Chapter 18: Chapter 17: One Sword
Gao Long hadn’t expected Wen Qingye to actually try and trade his life for a life. He retracted his foot without hesitation, then flipped over to dodge Wen Qingye’s three streams of Sword Qi.
After unleashing the three streams of Sword Qi, Wen Qingye lunged to his left, his sword thrusting directly at Liu Wen. Liu Wen was taken aback. He hadn’t made a move, yet Wen Qingye had attacked him.
Liu Wen also wanted to test Wen Qingye’s Swordsmanship. The blade in his hand flared like an aurora, emanating a biting chill as it met Wen Qingye’s sword.
In the blink of an eye, their wrists became blurs, their swords clashing a dozen times in mid-air as streams of Sword Qi erupted from the impacts.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The air filled with dancing Sword Qi. The hearts of the spectators pounded in their chests, their emotions running high.
In an instant, they had exchanged dozens of blows. The aftershocks of Primordial Qi were chaotic and wild. The crowd saw their figures blur together for a moment, then separate.
Wen Qingye panted heavily, his Primordial Qi nearly depleted. Liu Wen, however, stared at him in utter shock. During their exchange, he had felt an immensely powerful, oppressive force. It was an absolute suppression in terms of Swordsmanship—a feeling he had never experienced before.
In the art of the sword, he, Liu Wen, had been completely dominated by Wen Qingye.
Liu Wen’s brow suddenly furrowed as a sharp pain shot through his arm and his side. He glanced down to see a gash on his arm and another on his waist.
’These... These are both fatal wounds. If Wen Qingye had been ruthless just now, then...’ Cold sweat beaded on Liu Wen’s forehead, a strange sense of relief washing over him.
The crowd stared in shock at the blood staining Liu Wen’s clothes. Although they didn’t know that Wen Qingye had held back, the mere presence of the wounds was enough to prove the superiority of his Swordsmanship.
SLAP! "You bitch!"
The sharp sound rang out unexpectedly, and Wen Qingye couldn’t help but turn his head toward it.
He saw Zhang Xiaoyun on the ground, her silk veil lying a short distance away. Tears welled in her eyes, and a large, red welt was already rising on her right cheek.
Nearby stood Zhang Chuan, his hand still raised.
In that instant, Wen Qingye felt a knife plunge into his heart and twist.
Zhang Xiaoyun. Without him even realizing it, that gentle, pitiable woman had come to occupy an immeasurable place in his heart.
’This lifetime, this very second, I only want everyone to know...’ Expressionless, Wen Qingye started walking off the stage.
Seeing Wen Qingye step down from the public square, Situ Haoming roared, "Wen Qingye, what do you think you’re doing? If you leave this square, you’ll fail the assessment! My Purple Sun Prefecture will definitely not accept you!"
But Wen Qingye seemed not to have heard him. He continued walking forward, each step light, graceful, and unshakably firm.
Zhang Chuan’s brow furrowed as he watched Wen Qingye approach him. "Wen Qingye, what do you want?"
"To kill you," Wen Qingye’s voice was like the ice of the Nine Netherworld, chilling to the bone.
Hearing this, Zhang Chuan threw his head back. "HAHAHAHAHA—"
His laughter cut off abruptly. The crowd saw only a shadow, seeming to drift in on a flurry of snowflakes. It was a bizarre sensation, like snow in the middle of summer. The snowflakes were crystalline and flawless, beautiful enough to mesmerize one’s Heart Spirit. In an instant, an intimidating cold light enveloped the land. A flash of light appeared, and then it was gone, as if nothing had happened. There had been no warning, no hint of killing intent.
That strike was as swift as lightning, as graceful as a fleeting swan.
That strike was utterly ruthless, its killing intent rampaging.
Before that strike, heaven and earth paled. The world itself seemed to vanish, leaving only the sword!
THUD!
A fountain of blood erupted from Zhang Chuan’s throat, spraying in a high arc. The expression on his face had yet to change as he collapsed to the ground.
The surroundings fell silent. No one had even had time to react, every single person still lost in the afterimage of Wen Qingye’s breathtaking strike—a strike that could dazzle the mortal realm and leave all beings spellbound.
Wen Qingye walked to Zhang Xiaoyun’s side and helped her up.
"My husband," Zhang Xiaoyun said, her voice choked, soft, and gentle.
