Chapter 1194: Chapter 1192: Duel of the Genius Swordsmen_1
The sixtieth round.
Shi Xiaole encountered Master Xuanci.
Master Xuanci, from the South Sea "Wind Wave Forest", had ranked fourth in the previous Fate Battle, having lost only to Elder Tiancan and another hidden expert.
"Benefactor Shi, please."
Master Xuanci clasped prayer beads in her left hand and gestured with her right.
"Master, please forgive my offense."
Without seeing how Shi Xiaole moved, in the blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of Master Xuanci, only a foot away face to face, startling her into a slight rigidity, a great surprise to her.
The next moment.
A speck of cold light entered her vision.
"Wind and Waves are Unpredictable!"
Her robe puffed out, and strands of energy spilled out, creating an immaculate barrier around her, its strong repelling force instantly altering the trajectory of Shi Xiaole’s sword thrust.
Shi Xiaole’s eyes shone slightly.
Master Xuanci had always been an opponent he favored, not for her strength but because her barrier greatly helped him perfect his Sword Realm.
Retreating, he swung his long sword, breaking through Master Xuanci’s attack, and immediately executed "Old Ox’s Broken Cart".
Crack crack crack.
The collision between the Sword Realm and the barrier immediately produced a grating twist.
The two forces of attraction and repulsion interacted, causing the overlapping area in the middle to rapidly contract and then expand wildly, like an invisible spring, each time releasing astonishing power.
Shi Xiaole simply gave up other moves, using the Sword Realm to switch between offense and defense, and was quickly suppressed by Master Xuanci’s Wind Wave Barrier.
After all, when it came to the use of repulsion forces, Master Xuanci, after years of immersion, was definitely not someone Shi Xiaole could compare with at the moment.
One thousand moves.
Two thousand moves.
...
After five thousand moves, Master Xuanci grew increasingly astounded as she fought, feeling that Shi Xiaole was like a sponge, gleaning subtleties from her barrier at every collision. Perhaps when viewed in isolation, it didn’t seem like much.
But compare the beginning five thousand moves with the latter, the repulsion force in the opponent’s Sword Realm had clearly grown stronger and more mysterious, and within its operation, one could even spot the shadow of the Wind Wave Barrier.
It’s unbelievable!
"Benefactor Shi, I admit defeat."
After more than thirty thousand moves, Master Xuanci laughed bitterly and quickly retreated. She feared that if the fight continued, the essence of the Wind Wave Barrier would be mastered by her opponent.
Under normal circumstances, one’s barrier is not to be deciphered.
Yet Shi Xiaole’s spiritual power had already reached the level of Sky Origin, and even cultivated a quarter of it with the methods of the Yuan Sword Emperor, eclipsing everyone else and allowing him to perceive the operation of the barrier’s power.
"Thank you, Master."
Shi Xiaole bowed with gratitude.
How could she not see his intent? If she had really wanted to stop him, she would have admitted defeat at the start. After this battle, Shi Xiaole’s Sword Realm was nearly perfected, at least in its aspect of attraction and repulsion, and would be difficult to improve further.
Keep in mind that the Wind Wave Barrier is among the top barriers in the world, with a unique proficiency in the use of repulsion forces.
Thus, Shi Xiaole’s strength neared its peak.
In terms of swordsmanship, he had already mastered, or nearly mastered, many of his trump cards.
Regarding the Heart Sword, while delving into sword techniques, and benefiting from the Supreme Sword Way Qi, his Heart Sword power increased to five hundred and fifty strands.
His Vigorous Air was far superior to ordinary people, needless to say, and now even his Sword Realm had reached a short-term peak. It could be said that at this moment, Shi Xiaole was at his strongest state, ready to confront enemies from all directions.
In the same round.
Liu Ruofei faced Xuanyuan Dao.
