Chapter 127: Comparing Sizes

Lin Zhan could not help but roll his eyes. Whether his name was Yi Ruyi or Yi Ruyi, this senior brother was quite a character. However, since the man was at the late stage of the third grade of the Yellow Realm, his strength was among the most outstanding of the disciples, and he was certainly not to be underestimated. Lin Zhan braced himself, channeled his spiritual energy, and held his black sword across his chest, ready to fight.

"Oh, little junior brother, since we are going to have a go at it, I have a suggestion. I wonder if you would agree?" Yi Ruyi scratched his head, looking somewhat hesitant.

Lin Zhan had to pause his gathering of spiritual energy. "Senior Brother Yi, please, go ahead."

"We are disciples of the same peak; fighting and killing would only hurt our harmony. Why don't we have a 'literary duel' instead? Let's just compare whose is longer and thicker."

"Wait!" Lin Zhan shuddered instantly and scanned his surroundings to see if anyone else was nearby. What was this about comparing length and thickness? This sounded like something that would get censored! What was going on? Was this Senior Brother Yi naturally gifted with an impressive endowment? Lin Zhan was not afraid of a fight, but he certainly could not compete with that!

"Senior Brother Yi, I cannot compete with you on that! You—you are not serious!" Lin Zhan was sweating now.

"Do you perhaps have a better way? I was just going to say that since we both use heavy swords, the length, thickness, and vibrancy of our sword auras are enough to reflect our actual strength. If you don't agree to this, then..." Yi Ruyi lifted his heavy sword and looked at it, speaking with a hint of regret. Of course, the power of his sword aura had always been his strong suit, and it was a specialty that allowed him to stand proud among his peers. If they compared this, he would definitely win against a low-level opponent like Lin Zhan.

"Ah, Senior Brother Yi, so that is what you meant!" Lin Zhan felt a mix of shame and annoyance as he jumped up. "Fine, let's compare that! No changing now. Come on, let's see whose sword aura is longer and thicker!"

This misunderstanding had left Lin Zhan utterly mortified; he just wanted to finish this quickly and be done with it.

The two stood on their respective small peaks, holding their heavy swords horizontally, pointing the tips in the same direction. Both concentrated their energy, channeling the entirety of their spiritual reserves into their swords. Since they were not in the middle of a life-or-death battle, forcing the sword aura to expand to its maximum required a certain amount of preparation.

"Hehe, Little Junior Brother Lin Zhan, let me show you my strong point!" Yi Ruyi’s robes billowed, his hair flew backward, and the skin on his face rippled from the surging spiritual energy, creating a comical sight. A long, silver radiance erupted from his heavy sword, shooting forward like a ribbon of light.

*Whoosh!*

This was the power of the sword aura Yi Ruyi was so proud of—several yards long, thick and imposing, with a momentum that seemed to pierce the sky. As the stream of light erupted, a triumphant look appeared on Yi Ruyi’s face. He glanced sideways at Lin Zhan, his nostrils flared, as if to say, "Hehe, your turn!"

Lin Zhan was caught off guard. He realized then that if he went by the current state of Yi Ruyi’s sword aura, he simply could not win. The power of his own black sword had never reached such a scale, and at its longest, it was not even half the length of his opponent's! Lin Zhan realized too late that he had fallen into a trap set by the other man.

Lin Zhan held his sword with his left hand, calmed his mind, and nodded at Yi Ruyi with a mischievous smirk.

*Whoosh!*

It was the same act of raising the sword and releasing the aura. But compared to Yi Ruyi’s, Lin Zhan’s sword aura carried the power of silver arcs and golden brilliance, imbued with the might of a golden dragon. Coiled around the golden dragon were countless tiny silver dragons—the power of the Creation Spirit Wheel—crackling with electric pops and hisses.

"Tsk, is that all?" When Yi Ruyi saw the length of the aura from Lin Zhan’s sword, he subconsciously sneered. It seemed he had this "literary duel" in the bag. The feeling of winning without a real fight was truly satisfying; he could preserve their harmony while successfully securing his points. Yi Ruyi grew even more reckless, unleashing the full force of his sword aura, pushing it to its absolute limit, intending to show Lin Zhan a thing or two and make him lose with conviction.

Suddenly, he noticed Lin Zhan blink at him. Then, he felt his own heavy sword grow significantly heavier, and the power of his sword aura showed signs of losing control. This was definitely not a good sign!

Lin Zhan was a "Caldron," and that was no joke. His ability to influence the power of others' artifacts was a technique he had been constantly refining. Such a connection could enhance the strength of Yi Ruyi’s sword aura, but conversely, it could also disrupt it!

As Lin Zhan moved his right hand, the aura on Yi Ruyi’s side shifted accordingly.

*Whoosh!*

This time, it went in reverse.

Visible to the naked eye, the silver sword aura in front of Yi Ruyi withered by more than half, and it continued to shrink.

"Terrible! What is happening?" Yi Ruyi was severely startled, as his sword aura had never slipped out of his control like this before. Looking at Lin Zhan’s side, the silver-arc and golden radiance remained incredibly intense, extending further and further. At the tip, waves of energy were surging, nearly breaking through the aura—that was the *Qi* of the sword!

Yi Ruyi realized that if his own aura remained uncontrollable while Lin Zhan’s sword *Qi* exploded forth, he would be defeated! After all, sword aura and sword *Qi* were completely different levels of power. No matter how Yi Ruyi adjusted his spiritual energy or how hard he tried to reconnect with his sword, nothing worked.

Seeing this, Lin Zhan’s smirk grew wider; he decided to tease him a bit more. He clenched his right hand, and suddenly, he heard Yi Ruyi’s excited shout: "Haha! Thank heavens, I can do it again!"

But a second later: "Ugh, why is it failing again? Wow, I have strength now... damn it, I can't do it again."

Repeatedly, Yi Ruyi was thrown into a panic, suffering both mental and spiritual torment.

"A man should never say he can't, Senior Brother Yi!" Lin Zhan called out from afar.

Finally, Lin Zhan forced the opponent's sword aura to vanish completely. Yi Ruyi fell dejectedly onto the pile of rocks on the peak, his heavy sword slipping from his grasp with a loud clatter. On Lin Zhan’s side, the layers of golden tidal waves at the tip of his black sword finally broke through the constraints of the spiritual energy on the blade, surging forward with a whistle that tore through the wind. They slammed into a massive boulder with a series of dull thuds.

As if occurring in the same instant, a thunderous roar echoed from within the boulder. Cracks spread across its surface like a spiderweb until it suddenly exploded, turning into a cloud of white dust that dissipated in the wind.

Lin Zhan sheathed his sword, bowed from a distance, and said clearly, "Senior Brother Yi, I accept the win!"