"It’s all right. It’s all right now," Wen Qingye said gently. A ball of heat seemed to churn in his chest. If he weren’t forcing himself to stay standing, he would have already collapsed. His injuries were beginning to affect his internal organs.
Wen Qingye’s gaze swept over everyone present. Rallying the last of his willpower, he said coldly, "If any of you touches her, I will kill you. I don’t care who you are or what your status is. This will be a fight to the death!"
Wen Qingye’s voice wasn’t loud, but his words carried immense weight, ringing in everyone’s ears.
Zhang Xiaoyun seemed to sense that something was wrong. Biting her lip, she gripped his hand tightly. Wen Qingye instantly felt a warmth spread from his palm through his body.
After speaking, Wen Qingye helped Zhang Xiaoyun up and started to walk away. The crowd instinctively parted, clearing a path for them.
Wen Xu was filled with regret. ’That last strike proved everything,’ he thought. ’Even if Wen Qingye isn’t as good as Wen Tongyu, he’s still a genius—a genius of the Sword Dao.’
Based on the display just now, Wen Xu knew Wen Qingye’s future would be anything but ordinary.
Wen Xu’s heart ached, but he could only console himself. ’It’s fine,’ he thought. ’Tongyu’s talent is still greater, and he’s the Prince Consort.’
Zhang Hua was initially furious, but he calmed himself in an instant. He understood that the priority now wasn’t blaming Wen Qingye, but recruiting him. If they could win over a talent like Wen Qingye, then the death of one Zhang Chuan was a worthy price to pay.
In that moment, Zhang Hua was suddenly reminded of Wen Tongyu. ’If Wen Qingye’s talent surpasses Wen Tongyu’s, then...’
Wu Jing looked at the scene and asked, "How are we to handle this?"
Situ Haoming sneered. "Wen Qingye has failed the assessment. Besides, our Purple Sun Prefecture will not accept such a lawless individual."
Everyone was stunned to hear Situ Haoming’s words. Wen Qingye’s swordsmanship was breathtakingly brilliant, yet Situ Haoming had declared him a failure. ’Isn’t he even going to be considered for special admission?’ they wondered.
Wu Jing nodded but before they could speak, Situ Haoming continued slowly, "In my opinion, for someone like Wen Qingye to join any academy in our Celestial Martial Country would be a disgrace. He flew into a rage and killed someone during the assessment, treating the rules as if they were nothing. The Purple Sun Prefecture will not have him!"
Situ Haoming’s words made his stance perfectly clear. After speaking, he looked toward Wu Jing and Yann Chuxue, a cold glint in his eyes.
Seeing the look in Situ Haoming’s eyes, Wu Jing hurriedly added, "Since Lord Situ has spoken, then Wen Qingye has indeed failed the assessment. And since the Purple Sun Prefecture does not intend to accept him, we at the Celestial Academy will not either."
Now the crowd was truly shocked. The top two academies in the Celestial Martial Country were both rejecting Wen Qingye. It seemed his future was bleak indeed.
It was well known that the gap between the Purple Sun Prefecture and the Celestial Academy was vast, and the one between the Celestial Academy and the Qig Mountain Academy was even greater. Being in an academy granted access to immense resources and guidance, and the resources offered by the Purple Sun Prefecture and Celestial Academy were things countless people could only dream of.
Some in the crowd were disappointed, while others were secretly overjoyed. With Wen Qingye’s aptitude, getting into the Purple Sun Prefecture should have been a certainty. But now, he couldn’t even get into the Celestial Academy, let alone the Prefecture. All that latent potential seemed destined to be wasted.
Just then, a cool, clear voice cut through the murmur.
"Wen Qingye, you have a special admission to my Qig Mountain Academy!" Yann Chuxue stood and announced calmly. "From this assessment in Phoenix City, my Qig Mountain Academy needs only one person: Wen Qingye. He is more than enough."
With that said, Yann Chuxue turned and left, paying no mind to the reactions of the crowd.
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances. They couldn’t believe that while the top academy of the Celestial Martial Country had rejected Wen Qingye, the Qig Mountain Academy had offered him a special admission.
Situ Haoming’s face instantly turned livid. He had intended to completely blacklist Wen Qingye, but he’d never imagined that the Qig Mountain Academy would offer him a special admission. More than that, he never imagined Yann Chuxue would disrespect him so brazenly.
Situ Haoming sneered. "Fine. I’d like to see just how successful Wen Qingye can become at Qig Mountain Academy!"
