My father is the main character, but the female leads want to kill me.

"Sorry, something came up and I was held up for a moment!"

A light, clear voice, like the tinkling of a spring, reached everyone's ears. Before they knew it, a figure was standing opposite Huang Shishi.

The beautiful figure wore an exquisite blue dress, her shoulder-length hair was tied into a neat ponytail, giving her a touch of heroic spirit. She held an unsharpened, ancient longsword in her hand. Her face was stunningly beautiful, and her temperament was ethereal and otherworldly, as if she had stepped out of a painting.

Her appearance was not stunning, but her ethereal and fairy-like temperament amazed the audience, instantly raising the atmosphere. As the most popular and talented young person in the Sword Sect, could she still win against the veteran young generation today?

"Hmm... Sect Master, it seems you care a lot about your disciple, even hiding the child's strength." Elder Huang Qiusheng couldn't help but smile when he saw Shangguan Mengqing's mysterious entrance and the mysterious, unfathomable aura around her.

Even with his Saint Realm strength, he couldn't see through Guan Mengqing's power. This could only be the Sect Master's doing, trying to lull Shi Shi into a false sense of security, or perhaps make him hesitant to act against him. That is indeed a method.

"Elder, you are mistaken!"

The beautiful woman had a faint smile on her face and said, "This was all done by Mengqing herself. I didn't help at all. You know I've been dealing with the Void Evil Clan lately, and I only managed to come back for a short while this time!"

"Could it be that the Grand Elder lacks confidence in his grandson's abilities because Meng Qing's strength is unknown?" the beautiful woman countered.

"Haha, let's just prepare to watch this competition!"

.....

96. Fierce Battle

The beautiful woman smiled. She understood perfectly well that the elder was trying to change the subject. He was afraid that if Shangguan Mengqing killed her grandson, she would lose face in front of her and be too embarrassed to come to her for resources.

Turning her attention back to the blue stone arena not far below, she focused on Shangguan Mengqing, this mysterious disciple whom she herself could hardly see clearly. What kind of surprise would she bring this time?

Feeling the gaze upon her on the blue stone arena, Shangguan Mengqing looked towards the pavilion and met her master's meaningful eyes.

Shangguan Mengqing nodded toward her master, then turned to look at her opponent, Huang Shishi, whom she had known for many years.

"Senior Brother Huang, I hope we can bring you a wonderful battle this time!" Shangguan Mengqing said softly.

On the other side, Huang Shishi's gaze hadn't left Shangguan Mengqing since she first appeared. Looking at the ethereal and otherworldly Sword Sect Fairy, who was only a few feet away, his heart was pounding.

Huang Shishi exclaimed, "After Junior Sister Mengqing returned from Jiezhou, not only has her strength increased significantly, but she is also even more beautiful than before!"

His praise didn't cause much of a stir in Shangguan Mengqing. She glanced at Huang Shishi with her clear, beautiful eyes and smiled calmly: "Thank you for the compliment, Senior Brother Huang. I wonder if you are ready?"

Huang Shishi has known Shangguan Mengqing for so many years. Although he was attracted by her elegant smile, he also understood the aloofness that was hidden in that smile.

"I wonder who can get into Junior Sister Mengqing's heart, which keeps everyone at arm's length!"

Huang Shishi sighed inwardly. All these years of caring for her and showing her the image of a warm-hearted senior brother, it seemed that in Meng Qing's heart, he was just a slightly familiar friend.

Clearing his mind of those distracting thoughts, Huang Shishi bowed slightly to the elder on the sidelines and said respectfully, "Elder, I am ready!"

"Me too, Elder!"

Shangguan Mengqing followed closely behind.

The elder in charge of refereeing this match on the sidelines is also a powerful expert in the Undying Realm, and is considered a senior elder in the Sword Sect.

"In this competition, you must not kill anyone, nor use any prohibited pills, hidden weapons, secret techniques, etc. Both of you are among the best of the younger generation in our sect. I hope you can both reach your designated positions without any regrets!"

He gently stroked his long white beard, and his aged face wrinkled with a smile, making him look quite kind.

"Yes!"

The two responded and walked towards the marked spots that had been drawn on the arena, standing there and waiting for the elder to announce the start of the match.

The atmosphere on the field gradually quieted down, and even the whispers decreased significantly. Everyone was focused, not wanting to miss a single second after the start of the game.

This is a duel between the two most outstanding young people in the Sword Sect. It is quite anticipated whether the rising star Shangguan Mengqing will win or the former genius Huang Shishi will prevail.

"Game start!"

As the elder referee's loud voice echoed across the mountain peak, a light blue barrier quickly rose on the arena. The barrier then adjusted to a very light color, allowing people to watch the progress of the match.

