Chapter 493: Chapter 492: Supreme Laurel (Part 1)
Over the surface of Linjiang River, there was a shimmering golden wave. Mist filled the sky, concealing the sunset glow at the end of the horizon, making it seem vast and remote.
However, no one had the mind to appreciate this natural spectacle.
A splash in the water.
Yu Wen Cang, soaked to the bone, leapt upwards with his feet skimming the river surface. His face flickered between pallid and flushed, his expression unpredictable.
On his left shoulder was a clear sword mark, about a half-inch deep and six inches long, from which fresh blood flowed unceasingly, staining the front of his robe.
He lost.
He had lost!
After tireless effort for days and nights for three years, the person he aimed to defeat was still comfortably seated, while he was beaten by someone else first.
It was utterly disgraceful!
Yu Wen Cang reluctantly exhaled, resisting the urge to continue the fight, and said, "Shi Xiaole, I will remember the blow you dealt today and will return it tenfold in the future."
He was not a sore loser— who in this world had never been beaten? The one who laughs last is the winner.
"I’m waiting."
Shi Xiaole nodded his head.
He had heard these words countless times along the way. But in the end, how many of those who he had caught up with and defeated were able to put up a fight?
None.
To Shi Xiaole, despite the long and hard road of martial arts, his vision was always set forward. If anyone could catch up to him, he was willing to compete.
"Humph."
Yu Wen Cang felt an indescribable anger in his heart, not knowing if Shi Xiaole was sincere or acting. This feeling of resentment was even greater than what he had felt three years ago, when he was still able to push Yu Zhao to the brink.
But in the face of Shi Xiaole, Yu Wen Cang had never gained the upper hand and was thoroughly defeated instead.
He leapt back onto the boat, and his younger sister Yuwen Yan came forward and softly called out to him, her eyes reddened as if she just cried.
"Yan’er, I have disappointed you."
Yu Wen Cang changed his expression and unusually showed a tinge of gentleness.
"No, in Yan’er’s heart, big brother is always the best."
Yuwen Yan firmly objected, shaking her head.
"Hahaha, congratulations, Brother Shi. I am amazed by your prowess. With this victory, you are worthy of the reputation of the foremost sword talent in Shuntian Capital. In fact, in my opinion, you could even do without the title of swordsman."
Amid the silence, a voice sounded across Immortal Gorge. The speaker was none other than the Xuanwu State genius with a goatee, ’Half-Inch Kill’ Jia Ning.
According to his words, without the title of swordsman, Shi Xiaole would naturally be the first genius of Shuntian Capital. Just contemplating this made everyone’s hearts tremble.
With three hundred and sixty-five states in Shuntian and the countless inhabitants in the Martial World, there were innumerable talents, coming wave after wave.
To win the title of number one in such a harsh environment was an unsurpassed honor for anyone.
Without a doubt, whoever received this weighty title would immediately become famous throughout Xuanwu State, even in all of Shuntian Capital, becoming the focal point of the Martial World.
Unfortunately, even ’Little Lord’ Yu Zhao, who was peerlessly talented and undefeated from the outset, had never truly won this title; only a few people acknowledged him.
The intent behind Jia Ning openly addressing Shi Xiaole like this at such an occasion was difficult to discern.
"Perhaps Brother Jia is being hasty? There are countless people in Shuntian Capital; there is never the strongest, only the stronger. Who can claim to be number one? Not to mention, among us here, there may not be anyone without the ability to hold their own against Shi Xiaole."
Liang Shuhao immediately stood up and said loudly, a sneer on his face.
Because of Ren Mengzhen, seeing Shi Xiaole in his glory made Liang Shuhao feel uncomfortable, and he longed to diminish Shi Xiaole in any possible way.
Of course, he was very mindful of his image and made sure everything he said was justified.
Everyon understood Liang Shuhao’s meaning, and their eyes turned to a fancy boat in the center.
