Chapter 758 - Tempering

One wielded the blade with masterful precision, while the other was a prodigy of the sword. Though neither had a high cultivation, they possessed boundless potential.

If they were given the chance to grow, it would only be a matter of time before they rose to dominance and became legends in their own right. Yet, such prodigies were common in the Central Plains, and only those who survived the brutal trials could emerge victorious.

Prodigies who were dead weren’t prodigies, as they were only stepping stones for other prodigies to rise to greatness. In this place alone, countless prodigies had died.

”What a bizarre blade technique that carries the weight and majesty of a mountain!” a spectator murmured in awe. The aura emanating from Liu Wuxie’s blade was so overwhelming that it overshadowed the young swordsman before him.

”This is going to be an interesting match now!” The spectators were full of experts who could foresee that this battle was going to be exciting to watch.

The young swordsman struck with a diagonal slash, intending to end the fight in a single blow. He unleashed a colossal wave of sword aura, radiating a chilling light that engulfed Liu Wuxie with no path of retreat.

The only way for Liu Wuxie to escape this strike was to carve a path through it. The slightest hesitation or retreat could spell doom in such a life-and-death battle. After all, the fight tested their combat abilities and will, as few could maintain their composure in the face of death.

The sword aura severed the surrounding plants and trees, as it had been long since someone challenged the seventh arena.

Liu Wuxie stood at the eye of the storm, seemingly engulfed by the crushing force of the sword aura at any moment. The sword tip was closing in on Liu Wuxie’s neck, and he had to act immediately with no room for delay.

“Is he scared? Why isn’t he fighting back?” The spectators who placed their bet on Liu Wuxie began to roar in fury. After all, Liu Wuxie was no different from waiting to be killed in their eyes by standing there.

Right at the nick of time, Liu Wuxie finally made his move and unleashed an arc with the Heretic Blade. The strike seemed ordinary, but it was filled with profundities. He fused this dao technique into his blade technique to enhance the power. After all, dao techniques could only be refined through actual combat.

The Heretic Blade released a blinding arc, ripping through the air, and appeared before the young swordsman as though the attack had teleported, indiscernible to the naked eye.

By the time everyone came to their senses, the Heretic Blade had ripped through all the sword aura, and the young swordsman maintained his earlier stance with blood splattering around.

Silence loomed over the spectators, including those in the high levels of the Nascent Transformation Realm. None of them could see the blade’s trajectory.

The blade arc left no trace of aura when it cut through the air so that the spectators couldn’t track the blade’s trajectory.

They wondered if they could survive in the young swordsman’s place.

The young swordsman’s eyes flashed with anguish. He had won five rounds only to be defeated by someone in the Astral River Realm.

Watching how Liu Wuxie defeated the swordsman, the middle-aged man in the courtyard narrowed his eyes. He had a clear view of the arena from his position.

Meanwhile, Liu Xing’s spirit stones multiplied several times over with Liu Wuxie’s three consecutive wins, filling him with excitement.

Liu Wuxie walked over to the swordsman and retrieved his interspatial ring before proceeding to the fourth round. A smile crept on his face when he swept his divine sense over the interspatial ring.

The swordsman had slain multiple challengers and accumulated a considerable fortune. But the fortune had all gone to Liu Wuxie now. Here in the arena, killing and looting were done publicly without any pretense.

He now knew why so many people flocked to this place. In addition to tempering their skills, they could also accumulate their wealth here.

This place was the survival of the strongest, and the final victor would receive all the wealth accumulated by others.

“Who’s willing to kill him? The next round’s reward is three thousand high-grade spirit stones!” the middle-aged man said. He turned to look at everyone resting in the courtyard, and they had all witnessed how Liu Wuxie had killed his opponent earlier.

The reward of three thousand high-grade spirit stones wasn’t high, but the actual prize lay in the wealth Liu Wuxie had collected from the swordsman.

The courtyard fell silent, and no one dared to say a word. They were all in the second and third level of the Nascent Transformation Realm and didn’t dare to risk their lives.

None could find a flaw in Liu Wuxie's earlier attack, so they didn’t dare to challenge.

“I’ll go!” a man in his thirties stood up. He was the same person who had defeated the Ghost-Faced Rakshasa earlier and didn’t bother concealing his murderous intent.

He had a steady footstep and the sharp eyes of a predator that displayed a powerful fighting spirit.

“Go on,” said the middle-aged man. The man was both a challenger and a defender, and there was no difference between them; if they won, they would receive the same reward.

Meanwhile, Liu Wuxie waited in the arena for fifteen minutes, and there was no sign of anyone coming.

When someone emerged from the passageway, the spectator exclaimed, “It’s him?! Didn’t he give up on the challenge? Why is he here now?”

The man had shocked everyone with shockwaves in the arena when he had killed the Ghost-Faced Rakshasa.

“I know him! That’s Cui Shan, the disciple of a small clan in the Astral Glory City! He grew up in a harsh environment, but he possesses extraordinary combat talent,” someone exclaimed as there were countless small clans in the Astral Glory City.

“This kid is doomed now! Cui Shan might only be in the third level of the Nascent Transformation Realm, but his actual combat prowess is comparable to the fourth,” said the spectators on the stand. This time, no one was optimistic about Liu Wuxie; they bet on Cui Shan to win.

However, only Liu Xing had gone all in on Liu Wuxie. Through the three previous rounds, Liu Wuxie’s stakes had gone from ten thousand to eighty thousand high-grade spirit stones.

