Chapter 407: Chapter 406: A Portion of Power
The young man named Yang Yanting had reached the Seventh Layer of the Spiritual-Passage Realm. His swordsmanship was absolutely aggressive. As he swung his blade outward, the snowflakes in front of him shattered in droves, sprinkling all over the sky.
Don’t think that reaching the Seventh Layer of the Spiritual-Passage Realm is insignificant.
Consider the whole of the Eight States, how many could reach the Seventh Layer of the Spiritual-Passage Realm before the age of 30? Apart from Shi Xiaole, you can’t find three people.
The martial arts standard in Mirror State is indeed much stronger than the Eight States, but achieving the Seventh Layer of the Spiritual-Passage Realm before the age of thirty is still considered a second-rate genius.
Ye Zhi, being a woman, wielded twin willow leaf swords. With a swing of her arms, blade light rushed out like two wheels, directly colliding with Yang Yanting’s blade aura.
Zi zi zi...
In that instant, sparks splattered out in a broom-like pattern.
"Looking Coldly!"
Lowering his elbow, Yang Yanting’s upper body got parallel to the ground, his long blade swung upward from beneath, executing a hooked blade aura in the air, as fast as lightning.
"Closing the Door to Thank the Guest."
Ye Zhi’s reaction was swift. She crossed her hands, and the middle point perfectly intersected with the tip of the long blade.
A ’bang’ sound, as a massive force like an invisible wave pushed both people back simultaneously. The surrounding snowflakes floated like they had fallen into a lake, bobbing up and down with the ripples.
The two engaged fiercely, swiftly moving and changing positions. Just within a few dozen breaths, they had exchanged no less than one hundred and thirty-two blows, drawing the full attention of the spectators.
Using his aggressive technique, Yang Yanting gradually gained the upper hand.
However, Shi Xiaole just shook his head.
The saying goes, "Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times means exhaustion."
The aggressive technique was Yang Yanting’s strength but also his fatal weakness. If he could not defeat his opponent in a short period, it would lead to a rapid depletion of his internal power, giving an opportune moment to his opponent.
As expected, just a short while after Shi Xiaole had this thought, Ye Zhi began to slowly apply force. Relying on her better cultivation, with the three hundred fifty-sixth move, Ye Zhi’s left hand sank, knocking away Yang Yanting’s blade.
"Damn."
Not even winning against the first opponent inevitably left Yang Yanting humiliated. After the Sixth Elder announced the result, he hurriedly flew away from the center of the arena.
According to the rules, the suitor who defeats their opponent can gain a quarter of an hour’s respite. In contrast, those who ascend the stage must beat all six, including Yu Wenxiu, in one fell swoop.
So, after the quarter of an hour, the Sixth Elder declared the start of the second round.
"Number Two: Jia Yu."
One by one, the genius contestants came onto the field.
The lowest cultivation was the Seventh Layer of the Spiritual-Passage Realm, and all these people grasped advanced realms with at least 70% comprehension. Some even reached 100% comprehension of ordinary realms.
However, after all, Ye Zhi had a mid-level cultivation of the Ninth Layer of the Spiritual-Passage Realm.
Being able to break through to this level wouldn’t have been possible for someone mediocre. Along with the realm gap, she stubbornly defeated many geniuses, remaining unbeaten.
"It seems I made a hasty assumption."
Shi Xiaole originally thought he would be called early, only to realize his mistake.
Ever since, Shi Xiaole had been having a smooth journey, killing top masters of the Spiritual-Passage Realm even at the Seventh Layer, leading him to form an illusion that leveled battles in the Spiritual-Passage Realm were easy.
In reality, even the top geniuses of Mirror State could only exceed their battles by two realm layers at most when they are above the Seventh Layer of the Spiritual-Passage Realm.
Why are the Ten Great Geniuses regarded as such? It’s because these ten people had defeated the top experts of the Spiritual-Passage Realm while they were at the Seventh Layer, possessing incomparable talent.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the afternoon.
"One sword."
The young man had dark skin, was dressed in black, and when his sword swept across, the black sword aura resembled a spatial crack, spreading recklessly.
Clang...
The twin swords in Ye Zhi’s hand flew out.
"Such a swift and fierce swordsmanship!"
A surprised exclamation echoed around.
"’Swift Sword’ Ouyang, truly lives up to his reputation."
Ye Zhi took a deep look at the young man clad in black on the opposite side, she turned around and stepped off, concealing the shock in her eyes.
If the Ten Great Geniuses are seen as the symbol of invincibility among the younger generation in Mirror State, then ’Swift Sword’ Ouyang could be the one most likely to threaten them. To call him the Eleventh Genius wouldn’t be too far off.
Many people still don’t understand why the detached Ouyang would come to participate in a martial arts contest on Heavenly Jade Mountain.
Only a few people showed a different reaction.
According to rumors in the martial world, Ouyang’s master died at the hands of a powerful figure from the righteous path, who happened to be an elder from a top-level sect.
Could it be that he wants to become Yu Wenxiu’s husband to leverage the power of the Heavenly Jade Sect for revenge?
"Young Master Ouyang, get ready."
After Ye Zhi conceded, the second to take the stage was Zhang Zhong.
Not daring to be careless, Zhang Zhong whipped his long whip forward, executing his killer move, Thousand Army Transformation.
"One sword."
Facing countless whip shadows, Ouyang’s expression remained indifferent. His right arm tensed and abruptly pierced out with a speed surpassing vision. Most people couldn’t even see the track of his sword.
In the eyes of the few, it was as if this sword had made the snowflakes stop drifting.
To an even smaller number, the sword technique had no particular skill, only speed, absolute speed.
