Chapter 182: Chapter 181: Fierce Battle
Wen Qingye still smiled faintly. "A gap?"
Nie Shuang’s eyes were filled with absolute confidence. He looked down on Wen Qingye. "You are not my opponent."
"Show me what you’ve got. Empty words are meaningless," Wen Qingye said, shaking his head.
"I just hope this doesn’t crush your future Martial Dao heart. You’d best pray for yourself."
After speaking, Nie Shuang violently swung the saber in his hand toward Wen Qingye.
A blue Sword Aura burst through the air, slashing at his waist. The Sword Aura was dozens of feet long, stretching across the entire central plaza and carrying a frenzied, sharp aura.
This casual strike from Nie Shuang was enough to show the height of his cultivation.
"Nie Shuang truly is the top expert of Celestial Academy. I’m afraid an ordinary Martial Artist at the Refining Spirit Fourth Layer couldn’t compare to that strike."
"His domineering presence is overwhelming, his heroic spirit, intimidating. In a hundred years, this man will be another renowned figure in our Celestial Martial Country."
...
Wen Qingye drew his One Thought Sword. With a wave of his hand, a gentle breeze stirred, his sleeves fluttering. The sword’s body, as thin as a cicada’s wing, sliced through the air as if cutting through water—silent and calm.
HISS!
But Nie Shuang’s Sword Aura suddenly froze, as if meeting powerful resistance. A transparent Sword Qi had slammed into Nie Shuang’s Sword Aura.
The Sword Aura and Sword Qi churned in the air, locked in a stalemate. The crushing pressure made the surrounding air emit a strange sound, and the spectators were astonished.
"Break for me!"
Nie Shuang suddenly roared and strode forward. The saber in his hand was like a bolt of silk under the sky, flowing with a mesmerizing color as he continued to swing it.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Empowered by Nie Shuang’s gathered strength, the Sword Aura finally clashed violently with the Sword Qi. A tremendous explosion rang out, and a mushroom cloud appeared above the point of impact.
The two were evenly matched! An equal contest!
A fierce wind howled, whipping at the corners of their robes. Wen Qingye’s cold eyes watched Nie Shuang.
Nie Shuang, however, was not as calm as Wen Qingye. He had reinforced his Sword Aura, yet it only fought Wen Qingye’s Sword Qi to a draw. This was enough to prove that Wen Qingye’s cultivation was by no means lower than his own.
When Wen Qingye fought Zhao Hao and Shu Nan, the crowd had only focused on their Swordsmanship, largely ignoring their cultivation. Because of this, everyone had assumed Wen Qingye’s cultivation was at most at the Refining Spirit Third Layer Heaven. But now, it seemed his cultivation was far beyond that.
’Wen Qingye! He’s been hiding his true strength all this time!’
At this thought, it was as if a great wave had crashed within Nie Shuang’s heart, and it took a long while for him to calm down.
’So what if he’s been hiding his strength? I, Nie Shuang, will not be defeated.’ Nie Shuang strengthened his resolve. ’The honor of Celestial Academy is at stake in this battle. I must win.’
Nie Shuang calmed down and gripped his saber even tighter.
Wen Qingye watched Nie Shuang, his eyes ethereal and serene. He thought to himself, ’I suppose I owe Qig Mountain Academy a favor. I’ll repay you all this time.’
Each of them had their own reasons to fight, and neither wanted to lose.
SWOOSH!
Nie Shuang abruptly drew his saber. It was like an enraged dragon emerging from the sea. Dense Primordial Qi roared out, its cry audible for miles.
"Asura Swordsmanship—Heaven-Breaking Technique!"
Nie Shuang raised his saber. A sharp, domineering aura spread continuously from the blade, enveloping the entire central plaza of Phoenix City.
In an instant, Nie Shuang’s entire body seemed to grow larger. The saber in his hand, now radiating boundless wildness, chopped down heavily toward Wen Qingye.
"Four Symbols Sword Technique, Second Form! Heaven Burning Fire!"
The Four Symbols Sword Technique was a King-Grade Martial Art, several levels higher than Nie Shuang’s Peak Eighth-Grade Martial Art. Coupled with Wen Qingye’s Swordsmanship, its power was elevated by several more levels.
A searing heat wave instantly erupted, rolling out in all directions. The crowd immediately felt the temperature rise by dozens of degrees, as if they were standing next to a blazing inferno. In an instant, they were drenched in sweat.
Everyone could tell at a glance that this move from Wen Qingye was extraordinary.
Wen Qingye’s One Thought Sword instantly turned red, carrying the might of a spark that could set the heavens ablaze. As Wen Qingye stood there, an awe-inspiring aura radiated from him.
BOOM!
The red sword light cut through the air, moving with an unusual pattern, like a sky full of roaring, dancing flames.
BOOM!
The flames and the Sword Qi collided. The saber seemed to melt into the raging inferno.
"Saber-Twist!"
Sweat poured from Nie Shuang’s forehead and back, drenching his entire body. The saber in his hand suddenly began to spin rapidly, and his Primordial Qi flowed like a shockwave with the blade’s rotation.
As Nie Shuang’s saber spun, Wen Qingye’s Sword Qi was gradually redirected and scattered toward the surroundings.
"Not good!"
"Quick, get back!"
The crowd was aghast. They never expected Nie Shuang to completely disregard everyone present and redirect the flames formed by Wen Qingye’s Sword Qi toward them. Most of these people were ordinary citizens, and even the Martial Artists among them had very low cultivation. For a moment, terror filled their hearts.
The people from Celestial Academy were also stunned. They all knew this move of Nie Shuang’s was formidable, but they never imagined he would disregard the safety of ordinary people and scatter Wen Qingye’s Sword Qi into the surroundings.
Cheng Yu’s eyes were fixed on Nie Shuang. For some reason, her brow furrowed unconsciously.
Wen Qingye’s brow locked. ’Nie Shuang truly has some talent to be able to redirect my Sword Qi like this. That move does have some substance.’
"Disperse!"
Wen Qingye shot forward, leaping high into the air. He pressed down with his left palm, and it was as if the sky itself was blotted out. A giant palm appeared, forcibly grabbing the Sword Qi and dissolving it back into the world’s Primordial Qi.
Only after seeing the Primordial Qi dissipate did the crowd breathe a slight sigh of relief.
In truth, if Nie Shuang hadn’t dispersed the Sword Qi, it wouldn’t have been so easy for Wen Qingye to dissipate the Primordial Qi from his Four Symbols Sword Technique.
"You damn Nie Shuang! You’d risk other people’s lives just for a match!"
"Despicable! Is this the prodigy of your Celestial Academy?"
"Hmph, with a character like that, what does it matter if his cultivation is high? He’s bound to become a scourge upon our Celestial Martial Country."
Instantly, the entire crowd was looking at Nie Shuang with contempt. But Nie Shuang seemed not to hear them, panting heavily.
Having used two consecutive moves, Wen Qingye was also not faring well. His left palm was trembling uncontrollably.
Watching the panting Nie Shuang, Wu Jing’s heart sank. ’Has Wen Qingye’s strength improved so quickly that even Nie Shuang can’t secure a firm victory over him?’
The others present watched the two combatants, their hearts also in turmoil. They had originally thought Nie Shuang of Celestial Academy had the higher chance of winning. But now, it seemed Wen Qingye’s strength was terrifyingly profound. The outcome of this long match was still anyone’s guess.
