Chapter 1014 - Breakthrough to the Earth Profound Realm

After fusing a spiritual vein into the desolate world, Liu Wuxie had boosted his true essence to the third-level Earth Profound Realm.

Still, he held back.

Unfamiliar with Northern City, he knew better than to expose all his cards.

The Renowned Sword Manor wasn't a superpower; it couldn't guarantee his safety.

The Bloodthirst Sword dropped low as if reeling from a heavy blow.

"Young man, I admit that I underestimated you," Yin Xue said.

For the first time, he acknowledged Liu Wuxie as the strongest opponent he'd ever faced. Even Miao Jianying was nothing compared to him.

But today, he realized there was always someone stronger in the world. His tone had shifted from contempt to seriousness, and Yin Xue's mindset had changed drastically.

"I know you still have trump cards. Come, draw your sword!" Liu Wuxie replied. He wanted to end the battle quickly.

The sooner he ended the battle, the sooner he could rely on the Renowned Sword Manor to search for Xu Lingxue and Murong Yi. It was time to end their fight.

"Very well. I have just comprehended this sword technique recently, and it's called the Celestial Anchor. I hope you can survive it," Yin Xue said as he raised the Bloodthirst Sword in the air, unleashing whirlwinds that spun around him.

A frigid surge from the surroundings poured into the Bloodthirst Sword.

The technique needed no explanation as its name, "Celestial Anchor," declared it could stabilize the heavens themselves.

Liu Wuxie's gaze also grew solemn, and he raised his longsword. This wasn't the gesture for Breaker of Forms, which raised the question of whether Liu Wuxie had another hidden card.

"This will likely be the final exchange to determine the winner," the crowd commented. Not only Yin Xue but everyone else understood as well. Both parties would have to unleash their strongest attacks to win.

The Divine Glazed Armor radiated a soft glow as Liu Wuxie and Yin Xue's robes fluttered in the wind.

Liu Wuxie drove oppressive true essence through his meridian and into his arm, making the sword flash with a crimson ray in his hand.

This time, Liu Wuxie unleashed his sword aura. His every move before this had merely been an appetizer.

The battle had already shattered the spectators' bodies and spirits alike. They hadn't expected the one they scorned as garbage to reveal himself as a monstrous prodigy.

The two swordsmen drew upon the forces of heaven and earth, and their sword aura strained the surrounding space until it began to collapse.

"Celestial Anchor!" Yin Xue moved as the sword aura began to materialize in the sky. The sword aura locked down the entire sky like a prison suspended between heaven and earth.

The surrounding cultivators backed away in fear while the sword aura froze the weaker ones in place.

This was the power of the Celestial Anchor, capable of restricting the surrounding space, similar to Liu Wuxie's Spatial Dao Art.

"Origin Sword!" Liu Wuxie thrust his sword forward.

Origin represented one, the beginning, and the heaven and earth as one.

"What is this sword technique? Why haven't I seen it before?" exclaimed Master Xue and the other gathered experts, who rose to their feet in astonishment.

No one in Northern City had ever witnessed this sword technique before.

The sword tip locked onto a single point, piercing the sky. Liu Wuxie's strike shattered Yin Xue's illusions in the surroundings.

Master Shi Ling stood up, shocked. "In less than a thousandth of a second, he struck 4,700 times. How is that even possible?" he questioned.

Master Shi Ling wasn't a swordmaster, but he had a formidable cultivation.

He had seen Liu Wuxie unleash more than four thousand strikes instantly. It was far too fast for the average person to follow. To them, it only looked like a plain and unremarkable move.

But they didn't realize how refined this attack was or how much sword essence Liu Wuxie had poured into it. The Origin Sword's brilliance preserved all the essence of the sword.

Liu Wuxie distilled every technique he had ever learned into this one sword strike.

On the contrary, the Celestial Anchor was absurdly powerful, and even someone at the first-level Earth Profound Realm would fall before this overwhelming strike.

Yet, Yin Xue had met his bane: Liu Wuxie, who had created Origin Sword. It felt like Liu Wuxie had crafted this sword technique to counter the Celestial Anchor.

Yin Xue was furious and enraged beyond reason. He let out an angry roar, and the Bloodthirst Sword cleaved downward, fracturing the sky and unleashing a barrage of sword aura that rained down from the sky.

"Origin represented the beginning, and the heaven and earth as one!" Liu Wuxie gripped the sword with both hands, the left as heaven and the right as earth, merging into one.

Then, he vanished into an afterimage.

In the next instant, his sword flashed with a single strike that ripped through the void. The exploding sword auras tore open a vacuum passage through the sky.

"Not good!" the First Sword Manor's disciples exclaimed.

They realized Liu Wuxie could endanger their young master with a single strike.

"One with the sword! He has achieved unity with the sword!"

At this moment, Liu Wuxie wasn't just wielding the sword, but he was the sword fused into a divine weapon.

Liu Wuxie released a sword aura infused with true essence, divine dragon's power, and ice laws, radiating overwhelming force.

