Chapter 184: Chapter 184: The Storm Ends
The crackling noise of electric arcs resonated, stimulating everyone’s eardrums. The pale blue light streaked across the sky, leaving behind black traces reminiscent of space rifts, providing a strong visual impact.
"’Astonishing Thunder Palm’ Xin Riyuan, as the rumors go, truly lives up to his reputation."
"If he had used that move earlier, he would have penetrated the defenses of the quasi-red Poisonous Stiff."
Everyone was astonished by Xin Riyuan’s finishing move. As expected of a prodigy who came close to being selected in the young heroes list when he committed himself, no one should underestimate him.
"However, Shi Xiaole should also have his killer move, and it’s just about who gets the upper hand".
"Being stronger under normative circumstances doesn’t necessarily make one’s killing blow strong. It seems Xin Riyuan is ready for a decisive victory."
Everyone’s thoughts occurred in a mere moment, and the electric arc had almost hit Shi Xiaole.
Fu Yusheng and others narrowed their eyes.
Fang Yao subconsciously clenched her clothes.
"This move will surely force Brother Shi to show his real skills."
Song Wuji thought secretly in his heart.
Next to him, Tao Baichuan, and Li Wufeng had their eyes wide open, not even blinking
Before the grand tournament of heroes began, being aware of the capabilities of not only current top heroes but also rising prodigies, provides an added sense of confidence. After all, who knows whether these people might be potential opponents.
As the electric arc was about to hit, the still Shi Xiaole finally moved.
Whizzing sounds.
His figure was incredibly fast, fluttery as a butterfly and swift like the wind. Every time the electric arc seemed to pierce him, in the next moment, his figure would fade, leaving behind only a shadow at the original place.
A tier-third superior body technique, Tianluo steps.
Ordinary Tianluo steps, of course, could not avoid Xin Riyuan’s killing move. But under Shi Xiaole’s spiritual guidance, the subtlety of the Tianluo steps had long surpassed the original category of the Qingcheng Sect.
A few dodging movements, all within a blink of an eye.
With a whoosh, Shi Xiaole suddenly drew his sword. The purple-blue sword light transformed into multiple layers of moonlight, condensing into a moonlight pillar.
The moonlight pillar seemed weak, but even thunder and lightning could not destroy it. The moment it appeared, many people couldn’t help but cry out, clearly perceiving that this move, compared to the one he had used to deal with the quasi-red Poisonous Stiff, was much stronger.
How could outsiders know that when Shi Xiaole killed the quasi-red Poisonous Stiff, he had only used half of the Chaotic Intent Realm, which was already more than enough for those mindless creatures.
Xin Riyuan’s determination was indeed many times stronger than the Poisonous Stiff’s, but how could he compare with Shi Xiaole? Being challenged by the one-tenth of his Chaotic Intent Realm, Xin Riyuan felt the sword glow to be too far to reach. By the time he reacted, the cold sword tip was already at his throat.
The battle ended.
"You lost."
Shi Xiaole stated.
"I lost. No, I, how could I lose, how did I lose?"
Xin Riyuan couldn’t believe it, his pupils seemed to lose focus, and his mind went blank.
Shaking his head, Shi Xiaole sheathed his sword.
Actually, one can’t really blame Xin Riyuan for overestimating his abilities.
The Chaotic Intent Realm is a deceptive realm. Unless you personally confront it, or immerse yourself in it, you will never understand its power. An inappropriate analogy would be that people who have never tried drugs will always think they can resist the temptation of addiction.
"I thought one move would end it. Did it really end in one move?"
Someone incredulously muttered, almost dropped his jaw on the ground while he stared at the unexpected result.
"Incredible! Xin Riyuan was almost ranked 90th in the previous Tournament of Heroes. After four years of progress, he was defeated in a second by a sword strike. Shi Xiaole definitely qualifies for the Young Heroes List!"
"Looking at his age, he is only sixteen or seventeen. Such strength deserves to be called terrifying."
After a brief silence, the scene exploded with noisy voices, and many people’s faces were filled with shock.