As the starting signal for the match rang out, the two players inside the arena transformed into two streaks of light and collided violently. The clash of swords and the crisscrossing of sword energy became the main theme of the arena.

Every clang of metal, every elegant swing of Shangguan Mengqing's Autumn Rain Sword, drew gasps from the entire audience.

What's even more surprising is that... Huang Shishi, who was initially favored by everyone, seems to be only on par with Shangguan Mengqing in this clash, leaving supporters of both sides feeling both happy and sad.

In the VIP section of the pavilion, Elder Huang Qiusheng, sitting next to the beautiful woman, watched the battle unfold with astonishment in his eyes. Even before entering the secret realm, Shangguan Mengqing was only at the peak of the Spirit Core Realm.

Only a little over two years have passed since the time in the secret realm until today's grand competition. How can he be on par with his own grandson, who is at the peak of the Nirvana Realm? What kind of monster is this!

The beautiful woman watched the battle unfold for a while, a smile flashing in her eyes. She glanced at the old man beside her and saw the slightly serious expression on his face, which made her feel even more pleased. She thought to herself, "When did this girl become so wicked!"

"bump!"

The swords clashed once more, and this time, the swords not only transmitted a more powerful force but also a strange, deep blue flame.

The strange flames instantly burned his hand, causing Huang Shishi to retreat abruptly. He picked up his longsword and cut off his sleeve, but the severed sleeve was burned to ashes by the deep blue flames before it even hit the ground.

"Is this heavenly fire?"

Huang Shishi's eyes widened as he stared at the elegant figure opposite him and exclaimed in surprise.

"Senior Brother Huang has a good eye!"

Shangguan Mengqing stopped her attack, pondering how to make the battle more exciting and secure victory.

For her, winning first place in this competition was extremely important. She had heard that the winner of this clan competition would go to the Continental Academy Tournament to recruit disciples for the Sword Sect. After all, opportunities to leave the Central Region Heart State were rare, and this way she could get a glimpse of that bastard from Linghua Academy…

Huang Shishi was puzzled when he saw that Shangguan Mengqing did not continue her attack, but he was not the kind of person to be treacherous. He straightened his tattered sleeves and said, "Why doesn't Junior Sister Mengqing continue to press her advantage?"

"Hmm... I'd like to hear you use some of your real skills, Senior Brother..."

Shangguan Mengqing said calmly.

Of course, this was only a facade of calm. Deep down, Shangguan Mengqing was already criticizing herself for following that scoundrel and learning bad things from her.

Hearing Shangguan Mengqing's words, Huang Shishi scratched his head awkwardly. He couldn't very well say that he hadn't gained much advantage even when he went all out. He even doubted whether Shangguan Mengqing was at the Dragon Transformation Realm, but that would be too exaggerated.

He subconsciously denied the idea.

But sometimes reality is exactly what you imagine to be the most outrageous idea.

"Then I'm going to get serious now, junior sister!"

Huang Shishi roared, and the long sword in his hand emitted a buzzing sound. The aura of Huang Shishi's peak Nirvana Realm was fully unleashed, and his figure transformed into a golden stream of light, appearing beside Shangguan Mengqing.

Watching this from the attic, Huang Qiusheng began to pluck his beard, thinking to himself, "With Shishi's agility, he clearly had a chance to get behind that girl, yet he still likes her so much?!"

Huang Qiusheng, as Shishi's grandfather, among so many young girls in the sect, only favored that cold girl who cultivated the Qingjing Sutra.

Based on his understanding of the Qingjing Jing (Classic of Purity and Tranquility), he knew that this kid's affection for it would ultimately be a fruitless endeavor.

Shangguan Mengqing initially thought Huang Shishi was going to attack her back, but she didn't expect it to be from the side, and it was a rather obvious surprise attack. She was quick-witted and soon figured out what was going on, which made her feel even more embarrassed.

Shangguan Mengqing brandished the Autumn Rain Sword in her hand, and the deep blue Mirror Moon Holy Flame quickly condensed into a semi-transparent barrier, attempting to block Huang Shishi's attack.

Huang Shishi's longsword was extremely fast, stabbing the barrier hundreds of times in a short moment, forcibly tearing it apart, and then pointing directly at Shangguan Mengqing's vital points.

Everyone watched intently as Huang Shishi thrust his sword straight at Shangguan Mengqing's chest, wondering if this single strike would decide the outcome of the battle.

Faced with this sword, Shangguan Mengqing remained extremely calm. In her opinion, the sword was too slow, so slow that she could even block it with her fingertips, but that might be a bit too pretentious. After thinking about it, she decided to advance as a form of retreat, and even took the initiative to get close to the sharp blade.