"Brother Shi has impressive talent that I admire. Please rest a while as I wish to humbly learn from you!"
A clear voice rang out, causing people including Jia Ning and Liang Shuhao to change their expressions.
Learn from him?
Since when did even the ’Little Lord’, who has always been proud and self-satisfied, use the words ’learn from’ when referring to others?
"Brother Yu is too polite."
Having fought for a long time, Shi Xiaole had indeed exhausted himself greatly. Without needing others to say much, he retreated to his cabin and began to compose and recover.
His fight with Yu Wen Cang seemed easy, but it was far from leisurely. The Outer Heaven Flying Immortal at the end worked only because he had leveraged the Heavenly Sword realm and took advantage of his opponent’s weakness.
After all, the Positive Pole punch as a lesser first-tier martial art was not much weaker than Outer Heaven Flying Immortal, let alone the fact that Yu Wen Cang had a higher level of cultivation and even had a twenty percent increase from the Gold True Intent.
Of course, if he fought again, Shi Xiaole was still confident of victory. His gap with Yu Wen Cang was almost complete, with only the frontal attack roughly equal.
After Shi Xiaole left, the mood of the crowd eased a little. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Tong Baizhan and Four Seas Retribution God both made their moves.
Having watched the fights for a while, both men had their own insights, and naturally wanted to flex their muscles. Moreover, the Linjiang Immortal Gathering happened only once every three years, so it would be a pity not to step onto the stage.
If Shi Xiaole wasn’t there, these two would definitely be considered the most stunning new arrivals, aside from Ai Wenqian.
In addition to their peak three-tier Dragon Gate Realm cultivation, each of them had comprehended a top-notch True Intent, reaching a twenty percent realm. It was just that their martial arts foundation was weak, and they displayed a lesser second-tier martial art.
The Pink Sect, where Tong Baizhan hailed from, was a top-rated power in Xuanwu State but was at the bottom of the top-rated powers, with only one lower first-tier internal skill and no technique.
The Four Seas Retribution God came from a remote small state, and his internal strength was merely second-rate.
Shi Xiaole tried to recover as he watched the fight.
He could tell that the talents of the two were only slightly inferior to Yu Wen Cang. Their only downfall was their lack of resources. Especially the Four Seas Retribution God, who had achieved this strength with his second-rate martial arts, is shocking to hear.
Shi Xiaole once again deeply felt the importance of resources for martial artists. If it weren’t for the martial arts supply in his system, he definitely wouldn’t have made it this far.
After losing the Glazed Fairy Platform, the two masters fought above the water. The Vigorous Air came wave after wave, almost non-stop. After about three hundred moves, Tong Baizhan barely won with a last-ditch effort, defeating Four Seas Retribution God.
"Brother, your talent surpasses mine, and your achievements will surely be higher than mine in the future."
Tong Baizhan made a fist salute, showing a free and easy smile.
"Not bad too, I know you were holding back."
Four Seas Retribution God showed no sorrow or joy on his face. The words transmitted made Tong Baizhan stunned for a moment, then he resumed his smile. However, he was more emotional about how big the Martial World is, and how many extraordinary people there are.
After the two of them, the Immortal Association cooled down for a moment.
Most people don’t qualify to make a move, and those who qualify have basically made their move. Yu Wen Cang didn’t challenge Yu Zhao because the consumed too much energy.
Li Zifeng and Ai Wenqian, on the other hand, didn’t challenge Yu Zhao either, they probably knew their own strength.
"Young lady, I heard from Xiaole that your skills are not inferior to his, won’t you give it a try?"
Crown Sword Marquis suddenly looked at Ren Mengzhen.
Ren Mengzhen combed her forehead hair, her snow-white skin was touched by the sunset into a layer of light gold, she was even more beautiful than spring flowers, she smiled and said: "Brother Shi looks serious, but he is actually a cunning person, do you believe his words? I advise you to be careful when interacting with him, lest you get tricked and still count the money for him."
