Chapter 1200: Chapter 1198: The Struggle for the Title of Number One Swordsman (Part 2)
Round Eighty-Nine.
The last battle.
Thousand Swords Emperor versus Liu Ruofei, outstanding swordsmen of different eras in the South Sea, finally encountered each other.
"Liu Ruofei, you’re luckier than I am, had there been a swordsman superior to me in my time, my achievements would not have stopped here,"
Thousand Swords Emperor said indifferently.
"You are also very lucky now."
Liu Ruofei said.
This statement took some people by surprise, but on second thought, Shi Xiaole indeed qualified as a contender for Thousand Swords Emperor. From this perspective, Liu Ruofei wasn’t wrong.
"Perhaps."
Thousand Swords Emperor squinted his eyes slightly, neither confirming nor denying.
There was silence in the arena for a moment, and then Liu Ruofei made his move. As soon as his sword was drawn, darkness enveloped the surroundings of the Fate platform, with a single line of brightness at the center, like the ephemeral light of a freshly struck match.
Breaking Extreme Killing Sword!
Thousand Swords Emperor’s pupils contracted.
He did not strike first, wishing to truly experience the artistic conception of this sword. Undoubtedly, it was a sword that brought darkness and death, and among the living, very few could withstand it under equal strength.
"If you had time, Liu Ruofei, you would become an unmatched swordsman, but now it’s not your turn, Hundred Swords Unleashed!"
Without using his strongest move, Thousand Swords Emperor roared in his heart, his longsword automatically unsheathed with a clang. The moment the sword left the scabbard, Liu Ruofei’s move had already arrived, and the tips of the two swords collided perfectly.
Time seemed to pause for an instant.
Thousand Swords Emperor’s sword suddenly split into a hundred, his power surged, and a storm of Sword Qi tore through the darkness.
Liu Ruofei was defeated.
The spectators were filled with emotion.
Compared to Thousand Swords Emperor, Liu Ruofei was still lacking in maturity, whether it be his swordsmanship or his power. But given time, it’s believed that he would surpass Thousand Swords Emperor and become the number one swordsman of the South Sea martial world.
It was this battle that made people realize just how fearsome Shi Xiaole was, and everyone eagerly anticipated in their hearts, wondering who would be stronger between the young and the veteran top-tier swordsmen.
Round Ninety.
The battle of fate had finally reached its climax.
With one hundred and one fighters, there are only one hundred rounds in total. The nine masters plus the two exceptional talents, plus Shi Xiaole, would have twelve rounds combined. Excluding those who have already competed against each other, the remaining fighters would each face others for eleven battles.
This means that starting from this round, until the one hundredth round, every round will have at least four to five battles between top-tier fighters.
The thirteenth battle.
Golden Mace Emperor versus Yin Soul Great Emperor.
Unlike Golden Mace Emperor, who pursued destruction with every move bursting with devastating power, Yin Soul Great Emperor excelled in movement techniques and spiritual attacks.
He was like an insubstantial shadow; even the strongest forces would pass right through him, only a few being able to affect him. On the other hand, those hit by Yin Soul Great Emperor’s spiritual attack would suffer greatly, if not fatally.
This person also possessed the highest spirituality cultivation at the scene, apart from Shi Xiaole, estimated at twenty-six percent.
"Demolishing Demon-Slaying Mace!"
A beam of golden light pierced the void, and also the shadow that desperately tried to evade.
Dressed in black, Yin Soul Great Emperor turned pale, but his eyes became pitch black, darker than his clothes, like two abysses, ceaselessly absorbing Golden Mace Emperor’s spiritual power.
"Six-Color Shield!"
To cultivate to the level of Forbidden Martial Emperor, no one’s spiritual abilities were weak. In the spiritual sea of Golden Mace Emperor, a circular shield composed of six colors appeared, resisting the invisible pulling force.
"Can you stop this, Eye of the Yin Soul!"
The pitch-black eyes suddenly lit up with two balls of ghostly green fire. With a puff, like the sound of flame burning cotton, the Six-Color Shield was pierced, and Golden Mace Emperor’s spiritual power drained massively.
