Chapter 1946: Throwing the Sword

The woman also quickly lost.

The fourth match featured an arrogant young man, who also couldn't last ten moves.

Zhang Xuan looked satisfied, seeing his good performance, which, surprisingly, didn't intimidate the other participants in the open competition. Of course, he didn't know that for others, challenging him cost only 500 Divine Coins. For such a low price, getting a chance to spar with a master was an opportunity too good to pass up. They considered it a huge profit. After all, no matter how they fought, their real bodies wouldn't die, so there wasn't much to lose.

"Senior Brother, what do you think?"

Outside the crystal barrier, two figures leaned against a nearby pillar. The speaker was a young man in green, holding a long sword. His gaze, as his eyes moved, exuded a sharp sword intent. His senior brother, opposite him, also held a long sword, and his sword intent was even denser, indicating he was clearly a master swordsman.

Both Xuanjiang City and Xingyao City were under the jurisdiction of the Lingyun Sword Pavilion. Many people practiced swordsmanship, and a significant number of participants in the open competition used sword techniques.

"Turning void into substance, millimeter steps... This indicates his control over power has reached an extremely refined level, not much worse than mine. He should be a master!" The senior brother nodded with a slight smile. "However, compared to the disciples of our Lingyun Sword Pavilion, he's still far behind!"

"Indeed," the junior brother interjected. "Turning void into substance and millimeter steps are basic requirements for entry; even many chore disciples can perform them. Only in a small place like this would it cause astonishment!"

"Junior Brother Huang Tao, go sign up and give him a warning shot!" the senior brother instructed.

"Don't worry, if I don't make him concede within three moves, I'll buy you drinks tonight! And practice the Void-Penetrating Sword ten more times!" Huang Tao, the junior brother, said with a smirk.

"Don't underestimate..."

Before he could finish, the senior brother scoffed, "I was overthinking it. Let's make this quick. We're here with the elder to select outer disciples and chore disciples, so time is tight. Entering the Divine Ascension Hall here is like bullying, and if the elder finds out, we'll definitely be scolded!" As talented disciples from a major sect, going to a small place to participate in a local competition was like a provincial-level gaming pro going to an internet café to play against ordinary users—there was absolutely no challenge.

"Alright!" Nodding, Huang Tao walked forward. A moment later, he registered and became Zhang Xuan's fifth opponent.

"Look, check out the win rate of this 'Startling Wave Swordsman'!"

"One hundred matches, only five losses? That's incredible!"

"Such a record is terrifying. That 'Tianya' has met his match..."

"This person came on stage with a sword, so it's definitely a sword fight... We only saw Tianya fight unarmed earlier, so it's hard to say how good his swordsmanship is..."

The win record of every strong participant in the open competition was displayed. The 'Startling Wave Swordsman,' having only lost five out of a hundred matches, immediately caused a huge stir. What was previously considered a one-sided situation was now split into two camps again. Although this 'Tianya' master was very strong in close combat just now, using a weapon and not using one were two different concepts. The opponent claimed to be a swordsman and brought a sword to the stage; his combat power was bound to be extremely high.

"Take out your sword!" Standing in the middle of the arena, Huang Tao held his long sword and said indifferently.

"Alright!" Without hesitation, Zhang Xuan waved his hand, and a long sword from a nearby weapon rack flew into his palm, its cold glint sharp. Swords in the Divine Ascension Hall had no ranks; they were merely tools for practicing sword techniques, and there was no concept of weapon spirits.

"My sword will remain sheathed. I'll give you two chances to attack. If you can't even get close, I'll defeat you with one strike!" Huang Tao said calmly. As a Lingyun Sword Pavilion disciple, he certainly had an air of superiority.

"Your sword won't be drawn?" Zhang Xuan was stunned, frowning. "Like that, you'll die..."

"Presumptuous!" Huang Tao's face darkened. "Make your move, or you won't get another chance!"

"Fine!" Zhang Xuan was rather helpless. He twirled the long sword in his hand, forming a sword flourish, his body motionless. Then, he suddenly flicked his finger. The long sword in his palm immediately flew out. His first move, astonishingly, was to let go of his sword!

In a battle, the most feared outcome was losing one's weapon. While hitting the opponent was good, if it failed and the weapon left your body, it meant the opponent had a weapon while you were bare-handed. The advantages and disadvantages were obvious at a glance.

"Too reckless!"

"This guy is trying to concede..."

Everyone watching the match was stunned, completely bewildered. Throwing his sword before the match even started was something they had never seen.

"Look, Tianya actually turned around!"

"He really did, what does that mean?"

"He's not actually going to concede, is he? So lacking in sportsmanship?"

Amidst the exclamations, the scene before them became even stranger. They saw the young man named Tianya on the stage throw his long sword, then turn around and raise both arms, as if celebrating something. Could it be... he knew the opponent was too strong before even exchanging a move and conceded directly? But if he was conceding, why celebrate? Was conceding supposed to be glorious?

Huang Tao on the stage was also somewhat bewildered. This guy opposite him, throwing his sword and turning around to raise his arms, what was he doing? Even if he was conceding, he should at least say something! As he wondered, his senior brother's urgent shout suddenly echoed in his ears: "Huang Tao, don't be careless, be careful..."

