Chapter 614: Chapter 613: If One Sword Doesn’t Work, Use Two
What’s going on?
It wasn’t that people didn’t understand, or that they couldn’t comprehend, but that they couldn’t believe it and couldn’t accept it.
The four great demons, high above all, each one is a rare genius, whose talents are on par with the legendary martial arts myth - the Martial Emperor, not inferior to the latter in his early years.
Many renowned figures of Tian State had prophesied that in the next five hundred years, there would not be a person of the demon-level like them again, and these four would become the most powerful competitors for being the first person in the Martial World after the Martial Emperor.
Unexpectedly, today, at this moment, another name was personally inscribed by the Celestial Phenomenon Elder at the top position of the Ten Thousand Forms Stele, side by side with the four great demons.
No, judging by the rank, this name even seems to be ahead of the four great demons!
The ’Kirin’, Shi Xiaole!"
The five words, though not large, seemed to have a startling magic power that deeply imprinted in people’s hearts and incited a tumultuous wave.
"Another demon has been born!"
"From today onwards, the four great demons should be called the five great demons!"
Although everyone had guessed earlier that Shi Xiaole’s result might be better than Fu Tong’s, they were still skeptical, especially the words of the silver-bearded elder, making people think there was a mistake in the array system of Mount Wanxiang.
Unexpectantly, the situation took a turn in the end.
Turns out, this unfamiliar young man in a green robe quietly set a grand record. Without a doubt, the name ’Shi Xiaole’ will soon spread throughout Tian State and the Flying Horse Dynasty, becoming a person of interest in the entire Martial World.
"This is impossible, absolutely impossible!"
The Evil Intent Young Master’s face turned an iron-blue color, and the tip of his right finger turned white due to applying too much force.
A feeling named regret grew in his heart, eventually consuming it. Upon careful reflection, it appeared that he had no personal grudge with Shi Xiaole.
It was merely out of his eagerness for fame, to suppress the latter, that he caused trouble at every turn. Had he known of Shi Xiaole’s terrifying talent, he would have not targeted him, rather, he would have tried to curry favor with him.
"Brother Shi, he actually..."
Yu Zhao and Li Zifeng looked at each other, both spotting the contraction of the other’s pupils.
It wasn’t until long afterward that Yu Zhao extricated himself and said, "Silent but astonishing. Yet, doesn’t Brother Shi fear that he is attracting too much attention this time?"
Li Zifeng said, "From the time of the fairy meet at Linjiang, I knew that he was extraordinary."
The two didn’t know how to describe their feelings, all they knew was that their minds could not think straight and recalling the past, they had a sense of how things have changed.
"Kirin?"
Bai Zhanmei was greatly alarmed.
She told herself that she mustn’t underestimate Shi Xiaole. However, now it seemed that she had indeed underestimated him, and by a huge margin. But who could have thought that he would be this abnormal?
Suddenly, Bai Zhanmei really wanted to know how much of Shi Xiaole’s true strength he had really used that day in the forest.
Wu Siming, Huan Yundu, Han Yang and even other famous geniuses of Tian State, all felt as if they were dreaming at this moment. They turned to look at the young man in the green robe standing at the bottom of the stele, who appeared calm and composed. There seemed to be an inaccessible halo around him, which was close at hand, yet far away in the horizon.
Is this how they appeared in the eyes of ordinary people? But at this moment under Shi Xiaole’s limelight they became ordinary people too.
Thump thump thump.
Qiu Yuchu’s heart had never beaten this fast before, it was almost out of control. The sound of discussions and screams around her were gradually fading away.
Shi Xiaole, on the other side of the crowd, had his hair black as ink. The two strands of hair swaying on his forehead brushed against his outstanding face with the wind. He stood tall and upright like a tree facing the wind, standing quietly in his world, indifferent to what people were saying about him.
"Kirin, I hope you can keep going, the Clan Chief has high hopes for you."
Ignoring the people around him, the silver-bearded elder looked at Shi Xiaole and said with a deep meaning.
He had seen many geniuses, who had a bright future but ultimately achieved nothing as they lost themselves among all the glitz and vanity. Although Shi Xiaole seemed outstandingly calm, being considerate, the silver-bearded elder couldn’t help but remind him.
"Thank you for the teaching, old predecessor."
Shi Xiaole respectfully held his fist in salute.
With a hearty laugh, the silver-bearded elder led the others up the stone steps and soon disappeared into the fog.
Then, a mysterious ripple surged up. People only felt their eyes blurred and they were back at the foot of Mount Wanxiang. When they looked back, they could no longer find the staircase halfway up the mountain.
The annual Mount Wanxiang trial, had officially ended.
Shi Xiaole turned around to leave. He certainly was not accustomed to being an object of public gaze.
"Stop!"
Just then, a blood-red figure stood in Shi Xiaole’s way.
"Do you need something, sir?"
Shi Xiaole asked.
"Hehe, nothing much. I just want to see if this ’Kirin’ is really as powerful as Mount Wanxiang claims."
The smile on Fu Tong’s face was cold, concealing a trace of fierceness.
It was not the first time that his strength had been matched by someone on the same stage, but this time was different. Although Shi Xiaole was ranked as the fifth great demon, he was previously unknown without anyone knowing about his actual strength or reputation.
Maybe it was an unwillingness to yield, curiosity, or some hidden hope, Fu Tong really wanted to face off against Shi Xiaole.