In the end, relying on the advantage of his spiritual techniques, Yin Soul Great Emperor closed the distance and defeated Golden Mace Emperor with a single palm.
"We can’t let this guy get close."
Some among the top nine masters contemplated thoughtfully.
In terms of martial prowess, Yin Soul Great Emperor was the weakest of the nine, meaning that to defeat him, one needed to maintain distance. Easier said than done, remember, aside from spiritual attacks, Yin Soul Great Emperor’s movement technique was also top-notch.
The twenty-second battle.
Startling Thunder Emperor versus Spring Thunder Emperor.
Both were masters of the way of thunder, one wielded a spear, the other a whip, and with their moves, thunder and lightning were born, clashing ferociously. Unfortunately, Spring Thunder Emperor was slightly behind in martial strength by a small realm, and after a long struggle, Startling Thunder Emperor emerged victorious.
The thirty-first battle.
The last two of the top nine masters, Heavenly Martial Emperor versus Withering Glory Blade Emperor, were matched.
To be fair, Withering Glory Blade Emperor was extremely strong, especially his swordsmanship, which seemed to interpret the withering and flourishing changes of all things.
However, his opponent was too powerful. Heavenly Martial Emperor only needed six moves to claim victory.
Thus, the strength of the top nine masters was more or less revealed.
With similar qualities, Heavenly Martial Emperor, Thousand Swords Emperor, Startling Thunder Emperor, Five Elements Axe Emperor, and Anatman Mountain Man, who reached the mid-phase of eleven percent Supreme Martial Arts, appeared to be stronger existences.
The remaining Golden Mace Emperor, Spring Thunder Emperor, and Withering Glory Blade Emperor were clearly a notch below. As for Yin Soul Great Emperor, while weakest in martial strength, his spiritual attacks were terrifying, making him most likely to triumph against stronger opponents.
The three great young masters, despite not having an advantage in martial realm, had each won a battle, showing their strong competitiveness, matching the first tier, so the duels to come were bound to be exciting.
Still round Ninety.
The thirty-eighth battle.
Xuanyuan Di versus Anatman Mountain Man.
With nine moves, Xuanyuan Di won.
The crowd erupted in amazement. Earlier, when Qi Muchu defeated Anatman Mountain Man, it took him sixty-six moves, but Xuanyuan Di did it with fifty-seven moves fewer. Did this indirectly prove something?
The most excited were undoubtedly the masters from the Xuanyuan Clan. Was there anything more thrilling for them than watching the younger generation of their clan advance through the ranks and draw closer to the final position?
Whether by coincidence or not, in the thirty-ninth bout, Qi Muchu faced off against the Five Elements Axe Emperor.
Sixty-six moves, Qi Muchu won.
"Why is it still sixty-six moves?"
"I don’t believe this is a coincidence. Perhaps there’s only one explanation, all of this is manipulated by Qi Muchu, who has hidden much of his strength."
The momentum previously seized by Xuanyuan Di was instantly reversed by Qi Muchu, to the delight of the masters from the Nineteen Peaks.
Twelve grandmasters had gone up, and ten had already competed, leaving only two. And no one would overlook those two. Would they meet?
Soon, Shi Xiaole took the stage, but regrettably, his opponent was not Thousand Swords Emperor but Luo Zijiao from the top ten braggarts. Shi Xiaole won easily.
Thousand Swords Emperor’s opponent was a common Forbidden Martial Emperor. Without even drawing his sword, he defeated his opponent with a flick of his sword finger.
The duel moved on to the ninety-first round.
White Cloud Emperor defeated Elder Tiancan. With this, his rank was almost certainly set at thirteenth, just after the twelve grandmasters.
Since White Cloud Emperor had the highest ranking and had defeated Liu Ruofei earlier, it resulted in the stronger Liu Ruofei having to settle for the fourteenth position in the end.
Powerhouses like Elder Tiancan and Xuanyuan Dao naturally fell in order after him.
However, aside from their own friends and family, no one was paying attention to them. Everyone’s focus had long since shifted to the first-tier duels.
The ninth bout of this round.
Heavenly Martial Emperor went up first, his opponent being Spring Thunder Emperor, and he won without much difficulty.
The sixteenth bout.
