Chapter 103.1: The Contest for the Heavenly Maiden Position; The Clash Between Wave Intent and Sword Intent (I)

"Go on, pick whatever you like," said Lu Changsheng, smiling faintly. Whoever was drawn made no real difference. Anyone who wished to become the Heavenly Maiden would have to face the others sooner or later, after all.

Yun Haitang and the other seven candidates stepped forward to draw lots. Yun Haitang drew third and ended up with number two. It happened to be Senior Sister Lu, and she was one of the strongest contenders for the Heavenly Maiden position.

"

Ah

..." Yun Haitang's expression darkened slightly. She felt that her luck was poor, as she had ended up drawing Senior Sister Lu's number.

Senior Sister Lu's Dao Guardian was a Daoist with white hair and beard. He was a renowned figure known as the Thousand Hands Daoist of Zhanhai City.

The Thousand Hands Daoist had created the Dao of Thousand Hands himself, and he specialized in hidden weapons. It was said that he could unleash dozens of hidden weapons at the same time at speeds beyond one's imagination. Very few people could withstand his hidden weapons head-on.

"Brother Dao, be careful of the Thousand Hands Daoist's hidden weapons. He managed to defeat even Hundred Cauldrons martial artists with his hidden weapons," Yun Haitang warned.

The Thousand Hands Daoist himself was also a Hundred Cauldrons martial artist. Thanks to his sinister hidden weapons, he was exceedingly difficult to deal with.

Among all the Dao Guardians present, he was the one everyone least wanted to encounter, but fate had arranged for Yun Haitang to draw him first.

"

Heh

. I haven't made a move in a long time. If you have any techniques, you should use them quickly. Once I make my move, you'll have no chance to display them," said the Thousand Hands Daoist.

The Thousand Hands Daoist stood on the arena, looking down at Lu Changsheng. He carried himself with the calm bearing of a true expert and did not rush to strike. Since his hands were clasped behind his back, he clearly intended to let Lu Changsheng make the first move.

"In that case, I will not hold back," replied Lu Changsheng.

Clang

.

The next moment, he drew his saber from its sheath. A blood-colored saber light burst forth and sliced through the air in a dazzling arc. Everyone's attention was seized by that single strike.

Lu Changsheng brought his saber down and unleashed the Third Transformation of the Divine Dragon, which erupted with a full two hundred seventy cauldrons' worth of strength. Even from several

zhang

away, it radiated terrifying might.

"

HUH?!

" The Thousand Hands Daoist's expression changed drastically in an instant. The moment Dao Shi'er made his move, he realized that he had overestimated himself. Faced with such a terrifying strike, he was at a loss.

The Thousand Hands Daoist made his move, unleashing his hidden weapons.

"Thousand Hands Hidden Weapons!"

He was covered in weapons, which he had divided into light and heavy weapons. When it came to light hidden weapons, he emphasized speed, precision, and ruthlessness to kill without leaving a trace.

By contrast, his heavy hidden weapons were capable of delivering overwhelming power in a single blow, making them suitable for close combat.

The Thousand Hands Daoist was confident in his weapons. Upon sensing the terrifying power contained within Dao Shi'er's strike, he chose to deploy heavy hidden weapons. His every strike reached the strength of a hundred cauldrons.

Swoosh!

From his hands, the heavy hidden weapons tore through the air and descended toward Lu Changsheng's blood-colored saber light. Before them, Lu Changsheng showed no change in stance or intent. He continued his slash by relying purely on his overwhelming power.

Boom!

Within a breath, the heavy hidden weapons collided head-on with the blood-colored saber light. Yet the saber light did not slow down in the slightest.

Faintly, the sound of crashing waves rang out from the saber light—the manifestation of Wave Intent!

Lu Changsheng's previous strikes already carried two hundred seventy cauldrons of strength, but the amplification of Wave Intent doubled its power outright, allowing it to reach five hundred forty cauldrons' worth of strength!

The momentum of each attack flowed smoothly and without pause, akin to true ocean waves crashing against the shore. Who could possibly stop an unrelenting tide of attacks?

"No!" The Thousand Hands Daoist's face twisted in horror. Five hundred cauldrons were far beyond what his hidden weapons could shatter or slow down. Lu Changsheng's saber descended with unstoppable momentum, and nothing stood in its way.

SPLURT

.

The saber light fell, and the Thousand Hands Daoist was split apart from head to toe by a single strike. Blood sprayed outward, and a heavy stench of blood spread through the air.

In the blink of an eye, the Thousand Hands Daoist was dead!

The scene left everyone present shaken and in disbelief.

The Thousand Hands Daoist, a renowned master of hidden weapons who had founded the Dao of Thousand Hands himself, was slain in a single attack by the saberman before them!

"Who is he? Where did Yun Haitang find such a powerful Dao Guardian?"

"Only a few people could possibly block that attack! The Thousand Hands Daoist underestimated his opponent!"

Even Yun Haitang stood frozen, her mouth slightly open as shock flickered through her eyes. She knew Dao Shi'er was strong, but she had only thought of him as a martial artist at the Hundred Cauldrons Stage.

Who could have imagined that the famed Thousand Hands Daoist of Zhanhai City would fall against him so easily? One could only say that the clash between Dao Shi'er and the Thousand Hands Daoist was nothing short of earth-shaking!

At the same time, three other matches unfolded one after another. They weren't as shocking as Dao Shi'er's battle against the Thousand Hands Daoist, but the outcomes were just as decisive.

Senior Sister Zhang's Dao Guardian, a swordsman of formidable strength, defeated his opponent with a single strike as well, but he stopped short of killing his foe.

When the round ended, only four participants remained. Another draw followed, and Lu Changsheng was matched against Senior Sister Zhao's Dao Guardian.

The man wielded an iron hammer and had a huge frame. His strength was evident at a glance. He seemed to be practicing a secret technique that bolstered his power, and he seemed in no way inferior to Lu Changsheng.

The two stood in the arena. The burly man sneered and said, "The Thousand Hands Daoist died because he was careless. Your saber is strong, but when it comes to strength, I fear no one."

The man was called Liu Tieta, and his raw strength was terrifying beyond measure. He was already a Hundred Cauldrons martial artist, and he ranked among the very best. With the support of a secret technique, he feared no one when it came to a contest of raw strength.

"Is that so?" replied Lu Changsheng and didn't bother with further words. In jianghu, actions always spoke louder than words.

Swoosh!

Lu Changsheng drew his saber once more, and a streak of blood-colored saber light erupted into existence. It was swift, precise, and ruthless, cleaving straight toward Liu Tieta's head.

"Iron Tower Upholds the Heavens!" A furious roar burst from Liu Tieta. His muscles swelled and coiled like knotted steel as blood qi surged upward, condensing above his head into a mass of crimson cloud.

The explosive power made everyone feel suffocated. Such pure and overwhelming strength was enough to send chills down anyone's spine.

Just as Liu Tieta was about to swing the iron hammer in his hands and smash apart that blood-colored saber light, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Lu Changsheng's lips.

"Lin." He activated the Nine-Character Mantra.

Liu Tieta froze instantly in place. His mind went blank, and even the blood qi within him solidified. He froze completely.

Swish!

The blood-colored saber light in Lu Changsheng's hand fell in a flash and drew a clean line across Liu Tieta's neck.

Liu Tieta's head tumbled to the ground, and his blood sprayed in all directions. His massive frame collapsed with a heavy crash.

An uproar immediately broke out among the onlookers.

"What just happened?! Why did Liu Tieta freeze and allow Dao Shi'er to chop off his head? That was far too strange."