Xuanyuan Dao, the Forbidden Martial Emperor of the Xuanyuan Clan, had ranked eleventh in the previous Fate Battle, but he was only over eight hundred years old, which meant he was just over six hundred at the previous event, so his progress exceeded that of the top few, and his prowess was almost comparable to the White Cloud Emperor.
"Limitless Killing Sword"!
"Triple Limitless Killing Sword"!
Liu Ruofei pierced through Xuanyuan Dao’s brow.
"What?"
The crowd was stunned.
While perfecting the Breaking Extreme Killing Sword, Liu Ruofei’s understanding of sword techniques also grew, but mastering the Triple Limitless Killing Sword so quickly still shocked everyone.
Double Limitless Killing Sword had injured the White Cloud Emperor, and now with its speed tripled, although its power couldn’t possibly triple, it still significantly increased.
The crowd couldn’t imagine the deadly force that erupted in that instant.
The Huangquan Three Gentlemen felt their scalps tingle.
Their combined Flying Skill was enough to outmatch others in the South Sea, and they were confident not even the nine great experts could catch up with them. But in a short-distance fight, the trio only had a fifty percent chance of escaping from that one sword move just now.
"Limitless Killing Sword".
Again, the "Limitless Killing Sword"!
Subsequent duels involving Liu Ruofei became incredibly brief and terrifying, with him utilizing just one strike, yet it was this very strike that knocked down one after another of the renowned figures of the South Sea.
"Why didn’t he use the Breaking Extreme Killing Sword anymore, is it because the Limitless Killing Sword’s power has overtaken the former?"
"Perhaps so."
Many people were skeptical.
Bright Moon Mansion’s Grand Elder, Elder Wangyue, sneered inwardly, thinking: The young master would never give up halfway; he stopped using the Breaking Extreme Killing Sword for one reason alone, which is that he had comprehended the sword to a point where it could temporarily not be improved any further.
In other words, the power of the "Breaking Extreme Killing Sword" must still surpass that of the "Limitless Killing Sword" by threefold, otherwise there was no need to conceal it and not use it.
Hahaha, the clash for the title of the number one sword prodigy is without suspense!
Some who knew Liu Ruofei were also shocked by his astonishing sword talent. Shi Xiaole, though excellent, ultimately lacked a bit of that heartbeat-skipping thrill.
In the meantime, the rest of the "Ten Prides" also crossed swords with those who ranked in the top thirty in the previous competition.
Among them, Fan Shengnan, Ding Yufang, Thousand Real Person, and Luo Zijiao were the most prominent, each defeating strong opponents. Fan Shengnan, in particular, unexpectedly perfected "Soul Crossing Death Claiming" and defeated Master Xuanci with a single strike.
This silenced many experts who had been unconvinced of Ding Yufang’s abilities.
The remaining Lu Caili, Abbot Nannan, and the Phoenix-eyed Saintess, while not as dazzling as the previous four, were nearly invincible against all but a select few.
By the seventieth round, everyone had their hearts in their throats.
Up to now, participants could be divided into two poles: the nine great masters and the peerless pair were undoubtedly the first pole, and everyone else was the second pole.
Fate Stele evidently also took this into consideration; besides the premature battle between Thousand Swords Emperor and Startling Thunder Emperor, the remaining top tier masters had yet to fight, which would likely take place at the very end.
The pinnacle battle among the second tier would undoubtedly unfold between Liu Ruofei and Shi Xiaole; whoever emerged victorious would not only claim the title of the number one sword prodigy but also almost certainly secure the twelfth rank in this Fate battle.
Everyone was waiting for it.
The seventy-second round.
The eighteenth match.
As the Fate Stele emitted two completely different sword Qis, whizz, whizz, eyes darted towards the arena within the Fate Platform.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Two figures stood a kilometer apart from each other.
Liu Ruofei facing Shi Xiaole.
This long-anticipated climax battle had finally arrived!