Anatman Mountain Man versus Startling Thunder Emperor, and it ended with an obvious victory for Startling Thunder Emperor.
The twenty-first bout.
Xuanyuan Di won against Withering Glory Blade Emperor in seven moves.
The thirty-first bout.
Qi Muchu faced Yin Soul Great Emperor, and the duel had everyone on edge, especially the masters from Hundred Battles Tower, who feared Qi Muchu might become complacent and fail.
The reality proved that everyone’s concerns were excessive. Even though Qi Muchu’s mental fortitude wasn’t quite on par with Yin Soul Great Emperor’s, his arsenal was so diverse. With his spear in hand, he didn’t give Yin Soul Great Emperor a chance to get close and still won in sixty-six moves, causing many to quietly feel apprehensive.
The thirty-fourth bout.
Thousand Swords Emperor’s opponent was Golden Mace Emperor, and the outcome was as predictable as ever.
The last bout of this round.
Shi Xiaole encountered Five Elements Axe Emperor.
"Five Elements Breaking Boundaries!"
Five Elements Axe Emperor unleashed his killing move as soon as he acted, with colorful circles of light patterns crazily spreading outward.
He wondered if it was the doing of the Fate Tablet messing with him on purpose. First Xuanyuan Di, then Qi Muchu, and now Shi Xiaole. He didn’t want to be thrashed by three major young masters in succession; he had to fight with all his might.
The thoughts of the Five Elements Axe Emperor were fine, but reality was harsh.
"Extreme Breaking Sword!"
A blue sword light extinguished the bursting flames of the earth, and Shi Xiaole moved with agility, his sword flying swiftly, not giving the Five Elements Axe Emperor any chance to catch his breath, let alone strike back or even dodge.
Three swords.
Five Elements Axe Emperor was defeated, and in an even sorrier state than he was against Xuanyuan Di.
Everyone was stunned, disbelieving what they had witnessed.
"Shi Xiaole’s battle skills are too sophisticated. In a fight against someone of the same level, he has no weaknesses, and if his opponent is slightly weaker, he’ll immediately exploit their flaws and conquer them. That’s his style, and it’s terrifying, truly terrifying!"
Someone sighed, almost to the point of reciting the popular maxim from the East Victory continent: to be of the same class means to be overwhelmingly superior.
The duel moved on to the ninety-second round.
In this round, Shi Xiaole’s opponent was Yin Soul Great Emperor.
Inside the ring of Fate, Yin Soul Great Emperor’s expression was extremely solemn. Outsiders might not realize that of all his opponents, Shi Xiaole was one of the ones he most dreaded.
Because his rival’s Flying Skill was on par with his own, his swordsmanship was impeccable, and to have reached that level in swordsmanship, his mental power must also be extremely strong, nearly countering him in every way.
With Yin Soul Great Emperor’s level of mental fortitude, in the short term, he could only unleash "Eye of the Yin Soul" twice. And if a round progressed too quickly, it was highly possible he wouldn’t have enough time to recover, affecting his performance in the subsequent match, so he had to be extra cautious.
After all, expended mental power wasn’t like an injury; the breath of life wouldn’t help you recover.
While Yin Soul Great Emperor was still hesitating, Shi Xiaole made his move.
Two swords, victory!
Having exceptional insight and swift sword speed, Shi Xiaole was simply the bane of masters skilled in Flying Skill because he could always anticipate their positions and secure winning strikes.
Yin Soul Great Emperor might dodge the first sword but could never escape the second.
Gasps kept on sounding.
Everyone was shocked by Shi Xiaole’s performance. Somehow, it seemed that the youngest contender with the lowest realm in martial arts was truly the most dominating presence, almost as if with one sword in hand, he was invincible under the heavens.
Perhaps spurred by this, Thousand Swords Emperor also won his duel against Five Elements Axe Emperor in just three strokes, akin to a remote counterstrike at Shi Xiaole.
The rivalry between the two unparalleled swordsmen made the swordsmen of Heavenly Sword Peak all the more eager. Even the other members of the twelve grandmasters were curious to see whose swordsmanship would prove superior.
They did not have to wait long.
The ninety-third round.
The first bout.
Shi Xiaole versus Thousand Swords Emperor!
