Chapter 769: Chapter 768 Sword Heart Enlightenment
Xiao Lingyun had no habit of being a mere backdrop, not even if his opponent was the rising star of the Martial World, the famous Kirin.
Indeed, having his Array System shadow defeated was not too disgraceful, but being defeated in just three strikes blemished his reputation greatly.
Only by personally entering the battle and turning the tables could Xiao Lingyun regain his lost face.
Fearing that Shi Xiaole would be reluctant to fight, Xiao Lingyun quickly added, "Of course, Young Hero Shi is not obliged to accept, but I believe that the path of swordsmanship requires constant challenges and battles for progress."
Upon hearing Xiao Lingyun’s words, many people’s eyes flashed.
No one here was a fool; they could guess his intention, but nobody knew whether Shi Xiaole had the guts to accept.
They knew well the difference between battling an Array System’s shadow and a real person, and many had recalled that Shi Xiaole had merely exploited a loophole in the Array System during the recent battle.
Shi Xiaole said, "Let me first clarify, I had no intention of using Great Swordsman Xiao to enhance my reputation."
Many people, including Xiao Lingyun, couldn’t help but sneer.
Without seeking fame or reputation, would you need to resolve a fight so ostentatiously, perhaps even exerting seventy to eighty percent of your strength?
In fact, Shi Xiaole was not lying.
Considering the Vigorous Air, supplemented by the Heavenly Ghost Vine, his power was definitely not inferior to an expert at the fourth peak of the Divine Barrier Realm.
In terms of swordsmanship, his Fifth Tier Wind Sword Way was nothing inferior to many seventh or eighth level experts of the Divine Barrier Realm.
Even many Earth Immortals peak only at around seventy or eighty percent. Once they reach the peak of eighty percent, they are fully qualified to join the ranks of the top hundred Earth Immortals.
Of course, this martial arts has to be top-tier. Most of the Earth Immortals’ martial arts are also top-tier, otherwise, they wouldn’t stand out.
With Shi Xiaole’s exceptional skills in both Vigorous Air and Sword Way, his martial arts prowess don’t need to be mentioned. This is his strongest asset.
Top-notch skills created a monstrous genius like Shi Xiaole. Not only was he invincible amongst his peers, he could also easily defeat opponents of a higher level.
In fact, when he defeated Xiao Lingyun’s Array System’s shadow, Shi Xiaole only used about thirty to forty percent of his strength. Hence, when he said he didn’t use Xiao Lingyun, he was not lying.
However, to other people’s ears, his words sounded pretentious and insincere.
Xiao Lingyun sneered, "Young Hero Shi, are you declining my challenge? I understand."
After saying this, he prepared to sit down.
Just then, Shi Xiaole’s second sentence rang out in time, "If Great Swordsman Xiao seeks to compare swordsmanship, I see no reason to refuse."
"Hahaha, straightforward!"
With a look of excitement, Xiao Lingyun descended onto the Earth-level stage, and his right hand naturally grasped the Cloud Piercing Sword.
Shi Xiaole’s acceptance of the challenge somewhat improved Xiao Lingyun’s impression of him, but that was it. He would still strike without mercy, since Shi Xiaole had intentionally tread on him to climb to the top.
"He’s putting on airs. Now he’ll suffer the consequences."
The young ladies of Heavenly Snow Mountain straightened their bodies, secretly cheering for Xiao Lingyun. They adamantly believed that he wouldn’t disappoint them.
"Can Kirin win?"
A young girl asked the scholarly young man.
The scholarly young man pondered for a bit before saying, "Xiao Lingyun’s cultivation talent might not be top-notch, but his fighting talent is indeed formidable, something the Array System’s shadow can’t match. But Kirin is not an easy opponent either."
"After all this talk, you’re saying you don’t know."
The young girl looked disdainfully at her brother. He shrugged helplessly, but his gaze was fixed intently on the stage, not daring to look elsewhere.
On the stage.
Shi Xiaole and Xiao Lingyun stood a hundred feet apart.
A strand of mist lingered in the air, gathering and dispersing, fissioning and fusion. Looking at this mist, Shi Xiaole felt like he saw the void.
"A real person really can’t be compared to an Array System’s shadow."
The gap between different types of swordsmen, real ones and Array System’s shadow, varied. And in the case of Xiao Lingyun, the gap was considered quite significant.
Because the Array System couldn’t perfectly simulate the real Cloud Sword Way, much less Xiao Lingyun’s battle prowess. Perhaps, this was the main reason he had confidence in defeating Shi Xiaole.
Neither of them made a move, as their respective auras had locked onto each other, and the one who moved first would reveal their weakness.
The mist gradually filled the entire stage, until the audience could no longer see clearly, their spiritual sense also unable to detect anything. Then, a clear sword sound rang out.
A fleeting flash of a sword, like a viper hidden amongst the clouds, struck at Shi Xiaole from an odd angle. Just this one strike was much more threatening than the Cloud System Shadow’s Four Shifts.
Clang!
Shi Xiaole drew his sword, its tip accurately stabbed Xiao Lingyun’s sword.
"Let me show you the real Four Shifts of Cloud Transformation."
In his heart, he let out a silent howl, Xiao Lingyun’s body suddenly became illusory, rushing towards the Red Left Sword. At the same time, the surrounding mist transformed into three Xiao Lingyuns, each making a sword move.
Under significantly-impeded spiritual sense, such a move could kill many slower-responding but stronger opponents.
Clang, clang, clang.
Three crisp sounds rang out, without even blinking, Shi Xiaole easily blocked the triple attack. The Red Left Sword broken through Xiao Lingyun’s sword tactics.
"Hmm?"