Liu Ruofei, the top sword prodigy of the South Sea, possessed talent and strength that were remarkable enough to rival contemporaries like Xuanyuan Di and Qi Muchu. He demonstrated to everyone what it means to be born for the sword through his methods and progress.
By now, no one knew just how far Liu Ruofei’s true strength had reached.
Shi Xiaole, hailing from the East Victory continent overseas, was expected to be the top swordsman of East Victory if nothing went awry. He was younger than Liu Ruofei but had a terrifyingly extreme temperament and his strength and swordsmanship were indescribably profound.
The encounter of such individuals would inevitably bring a spectacle like that of meteors colliding for everyone to witness.
"The first time I saw you at the edge of the South Sea, I was already looking forward to this battle. But I never imagined that we would meet under these circumstances. Shi Xiaole, you truly exceeded my expectations; you are my foremost opponent."
Liu Ruofei, who rarely spoke, said unprecedentedly.
In terms of talent, Shi Xiaole did not surpass Xuanyuan Di and Qi Muchu; in strength, even less so. Yet in Liu Ruofei’s heart, only Shi Xiaole, a fellow swordsman, could stir his deepest and strongest martial desire.
"You too, Liu Ruofei. Among all those I have met in my life, your sword talent is enough to be ranked in the top three," said Shi Xiaole.
Little did he know that this calm statement unexpectedly caused shock and resentment among many.
Top three meant that in Shi Xiaole’s mind, aside from himself, someone else’s sword talent was comparable to Liu Ruofei’s. But as it seemed, even Thousand Swords Emperor was no match for Liu Ruofei among their peers, and no one else in the entire South Sea could come close.
"Putting on airs!"
Some experts from the Bright Moon Mansion let out cold laughters, thinking that Shi Xiaole had some ulterior motives, deliberately trying to undermine Liu Ruofei’s morale.
Liu Ruofei, however, didn’t harbor any suspicions. If Shi Xiaole were that kind of person, he wouldn’t be worth Liu Ruofei’s attention. He asked, "Is he from East Victory as well?"
"Yes, and your ages are quite similar. I believe you will meet him," replied Shi Xiaole.
"I’m looking forward to it, but before I encounter him, I plan to defeat you and achieve my invincible sword path," Liu Ruofei’s eyes shot out a piercingly cold light. It wasn’t a physical chill but a coldness of the soul, as if myriad small swords flew out, cutting through the air towards the front.
Shi Xiaole smiled and released an invisible sword aura as well.
Hiss, hiss, hiss...
Their sword auras met as if countess divine swords were clashing, emitting a continuous barrage of strikes. Some swordsmen silently traced the paths of the sword auras, involuntarily gasping in awe.
Because their clash could evolve into extraordinary sword techniques—if recorded and spread in the Martial World, it would surely stir a bloody storm.
Returning to the basics, one sword sets the law; both were fit to be deemed grandmasters of the sword path, each capable of founding their own school!
When the clashing sounds became more frequent, ultimately dense enough to slay top Heaven Realm Martial Emperors, two long swords were simultaneously unsheathed and struck out together.
Liu Ruofei did not use the "Limitless Killing Sword", nor did Shi Xiaole use "Old Ox’s Broken Cart"; it was purely a clash of fundamental sword techniques.
Swordsmen have their pride; besides the killer moves, both wanted to overpower each other in all aspects—how else could one claim to have an invincible sword path?
The swords met and passed each other, then clashed again; in the blink of an eye, the entire Fate Platform was filled with the figures of the two great swordsmen.
Sometimes it was Shi Xiaole deflecting Liu Ruofei’s long sword, sometimes Liu Ruofei nearly piercing Shi Xiaole’s chest, and sometimes both thrusting through each other.
And it was after a long while that sparks would erupt on the spot, followed by golden sparks exploding like numerous fireworks, completely engulfing their figures.
Crack, crack, crack, crack...
A series of collisions, denser than rain hammering on banana leaves by tenfold, accompanied by two terrifying sword Qis, shook heaven and earth.
