Chapter 601: Countless Trump Cards
“Bang!”
Light exploded out. Faced with a drained and exhausted Bai Qi, Chu Chaoyun simply sheathed his sword and kicked his opponent away like a sandbag.
Suppressing the shock in his heart, the referee declared the winner, then announced the next match. “Next match: Xiao Chen versus Sima Lingxuan!”
The greatest dark horse of this Five Nation Youth Competition, Xiao Chen had been on a winning streak from the start of the elimination rounds. Be it the direct disciples of the Great Jin Nation’s ten great sects, the geniuses of the eight Noble Clans, or the newcomer geniuses that showed up, no one could defeat him.
Xiao Chen had a sixty-percent-comprehended saber intent, the Four Season Saber Technique, the state of massacre, and the state of thunder. No one knew how many trump cards he had or how deeply he had hidden.
No one had any way of knowing how many secrets this disciple from a Great Qin Nation sect hid.
Sima Lingxuan, the champion of the previous Five Nation Youth Competition and also the undisputed first seed of this Five Nation Youth Competition, had the state of kingship and the Emperor’s Swordplay. Since the start of the ranking matches, he had not revealed his true strength; this lent him an air of mystery.
The self-confidence in his heart seemed like it would never falter and it felt like there was an aloof radiance in him. When the crowd looked at him, he clearly stood out from his surroundings. Everyone could not help but throw their support behind him.
Sima Lingxuan had excellent talent and the vast resources of the Sima Clan. He was also famous as the top swordsman in the Great Jin Nation. All these various honors and glory boosted his self-confidence and gave it an arrogant and conceited flavor.
Now, there were only three rounds left in the Five Nation Youth Competition. Finally, these two people were matched up against each other. After this match, one of them would lose the chance to reach the top rank.
Neither could afford to lose. Whoever loses the match would be left behind in points. Given that they had the same number of matches left, it would be impossible for the loser to catch up.
The moment the two of them mounted the Wind Cloud Platform, they immediately attracted everyone’s attention. The super newcomer versus the veteran giant, who would emerge the winner?
Before Xiao Chen defeated Bai Qi, no one thought that he had a chance to win. However, this changed when he unveiled a Four Season Saber Technique that was stronger than Bai Qi’s.
No one dared to make an immediate judgment about this match. Even though everyone thought that Sima Lingxuan had a higher chance of victory, no one dared to say it.
After fighting more than a hundred matches, Xiao Chen had already created too many miracles. Every time the crowd thought that his winning streak was about to come to an end, he would turn the situation around.
This resulted in those naysayers, who said that he would be defeated, getting their faces slapped and being dumbfounded. Now, no one dared to jump to a conclusion this early.
The Wind Cloud Arena was now dead silent; no one spoke a word. There were only countless eyes staring at the two with fiery gazes. They did not dare to relax even for a moment; they were afraid that they would miss out on an exciting moment and regret it forever.
“Xiu!”
Sima Lingxuan waved his hand and his sword came out from its simple and thick scabbard and stuck itself in the Wind Cloud Platform between the two.
Cracks extended out from the sword. Dragon Qi soared up from the Wind Cloud Platform, accompanied by dragon roars, making the plain and simple sword look extraordinary.
The moment Sima Lingxuan went on stage, he revealed one of his hands. The tough Wind Cloud Platform was like mud to him, not even worth a strike.
“You are very strong. Unfortunately, you met me, Sima Lingxuan. No matter how strong you are, you can only fight for the second rank. In the previous Five Nation Youth Competition, it was the same for Bai Qi. Now, it will be the same for you and Chu Chaoyun; nothing will change.”
Nothing changed in the expression on Xiao Chen’s handsome and delicate face. He said indifferently, “You will probably be disappointed this time.”
Sima Lingxuan laughed loudly and said, “I have not fought for real in a very long time. Because of that, it seems insignificant people now dare to speak such arrogant words. As I said earlier, if I am not able to defeat you in ten moves, I, Sima Lingxuan, will concede defeat!”