Xiao Lingyun’s face changed, sensing that his following moves were blocked. He hurriedly withdrew, while the surrounding mist rushed towards him, concealing his whereabouts.
Many people below the stage finally got the chance to see the situation in the duel clearly.
Whoosh!
The cloud mist, which retreated quickly, approached even more rapidly, suddenly rushing toward Shi Xiaole from his right diagonal.
In everyone’s perception, the cloud mist seemed to be composed of countless sharp swords. Any part of it could launch the fiercest attack, and what’s terrifying is, it’s always unpredictable where it will strike.
"This is Cloud Piercing Swordsman’s unique technique, ’Clouds Deep Unknown’. When he was only at the Fifth Tier of the Divine Border Realm, he had already slain an Earth Immortal at the Sixths Tier of the same realm. Good luck to this kid."
A few swordsmen who were very familiar with Xiao Lingyun gloated silently.
It’s quite an achievement to defeat opponents at a higher level in the Divine Border Realm, especially at the middle and higher levels.
They could see plainly that after more than seventy years, Xiao Lingyun’s skills had noticeably improved. Even they could only grudgingly block this move.
"Normal mental power can’t penetrate it."
Shi Xiaole has never underestimated any of the world’s heroes, he admits, Xiao Lingyun is exceptionally talented. Other people wouldn’t stand a chance at deciphering his moves easily.
However, he is facing me now.
Unexpectedly, Shi Xiaole did not use any mental power. Silently, unnoticeable traces of sword intent rose from his body and infiltrated into the cloud mist.
Shi Xiaole thrust casually with his sword.
Ding!
The cloud mist disappeared, revealing Xiao Lingyun’s figure.
"How is that possible?"
Xiao Lingyun’s face changed drastically.
One of the two terrors of the Cloud Sword Way is its ability to shield the opponent’s senses, unless their mental power is significantly stronger than his. Xiao Lingyun, however, clearly felt that Shi Xiaole didn’t exert any mental power at all.
Was it just luck?
Ding ding ding...
Xiao Lingyun launched an all-out attack, but time and time again, he was repelled. On the tenth attempt, Shi Xiaole parried with a diagonal slash. With a clank, Xiao Lingyun was forced to retreat several meters, his hand tingling.
"He was repelled?"
The experienced swordsmen inside the pavilion couldn’t maintain their composure, especially those familiar with Xiao Lingyun, they couldn’t believe it.
"Cloud Transformation Ninefold, retreat!"
Obviously angered by Shi Xiaole’s stance, Xiao Lingyun struck repeatedly with his long sword, layer upon layer of sword shadows enveloped forwards.
The Cloud Transformation Ninefold is not just nine changes, but eighty-one changes. Every change is a killing move. Combined with the changeability of the Cloud Sword Way, he refused to believe Shi Xiaole could easily parry it.
However.
It was still a simple sword swing, regardless of Xiao Lingyun’s moves, they posed no threat to Shi Xiaole.
Outsiders of course wouldn’t know, what Shi Xiaole was simulating was the Realm of Sword Heart Enlightenment from the Compassionate Travel Sword Scripture.
The wonder of Sword Heart Enlightenment lies in its ability to deduce the enemy’s location based on their Sword Qi, as if every move of the enemy is under surveillance.
Although Shi Xiaole hasn’t truly cultivated it, mimicking it isn’t a difficulty with his current aptitude.
Mental power isn’t omnipotent, therefore, right from the start, Shi Xiaole planned to use Xiao Lingyun to transform Sword Heart Enlightenment into one of his combat strategies.
It has to be said, his opponent had just met his nemesis, his style completely countered.
"Cloud Breaker!"
Countless clouds mixed with Vigorous Air and Sword Qi, forming a continuously revolving vortex. At the center of the vortex, Xiao Lingyun grasped his sword with both hands and slashed forcefully.
Boom boom boom.
The space where Shi Xiaole stood twisted, then shattered like glass from four angles, quickly spreading forward.
"This is a killing technique I devised after observing a Phantom King’s secret manual, let’s see how you defend!"
If possible, Xiao Lingyun wouldn’t want to reveal this move, but he had to defeat Shi Xiaole. Thankfully, this move isn’t his last resort. Even if Shi Xiaole wasn’t here, he would use it in the star-level arena.
"What a powerful move, the Cloud Sword Way is inclined towards change. It complements and feeds off illusion techniques, creating an interesting transformation."
"It can’t be forcefully broken because those affected are within an illusion."
Liu Xuantong and Sheng Xingzhi stared wide-eyed, secretly alarmed inside, even three of them combined couldn’t withstand this move. Of course, they also couldn’t push Xiao Lingyun this far.
How would Kirin respond?
A beam of green sword light suddenly rushed into the sky, all shattered scenes halted wherever the light fell.
"Chaotic Wind Cloud!"
Illusion techniques are always just an illusion, the false can’t become true, and the true can’t become false. Under the lock of Sword Heart Enlightenment, Shi Xiaole could easily find a move’s weakness even without deliberate sensing.
As a matter of fact, if he wanted, Shi Xiaole could completely suppress Xiao Lingyun and prevent him from using any killing moves. But firstly, there’s no need to be so harsh, and secondly, he still needed to familiarize himself further with Sword Heart Enlightenment.
By now, he has completely mastered this sword realm. It’s time to end the duel. With his attack strength boosted to seventy percent, Shi Xiaole swung his sword and numerous green sword threads formed a grinding disc, spinning rapidly.
Crack crack crack.
The cloud shattered, the illusion shattered, the green grinding disc transformed into a green tornado, crashing violently into Xiao Lingyun, who was caught unprepared, sending him flying.
