Chapter 1199: Chapter 1197 Contest of the First Swordsman (Part 1)_1
"I would never dare claim to be the number one under the heavens, there are countless remarkable individuals in the world, what do I count for?"
Hearing Golden Mace Emperor’s words, Shi Xiaole gently shook his head. The world was vast and filled with wonders; only by constantly harboring a sense of reverence could he remain diligent in his pursuit of excellence.
"Modesty is a virtue, but too much modesty becomes hypocrisy. Didn’t you say earlier that there are very few here who could injure you? How arrogant you were at that time."
Golden Mace Emperor curled his lip, even he had to admit, after defeating Liu Ruofei, Shi Xiaole was in a league of his own when it came to swordplay. Aside from the Thousand Swords Emperor, truly no one could rival him, and finding a swordsman capable of catching his three strokes would be difficult.
But that was no capital for arrogance in front of the nine great masters!
Each of them was a towering figure of their era, and even if their talents were somewhat inferior, thousands of years of cultivation could not be caught up by Shi Xiaole in just a few decades.
Golden Mace Emperor’s eyes turned sharp, instantly entering a combat state, he wanted to give Shi Xiaole a lesson, to tell him with the harsh reality of what it meant to face a true disparity.
"Blood Bursting God Slaying Mace!"
Without any intention of probing, Golden Mace Emperor stomped his feet and leaped forward, like a meteor breaking through the sky, rushing towards Shi Xiaole, with ripples of space spreading out to both sides, vibrating the surrounding Array System.
And this was just the momentum before the strike, yet it almost rivalled the ultimate moves of many other fighters present.
The next moment!
A burst of golden mace light exploded, initially a straight line that suddenly expanded into a sea of gold. Within this golden sea, numerous threads of mace energy interwove and collided, sparking clusters of sparks that blasted the void into disarray, riddled with countless holes.
The people of the Nineteen Peaks held their breath, and 99 percent of the masters outside the Fate platform also stared wide-eyed. If they were to face this move, they would have nothing but a path to death.
"Returning Sword!"
As the golden sea engulfed Shi Xiaole, a beam of sky-piercing green Sword Qi suddenly appeared, extending all the way to the Array System above the Fate platform, like a rod poking an iron wall, creating a boom that could fell a top Heaven Realm Martial Emperor and caused the Array System to bulge outward violently as if it was about to be pierced through.
A three-yard area of the golden sea was isolated by the sword intent. Within that space, Shi Xiaole’s long hair fluttered, his features as if painted, standing like an immovable divine sword of the finest make. The green Sword Qi was held in his hand, and with one forceful chop,
hisss!
The golden sea was neatly bisected, with the revealed platform of Fate also gaining a straight, inch-deep sword mark. Golden Mace Emperor was like a prisoner facing execution, unable to dodge the sword’s edge.
Before this, Shi Xiaole had at most revealed seventy percent of his power. Whether it was defeating Elder Tiancan or beating Skywalking Sword Emperor, he relied on the combination of his Flying Skill and swordplay.
Therefore, in terms of sheer power, he had trouble competing with the nine great masters.
But in this moment, when Shi Xiaole no longer concealed his strength, boosting his power to eighty-five percent in one go, everyone was shaken to their core.
This sword not only shattered the offensive of Golden Mace Emperor but also shattered many people’s self-proclaimed iron rules of mentality.
It made them realize that in this world, apart from Xuanyuan Di and Qi Muchu, there was another young peerless master who was not inferior to the first two and could compete with the nine great masters.
"Dual Maces!"
With eyes bulging wider than brass bells, Golden Mace Emperor was more shocked than anyone, for he was the one directly facing this sword and knew full well how sharp it was.
Not daring to be careless, Golden Mace Emperor roared angrily as the golden sea converged into the maces, making them burst forth with a blazing light comparable to the sun’s. He swung twice in quick succession towards the space in front of him.
With the first swing, the green Sword Qi was heavily struck, snapping in the middle. The second swing unleashed an even stronger torrent of mace energy through the opening, directly charging towards Shi Xiaole on the other side.
Golden Mace Emperor, however, had already used the force of his swings to deftly avoid the now weakened Sword Qi.
Standing still, Shi Xiaole had already raised his hands high; this time, invoking the state of "Divine Sword Control," he executed another "Returning Sword."
Crack!
The second wave of mace energy had just passed through the gap when it was cut off by the Sword Qi. As it precisely hit the weak point, there was still thirty percent of the Sword Qi’s force remaining, continuing its relentless trajectory towards the empty space ahead.
With a bang!
A figure emerged as Golden Mace Emperor just managed to regain his footing, but was still unable to gather his strength in time and was sent reeling backward by the Sword Qi, with droplets of blood spraying from his tiger’s mouth.
"What?"
"This..."
It was the first time people had seen Shi Xiaole like this.
In the past, Shi Xiaole had impressed most with his reaction speed and perception, always quickly grasping the weaknesses of his opponents and responding with thunderous counterattacks. His god-like combat technique, to be fair, even surpassed the nine great masters.
But technique was only technique after all, and true power was the real deciding factor for a martial artist’s strength. This was also the most important reason why Shi Xiaole hadn’t been able to gain everyone’s acknowledgment.
However, at this moment, Shi Xiaole made everyone understand what it meant to be unstoppable and what it meant to effortlessly destroy everything. It wasn’t that he lacked true power, but rather, he disdained showing it.
"The essence of the ’Returning Sword’ is ’Divine Sword Control.’ Now that I have truly reached this realm, the power of my sword move has naturally increased as well."
