Chapter 224: Chapter 224: The Battle of the Four Heaven Kings
"I lost."
Without a referee’s announcement, Guan Duli sheathed his sword. As he spoke, he seemed to have unloaded a burden, and seemed to have found some kind of goal that motivated his struggle.
Being famous and highly accomplished is important to others, but for Guan Duli, continually defeating strong enemies is the meaning of his life. He decided that his goal for the next five years was to defeat Shi Xiaole.
"Guan Duli was completely crushed, and even his Triple Connecting Sword was completely broken. Where on earth did this Shi Xiaole come from? His knife skills are impressive enough, but his sword skills are even more abnormal."
"I originally thought that Yue Tianlin was the number one young swordsman in Qingxue State, but now I’m not sure."
"This is the most exciting tournament I’ve ever seen, with one dark horse after another. I really don’t know who will have the last laugh."
After Shi Xiaole defeated Guan Duli, the scene suddenly exploded, and people were talking non-stop. It seemed to be endless.
"Are you unsure who is the number one swordsman? I’ll make it certain for you."
Yue Tianlin smirked at the corner of his mouth.
He recognized Shi Xiaole’s strength, but unfortunately, he was still not enough to threaten his position.
"You are really..."
Wang Zuying didn’t know what to say. In just two years, Shi Xiaole had far outpaced her. Thinking about this, she couldn’t help but glance at Xu Nianxue.
"This young man’s mental strength and reaction speed are the best in this competition."
If anyone on the scene had the sharpest eye, it would be Master Honest and Daoist Xuhuai. In fact, after Shi Xiaole’s continuous victories, they had noticed him. Just never as profound as this time.
Daoist Xuhuai stroked his beard and praised, "According to his data, he is only seventeen years old. His talent for cultivation should be no less than that of Yuan Zong and others. As for combat insight, he is even stronger."
Master Honest, who was sitting next to him, nodded, keeping silent.
The competition reached the sixty-ninth round. At this point, only the Four Heavenly Kings, Yue Tianlin among the Four Swordsmen, Xue Changqing, Bali Wen, Shi Xiaole and Mo Ye, still maintained a perfect record.
It was during this round that Mo Ye was matched against Bali Wen.
"Illusion comes from the mind."
A bewitching aura emerged from Mo Ye’s eyes, covering Bali Wen in an instant.
"Riding the Wind and Breaking the Waves."
Several onlookers noticed that a pale light also appeared in Bali Wen’s pupils, like a protective barrier firmly defending his soul, and preventing it from getting lost.
"The Bali family’s Back to Void technique is rare, especially designed to counter illusions."
Someone broke it down.
The pupil skills are rare, not to mention the ones that can resist illusions. Once in ten thousand, the head of the Bali family laughed. He had worried about many opponents for Bali Wen, but he didn’t think Mo Ye would be a problem.
Chop...
A terrifying sword qi, like the mighty Yangtze River, striking Mo Ye with an unstoppable force, leaving no way out.
Mo Ye had just evaded with a movement, when Bali Wen already pounced on him within three feet. The second move of Chiangjiang Swordsmanship was launched, the sword aura was five feet high, was extremely solid and unhesitatingly blew away the airwaves.
Mo Ye seemed to be unable to escape anymore, and decided to charge straight at the thin spot in the sword Qi. Bali Wen only saw him dash, and his eyebrows leaped, and quickly launched his third strike.
Though illusion practitioners are weak in practical combat, it doesn’t mean he would take them lightly.
"Mirror, Flower, Water, Moon."
The world spun, space shifted. In the eyes of Bali Wen, the sun and the moon seem to lose their color. Only the bright moon above the sword qi illuminate the world independently.
Under the illumination of the moonlight, his actions subtly changed, and the sword Qi brushed past Mo Ye’s ear, rushing towards the clear sky behind him.
"Illusion is just an appetizer for me when I deal with weaklings."
Mo Ye laughed loudly. He sent a Qi from his left index finger, grazed on the long sword, forcing Bali Wen to stagger and retreat, shouting, "Illusion Martial Art!"
Whereas an illusion simply creates illusions to confuse opponents, Illusion Martial Art incorporates illusions into martial arts to superpose the two, creating power far superior to ordinary martial arts.
It is too difficult to master Illusion Martial Art. In a sense, it is about integrating two fighting methods into one, and how could a common man accomplish that?
Mo Ye, who was proficient in illusions, was not as threatening as the Four Swordsmen. But Mo Ye, who was proficient in Illusion Martial Art, was more terrifying than the Four Swordsmen in the hearts of many people.
"Get out of my way."
Mo Ye moved his hands and feet, and his actions were clear and structured. But for Bali Wen, it seemed as if a trace of illusional aura was seeping out of Mo Ye’s pores and invading his body. It was completely irresistible.
The scene in front of him was distorted, as if demons were dancing chaotically. Bali Wen shouted loudly, and completely collapsed.
Mo Ye won.
"Finally, I saw someone interesting."
The leader of the Four Heavenly Kings, regarded as the most promising champion, Yuan Zong slightly squinted his eyes.
A common master, no matter how strong, won’t catch his attention since they couldn’t be stronger than him. But Mo Ye, with his unpredictable methods, aroused Yuan Zong’s hunting interest and brought him a certain freshness.
Not long after this fight, Wunian was matched against Fang Shenwu. The result came without any suspense, Fang Shenwu, who ranked second in the previous tournament, won.
What was impressed was that Fang Shenwu’s horizontal training was too strong. Wunian’s Dragon Cudgel hit him, but it didn’t leave any marks. Instead, Wunian was thrown out by Fang Shenwu with great strength.