If the previous joint attack on the quasi-red Poisonous Stiff did not allow people to gauge Shi Xiaole’s level, then the second strike that killed Xin Riyuan made everyone clearly understand that he definitely possessed the strength of young heroes list.
"This guy..."
In the crowd, there was one person with an especially complicated expression.
He was Sect Master Jin Dahai of the Peach Forest Sect.
After Jin Dahai heard that the situation in Peach Forest Town had stabilized, he returned. However, the Peach Forest Sect had long been disbanded, and the remaining people ignored him because he had left on his own.
At this moment, Jin Dahai was filled with regret. Had he known Shi Xiaole possessed such power, he would have held onto his thigh tightly, and wouldn’t have ended up in this situation.
"That’s really tricky."
Li Wufeng squinted his eyes and snorted, glad he didn’t take action earlier because it would have been hard to find a way out.
"I hope to see him on Mount Yingxia next year."
Tao Baichuan laughed, regained his calm very quickly. Strong individuals are never worried about being overtaken. His target was the top fifty on the Young Heroes List.
"The sword technique of this youngster is not bad, his intent is quite interesting."
Five Xuanqi Realm experts saw everything. The man with the sword on his back, whom Li Wufeng called ’Master’, spoke lightly.
"If it had been four years ago, with this young man’s current strength, he could have easily competed for a place in the top thirty of the Young Xia’s List. But in recent years, heroes have been cropping up, geniuses are rampant. Not to mention other major regions, even our Yunfeng Domain has many promising seedlings. The Tournament of Heroes next year will be the strongest in nearly a hundred years, and this youngster will only be considered average."
That middle-aged man who was the first to arrive in Peach Forest Town made a judgement that made the other four people agree with him wholeheartedly.
"Riyuan, a momentary victory or defeat means nothing, there’s no need to dwell on it excessively."
The Fifth Elder of the Spring Thunder Sect glanced at Shi Xiaole, suppressed the tumult in his heart, and then began to comfort the dispirited Xin Riyuan. To be honest, he hadn’t expected this outcome at all.
The other disciples of the Spring Thunder Sect also looked at Shi Xiaole with complex expressions, especially the young girl with the apple-cheeked face, Fang Yao.
Maybe it was something about that night’s fleeting glimpse, or perhaps it was the calm, lofty poise of the other party that attracted her. Unconsciously, Fang Yao had been quietly watching this young man in blue, dreaming of some impractical romantic stories.
But that sword just now had not only defeated Xin Riyuan but also mercilessly shattered her woven daydreams, making her realize the gap between herself and the young man in blue.
He could soar in the sky, while she could only stand on the ground looking up.
A kind of affection known as a crush was buried deep in Fang Yao’s heart. Years later, she might recall this period of time, and this young man in blue standing under the sun, would still be as beautiful as he was at this moment.
That’s enough.
Fang Yao smiled with a tinge of bitterness and sweetness, watching the young man in blue gradually leaving with his back to the crowd, and silently said farewell.
Shi Xiaole probably would never know that there was once a girl who opened her heart to him, and then quietly closed it again. Ignoring the discussions among the public, after returning to the courtyard, he rested for a while and then resumed his cultivation.
The path of martial arts is that if you don’t advance, you fall back. The praises of others are ultimately as fleeting as clouds and can’t make him linger for even a moment.
Of course, besides cultivation, Shi Xiaole sometimes also pays attention to what’s happening outside.
A few days later, the sixth Xuanqi Realm expert arrived, and the six of them again rushed deep into the poisonous forest, finally killing the two red Poisonous Stiff.
Three days later, the chaos of the Poisonous Stiff from the other two parties was also successively eliminated.
The martial world finally returned to peace.
In White Water City, most of the high-ranking sect members who had gone out had already returned, and the most eye-catching one was the Sect Master of the Righteous Qi Gang, ’Black-faced Deity’ Li Gang.
It was Li Gang who had initially gathered the strength of several major sect experts, broke the Array System, and released the Poisonous Stiff inside, causing this upheaval in the martial world.
