On the stage, Zhang Yiyi, who was treated as a young girl by the middle-aged man, couldn't help but laugh at his good-natured teasing. Well, it seemed that the trusted aide sent by Wang Xiaodan's father was rather decent. Not only was her opponent at the early stage of the Golden Core, but he also had a pretty good temperament. Just for this, she felt that her and Luo Qiheng's choice of approaching the Wang family was not a bad one. The behavior of the Wang family was clear from this small interaction—unlike many ruthless and shady families, it felt much more comfortable for her here.

"Uncle, Fifth Miss didn't make a mistake; your opponent is indeed this junior," Zhang Yiyi explained with a bright smile to the tall, thin Golden Core cultivator. "On the stage, there's no need to talk about fairness. You can give it your all without reservation. I, Han Lin, am willing to face you at full strength. May I know your esteemed name, senior?"

This was merely a sparring match, not a life-and-death battle, and there was no past grievance between them. Moreover, they'd likely be colleagues in the future, so exchanging names before the battle was a sign of respect.

"Oh, the little girl has courage and quite the attitude!" the Golden Core cultivator remarked, now assured, and responded confidently to Zhang Yiyi, "My name is Cheng Yang. Since you dare to challenge me, I assume you have some real skill. You're right—there's no such thing as 'fair or unfair' on the stage, so I'll be giving my all without holding back."

Cheng Yang was seasoned, having traversed the cultivation world for a hundred years, and he never underestimated an opponent, no matter who. Although the girl looked delicate and her cultivation was below his, there was no way she'd boldly challenge him in front of so many people from the Wang family if she didn't have some real skill. Besides, she had already reached the middle stage of Foundation Establishment at such a young age—a talent not to be taken lightly.

Unbeknownst to him, Zhang Yiyi had already used her ancient jade to mask her true age; otherwise, a girl barely twenty and already at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage would have been highly valued, even among the top five noble families, with her family going all out to nurture her as a true prodigy.

Seeing that Cheng Yang wasn't underestimating her because of the difference in cultivation level, Zhang Yiyi couldn't help but nod approvingly. Soon, the obviously uneven duel was about to officially begin. The Wang family disciples gathered to watch, speculating about Zhang Yiyi's identity. While most didn't believe the young girl had any chance of winning, they refrained from showing scorn or disdain.

Firstly, the Wang family disciples were well-taught; the family held little tolerance for those who only talked big and trampled on others. Secondly, Zhang Yiyi was strikingly beautiful and graceful, making it difficult for the young, vibrant disciples to harbor any dislike toward her.

"Go, beautiful fairy sister!" a crisp, childlike voice suddenly called out, sweet and endearing. Encouraged by the brave child's cheer, the crowd quickly joined in, cheering for Zhang Yiyi with genuine goodwill.

Zhang Yiyi glanced down and immediately spotted the voice's source: a little girl of about five or six, waving excitedly at her like a chubby jade doll, openly expressing her support. This sight made Zhang Yiyi smile, charmed by the little jade-like girl. Unbeknownst to her, this sudden smile had the crowd momentarily stunned by her radiance.

"Little girl, you seem quite popular. If you don't start, I won't hold back," Cheng Yang remarked, seemingly unfazed by the crowd's one-sided support for the unknown girl, with no one cheering for him. Even he had to admit, good looks could sometimes be an asset. Though he himself was a well-featured elder, he couldn't compete with the charm and aura of the girl before him.

"Forgive me, Senior Cheng!" Zhang Yiyi was now fully focused, shutting out any outside interference. She wasn't going to recklessly give up the advantage of attacking first, respectfully acknowledging Cheng Yang's seniority. She raised her hand, drawing her long sword, and launched into a straightforward sword technique.

Since it was merely a spar, not a life-and-death struggle, she couldn't go all out with a single, powerful strike. Instead, she started with an ordinary thrust, aiming to test her opponent's strength. Only after gauging his depth could she select the optimal strategy for the battle. Though her swordplay seemed simple, she wielded it with remarkable skill. Combined with the sword aura she'd cultivated months prior, her attack was both fierce and powerful, filled with high spirits and intense battle energy, making even the spectators below feel the sharpness of her sword aura.

"This little girl truly has some skills!"

Cheng Yang was first startled, then delighted, as he summoned a treasured whip out of thin air, wielding it as it came alive like a snake, rising to meet the attack.