This scene left everyone speechless. Even Hwang Se-seok was shocked and instinctively tried to retract his sword. But how easy is it to retract a sword that has been thrust out?

The referee elder was ready to go to the rescue, but at that moment, Shangguan Mengqing's figure bent down strangely, and with the fierce force of her Autumn Rain Sword, she suddenly knocked Huang Shishi's long sword away from the side.

Huang Shishi felt a powerful force, which made his tiger's mouth hurt, and the long sword in his hand flew backward uncontrollably.

A sword aura flashed before his eyes, stinging his skin. The sense of impending death made him suddenly drop to the ground, slap the ground with his palm, and retreat swiftly to dodge Shangguan Mengqing's attack.

"Eh?!"

Shangguan Mengqing was somewhat surprised. Her senior brother Huang's strength was indeed worthy of being one of the best among the younger generation of the Sword Sect. He was able to dodge her sword strike when she was pressing her advantage.

"Senior Brother Huang, you're really impressive!"

Shangguan Mengqing sighed.

Huang Shishi, who was struggling to get up from the ground in the distance, was unsure whether to laugh or cry when he heard Shangguan Mengqing's words. He was at the peak of the Nirvana Realm, yet he had been forced to this point by his junior sister who was several years younger than him. Where had his junior sister's strength gone now?

"Junior Sister Mengqing, you're amazing! Now, your senior brother will have to give it his all!"

Huang Shishi took a deep breath, and golden spiritual power emanated from his body. The golden spiritual power almost covered the sky and filled a large area of ​​the blue stone arena. The strength of this spiritual power had already surpassed that of ordinary Nirvana Realm experts, and it felt like he had one foot in the threshold of the Dragon Transformation Realm.

At this moment, Huang Shishi, with just his powerful aura, could already be considered a quasi-Dragon Transformation Realm expert. Although there was still a big gap between him and a true Dragon Transformation Realm expert, he was already very strong compared to ordinary Nirvana Realm peak experts.

Up in the attic, Huang Qiusheng sensed Huang Shishi's powerful aura and a hint of pride rose in his eyes. His grandson was now close to the Dragon Transformation Realm, and perhaps he would be able to successfully transform into a dragon in the future.

But before he could rejoice for long, he was even more surprised when he saw Shangguan Mengqing across from him, who remained calm. Was she truly fearless, or was she just bluffing?

He could no longer understand this sect leader's outstanding disciple!

……

97. First place in the competition

Huang Shishi's aura had reached its peak, and his face was full of solemnity. Before the competition started, Huang Shishi was thinking about how to prevent his junior sister Mengqing from being seriously injured, and then how to win the competition himself.

But now it seems that I was the one who was pushed to the limit by my junior sister!

Huang Shishi moved swiftly, and the longsword in his hand emitted a piercing buzzing sound. The golden spiritual energy made the longsword even more dazzling than the sun, and the powerful spiritual pressure caused Huang Shishi's robes to bulge violently.

"Nine Heavens Piercing Sun Sword!"

Huang Shishi stepped into the void, and in just a few moments, he stood above the center of the blue stone arena. His figure blocked Shangguan Mengqing's view as she looked up. It was as if Huang Shishi had blocked the sun with his own body, and a brief shadow enveloped Shangguan Mengqing.

The golden longsword, ever-changing, seemed to dance in Huang Shishi's hands, creating countless golden afterimages, but in the end, they all transformed into a single golden sword beam, which locked onto Shangguan Mengqing's position.

The golden sword light streaked through the air at an incredible speed, even affecting the space itself, cutting out extremely fine black lines—proof that space had been torn apart. Silver spatial turbulence faintly seeped outwards, exuding a suffocating chill.

Looking at the scene before her, Shangguan Mengqing's eyes remained calm and cold, like a deep pool. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, but only for a moment before relaxing.

Shangguan Mengqing was quite familiar with Huang Shishi's move. As Huang Qiusheng's grandson, how could they lack resources? This move, "Nine Heavens Breaking Sun Sword," was considered a very profound sword technique in the Sword Sect.

Shangguan Mengqing took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and the Autumn Rain Sword in her hand danced freely with her heart, creating afterimages in the blink of an eye and forming a dense, deep blue barrier.

"boom!"

The next moment, the golden sword light slammed into Shangguan Mengqing's defense. After a deafening explosion, a series of clanging sounds followed as the dense sword energy from the golden sword light struck Shangguan Mengqing's fine defense. Each collision released a wave of energy that made the space itself seem illusory.

"Seok's sword...it was actually..."