Chapter 161: Seems to Hold a Grudge

The powerhouses of the Haotian Alliance could see this, and naturally, so could the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge side.

For the fourth match, Ten Thousand Demon Ridge sent a cultivator highly skilled in combat. Wielding a long sword, and fueled by spiritual power, the blade seemed to come alive in his hands, employing a dazzling array of stabs, points, flicks, and parries.

However, with just a few strikes from Lu Ye's blade, the man's dazzling swordplay became chaotic. He finally spotted an opening and thrust his sword towards Lu Ye's heart, only for it to be blocked by a fleeting spiritual rune.

Han Zheyue had already revealed the Guardian Spiritual Rune, so Lu Ye saw no need to conceal it. He hadn't activated it much before because it wasn't necessary. However, against an opponent with decent skill, the Guardian Spiritual Rune proved crucial. He had faced a similar skilled opponent during the battle to rescue Amber, and he knew how to counter such fighters.

His strategy was simple: don't engage in a skill contest. No matter how refined their techniques, they'd have to endure a few of his strikes first. In essence, "You fight your way, I kill mine!"

The sword that was meant to be a decisive blow failed. As Lu Ye's long blade descended, the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivator's eyes widened in terror, and he opened his mouth to cry, "I sur—"

Before the last word could escape his lips, his head had already fallen.

Lu Ye stood still, blood surging within him, radiating a fierce killing intent.

A realization dawned on him: as long as his blade was fast enough, his opponents wouldn't have time to concede!

He was well aware that fighting this way was very taxing and that he should try to prolong the battles. However, he was just one person facing an unknown number of fights. Only by instilling fear in his enemies first would the subsequent situations improve.

Staring at the corpse on the ground, Lu Ye suddenly realized that opponents who excelled in technique weren't as difficult to handle as he once thought. When he rescued Amber, he had almost fought his opponent to a mutual death. Although he ultimately killed the enemy, he himself was severely wounded and had to be carried back by Amber to Hua Ci for treatment, enduring a thorough teasing from that sharp-tongued woman.

He gradually understood: it wasn't that the enemies weren't difficult; rather, he had gained a wealth of combat experience. Each grueling battle, every struggle, the blood and scars, had not only enhanced his strength but also sharpened his experience and perception.

While he might not have followed any set rules in killing his enemies, every chop he delivered was the most natural and perfect strike. Compared to rigid techniques, his intuitive approach was the best method.

This was a killing technique!

"Little Junior Brother!" Li Baxian's voice suddenly called from behind him. Lu Ye had remained motionless after killing his opponent, as if rooted to the spot, even as his next adversary jumped into the arena.

Lu Ye snapped back to reality, realizing that, without noticing, he had acquired many new insights and abilities.

A powerful gust of wind rushed past his head. He immediately spun around, swinging his blade, which clashed directly with his opponent's incoming spiritual weapon, sending sparks flying!

Only then did Lu Ye get a clear look at his opponent: a burly man, who had leapt from mid-air, gripping a greatsword as wide as a finger with both hands, and brought it down with tremendous force.

The instant their weapons collided, Lu Ye's body dipped slightly, lowering his center of gravity to stabilize himself, then he immediately thrust his blade back.

As a harsh grinding sound echoed, an incredulous look appeared in the burly cultivator's eyes. An overwhelming and unstoppable force had come from Lu Ye's blade, sending him flying backward.

This sight left everyone stunned.

In terms of both physique and weapon size, Lu Ye and his opponent were incomparable. This new adversary was clearly a power-type fighter, brimming with vitality, naturally suited for body cultivation. However, he likely aimed to be a weapon cultivator, which explained his choice of such an exaggerated weapon, intending to overpower many with sheer force.

His choice wasn't entirely wrong. Up to this point, no cultivator at his level had been able to match his strength. Even those with comparable power would find themselves doubting their existence after being struck by his absurdly large greatsword.

Until now...

What was even harder for him to accept was that his opponent had sent him flying with a single-handed strike from his blade! Now it was *his* turn to question everything.

"Such immense power!" exclaimed a Spirit Stream Ranking powerhouse beside Li Baxian. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but he sensed that something within Lu Ye had shifted.

If the previous Lu Ye had been somewhat reserved, the current one was utterly uninhibited...

Li Baxian's eyes flickered; he too noticed the change.

"You haven't introduced yourself yet!" On the arena, as Lu Ye sent his opponent flying, he swiftly followed up. Before the man could land, a flurry of strikes left several wounds on him, sending blood spurting. The man's face contorted in pain, and as he hit the ground, he desperately raised his sword with both hands to defend.

However, the burly man favored a broad, sweeping fighting style, which meant his movements weren't particularly agile. Compared to him, Lu Ye was like a gracefully dancing butterfly, incredibly nimble.

In the blink of an eye, the man was covered in wounds. Fortunately, none of them were deep, which gave him the illusion that he could still continue fighting.

However, the spectators saw clearly that the only reason he was still standing was because Lu Ye hadn't gone for a killing blow. It seemed he was deliberately toying with his opponent.

