Chapter 173: Chapter 172: Fast Sword
"Divine Power Heavenly Thunder Palm, Sixth Form!"
Wang Jie thrust out his palm. Rolling thunder boomed as if blasting from his hand, the wild thunder like a raging dragon bursting from the sea.
"Is that all you’ve got?" A flicker of contempt crossed Zhu Shaoyou’s eyes. "Then you can just lose!"
Zhu Shaoyou strode forward, his body erupting in a cyan glow that illuminated the surroundings of the martial arts arena. His eyes flashed, and he immediately threw a devastating punch. The massive Fist Seal swelled as it flew through the air, colliding with the raging purple thunder in the blink of an eye.
Zhu Shaoyou pushed his Refining Spirit Second Layer Heaven cultivation to its limit, proving to be a cut above even Wang Jie.
BOOM!
The cyan Fist Seal and the purple thunder tangled in midair, but only for a few moments.
Suddenly, Wang Jie’s face paled. He stumbled back again and again, nearly falling off the side of the arena.
"He lost?"
"Impossible. How could Wang Jie lose so quickly?"
Everyone was stunned. If even Wang Jie, the strongest student from Qig Mountain Academy present, had lost, then who else could possibly fight?
"Trash!" Zhu Shaoyou said contemptuously, looking down at Wang Jie with cold eyes.
A wave of humiliation washed over Wang Jie. He shot toward Zhu Shaoyou, striking directly at his head with his palm.
"You’re courting death!"
Wang Jie was already injured. Now, consumed by a blinding rage, his movements became utterly chaotic, a fact that Zhu Shaoyou easily perceived.
THUD!
Zhu Shaoyou’s palm struck Wang Jie’s chest. Wang Jie was instantly sent flying, landing squarely in the deep crater that Wang Chong had left behind earlier.
Zhu Shaoyou sneered, "What a good pair of brothers."
"Hahahaha!"
The Celestial Academy students couldn’t help but roar with laughter, their eyes filled with contempt and mockery.
A beautiful young woman from Celestial Academy shook her head with a laugh. "The students from Qig Mountain Academy are just too weak, aren’t they?"
"They are a bit lacking. It’s enough to let Shaoyou and the others get some practice," Nie Shuang said with an indifferent nod.
"Sigh, it’s so lonely at the top. I wonder if I’ll even need to make a move," a young man chimed in, stepping out from the back of the group. He smiled as he looked ahead, speaking slowly.
This young man was none other than Shu Nan, Shu Jiuyi’s grandson. His cultivation was astonishingly high, and he was an extremely famous figure at Celestial Academy.
The beautiful young woman giggled. "It probably won’t be necessary. These people are no good. Had we known, we should have told the Dean we wanted to go to the Imperial City instead."
.......
Zhu Shaoyou looked at the students from Qig Mountain Academy and said impatiently, "Next! Hurry up."
The students of Qig Mountain Academy felt a surge of anger at Zhu Shaoyou’s attitude, but seeing Wang Jie stumble unsteadily down from the arena, they could only sigh.
Shen Yanxing looked at Zhu Shaoyou, feeling a chill run down his spine. ’I know I’m no match for Wang Jie, and now this guy has beaten Wang Jie. If I go up there, I’ll just be disgracing myself.’ He remained rooted to the spot.
For a moment, no one from Qig Mountain Academy’s Inner Courtyard answered. An awkward silence fell over the arena. The students of Celestial Academy watched the Inner Courtyard disciples with playful, gloating expressions.
Wang Tianming’s brow was tightly furrowed. ’This is infuriating,’ he thought, but he knew it wasn’t the right time to lash out.
"I will!"
A clear, cold voice reached everyone’s ears.
Zhu Shaoyou’s eyes lit up when he saw Yann Chuxue’s exquisitely beautiful face and her bright, clear eyes, which sparkled like brilliant stars. "Yann Chuxue?"
Yann Chuxue ascended the Purple Stone Arena with graceful steps. Her fair, jade-like hand unsheathed her longsword. Her expression remained as cold as ice as she stated flatly, "I will compete with you."
Everyone’s eyes, drawn to Yann Chuxue, lit up in surprise and admiration.
Zhu Shaoyou smiled. "Excellent. I was just wondering how much your strength has grown these past few years."
With a flick of her wrist, Yann Chuxue’s sword flashed with a cold glint as bright as starlight.
"Star Chasing Moon."
"Prisoner Wind’s Hundred Transformations!"
Flashes of the sword and Fist Seals flew across the Purple Stone Arena as the two opponents pushed their cultivation to the limit with every move and countermove.
"Yann Chuxue, if you want to defeat me, this alone won’t be enough," Zhu Shaoyou sneered, unleashing a punch with his Fist Force.
Yann Chuxue’s movements were nimble. With a light, dance-like step, she dodged the punch. The Fist Seal slammed into the ground, blasting the Cyan Stone tiles into the air.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
Yann Chuxue waved her sword, and two beams of light flashed out. The Sword Qi slashed into the ground, sending shattered fragments of the Purple Stone Arena’s Cyan Stone tiles flying as dust filled the air.