“Hu! Hu!”
A strong wind blew and clouds churned. Sima Lingxuan faced the sky and laughed uninhibitedly. While the wind and clouds gathered, his vast state of kingship along with his strong self-confidence formed a strong aura that surged towards Xiao Chen.
The heavy aura could make mountains break in the middle and rivers flow in reverse. The mountains and rivers were within Sima Lingxuan’s control. He was the king of everything under the sky. Heaven and earth would not permit anyone disobeying him.
A clear ripple could be seen in the Wind Cloud Platform. Sima Lingxuan compressed the space behind him as he rushed at Xiao Chen.
If a regular person saw this aura, they would be pressured into prostrating themselves on the ground, unable to move. Just a glance from Sima Lingxuan would cause them to tremble in fear.
“The power of the wind and clouds, the state of kingship. Is Sima Lingxuan going to use his full power?”
“Defeating Xiao Chen in ten moves, only Sima Lingxuan would be able to say something like this and have people not think it a joke.”
“Let’s just wait and see. See if he can really do as he said.”
The moment Sima Lingxuan moved, the cultivators in the spectator stands could feel the power contained in his attack, and were shocked at it. Then, when they heard what Sima Lingxuan said, their emotions surged, and their hearts pounded very hard.
Who was Xiao Chen? He was someone who could easily defeat Bai Qi. However, Sima Lingxuan claimed that he would defeat Xiao Chen in ten moves. He mocked Xiao Chen for being arrogant and insignificant.
A strong wind blew. Before a strong power, everything would vanish like smoke. It seemed like there was no place for Xiao Chen, who stood alone.
Xiao Chen’s long hair fluttered in the wind, revealing the blue strip of cloth tied on his forehead. He pulled gently and the blue strip flew off on the wind, flying high into the sky.
The scarlet throne mark on his forehead flashed with a scarlet light. No longer suppressed, the state of massacre in the scarlet throne was unleashed with nothing held back.
As the scarlet light spread out, a strong power gathered behind Xiao Chen as well. This was the power of massacre. That boundless killing Qi was like an overwhelming flood as vast as the sea, spreading in every direction.
Just one glance made one tremble in fear, experiencing all sorts of negative emotions—massacre, death, berserk frenzy—in their heads.
“This is painful. What kind of state of massacre is this? How could killing Qi be cultivated to such a level, causing one to not even dare to look at him?” the crowd in the spectator stands exclaimed.
“Bang!”
The obstruction of the thick red light halted the strong power of Sima Lingxuan more than a hundred meters from Xiao Chen. It stopped with a loud ‘bang,’ unable to advance any further.
The loud sound was like two mountains crashing into each other. The sky trembled and the ground shook. The entire Wind Cloud Platform shuddered.
Not enough, far from enough!
Suddenly, Xiao Chen took a step forward and unleashed his state of thunder. Thunderclouds gathered above and a trace of an ancient and immortal will spread out.
This was the immortal state of thunder that Xiao Chen comprehended at Thunder Emperor Valley.
The state of massacre from the ancient scarlet throne, obtained from at least a hundred thousand Demons, and the immortal state that the Thunder Emperor Sang Mu passed down—when the two states that surpassed the peak merged together, how could resulting combination fear this mortal state of kingship?
The strong power behind Xiao Chen grew wildly. When he took a step forward, he forcefully pushed back Sima Lingxuan’s state of kingship relentlessly.
The sound of mountains cracking rang out without pause. A large fissure extended continuously. Before the two fought, the large Wind Cloud Platform had already cracked into four or five pieces, turning into a sorry state.
He, Sima Lingxuan, dared to claim that he would defeat me in ten moves, calling me insignificant. However, in this Sky Dome Realm, ever since I, Xiao Chen, became famous, I have yet to lose to anyone from the same generation.