After all, even if he loses, it would just be expected, but what if he were to win?
Although there are still three days left in the seven-day prohibition from fighting on Celestial Phenomenon Mountain, it is applicable only to outsiders. The gifted who are participating in the trial are not restricted from testing their skills against each other.
"I don’t think it’s necessary."
Shi Xiaole shook his head.
He knew that once he made a name for himself, challenges like this were guaranteed to come knocking.
"It’s very necessary, are you, the Kirin, afraid?"
Fu Tong roared, his violent and bloody aura spreading quickly from his body like a sea of blood, so intimidating that the surrounding young talents retreated in fright.
"Brother Fu, it seems a little unfair for you to behave this way."
Just then, a somewhat familiar voice sounded. Shi Xiaole turned around. To his surprise, it was Evil Intent Young Master who spoke up on his behalf.
"What do you mean?"
Fu Tong saw Evil Intent Young Master and his expression darkened considerably, a deep furrow appearing between his brows.
"Brother Shi is only twenty-six this year while you are already twenty-eight. Isn’t it a bit unfair?"
After the Fire Stiff incident, Evil Intent Young Master had done some digging on Shi Xiaole, so he knew quite a lot about him. Now, he had a chance to make use of this information, and he silently congratulated himself.
No matter what, offending a monstrous genius is the most foolish thing to do. Evil Intent Young Master didn’t care how others saw him or what they had to say. Right now, the most important thing was to make amends for his past mistakes, lest Shi Xiaole held it against him.
"What, Kirin is only twenty-six?"
The crowd was taken aback once more, wholly convinced that Shi Xiaole’s talent was not inferior to the Four Great Devils. This was because he had taken part in the trials at an age one year younger than the others, excluding Zhang Xiangfeng.
On the mountaintop, the old elders were secretly observing this place. Upon hearing the exchange through the array system, they exchanged looks of surprise.
"Nothing in the world is absolutely fair. As a genius, one must transcend norms. If even I can’t defeat him, how can he be called a genius? You stay away from me, or you might burn yourself."
Fu Tong glared at Evil Intent Young Master, rage burning in his eyes, causing Evil Intent Young Master’s face to turn pale.
Luckily, he didn’t look at him for long, instead shifting his gaze back to Shi Xiaole, "I’ll ask one last time, dare you cross blades with me? If you dare not, just renounce your title as Kirin!"
The crowd watched with mixed emotions and secretly cursed at Fu Tong’s unfairness.
In martial arts progression, changes can occur daily, especially in persons within the age of thirty. The strength of the same person could greatly differ just because of a few months’ difference in age.
Fu Tong, ranked thirty-second by the Ten Thousand Forms Stele, had two additional years of practice, which was undoubtedly a massive advantage.
However, some in the crowd laughed, "The Young Dragon, also twenty-six, is an Invincible Lord, and easily defeats the current Fu Tong. If the Kirin is not weaker than the Young Dragon, I believe he will surely prevail."
Though the comment seemed aimed at rallying Shi Xiaole, anyone who thought about it could sense some subtle flattery within the words, potentially setting Shi Xiaole up to fail.
Obviously, not everyone was happy to see Shi Xiaole shine. There was nothing more thrilling than witnessing a genius face embarrassment, even though the chances of it happening were slim.
"If you insist on fighting, I can’t help it."
Shi Xiaole didn’t like meaningless contests, but if he were pushed too far, he would have no choice but to accept the challenge.
"Hahaha, Sea of Bloody Waves!"
Without wasting any words, Fu Tong launched his attack.
His whole body turned blood-red, and not only his robe, but also the void surrounding him filled with droplets of blood. These bloody droplets precipitated into a blood sea at a rapid pace, making everyone’s blood boil as if it were about to burst forth from their veins any moment.
Blood Emperor Scripture!
The complete Blood Emperor Scripture was the ace technique of the Blood Emperor’s palace, possessing the power to pierce the heavens and the earth. Fu Tong, with his current strength, naturally couldn’t master all of it.
He had only practiced the first half of the scripture, but even so, it was no less than top-notch mid-tier martial artistry. In order to conquer Shi Xiaole, Fu Tong used his skill from the first half of the Blood Emperor Scripture right from the start.
An endless string of blood droplets quickly merged into a sea of blood, with skeletal remains floating within, heading towards Shi Xiaole with a roaring momentum.
The onlookers felt their scalps tingle in terror. Under the aftermath of this blood sea, their souls trembled in fear. Even individuals like Wu Siming felt they had no assurance of withstanding this move.
Clang!
The blood sea was ferocious, but the blue sword light was faster.
No one saw Shi Xiaole’s movement, only a splash of fresh blood spraying from Fu Tong’s palm. Fu Tong staggered back, ignoring his bleeding hand, and was about to release his second move.
"Surprisingly avoided the sword move, not bad."
Shi Xiaole was somewhat surprised.
Wind Kill is quick, but not in the usual sense of the word. To some extent, it did not differ from the wind of nature. Thus, it could be seen that Fu Tong was not famous for nothing, and was indeed stronger than most Limit Supreme Lords.
However, if one sword strike didn’t work, he would give a second.
The sword moves came from nothing, and without looking, Shi Xiaole delivered another blow, then resheathed his sword with a clang.
Swish!
At the same time, Fu Tong let out a scream. His second move, which was just gathering momentum, was abruptly halted as he was cut and hurled away by the sword qi.