Liu Xing still felt as though he was dreaming. Eighty thousand high-grade spirit stones wasn’t a tiny amount, and the winnings had already drawn the attention of many, especially from Sword Shakes Mount Spirit’s higher hierarchy. They wouldn’t let Liu Xing leave with so many winnings, and it wasn’t surprising for them to attempt to kill Liu Wuxie.

“Boy, hand over your interspatial ring and get lost. I can spare your life,” Cui Shan said when he emerged, demanding that Liu Wuxie relinquish his interspatial ring.

“Come!” Liu Wuxie didn’t want to waste time talking. Cui Shan was a formidable opponent, but he was not even a match for Liu Cheng. The only notable thing about him was his sturdy foundation, but no one could surpass him in terms of foundation.

“You’re courting death!” Cui Shan roared. He was planning on conserving his strength for future challengers, but he hadn’t expected Liu Wuxie to disregard his goodwill outright.

When he took a step forward, he gave off an overwhelming murderous intent toward Liu Wuxie. The slabs beneath him began to crack inch by inch, indicating that Cui Shan was practicing a formidable movement technique.

On the contrary, Liu Wuxie remained indifferent, his eyes devoid of emotion. He raised the Heretic Blade like before.

He had already comprehended the ice dao technique to a high level, so he couldn’t perform the Annihilation Fist, and using the treasures was impractical.

When Cui Shan finished speaking, he pounced forward like a leopard, producing a bowling sound as his body tore through the air. He also released an oppressive aura belonging to his cultivation in the Nascent Transformation Realm.

This showcased his extraordinary talent in combat. He could use his cultivation to suppress his opponent, limiting their speed.

But he soon realized his mistake. The oppressive aura he exerted on Liu Wuxie vanished without any effect.

Even without resorting to Ghost Eye, Liu Wuxie could detect three flaws in Cui Shan’s attack, and each flaw was fatal.

Performing the Seven Dipper Steps, Liu Wuxie vanished, evading Cui Shan’s attack.

Cui Shan immediately noticed something was amiss, and the fact Liu Wuxie could find a flaw in his move so quickly meant he wasn’t as simple as he looked.

He didn’t hesitate to change his stance, his sword targeting Liu Wuxie’s legs. His ability to adapt in a fight was impressive, and it was no surprise he could kill the Ghost-Faced Rakshasa.

“This is finally getting interesting!” Liu Wuxie wasn’t in a hurry to end the fight when he finally found a worthy opponent to temper his skills.

His objective wasn’t to kill his opponent but to temper his blade technique. He moved like a butterfly dancing in the arena and avoided all of Cui Shan’s attacks.

Beads of cold sweat began to roll down Cui Shan’s forehead. It wasn’t a good sign that the fight was dragged on. This scenario mirrored his fight with the Ghost-Faced Rakshasa, but the roles had reversed this time. No matter how Cui Shan attacked, he couldn’t touch Liu Wuxie.

At this moment, Liu Wuxie was like a porcupine—covered in spikes, impossible to get close to without getting hurt. It was getting frustrating for Cui Shan.

Cui Shan would’ve accepted it if he was fighting a formidable foe, but Liu Wuxie was only in the Astral River Realm, and it was unusual how Liu Wuxie could last so long under his attacks.

While dodging, Liu Wuxie occasionally attacked with the Heretic Blade to dissolve Cui Shan’s attacks.

“This brat is slippery like a loach! Why isn’t he fighting back?!” The spectators grew increasingly impatient as ninety-nine percent had placed bets on Cui Shan to win. There were even those who looked at Liu Wuxie with hatred. After all, they would lose spirit stones if Liu Wuxie won the fight.

After all, anyone in their right mind wouldn’t hesitate to place their bets on Cui Shan instead of Liu Wuxie based on the difference in their cultivation. Many people had bet with all their fortune, hoping to reclaim their previous losses.

Meanwhile, Cui Shan had swung his sword over three hundred times, and his true essence was incredibly exhausted. He already showed signs of running out of true essence.

This wasn’t a good sign, as Cui Shan would be severely disadvantaged if he ran out of true essence.

On the other hand, Liu Wuxie had only swung his blade three times, and he could neutralize Cui Shan’s attacks each time, which seemed magical.

Many people were inwardly amazed by Liu Wuxie’s performance. It became apparent that Liu Wuxie was using his blade technique to compensate for the disadvantage in his cultivation.

Throughout the fight, Liu Wuxie kept the usage of his true essence at the bare minimum. He relied mainly on his blade and movement techniques to fend off Cui Shan’s attacks.

Among the spectators, only Liu Xing’s face was filled with excitement. If Liu Wuxie won this round, Liu Xing would also earn a significant amount of spirit stones. The clan provided only a limited number of spirit stones each month, and even Liu Xing had to use his sparingly.

“Brat, you forced my hand!” Cui Shan snarled, and he suddenly released a bizarre aura when he grabbed his sword with both hands.

Liu Wuxie narrowed his eyes after sensing a hint of danger. He didn’t dare to be careless and sharpened his focus to the peak.

“Phantom Ghost Sword!” The black ghostly wind howled in the surroundings and obscured the entire arena.

The harrowing sword aura formed into ghastly howls that filled Liu Wuxie’s ears. This was the first time he had encountered such a sword technique.

It should also be considered a variation of the dao technique to incorporate sound waves into the sword technique.

When Liu Wuxie sealed the entire arena with his mercury-like divine sense, he soon pinpointed Cui Shan’s location along with the pattern shifting in his attack.

“It’s time to end the fight!” Liu Wuxie murmured. He had already tempered himself enough through the fight and planned to end it.

He speculated that his stake of ten thousand high-grade spirit stones would multiply sixteenfold after this fight, providing enough to sustain him for a considerable time.