Chapter 144: Defeated with One Sword
Minister Ning continued, “What’s even more astonishing is his talent in spiritual power. According to the Yunwu Commandery Prince, Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual power has reached the twenty-ninth rank.”
“Only sixteen years old, and his spiritual power has already reached the twenty-ninth rank?”
Everyone present was a top-tier expert, considered the strongest batch of people in the Thousand Water Commandery. Yet, even they couldn’t stay calm upon hearing this news, feeling quite shocked.
Minister Ning had been just as surprised when he first heard the news.
The Thousand Water Commandery Prince nodded, giving a high appraisal, and said, “This boy is indeed a prodigy. If he is nurtured vigorously, he might even become a Half-Saint in the future.”
“We’ll just have to see how he performs in this Sword Discussion Assembly,” Minister Ning said with a smile.
…
Golden Phoenix Garden.
Two prodigies at the Mysterious Extreme Realm Great Perfection simultaneously ascended the War Martial Platform and began their sword duel.
They were only competing in sword techniques, without using true qi.
In other words, the Sword Discussion Assembly was essentially a contest of who had superior swordsmanship, having little to do with the strength of one’s cultivation.
Both prodigies at the Mysterious Extreme Realm Great Perfection were very strong, possessing strength on par with Mysterious List martial artists. They were always able to execute sword techniques that impressed the onlookers.
The Thirteenth Princess sat above, watching the two prodigies duel, feeling extremely bored.
In her view, the champion of today’s Sword Discussion Assembly would undoubtedly be one of Xun Guihai, Liu Xin, Tuoba Linsu, or Qing Chi Bai.
One of those four was bound to be her consort. All the other geniuses were merely mediocre in comparison to them.
Watching them duel was utterly uninteresting.
Just then, the Thirteenth Princess suddenly spotted Zhang Ruochen standing at the very back of the crowd. Her eyes lit up slightly, revealing a hint of coldness. She thought to herself, “This insolent fool actually dared to come to the Sword Discussion Assembly. Perfect, now’s the time to deal with him.”
At that moment, the duel on the War Martial Platform had already concluded.
A genius named Zhu Yi emerged victorious, defeating another genius named Luo Kong.
Seeing Zhu Yi standing on the War Martial Platform, the Thirteenth Princess stood up, her bright eyes and white teeth forming a smile as she said, “Young Master Zhu is truly the most talented prince of the Golden Dream Commandery. Your swordsmanship is extraordinary, and this princess admires it greatly.”
Hearing the Thirteenth Princess’s praise, Zhu Yi was flattered and quickly bowed to her.
The Thirteenth Princess glanced at Zhang Ruochen in the distance and then added, “What a pity! Although Young Master Zhu’s swordsmanship is impressive, it cannot surpass that of the Ninth Prince of the Yunwu Commandery. This princess has heard that the Ninth Prince of the Yunwu Commandery, despite being only at the Mysterious Extreme Realm Middle Rank, possesses swordsmanship superior even to Earth Extreme Realm martial artists. Moreover, the Ninth Prince once told this princess that among today’s geniuses, if he claimed to be second in swordsmanship, no one would dare claim first.”
“Boom!”
At the Thirteenth Princess’s words, the entire Golden Phoenix Garden erupted.
After all, every young martial artist who could enter the Golden Phoenix Garden was no weakling—they were all top-tier prodigies.
That Ninth Prince of the Yunwu Commandery actually dared to claim he was number one in swordsmanship under heaven?
Such arrogance!
All the young geniuses present were enraged, wanting to defeat that Ninth Prince and thoroughly humiliate him.
“A prince from a low-ranking commandery dares to be so arrogant!”
“Even a Half-Saint’s disciple wouldn’t dare claim to be number one in swordsmanship under heaven. That kid actually dares to utter such bold words. If I find out who he is, I’ll make him see what a true swordsmanship master is!”
“He’s probably just a frog at the bottom of a well, stuck in a low-ranking commandery. He might be number one in swordsmanship among the younger generation there, but coming to the Thousand Water Commandery, it would be hard for him to even rank in the top thousand among the younger generation.”
…
Chen Tianshu, standing beside Zhang Ruochen, laughed and said, “If what the Thirteenth Princess said is true, then that Ninth Prince of the Yunwu Commandery is truly a peculiar one. Today, he’s stirred up a hornet’s nest. What do you think, Brother Zhang?”
Zhang Ruochen seemed not to have heard Chen Tianshu’s words at all. He now finally understood why the Thirteenth Princess had sent him the Sword Discussion Invitation.
Her intentions were truly malicious!
There were two ways to kill someone: one was to beat them to death with a club, and the other was to praise them to death. Clearly, the Thirteenth Princess was using the second method.
On the surface, she was praising Zhang Ruochen, but in reality, she was setting him against everyone else.
This place was not safe to stay. Zhang Ruochen prepared to leave.
The Thirteenth Princess naturally wouldn’t let him go. Seeing Zhang Ruochen about to leave, she immediately raised her voice and said, “Ninth Prince, where are you going? Didn’t you want to make a stunning impression at the Sword Discussion Assembly and shock everyone? Why are you in such a hurry to leave now?”
Everyone followed the Thirteenth Princess’s gaze, turning to look at Zhang Ruochen, who was about to leave.
Zhang Ruochen was already standing at the very back, and now he was the only one leaving. When everyone turned to look, he naturally became quite conspicuous.
Some people had already rushed forward to block Zhang Ruochen’s path.