"Haha! So, she's a sword cultivator and has already broken through to wield sword energy at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage! With such skills, she truly deserves to challenge me across realms." The sword energy and the treasured whip clashed mid-air, each probing the other. After ten moves or so, it surprisingly seemed evenly matched. This brought a gleam to the eyes of the onlookers, even though they knew the match had only begun and Cheng Yang had yet to go all out. The girl's performance, nonetheless, was indeed remarkable.

Sword cultivators were rare in Lanyu Small World, as this path was more arduous than others, and achieving anything in swordsmanship was exceptionally challenging. However, the battle strength of sword cultivators was often outstanding compared to other types of cultivators, making cross-realm victories relatively common. The young girl on the stage was not only a sword cultivator but also extraordinarily talented in swordsmanship. At the Foundation Establishment stage, she had already generated sword energy—a feat unmatched by her peers.

Even Luo Qiheng, a legitimate sword cultivator from the Sword Sect, was surprised to see Zhang Yiyi's sword strike. He had witnessed her swordplay a few years ago during the secret realm of Luoxian River when her sword presence was already strong. But in just a few years, she had advanced to wield sword energy, and it was incredibly pure. Though he, too, had mastered sword energy, he hadn't achieved this level at her age. This, as his master had often said, was the unique intuition and insight of a naturally gifted sword cultivator—a talent to be envied but not replicated.

After a round of probing, Zhang Yiyi gained a rough understanding of Cheng Yang's strength. As Luo Qiheng had mentioned, the cultivators of this world were generally not as strong as those from Huaren World. Despite having the same realm, their combat power was usually a level lower. Cheng Yang, with his early Golden Core stage cultivation, seemed to be about as strong as a full Foundation Establishment cultivator from Huaren. Defeating him, therefore, posed no real problem for Zhang Yiyi.

No longer holding back, Zhang Yiyi raised her sword, unleashing the second and third moves of the Qingping Sword Technique in succession, creating a vast net of sword energy that rushed towards Cheng Yang. The shift was dramatic—her aura surged several times over, now sharp and unstoppable. Cheng Yang had already noticed her strength, but he was still taken aback by the power and speed of her sword energy, which bore down on him with an intensity that nearly brought him to his knees.

Cheng Yang's face changed drastically as he brought his whip up to defend himself. The whip transformed into a massive snake, its mouth open wide, lunging toward the net of sword energy, trying to break free from its confinement. But the giant snake quickly shrank, inch by inch, under the relentless assault of her sword energy.

Realizing he had underestimated her, Cheng Yang bit down and summoned a massive axe, casting a spell to send it crashing toward the net of sword energy. Swing after swing, the axe emitted an intense devouring power, its cold silver light blinding. "Wow, Cheng Yang took out his prized treasure so quickly—this girl really isn't simple," murmured a voice in the crowd, a second-class guest cultivator who seemed familiar with Cheng Yang. This axe was indeed formidable, a weapon that none dared to confront head-on. Yet even after three powerful strikes, Zhang Yiyi's sword net remained largely intact.

Seeing this, Cheng Yang was further alarmed, realizing that continued resistance would only put him at a disadvantage. His heart set, he retrieved his axe, merging with it in a unified strike—the full power of his Heaven-Cleaving Axe Technique—before swinging it down with all his might at Zhang Yiyi.

With a thunderous crash, his axe finally broke through her sword energy, though he staggered back three steps before regaining his footing. Zhang Yiyi, however, merely took one step back, standing firmly with her calm expression unchanged, clearly unaffected by his strike.

"Han girl, you've got guts! Now, let's see how you handle the last three moves of my Heaven-Cleaving Axe Technique!" Cheng Yang's battle spirit was high, his eagerness showing as he prepared to unleash his full power. His tone unconsciously shifted to treating Zhang Yiyi as an equal, rather than a junior.

"Alright!" Zhang Yiyi responded, now genuinely admiring Cheng Yang's character. True to his word, he wasted no time, launching his Heaven-Cleaving Axe Technique in a series of attacks, each one more intense and powerful than the last. His killing intent had grown several times over, and even the crowd could feel an oppressive weight pressing down on them.

At the same time, Zhang Yiyi raised her sword with a graceful flourish, entirely different from her previous Qingping Sword Technique. As she moved, a mysterious and heart-stopping feeling spread over everyone, as though an endless galaxy were descending upon them, leaving them unable to move or breathe.

"First Sword of the Starry Sky!" she whispered, her face serene as her sword moved almost effortlessly. Yet, with that seemingly gentle swing, she shattered all of Cheng Yang's attacks, moving faster than words could describe.