Chapter 1947: Change of Events

At Starfall City’s City Lord’s Mansion, two young men walked towards a courtyard, talking as they went.

“What are Yun Feiyang and Huang Tao up to again? Those two are always so secretive as soon as they’re out, never attending any gatherings. If they knew how many beautiful girls were here this time, they’d probably be kicking themselves!” chuckled the young man in green on the left. He was tall and thin, like a bamboo pole, with unusually long arms.

“They won’t regret it,” the second young man said with resignation. With a square face and a somewhat coarse voice, he clearly didn't approve of their actions. “As soon as they got here, they bought two Divine Link Jade Talismans, adopted the alias 'Sword Immortal of Crashing Waves,' and went off to challenge people!”

“Challenge?” The bamboo-pole young man nearly burst out laughing. “Esteemed outer disciples of the Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion, coming here to challenge natives of these small places? Have they no shame? There’s no sense of accomplishment in winning anyway!”

“I really don’t know what they’re thinking,” the square-faced young man added, shaking his head helplessly. “Leaving aside everything else, even the City Lord of Starfall City wouldn’t be entirely confident in a sword fight against us. Going to challenge ordinary people… That’s enough ‘flexing’ for them.”

The two young men had already reached the courtyard. They pushed the door open and walked in.

Immediately, they saw the fellow named Huang Tao sitting at a stone table, staring blankly into space.

“Did you make the cultivators of Starfall City scatter in fear, begging for mercy?” The bamboo-pole young man smiled slightly and approached him.

“You’re always so gracious, how many moves did you let him have this time?” The square-faced man also patted his shoulder.

Seeing the two of them, Huang Tao was utterly embarrassed. He pointed at the table in front of him, his voice filled with helplessness and despondency: “I… I lost!” On the stone table lay a jade talisman, shattered into several pieces.

“You were killed in there?” Their pupils contracted. The square-faced man and his companion immediately understood what had happened, filled with disbelief. They were disciples of the Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion; at the same level, they could sweep away any opponent. They had expected to show off their prowess, but instead, one of them was killed. How could they believe it?

“Did you use your sword?” the square-faced man asked.

“Yes, I did. But the opponent pierced my head with a single strike, before I even had time to deploy my sword technique…” Huang Tao felt like crawling into a hole.

“Using a sword, yet unable to even deploy a technique, and being directly pierced…” Both of them wondered if they had misheard.

“Senior Brother Yun Feiyang isn't out yet. He must have seen me get killed and gone to duel the opponent. Once he comes out, we should know everything…” Huang Tao said, knowing they wouldn't believe him.

“Feiyang went too? Among the four of us, he has the best chance of becoming an inner disciple; his swordsmanship is exceptionally strong. As long as he makes a move, it should be an easy win…” Offering a word of comfort, the three of them stood up simultaneously and walked towards the adjacent courtyard.

Just as they pushed the door open and entered, they saw the swordsmanship master they had been speaking of. Like Huang Tao earlier, he was staring at a broken jade tablet in front of him, his face filled with confusion and sorrow, looking as if he were questioning life itself.

“You… were you also killed?” Their mouths twitched. They rushed over. He was the strongest swordsman among the four of them, and he was also killed. How strong must the person who did it be?

“I used my sword technique, ‘Flowing Water Without Trace,’ but… I couldn’t even withstand one strike! That strike… it was so beautiful!” Remembering the swordsmanship he had just witnessed, Yun Feiyang was still lost in thought.

“Flowing Water Without Trace?” Everyone exclaimed. This sword technique was considered a top-tier defensive method among the outer disciples of the Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion. Once deployed, the body would be enveloped as if by flowing water. Any attack would be affected by the mist, either being blocked or having its direction altered. At the same level, no one could break through it. He used that move, but couldn't withstand a single strike… Is it really that terrifying? The crucial point was that he was killed, yet he found the swordsmanship beautiful. With that intoxicated expression, it felt like he had lost his mind.

“I want to see it for myself… Feiyang, do you still have any unused Divine Link Jade Talismans?” After their shock, the bamboo-pole man and the square-faced man were both filled with curiosity. They, too, wanted to witness this exceptionally strong swordsman.

“After I woke up, I already sent someone to buy more. They should be back soon…” Yun Feiyang said.

Every Divine Link Hall had its own Divine Link Jade Talisman. Using it allowed one to enter this so-called local network. Before long, a servant hurried over, bringing a full eight talismans. One Divine Link Jade Talisman cost tens of thousands of Divine Link Coins, which was a huge sum for ordinary people but nothing to these favored children of heaven.

The four quickly re-entered Starfall City’s Divine Link Hall and returned to the public arena.

“Seventh match, Tianya wins!”

“I want to proceed with the eighth match!” As soon as they arrived, they saw this 'Tianya' had already completed his seventh match and won. The opponent in the seventh match was the previously prominent ‘Shepherd of Wind.’ This guy was incredibly fast, moving like wind, almost invisible on the stage. However, this ‘Tianya’ suddenly kicked out at an empty spot, hitting him right in the groin, and then… there was no ‘then.’

“Is there anyone else to challenge for the eighth match?” No one around replied. Although dueling masters could improve one’s strength, being instantly defeated upon entering the stage meant the gap was too wide. No one wanted to waste more money.