Yin Xue's heart sank as Liu Wuxie's attack closed in. If he delayed a second longer, he would die.

Liu Wuxie's sword was just ten meters away from Yin Xue. Cultivators at their level could cross ten meters in the blink of an eye, and Liu Wuxie's sword hovered at Yin Xue's throat. One more step and Liu Wuxie would cut him down on the spot.

Yin Qiong rose to his feet, ready to intervene. He would never allow anyone to harm his son.

Everyone held their breath and rose to their feet. The situation was dangerous, and Yin Xue would die if he failed to react in time. Despite being at the pinnacle of the Spirit Profound Realm, Yin Xue now found himself cornered.

"You can't kill me. And I'll torment you before I kill you!" Yin Xue let out a sinister laugh, and the aura he gave off began to rise.

"What?!" Everyone from the Renowned Sword Manor rose to their feet, including Miao Feichen, who was carrying the Heavenly Xun Sword. They couldn't believe their eyes, and Yin Xue began breaking through to the Earth Profound Realm.

In truth, Yin Xue had broken through long ago.

He had merely concealed his cultivation until now. When they had first met, Liu Wuxie had already sensed it.

Yin Xue unleashed a terrifying surge of Earth Profound Realm aura that swept across the heavens.

The Bloodthirst Sword cleaved down with incredible speed. This was the difference between the Earth Profound Realm and the Spirit Profound Realm. Yin Xue's swordsmanship doubled after his breakthrough, and his combat strength tripled.

The disciples of the First Sword Manor erupted in cheers as their young master ascended to the Earth Profound Realm.

Technically, the rules barred Earth Profound Realm cultivators from participating in this duel, but the rulebook didn't prohibit breakthroughs during the fight.

The situation had turned dire for the Renowned Sword Manor, and Miao Jianying furrowed his brows again.

Everyone's hearts grew heavy, and they wondered if they had clawed back only to be crushed again.

Yin Xue was mighty after his breakthrough. He crumbled and devoured the surrounding space.

His force locked the Origin Sword in place, preventing it from advancing further.

The sudden turn of the tide shocked everyone.

"Yin Xue is at the Earth Profound Realm!" Yin Xue gave off an overwhelming aura after he lifted the seal on his cultivation. He couldn't have released such a powerful aura if his breakthrough had occurred mid-fight.

"He cheated! Your First Sword Manor cheated! Yin Xue was already at the Earth Profound Realm, and you dared to send him to the duel?! It's a foul, and our Renowned Sword Manor deserves the win!"

Liu Wuxie was already winning, but Yin Xue had cheated by forcibly lifting the seal on his cultivation.

But no one stepped in, and the duel still raged on. Yin Xue's pressure froze the Origin Sword, preventing it from advancing further.

"I'll kill you!" Yin Xue stomped forward like a primordial beast, and the Divine Sword Platform trembled beneath him.

Shortly after, he swung the Bloodthirst Sword, and Liu Wuxie flipped backward to evade it.

The battle looped back to its starting rhythm. Yin Xue's eyes burned with murderous intent while Liu Wuxie remained indifferent.

He had already sensed Yin Xue had gone beyond the ninth-level Spirit Profound Realm.

"Steward He, I ask you to uphold justice," Miao Feiyu demanded. As the judge, Steward He had a duty to speak up, as Yin Xue had broken the rules.

Yin Qiong scoffed, "What a joke. My son broke through mid-fight. That doesn't break the rules." He argued it wasn't cheating because Yin Xue had made the breakthrough mid-fight.

"Do you think we're all idiots? Yin Xue must have reached the Earth Profound Realm long ago!" shouted Miao Feiyu.

Steward He rose to defuse the tension between the two manor lords. "Please, both of you, calm down."

After all, public quarreling demeaned their status.

"Steward He, please arbitrate for us," Miao Feiyu said as he sat back down.

"Both sides have a valid point. Let's end this match as a draw before it escalates further," Steward He said. He didn't want the conflict to escalate as they were cultivators of the Northern City.

Naturally, the City Lord Mansion would never allow them to tear each other apart.

Yin Qiong refused, "No, a winner must be determined today!" He wouldn't back off now when the Heavenly Xun Sword was within reach.

By contrast, the Renowned Sword Manor welcomed the draw as they had already gained more than expected from the duel, and ending now was acceptable.

Despite the raging debate, Liu Wuxie and Yin Xue resumed their clash without hesitation.

Yin Xue swung his sword down, driving Liu Wuxie back with sheer force.

If Liu Wuxie kept retreating, he'd step out of the ring, and First Sword Manor would claim victory by default.

"He's finished!" cheered a First Sword Manor's disciple.

Liu Wuxie glanced at Yin Qiong before unleashing a golden ray that shot into the soul sea of the disciple, instantly silencing the latter.

Withdrawing his gaze, Liu Wuxie looked at Yin Xue.

"So what if you've reached the Earth Profound Realm?" Liu Wuxie sneered. "Killing you will still be easy."

Mockery flashed in Liu Wuxie's eyes, and the sword in his hand drew a strange arc in the air.