Chapter 68: murderous Intent Behind the Scenes

Although “Jianghu” had not been around for long, it was well known that female players generally had inferior innate attributes compared to males—except for wisdom and agility! The martial arts of the Emei Sect were specifically created for women, addressing their weaknesses by emphasizing techniques like “relaxation” and “guidance.” Thus, relying on unique mental strategies and methods, they managed to establish a strong position among the seven major sects, second only to Shaolin and Wudang.

Although the Random Wind Sword Technique was Emei’s basic introductory martial art, any martial art reached the master level would undergo a dramatic transformation. Moreover, from Nuomi’s expression and movements, Kai Xin could sense her fighting spirit fully integrated with her sword intent, elevating it to a new level.

Not only Kai Xin but everyone else could also notice Nuomi’s changes.

The one who felt it most acutely was Orochimaru. Standing opposite Nuomi, he felt extremely uncomfortable. His previous opponent, Yitong, had already been the toughest opponent he had faced since joining the martial arts tournament—requiring him to go all out each time to inflict even minor damage. But Nuomi was completely different…

Fighting Nuomi was like having endless strength yet being unable to use it effectively. Either he was driven into empty space by her sword shadows or his attacks were gradually dismantled amidst the overlapping waves of swords. He couldn’t even break free, as if his weapon were entangled by her soft cape, leaving him unsure where to apply his strength. Moreover, all his subsequent attacks were affected by her sword intent! It was even worse than fighting Yitong!

“Damn you, girl!”

After several consecutive attacks being effortlessly repelled, Orochimaru finally realized what was going on. Gritting his teeth in anger, he leaped forward, breaking free from the overlapping sword shadows surrounding Nuomi.

“…”

Seeing this, Kai Xin thought something was wrong.

With Orochimaru’s intelligence, he would surely notice that the Random Wind Sword Technique was a defensive-oriented art rather than an offensive one. Once he understood the trick and countered accordingly, Nuomi’s situation would become dire.

Unfortunately!

The next moment, Orochimaru proved with action that Nuomi only had a temporary advantage. Holding the Mother-Child Swords in reverse, he turned the sword momentum and sent them like fangs at the sword shadows around Nuomi.

Seeing him charge again, Nuomi calmly continued her defensive stance, using her cape to guide his attacks. Whenever he attacked, he would inevitably be drawn in, and she would use her footwork and sword intent to neutralize his assaults.

Orochimaru was nothing special…

Nuomi’s fighting spirit grew even stronger.

Unfortunately!

When Orochimaru truly charged at Sword Shadow, he suddenly came to a halt, gripping his sword with one hand while using the secondary sword for defense and keeping the primary sword hidden behind him… Still in a defensive stance.
Nuanmi’s expression changed as he sensed from the opponent’s brief defensive moves that the influence of his own sword intent on the enemy was diminishing, while the primary sword, ready to strike, continued to accumulate energy—like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, ready to launch a fierce attack at any moment.
“…”
Orochimaru’s strategy of using stillness to counter stillness successfully broke through Nuanmi’s defense. Feeling both joy and regret, a fierce fighting spirit arose in him.
In this competition, the Nanhua Jianghu Ranking finally provided a worthy opponent who could arouse his interest and force him to bring out his full strength—making the trip worthwhile.
As he pondered, a clear advantage emerged on the arena. Distracted, Nuanmi retreated step by step, his sword moves becoming more flawed. Eventually, he was severely wounded by Orochimaru, who had been building up his strength for a long time. The primary sword left a bloody trail across Nuanmi’s shoulder as Orochimaru pounced like a cheetah!
This was the prelude to Orochimaru exploiting his opponent’s inability to fight back and killing him…
Yet!
Just as Orochimaru revealed his ferocious fangs, ready to slaughter his opponent and satisfy his deep-seated evil desires, an aura that only warriors could sense rushed toward him from not far away. An inexplicable warning made him halt abruptly just before reaching Nuanmi and stop to the side.
As he looked around in confusion to identify the source of the warning, he frowned upon seeing the masked swordsman in blue he had once paid attention to standing silently in the audience, his gaze as cold as ice, filled with endless murderous intent. He held a small, exquisite flying knife between his fingers, which disappeared from his hand in an instant.
Noticing Orochimaru’s restraint of his violent intent, the other four people on the arena also noticed this and showed expressions of surprise and relief.
Thankfully…
If Orochimaru had resorted to brutal methods to kill Nuanmi again, they might really have had to dig deep to find this perverted senior who had left school!
The system promptly announced:
“Winner of Group B: Orochimaru!”
“Winner of Group A: Kai Xin!”
“The rest compete for the top ten spots on the Nanhua Strongest Ranking. Kai Xin and Orochimaru are ready to enter the final battle to compete for the number one spot on the Nanhua Jianghu Ranking and the qualification to attend the martial arts conference!”

The solemn and loud announcement seemed utterly unable to stir Orochimaru’s emotions on the arena. His serpent-like gaze fixed intently on the masked swordsman below, who had regained his calm composure. He stuck out his tongue and, in front of everyone, disgustingly licked the blood-stained sword… revealing a chilling sinister smile.
Others might not notice!
But Happy, who knew Orochimaru’s character and strength well, sensed his murderous intent from this provocative and contemptuous gesture.
“The path ahead in the martial world will likely not be peaceful or easy.”
Happy knew that the killing aura and presence she had emitted earlier had alerted him. By now, she must have been remembered by him as his number one enemy.
If she allowed someone like Orochimaru to grow stronger, who knew when she might be suddenly attacked out of nowhere? What had happened at the foot of Shaoshi Mountain in her past life could very well repeat itself!
Thinking of this, Happy looked up at the arena, staring straight into Orochimaru’s eyes without hiding her murderous intent.
One was evil, brutal, and unruly!
The other had a profound demeanor and a fierce fighting spirit!
The two stared at each other across the height of the arena for several seconds, with no one else in their minds. Sparks flew between them, and the temperature in the air seemed to rise dramatically!
…
Back in her seat, Nuomi was still shaken by Orochimaru’s devastatingly intricate sword techniques. Recalling the terrifying moment when her life was on the line, as well as Orochimaru’s fierce appearance despite his overwhelming strength, her heart pounded wildly.
She knew.
If Happy hadn’t intervened in time, Orochimaru’s shadow would surely have followed her for life.
This guy, who had saved her by chance once, was actually the enemy who had made her suffer her first defeat, forcing her to learn the deeper meaning of the Random Robe Sword Technique through shame and determination.
For a moment, her heart felt like a mix of all emotions—she couldn’t describe it, nor knew how to face him in the future.
Gratitude? Or anger?
But one thing was absolutely certain: she would never let Orochimaru take the championship title of Nanhua University!
The next moment, both Happy and Orochimaru disappeared from the arena… appearing on a huge arena ten meters away…