“Good!” The woman leaped onto the ring.
Once on the ring, she didn’t say much. After the referee announced the start, she drew her sword and charged at Ivy.
Ivy narrowed her eyes slightly and met her attack with two swift sword strikes.
The two engaged in a fierce battle, their figures flashing and swords clashing.
Ivy was two levels lower than her opponent and was clearly at a disadvantage without using her trump card.
After a dozen exchanges, Ivy had two bloody wounds on her body, and her breathing became erratic.
The woman unleashed a sharp sword light towards Ivy, its momentum unstoppable.
Ivy chose not to confront it head-on and dodged to the side.
Just as she steadied herself, the woman’s sword light slashed her arm, leaving a deep cut and pushing her back two to three hundred meters.
“I know you have a trump card. Use it, or you won’t be my match!” the woman said, looking at Ivy.
“Alright!” Ivy replied.
As she spoke, her aura quickly surged to its peak. She then activated her trump card, the Five Elements Blade Dance.
With a flick of her wrist, a sword light mixed with thunder and lightning shot towards her opponent at high speed.
The sword force was overwhelming, tearing through the void with an unstoppable momentum.
“Hmm?!”
The woman was clearly surprised that Ivy could wield such a powerful sword technique. Her pupils contracted sharply.
Once the Five Elements Blade Dance was unleashed, all escape routes were sealed, leaving only offense as defense.
With no time to think, she took a deep breath and used all her strength to draw a sword light to block it.
A loud explosion followed, and the woman was sent flying five to six hundred meters away, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Despite her strong combat power, she found it difficult to withstand the Five Elements Blade Dance.
After one move, her combat power dropped by thirty to forty percent.
Meanwhile, Ivy was also sent flying three to four hundred meters, with blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
However, overall, she was in much better condition than her opponent.
“I lost. I admire you!” The woman looked at Ivy and cupped her hands in respect.
She knew that while she could continue fighting, it would be pointless. With her current strength, she would be defeated within ten moves. It was better to admit defeat and save face.
“Accepted!” Ivy wiped the blood from her mouth and responded with a cupped hand.
Seeing this, the surrounding crowd erupted in exclamations.
An eighth-rank Otherworldly Realm cultivator could actually contend with second-rank Entering Dao Realm strength. Akabuchi City truly lived up to its reputation as a gathering place for talented geniuses. Today was an eye-opener!
By late afternoon, the top fifteen ranking matches had concluded.
Throughout the process, no one challenged Gerardo Wooler. He unsurprisingly secured the first position on the Prodigy List.
Ivy, Harleen, and Casey took second to fourth places respectively.
“You two ladies are exceptionally talented. I am truly impressed!” Gerardo Wooler approached Harleen and Ivy and spoke.
“Thank you!” Harleen replied indifferently.
“I am hosting a banquet tomorrow evening and would like to invite all those who made it onto the list. Would you two ladies honor us with your presence?” Gerardo Wooler continued.
“Sorry, we’re not interested in banquets!” Ivy responded coldly.
“It’s just a meal. Please consider it…” Gerardo Wooler insisted.
“Enough!” Casey interrupted him sternly. “We don’t know you well enough for that!”
“How dare you speak to Mr. Wooler like that?” A man ranked eighth pointed at Casey angrily.
“I don’t like being pointed at. You’d better put your hand down!” Casey glanced at him.
“Do you think I’m afraid of you just because you’re ranked fourth? You…” The man continued.
Before he could finish his sentence, Casey raised his hand and struck him, sending him flying and crashing onto the ring with a mouthful of blood.
“This is a warning. If you do it again, you’ll die!” Casey said sternly.
“I’ll kill you!” The man got up from the ring and charged at Casey.
“Stop!” The referee shouted sternly.
“He struck first. I must…” The man shouted angrily.
“Enough!” Gerardo Wooler interrupted him sternly.
After speaking, he glanced at Casey with a cold gleam in his eyes.
He then turned to Harleen and Ivy. “Since you two are unwilling, I won’t insist. There will be other opportunities…”
“What’s all this commotion?”
Before Gerardo Wooler could finish his sentence, a man’s voice descended from the sky, reaching everyone’s ears.
As the voice fell, a group of people flew in from a distance.
Leading them was a young man in his late thirties, dressed in white robes with an imposing presence.
Following him was a black-robed elder with a lean build and sharp eyes, exuding no aura whatsoever.
Behind the black-robed elder were two more elders, one tall and one short, both equally devoid of any aura.
In no time, the four of them landed on the ring.
“Who are you?” The referee asked sternly.
As he spoke, he released his spiritual power to probe their cultivation levels and couldn’t help but narrow his eyes slightly.
He himself was an eighth-rank Entering Dao Realm cultivator but couldn’t sense the black-robed elder’s martial cultivation level, indicating it was far above his own. The other two elders were also formidable.
The tall one had cultivation equal to his own at eighth-rank Entering Dao Realm, while the other was even higher at ninth-rank Sacred Realm!
As for the young man in white robes, he must have used some special means to conceal his cultivation level as it couldn’t be sensed.
“I heard that these days are for the Akabuchi Prodigy List selection matches, so I came to join in on the fun,” the young man in white robes replied calmly.
“You’re too late; the selection matches are over!” The referee frowned slightly before continuing. “Moreover, participants must register in advance…”
“Haha, you’ve misunderstood!” The young man in white robes chuckled.
“A mere list holds no attraction for me. I came today to see who made it onto the Prodigy List.”
As he spoke, his eyes scanned the fifteen men and women present. When he saw Harleen and Ivy, his eyes narrowed slightly.
“Is this Akabuchi Star Palace’s so-called Prodigy List filled with such mediocrities?” The young man in white robes said as he looked at the referee.
“Insolent! How dare you speak like that! Get out of here!” The man who had been struck by Casey shouted again.
Before he could finish his words, a gust of wind sent him flying off the ring with another mouthful of blood.
The one who acted was the eighth-rank Entering Dao Realm elder from the opposing side.
Just as the man was about to crash to the ground, a wave of energy caught him and gently lowered him down. Otherwise, given his condition, he would have been severely injured if not dead.
Then an elder flew into the air and landed on the ring.