Within Three Moves

Princess Lynne Ling's expression changed, but she quickly sneered and said, "Fine, I accept. The three of them can come at me together. If I win, I take Evan Xiao with me, and none of you can stop me. If I lose, I'll bring my three cities as dowry and marry him—as his concubine!"

"Then let the match begin! Sophie Sun, Sherry Shen, Evelyn Yuan, the three of you—attack together. The rules don't change. Weapons, spirit beasts, any method is allowed!" the Empress Dowager commanded.

The Empress Dowager knew Princess Lynne Ling's background inside out.

She was also at the fifth tier, her strength rivaling Sophie Sun's.

But with three people combined, there was no reason they couldn't beat her.

Besides, she'd already noticed that both Sophie Sun and the other two, Sherry Shen and Evelyn Yuan, had held back their strength in previous matches.

They were saving it for the final showdown!

Sophie, Sherry, and Evelyn all stepped onto the center stage of the martial arena.

Princess Lynne Ling rose gracefully, floating down from the viewing platform like a drifting willow catkin, landing right in their midst.

Her lightness skill was unmatched by any of them.

The three girls, seeing this, grew serious and each drew their weapon, ready for battle.

Evelyn Yuan's weapon was a gleaming sword, cold and radiant—clearly no ordinary blade.

Sherry Shen wielded a jet-black whip, specially crafted from black iron. Its power was immense, and the tip could injure without a trace.

As for Sophie Sun, she had fought empty-handed in all her previous matches.

Because she was the only fifth-tier spirit practitioner among the girls today, able to turn spiritual energy into substance. She could attack or defend at will, and had made it to the finals without even using a weapon.

Now, she finally revealed her weapon—a pair of Phantom Gold Hooks, shimmering with golden light.

"Phantom Gold Hooks!" The old lady beside Queenie Zhu's eyes narrowed. "I didn't expect Charles Sun to pass his own weapon down to Sophie Sun."

"Grandmother, what are Phantom Gold Hooks?" Queenie Zhu asked beside her.

"It's a magical weapon that nearly made it onto the Vermilion Weapon Ranking. Crafted from top-grade spiritual iron and infused with the core of a Phantom Bat," the old lady explained. "In battle, it creates countless illusions, making it impossible to distinguish the real from the fake."

"The Vermilion Weapon Ranking? That impressive?" Queenie Zhu gasped.

The Vermilion Weapon Ranking is the legendary list of magical weapons in the Vermilion Kingdom—only thirty-three make the cut, and every one is a powerhouse.

"The Phantom Gold Hooks were once nominated for the list. Though they didn't make it in the end, their power is obvious," the old lady added.

Queenie Zhu fell silent.

She couldn't help but feel that even if Queenie Luan hadn't played dirty, she probably wouldn't have won first place today. Sophie Sun's strength... was just too overwhelming!

On the arena, Princess Lynne Ling looked at them and smiled slightly. "Come at me together! Within three moves, I’ll defeat you all."

"Hmph!" Sophie Sun had always been proud—how could she tolerate such an insult? She charged in at once.

Evelyn and Sherry attacked at the same time.

Everyone watched as Princess Lynne Ling bounced lightly into the air—a flash of cold light, and then three crisp "ding, ding, ding" sounds rang out.

Then came the sound of metal hitting the ground—each clang more shocking than the last.

With just one move, she had broken the weapons of Sophie, Evelyn, and Sherry—all snapped in half, clattering to the floor.

The three girls froze on the spot.

The weapons in their hands were the strongest their families had to offer—yet she’d shattered them with a single strike?

Just what kind of weapon was Princess Lynne Ling holding?

It was almost as if she’d expected this reaction—Princess Lynne Ling soared up, and with a rapid midair spin, kicked all three girls at once.