Word Count: 2,731 Words
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All the spectators followed Ji Juechen’s movents, turning their heads in unison to look at the opponent who had prompted the Sword Fanatic to issue a challenge. They couldn’t help but freeze for a mont, their eyes filling with admiring light.
Ji Juechen had beco the headliner of the open-air arena battles partly due to his formidable strength and partly due to his handso face. But what now t everyone’s eyes was a completely different style from Ji Juechen, a face even more exquisite than his.
The youth stood there as if absorbing the radiance of the vast sun. His golden pupils sparkled with vitality, and his brilliant golden hair flowed like liquid light. Sacred, radiant, warm—people subconsciously associated him with these absolutely positive words.
"Sister, if this handso guy and Ji Juechen both pursued , who should I accept?"
Fantasy ti had arrived. The young woman who had previously regarded Ji Juechen as the man of her dreams began to daydream.
Hearing this, her sister silently complained in her heart: You should wake up! Why would those two peerlessly handso n be desperate enough to pursue you, a re Class 2 Spirit Guidance Master!
Ling Bai hadn’t expected Ji Juechen to pull this move in public. But thinking back carefully, when Ji Juechen’s Sword Intent had surged, the Seven Kill Sword Intent within his own body seed to have stirred for an instant. This keen Sword Fanatic had detected it and suddenly changed targets to challenge him.
"Ji! Jue! Chen!"
Before Ling Bai could respond, the Class 7 Spirit Guidance Master on the stage could contain himself no longer. His short hair stood on end like steel needles, his head resembling a porcupine covered in spikes. He had clearly been pushed to the extre of anger.
Even at the Sun Moon Imperial Academy, the continent’s premier Spirit Guidance academy, a Class 7 Spirit Guidance Master was qualified to be a teacher. The arena organizers had paid a hefty price to invite him for a battle, only for Ji Juechen to publicly ignore him.
The Class 7 Spirit Guidance Master roared. His hair and beard bristled with rage surging to his heart. He couldn’t bear this insult and erupted with combat power far exceeding his norm.
He was a close-combat Spirit Guidance Master whose specialty was lee fighting. His back-mounted Spirit Thrusters activated, two plus of thick smoke billowing out. A fierce wind arose as a Class 7 broadsword wreathed in black flas ca chopping down at Ji Juechen’s head.
Ji Juechen responded with another simple sword strike.
A downward slash!
The next second, smoke filled the air. The explosion from the collision of sword light and blade radiance was like a Spirit Cannon shell detonating. The violent booming sound echoed throughout the venue.
When the smoke cleared, the Class 7 Spirit Guidance Master hung his head powerlessly. At his feet lay his Class 7 broadsword broken into three pieces. An unremarkable longsword rested against his neck; one slight movent and his head would roll to the ground.
The bone-chilling cold transmitted from the sword blade made the Class 7 Spirit Guidance Master shiver. He swallowed hard and stamred:
"Sword Fanatic, y-you win...
I just... I spoke a bit too loudly earlier. Please don’t mind it, okay?"
"I accept your concession."
Ji Juechen replied indifferently, paying no attention to the Class 7 Spirit Guidance Master who slunk off the stage having lost all face. He cupped his hands toward Ling Bai again and said earnestly:
"Brother, I am the Sword Fanatic Ji Juechen. I request a battle!"
A Spirit Emperor instantly defeating a Class 7 Spirit Guidance Master! Ji Juechen’s popularity instantly reached its peak. Pairs of burning gazes constantly shifted between Ling Bai and Ji Juechen. So spectators, eager to stir up trouble, shouted for them to get on stage and fight. This eventually evolved into a unified chant:
"Get on stage! Get on stage! Get on stage!
Fight him! Fight him! Fight him!"
Even the arena organizers sent soone over, offering 500,000 spirit gold coins to invite Ling Bai to battle Ji Juechen. They could open another betting pool and make a fortune.
"I don’t want to fight you right now."
Ling Bai’s clear voice seed to carry a special penetrating power. It cut through wave after wave of the audience’s clamor and shot straight into Ji Juechen’s ears.
"Why?"
Ji Juechen grew anxious.
As fellow practitioners of the sword path, Ji Juechen could vaguely sense that Ling Bai had mastered a type of Sword Intent brimming with killing aura. He felt extraordinarily excited about this.
Although the Sun Moon Imperial Academy had many powerful individuals, in the realm of spiritual combat techniques, not a single person actually surpassed him.
This included all the Class 9 Spirit Guidance Masters led by Illustrious Virtue Hall Master Jing Hongchen. That’s why Jing Hongchen valued him so highly, keeping this oddity who knew nothing about Spirit Guidance Devices at the Douluo Continent’s holy land for Spirit Guidance Masters.
"Ten rounds of gauntlet battles—you’ve consud quite a bit of energy."
Ling Bai said with a smile. "Recover to your peak condition, and I’ll fight you. We’ll only spar with Sword Intent."
"Exactly what I wanted!"
