Eloquent Ascent

Soon, Xu Qi silently whispered, capturing the essence of all the available primal elements on the stage, including the wild lightning that hadn't resonated with Ji Feiyang's qi.

Under the gaze of everyone, he wielded them like a maestro conducting an unseen symphony. They circulated around his body as he faced the determined lightning maiden.

Upon seeing that, the lightning blade faltered in Ji Feiyang's hand as she stared at him, the resolve in her eyes wavering like a candle in the breeze.

And there, as if they mutually agreed, they charged at each other, ready to decide the victor in this clash. Xu Qi with his meager third stage Elemental Awakener capabilities against the fifth stage Lightning Maiden.

The Elders, the inner and outer court disciples as well as the mortal spectators all peeled their eyes to watch the grand finale of the duel.

"Hah! He's going to lose. How can he be so arrogant for his meager cultivation?!" Sun Yufeng mocked from the audience's stands as his eyes kept on lingering back to Xiao Yue who had never faltered with her obvious support to the young man. He was furious. What did she see in him?

Lan Hua cooly muttered as she sat down as if she had already seen the outcome of the incoming clash. "He's impressive nonetheless. It's rare to see someone who can fight above his level. When will he come up to the inner court? I want to train him."

"Senior Sister Lan Hua, it's not that impressive. Each of us here has also shown our dominance in the outer court during our early stages in the Elemental Awakener Realm. I can say he's impressive if he can do that as an Elemental Synthesis Realm cultivator." Yang Fan dismissed it as he too rolled the floor against higher cultivation opponents back when he was still an outer court disciple. In his eyes, he had to prove more than that.

Next to him, Bai Yuexin remained silent but there was a glint in her eyes that hid the thoughts lingering within.

Ji Feiyang's blade clashed with Xu Qi's wind barrier, each collision resonating like a gong in the mountain air. Sparks flew as lightning met his superb command of the primal elements, a dance of power and grace that was something rare to be seen on a low level stage like this.

With every blow they exchanged, the intensity of the duel grew, yet Xu Qi's smile never faltered. He parried and dodged with a grace that seemed to defy his cultivation stage. His words, like the whispers of a lover, painted images of a world where strength wasn't just in power, but in understanding and unity with the elements.

Ji Feiyang's strikes grew slower, her heart torn between her desire to win and the curiosity stirring within her every time she heard his voice.

However, just as Ji Feiyang was starting to feel conflicted, Xu Qi felt his strength waning. He knew he was pushing the limit of his qi but the challenge before him kept him going.

His words, though still empowered by his Celestial Eloquence, had started to lose their grasp on the primal element. On the flip side, he was successful in continuing to influence Ji Feiyang's lightning.

A minute later, the two figures separated. Xu Qi wobbled slightly, his wind barrier fading away as he took a deep, ragged breath. His eyes gleamed with fatigue. Ji Feiyang wasn't any better but she's more stable.

Her eyes searched for him as a silent question lingered in her head. Did he really mean what he said? Can words hold such power? Her heart was racing. The lightning in her blade flickered, unsure of its master's feelings.

"Miss Ji," Unaware of his opponent's current internal turmoil, Xu Qi took a deep breath and recomposed himself.

He stood straight and then clasped his fists together, gracefully bowing to his opponent as his calm and collected voice despite his labored breathing announced his surrender, "Your lightning is indeed fierce. I am totally blown away. Thank you for the experience."

At that, despite the confusion from the spectators, Xu Qi took a step back, conceding defeat but with a poise that suggested he had achieved a different victory.

The crowd's whispers grew to a murmur as their fight concluded.

Xu Qi had lost, but the way he had done so was far from disgraceful.

Ji Feiyang lowered her blade, her eyes still fixated on Xu Qi. She was both glad and disappointed. She won but Xu Qi showed her that he could match her despite being weaker in cultivation.

Furthermore, he left her heart pounding in her chest, not from the exertion of the battle but from the realization that she had found someone who could match her in more ways than one. It helped widen her perspective on cultivation.

"... I wish I could fight you again in a different setting. When your cultivation finally catches up to me. I have the feeling you won't stay that low..." Ji Feiyang said before hurriedly jumping down to escape any more pull from his words. She had never felt this way before. It was as if she had been hit by a bolt of lightning herself, not just the ones she could resonate with.

Xu Qi nodded and didn't say anything else. He was exhausted. He truly spent most of his available qi there.

Nonetheless, he didn't feel bitter. A loss is a loss. Even if he didn't concede there, he could already feel that Ji Feiyang could still go for a few more rounds. An additional round was all she needed to topple Xu Qi.

Besides, it was also his way to prevent the scrutinizing eyes from seeing his control with his primal elements slipping because of exhaustion. He couldn't let those high-level cultivators figure out that his peculiarity was not because of enlightenment on how to cultivate but because of his unique, alternate path from the conventional standards.