Chapter 484: Chapter 483: You are the real genius (Thanks to ’A few points of heartbreak, a few points of obsession’ for the reward!)
"Indeed, he is the most outstanding disciple of the Heavenly Inquiry Sect. The power of his last blow has surpassed the strength Yu Zhao and Yu Wen Cang demonstrated in their battle three years ago."
"Really?"
"Nonsense, I witnessed the battle three years ago. There is no way I could be wrong."
Inside the Immortal Gorge, the level of excitement was greater than any time before.
Liang Shuhao’s reputation was second only to the top three prodigies, and now he showed everyone that he lived up to that reputation!
’No Strategy to Employ’ Liang Shuhao left opponents with no strategies to employ.
"Interesting, it seems besides the three of them, there is someone else worth my effort to challenge."
A faint smile appeared on the effeminate face of Zhuo Feifan.
Everyone knew that the three top geniuses were the main characters of the Linjiang Immortal Conference, but if there weren’t any surprises, that would be too boring.
Now it seemed that besides himself, there was another person with a challenging ambition.
Interesting, very interesting.
"Brother Liang, your strength is now beyond that of Yu Zhao from three years ago, and I know that you didn’t use all your strength just now. Are you planning to challenge them next?"
Rising from the ground, Jia Ning asked with a grin. It was as if his recent defeat was just a small joke.
"I will challenge them, but not now."
After a glance around, Liang Shuhao’s gaze finally fell on the distant boy in green, Shi Xiaole, who had previously amazed everyone with his sword skills. Jia Ning noticed this and chuckled.
He had witnessed the incident where Shi Xiaole snatched the ship five days ago.
Seeing Liang Shuhao lose his dignity made Jia Ning wonder how Shi Xiaole would end up.
Just as Liang Shuhao was about to speak, a white figure lightly landed on the Glazed Fairy Platform, causing a stir among the four spectators.
"Sister."
Ai Wenhong was shocked, then understood her sister’s intention.
Her sister has always been a fair person, she must worry that Shi Xiaole won’t be able to reject Liang Shuhao’s challenge, so she took the initiative to intercept Liang Shuhao.
"Is that your sister? She was able to snatch a riverboat. Her strength must be unparalleled. I wonder if she can defeat Liang Shuhao?"
Yang Feng spoke while looking at Ai Wenhong.
Ai Wenhong stood tall and confidently smiled, "Let’s see, Brother Yang".
"Miss, do you wish to challenge me?"
Liang Shuhao gave a brief glance and quickly assessed her.
"Am I not allowed to?"
Asked Ai Wenqian coldly.
"Haha, since the lady wants to make a move, I won’t bother you two. Please."
Jia Ning, hiding his apprehension, laughed three times then flew away.
It was true that Liang Shuhao was strong, but Jia Ning knew better than anyone else how terrifying Ai Wenqian’s sword skills were. Without mincing words, Shi Xiaole, who was praised previously, was perhaps not even qualified to compare with her.
Their duel is bound to be a fierce battle between two titans.
"Miss, you haven’t yet revealed your name."
"Is it necessary?"
As Liang Shuhao was still startled, a bit of Sword Qi was already stabbing towards him, aiming straight at his chest. The aura it emitted frightened everyone: she was at the fourth level of the Dragon Gate Realm!
"Riding the Cloud!"
Pushing off the ground with both feet, Liang Shuhao shot straight upward, hanging in the air about ninety feet above the ground and continued to fly backward as if he were treading on light clouds and taking a stroll.
This was the first style of the only high-class second-grade Flying Skill of the Heavenly Inquiry Sect—Soaring Three Styles.
Ninety feet was not far but not near either, but at the Dragon Gate Realm level, almost no one could maintain the power of their skills within that range. In other words, as long as one could not catch up with Liang Shuhao in terms of speed, the attacks directed at him would be less effective and fail to pose a major threat.
"Damn it!"
Inside the private cabin, Musicians and Singers were ushered away, the smile on Jia Ning’s face disappeared. When he fought with Liang Shuhao before, Liang Shuhao hadn’t shown such extraordinary lightness skill.
"A fully-developed Soaring Three Styles, not bad."
Ai Wenqian nodded.
The difficulty of practicing high-class second-grade lightness skill far surpassed that of ordinary high-class second-grade martial arts. Many Lords of the Dragon Gate Realm couldn’t fully develop it until they were over fifty, which demonstrated how extraordinary Liang Shuhao’s talent was.
As fleeting as her thoughts were, Ai Wenqian also shot into the sky the next moment.
Her Flying Skill wasn’t as weird as Liang Shuhao’s—it was straightforwardly fast—quick without any detours, exactly like how Ai Wenqian came across to others—straightforward and incisive.
"That’s the true Water Color Body Technique."
Yu Wen Cang narrowed his eyes, the glint flitting in his hawk-like gaze.
Ai Wenhong had displayed the Water Color Body Technique before, but even a blind man could see the difference. Compared with Ai Wenqian, Ai Wenhong was just a beginner, perhaps not even that.
"Riding the Mist!"
The figure of Ai Wenqian in his eyes blurred as if it was condensed from the water of the Linjiang River. He couldn’t even lock on her Qi. Liang Shuhao was shocked and quickly used the second form of the Soaring Three Styles, drifting in the air through rapid ascents and descents while also swinging his fists in an attempt to distract the opponent.