“I’ll do it!” Stepping forward, the bamboo-pole young man quickly completed his registration and entered the arena.

Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. Winning seven consecutive matches had earned him a good amount, but it still wasn’t enough to buy the pills. If no one participated in the eighth match… he wouldn’t be able to gather enough money.

Standing in the ring, the bamboo-pole young man carefully scrutinized the young man in front of him. He looked very ordinary, nothing special about him. Had he really defeated two of their senior and junior brothers consecutively?

“Still using a sword?” Zhang Xuan asked, seeing the fellow immediately draw a long sword upon entering.

The bamboo-pole young man nodded, drew his long sword from its sheath, gave a soft cry, and lunged forward. Having heard Yun Feiyang and Huang Tao’s accounts, he knew the person in front of him was an absolute master. He wasted no words and attacked directly. However, before his long sword could reach its target, a dazzling light immediately appeared before his eyes, like a rainbow, yet also like the rising sun—blindingly brilliant and mesmerizing.

A corpse lay on the ground.

The square-faced man’s mouth twitched. Before, he thought Yun Feiyang and his companion might have exaggerated, but to his surprise, not only was it not exaggerated, but the opponent was even stronger than they had described! Yun Feiyang’s defense was considered the strongest among outer disciples, and the bamboo-pole man’s offense was definitely top-tier. Yet, even so, he was killed without even touching the opponent’s sleeve. It could no longer be described as merely “terrible”!

“Senior Brother, do you want to go up and try?” Huang Tao looked over.

“I…” He paused, then gave a wry smile. “If those two couldn’t do it, I definitely can’t… I’ll pass!” Divine Link Coins weren’t the issue. It was just that the two strongest outer disciples weren’t even a match for a single strike. If he went up, he would only suffer the same fate.

“Starfall City actually has such a formidable swordsman. This matter must be reported to the elders!” the square-faced man said.

“Mm!” The remaining two nodded simultaneously. The three of them quickly vanished from the spot, leaving the jade talisman.

“Finally, eight opponents…” After piercing the bamboo-pole man to death, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought no one else would dare challenge him, which would have significantly reduced his income. He hadn't expected another one to come in the end. He had to admit, there were still many good people in this world! After waiting a while longer, no one came for the ninth match. Zhang Xuan had no choice but to walk out of the arena, feeling a little helpless.

Returning to the service counter, the attendant who had greeted him earlier now had a changed expression. With such a huge commotion, the attendant was already aware. He had initially thought Zhang Xuan was a penniless weakling, never dreaming that he was such an incredibly powerful master! Cold sweat constantly broke out on his head, and his body trembled slightly, fearing the other party might hold a grudge. But seeing Zhang Xuan’s benevolent expression, not angry about what had just happened, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

“Senior Tianya, after you purchased one Green Sun Pill, your card still has 105,500 Divine Link Coins remaining!” The attendant quickly calculated the income from the matches and the cost of the pill, then hurriedly stated.

“One hundred thousand?” Zhang Xuan was stunned. The prize money doubled with each match. He had won eight matches, so shouldn’t he only have 25,500 Divine Link Coins? And after purchasing, shouldn’t only 5,500 be left? How did an extra 100,000 appear?

“To answer, Senior,” the attendant explained, “the swords used by the strong opponents in the fifth and sixth matches were purchased by them. After they were killed, the swords couldn’t be retrieved and were automatically depreciated and transferred to the Divine Link Hall. Each sword was worth 50,000 Divine Link Coins. Because you won, the value was credited to you, which is why there’s an extra 100,000!”

“Purchased? Their swords looked no different from the standard ones provided in the arena…” These swords had identical attributes and weren’t any sharper. How could they be so expensive?

“The attributes are the same, but their swords have special patterns, and the scabbard colors are different. Those details alone are worth 50,000,” the attendant explained.

Zhang Xuan’s mouth twitched. So, they also sold ‘skins’ here, and the price wasn’t cheap either. What a rip-off. That made sense. Vain people were everywhere. If they had money, they naturally wanted to be different from others. Since cultivation and attributes couldn’t be changed, clothing and weapons could always show off their uniqueness.

“I’ve purchased the pill. How do I retrieve it?” No longer dwelling on it, Zhang Xuan asked.

“After you leave the Divine Link Hall, Senior,” the attendant said, “simply mentally communicate with the Divine Link Jade Talisman. The teleportation array on it will activate and automatically deliver the purchased item to you!”

“That’s perfect!” Zhang Xuan was surprised it was so simple and nodded with satisfaction.

Having bought what he needed, he didn’t linger. With a thought, his body transformed into points of light and vanished from the Divine Link Hall. The next moment, he reappeared in the quiet room. He sat cross-legged, placed the Divine Link Jade Talisman in front of him, and, as the attendant had instructed, mentally communicated with it. With a soft sound, a jade bottle indeed appeared before his eyes. It was precisely the Green Sun Pill he had seen in the Divine Link Hall.

“Swallow it, and I should recover…” He unstoppered the jade bottle and placed the pill in his palm. Just as Zhang Xuan was about to swallow it, a chill suddenly spread across his palm. A gourd abruptly appeared, opened its mouth, and swallowed the pill.

“Damn it…” Zhang Xuan’s face instantly turned green.