Chapter 177: Chapter 176: Blood Boiling
Wen Qingye watched the gale sweep across the sky and the golden, shimmering form of Zhu Shaoyou charging toward him. With a stamp of his foot, his aura began to swell, rising to a pinnacle. It was so potent that even Zhu Shaoyou, who seemed bathed in sunlight, suddenly paled in comparison.
Wen Qingye was completely unafraid. If Zhu Shaoyou was bathed in sunlight, then Wen Qingye was treading beneath the galaxy. The vast, unchanging river of stars seemed to flow at his feet, and his body was shrouded in a profound and mysterious aura.
Beneath the pitch-black night sky, the starlight twinkled!
"Celestial Star Unrivaled!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
With three consecutive blasts, vast Primordial Qi billowed outward. In a flash, the two had already exchanged three punches.
With each punch, Zhu Shaoyou felt a searing pain in his arm, accompanied by the sickening sound of bone cracking. He hastily retreated, but Wen Qingye strode forward in pursuit. After three punches, Zhu Shaoyou had been forced back dozens of feet, nearly stumbling into the surrounding crowd.
"Quick, get back!"
How could the surrounding crowd withstand the aftershocks of their Fist Techniques? They all scattered to get out of the way.
Wen Qingye extended a palm, and black and white currents of energy from the world around him began to converge in his hand, swirling and intertwining.
"Undying Seal Technique, First Form! Let the Mournful Wind Claim Your Soul!"
Showing no mercy, Wen Qingye pressed his advantage. His Primordial Qi began to boil as his hands blurred through a series of gestures, and a bizarre Seal Technique slowly condensed in his palms.
SHHH... SHHH... SHHH...
In an instant, an eerie wind kicked up, sweeping over the crowd. It was a bone-chilling gale, and everyone felt an unnatural cold seep deep into their marrow. Their expressions changed drastically.
"Argh!"
"Long Wind Heaven Transformation!"
A trickle of fresh blood seeped from between Zhu Shaoyou’s teeth. His Primordial Qi flared like a burning flame, and a violent, immense aura erupted from him, spreading in all directions.
In that instant, Zhu Shaoyou seemed to merge with the world around him, as if etched into the very fabric of existence. He had pushed his Long Wind Fist Technique to the Transformation Realm. The winds howled and the clouds churned as a furious gale erupted.
For a moment, everyone in the vicinity was stunned, shaken by the sheer force of Zhu Shaoyou’s aura.
’Burning Yuan Secret Skill?’ Wen Qingye’s eyes remained as calm as still water, without a single ripple.
With a swift flick of his palm, Wen Qingye sent a peculiar Hand Seal drifting toward Zhu Shaoyou.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
If Zhu Shaoyou’s gale was fierce and domineering, threatening to topple all in its path, then Wen Qingye’s Hand Seal was the embodiment of piercing, glacial cold.
BOOM!
The entire central plaza seemed to shudder violently.
The Undying Seal slammed into Zhu Shaoyou’s Fist Force. The resulting explosion of Primordial Qi transformed into a searing heatwave that rushed outward, while Zhu Shaoyou himself was sent flying like a kite with its string cut.
"Aaaargh!"
Zhu Shaoyou, now lying on the ground, let out an agonized howl. He clutched his arm as large beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.
"My arm..." The intense pain made Zhu Shaoyou continue to wail.
Zhu Shaoyou, who had always taken pleasure in crippling others, never imagined that one day he would suffer the same fate.
Zhang Hua and Gao Ming exchanged a shocked glance. The cultivation Wen Qingye had just displayed was clearly far above Zhu Shaoyou’s, who was at the Peak of Refining Spirit Second Layer Heaven. Didn’t that mean Wen Qingye’s cultivation was at least at the Refining Spirit Third Layer Heaven?
"Three moves. No more, no less. I’ve granted your wish," Wen Qingye said, catching his breath.
The people from Celestial Academy were all stunned. They stared at Wen Qingye, their brows furrowed slightly.
’Was Wen Qingye doing this on purpose?’
"Wen Qingye, how dare you cripple Shaoyou!" Wu Jing shot to her feet, furiously rebuking him.
Wen Qingye smiled faintly. "Oh? It was just a match. Injuries are unavoidable, aren’t they? Or are you telling me that no one who fought Zhu Shaoyou in the past has ever been injured?"
"You!" Wu Jing was at a loss for words, her expression turning exceedingly ugly.
At that moment, the students of Celestial Academy looked at Wen Qingye and heard his words. A sudden realization dawned on them: This Wen Qingye had done it on purpose.
Wen Qingye looked down at the fallen Zhu Shaoyou and said coldly, "You thought you could cripple me? What a joke!"
’Celestial Academy came all this way to challenge me, not just to use me as a stepping stone, but to cripple me. Of course I wouldn’t be polite to them.’
Wu Jing snapped harshly, "You’ve got some nerve, Wen Qingye! Do you have any idea who Zhu Shaoyou is?"
"Does his identity matter? If Celestial Academy can’t afford to lose, then don’t bother competing. I advise you"—Wen Qingye paused, his eyes flashing open—"to surrender at once. I don’t know if I’ll end up crippling another one of your precious prodigies."
Wu Jing’s face turned ashen. In front of everyone, Wen Qingye hadn’t actually done anything wrong. In a duel, weren’t injuries and even crippling just a normal part of the risk?
The expressions of everyone from Celestial Academy changed.
"How can this Wen Qingye be so arrogant?"
"He’s so conceited! Does he think he can cripple Brother Shuang too?"
"How ignorant. Does he really think that defeating Zhu Shaoyou means he can defeat everyone from Celestial Academy?"
...
"You from Celestial Academy want to challenge me, and I will take you on one by one." Wen Qingye’s gaze swept over all the Celestial Academy students present before he slowly said, "Next!"
Next!
Wen Qingye’s voice wasn’t loud, but the thousands of people present felt their blood surge. The entire plaza erupted like a volcano.
Their blood was burning!
It felt as if the battle had only just begun!
Wen Qingye stood firm before the crowd. The roaring uproar washed over him like a tidal wave, yet it could not submerge him.
Wen Xu watched Wen Qingye on the stage, his hands clasped behind his back. Although Wen Qingye had won, Wen Xu felt extremely displeased. His face was flushed red, and his breathing grew ragged.
Shu Nan, cradling his sword, slowly walked onto the stage.
Fast Sword Shu Nan!
Shu Nan was famous not just as a prodigy of Celestial Academy, but throughout the entire Celestial Martial Country—all because of his Fast Sword.
Shu Nan looked at Wen Qingye and smiled lightly, revealing his white teeth. "I’m next. My name is Shu Nan."
"I know," Wen Qingye said nonchalantly.
"Heh heh." Shu Nan looked at the sword in Wen Qingye’s hands, feeling more and more excited.
"My sword is fast. Very fast." A bloodthirsty red glint appeared in Shu Nan’s eyes. "I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle it."
Everyone from Celestial Academy knew Shu Nan was about to get serious. They trembled with anticipation, clapping and cheering, their eyes fixed on the two figures on stage in a state of extreme excitement.
"You can try," Wen Qingye said.
Wen Qingye’s expression remained as tranquil as still water, completely unperturbed.
"I wonder whose Swordsmanship is superior?"
"I think it’s Wen Qingye. He defeated that Celestial Academy student named Zhao Hao with a single sword strike."
"Not necessarily. Shu Nan also defeated Zhao Hao with a single strike once."
...
