Chapter 1538: My Knife…

Lu Ye suddenly understood something: the true nature of the unique opportunity for blade cultivators. He had originally thought he could only obtain this opportunity by passing the test, but now it seemed the test itself was the greatest opportunity!

After this experience, his blade skills would undoubtedly reach a new level, a benefit that normal arduous training couldn't provide. As for why it was specific to blade cultivators, Lu Ye couldn't figure it out. However, according to Du Lang, this opportunity had appeared in the desolate land for a century, manifesting several times over that period. If it were a tangible opportunity, it would have been taken long ago; it wouldn't have waited until now. Only such a peculiar opportunity would remain preserved. This was likely the unspoken agreement among the powerful cultivators of the Quadrant Galaxy: to leave such an opportunity here for the blade cultivators of their star system to hone their skills and improve their combat strength.

However, Lu Ye soon noticed something peculiar: his opponent seemed to possess a strong learning ability. As soon as he identified and countered a weakness, that weakness would vanish and never reappear.

Amidst the fierce battle, time slowly passed. Initially, Lu Ye managed to maintain balance by constantly searching for weaknesses. But as his opponent's blade skills perfected, flaws became harder to find, until Lu Ye could no longer find any exploitable opportunities. The fight reverted to a stalemate, with neither side able to gain an advantage!

But Lu Ye knew that if this continued, he would be the one to lose. In fact, without his Talent Tree, he would have already been defeated, as the wounds inflicted by the opponent's long blade were incredibly strange. Although his Talent Tree currently countered the mysterious power of the opponent's long blade, if he couldn't defeat his foe, this battle would be endless. He needed to find a way to kill this version of himself.

This was the disadvantage of lacking information. Cultivators like Xu Dingyang and Luo Shenzi, who knew the true nature of this opportunity, would never even think of trying to kill their other self, as they knew it was extremely difficult, almost impossible.

At this moment, two days had passed since the opportunity inside Sirius Star was activated. During these two days, cultivators who had previously remained inside continuously appeared out of thin air outside Sirius Star, all of them blade cultivators. The first group of people to appear clearly looked dejected and frustrated because they had been defeated too early and hadn't gained much benefit from the opportunity. However, the cultivators who emerged later appeared increasingly joyful, having reaped significant rewards.

Li Shang, waiting outside, had no idea what was happening. She hadn't seen Lu Ye appear and couldn't find anyone to inquire about the situation. Fortunately, Du Lang appeared, greeting her with a look of joy.

Li Shang quickly asked, "What's happening inside?" Du Lang promptly recounted his experience. Upon hearing this, Li Shang immediately showed a thoughtful expression, then asked many detailed questions, to which Du Lang answered everything he knew. Finally, she asked, "How did you get out?"

"I came out after being defeated," Du Lang replied. Li Shang understood. Knowing that Lu Ye hadn't appeared, he must still be fighting inside and hadn't been defeated. However, the timing of a cultivator's defeat seemed unrelated to their cultivation level. Earlier, some late-stage Constellation cultivators had emerged, yet only now did Du Lang, an early-stage Constellation cultivator, appear. This was because everyone faced an enemy identical to themselves, and those who could perceive more of their own shortcomings were able to endure longer.

Lu Ye had no idea that defeat was the way out. Currently, he was single-mindedly focused on killing the opponent in front of him. Yet, with identical foundations, strength, and combat styles—everything Lu Ye could perform, his enemy could also perform—achieving his goal without any external aid was an impossible task. Still, he persisted, because he had considered a possibility!

When he first entered the grand hall, a mysterious energy had swept over his body, and the statue had then transformed into his likeness, possessing all the abilities he had at that moment. If that was the case, then if he now possessed a new technique, he might be able to kill his opponent. However, he likely had only one chance, because once he unleashed that technique, his opponent would undoubtedly be able to use it as well.

As early as his battle with Xue Hao, Lu Ye had identified a problem: with his current strength, it was difficult to pose a threat to cultivators significantly stronger than himself. Taking Xue Hao as an example, though his cultivation had been suppressed to the early Moonfall stage by Lu Ye's sacred power, the Pan Mountain Blade could at most inflict minor injuries, failing to have a significant impact. In the end, if Li Shang hadn't initiated a soul battle and destroyed the opponent from a spiritual level, Lu Ye would have had no way to deal with Xue Hao.

Recently, Lu Ye had been contemplating how to solve this problem. Changing blades was out of the question, and the Divine Edge spirit pattern's enhancement couldn't make the Pan Mountain Blade any sharper. After much thought, he did come up with a method, though the idea had never been fully refined.

