The disciples agreed almost immediately. Running five laps the stadium was nothing compared to what Tian Xiewen normally put them through. On top of that, they will be able to witness a fight between two high-ranking cultivators! Even if they fail, it would have been worth it.

The area was quickly cleared out and Fan Yi smoothly erected a barrier. With this, any spiritual energy released will be contained within and won’t interfere with the disciples outside. However, that also meant that they will not be able to see Wu Lingtian’s techniques as clearly as the people being personally affected by them.

“Take note—Lord Yu Lan’s techniques are highly based on illusion,” Fan Yi said, his voice resonating through the stadium. “Beware that you may get confused during our exchange.”

The disciples all answered positively and waited on the edges of their seats for a show.

Fan Yi tossed a sword at Wu Lingtian with a simple warning: “It might break.”

Wu Lingtian weighed the lifeless sword in his hand and thought back to his own sword that he had wielded for several centuries. To be honest, to him, the two weren’t much different.

“Then I apologize in advance,” Wu Lingtian discarded the sheathe to the side and took a stance.

Even with the barrier, the disciples felt a slight hum in the air as the two cultivators took their places. They shuddered to think what sort of pressure they would be under if the barrier protection wasn’t there. They would probably have already begun bleeding from their orifices and fainted only a short minute in.

With one swift motion, Wu Lingtian threw the borrowed sword up into the air. The disciples watched with a concentrated curiosity as Wu Lingtian performed a series of difficult hand gestures. In the next moment, Fan Yi slid to the ground, as if avoiding an invisible force, and rolled forward. He thrust his sword out as well, but it didn’t even manage to touch the edge of Wu Lingtian’s robes.

As Fan Yi danced about, Wu Lingtian remained in a stable position, watching Fan Yi move about the stage with a set of cold eyes. Not even two minutes in, Wu Lingtian recalled his sword and lunged forward. The loud sound of metal against metal scrapped against the disciples’ ears. They watched as Fan Yi easily side-stepped and pushed Wu Lingtian off. The two men became engaged in close hand-to-hand combat.

One could see the clashing of colors bouncing about within the barrier. If they could be released to their full potential, their fight could easily be seen from in the city.

Wu Lingtian glanced down at the sword in his hand. A slim crack had begun to form at the hilt, slowly moving up higher and higher to the tip of the blade. Wu Lingtian turned to Fan Yi and lunged at him once more. He didn’t have the urge to win, but he did still want to put up a good fight. Fan Yi’s eyes flickered towards the flat of the sword. He glanced at Wu Lingtian and the smile on his face grew further.

“You are displeasing to the eye,” Wu Lingtian commented as he smoothly flew back. His toes barely touched the ground again when he met Fan Yi in the middle of the stadium.

“You don’t mean that,” Fan Yi sighed. “You should stop saying such hurtful things. I’ll take them seriously one day.”

“Your smile is really unpleasant,” Wu Lingtian continued, regardless of Fan Yi’s disappointment.

“Yu Lan, you know you can’t work me up like this,” Fan Yi said with a bright laugh.

Wu Lingtian met Fan Yi’s gaze. The laziness just from the one look caused Fan Yi to laugh once more, though he did not become distracted in the slightest.

The two men crossed their sword once more. Fan Yi pushed his weight against Wu Lingtian, driving him closer to the edge of the stage. Wu Lingtian parried Fan Yi’s sword and slid to the ground, successfully evading Fan Yi by sliding between the man’s legs. Fan Yi turned on his heel immediately and charged after Wu Lingtian. Wu Lingtian jumped up in a graceful arc and, once again, landed behind Fan Yi.

The two men began to engage in a game of tag with Wu Lingtian hopping from pillar to pillar and Fan Yi following close behind him.