Unfazed, Ai Wenqian gently inched out her sword.
This sword, reflecting both the sky above and the river beneath, looked in the eyes of many young talents surrounding her like a boundary line. The top half belonged to the sky, the bottom to the water.
The first move of Water Sky Sword Technique, the Blend of Water and Sky.
Shi Xiaole had to concede that this was indeed the purest manifestation of the Blend of Water and Sky, demonstrating the infinite wonders of combining swordsmanship with nature.
"The crux of the Heavenly Sword Realm, likewise, lies in harmonizing man with nature. However, this isn’t just synthesis at the physical level, but also in the essence, spirit and vital energy, which differs from simple sword moves."
The only thing that stopped Shi Xiaole from entering the Heavenly Sword Realm was the entry point of blending vital energy with nature. The moment he discovered this entry point, he had a feeling that he would break through smoothly.
Looking at Ai Wenqian’s sword technique, Shi Xiaole seemed to have caught on to something, and yet, nothing at all.
"Heaven-Asking Divine Fist!"
As the sword’s light, Liang Shuhao swelled his arms, waving them repeatedly. The fist’s light collided with the Sword Qi producing a shocking sound, like a hammer striking an iron wall, spreading out wave by wave.
Taking the edges of the Glazed Fairy Platform as a starting point, the river was evenly depressed outward, forming four slopes of thirty meters length each, reaching as much as twenty meters below the river at its deepest point.
But the depressed water flooded underneath the Glazed Fairy Platform and eventually formed a square water column several meters long, lifting the whole platform a considerable height.
"My God!"
This shocking scene made many people speechless.
And Fang Wanwan, the richest man in Xuanwu State, even opened his mouth wide, ignoring the purple grapes the maid brought to his lips.
"Miss, your cultivation level is higher than mine. Even if I were to lose to you, I would have nothing to say," said Liang Shuhao, amidst the aftermath, as he stepped back.
His words appeared to be gracious, but the undertone indicated that Ai Wenqian broke the rules of Linjiang Immortal Meet by challenging him at a higher realm, meaning her victory was unfair.
"Does the convention explicitly prohibit challenges against lower realms?"
Waving her sword, Ai Wenqian asked.
"You..."
Liang Shuhao was speechless.
"My level is higher than yours, and that is my ability. Why should I intentionally lower my realm?"
Gathering all her Sword Qi at the tip of the sword, she launched a more ferocious attack, resounding a waterfall’s roar in the void.
Bang!
With his protective real Qi broken, Liang Shuhao retreated beyond the fairy platform, lightly touching the water’s surface, and landed back on the ship with a pale face.
He lost, utterly, without any excuse, unable to even withstand ten moves.
Liang Shuhao originally intended to defeat Shi Xiaole, to show Ren Mengzhen his strength, however, it was all spoiled by Ai Wenqian.
Damn it!
With his back hand veining, Liang Shuhao coldly said, "Miss, if I were in the same realm as you, I wouldn’t necessarily lose to you."
"Wait until you are in the same realm as me."
Ai Wenqian said.
Her casual demeanor enraged Liang Shuhao again, he swore to himself that he would work ten times harder in the future to publicly challenge this woman and regain his honor.
"Ah, this year’s Immortal Meet really has an abundance of talent. I thought Liang Shuhao would have the chance to challenge the top three geniuses, but in a blink of an eye, he’s been defeated."
"This woman is at the same realm as the top three geniuses, but what’s more important is her temperament. She behaves in an unconventional way and completely disregards others’ opinions. Such people who focus on swordsmanship are terrifying. She is currently the only one qualified to challenge the top three geniuses. I’m really excited for the final battle."
The competition moved forward to this point, while those who lacked power were already out of chances to compete. Everyone was craning their necks, frequently glancing at the three boats in the center.
The dramatic final three confrontations would greatly conclude the event.
Some people seemed to have noticed something, glancing at the Glazed Fairy Platform, breathing rapidly.
With her sword undrawn, Ai Wenqian turned to the ship on the far left and said, "Li Zifeng, come on out, I challenge you!"
Boom!
When they heard the name, many people couldn’t sit still. Everyone could clearly feel the change in the atmosphere within the Immortal Gorge.
"As long as your realm is not below mine, Li, I never refuse a challenge."
An earth-shattering Sword Qi emanated from the ship on the left and spread towards all directions like a tide. If this Sword Qi had substance, many people wondered if it could engulf everyone.
In this Sword Qi, those who were closer felt as if they were sitting on pins and needles, each pore on their body producing a stinging sensation. Those who were farther away were slightly better off, but still uncomfortable, resisted only by their own presence.
Many of the genius swordsmen found their swords uncontrollably jumping out of their sheaths, unaffected by their Perfect Sword Heart attempts to suppress it.
"Nearing the Heavenly Sword Realm!"
In the central boat, Yu Zhao, a young man in plain clothes, gently sighed.
The journey from Sword Heart to Heavenly Sword can be divided into three stages. Li Zifeng, undoubtedly, had reached the third stage. With a little more progress, he would be in the Heavenly Sword Realm, the place countless swordsmen yearned for.
And yet, he was only twenty-seven.
"You are the real genius. I thank you for being here."
Yu Zhao softly laughed.
The musicians, courtesans and even the maids around him all looked at each other in bewilderment. A few seemed to understand his words, revealing a shocked expression.