Heaven was unfair, preventing Xiao Chen from condensing a Martial Spirit until the age of sixteen. If he had those sixteen years of time, he would not even care about Sima Lingxuan at all.
Even so, the current Xiao Chen was not someone that Sima Lingxuan could humiliate.
A strong wind burst forth within the scarlet light. Xiao Chen remained expressionless as he said in a cold voice, “Make your move, then. Let me see how you are going to use ten moves to defeat me. I really want to know who is the arrogant one here.”
At this moment, Xiao Chen’s aura had shaken up Sima Lingxuan’s aura. Sima Lingxuan was now no longer as arrogant as he was before.
Xiao Chen’s cold voice entered Sima Lingxuan’s ears, making him somewhat uncomfortable. Now, in terms of attitude and aura, Xiao Chen seemed stronger than him. When Xiao Chen spoke, it gave him the feeling that Xiao Chen was speaking down to him.
“You really want to be defeated that badly? In that case, I will grant your wish!”
Sima Lingxuan snorted coldly and waved his right hand gently. The plain and simple sword stuck in the Wind Cloud Platform came out and flew into the air.
He leaped up and grabbed his sword. Then he shouted, “First attack, King Descending on the Nine Heavens, Wind and Cloud Gather!”
With the support of sword intent, the sword hummed without end. When Sima Lingxuan swung his sword, it was like the king descending from heaven, wind and clouds gathering under his feet.
In that instant, Sima Lingxuan rode on the wind and clouds, traveling for thousands of kilometers, going past mountains, rivers, cities, and villages. Everywhere he passed, the state of the king descending materialized.
With one swing of the sword, Sima Lingxuan materialized the state of kingship, riding on winds and clouds to travel over the mountains and rivers.
“Sword Technique, state, and sword intent, they are all perfect. This attack was completed in one breath. There are no shortcomings at all.” When Liu Xiaoyun in the spectator stands saw this attack, he revealed an expression of respect as he sighed and sang its praises.
“Break!”
Xiao Chen’s figure flickered and he drew his saber. Alternating scarlet and purple lights flashed on his saber as he swung it at extreme speed.
He struck the spot where the wind and clouds merged under Xuanyuan Zhantian’s feet. The saber light glimmered, and wind and cloud split into two. The wind was wind and the clouds were clouds. The state of kingship over the vast expanse vanished like smoke.
Everything happened in an instant. The moment Liu Xiaoyun finished speaking, Xiao Chen swiftly broke this move.
Liu Xiaoyun gaped, stunned speechless. Then, he said in shock, “The sword creates the wind and clouds, materializing the mountains and rivers. After that, then the king would descend from heaven. If one directly broke the wind and clouds, the power that follows after would not exist. Why did I not think of that?”
The Drifting Snow Sword Pavilion’s First Elder shook his head and said, “No, that will not work. Even if you could think of it, you would not be able to move this fast, nor are you decisive enough. Anyway, Sima Lingxuan’s integration of wind and clouds is already very tight. How did Xiao Chen find the point of integration and sever it? It’s truly a marvel.”
After the Sword Technique was broken, Sima Lingxuan circled back and retreated a hundred meters. He looked cautiously at Xiao Chen.
Who would have imagined that Xiao Chen would not chase Sima Lingxuan? He simply held his saber with one hand and looked calmly at Sima Lingxuan. Then, he said, “Go ahead, make your move. Every time you attack, I will break your move. I will not pursue you. I will just stand here and see how you will defeat me in ten moves.”
“What a great fellow! Sima Lingxuan is already very arrogant. Unexpectedly, this Xiao Chen is even more confident than him.”
“He will break every attack that comes his way, and after the attack is broken, he will not pursue him to deliver a follow-up. Looks like this Sima Lingxuan’s attitude really angered Xiao Chen.”
“Ha ha! It has been many years already since anyone spoke to Sima Lingxuan like that. This is interesting! Very interesting!”