Chapter 227: Chapter 227: Continuous Fierce Battles, Approaching the End
The enthusiasm of the audience remained high, and the competition now reached its seventy-second round.
In this round, Guan Duli was the first to face Wang Zuying. After battling for over a hundred moves, Guan Duli finally won the match with his ’Selfless Sword’ technique.
After a few more matches, Fang Shenwu battled Lin Gaofei.
This match was definitely a heated one, with each punch hitting flesh. The sounds of muscles flexing and the crack of energy could be heard throughout the arena, and the wild internal power was rippling all over the stage.
After more than five thousand moves, both of them were exhausted. So, the number one referee had to declare the match a draw.
"Damn it."
A draw was not the result Fang Shenwu wanted. With Lin Gaofei leveraging his Supreme Domination Skill and Supreme Dominating Divine Palm, it was difficult to defeat him unless he was willing to fight to the death, especially considering he had already used a portion of his internal power during his previous match with Shi Xiaole.
Lin Gaofei chuckled, seemingly annoyed.
Before the competition began, his goal was to rank first. Now, he probably could not even defeat Shi Xiaole, let alone Yuan Zong and Ye Liushuang. Being able to fight Fang Shenwu to a draw could still salvage some face for him.
The third hotly watched match was between Yue Tianlin and Xu Canghai.
Within six moves, Yue Tianlin won.
"Shi Xiaole possesses the strength of one of the four ’Heaven Kings.’ I wonder about Yue Tianlin. Who is stronger between the two?"
"Hehe, I expect they will face each other today. We just need to wait and see. Whoever wins will be Qingxue State’s number one young swordsman."
"The number one swordsman, how exciting."
The crowd was restless.
Very soon, the championship favorite, Yuan Zong, was up. His opponent was Su Zhi’er. The outcome was unquestionable, with Yuan Zong emerging victorious after throwing four punches.
One match after another, and it was Shi Xiaole’s turn again. His opponent was Wunian from the Lanci Treasure Temple.
"Master Shi, your skills are extraordinary, and I am no match for you. I only wish to learn from you."
Wunian held his dragon staff and saluted with one hand.
"Please, Master."
Shi Xiaole said politely.
Clang, clang, clang...
It must be said that Wunian’s basic skills are very solid, reflected in his staff technique. Every move was executed perfectly, with no waste at all.
Unfortunately, his opponent was Shi Xiaole, whose basic skills were not inferior but whose technique was much more advanced.
If Wunian’s staff technique could be likened to a mountain, imposing and impregnable, then Shi Xiaole’s swordsmanship was like the wind, penetrating everywhere. Even if you didn’t expose any weakness, he could create them.
"Alas, Wunian is the best talent from our Lanci Treasure Temple in decades. But when it comes to adaptability and insight, he’s no match for Master Shi."
The head of the Lanci Treasure Temple sighed with admiration and a hint of regret.
The one who drew two consecutive matches in this round happened to be Shi Xiaole. After defeating Wunian, his next opponent was Bali Wen, who held the title of ’the First Knife Master.’
Sheathing his sword, Shi Xiaole drew the Shattered Snow Blade.
This scene caused many people to twitch at the corners of their mouths. Bali Wen’s face turned incredibly grim.
He acknowledged that he was not as good as Shi Xiaole. It was acceptable to lose due to Shi Xiaole’s superior swordplay. However, the fact that Shi Xiaole was now using a blade clearly showed that he didn’t consider him worth using a sword against.
"Breaking Nine Heavens with Blade Qi!"
Bali Wen leaped high, attacking Shi Xiaole with his blade.
Shi Xiaole slid and moved repeatedly, his blade no longer a simple weapon but a formless wind, quickly enveloping Bali Wen within it.
After several hundred moves...
Bali Wen retreats with a sullen face. He now fully understood the terrifying strength Shi Xiaole possessed. Facing him, you can’t afford to show any weaknesses, or else he will exploit them to their limit, until it leads to your ultimate defeat.