Huang Tao was startled. Just as he focused his mind, he saw the long sword the opponent had casually thrown, slowly approaching him. At first, it was very slow, even giving the illusion of floating in the air. But as it came within three meters, it suddenly accelerated like a beam of light, blinding his eyes. He quickly released his tightly clasped arms, intending to draw the long sword from his embrace to block, and immediately felt a sharp pain in his head.

Thud! His body lay on the ground, his head pierced by the long sword. The body dissolved into specks of light and disappeared from the spot, leaving only the long sword he had been holding, lying diagonally on the ground. Dying in the Divine Ascension Hall didn't mean actual death, but the jade token would shatter, becoming completely useless, and the spirit that had entered it would vanish. In other words, dying once rendered the jade token useless.

Silence! A deathly silence. Everyone stared blankly at the arena before them. They had expected the young man with the long sword to have a fierce battle with Tianya, but to their surprise, the latter casually threw his sword, which instantly pierced his opponent's head... What just happened?

Whoosh! After a moment of silence, a sound like an explosion erupted. Although they hadn't understood what happened, it was clear Tianya had won.

"Tianya is mighty! I love you! I'm your fan, I want to have your babies!"

"It must be that Startling Wave Swordsman underestimated him too much. He didn't expect the opponent to throw his sword..."

"I thought he was so strong, but he was just a poser. Getting a sword stuck in your head like that, even an idiot wouldn't do it!"

"And he claimed a 95% win rate in a hundred matches... I think he's just a clown here for laughs!"

In the eyes of the crowd, Zhang Xuan's sword throw just now was unremarkable, yet the latter was instantly killed. There was only one explanation: the opponent was too weak!

"This is impossible..." The senior brother leaning against the pillar suddenly straightened up. When the opponent threw his long sword just now, he sensed something amiss—it contained sword intent. But how did it instantly kill Huang Tao? As he replayed the trajectory of the opponent's long sword in his mind, sweat immediately beaded on his forehead. The opponent's sword throw was like a white steed flashing past a crevice, or an antelope hanging its horns—it left no trace! Even with his eyesight, he couldn't discern how that single sword strike achieved victory!

"Do I need to face him directly to understand?" His fists clenched. Many formidable sword techniques could only be understood in their true power by experiencing them firsthand. This move, he feared, had reached such a realm.

Thinking this, he didn't hesitate. He stepped forward, quickly registered, and appeared on the arena stage.

"Yun Feiyang?" Zhang Xuan frowned, looking at the information displayed on the crystal wall nearby. He had just killed one swordsman, and now another one with a sword appeared. Had he poked a hornet's nest?

"I am Yun Feiyang, both my name and my alias!" Nodding, Yun Feiyang flicked his palm, and his long sword unsheathed, a faint chill immediately appearing on its blade. "Make your move!"

Seeing that this person wasn't rambling or narcissistic like the previous one, Zhang Xuan retrieved a long sword again and held it in his palm.

"Please use the same sword technique as before!" Yun Feiyang nodded. He wanted to personally experience the power of the sword technique that had instantly killed his junior brother, so he could figure out a way to counter it.

"The sword technique from before?"

"Yes!"

"This... works too!" Zhang Xuan was helpless. The sword he threw just now was casual, without much technical content. Even so, it followed the trajectory of the Heavenly Dao and conformed to the essence of Heavenly Dao Swordsmanship, which allowed it to pierce the opponent's head instantly and kill him on the spot. This guy wants to try it too? Does he think his head is hard enough? However, regardless of his opponent's intention, if he wanted to be pierced, Zhang Xuan didn't mind.

Immediately, he tossed the long sword in his hand, and it quietly hovered in the air. The long sword left his hand.

"Good one..." Yun Feiyang's pupils contracted. With a fierce shout, he twirled the long sword in his hand into a blur. In an instant, wind howled, and sword shadows permeated the air. His body was enveloped by the sword shadows, making him impervious to water or rain.

"So strong..."

"This swordsmanship is too fast..."

"You can't even see it with the naked eye, how can you attack?"

The crowd below stared with wide eyes, trembling. Yun Feiyang's swordsmanship was incredibly fast, glinting with cold light, as if he had created a light sphere more than two meters in diameter around his body. With such a defense, he couldn't even be scratched.

Under their shocked gazes, the long sword hovering in the air slowly flew over, leisurely approaching within three meters. With a rapid whistle of wind, it vanished from its spot, piercing into the sphere of sword light.

"What happened?"

"Didn't he block it? Or did he?"

Seeing the long sword disappear and the light sphere still rotating, everyone exchanged bewildered glances. With their eyesight, they couldn't see what was happening on the stage at all.

Before their words finished, the light sphere formed by sword light instantly dispersed with a "whoosh!". Immediately after, everyone saw the young man with previously superb swordsmanship, a long sword piercing his forehead, going through his head. He was already breathless. His body fell to the ground, dissolved into specks of light, and vanished.

Once again, there was utter silence.