The duel between Tie Zheng and Ao Pan attracted almost everyone’s attention.
Both of them were at the Golden Core Level, although suppressed by the array here, which lowered their cultivation level to the Foundation Establishment Peak.
Yet their actual combat strength was still among the top tiers of the participants.
One was a Martial Cultivator, and the other practiced Body Cultivation, inherently suited for the Xingyun Trial in the Xuan Armor Cave.
Including Lu Zeng, the three Golden Core Cultivators might all become the final victor. Perhaps, this duel between Tie Zheng and Ao Pan also indicated the identity of the ultimate winner!
Tie Zheng and Ao Pan faced each other.
Tie Zheng wore a bronze beast head mask, his gaze fierce, with twelve beast head bronze bells at his waist trembling slightly.
Ao Pan was hunched, with a face like a sculpted knife, his eyes one large and one small, hinting at something peculiar.
Ao Pan’s gaze roamed over Tie Zheng, suddenly pausing at his joints.
He let out a low roar, and his hunched body, like a spring compressed to the extreme, suddenly erupted with an impactful force.
Ao Pan took the initiative, charging at Tie Zheng.
With this move, a Mysterious Armor flew out from his sleeve, quickly transforming into a bronze sword.
The sword tip trembled slightly, like a viper raising its head, the sword body emitting a faint green glow, exuding a bone-chilling coldness, thrusting directly at Tie Zheng’s heart!
For a moment, exclamations arose one after another.
This bronze weapon not only had mana but also emitted a realm, clearly the seventh Mysterious Armor.
Ban Ji’s breath hitched, filled with envy.
"If I had such a sword, the probability of my final victory would increase several times!"
But he didn’t have it.
What he ended up with was a bronze knife, his fifth Mysterious Armor.
By the sixth, it was indeed a sword. But he had consumed too much, helplessly falling into a stalemate, unable to capture it, ultimately dragged into the opening of the third level.
Truly regrettable!
Beneath Tie Zheng’s beast mask, his gaze slightly narrowed. He made a virtual grasping motion with his hand, and the Xuan Armor by his side flew out, transforming into a... kitchen knife.
The kitchen knife was hefty, its edge flashing with a cold and hard mysterious light.
Tie Zheng raised his arm, lifting the knife to meet the sword light, boldly cleaving!
His knife technique was simple and direct, the knife light very restrained, exuding a sense of unyielding rigidity that could cut through all hard objects.
Another round of astonished cries erupted.
Because this knife was also the seventh Mysterious Armor!
"A knife!" Ban Ji’s pupils expanded in an instant, greed flaring up.
"Even if it’s a kitchen knife, it’s still a knife!"
"A fine knife, a fine knife, if only I had such a knife..."
Clang——!
The next moment, the clash of knife and sword produced a piercing sharp screech that tore through the cave’s air, also ripping at the eardrums of the spectators.
The air exploded, casting a wave of mixed golden light and blade glow.
Ao Pan and Tie Zheng both retreated, their feet stomping hard, causing the stone ground of the cave to crack inch by inch.
Their gaze met more fiercely, lunging at each other.
Clang clang clang clang!
A continuous series of dense clashes of knife and sword resounded like popping beans, sparks flying continuously.
The battle reached a stalemate.
The two seventh Mysterious Armors were very similar in strength.
In the intense confrontation, Ao Pan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he keenly noticed many tiny nicks and fissures on the body of his bronze sword.
Yet, the kitchen knife in Tie Zheng’s hand remained shiny and new, showing almost no damage.
"Both are the same Mysterious Armor, both made of Green Flowing Copper, why is his so durable?"
"Does he have Innate support, or is it the inherent hardness of his martial arts?"
The direct confrontation was disadvantageous. Ao Pan’s body shook, shaking out three Mysterious Armors, each transforming into a weapon and attacking Tie Zheng.
Tie Zheng was equally unyielding, also launching three Mysterious Armors, using attack as a form of defense.
He was reticent, but once engaged, he displayed beast-like aggression and ferocity.
The cultivators watched without blinking.
Ning Zhuo was no exception.
He concentrated intently, assessing internally: "Tie Zheng and Ao Pan’s Martial Arts realm, both exhibit Master Level features, surpassing me."
"In close combat, I can’t match them. This aligns with my estimate."
"As for their control abilities, they are rather lackluster."
Tie Zheng is a Martial Cultivator, Ao Pan practices Body Cultivation, neither adept at Mechanical Techniques. Ning Zhuo’s Mechanism Realm had reached the Master Level, surpassing both, allowing him to easily spot many shortcomings.
Ban Ji snorted coldly; his foundation in mechanisms was even stronger than Ning Zhuo’s, naturally noticing Tie Zheng and Ao Pan’s inadequacies.
The duel continued.
Gradually, Ao Pan gained the upper hand.
His weapons couldn’t compete head-on with Tie Zheng’s kitchen knife, but his technique in commanding these Mysterious Armors was significantly superior to Tie Zheng’s!
As the use of more Mysterious Armors unfolded, Ao Pan’s advantage became apparent.
Ning Zhuo quickly evaluated in his mind: "Those two collected the seventh Mysterious Armor, likely haven’t gotten the eighth one."
According to the information he previously gathered, the sixth Mysterious Armor could consume mana, the seventh emitted a realm, and by the eighth Mysterious Armor, one could wield momentum, carrying the most advantageous battlefield for oneself!
The further the Mysterious Armor went, the stronger it became.
"Based on past records, cultivators who could subdue the eighth Mysterious Armor were few and far between."
"If Tie Zheng and Ao Pan possessed it, in this crucial duel, they would certainly reveal it."
The eighth Mysterious Armor’s combat power was extremely strong, no need to conceal it; bringing it out at the first opportunity could likely decide the outcome.
Clang clang clang...
Six or seven weapons circled around both Tie Zheng and Ao Pan, swords and knives clashing, staves against spears, making the complex battle dizzying to behold.
Both transmitted thoughts through Divine Sense, reaching a tacit agreement, both retreating a step, suddenly ceasing battle.
Both knew their limits, not engaging in a fight to the death right off the bat.