Phew!
The crowd exchanged looks, speechless. This Shi Xiaole, is he a swordsman or a blade master? How could he be so proficient in every facet?
"If only this young man were a disciple of our Twin Absolute Palace, how wonderful that would be."
The master of the Twin Absolute Palace repeatedly sighed, his gaze on Shi Xiaole brimming with anticipation.
If Shi Xiaole were under his tutelage, he had confidence that within ten years, Qingxue State would surely produce another young expert of the lists. At that time, the Twin Absolute Palace would undoubtedly advance a step further.
The seventy-third round.
Shi Xiaole’s opponent was a top-ranked expert from the previous round, who promptly conceded the match without a fight.
By now, the only ones left in the field maintaining a winning streak beside him were Yuan Zong, Xue Changqing, Yue Tianlin, Ye Liushuang, and Mo Ye.
Everyone was eagerly anticipating their matches. Of course, among the six, Xue Changqing, Yue Tianlin, and Mo Ye were in a lower tier. The fact they had yet to suffer defeat was, in many people’s view, due to them not yet encountering a ’Heaven King’ level opponent.
As if on cue, during the seventeenth round, Yue Tianlin faced Lin Gaofei.
"Supreme Dominating Divine Palm!"
With the booming sound of his internal power, Lin Gaofei’s palm followed him around, launching attacks on Yue Tianlin from all directions.
"Dragon Slay!"
A piercing dragon’s roar echoed, a sword qi stretching up to nine feet long shot out from Yue Tianlin’s sword, stable and shining brightly like a gem. It easily cut through the overpowering palm wind.
Whoosh.
With a casual wave from Yue Tianlin, Lin Gaofei’s clothes were torn to shreds, revealing his rugged muscles. A wound nearly an inch deep appeared.
"You!"
Lin Gaofei was shocked beyond belief.
Everyone else was also flabbergasted, unable to imagine that Yue Tianlin still had a trump card. This Dragon-Slaying Sword Qi was even stronger than the Sword Qi invoked at the late-stage realm of a man-sword fusion.
"The real show is yet to come."
A faint smile appeared on Yue Tianlin’s face. Those with keen eyes noticed that before stepping down the stage, he glanced in the direction of Shi Xiaole.
The most anticipated duel in this round was undoubtedly the one between Yuan Zong and Ye Liushuang.
Both of them were one of the Four Heavenly Kings, with prowess that surpassed the rest. If not for Shi Xiaole, this battle could almost be said to be a preview of the final.
"Shadow Star Flight."
The moment she stepped onto the stage, Ye Liushuang went all out. She seemed to walk out of her body on the spot, like a soul leaving its shell, and instantly appeared in front of Yuan Zong, casually reaching out to grab him.
Frost Technique, Empress Claw.
"I’m not Lin Gaofei."
Yuan Zong’s long hair reached his waist, and he looked remarkably handsome. His palm was glowing red like hot iron. He didn’t even look, and fiercely clashed with the opponent’s Ice Shadow Bone Claw.
Asura Mansion’s secret technique, Asura Hand.
Bang...
The mix of white and red internal energy splattered like blood, and the two figures began their fierce clash. Many people saw Yuan Zong’s flying skill for the first time and found that it was not inferior to Ye Liushuang!
"Asura Hell."
Yuan Zong’s eyes penetrated everything. He ignored the attack from Ye Liushuang on his left, and his red palm struck upwards. The overlapping palm shadows formed a gate to hell, ready to drag anyone into it. The Ice Claw had just stretched halfway and was instantly crushed.
It wasn’t over. Yuan Zong spun his body with the momentum, and his two hands seemed to become eight arms, striking in all directions. With his rapid movement, he was like a growing red whirlwind, reaching everywhere.
Just after Ye Liushuang had appeared, her phantom quickly dispersed, forcing her to change position and put her on the defensive.
"You are not my match."
