Chapter 212: Chapter 212: Shi Xiaole vs Pan Yue
By now, Shi Xiaole’s Draw Sword Skill had achieved mastery to a transcendent level. Combined with his internal power, most practitioners of the ninth level of Qi Absorption could hardly resist, and this was when he was still holding back. Otherwise, Yang Anping would have suffered more than just being thrown across the ring.
He didn’t consider it anything special, but the result brought a moment of silence to the scene, so quiet that the sounds of many heavy breaths could be heard.
"Really?"
"Did I see wrong, just one stroke?"
The talents under the No. 6 platform were stunned. It took them a while to regain their composure and let out astonished sighs.
They should have realized that Shi Xiaole carrying a sword was not just because he excelled at ’Illusions.’ Now it seemed that ’Illusions’ were just a minor trick on his part.
The main reason was that after many rising stars had defeated the previous generation’s talents, they subconsciously did not want Shi Xiaole to be one of them, which affected their final judgment.
"His swordsmanship is impressive."
Under the No.7 platform, Bali Wen, the No. 7 seed from the Bali Family, squinted his eyes. He was the only swordsman among the nine seeded players. Or rather, he was considered the top swordsman in this Martial World Grand Competition.
Shi Xiaole’s swordsmanship ignited a spark of interest in him. Of course, whether he could maintain this interest depended on Shi Xiaole’s upcoming performance.
"When you meet me, I’ll let you know how powerful the Twin Absolute Palace is."
Gu Zhihang’s face turned slightly red.
Just a moment ago, he had confidently declared that Yang Anping could defeat Shi Xiaole. His voice hadn’t been intentionally lowered, so he felt extremely embarrassed now.
In addition, there was a sense of angry humiliation at the Twin Absolute Palace being disgraced by someone else.
As much as Gu Zhihang hated to admit it, he acknowledged that Shi Xiaole deserved to advance into the top eighty-one. This was perfect, as when they met later, he would give Shi Xiaole a hard lesson.
Xu Nianxue’s beautiful eyes widened slightly, shooting out two radiant glimmers. She too was taken aback.
"Junior Sister, this Young Master Shi is not to be underestimated."
The slightly admiring voice of Wang Zuying came from her ear.
Throughout the history of the competition, over ninety percent of those who made it into the top eighty-one came from the top and first-rate sects of Qingxue State. The remaining ten percent were independent cultivators, who usually had a powerful master guiding them.
Both girls had visited Cloud Triangle personally and were well aware of Shi Xiaole’s circumstances. They thought it would have been great if he could make a name for himself in Cloud Triangle.
Now, it seemed like he was on pace to become a ranking young hero.
Admittedly, Shi Xiaole must have had special encounters and even guidance from a respected master. But without truly exceptional talent and aptitude, what use would it be to have access to immense resources?
The Martial World Grand Competition was a stage for geniuses.
"Brother Shi, your performance was absolutely splendid."
A gleam flashed across Shangguan Yan’s face. After repeatedly being criticized, she slowly adjusted her mindset.
She subconsciously saw Shi Xiaole as her hope, his consecutive victories felt like her own. She was eagerly looking forward to seeing how far Shi Xiaole could go in this unprecedented competition.
Would he reach the top twenty? Or even the top fifteen?
Tao Baichuan, who was in the same group as Shangguan Yan, shook his head, strangely unsurprised by the result. When he exchanged looks with Li Wufeng and Song Wuji, he found they shared the same expression.
Only those who had truly interacted with Shi Xiaole knew how much he tended to hide his abilities. Tao Baichuan even suspected that when they were in Peach Forest Town, Shi Xiaole was already strong enough to defeat him and the others.
"Just as I expected, he didn’t let me down."
Mo Ye smiled and closed his eyes, no longer speaking.
People like Yue Tianlin quickly shifted their attention away. Shi Xiaole’s strength was a pleasant surprise to them, but not enough to shock them. With their pride, they believed that it was impossible for someone on the eighth stage of Qi Absorption to lose to someone on the seventh stage.
"We’ve long lost the ability to see through him."
At the side peak, Yu Fangge let out a long sigh, his face full of delight. The three disciples and the elders were still immersed in their shock and couldn’t bring themselves back to reality.
Yu Fangge couldn’t help but glance at the nearby Golden Phoenix Tower where he saw his sister, Su Yanru, with her face flushed and her small fists clenched tightly and trembling. He couldn’t help but laugh.
Only Shi Xiaole could make her lose her composure like this.
Crack!
On the other side, everyone from the Iron Bone Sect had grave expressions.
Zhou Yilou clenched his hand so hard that he deformed two iron balls he was holding. With the warning from the Dark Alley, the Iron Bone Sect couldn’t make a move on Shi Xiaole, not to mention that he had a master.
What truly terrified Zhou Yilou was that the Qi Absorption seventh-level talents in the Martial World Grand Competition, renowned for being no weaker than Qi Absorption ninth-level martial artists, could easily defeat the latter likey Yang Anping.
But such a person could not withstand a casual slash from Shi Xiaole. If things continued like this, even without the help of the Dark Alley or his master, that brat would be able to ignore the Iron Bone Sect completely!
Shi Xiaole jumped down from the platform. The looks that greeted him were fundamentally different from before, but this had no impact on him, and he continued to do his own thing.
The competitions on the other platforms continued, and by the time it was nightfall, the twelfth round had ended.
A multitude of bonfires were lit on the top of the Heroic Spirit Peak, resembling a sea of fire, shining a hundred times brighter than the stars in the sky.