Not giving his opponent a chance to catch their breath, Shi Xiaole swung his sword and soared out. Bolstered by the Wind Sword Way, his speed surpassed that of a storm as he unleashed the third strike, "Returning Sword".
"Scram, old man!"
The Sword Qi preceded the strike, causing the Golden Mace Emperor’s body to break out in goosebumps, racked with shock and rage. He couldn’t accept that a mere whippersnapper was taking the upper hand, suppressing him at every turn.
"My Demolishing way has already reached eleven percent of the initial stage, how could I possibly lose to a kid with merely the Wind Sword Way, Demolishing Demon-Slaying Mace!"
Roaring inwardly, the Golden Mace Emperor gathered all his power into his right arm, causing it to bulge to twice its size before quickly reverting back to normal. The force then surged into his Golden Mace, causing it to emanate frantic tremors.
A terrifying intent to destroy everything and persevere until death spread from the mace, creating chaos in the eight-thousand-meter void, violently twisting it.
At a certain moment.
Space smoothed out, and a thick beam of golden light streaked across, unstoppable.
The power the Golden Mace Emperor demonstrated at this moment was comparable to the deadlocked battle between the Martial Emperor and the master of the Ghost Carriage at the Endless Risky Peak.
"Extreme Breaking Sword!"
Enhancing the Divine Sword Control from thirty to forty percent, the Heart Sword’s power increased from five hundred and thirty strands to five hundred and forty. The towering sword momentum rose from within Shi Xiaole, like overwhelming waves crashing onto the shore, a raging sea, forming its own barrier.
As soon as the golden light charged into it, it was washed over by the sword force, and its speed immediately began to slow down.
One must understand that the Divine Sword Control is a Supreme Sword Realm, thus every percentage increase results in a substantial boost in strength. The same is true for the Heart Sword’s power.
What kind of person was the Galan Sword Emperor? In Shi Xiaole’s view, his natural talent was only second to the Thousand Swords Emperor, yet his fully developed Heart Sword power was no more than five hundred strands. On this basis, the power of each sword move would greatly increase with every additional ten strands.
Both these factors combined to make Shi Xiaole’s sword momentum reach a shockingly astonishing level. With one sweep of his sword, the world lost its color, where only this one sword would last forever, able to split heavens and earth, breaking through all laws.
Boom!!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Array System of the Fate Platform bulged outwards by over twenty meters, a scene even more startling than Xuanyuan Di’s battle with the Five Elements Axe Emperor. Puffs of energy comparable to nuclear explosions erupted within the Array, shredding nothingness.
In the distance, people faintly heard a roar mixed with shock and fear, quickly drowned out by the loud explosions.
When everything finally settled, standing atop the sundered Fate Platform, in his unblemished blue robes, was Shi Xiaole, with his sword already sheathed, neither out of breath nor injured.
A complete victory!
As the result became clear, the Nineteen Peaks fell deathly silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The crowd even forgot how to breathe, unable to react further, their minds still echoing the recent booms, with stars dancing before their eyes.
Perhaps it was an illusion, or perhaps self-consciousness was to blame, but at that moment, the spectators saw a loftiness in the figure standing alone on the platform, akin to Xuanyuan Di’s haughtiness.
Only, Xuanyuan Di was consistent inside and out, his aura immediately tangible, while Shi Xiaole, was concealed by his demeanor of gentle self-restraint.
"Who would have thought there would be such a huge surprise? It was worth my coming here. I hope you can give me a good fight," said Xuanyuan Di, who, unbeknownst to anyone, had opened his eyes with an unprecedented fervor shining within.
Elsewhere, Qi Muchu’s eyes also shone with dazzling brilliance, impossible to look directly at, as a barely perceivable fighting spirit rose from the depths of his heart.
"What a peerless swordsman."
A sharp sound of a sword’s cry echoed across the Nineteen Peaks. It came from the Thousand Swords Emperor’s blade, unsheathing itself by half an inch. This was not due to his will, but the sword’s own reaction, indicating that even the sword considered Shi Xiaole a formidable opponent.
"His Divine Sword Control has surpassed minor proficiency, and his Heart Sword power is stronger, much stronger than before. He was not speaking arrogantly; from the beginning, we have all been deceived by him."
"If we had put forth our full effort from the get-go, Liu Ruofei wouldn’t have been able to withstand even one of his strikes."
"Shi Xiaole is not only the number one genius swordsman; perhaps, he might also have a chance to compete with the Thousand Swords Emperor for the title of the world’s foremost swordsman!"
The high-level spectators were completely blown away, especially when considering the inevitable encounter between Shi Xiaole and the Thousand Swords Emperor. The swordsmen of the Heavenly Sword Peak were so excited their faces flushed, unable to contain themselves.
"He’s really just under sixty?"
From his daughter Ling Zixin, Ling Cunyi had heard about Shi Xiaole’s true situation. He knew that the world-shaking youth was not the over seventy-year-old that everyone believed but was under sixty!
Within a hundred years, a difference of a few years could not be underestimated. Perhaps it is those few years that allow a genius to surge ahead.
And for something to happen in ten years, especially to someone like Shi Xiaole, Ling Cunyi simply could not imagine how his sister could have given birth to such a monster.
Ling Cunwei had just heard about this from his elder brother and was nearly shocked into fainting. Could that young man who called him uncle actually be an old monster reincarnated?
Of course, that thought was just in jest, as the concept of reincarnation only existed in legend, not a reality. But it implicitly proved the extent of the shock Ling Cunwei felt deep inside.