It’s said that because of this, Li Gang tried to commit suicide several times to apologize but was stopped by those around him. To make up for his mistakes, this time the entire Righteous Qi Gang went into action, and as many as 368 Gang members and 25 high-ranking Elders died.
Li Gang himself was the first to lead the charge, killing hundreds of Poisonous Stiff, and even a thumb on his right hand was disabled in the process.
"Humph, If it wasn’t for this Li Gang, where would so many people have died?"
"You cannot blame Sect Master Li entirely, he was just misled. Besides, I heard that he and several other Sect Leaders have already pledged to merge their sects, use all their resources to aid those citizens who lost their loved ones and have nothing left."
On the street, discussion amongst the guests of the martial world was mixed.
In a certain secret chamber.
Several men sat on either side, and in the middle was a man with a black face, who was none other than the ’Black-faced Deity’ Li Gang.
"Master, I don’t understand, why don’t we take this opportunity to distract the east and secretly attack the sects in other cities?"
A man asked.
Li Gang chuckled and said, "It’s not so easy to perform the Saber Tablet Skill, and it also takes time to train personnel, we can’t rush this. Moreover, using this chaos to attract the attention of the martial arts world, the Evil Lord has secretly obtained the Demon Bone relic."
"What, the Demon Bone relic of the Demon Bone Emperor?"
The few remaining people were so surprised that they shouted.
The Demon Bone Emperor was a high-level Devil Path martial artist from a long time ago. It was said that the Demon Bone relic left behind by him had an incredible effect on any Devil Path martial artists.
"Hahaha, now that the Evil Lord has obtained the Demon Bone relic, I believe that within a few years, his strength will skyrocket, leading our Sky Evil Sect to become the dependable aid of the Demon Lord."
"Our future is promising."
With a pressing motion of his right hand in mid-air, the secret chamber instantly became quiet. Li Gang said, "From now on, be an upright person, conserve your energy and prepare for the time when opportunity comes. That will be our chance to turn the tables."
"Yes!"
Several people responded in unison, their excitement still hard to hide.
...
A large number of people from the martial world had already left Peach Forest Town. After burying their dead relatives, the people of Peach Forest Town began a new life. They hadn’t forgotten the pain, but people must always look forward. Time would eventually take everything away.
It’s worth mentioning that Shi Xiaole’s status among the townspeople increased even more due to his earlier move of staying back to protect Peach Forest Town.
By now, everyone in town had accepted him as one of their own.
In a manor full of peach blossoms.
Shi Xiaole combined his sword and knife, drawing them lightly across the air. The resultant surge of Qi shot out to a distance of almost five meters, leaving a trace four inches deep in the clay soil of the flower garden.
"This is the greatest power of Eight-Direction Storm for now. It should be able to simultaneously kill two early-stage Qi Absorption Level Seven experts."
Shi Xiaole nodded in satisfaction.
Because his battle skills were amplified without limit, he was more efficient in killing the Poisonous Stiff than middle-stage Qi Absorption Level Seven experts. However, if they were to engage in a real fight, Shi Xiaole’s combat power was at best equivalent to that level, and if he were to display all his trump cards, he might be able to kill the opponent.
But even a mid-stage Qi Absorption Level Seven expert would have trouble killing two early-stage Qi Absorption Level Seven experts with a single move.
It must be said that the potential of the Eight-Direction Storm technique was huge. One day, when Shi Xiaole’s Man-Sword Unity reached the mid-stage level, then his combined sword and knife attack would become even more powerful.
He spent his days in tranquility and enrichment, which made Shi Xiaole quite content. During this period, he also drew a set of third-rate superior martial arts, Ba Fenghan’s Man-Horse Unity Skill.
"Having an unproductive draw and drawing third-rate skills has a probability of seventy-five percent, while the chance of drawing first-rate skills is less than six percent. It would be nice if I got it someday."
That night, as usual, Shi Xiaole sat alone in the courtyard drinking wine after finishing his cultivation. Because his robe was soaked with sweat, he conveniently took off his blue shirt and placed it on the stone table.
The moonlight in the sky was dimly shining down, and then something peculiar happened.
