a surprise for me. I never imagined she was still holding back, truly giving us a pleasant surprise today. The outcome of this battle is yet uncertain."

"Old Wei, did you teach her? Remarkable, to teach such skills in two months."

The Great Elder also came back to senses from his shock with a casual inquiry.

The other old masters turned their attention to Wei Buyue since, within the Purple Cloud Palace, he was the one who had delved most deeply into the Thunder Technique. He was also the Peak Master of Zhu Mingfeng.

Being named 'Zhu', one could imagine how formidable Wei Peak Master's offensive power was. It also hinted at his primary cultivation in Thunder Technique, but surprisingly—

"It wasn't me."

"..."

Everyone was stunned.

The burly and gruff-voiced Wei Peak Master showed a face of bewilderment, shaking his head.

Generally, those elder ones could all sit together, with people of Liu Tangxi's generation at another table, followed by the third-generation disciples sitting at yet another. Generational hierarchy still mattered a lot in this day and age.

His heart was full of doubts. In Purple Cloud Palace, specifically in terms of the study of Thunder Technique, he was basically ranked first. Except for the secluded Junior Master, no one dared claim to be stronger than him, not even the Sect Master, who lagged behind in Thunder Technique research.

But the issue was—

Since that little girl came up the mountain, he'd only seen her twice.

At the time, he even went to ask Liu Tangxi voluntarily because he immediately noticed that Liang Yu possessed an unusual Thunder Technique within her. Born with a Thunder Body, she was exceedingly suitable to practice the Thunder Dao, and Liu Tangxi had agreed that if Liang Yu was willing, she could seek guidance anytime.

He had even thought that after the Nine Peaks Martial Arts Competition was over, he would properly teach this child. After all, everyone shared the same sect, and many from his Mountain Gate had gone to Liu Nephew to learn swordsmanship, so he ought to reciprocate. Thus, ensuring the longevity of each Mountain Gate.

But the issue was—

He had yet to guide her.

His own disciples were soon to participate in the competition, keeping him certainly busy attending to them, making those unruly brats practice overtime to strive for a good ranking.

While disregarding the shocked expressions of others, he merely continued in that gruff voice: "Thunder Essence surges, as the Three Thunder Types in the World converge within oneself, this girl is not simple. It seems she possesses some kind of fate, though I heard she is a princess of a country, which is not surprising."

"However, her Thunder Technique is bizarre, with traces of Divine Thunder Valley's methods and some of the Thunderbolt Technique's momentum. This Thunder Dragon, I've never seen it in my life; a Thunder Dragon wrapped about oneself, merging into the body to stimulate the physique—such a method is utterly reckless... No, that's not right."

"It should be said it varies from person to person. If one's physique is even slightly inferior, such a method is a path to self-destruction. However, since she can control it, it indicates her physique can endure it. Look at that girl's expression—though she seems calm, her grip on the sword is tight, and it looks somewhat strenuous."