At this time, the advantages of being in a sect showed. Those disciples, elders, and masters didn’t need to lift a finger as the food was prepared by dedicated people.
But those wanderers in the Martial World who were independent cultivators could only gnaw on prepared dry food or quickly make some wild game, fervently discussing the day’s events as they ate.
At the main peak, the competing talents had finished the prepared food. Not one wasted time, they all found a place to sit and recuperate, striving to meet the competition in their best condition tomorrow.
In the blink of an eye, the second day arrived.
The thirteenth round began.
Due to yesterday’s performance, Shi Xiaole became very relaxed. In five consecutive rounds, his opponents outright conceded defeat to him.
At this stage of the competition, everyone had a clear idea of who was strong and who was weak.
Against those excessively strong, no one was foolish enough to waste their efforts. It was better to save their energy to deal with peers or slightly stronger opponents.
In the grand competition, besides testing strength, competition strategy also played a crucial role. Historically, it was common for someone who ranked 81st to outshine someone ranked 100th. The ranking may merely be decided by just one additional victory. However, being listed or not is related to the honor that martial artists value most, and should not be treated lightly!
By the twenty-second round, many people suddenly realized that more than half of the geniuses who made the rankings in the previous competition had lost many matches.
If Yue Tianlin, Nangong Yang, Guan Duli, Situ Changkong, Monk Wunian, Mo Ye are considered the first echelon among the newcomers, then Xu Nianxue, Shi Xiaole and a few others are the second echelon.
The third echelon, though not as overwhelmingly powerful as the first two, was also remarkable in strength. Most of the previous champions had been defeated by them.
For instance, four people who Shi Xiaole knew well, Hou Tianping, Tao Baichuan, Li Wufeng and Song Wuji.
The former two lost three rounds, and the latter two lost six and seven rounds respectively. Shi Xiaole guessed that the first two might squeeze into the top 81, but their rankings would also be relatively low. As for the latter two, they stood no chance.
This situation made one exclaim the fierceness of this competition.
In the proverb that each new generation surpasses the previous one, even your past glories will be forgotten once defeated by someone else. At most, when recalling that historical period, someone might occasionally remember your name.
This was the Martial World.
Shi Xiaole didn’t care about people’s thoughts and whether he would be remembered by the Martial World. All he needed to do was to defeat one opponent after another and continue to climb the peak of martial arts.
The twenty-fourth round, also the final round of elimination matches, began.
In this round, the third arena finished first.
Mo Ye, the fantastic performer, again used his unpredictable illusion technique to directly stun a genius who ranked thirtieth last year, evoking fear from many people.
When that talent woke up, he did not dare to look into Mo Ye’s eyes any more.
Then the fourth, fifth, and ninth arenas came after one another.
In the first arena, two talents of equal power were going all out. Their previous points were close, and this battle was likely to decide who would make it to the "Young Heroes List". Hence they both fought like crazy.
According to the rules of the upcoming challenge phase, the loser could not challenge someone they had already fought, meaning this was their last battle.
"Fist Flow to the Sea!"
"Stand Tall and Straight!"
Both of them hit each other unreservedly, using their killer moves continuously. By the end, their internal power was almost exhausted, and both of them were wounded in many places, but they still fought tenaciously, vowing to defeat each other.
Ultimately, after a whopping 1300 moves, the genius that utilized the fist technique just barely won. When the referee announced the result, he burst into laughter, then fainted.
Seeing this, some experts who ensured safety at the scene immediately flew out and took the two injured away for healing.
The sixth arena was a bit slow, but their final battle had also started.
Though the referee looked a bit odd, he still announced, "Nine, Pan Yue, versus eighteen, Shi Xiaole."
Whoosh!
A big uproar broke out at the scene.
The previous matches proved that Pan Yue was indeed at the top among the third echelon. And as for Shi Xiaole, he was a top contender among the second echelon of the newcomers.
The unexpected encounter between them would certainly present a thrilling match.
Many talents who would definitely make the list were watching the sixth arena.
After all, once the top 81 were determined, they would all face each other in the ranking matches. A match like this would expose their real strength unless one of them intentionally conceded defeat. This could prepare them psychologically.
"Pan Yue ranked thirty-sixth last time, but he is not fading this time. Based on his performance, he is likely to be in the top thirty. Shi Xiaole is also strong. Ha ha, meeting each other early, they must be cursing in their hearts."
"The best way is for one side to admit defeat and continue saving strength. Let’s see if they will do that."
Since all the other matches had ended, everyone relaxed and saw this as good drama.
"For your Mr. Pan to win against Shi Xiaole, it may not be easy."
Among the big sounds on the side peak, Yinhua Lady said from a tree branch.
Upon hearing this, Yuhua Lady was unfazed and scoffed, "Has the second sister forgotten about Pan Yue’s Jade Divine Skill? Up till now, he probably hasn’t even used half of his power. Everyone has been fooled by him."
Remembering this, Yinhua Lady nodded and said, "That’s true, but I wonder whether it would be worth it to win against Shi Xiaole but reveal the seventh level of his Jade Divine Skill."
"The martial art skill will be exposed sooner or later. What’s important is victory."
Madam Gold Flower chimed in.
She had always appreciated Shi Xiaole greatly, but if he didn’t have a trump card that could compete with the Jade Divine Skill, he would surely lose. After all, the Jade Divine Skill was an exclusive skill of the top players on the Wind/Dust List.