The red palm shadows suddenly converged into one, and Yuan Zong stood still, slapping towards a certain place from a distance. The intense palm force forced Ye Liushuang to reveal herself. He had seen right through her.
"You fell into my trap, the Flower-Flourishing Technique."
Ye Liushuang’s lips curved up. Somehow, a flower condensed from her internal energy appeared in front of her eyes, piercing through the red palm shadow, then the petals fluttered down and swiftly shot towards Yuan Zong.
Yuan Zong’s face changed slightly as he kept retreating.
"Moon-Chasing Technique."
The voice resounded from above. With her white attire and black hair, Ye Liushuang looked like a moon-chasing fairy. Her hands came together in the center, precisely encircling Yuan Zong.
Flying Flower Chasing Moon, this nickname was initially spread from Queen City. Many people didn’t understand its meaning. Now, they understood. It turned out that Ye Liushuang’s most powerful techniques were not the Empress Claw, but two mysterious freehand techniques.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that the quality of the two freehand techniques is higher than the Empress Claw, but the level of understanding is different, so the power is naturally different.
Amid the sound of bursting energy bubbles, the protective Qi around Yuan Zong shattered, and he was pushed back three steps.
Seeing the cold energy coming, his pupils slightly turned red, and the latent internal energy deep within him erupted like a volcano. In front of this internal energy, the cold energy was significantly weakened, and by Yuan Zong’s body it was lightly shattered.
"Ninth Level of Asura Martial Arts Scripture."
Xia Lingwei, the City Lord of Queen City, let out a light breath.
As the number one secret technique of Asura Mansion, the Asura Martial Arts Scripture has thirteen levels, each of which brings considerable strength increase. At the ninth level, Yuan Zong is likely capable of causing injury just by plucking leaves.
Sure enough, the situation on the stage changed rapidly, and Yuan Zong once again used the Asura Hand. This time his red internal energy erupted like a torrent, directly engulfing Ye Liushuang.
After several consecutive times, Ye Liushuang’s pretty face turned pale, forcing her to admit defeat.
Had this been the final battle, she would have continued, but there were still several tough battles ahead. At this point, it was not worth injuring herself. Moreover, even if she persisted, Ye Liushuang did not think she could win.
The gap in their internal power was not small, the body techniques about equal, she had absolutely no advantage.
Yuan Zong who revealed the Ninth Level of Asura Martial Arts Scripture, showed his power to crush Ye Liushuang, opening everyone’s eyes. Before, some people fantasized about whether Shi Xiaole could defeat Yuan Zong, but now everyone had abandoned that thought.
The internal power of the two was far apart. Perhaps Shi Xiaole had stronger cards to play. But looking at Yuan Zong, wouldn’t he also have them? It was too hard, far too hard to defeat him.
"I will not lose to anyone."
With a proud look in his eyes, Yuan Zong leapt down the stage.
Unbeknownst to them, the sun had set to the west, and it was now afternoon.
The seventy-fourth round.
Amid the noisy commotion, Shi Xiaole faced Mo Ye.
"Brother Shi, I really didn’t expect this."
Mo Ye shook his head greatly, his pupils spinning at an imperceptible speed. Facing Shi Xiaole, he did not dare to be careless and directly employed his supreme illusion technique.
However, Shi Xiaole on the opposite side neither closed his eyes nor averted his gaze.
"Is it overconfidence, or...?"
Mo Ye soon learned the answer. The essence of his illusion technique brazenly rushed into the eyes of the other party but could not stir the slightest ripples.
The illusion technique to a certain extent could gauge the strength of the opponent’s mental strength. Even if someone’s mental strength was stronger than Mo Ye’s in the past, he would at least have a sense of it. But the strength of Shi Xiaole’s mental strength made Mo Ye completely clueless.
It was unfathomable.
"You’ve won."
Seeing no point in further confrontation, Mo Ye simply turned and left the stage, a bitter smile on his face.
What a damn monster!