Ji Juechen agreed emphatically and sat down cross-legged on the spot to ditate. He wanted to slash out a sword strike in his best state.
A sword strike that would exhaust all the Sword Intent in his chest!
The audience automatically made way for Ling Bai. He slowly walked onto the stage, looking at Ji Juechen who had his eyes tightly closed, seizing every second to regulate his breathing. Information about him quickly flashed through his mind.
Compared to Huo Yuhao who had cheat-like advantages with various 100,000-year spirit rings and spirit bones, this Sword Fanatic was more like a mortal who had achieved success against the odds. With only Rank 3 innate spirit power and an unremarkable Martial Spirit, he had desperately fought to barely kill a 100-year spirit beast for his first spirit ring. His spirit skill turned out to be blank like most Spirit Guidance Masters’.
There are no useless Martial Spirits, only useless Spirit Masters—Ji Juechen should have been the one to utter this phrase.
Starting from hell difficulty, he had sohow comprehended Sword Intent on his own. At the Sun Moon Imperial Academy where geniuses grew like trees in a forest, he had beco the de facto chief disciple of the Spirit Guidance Departnt. Even without the pills refined by Huo Yuhao, he would inevitably beco a Titled Douluo in the future.
Ji Juechen was a genius.
Everyone liked this kind of straightforward genius who was simple-minded yet incredibly powerful. Ling Bai was naturally no exception. He needed his own team, and Ji Juechen was an excellent candidate.
At this point in ti, the Body Sect hadn’t ambushed Illustrious Virtue Hall yet. Huo Yuhao and Jing Hongchen hadn’t made their bet, and he hadn’t encountered Ji Juechen in the arena. So this was the perfect opportunity to seize.
Ti trickled by bit by bit. The long wait grew boring and dull. Just when the audience was starting to feel drowsy, Ji Juechen finally ended his ditation.
When he reopened his eyes, his gaze seed to have undergone so mysterious change. It had lost so of the sharp edge typical of sword path Spirit Masters and gained a water-like calmness that hadn’t been there before.
A heavy sword has no edge; great skill appears clumsy.
His entire being had beco more restrained.
After nearly an hour of ditation, Ji Juechen fully ignited all the potential within his body.
He would present his understanding of the sword path to Ling Bai without reservation. They would begin their battle in the purest way possible.
What they would duel with was also the purest of things.
Spirit.
Will.
Comprehension of the Sword Path.
Ji Juechen took a deep breath, infusing his soul into his sword. This was his unique cultivation thod. His sword Martial Spirit had long ago transford from physical to ethereal, perfectly rging with the longsword forged from teoric iron in his hands.
The person was the sword, the sword was the person. Person and sword united as one, indistinguishable from each other.
A terrifying sharp aura suddenly erupted as if to tear the entire world apart. Where the formless Sword Intent passed, pitch-black shadows appeared in the air. A fierce wind arose, making their clothes flutter and snap loudly.
In Ling Bai’s right hand, brilliant golden light condensed into the Angel Sword. Compared to Ji Juechen’s pitch-black teoric iron sword, the Angel Sword was undoubtedly far more gorgeous as the Divine Weapon of two generations of Angel Gods.
The gleaming golden blade complented his handso features. The Angel Sword and its angelic master enhanced each other. Many won below the stage revealed infatuated expressions. Certain appearance-obsessed individuals abandoned Ji Juechen and switched to cheering for Ling Bai.
Ling Bai took a slight half-step forward with his left foot. The mont his foot landed, a dull ’thump’ resounded.
Imdiately after, a killing intent originating from the Seven Kill Sword Technique erupted from his body. The power of the Seven Kill Sword Intent easily blocked Ji Juechen’s fierce Sword Intent pressing close and instantly rolled back against it.
Ji Juechen’s body trembled. He wasn’t intimidated by the Seven Kill Sword Intent; instead, his eyes grew even more resolute. The six spirit rings on his body shimred like rippling water as his montum climbed again. He forcefully withstood the Seven Kill Sword Intent that had condensed the efforts of countless generations of sword path Spirit Masters from the Seven Kill Sword lineage.
Gripping his sword with both hands, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground, Ji Juechen half-turned his upper body to the side. Without moving his feet, he changed to face Ling Bai sideways.
His Sword Intent transford from its previous unparalleled sharpness to one that seed ready to devour its prey. The powerful pressure compressed once more, colliding head-on with the killing aura Ling Bai released. Layer upon layer of ripples appeared in the air.
Ling Bai’s golden eyes narrowed slightly. Behind him appeared the phantom of a one-ard figure holding a sword. The phantom was tall, majestic, and solemn. Boundless killing intent spread out, easily penetrating the Spirit Barrier of the open-air arena. Everyone felt as if they were on an ancient battlefield flowing with rivers of blood, each breath carrying a thick bloody sll.
Bang—
The pressure suddenly intensified. Sothing in Ji Juechen’s mind seed to break open. That enlightening feeling was very mysterious, like a nimble, dancing butterfly. He wanted to reach out and catch it, but no matter what, he was always just a bit short, always slipping through his fingers.