Their fierce battle was in no way inferior to the fight between Wang Jie and Zhu Shaoyou.
"Zhu Shaoyou, let me show you my true strength!" A cold light suddenly flashed in Yann Chuxue’s eyes. Her sword now carried a startling purple electric glow, and behind her, the phantom of a vast mountain appeared. A boundless, ancient aura spread out in all directions.
"Thunder Falling Mountain!"
BOOM!
Her sword strike was as fast as lightning. In a blur, the Sword Qi completely pulverized Zhu Shaoyou’s Fist Seal.
The look of horror had not yet faded from Zhu Shaoyou’s face.
He was sent flying by the sword strike, tumbling right off the Purple Stone Arena.
"Refining Spirit Third Layer Heaven!?" Many in the crowd stared at Yann Chuxue in shock. So her cultivation had already broken through.
Yann Chuxue’s cultivation was actually at the Refining Spirit Third Layer Heaven!
Zhu Shaoyou slowly got to his feet, his face ashen. He never imagined he would lose to Yann Chuxue. After a long moment, he slowly returned to the Celestial Academy group.
Wu Jing’s eyes narrowed. Looking at Yann Shanjun, she said, "I never expected someone from your Qig Mountain Academy would also understand the Stealth Skill."
"It’s just a minor trick," Yann Shanjun said with a faint smile, but a hint of pride was visible on his face.
Seeing Yann Chuxue’s great victory, the students of Qig Mountain Academy erupted in cheers. The roar was like a volcanic eruption, spreading out in all directions.
Just then, Shu Nan slowly walked onto the arena. He smiled. "Well, I didn’t expect this. I really didn’t think I’d have to make a move during this competition."
"Enough nonsense. Draw your sword," Yann Chuxue said coldly.
"I’ve always heard your Qig Mountain Academy has a genius of the Sword Dao. A pity he isn’t here. After I defeat you, I’ll go find him." As Shu Nan finished speaking, his sword left its sheath.
"Fast Sword Shu Nan! That’s Fast Sword Shu Nan!"
"They say his sword is so fast it’s impossible to follow with the naked eye!"
A wave of gasps and shocked cries came from the Qig Mountain Academy students below. Clearly, the name Shu Nan was incredibly famous to them.
SWISH!
The crowd felt only a gust of wind, and suddenly Shu Nan was right in front of Yann Chuxue.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
All the crowd could hear was a continuous ringing of metal on metal, accompanied by tiny sparks. Nothing else was visible.
"Slow. Your sword is too slow."
Shu Nan said, even as he exchanged blows with Yann Chuxue.
The cheers from the Qig Mountain Academy students died before they could even begin.
In a single instant, Yann Chuxue was completely suppressed.
Yann Chuxue gritted her teeth. Facing the storm of attacks from Shu Nan’s Swordsmanship, she could do nothing but barely parry. She had no way to organize an effective counterattack.
Only then did the students of Qig Mountain Academy realize that the skill of the smiling young man before them was far beyond anything they could have imagined.
"That’s it! Faster, go faster!" Shu Nan laughed.
Yann Chuxue felt incredibly frustrated. ’No matter how fast I move my sword,’ she thought, ’his is always a cut above mine.’ She was completely outmatched.
RIP!
Shu Nan’s sword sliced through Yann Chuxue’s clothes, revealing a bloody gash.
"Slow, too slow," Shu Nan said, a thrill in his voice at the sight of blood.
Yann Chuxue’s brow furrowed and she clenched her jaw, her sword accelerating once more.
The beautiful young woman from Celestial Academy couldn’t help but giggle. "Honestly, little Nan is even like this with a great beauty like Yann Chuxue. He’s just hopeless."
The surrounding Celestial Academy students all seemed to know Shu Nan well. It was clearly not the first time they had seen something like this, and they were no longer surprised by it.
HISS!
"Faster! Even faster!" At the sight of the blood on Yann Chuxue, Shu Nan felt as if his own blood were catching fire, boiling with excitement.
Before long, seven or eight wounds had appeared on Yann Chuxue’s body. Blood dripped to the ground, creating a patch of scarlet that stung the eyes of everyone watching.
Yann Chuxue still gritted her teeth and held on, but the sword in her hand was growing slower and slower.
"That Shu Nan’s Swordsmanship is too fast. Yann Chuxue is no match for him at all."
"Damn it, this is just humiliating."
Yann Xiangyang’s eyes were red, her fists clenched tightly. But she knew her older sister’s personality—she would never admit defeat.
Wu Jing looked at Yann Shanjun and blinked. "Why not just have Chuxue forfeit?"
"There’s no need. Chuxue knows her limits," Yann Shanjun said slowly, forcibly suppressing his rage.
......
The students of Qig Mountain Academy watched as Yann Chuxue bled more and more. It was as if a red mist of her blood clouded their vision, and every one of them clenched their fists.
The students of Celestial Academy, however, continued to chat and laugh as if this were a common occurrence.
"Our Qig Mountain Academy’s number one expert isn’t here! Otherwise, we’d never let you act so outrageously!"
"That’s right! Did you purposely time your challenge for when he would be gone?"
"Exactly! A bunch of despicable, shameless, vile lowlifes!"