"Which sect are you from?" Lu Ye asked again, pushing his opponent back with a single strike.

The burly cultivator gasped for breath. Though he knew he was outmatched, he stubbornly replied, "Ninghe Fortress!"

Having received the answer he wanted, Lu Ye nodded slightly. Mud and stones splattered as he instantly appeared before his opponent. His speed was so rapid that the burly cultivator couldn't react in time. By the time he saw Lu Ye's blade coming, he could only hastily raise his greatsword horizontally to block.

Lu Ye immediately retracted his blade and thrust straight forward. The blade pierced through the man's chest and out his back, impaling him completely.

As he withdrew the blade, blood spurted. Lu Ye then delivered a kick, sending the man flying.

The man lay on the ground, feeling his life ebb away. Until his last breath, he never understood one thing: why his opponent, who could have easily finished him off earlier, hadn't done so.

In the Haotian Alliance camp, Wei Yang softly murmured, "Our little junior brother seems to hold grudges."

Li Baxian nodded in agreement. Asking about his opponent's background twice during the fight clearly wasn't a show of camaraderie, but a way to note the sect behind them. And then, having received the answer he wanted, he immediately finished his adversary...

He couldn't help but grin. If his junior brother had the presence of mind for such a thing, it meant he possessed a degree of confidence. If he couldn't survive the battle, remembering the opponent's sect would be meaningless.

No wonder he had announced his name before every battle previously. Li Baxian had thought he was simply a well-mannered young man, but it turned out he was just making a mental note of his opponents.

On the arena, Lu Ye raised a hand and declared, "I need a break!"

He didn't continue killing. In the initial phase, he had consecutively defeated five opponents, four of whom were killed. Apart from the first, who was a fifth-level cultivator, all the others were sixth-level. The initial show of dominance was sufficient.

His spiritual power had been somewhat depleted, but not significantly, as each battle ended quickly. However, this was going to be a protracted war of attrition, so he needed a break to ensure his spiritual power remained ample.

This was his right, stipulated in the Heavenly Secret Pact, so naturally, no one from the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge side could refuse.

Soon, Lu Ye returned to his own camp. Under the watchful eyes of Li Baxian, Wei Yang, and others, he swallowed spiritual pills and then, for show, took out two spirit stones to hold in his palms.

He didn't construct a Spirit Gathering Rune at his spiritual aperture because the break was too short. Even a Spirit Gathering Rune, however small its consumption, still required energy, and the effort wouldn't be proportional to the gain.

He simply switched his cultivation technique to the "Gluttonous Feast," accelerating the refinement of the spiritual pills.

While he was resting, several powerhouses from the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge gathered to secretly discuss their next move.

Han Zheyue was summoned. The powerhouse, ranked among the top twenty on the Spirit Stream Ranking, inquired, "This youngster from Blood Jade Sect displays extraordinary strength and speed in his attacks, something a fifth-level cultivator shouldn't possess. Was he like this before?"

They had clearly seen in the previous few battles that Lu Ye's ability to defeat stronger opponents was not primarily due to his defensive spiritual rune, but rather his attack speed and raw power. Throughout these recent fights, Lu Ye had activated that defensive spiritual rune only a handful of times.

Therefore, even if a cultivator's cultivation was one level higher than his, they were still no match if their speed wasn't as great or their power as formidable.

This question caught Han Zheyue off guard. She genuinely didn't know what Lu Ye was like before; during the Dragon Spring Gathering, she had only been stationed in the Central Peak Hall and hadn't personally witnessed how Lu Ye had slaughtered their cultivators.

After a brief thought, Han Zheyue suggested, "This might be related to his experience with the Dragon Spring body tempering."

"Dragon Spring body tempering?" The questioner frowned, clearly unfamiliar with it. The Spirit Stream Battlefield was vast, with unique resources scattered everywhere. While the Dragon Spring was beneficial, it was primarily for lower-level cultivators and not widely renowned across the entire battlefield.

Han Zheyue then briefly recounted the events of the Dragon Spring Gathering, concluding, "This time, something went wrong with the Dragon Spring. By the time our Tailuo Sect disciples entered, its power was already minimal. We later confirmed with Qingyu Mountain that they didn't gain much benefit either."

Recalling this, she felt a surge of anger.

The Dragon Spring Gathering served as both a competition for the three factions' disciples to earn entry to the Dragon Spring and a direct confrontation between the three powers. Tailuo Sect had sacrificed so many lives this time to secure precious spots, only for their disciples to gain minimal benefits within. Essentially, those disciples had died in vain.

No one could endure such a loss, which was why Han Zheyue had immediately rushed to pursue and kill Lu Ye upon hearing news of him.

"It seems to have little to do with the Dragon Spring!" The Ten Thousand Demon Ridge powerhouse frowned. "So, is he simply exceptionally gifted?"

No wonder he had the audacity to step forward and arrogantly challenge the entire Ten Thousand Demon Ridge.

However, he wasn't flustered. This continuous battle had only just begun. Although five opponents had been defeated, many more had yet to fight. With proper strategy, Lu Ye would be utterly exhausted within three days.