He understood that under the stimulation of the Seven Kill Sword Intent, he was about to break through his shackles. The cultivation difficulty of spiritual combat techniques like Sword Intent far exceeded that of spirit power. Without the guidance of predecessors and relying solely on one’s own comprehension, any breakthrough was hard-won.
Turning sideways, he faced Ling Bai at an angle. The excitent in his heart was indescribable. Only he, as the person involved, could truly feel how terrifying the Seven Kill Sword Intent was.
His own sharp Sword Intent, raised to its limit, bombarded the Seven Kill Sword Intent like monstrous waves crashing against an eternally unchanging hard rock. It scattered and splashed, utterly unable to shake the other party in the slightest.
Though he experienced the huge gap between them, this only ignited the battle intent deep in Ji Juechen’s heart. He suddenly threw his head back, his eyes fixed on Ling Bai. Two lightning-like intersecting rays of light seed to appear between them.
Pushing off the ground for leverage, Ji Juechen transford into a gliding beam of light. His speed could only be described as lightning-fast. Without any Spirit Guidance Device assistance, he had already reached the speed limit attainable by a 6-ringed Spirit Emperor.
Agility-type Spirit Masters of the sa rank couldn’t even match this instantaneous burst.
Gripping the sword with both hands, he slowly turned his body back. The longsword swept horizontally. This simplest of movents now seed to weigh a thousand pounds in Ji Juechen’s hands. The entire action appeared to be completed in viscous liquid, yet it flowed without pause in one smooth motion!
Loyal to the sword, obsessed with the sword, extre in the sword!
Ling Bai raised the Angel Sword. The one-ard phantom behind him simultaneously raised the Seven Kill Sword in its hand. Thunder rumbled across the sky. As the two longswords slowly descended, the empty air seed like a torn curtain. A ravine several ters deep appeared on the solid arena floor, extending deeper and deeper as the blade fell!
Seven Kills startles the thunder, one sword breaks the sky!
Boom—
The Angel Sword struck the body of the teoric iron sword. The aftershock of their clashing Sword Intents spread out like an expanding ring. As the ring whistled past, the audience’s vision inexplicably blurred. For this instant, it felt as if they had jumped out of this world’s frequency.
Crack, crack, crack!
Dense, spider web-like cracks slowly crawled across that seemingly unremarkable but actually quite hard teoric iron sword.
Snap!
A crisp sound fell, and the teoric iron sword in Ji Juechen’s hand shattered into fragnts and scattered with the wind.
"Ah, this..."
Ji Juechen blinked helplessly, at a loss.
The teoric iron sword had initially been just a bar-shaped object. After obtaining it, he had continuously tempered the teoric iron with his own spirit power day after day, year after year, until it gradually beca a sword.
The Angel Sword had destroyed the teoric iron sword in a single strike. Ji Juechen instantly froze on the spot, and the spectating crowd’s minds also went blank one by one.
Sword Fanatic Ji Juechen, the king of the open-air arena for the past year, had won all ten consecutive battles today, including instantly defeating a Class 7 Spirit Guidance Master.
He had challenged Ling Bai, and the result was so tragic. The teoric iron sword shattered into pieces, and he himself seed to have turned into a grayish-white stone sculpture.
"Little sister, go up and hug the Sword Fanatic. He looks like he’s about to shatter..."
The elder sister stealthily nudged her younger sister beside her. She thought her sister might be able to take advantage of the situation and win the handso man’s heart.
The younger sister covered her face with tears streaming down. She moved her gaze away from Ji Juechen and shook her head with absolute determination:
"I’m sorry, ex-husband Sword Fanatic. I like this new husband who’s even more handso and a better fighter!"
"Tsk, you fall out of love really quickly..."
On the open-air arena, Ling Bai walked forward and patted Ji Juechen’s shoulder, saying apologetically: "Sorry about that. I broke your sword. I’ll compensate you with a new one another day."
The teoric iron sword and the Angel Sword were worlds apart. Ling Bai hadn’t done it intentionally; the sword truly couldn’t withstand the confrontation between the two Sword Intents.
Ji Juechen ca back to his senses and gently shook his head: "It’s fine. Actually, since breaking through to Spirit Emperor, the teoric iron sword has been unable to keep up with my cultivation. I’ve been thinking about changing swords recently.
But this teoric iron sword has accompanied for many years. I’m used to holding it and find it hard to let go. Today counts as destruction before establishnt."
If people at the Sun Moon Imperial Academy who knew Ji Juechen found out about this, their jaws would probably drop to the floor. The usually terse Sword Fanatic had actually spoken a whole string of sentences!
Having said this, Ji Juechen took two steps back and bowed deeply to Ling Bai:
"Brother, your Sword Intent is very strong. It’s the most powerful combat technique I’ve ever seen in my life.
However, this murderous Sword Intent doesn’t belong to you or your sword that’s filled with light aura. It belongs to the sword path predecessor who created it.
Today, Ji Juechen has been taught a lesson. I hope one day you can create your own Sword Intent and defeat ."
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