Zhang Ruochen really didn’t want to provoke that Thirteenth Princess. He turned around and said calmly, “Princess Thirteenth, are you sure what you just said is true?”
The Thirteenth Princess snorted coldly and said, “Are you saying this princess is framing you? The Tenth Prince was there at the time, and he heard it clearly too.”
The Tenth Prince, whose injuries had healed, stepped forward and said, “That’s right. At that time, he was indeed boasting about his swordsmanship to Thirteenth Sister, claiming to be number one in swordsmanship under heaven, and that all other geniuses were nothing before him. What’s the matter, Ninth Prince? Are you denying it now?”
Zhang Ruochen didn’t bother to argue further, because even if he did, it would be useless now.
The geniuses and elites in the Golden Phoenix Garden all stared at Zhang Ruochen with cold smiles. The princesses and noblewomen sitting in the pavilions also let out snickers.
Only Chen Tianshu, who had greeted Zhang Ruochen earlier, sensed something was off. He guessed that Zhang Ruochen had offended the Thirteenth Princess and the Tenth Prince, and that they were now scheming against him, wanting to use the hands of the geniuses present to humiliate him.
Zhu Yi stood on the War Martial Platform, sneering, “Ninth Prince, I’ve long heard of your unparalleled swordsmanship. May I ask for a few pointers?”
The crowd burst into laughter again.
The Thirteenth Princess puffed out her chest, looking smugly at Zhang Ruochen, as if to say, “This is what happens when you offend this princess. I’ll not only teach you a lesson but also ruin your reputation.”
Zhu Yi spoke again, “Ninth Prince, could it be that you look down on me and won’t even grant me a few pointers?”
“Very well! Since Brother Zhu wishes to learn from my swordsmanship, I’ll exchange a few moves with you,” Zhang Ruochen said, a hint of coldness in his eyes as he walked toward the War Martial Platform.
Originally, Zhang Ruochen didn’t want to cause trouble or participate in any Sword Discussion Assembly, but the crowd was forcing his hand.
Zhang Ruochen was not one to shy away from trouble. Since that was the case, why not take on the world’s heroes?
Arriving at the foot of the War Martial Platform, Zhang Ruochen lightly tapped his toes, his body rising like a gentle breeze, flying into the formation and landing softly on the platform.
Zhu Yi hadn’t expected Zhang Ruochen to actually dare to duel him. Seeing Zhang Ruochen step onto the platform, Zhu Yi explained the rules: “The Sword Discussion Assembly only compares swordsmanship, not cultivation. Do you understand?”
Clearly, Zhu Yi was treating Zhang Ruochen like a greenhorn, afraid he didn’t know the rules of the assembly.
Zhang Ruochen simply took out the Flash Soul Sword from his sleeve, drawing the blade from its sheath. A cold gleam of light flashed from the sword’s edge, sharp and dazzling.
Holding the sword steadily in his hand, Zhang Ruochen said, “Are we dueling or not?”
Zhu Yi’s eyes turned cold. Without another word, he drew a five-foot-long green iron war sword with a *shua* sound.
He charged forward quickly, taking six steps in succession. Each step followed a certain mysterious rhythm, making it difficult for anyone to predict the angle of his strike.
Judging by his footwork alone, Zhu Yi had already reached a fairly high level, comparable to an average Mysterious List martial artist.
Zhang Ruochen stood still, motionless.
*Xiu!*
Zhu Yi’s footwork shifted to the left, and he thrust his sword forward. Although he didn’t use true qi, three sword flowers bloomed on the blade, showcasing highly advanced sword techniques.
In an instant, the green sword tip was within a foot of Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen also struck immediately, his sword moving after Zhu Yi’s but arriving first.
Just as Zhu Yi’s sword was about to pierce Zhang Ruochen’s heart, Zhang Ruochen’s sword had already pressed against Zhu Yi’s neck.
Zhu Yi felt a chill at his throat, as if his throat had been sealed by ice. His entire body froze like stone, not daring to move.
His sword was still three inches away from Zhang Ruochen, but Zhang Ruochen’s sword had already pierced the skin of his throat, leaving a red dot of blood.
If he dared to move even slightly, Zhang Ruochen’s sword would pierce through his throat.
Zhu Yi’s legs trembled, cold sweat pouring from his entire body. He stammered, “The… the Sword… Discussion… Assembly… forbids… killing…”
*Shua!*
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Zhu Yi, withdrew his sword, and said, “You’ve lost.”
Seeing Zhang Ruochen sheathe his sword, Zhu Yi let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if he had just been drained of all strength.
The geniuses present were all astonished.
The genius who had lost to Zhu Yi earlier exclaimed, “Defeated Zhu Yi with just one sword—his swordsmanship is incredible!”
Only those who had actually fought Zhu Yi understood how formidable he was. Yet, despite Zhu Yi’s strength, Zhang Ruochen had defeated him with ease.
The Thirteenth Princess also showed a hint of surprise, grinding her teeth in frustration. “That bastard actually has some real skill!”
Tuoba Linsu stared at Zhang Ruochen standing on the War Martial Platform and said, “Excellent swordsmanship! Simple technique, profound intent, able to reduce complexity to simplicity without any hesitation. I’d like to test him myself!”
Tuoba Linsu was the number one expert of the younger generation in the Dragon River Commandery. Young as he was, he had already reached the Earth Extreme Realm in martial arts.
It was precisely for this reason that he was qualified to sit beside the Thirteenth Princess.