Vice-Captain Qi had nearly depleted the vast majority of his inner energy in that single strike. Now, his face was pale as ash, his gaze fixed upon Gu Qingli with utter disbelief.
He could hardly trust his own eyes.
"Impossible!"
Though Gu Qingli remained unscathed, Qi himself was visibly spent.
"It's my turn now."
Gu Qingli took a single step forward, an imperious smile gracing her lips, while the fire of battle in her eyes blazed ever more fiercely.
It was only now that true fear flickered across Vice-Captain Qi's face—he had gravely underestimated the girl before him.
His expression darkened to a stormy shade.
Behind him, the once arrogant members of the Battle Wolf Mercenary Corps were no longer brimming with confidence. Anxious glances exchanged between them—could Vice-Captain Qi actually lose?
Gu Qingli's jade-like countenance held a faint smile. Her petite figure hovered lightly as azure energy swirled beneath her, and the sky-blue ribbon began to spiral elegantly around her.
Si Kongran and He Zhongyi stood dumbfounded, gazing at her in awe.
Clad in flowing white robes, with sheer silk fluttering softly about her, she appeared like a vision from legend. The twirling azure ribbon veiled her flawless face in a delicate, ethereal shimmer—
She was but a twelve-year-old girl, and yet her beauty was breath-stealing.
Grace beyond compare—one's eyes simply could not look away.
Gu Qingli's energy surged violently, and her Phoenix Fire Technique channeled streams of soulforce in steady waves.
The power emanating from her lithe frame demanded reverence.
"Damn it! You little brat, don't look down on me!"
Like a man possessed, Vice-Captain Qi roared and lunged, raising his blood-red broadsword in a frenzy.
"Overestimating yourself."
Gu Qingli's lips parted slightly, her voice dripping with disdain. The sky-blue ribbon, infused with potent energy and soulforce, lashed forward like a streak of lightning.
Though Qi swung his massive blade with all his might, exuding brute strength and fury, compared to Gu Qingli's lithe and graceful movements, he seemed clumsy—almost ridiculous.
And so, a strange yet spellbinding scene unfolded upon the arena stage.
Gu Qingli hovered like a celestial being, serene and untouchable, while Vice-Captain Qi gasped and hacked wildly, his broadsword whooshing through empty air.
Moments passed, and he was already drenched in sweat, his complexion growing paler with each breath.
Silence fell upon the spectators. None had imagined that within mere exchanges, the ferocious Vice-Captain would be reduced to such a pitiful state—humiliated and toyed with.
His eyes were bloodshot, fury roiling in his chest, a surge of blood threatening to burst from his throat.
That wretched girl… How could she be this powerful? If he lost here, his standing in the mercenary world would be utterly ruined.
Gu Qingli's soulforce was formidable, and with the Phoenix Fire Technique enhancing her strength, she was peerless among those of equal rank.
Though Qi's raw power slightly exceeded hers, he lacked her finesse. Moreover, the sky-blue ribbon in her hand was a rare weapon, bestowed by Eastern Kunlun himself.
Despite her youthful appearance, Gu Qingli's heart bore a storm—a wild, untamed strength beneath the fragile exterior.
It was just that her master insisted on elegance, declaring that such a beautiful disciple should naturally wield a refined and graceful weapon—after all, he was handsome and cultured, and his protégé must be the same. Gu Qingli nearly rolled her eyes at the memory. Her master had not a shred of a true expert's demeanor.
Thus came the ribbon.
Yet, it was no ordinary artifact. In Gu Qingli's hands, it was a seamless extension of herself.
A weapon well-suited to its wielder could elevate one's power to extraordinary heights. That she had so swiftly gained the upper hand today owed much to this silken strand.
Were it not for this, Qi's bloodthirsty broadsword would have posed a far greater threat.