Chapter 1648: Military Deception

Qiu Honglei nodded, then lightly tapped her toe and floated gracefully onto the stage.

Many people nodded discreetly. Although the woman was somewhat ugly, her demeanor and every movement were first-class. They wondered how she managed to combine such contradictory elements within herself.

Shi Dingtian, on the other hand, walked up with a guileless expression, occasionally scratching his head, which drew amused smiles from many spectators.

Compared to the earth-shattering clash of the previous match, this one offered far less excitement. If people had known these two would be fighting in the semi-finals beforehand, few would have probably bothered to watch.

However, their dark horse performances in previous rounds had significantly heightened anticipation for this showdown.

Disciples from various sects privately discussed the outcome of the match, and aside from a few from Kongming Island, there was an overwhelming consensus supporting Shi Dingtian.

After all, Peng Wuyan was truly too ugly, and her ruthless tactics in previous matches had also made her unpopular.

In contrast, the innocent sincerity of Shi Dingtian made it difficult to feel any ill will towards him. With these factors at play, it was natural that everyone supported him.

On the referee stand, Zu An leaned more towards Peng Wuyan. For some reason, he always felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity from this woman.

"What the hell," he thought, "is there something wrong with my aesthetic sense?"

Realizing this, he froze, questioning his very existence.

When Peak Master Feng Wuchang of Guanxin Peak announced the start of the match, the magic array around the stage lit up, preventing the residual energy from the battle from harming the disciples in the surrounding spectator stands.

Shi Dingtian held a saber and greeted Qiu Honglei.

This saber had clearly been specially prepared for him by Taixuan Cave. Judging by the aura emanating from it, it was undoubtedly a Heaven-tier divine weapon.

Jian Huang and Jiese, the master and disciple from Wuyou Temple, secretly sighed, acknowledging that Daoism truly lived up to its name. Even the most dilapidated Taixuan Cave still possessed such profound heritage, making one imagine how powerful they must have been in their heyday.

Qiu Honglei didn't respond to his greeting. Instead, she said with a stern face, "You didn't use a saber when fighting others before, so why are you using one against me? Is it because you find me ugly and thus have no reservations?"

At her words, many female disciples in the audience felt a pang of empathy, and their gazes toward Shi Dingtian became somewhat disapproving.

Yun Jianyue secretly gave a thumbs-up. Honglei was indeed the most talented disciple of the Sacred Sect in decades; even with an ugly face, she could turn a disadvantage into an advantage.

Shi Dingtian's face immediately flushed crimson. He quickly waved his hands and explained, "No, no, it's not that. It's mainly because after I went back last time, Cave Master Mu taught me that if I only used my hands at the beginning, it would show disrespect to others. To show respect to my opponent, I should use my full strength from the start."

The sect leaders on the referee stand all looked towards Cave Master Mu, whose expression was somewhat awkward. He knew his disciple was simple-minded, and it would be difficult for him to understand if told in any other way. Only by "deceiving" him like this could he be made to take it more seriously.

However, while such a trick might fool a simpleton like Shi Dingtian, it certainly wouldn't deceive the old foxes on the stage.

Qiu Honglei sneered without speaking. Shi Dingtian, feeling flustered, quickly said, "Then I just won't use the saber."

As he spoke, he hastily put the saber back into his storage pouch.

Seeing this, Cave Master Mu almost spat out a mouthful of old blood. He had finally managed to convince the simpleton to use the saber, only for this woman to undo it with a single sentence.

Qiu Honglei finally nodded in satisfaction. "That's more like it. I'm starting now, be careful."

"Thank you... thank you for the warning, miss," Shi Dingtian said, deeply moved. He thought, "Though this girl looks a bit fierce, she's the first to care about me. What a kind person!"

Qiu Honglei smiled, then raised her hand and shot a ball of light towards him.

Shi Dingtian was startled and quickly dodged. He had seen her use this move before, so it wasn't a big problem.

Qiu Honglei gave him no chance to react, continuously firing light projectiles.

Shi Dingtian moved and dodged, but later found dodging too troublesome, so he simply threw a punch.

His fist carried a fierce gust of wind, scattering the light projectiles every time.

Liang Ling of Kunlun Xu was watching the battle, thinking that if things continued like this, Peng Wuyan would merely be wasting her energy. She should be about to use that move, the one he himself had fallen victim to.

Sure enough, after a few swift light projectiles, a massive one suddenly appeared. Its terrifying pressure meant that if Shi Dingtian tried to take it head-on again, he would likely be severely injured.

On the high referee stand, Cave Master Mu stroked his beard and smiled. He had specifically instructed Shi Dingtian on how to defend against this particular move.

As expected, upon seeing the move, Shi Dingtian didn't wait for it to get close. Instead, he leaped into the air and attacked Qiu Honglei from above. Two enormous fist shadows struck the spot where she had just been standing, causing the entire stage to shake violently.

Feng Wuchang's eyelids twitched. It seemed this stage wouldn't last much longer.

"Huh?" Not only Shi Dingtian, but even Cave Master Mu sat up straight, because Qiu Honglei had vanished.

The next second, she reappeared behind and to the side of Shi Dingtian, as if she had anticipated his move all along.

"Such speed!"

Countless people exclaimed, then remembered that the legendary light element was highly proficient in speed.

Her short blades flashed in her hands, and in an instant, she had launched dozens of attacks at Shi Dingtian's vital points.