Also in this round, Shi Xiaole confronted a very special opponent.
Xu Nianxue.
Their eyes met, and Xu Nianxue felt as if she had knocked over a jar of mixed flavors, at a total loss. The past scenes were still vivid in her mind, the boy whom she once looked down upon had now become an insurmountable mountain for her.
"Miss Xu, please,"
Shi Xiaole said nonchalantly. Everything in the past was like fleeting clouds to him, unworthy of resentment, nor of commemoration.
DING, DING, DING...
After barely performing a dozen sword strikes, Xu Nianxue simply conceded.
"Xue’er is too proud, but after this, it’s necessary to invite Xiaole to visit the Xu Family."
On the side peak, Xu Beihe, the head of the Xu Family, said to his wife, smiling.
Over the years, both internal and external problems have troubled Xu Beihe, leaving him no time to pay much attention to this son of his benefactor. As the situation of the Xu Family started to improve recently, Xu Beihe finally took the time to properly investigate Shi Xiaole.
When he saw him this time, he couldn’t hide his astonishment. But precisely because of this surprise, he was even more resolute in keeping his promise to betroth his daughter to him.
Where could Shi Xuanzhong, Brother Shi be?
With the conclusion of the 69th round, it was again nightfall. The hearts of the spectators are lifted anew.
The ranking competition only has eighty rounds in total, tomorrow it will go up to the seventy-ninth round. Some observant people have already noticed that several high-level martial artists who have maintained consecutive victories have not encountered each other.
This is obviously arranged intentionally by the judges.
In other words, tomorrow’s matches will be exceptionally exciting. If everything goes as planned, there would be no need to wait for the final round the day after tomorrow, to figure out the final ranking of this small league of young chivalrous heroes.
The sun slowly rose, the flowers and plants on the peak still had dew hanging on them. SHUSH, SHUSH, SHUSH. Countless gazes were fixed on the central arena.
The seventieth round has begun.
The matches in the first dozen or so rounds of this round were relatively mundane, without any high-ranking masters. Of course, this is relative. In fact, any of the participating talents could sweep most of the Qi Absorption ninth stage masters.
The twenty-fifth match.
Wang Zuying vs. Su Zhi’er, it attracted most of the male spectators. Both women were blessed with beauty and slender bodies, in addition to being listed on the small league of young chivalrous heroes, they were regarded as two of the most famous female heroes in Qingxue State.
The spectators were entranced by their seemingly enchanting attacks. In the end, Su Zhi’er narrowly won by half a step after over a thousand moves.
The twenty-seventh match.
Nangong Yang vs. Guan Duli.
If Nangong Yang was considered an eerie shadow with a sword as his weapon, then Guan Duli is a devout believer of the sword, and the sword is his supreme belief.
The battle between the two gave people goosebumps. It was like a silent shadow play. There were no fiery-blooded bursts, only the thrill of sword tips lightly brushing against each other.
"Selflessness."
Guan Duli stood upright with his sword emanating Sword Qi, deflecting Nangong Yang’s long sword with a single stroke, securing his victory.
"His swordsmanship is more urgent than before."
Shi Xiaole had a clear view from below the stage. After being broken by his ’Selflessness’, Guan Duli’s will to wield his sword is obviously firmer, indicating that his dedication to the sword has deepened.
If a swordsman neglects his sword, he is detached. But if he elevates his sword too high, he has gone to the other extreme.
"Everyone has their own way, who am I to judge?"
After a moment’s thought, Shi Xiaole felt relieved. His mindset determines his height. At this stage, what he needs to do is not criticize, but absorb the strengths of others for his own use.
The thirty-first match.
"Lin Gaofei vs. Ye Liushuang."
As the two names were announced, the spectators’ blood boiled instantly, and the cheers exceeded any previous matches since the start of the competition.
Based on their previous performance, the Four Heaven Kings will undoubtedly be the top four in this tournament. Trailing Yuan Zong, who is most likely to grab the championship, the strengths of the remaining three are extremely close, any of them could potentially get second place.
Therefore, everyone looked forward with anticipation to this battle.
"Ye Liushuang, if I can beat you once, I can beat you a second time."
Lin Gaofei, dressed in ragged clothes, was full of prestige. The Queen City upholds women’s rights and ostracizes men all the time, which upsets him who practices the Supreme Domination Skill.
"Nonsense."
Ye Liushuang was colder. Without exchanging any words, she directly used the Evasion Step to approach her opponent, and even before her arrival, her frosty Internal Power rushed towards him with her Palm Skill.
PHAT!
In the collision of fists and palms, two entirely different but equally terrifying Internal Power clashed together. Instantly, the entire arena started to violently shake, making a creaking sound.
"Frost Punch."
The two were familiar with each other, Ye Liushuang didn’t probe much and took the opportunity of getting closer as she moved sideways. She punched towards her opponent’s right shoulder from the left side, churning up a misty frost.
Lin Gaofei activated his Supreme Domination Skill to avoid being eroded by frost power while confronting with his own Ten Thousand Catty Palm Power. The two moved swiftly and counter-attacked each other, quickly spreading all over the arena.
As they collided repeatedly, Lin Gaofei was shocked to find that a thin layer of frost still covered his palm, causing his Internal Power to be somewhat obstructed.
"This woman, she has cultivated the Frost Technique to a small degree of success."
The Supreme Domination Skill and the Frost Technique were both of the same second-tier high-level category, theoretically neither could suppress the other unless one of them was of a higher realm. Obviously, after years of hard cultivation, Ye Liushuang’s Frost Technique had matured considerably.
