Chapter 418: Chapter 417: Xuanwu State Full of Powerful Figures
"Xia... Thank you, young hero, for saving my life."
Only then did the Rainbow Sword Marquis realize that he had met an extraordinary person.
"I didn’t save you."
Shi Xiaole shook his head.
The Rainbow Sword Marquis’ injuries had invaded his inner organs, making it difficult to treat. As for the Cuihua Immortal Ganoderma, it was all used up during the last treatment of Lan Tian.
"My fate ends here, it’s the will of heaven."
The Rainbow Sword Marquis threw off his care, smiled a bit, then stretched out his hand, saying, "They were after me for this sword-shaped key I have. I’ll give it to you now, young hero."
If he were dealing with someone malicious, Rainbow Sword Marquis would rather destroy the key than hand it over. But his intuition told him that Shi Xiaole was not a bad person, besides, Shi Xiaole had aided him.
Shi Xiaole’s eyes fell on the Rainbow Sword Marquis’ hand.
The key, two inches long and made of jade, was shaped like a small sword and emitted a glow from its round sheen. Shi Xiaole sensed a faint perception from it as high as the heavens.
"This object’s purpose is unknown to me, young hero, but it must have great value, and it’s no longer useful to me."
With a forceful swing from his palm, the sword-shaped key fell into Shi Xiaole’s hand.
With a smile on his face, the Rainbow Sword Marquis passed away.
"Ah!"
The chill wind made the night feel somewhat sad, Shi Xiaole sighed and gently placed Rainbow Sword Marquis’ corpse down, dug a grave on the spot, found some tree branches to make a wooden sign, and inserted it at the front.
"People of the Martial World, died in the Martial World, I don’t know what my future has in store."
After one last look at the lonely new grave, Shi Xiaole set off on Qingfeng.
...
Xuanwu State, the largest state in Shuntian Capital.
Prosperous and powerful, this was Shi Xiaole’s first impression of the Xuanwu State. Even a small border town was several times better than Mirror State, and dozens of times better than the Eight States.
"People say that the martial arts level of Xuanwu State far surpasses the other states in Shuntian Capital. It’s indeed true."
Along the way, Shi Xiaole met several Spiritual-Passage Realm masters.
When he arrived in bigger cities, the appearance rate of Spiritual-Passage Realm masters among martial artists was much higher than that in the Mirror State.
Xuanwu State is not only the first state in Shuntian Capital, but also among the many states in the Flying Horse Dynasty, it ranks at the forefront and is a well-known place.
Here, you can even find branches of the Flying Horse Dynasty’s top forces.
Such as the Wild Double Currents, Red Dust Three Marvels, Sacred Sect Four Elements, Demon Door Six Paths, and the Seven Sects of the Tainted World.
This place is the center of the Martial World powers in Shuntian Capital, where countless genius masters gather, and it is their battlefield for fame and glory.
One could say, dominating Shuntian’s other states isn’t noteworthy. Establishing oneself in Xuanwu State is the dream of countless powerful beings.
Even the number one extraordinary figure of Eight States, Jade Fan Scholar, came to Xuanwu State only to suffer a setback, unable to leave a trace in this forest of outstanding individuals.
Golden Orchid City, one of the many medium-sized cities in Xuanwu State.
The city has tens of millions of people, and outside the city, there are countless towns and villages. Every day, there are large numbers of carts and pedestrians traveling on the wide official road, making the scene extraordinarily lively.
On this day, a large number of martial arts people gathered at the eastern city gate.
"Today is the big day for the ’Shattered Light Sword’ Wu Qian to challenge the ’Broken Moon Saber Guest’ Sun Wuji. It’s really hard to know who’s the stronger of the two."
"Wu Qian’s swordsmanship lies in its speed and dexterity. It’s said he can shatter sunlight. Sun Wuji’s swordsmanship is just as terrifying. Once you’re in his sights, you’ll be cut no matter where you run. The fight between the two must be shocking."
"I still think more highly of Sun Wuji, who is a first-class genius in Xuanwu State. In his fourth year of entering the Spiritual-Passage Realm, he was able to fight against a Dragon Gate Realm master without being defeated."
"Sun Wuji is strong, but Wu Qian isn’t a pushover, either. It is said that he accidentally entered a secret place last year and gained an amazing opportunity, greatly improving his abilities."
In the midst of the varied chatter, a figure appeared on the city wall.
The man appeared to be in his mid-twenties, holding a sword in both hands, dressed in a dark blue robe, and carrying an incredible presence typical of swordsmen.
"Far surpassing an ordinary unbeatable Spiritual-Passage Realm master."
From within the crowd, Shi Xiaole sensed the other’s strength the first time.
Of course, he relied on the Stone Touching Skill’s sensitivity to aura, which wasn’t 100% accurate, but at least 80-90% correct.
The chatter of the crowd quieted down.
At the city gate appeared a young man with a stern face carrying a long saber on his back. He was over eight feet tall, and his muscular body, accentuated by his short martial outfit, gave a strong sense of explosive power just by moving.
"’Broken Moon Saber Guest’ Sun Wuji!"
Someone whispered.
Xuanwu State had countless talents. To be remembered here and considered notable was an indication of how dazzling one’s qualifications were. In any ordinary state, they would be considered once-in-a-century talent.
Therefore, when people looked at Sun Wuji, they displayed a wide range of complex expressions, from admiration to envy to jealousy.
"Sun Wuji, I lost to you by three moves three years ago. Today, I’m here to wipe out the humiliation."