The moment Fan Yi’s toes touched the ground, Wu Lingtian launched himself from his position and dove towards Fan Yi. The swords clashed together, creating a myriad of sparks. Fan Yi was driven back to the edge of the stage. Just as he put forth pressure to push back, the sword in Wu Lingtian’s hands shattered. Fan Yi’s eyes widened and the sword that was soaring forward in his hand was suddenly recalled. Wu Lingtian took this chance to send his palm forth and push Fan Yi out of the stage with a burst of spiritual energy.

Fan Yi flew from the stage and caught himself on the ground below.

The disciples fell silent for several heartbeats before breaking out into a chorus of cheers. It was the most interesting fight they had ever witnessed in their lives.

Fan Yi climbed back onto the stage and looked Wu Lingtian over. “Are you okay?”

Wu Lingtian clasped his hands together over the hilt of the broken sword and bowed. “Sect Leader has gone easy on me.”

Fan Yi took in Wu Lingtian’s unperturbed expression and let out a laugh of disbelief. He placed his hand on his forehead and laughed again—this time, his smile was slightly more genuine.

“Fine, fine. You win,” Fan Yi grinned. “It’s a waste of time to be worried about you.”

The disciples had run towards the stage when the barrier dispersed. They watched on at this scene below the stage in silence. The sect leader’s clear laughter, the sect leader’s carefree smile—while it was mesmerizing and new, the disciples suddenly turned towards Wu Lingtian. There was another layer of newfound respect in their eyes.

Fan Yi turned away from Wu Lingtian. The expression from before had faded as abruptly as it came, making the disciples doubt their own eyesight. Fan Yi had recovered his usual appearance as his eyes silently observed the disciples below.

“So, what did you observe from the fight?”

The disciples who were caught off guard began to sputter out their answers one after another. Wu Lingtian watched them for a moment before trailing off to the side. Various words entered his ears, some praising him and other analyzing and guessing at what could have been happening during that time. Wu Lingtian looked down at the battered sword in his hand. The grip around the hilt tightened. He placed the broken sword down on the bench and made his way out of the stadium, only to be stopped by Fan Yi.

“Yu Lan, could you tell them what you actually did?” Fan Yi asked.

Wu Lingtian turned back to the disciples who watched him with sparkling eyes of admiration. He suddenly felt uncomfortable.

“I enacted an illusion technique,” Wu Lingtian said. “It erases reality from the victim, making it hard to tell which is the real sword and which is the fake. The swords attack at a rapid pace, pushing the victim away. Once far enough, I fly into the air and strike down. Breaking the illusion will cause confusion and, at times, even insanity.”

“In short, what Lord Immortal Yu Lan does is a mind game,” Fan Yi said. “Although there aren’t many who do it as well as him in the cultivation world, who knows if there will be anyone else like him in the future? Remember to always keep a clear mind in battle and never fret. A calm disposition is the best. See, even when Lord Immortal Yu Lan tried to distract me, I hadn’t even reacted.”

Wu Lingtian nodded in acknowledgement.

“What did Lord Immortal say?” a curious disciple asked.

“I said his smile looks unsightly,” Wu Lingtian replied honestly.

The honest answer surprised the disciples. A moment later, the group began laughing, not caring that their sect leader’s face looked somewhat grim. Fan Yi sighed and glanced at the group of kids before looking back at Wu Lingtian. The man who normally had a gaze encased in ice had a slight smile in his eyes. It was reminiscent to a sun light hitting freshly fallen snow at just the right angle—it was unbelievably dazzling.

“Alright, alright, enough laughing,” Fan Yi sighed. He clapped his hands together. “Everyone’s response was satisfactory! Then, by the power invested in me, there will be no more lessons for the rest of the week. But be sure to practice on your own, alright? Don’t just run off into the city!”

The disciples cheered happily and thanked Fan Yi until the man irritably waved them off.

Wu Lingtian watched the group of children run off happily and softly shook his head. When he turned back around, he found Fan Yi staring back at him. “What is it?”

“You would make a good teacher.”