Chapter 183: Chapter 182: Secret Skill
Nie Shuang ignored the noisy crowd, his eyes locked on Wen Qingye.
Wen Qingye shook his arm, completely unfazed by Nie Shuang’s ferocity. His sword shot toward Nie Shuang, the sharp Sword Body emanating a piercing aura as it thrust forward.
Nie Shuang tensed his entire body. Seeing Wen Qingye’s sword thrust forward, he blocked it with the body of his long saber, directly parrying the incoming tip.
SHIING!
A sharp sound rang out. Nie Shuang’s arm felt as if it were on fire, and his entire long saber trembled violently. If not for his immense willpower, he would have dropped it.
Nie Shuang stumbled back three or four steps, and Wen Qingye’s advance also came to a halt.
"Asura Swordsmanship—Unrivaled Technique!"
In the span of a few breaths, a sky-blotting torrent of saber shadows materialized before Nie Shuang. With a flick of his arm, he swung his long saber heavily, and the countless afterimages surged forward like a bursting flood, blasting toward Wen Qingye.
Countless afterimages and glints of steel flooded Wen Qingye’s vision. The hundreds, even thousands, of saber shadows were a mix of real and illusory, and the potent Primordial Qi they contained could not be underestimated. Wen Qingye saw through the feints at a glance; if he tried to block them carelessly, he would surely be struck by the real Sword Auras hidden within.
This Saber Technique of Nie Shuang’s was truly incredible. It was easy to see why he dominated the entire Celestial Academy. The moment he unleashed this move, the crowd below erupted in cheers.
In stark contrast to the crowd’s astonishment, Wen Qingye’s expression remained unchanged. His mind was utterly tranquil as he calmly watched the sky-blotting torrent of saber shadows rush toward him.
Suddenly, the sword in Wen Qingye’s hand began to glow with a brilliant silver light. The shimmering radiance was like the moon hanging in the Milky Way, and the space behind and beneath him transformed into a vast, dark expanse, like a boundless, starry night sky.
"Moon Falling into the Milky Way!"
Wen Qingye’s sword swept out in a gentle arc, tearing through the air before him. The strike was like a river of stars, its light dazzlingly brilliant.
Wen Qingye’s Swordsmanship had already brought the Eighth-Grade Martial Arts, Moonfall Swordsmanship, to the pinnacle of mastery. As his sword moved, it was filled with Profound Mysteries, and a river of stars seemed to flow with it.
The river of star-like Sword Qi met the sky full of saber shadows head-on, instantly weaving through them. For a moment, the saber shadows erupted with formidable Powerful Qi, but no matter how numerous they were, they could not break through the incomparably profound Sword Qi.
Feeling the immense power coming from Wen Qingye’s Sword Body, Nie Shuang’s expression turned cold. The true blade of his saber, hidden among the afterimages, was being continuously devoured by the Sword Qi.
’He actually found my saber!’ Nie Shuang sucked in a sharp breath. ’Even Wu Jing didn’t find my real blade the first time we fought. But Wen Qingye saw through it in a single glance. Could his perception be even better than Wu Jing’s?’
CLANG!
Suddenly, Wen Qingye’s Sword Qi blasted Nie Shuang’s saber aside. Nie Shuang’s expression changed, and he retreated several steps in a row.
Nie Shuang retreated rapidly, but before he could steady himself, a Palm Seal came slapping fiercely toward him. Yet, facing Wen Qingye’s tide-like assault, Nie Shuang refused to yield. His face turned cold as Primordial Qi rapidly condensed in his own palm.
BANG!
The two palms met, and a heaven-shaking explosion erupted. Immediately, both figures were sent flying backward.
With a quick shift of his feet, Wen Qingye stabilized his retreating figure. He smiled faintly and looked up at Nie Shuang.
"Let’s settle this in three moves!" Nie Shuang said, also smiling slightly as he looked at Wen Qingye. His voice was filled with extreme confidence.
The crowd erupted.
Nie Shuang’s words were like a stone tossed into a calm lake, sending ripples through the crowd. They exploded like thunder in everyone’s ears.
"Nie Shuang said he can beat Wen Qingye in three moves?"
"Is he just being arrogant, or does he have an ace up his sleeve?"
"Has Nie Shuang been hiding his true strength this whole time?"
For a moment, everyone’s eyes were filled with astonishment, and they were all unsettled by Nie Shuang’s claim.
"Three moves?" Wen Qingye was still smiling, completely unperturbed by Nie Shuang’s words. "Alright. Three moves it is."
As soon as Nie Shuang spoke, the Primordial Qi in his body erupted like a mountain flood, surging into every corner of his being. In an instant, Nie Shuang felt he could unleash terrifying power with the slightest movement.
Nie Shuang felt an immense threat from Wen Qingye. Right now, thousands of people were watching from all sides. If he were to lose to Wen Qingye today, not only would the reputation of Celestial Academy suffer a massive blow, but his own prestige would be shattered as well. He could not lose.
Therefore, this battle! He had to win. It was a matter of his pride!
The two opponents in Phoenix City Center Plaza suddenly fell still, drawing the attention of everyone present. The more powerful experts in the crowd could all feel it: the Primordial Qi within both fighters was becoming increasingly vast and turbulent. Clearly, the next exchange would be unprecedentedly fierce. It would reveal whether Nie Shuang was being arrogant and ignorant, or if Wen Qingye’s strength was truly lacking!
As they felt the auras of the two combatants continue to climb, the crowd fell silent. Their faces were a mixture of solemnity and anticipation. A battle of this caliber was a rare sight in Phoenix City. Moreover, both fighters were young prodigies of the Celestial Martial Country, and with Wen Qingye being a native of Phoenix City, the bout was naturally drawing even more attention.
Wu Jing watched Nie Shuang and breathed a small sigh of relief. ’Nie Shuang, are you finally going to use it?’ Then, Wu Jing looked over at Wen Qingye and sneered inwardly. ’Wen Qingye, you’ve already lost this fight.’
Wen Qingye, of course, could not hear Wu Jing’s whisper. At that moment, his brows were tightly furrowed as he watched the ever-increasing aura emanating from Nie Shuang.
’A Secret Skill?’ Wen Qingye recognized Nie Shuang’s intention at a glance. He planned to use a Secret Skill to temporarily boost his power. The Burning Yuan Secret Technique was the most common type of Secret Skill, and also the one with the mildest side effects.
Some powerful Secret Skills offered a strength increase far greater than that of the Burning Yuan Secret Technique. Nie Shuang was clearly using one such Secret Skill now. However, once a Secret Skill was activated, the greater the enhancement, the more severe the damage to one’s body.
Surging Primordial Qi gathered in front of Nie Shuang, forming visible waves of energy. It was clear that Nie Shuang’s cultivation was rapidly climbing.
Even those in the crowd with low cultivation could feel Nie Shuang’s aura growing stronger and stronger, and their hearts began to pound with unease.
"A Secret Skill! That’s a Secret Skill!"
"Nie Shuang used a Secret Skill to forcibly raise his cultivation!"
"Wen Qingye is in for it now. That must be one of the Secret Skills from Celestial Academy."
