The moment the referee’s voice fell, Tana used the same tactic as before. She pushed off with her feet, her petite frame shooting out like a cannonball, the heavy hammer dragging behind her, poised to strike.

She intended to use absolute power to counter her opponent’s potential speed.

She had fought Qin Rui many times and knew the characteristics of a Fast Sword Martial Artist. She wasn’t good at defense, so launching a preemptive attack was the best strategy.

However, she never expected that while they both practiced the Fast Sword, Zhao Qingwei’s and Qin Rui’s styles were completely different.

The very instant her feet moved and her gaze met Zhao Qingwei’s—

"SHING!"

The clear ring of the sword seemed to echo deep within everyone’s soul!

An impossibly brilliant sword flash erupted from Zhao Qingwei’s hip!

It wasn’t a light in the physical sense, but more of an assault on the spiritual level—a "sword flash" that surpassed the limits of visual perception!

Tana felt the world before her vanish in an instant. All sound, color, and sensation faded away, leaving only that single sword flash to fill her entire sea of consciousness!

Fast!

Indescribably fast!

So fast her mind froze, so fast her body went rigid, so fast she didn’t even have time for fear to surface!

Her Heart and Spirit were completely seized by this one sword strike!

Her body remained in a charging posture, but it was as if she had been struck by a Body Fixation Technique. Her pupils dilated, losing all focus.

To the spectators, it looked as though Zhao Qingwei had merely drawn her sword, and then Tana had inexplicably frozen, seemingly walking right into the fatal sword flash aimed at her throat!

"Damn it!"

In the West Courtyard’s rest area, the color drained from Qin Rui’s face, and he subconsciously leaned forward.

He also practiced the Fast Sword, so he, more than anyone, could feel the terror of Zhao Qingwei’s strike.

This was no longer just about physical speed. It was about integrating the very Intention of "fast" into the Sword Technique, directly attacking the opponent’s Spirit and robbing them of their ability to react!

"Tana!" Xu Zhi cried out in alarm.

It looked like Tana was about to be defeated by a single strike to the throat!

In that hair’s breadth of a moment—

"ROAR!!!"

A furious roar, as if from the primordial wilderness, suddenly erupted!

From within Tana’s petite frame, it was as if some slumbering behemoth had awakened. Her vast Qi and Blood erupted like a volcano!

A dense golden light emanated from her body, coalescing behind her into the phantom image of a golden elephant—majestic and imposing!

The elephant raised its head and trumpeted. An invisible spiritual pressure spread out, forcefully shaking the soul-stealing sword flash!

But she was still a moment too slow.

The sword flash was already at her throat!

A flash of resolve appeared in Tana’s eyes. She knew it was now impossible to dodge completely.

’If I can’t dodge it, then I’ll bet everything!’

Ignoring the sword aimed at her throat, she gathered all her strength and, with the desperation of someone taking her opponent down with her, swung the black heavy hammer at the nearby Zhao Qingwei!

A life for a life!

"BOOM!!!"

The sword flash swept past; the shadow of the hammer fell.

Two streaks of light flashed almost simultaneously.

A thin line of blood appeared on Tana’s throat, and then her entire body dissolved into white light, vanishing from the stage.

Meanwhile, Zhao Qingwei was viciously struck on her left shoulder by the hammer, which was imbued with the Divine Elephant Power!

"CRACK!"

The distinct sound of a bone fracturing rang out.

Zhao Qingwei spat out a mouthful of blood. Her body flew backward uncontrollably, as if she’d been hit by a high-speed maglev train. She crashed hard onto the stage floor over ten meters away and rolled several times before coming to a stop.

The longsword flew from her hand and embedded itself in the floor nearby, humming incessantly.

"North Courtyard, Zhao Qingwei wins!"

The referee’s timely announcement confirmed the outcome: a winner decided in the blink of an eye, but with both combatants grievously wounded.

Tana had died on the spot, and though Zhao Qingwei was the victor, she looked to be in a state not much better than death itself.

The audience had already erupted into heated discussion.

One move!

In just a single move, both of them had practically "fallen" at the same time!

"My God! What just happened?"

"What was that Sword Technique from Zhao Qingwei... I couldn’t even see it!"

"What was that behind Tana? A giant elephant? Is that some kind of High-tier Martial Arts?"

"They both took each other out! Tana was instantly defeated, and Zhao Qingwei is basically crippled!"

"This... This is too brutal!"

In the East Courtyard’s rest area, Shen Wei sucked in a sharp breath. "Holy shit! These two women... each one is more ruthless than the last!"

Zhou Mingxuan’s expression was also grave. He knew that if he had been up there, he would have been ’taken offline’ on the spot, whether by the hammer or the sword.

Xu Wuyi’s gaze fell upon the stage, and he frowned slightly. There was something about Tana’s performance that felt familiar.

Beside him, Shen Wei’s eyes lost focus for a moment, as if he were communicating with someone.

A moment later, he suddenly spoke up. "Found it. Tana practices Divine Elephant Demon Suppression. It’s also a B-level Body Refining Technique!"

Xu Wuyi’s gaze flickered as he looked at him. "Divine Elephant Demon Suppression?"

"That’s right!" Shen Wei nodded emphatically. "It’s derived from the Esoteric Martial Arts of the Ancient Martial Sect. Its main feature is boundless strength upon mastery. No wonder even Luo Liang’s ’turtle shell’ couldn’t take a few hits from her hammer!"

"A B-level Body Refining Technique, Divine Elephant Demon Suppression... So that’s how it is," Xu Wuyi murmured to himself.

No wonder it felt familiar. He was seeing a Qi and Blood Strength in Tana similar to his own.

This was the first time he had seen someone other than himself who also cultivated a B-level Body Refining Technique.

His Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace followed the path of Melting All Things and refining the Heart Fire, while Tana’s Divine Elephant Demon Suppression was clearly geared toward the ultimate enhancement of pure strength.

Furthermore, any B-level Martial Arts must include a method for tempering the Spirit. Tana’s golden elephant phantom was a manifestation of one’s Spirit interfering with reality, just like his Heart Fire.

Also, considering Tana was relatively unknown in her early days at the university but suddenly rose to prominence upon becoming a Martial Artist, she had most likely acquired this B-level Body Refining Technique through some fortunate encounter after entering Star Martial University.

Just like how Luo Liang obtained the Golden Jade Skills, the university platform was rapidly catalyzing the growth of their freshman class.

’As I thought, no one who made it this far is mediocre,’ Xu Wuyi mused, feeling an invisible pressure mixed with a hint of anticipation.

Fighting against different experts and witnessing different paths of Martial Arts was, in itself, a form of cultivation.

At this moment, the outcome on the stage was already set.

Tana from the West Courtyard was "killed in action," while Zhao Qingwei from the North Courtyard was severely injured.

Both sides had lost a key player, and both were absolute core members of their teams.

The situation had become delicate.

The West Courtyard still had Qin Rui and Xu Zhi, while the North Courtyard was down to its last member, who had a Life Energy Level of 20.2.

Theoretically, the West Courtyard still held an absolute advantage.

But as Qin Rui and Xu Zhi watched Zhao Qingwei get teleported away, their expressions were anything but relaxed.

Zhao Qingwei’s sword served as a stark warning. Although she appeared to be severely injured, what if she could still manage one more strike?

Even Qin Rui, who was considered a contender for the title of number one freshman, wasn’t confident he could take that strike.

Faced with that pure "speed," his Swordsmanship, his Secret Techniques, and all his other training would be useless. He could only rely on his purest Heart and Spirit to counter it.

This was a case of one sword to break all techniques!