Wu Qian on the city wall said.
"I hope you have the capability."
Sun Wuji was completely aloof.
Whoosh!
Wu Qian made his move.
In the eyes of many, the sunlight shining on the city wall seemed to flicker a bit, broken flashes jumping out. Faster than those flashes, was Wu Qian’s sword.
Just from this exchange, Shi Xiaole could already discern that the opponent’s expertise in fast swords far surpassed Ouyang of Mirror State’s, even the likes of Young Master Flame and Young Master Aoyun would be unable to resist this blow.
It was said that Wu Qian, the wielder of the ’Shattered Light Sword’, was merely the second-tier genius of Xuanwu State.
Clang!
The lingering sound of the collision resounded, seeming to freeze time itself.
Wu Qian’s sword was merely an inch from Sun Wuji’s forehead, the blade held back by a strong arm. The sharp-eyed among the crowd noticed that the air between the sword tip and Sun Wuji’s forehead was twisting at an extremely fast pace.
In the next moment.
Sun Wuji tilted his head, retreating.
The twisted space suddenly expanded with a boom, the soil layer split apart, and a large area of trees ten meters away turned into fine dust, shredded by the energy of the sword and blade.
Among the warriors watching, some were high-ranked warriors of the Spiritual-Passage Realm. Seeing this scene, they felt a chill run down their spine. If they were hit by that force, they’d likely be reduced to dust instantly.
"Split light!"
Wu Qian’s wrist trembled and the water-like Sword Qi split into two, each moving so fast they exceeded the vision limit of the crowd, constantly twisting in the air, making it impossible to predict where they would strike.
"Useless against me."
Sun Wuji stood in place, waving his hand.
Boom, boom.
Both strands of the twisting sword light dissipated.
"That remains to be seen."
Wu Qian had just finished speaking when the shattered sword light suddenly reappeared at the blind spots revealed when Sun Wuji reacted, attacking him at an even faster speed.
Everyone’s heartbeat seemed to stop.
A large hand appeared in an unnatural manner, completely crushing the sword light.
"Sun Wuji, I entered Annihilation Stone City alone for half a year to defeat you, barely escaped death. This sword strike was prepared for you, Shadow Annihilation!"
With a yell in his heart, Wu Qian, as if he already knew Sun Wuji could handle the previous move, launched his next killer move as soon as the sword light was crushed.
"Shadow’s True Intent!"
The crowd yelled out, countless sword shadows reflecting in their eyes, too many to distinguish between real and false.
’Shadow’s True Intent’ was considered one of the top-tier true intents.
Under the augmentation of one-tenth of the ’Shadow’s True Intent’ and the ’Perfect Sword Heart’, Wu Qian’s swing was extremely mysterious. It was as if his sword was everywhere yet nowhere at once.
Shi Xiaole could not help but marvel at the terrifying talents of Xuanwu State.
This Wu Qian, not counting his internal power, reaction speed, fighting skills, and spirit energy, was almost as strong as him in every other aspect. If compared to the Eight States, his strength was no less than that of the Jade Fan Scholar.
Of course, Shi Xiaole did not know that Wu Qian was already thirty-two years old, a full ten years older than him.
"You’ve improved a lot, but it’s a pity."
Shaking his head, Sun Wuji finally drew his knife.
This was the first time he drew his knife that day. As soon as he did, the knife light covered everything, and the countless sword shadows disappeared instantly when they made contact with the knife light, just like the first snow encountering the scorching sun.
Clink!
At the critical moment, Sun Wuji changed his move from slashing to sweeping, causing Wu Qian to be shaken back, spitting blood, and flying backward. By the time he landed, the knife was already sheathed.
The noisy sounds came to a sudden halt, and everyone’s neck seemed to be strangled by hands.
"Impossible, my power has increased by seventy percent compared to three years ago, how could you..."
Wu Qian watched Sun Wuji in despair, whose tall figure was like an insurmountable mountain.
Comparing to three years ago, if he had improved by seventy percent, Sun Wuji must have improved by at least one hundred and fifty percent, far exceeding him.
"This is the last time I’ll accept your challenge."
Sun Wuji said indifferently.
The twenty-eight-year-old him was aiming for people further ahead, and he had no time to waste on weaker opponents.
What puzzled the crowd, and even Wu Qian, was, the always decisive Sun Wuji did not leave immediately after winning, but instead cast his gaze towards the crowd as if searching for something.
"Odd. Just now, I clearly sensed a pair of eyes giving me intense pressure."
Sun Wuji suddenly turned his head and happened to see a young man in green clothes walking into the city gate not far away.
...
"This Sun Wuji, he has actually grasped the Gold True Intent."
Before arriving in Xuanwu State, Shi Xiaole rarely saw people grasp any top-tier True Intent which could barely compare with his Demonic True Intent and Wind True Intent.
He didn’t expect to see ’Shadow’s True Intent’ and ’Gold True Intent’ successively just a few days after arriving in Xuanwu State, and both of them were in the hands of the younger generation.
You can imagine, how terrifying the geniuses here are, and how fierce the competition is.
"This is good. Ordinary places can no longer put pressure on me, and I hope those geniuses are stronger."
Shi Xiaole could feel his blood boiling all over.
Having no competitors is indeed a sad thing because you will never know where your limits are.
For Shi Xiaole, existence is defeating one strong enemy after another, crossing over one mountain after another, and finally standing at the top of the world, looking down on everything.
Looking at the sky of Golden Orchid City, Shi Xiaole’s eyes sparkled.
