At this moment, the martial contest between Stewart Jiang and Emma Jiang commenced on the field.
Both competitors burst forth with the full might of the ninth level of the Inducing Qi Realm, engaging in fierce combat.
Stewart wielded a Normal Grade low-tier boxing technique, while Emma countered with a Normal Grade low-tier finger technique.
The initial ten moves saw neither gaining the upper hand, but as the bout progressed, a disparity began to emerge.
While their cultivation levels were evenly matched, Emma’s superior mastery of her Martial Technique gradually gave her the advantage on the field.
Sophia Xu, watching from the sidelines, felt her anxiety slowly ebb away. If Emma could defeat Stewart, she could find a way to prevent Timothy Jiang and Terra Su from proceeding with their second match.
However, just as Sophia breathed a sigh of relief, an unexpected twist occurred in the arena.
Stewart, seemingly on the brink of defeat, parried an attack from Emma and retreated to the edge of the field. Then, with a “clang,” he unsheathed a long sword from his waist!
Gasps of surprise rose from the spectators: “Is Young Master Stewart switching to sword techniques?”
“Pulling out a weapon at the brink of defeat, could it be his trump card?”
Sophia frowned, “Isn’t Stewart’s move inappropriate?”
Otto Jiang chuckled, “What’s wrong with changing techniques during a contest? No one said you have to stick to one technique from start to finish, right?”
Indeed, no one had said that, but the match had started with boxing against finger techniques, both unarmed. Suddenly drawing a sword seemed unfair, didn’t it?
After all, everyone knew that for a Martial Practitioner in the Inducing Qi Realm, a weapon like a long sword could be significantly more lethal.
Sophia really wanted to curse out loud, but she held back, her gaze towards the arena tinged with worry.
Yet, upon reflection, even if Stewart switched from boxing to sword techniques, as long as his sword technique was also Normal Grade low-tier, Emma’s chances of winning were still good.
Emma had honed her Normal Grade low-tier finger technique to perfection, making it difficult for any ordinary technique of the same grade to compete.
But as Sophia was thinking this, another unexpected event unfolded.
After drawing his sword, Stewart unleashed a Normal Grade mid-tier sword technique!
“Greenwood Sword Technique!”
As soon as Stewart executed the technique, Sophia’s face paled!
Otto Jiang had actually passed on the Normal Grade mid-tier “Greenwood Sword Technique” to Stewart!
“Young Master Stewart is truly formidable, mastering a Normal Grade mid-tier sword technique at the mere age of twenty!”
“It seems this match will turn from defeat to victory for Young Master Stewart.”
“Indeed, while Miss Emma’s finger technique is excellent, the advantage of a mid-tier technique is just too great.”
Sophia’s face turned ashen. Stewart had hidden his skills well, revealing his trump card only at the last moment.
Meanwhile, Sophia finally realized that from the start, she had been outmaneuvered by Otto Jiang and Robert Jiang. Sending Stewart to face Emma, they had been sure of victory.
As for the upcoming match between Timothy and Terra, it was merely an afterthought, a means to further humiliate her maternal family.
In the arena.
Emma struggled valiantly for a moment.
But ultimately, she was no match for the power of the mid-tier sword technique and was defeated.
“I lost!”
Emma uttered these words reluctantly, her face taut with anger and frustration, and quickly left the field after speaking.
“Mom!”
Once back at Sophia’s side, Emma couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.
Sophia patted her back with a heavy heart, “Don’t cry, my child. I know you did your best.”
Emma looked up, her face streaked with tears, “But our Minor Origin Elixirs…”
Sophia felt the sting of defeat, sighing, “We were outmatched this time. Let’s take it as a lesson.”
It was easy to say, but the reality was far from simple. Ten Minor Origin Elixirs a month were barely enough for the mother and daughter’s cultivation needs; reducing it to two was simply insufficient.
Especially since Emma was at the prime age for cultivation, a time when she needed abundant resources to grow her abilities.
Even if Sophia gave up her own cultivation and handed both Elixirs to Emma, it would still be far from enough.
It was possible that Emma, a cultivation prodigy, would see her path in the Martial Dao halted due to a lack of resources.
The thought was like a knife to Sophia’s heart.
It was at this moment.
A calm voice suddenly spoke, “Auntie, why be so sad? The contest isn’t over yet, is it?”
“Little Terra?”
Sophia was taken aback for a moment before she realized.
She had almost forgotten about the upcoming match between Timothy Jiang and Terra Su.
“Little Terra, are you really going to compete against Timothy?” Sophia asked hesitantly.
“Don’t worry, I’ll win back the Minor Origin Elixirs for you,” Terra Su said.
His tone was as casual as if he were talking about something as mundane as eating or drinking, leaving Sophia and Emma momentarily stunned.
After saying this, Terra Su strode confidently towards the arena without looking back.
By the time Sophia came to her senses and thought to call out to him, he was already standing in the middle of the field.
“Heh, such bravery!” Timothy Jiang casually entered the arena from the opposite side.
“I truly admire you. Knowing you’ll lose, yet you still come to meet your demise,” Timothy taunted with a sneer.
After all, he was just a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy, unable to hide his emotions as well as his elders.
Terra Su glanced at him and said, “Cut the chatter. Show me your full strength. I don’t want to waste time.”
Timothy’s expression froze, a flicker of anger crossing his face, “What’s with that attitude? I could beat you with one hand tied behind my back, believe it or not?”
“I don’t,” Terra Su replied succinctly.
“I see you need to be taught a lesson!” Timothy huffed, “Since you’re so confident, how about we make a bet?”
Terra Su asked indifferently, “Bet on what?”
“If you lose, you have to kneel and call me grandpa. Do you dare?” Timothy’s provocation was undisguised.
He fully expected Terra Su to refuse, which would give him the chance to mock Terra for being a coward.
But to his surprise, Terra Su chuckled, “Why wouldn’t I dare?”
“However, since it’s a wager, both sides must have stakes, right?” Terra Su added.
Timothy snorted, “Of course! If I lose, I’ll kneel and call you grandpa.”
Timothy didn’t believe for a second he would lose, so he agreed without hesitation.
Terra Su shook his head, “I have no interest in gaining a cheap grandson.”
Timothy was taken aback, “Then what do you want?”
“If you lose, starting this month, all Minor Origin Elixirs allocated to the first and third branches will belong to the second branch!” Terra Su stared into Timothy’s eyes, enunciating each word clearly.
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