Crown Sword Marquis was choked.
"Talking behind people’s backs, it’s really women’s behavior."
Yang Feng’s thick eyebrows wrinkled, he hummed coldly, he couldn’t stand his good friend being slandered. He knew that this black-clothed girl was not Shi Xiaole’s friend, so he was very rude.
Ren Mengzhen’s beautiful eyes flicked, looking at Shi Xiaole and Ai Wenhong sitting together, she smiled and said: "Brother Yang, I know the pain of having your loved items taken away, but you don’t need to take it out on me."
"What do you mean?"
Yang Feng didn’t understand.
"Pfft."
Seeing the girl’s eyes just now, Crown Sword Marquis couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of wine. With a red face, he coughed repeatedly with his head bowed.
About half a ’2-hour period’ later.
Shi Xiaole stood up, immediately attracting the attention of the scene.
"Brother Shi, please."
A grey-clothed figure flew out from the floating vessel, ordinary in both face and stature. However, everything about him was done with a dignified air. It was none other than the ’young Lord’ Yu Zhao.
The Yu Family where Yu Zhao came from had a blood relationship with the royal family of the Flying Horse Dynasty. So, from an early age, he received strict etiquette training, which gave him noble grace.
The two figures stood across the river, standing about ten zhang apart.
Everyone was watching with full attention. This battle was of great significance. Whoever wins might be universally recognized and clinch the supreme crown as the top-ranked young talent in Shuntian Capital!
"Stealing the Sky and Changing the Day."
Without any prelude, Yu Zhao slapped his big hand. By the time the palm print was right in front of Shi Xiaole, he was already behind him. The second palm came simultaneously.
Fifth Tier of Dragon Gate Realm!
Yu Zhao is also a master of the Fifth Tier of Dragon Gate Realm. The True Intent he comprehended is a very rare top-tier True Intent—Teleportation True Intent.
This True Intent was similar to Fight Shift Star Move. However, it was more profound. It could not only shift most attacks, but also have a backlash on opponents. It was unpredictable and solely based on the will of the heart.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
Two streams of air, one blue and one grey, split the surface of the river into two worlds. The left side was filled with Sword Qi while the right side was filled with bizarre rampant power. The powers would clash from time to time, causing gigantic waves that wailed and filled the emptiness.
In the continuous bombardment, the air inside the entire Immortal Gorge, it seemed, was refreshed, becoming extraordinarily fresh and moist.
After hundreds of mutual attacks, Shi Xiaole’s eyes shone brighter and brighter.
A famous warrior proved worthy of his fame, Yu Zhao indeed deserved the title ’young Lord’. From the time he made his debut, he was one of the few people who could fight in a technical struggle with him for such a long time.
"Chaos Breaker Hand!"
Yu Zhao’s left hand bent, and suddenly shook. The invisible weird power gushed out. Shi Xiaole’s Sword Qi just rushed into the range and was immediately refracted and plunged into the river.
At the same time, Yu Zhao’s waiting hand lunged forward, crushing the originally twisted power field with one squeeze. The power pressed from top to bottom, aiming at Shi Xiaole’s body. It was an inescapable move as fast as lightning.
Bang! Bang!
The river water exploded, the weird power passed by, and it not only did not hurt Shi Xiaole, but on the contrary it turned around and shook Yu Zhao to retreat hundreds of meters.
It turned out that the moment before Yu Zhao took action, Shi Xiaole has already figured out his plans and destroyed the structure of his force field with one sword stroke.
"That’s really powerful."
Yu Zhao couldn’t help but smile bitterly, his face extremely solemn.
No one of his same generation has been able to repel him in a straight fight. Yu Zhao was honest with himself, if their positions were reversed, he would have a hard time figuring out the rules of his force field out of hundreds of moves.
And Shi Xiaole did it.