Liang Ling of Kunlun Xu watched with a wince; he had almost been dismembered by that very move himself.

Others also remembered this scene, wondering if the match would be decided so quickly.

However, their eyes immediately widened, because Shi Dingtian had indeed been sliced into pieces by the sharp twin blades!

It was only an afterimage of Shi Dingtian!

His true body had already appeared more than ten zhang away.

Everyone realized that he was a wind element user, which allowed him to keep up with her speed!

Qiu Honglei snorted coldly, her figure flashing as she reappeared by his side, attacking him once more.

Shi Dingtian might have been fine fighting others bare-handed, but against those sharp twin blades, he was at a severe disadvantage, and his arms quickly became covered in blood.

Cave Master Mu watched with extreme anxiety, unable to resist shouting, "Use your weapon!"

Unfortunately, Shi Dingtian seemed not to hear him, stubbornly refusing to use it.

"A true gentleman doesn't comment during a game," Yun Jianyue said, highly displeased with his attempt to coach from the sidelines.

"Who told your disciple to play tricks and deceive him into not using his weapon!" Cave Master Mu bristled with anger, glaring as he spoke.

"That's their own business on the stage. What kind of elder are you, giving instructions from the side? Wang, are you going to deal with this violation or not?" Yun Jianyue snapped angrily.

Wang Wuxie's expression was odd; he had never expected to be dragged into this.

Although he also somewhat looked down on Qiu Honglei's tactics, they were indeed within the rules. He could only remind Cave Master Mu, "The referee stand does not participate in the matches below. Please be advised, Cave Master Mu, any further interference will result in disqualification."

Cave Master Mu's face was flushed red, and he was about to say more, but Zu An couldn't help but chuckle. "Cave Master Mu, there's no need to be upset. Taking a small loss and gaining some experience on this stage is better than encountering cunning and evil individuals in the future completely unprepared. At least no one will die on this stage. I actually find Miss Peng's strategy quite resourceful, using 'warfare by stratagem'."

Cave Master Mu paused at his words, thinking that it was indeed true. If they encountered demonic cult members, those people wouldn't play by rules. Rather than suffering a great calamity later, it was better to gain some experience now.

With this thought, his mind calmed, and he stopped arguing with Yun Jianyue.

Yun Jianyue, meanwhile, looked at Zu An with a smile in her eyes. This young man truly understood them. Even though they had changed their appearances, he still sided with them. Was this fate?

At this point, new developments were unfolding on the stage. Shi Dingtian realized that he couldn't win a head-on confrontation, so he turned and fled. Being a wind-element user, he was also proficient in speed. His body transformed into a wisp of smoke, and combined with his incredibly strange and miraculous footwork, Qiu Honglei's attacks were repeatedly dodged for a long time.

"What kind of movement technique is this? It's incredibly profound!" The disciples in the audience discussed amongst themselves, and even many disciples from Taixuan Cave looked bewildered, as they didn't recognize it.

Lou Wucheng of Baiyujing had originally felt some resentment after losing to Shi Dingtian, believing that his impatience at the time had caused him to expose weaknesses in his moves.

However, after witnessing this scene, he soberly realized that if Shi Dingtian had combined this miraculous movement technique with his saber energy attacks earlier, he might not have won even without making a mistake.

This woman named Peng was too detestable; she deliberately provoked him with words so he wouldn't use his saber.

Strangely enough, despite having lost to Shi Dingtian earlier, Lou Wucheng now fervently hoped he would win. After all, the stronger the opponent one lost to, the more it proved one's own strength. Otherwise, if Shi Dingtian were easily eliminated next, wouldn't it just show that Lou Wucheng himself was a weakling?

Liang Ling of Kunlun Xu harbored similar thoughts. Seeing Qiu Honglei pressuring Shi Dingtian filled him with a sense of relief; it would be best if she went on to win the championship, so that he would have only lost to the eventual victor.

Qiu Honglei, at this moment, felt a growing frustration, as she found her attacks unable to hit the elusive Shi Dingtian with his peculiar movement technique.

If she could use the Changxin Palace Lantern, she would have long since taken it out to immobilize this simpleton, avoiding all this trouble.

So she gave up attacking and angrily said, "Simpleton, do you only know how to run? What kind of man are you?"

Shi Dingtian scratched his head. "Because you're too strong, I can't beat you."

"Then concede if you can't win," Qiu Honglei huffed.

"Cave Master Mu will scold me if I concede like this," Shi Dingtian shook his head.

"Then how long will we be fighting if you keep running?" Qiu Honglei demanded angrily.

"Then I won't run anymore," Shi Dingtian said after thinking for a moment.

Cave Master Mu immediately spat out a mouthful of tea, thinking, "This boy isn't usually this foolish!"

At this point, Shi Dingtian added, "But you can't use that dazzling move either; my eyes can't take it."

Apparently, Qiu Honglei's previous move that blinded Liang Ling had left him with some lingering trepidation. What if she used it during a close-quarters fight? That would be disastrous.

Cave Master Mu finally nodded in relief. The simpleton had finally grown and even learned to bargain.

"Alright!" Qiu Honglei nodded.

Shi Dingtian breathed a sigh of relief, then let out a roar and charged forward, his vital energy surging. His eyes were wide, and his momentum was visibly stronger than before.

A faint smile played on Qiu Honglei's lips, and suddenly, a blinding sun rose on the stage.