The sword light was there one moment, gone the next.
"That was close!"
Zhang Zhong was startled, breaking out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, he reacted quickly enough...
Huh.
While he was still heaving a sigh of relief, he suddenly felt a chill over his chest. Looking down, he saw that his collar had a hole in it. How could this be? His sword technique was so fast it deceived my senses?
Zhang Zhong came down from the stage, like a man lost and desperate.
Around him, many watched in awe, including Zhang Qiuhua and Lin Aotian, both with a touch of solemnity on their faces.
"In the martial world, nothing is superior to speed. Unfortunately, you’re not fast enough," said Zhang Qiuhua, shaking his head.
He admitted that Ouyang deserved to be the eleventh prodigy, worthy of his attention, but that was all.
"Damn, Brother Shi’s strength lies in his speed, but now he’s facing Ouyang, who is even faster..."
In the audience, Yu Fei felt a sense of dread, coupled with regret.
Unlike the other four guardians, Shi Xiaole was only twenty-two. Under the scrutiny of so many people, what kind of blow would it be to his ego if he was swiftly and cleanly defeated by Ouyang’s speedy sword?
"Young Master Shi, Ouyang’s swordsmanship has no specific moves, so as long as you can evade his first sword, you will have the opportunity to dodge the second, the third... Remember, when you go up, give it your all."
As Shi Xiaole stood up, Yu Wenxiu hastily reminded him.
The expressions of Wang Xin and Qian Dajiang behind him were gloomy. They were responsible for the fourth and fifth matches, but neither had any confidence that they could block Ouyang’s sword.
Without a word, Shi Xiaole dashed into the center of the stage.
"So young?"
Many in the crowd were astonished.
"One sword."
Ouyang spoke blandly, as if he were proclaiming something ordinary.
As soon as his words fell, his awe-inspiring sword was already thrusting forward. There was no Sword Qi, no sound of piercing through the air- all of his power was condensed in the sword, transforming into pure speed.
Everyone could imagine the sight that was about to unfold. Some were even looking forward to the fierce confrontation between Ouyang and Yu Wenxiu.
"You are the first person in the past three years to have avoided this sword."
The tip of Ouyang’s sword was three inches away from Shi Xiaole’s chest, and it didn’t strike any further. In his calm tone, there was a hint of discernible fluctuation.
"What, he dodged it?"
A number of people immediately stood up.
"No, look at Ouyang’s posture. He could have gone even further."
"Swordplay is about building up power. I guess Ouyang was not confident his all-out strike could hit the opponent, so he held back, preparing for his next strike."
"To make Ouyang lack confidence, who on earth is this young man in the green robe?"
The crowd was buzzing with comments.
"I thought I had overestimated you, but it seems like I still underestimated you."
Yu Wenxiu’s expression stalled for a moment before she began to smile.
She had always believed that the speed Shi Xiaole displayed that day when those in yellow robes confronted him was only seventy percent of his true speed. But now Yu Wenxiu realized that wasn’t even fifty percent of his speed.
This young man, perhaps, could pose a challenge to Ouyang.
In fact, Yu Wenxiu was still mistaken. Not even fifty percent, Shi Xiaole’s speed a moment ago couldn’t even match thirty percent of his true speed.
Ouyang’s sword was undoubtedly fast, but it depended on whom it was against.
For Shi Xiaole, he had at least ten ways to defeat Ouyang with one move, but that would be meaningless. He could only grow and strengthen his foundation by learning from the martial arts of more young fighters.
Moreover, being new to this land, if he displayed too formidable a strength, it might trigger unwanted consequences.
Swish.
Ouyang’s second sword was coming.
Shi Xiaole casually flicked it.
There was a clanging sound.
The trajectory of the long sword was broken neatly, as if a bullet loaded into a chamber had abruptly had its barrel blocked.
Ouyang’s pupils contracted violently as he quickly gathered the power of his blood to thrust the third sword.
This time, the sword finally pierced halfway, but was held by Shi Xiaole’s two fingers. It wasn’t the Spiritual Rhinoceros Finger, it was simply a normal pinch.
The next moment, with a flash of his body, Shi Xiaole struck Ouyang and sent him flying with a single finger.
Hiss!
Around them were pairs of eyes, wide as if they had seen a ghost.
Defeating Ouyang was unbelievable enough, but it was not what truly shocked everyone. What truly stunned them was Shi Xiaole’s casual attitude.
It was as if defeating Ouyang was nothing more than a piece of cake for Shi Xiaole.
It must be said that Shi Xiaole’s capabilities were incredible. Even when suppressed to the same level as Ouyang, he was able to crush his opponent easily under the influence of his spirit power.
Of course, this was also related to Ouyang’s speedy sword style. Competing against Shi Xiaole in speed inevitably involved the use of spirit power, and thus, defeat was assured.
"Where did daughter find this child?" Yu Wenxiu’s mother, the mistress of the Heavenly Jade Sect, asked in a mix of surprise and confusion.
"I heard Yu Fei brought him back from outside and that he had once killed Li Zhen with a single finger. It seems he has hidden a lot," replied Yu Cheng, who has always had a fondness for prodigies with good character. However, he wasn’t quite clear about Shi Xiaole’s background, so he was still a bit wary.
"How much of your capacity did you utilize?" Ouyang asked, looking at Shi Xiaole.
"I used quite a bit of my power," replied Shi Xiaole.
Ouyang’s chest shook slightly. He doubted the truth of Shi Xiaole’s words, but it didn’t matter. Zhang Qiuhua and Lin Aotian would act sooner or later, and by then, they would be able to gauge Shi Xiaole’s true strength.
