Zi Xing couldnât bear to watch and closed his eyes, unable to witness Ye Qingchenâs defeat. However, he didnât hear the clash of energy he expected. After a moment, only a cold snort sounded, followed by Ye Qingchenâs voice.
"How about this time?"
Zi Xing hurriedly opened his eyes and saw that Ye Qingchen had somehow appeared behind Chi Jianbai once again. Wielding the Double Pupil Sword, he lunged toward his opponent.
Was that also just a residual image?
Zi Xing was utterly shocked. He could also use the Fire Spirit Charm Shadow, so he had been the first to sense it when Ye Qingchen used a residual image the first time. But the second time, Ye Qingchenâs figure had been constantly moving. Why would a residual image move? No matter how inconceivable it was, Ye Qingchen had done it.
Perhaps his Fire Spirit Charm Shadow is the authentic one, after all!
Zi Xing thought helplessly.
Meanwhile, on the platform, Chi Jianbai was horrified to feel his strike miss again. Hearing Ye Qingchenâs voice from behind, he quickly turned, only to see Ye Qingchen closing in on him with the Double Pupil Sword. It was too late for him to mount a proper defense, so he could only passively raise his Heaven-piercing Sabre horizontally in front of his chest to fend off the attack.
The tip of the Double Pupil Sword fiercely struck the Heaven-piercing Sabre!
BOOM!
With a tremendous explosion, Chi Jianbai was blasted more than a dozen meters back. He desperately dragged his Heaven-piercing Sabre along the ground to slow his momentum, narrowly avoiding being knocked off the platform.
That was close,
Chi Jianbai thought with relief.
If I hadnât reacted so quickly, I would have lost the match with that one move.
However, Chi Jianbai failed to notice that after this exchange, Ye Qingchen didnât press his advantage. Instead, he simply watched Chi Jianbai with a sneer, the corners of his mouth curling upwards.
Not good!
Years of combat experience alerted Chi Jianbai to the impending danger. But having just taken Ye Qingchenâs strike head-on, he was completely unable to react.
BOOM!
BOOM!
Two more thunderous impacts sounded, and Chi Jianbai was blasted off the platform by an invisible Sword Qi.
Silence. A long, drawn-out silence fell over the crowd.
No one understood what had just happened. Chi Jianbai had clearly blocked Ye Qingchenâs attack, so why was he still thrown from the platform?
Only the true masters in the crowd seemed to have an inkling as they looked thoughtfully in Ye Qingchenâs direction. The instant Chi Jianbai was knocked away, they had distinctly felt two extremely powerful Sword Intents manifest beside him. Furthermore, the power of these two Sword Intents far surpassed any of Ye Qingchenâs previous attacks. Yet, without a doubt, they carried Ye Qingchenâs aura.
It couldnât have been a sneak attack from someone else; it had to be Ye Qingchenâs own doing.
Such fearsome Sword Intent... could it really be unleashed by someone at the Third Layer of the Martial King Realm?
Even the Saint Heir of Wuji Immortal Palace couldnât help but narrow his eyes. Naturally, those two streams of Sword Intent hadnât escaped his perception. The energy itself was of little consequence to him. What truly surprised the Saint Heir was that, before the two Sword Intents erupted, he hadnât sensed their hidden presence at all.
The Saint Heir had been focusing his full attention on the platform. For the attacks to have eluded his senses spoke volumes about their stealth. He could also tell that those two Sword Intents and the strike that had sent Chi Jianbai flying originated from the same source. This meant that when Ye Qingchen first attacked, he had already released those two hidden Sword Intents, holding them in reserve as a killing blow.
The Saint Heir recalled Ye Qingchenâs initial two residual images, which had already confused most of the onlookers. When combined with the final, hidden Sword Intents, it formed a type of surprise attack he had never witnessed before.
At this moment, the Saint Heir no longer looked down on Ye Qingchen. The young man certainly had some unique skills. Still, it wasnât enough to earn his full respect. After all, in the Saint Heirâs eyes, Ye Qingchenâs attacks posed no real threat to him.
"Wow, big brother, youâre amazing!"
Ultimately, it was Xue Zhaoâs cheer that broke the silence. Among everyone present, she was likely the only one who had previously witnessed Ye Qingchenâs Meiying Sword Technique. Although his execution was as stunning as ever, she wasnât as shocked as the others.
However, what annoyed her was that Ye Qingchen had only used two Sword Intents to instantly defeat Chi Jianbai, a Ninth-Layer Martial King Realm cultivator. Back in the ruined temple, he had used three Sword Intents just to injure Wu Zhengyang, who was only at the Eighth Layer of the Martial King Realm.
"Why does that guy always have to be so secretive?" Xue Zhao couldnât help but pout as she muttered in irritation.
If Ye Qingchen knew what she was thinking, he would surely cry foul. That Wu Zhengyang was no ordinary Eighth-Layer Martial King Realm cultivator. The man possessed a natural Spirit Sword Martial Spirit, which made his perception of Sword Intent more than a dozen times greater than Chi Jianbaiâs. Thus, Wu Zhengyang actually held a unique advantage when facing the Shadow-extinction Sword Technique. Furthermore, Ye Qingchen had also been worrying about protecting Xue Zhao and the other two "ordinary people" at the time. It was understandable that he hadnât fully mobilized his Spiritual Energy.
By now, the spectators had also processed the outcome: Ye Qingchen had won the battle! Though they were reluctant, they had to admit that Chi Jianbai was strong. Ye Qingchenâs victory over him, fair and square, was enough to demonstrate his own formidable power. Even though they found Ye Qingchen obnoxious, the audience truly acknowledged his strength at this moment.
Their fear intensified when they remembered he was only at the Third Layer of the Martial King Realm. If he were to reach the Ninth Layer and face todayâs Chi Jianbai, wouldnât he be able to kill him in a single move?
Chi Jianbai, who had been knocked off the platform, managed to get to his feet. It was obvious Ye Qingchen had held back at the last moment; otherwise, he wouldnât have been able to stand for at least ten to fifteen days. Still, Chi Jianbai had lost too much face to remain there any longer. Hearing Xue Zhao cheer for Ye Qingchen was especially hard for him to accept.
He didnât blame Xue Zhao, however. He merely directed his silent resentment toward Ye Qingchen before slipping away while no one was paying attention.
Xiao Xiao was also cheering for Ye Qingchen. Xue Zhao, wearing an I-told-you-so expression, turned to her and said, "How about that? I told you big brother was strong, didnât I? Now you see it, right? Isnât he formidable when he unleashes his full strength? And you still have the audacity to call him Young Master? You donât know him as well as I do."
Xiao Xiao, who had been happy about Ye Qingchenâs victory, was incensed by Xue Zhaoâs words. She retorted, "I never once doubted the Young Masterâs strength! Iâm not like *some people*, who not only deliberately cause trouble for him but then have the nerve to make snarky comments!"