It wasn't until this desperate struggle against his other self that Lu Ye felt it was time to try. If it worked, it might be decisive; if not, he would have to make other plans. His mind was calm, his eyes clear. The Pan Mountain Blade rose, blocking the opponent's strike.

After days of engagement, battling an exact replica of himself, they knew each other inside and out. It was almost as if a mere twitch of a hand from one would reveal the other's next move. Seizing the moment the opponent retracted his blade, Lu Ye suddenly gripped his own hilt with both hands. This unusual action clearly startled the figure opposite him, as until now, Lu Ye had always wielded his blade with one hand. A faint sound of tides emerged, but this time, there was no continuous flurry of blade light. Lu Ye, gripping his blade with both hands, lunged forward and brought it down on his enemy. The timing of this strike was exceptionally precise; the opponent had no time to block. However, at the point of impact, a Sacred Guard spirit pattern appeared on the enemy's body.

Clashes between Divine Edge and Sacred Guard like this had occurred countless times between them over the past few days. The confrontation of spear and shield was always evenly matched, with neither side able to overcome the other. But this time, it was distinctly different. Not only did Lu Ye's expression become focused, but his enemy's also turned solemn. The Pan Mountain Blade struck the Sacred Guard. The blade's edge was not only empowered by Divine Edge but, upon closer inspection, also had countless tiny, dense tides surging and flowing rapidly. Instantly, the Pan Mountain Blade's edge seemed to transform into a saw blade, with the tiny tides on its surface flowing even more ferociously. This was another ingenious application of his "Tidal Sea Myriad Waves" technique, and the method he had been contemplating recently.

His thinking was simple: since the Pan Mountain Blade's sharpness was no longer sufficient to threaten exceptionally strong physical opponents, he wouldn't try to solve the problem by increasing sharpness, as that was too difficult. From another perspective, if it wasn't sharp enough, sawing through would also work. A saw cannot chop through a dry log, but it can easily saw through it. This was the first time he had used it against an enemy, and it hadn't even been tested, so he couldn't be sure of its effectiveness.

Therefore, as he brought down this strike, Lu Ye was closely observing. The effect was remarkable. The Sacred Guard spirit pattern, which had previously blocked a Divine Edge-enhanced strike, shattered in an instant under this attack. The Pan Mountain Blade smoothly cut into the opponent's body, entering at the shoulder blade and piercing directly into the internal organs!

The scene froze. The enemy stood motionless, simply looking at Lu Ye with a surprised expression. Lu Ye gasped for breath. Days of relentless combat had pushed even him to his limit, but thankfully, this strike had not disappointed.

"You win!" the figure identical to Lu Ye suddenly spoke. Lu Ye was startled.

Ever since the fight began, he hadn't heard the opponent speak, assuming it was merely a manifestation of mysterious power. He never imagined it could talk. It could talk... did that mean it was alive? Yet, no blood flowed from the wound. The cut made by the Pan Mountain Blade was smooth and clean, not like that of a flesh-and-blood body.

He instinctively tried to pull out his blade but found he couldn't. The opponent's severed body gripped the blade tightly. As the opponent delivered a strike, Lu Ye had no choice but to retreat.

His face fell. This was the second time he had lost his blade recently. The last time was in a secret realm, where the Heavenly Desire Demonic Spider had taken the Pan Mountain Blade, but he had managed to retrieve it after killing the spider. The figure stood with the Pan Mountain Blade embedded in it, completely unaffected, simply looking at Lu Ye with a knowing smile. "I had intended to spend my twilight years peacefully in this godforsaken place, but I didn't expect there'd be youngsters like you these days. Since you've won, I can only abide by the ancient agreement! But remember, kid, never lose your personal blade again!"

As he finished speaking, a shocking scene unfolded before Lu Ye: the Pan Mountain Blade, still embedded in the figure's body, rapidly melted and was completely absorbed. Lu Ye raised his hands, wailing, "My blade..."

The Pan Mountain Blade had been his companion since not long after he began cultivating. He had even planned to find a Phoenix Sky Blue Crystal to upgrade it into a magic artifact. But now, with no Phoenix Sky Blue Crystal in sight, the Pan Mountain Blade had been melted! This figure... what in the world was it? And what did he mean by "the ancient agreement"?

Despite his anger, Lu Ye did not act rashly, sensing that the figure's true power was far greater than what it had previously displayed. What he had seen might only be the tip of the iceberg. He tried to connect with his red talisman again, but there was still no response.

Just as Lu Ye was pondering what to do, the figure spoke again: "Kid, don't live too long. This old man has been in a long sleep and just wants to wake up soon!" As he spoke, and under Lu Ye's astonished gaze, the figure began to rapidly melt away.