Chapter 149: Swallow Sword Art
The two stood only seven steps apart, locked in a standoff, neither making the first move.
Whoever struck first would inevitably reveal a flaw.
At this moment, they hadn’t even blinked, staring straight at each other.
With only seven steps between them, who would dare blink?
The instant you blink, you’ve already lost!
This was the essence of a duel between experts—not a single minor error could be made. It wasn’t just about comparing swordsmanship; it was a contest of mental strength, willpower, and patience.
After half an hour of confrontation, they remained utterly still.
Gradually, Qing Chibai’s eyes began to sting, and his eyelids twitched slightly.
In contrast, Zhang Ruochen stood as steady as Mount Tai, calm as a still lake, motionless and unchanged.
Zhang Ruochen had already opened his eye meridian, allowing him to channel true qi directly into his eyes, so naturally he could hold out longer than Qing Chibai.
“I can’t wait any longer. If I keep waiting, it will be very disadvantageous for me.” Qing Chibai’s hand gripping the sword tightened slightly.
“Whoosh!”
Without any warning, Qing Chibai suddenly stepped forward, channeling true qi into the meridians of his legs, pushing his speed to its maximum.
Before the crowd below could react, Qing Chibai’s sword had already pierced through Zhang Ruochen’s body.
But Zhang Ruochen’s body gradually faded, eventually vanishing completely.
It turned out that Qing Chibai had only struck Zhang Ruochen’s afterimage, not his true form.
The moment Qing Chibai made his move, Zhang Ruochen had already leaped into the air, slashing down from above with his sword, moving even faster than Qing Chibai.
As soon as Qing Chibai’s thrust missed, he immediately changed his technique, slashing upward.
“Clang!”
The two broken swords collided, sending sparks flying.
At the same time, Zhang Ruochen struck out with his left palm, executing a move called “Flying Dragon in the Sky,” aimed at Qing Chibai’s chest.
Only those who had cultivated their spiritual power to the twentieth level or above could achieve dual focus—using one hand for the sword and the other for palm strikes without interference.
“Collapsing Cloud Fist!”
Qing Chibai extended his left hand as well, throwing a punch. With his fist as the center, the air vibrated.
“Boom!”
The two separated simultaneously.
An instant later, they clashed again, continuing their exchange.
“Water Dragon String of Pearls.”
Qing Chibai unleashed a spirit-grade lower-rank sword technique. Driven by his true qi, his battle sword swung rapidly, forming a shadowy, ethereal dragon. The surrounding air echoed with the sound of surging tides.
The dragon formed by sword qi charged toward Zhang Ruochen.
Qing Chibai followed closely, his sword tip spinning continuously, creating circles of sword energy like pearls spat out by the dragon.
Eight sword circles in a row converged into a single, perfectly integrated sword technique.
Under the assault of the sword qi dragon and the eight sword circles, Zhang Ruochen could only defend passively, retreating step by step.
Finally, Zhang Ruochen reached the edge of the battle platform. He stomped his foot, spread his arms, and, light as a swallow, flew backward, landing toward the pool below.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Qing Chibai gripped his battle sword with one hand, the other behind his back, and stepped off the platform’s edge, chasing after Zhang Ruochen.
At that moment, Zhang Ruochen executed the Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow. His descending body paused briefly, then leaped three zhang upward, flying above Qing Chibai.
“Heart of Heaven, Full Moon!”
Zhang Ruochen gripped his sword with both hands, pouring all his true qi into the blade, forming a bright, massive sword circle as he slashed down at Qing Chibai.
“Excellent footwork!”
Qing Chibai shouted in approval, raising both hands to block. The recoil force sent him plummeting rapidly, landing on the surface of the pool below the battle platform.
For any other martial artist, this would have meant falling into the water.
But the moment Qing Chibai touched the water’s surface, a cloud of cyan true qi appeared beneath his feet, supporting his body.
His feet only sank slightly, as if stepping on solid ground, and he sped away into the distance.
“Boom!”
Just as Qing Chibai dodged, Zhang Ruochen’s sword came crashing down, striking the spot where Qing Chibai had stood, splitting the water and sending up a massive spray.
Zhang Ruochen stepped on the waves, riding the wind with unparalleled grace, like a white-robed young sword immortal, racing across the water in hot pursuit of Qing Chibai.
Qing Chibai’s “Walking on Clouds” was indeed a formidable movement technique, but it couldn’t match the speed of the Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow. Soon, Zhang Ruochen caught up.
“Heart of Heaven, Stirring the Tide!”
Zhang Ruochen spun rapidly, head down and feet up, churning the pool water into waves. Driven by his sword qi, the waves surged toward Qing Chibai.
Just as Qing Chibai seemed about to be swept into the pool, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and slashed straight down, uttering a single word: “Break!”
“Boom!”
A sword qi over ten meters long split the waves, cutting toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen lightly tapped the water’s surface with his toes, soaring like a flying dragon thirty meters into the air, then lightly landed on the top of a willow tree by the pool, balancing on the branches without falling.
“Qing Chibai is truly the most outstanding prodigy of the Thousand Water Commandery in a century. At the Mysterious Extreme Realm Middle Extreme Position, he’s probably not much weaker than Luo Xu at the same level. Though he’s suppressing his cultivation to the Mysterious Extreme Realm Middle Extreme Position now, as a Earth Extreme Realm Middle Stage cultivator, his true qi condensation, physical strength, and martial technique refinement far surpass what a Mysterious Extreme Realm Middle Extreme Position martial artist can achieve,” Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
In other words, even though Qing Chibai was suppressing his realm to the Mysterious Extreme Realm Middle Extreme Position, his current strength could easily defeat his own self from six years ago at the same level.
If Zhang Ruochen treated him as an ordinary Mysterious Extreme Realm Middle Extreme Position martial artist, he would be gravely mistaken.
“I thought Qing Chibai would have an absolute advantage and defeat Zhang Ruochen in a few moves. I never expected such a stalemate.” Tuoba Linsu, who had been dissatisfied with his loss to Zhang Ruochen, was now completely convinced after seeing Zhang Ruochen fight Qing Chibai.
Liu Xin’s face twisted with rage. “How can he be this strong? Qing Chibai has cultivated his sword intent to the peak of Sword Follows the Heart!”
Tuoba Linsu sneered coldly. “Can’t you see that Zhang Ruochen has also reached the peak of Sword Follows the Heart?”
“What?”
Liu Xin had been too focused on imagining how badly Zhang Ruochen would lose to notice the details of their exchange, so he hadn’t realized Zhang Ruochen’s sword dao realm was no lower than Qing Chibai’s.
Xun Guihai said, “If Zhang Ruochen hadn’t reached the peak of Sword Follows the Heart, he would have lost to Qing Chibai long ago.”
At just seventeen years old, with only Mysterious Extreme Realm Middle Extreme Position cultivation, he had already reached the peak of Sword Follows the Heart—such talent was astonishing.
In truth, Xun Guihai was somewhat jealous of Zhang Ruochen, but his goal was the more beautiful, more outstanding, and more valued by the Thousand Water Commandery Prince—Yanchen Commandery Princess—not the Thirteenth Commandery Princess. Since their interests didn’t conflict, he wasn’t as aggressive as Liu Xin.
“That lecher… he’s been hiding his strength all along, even reaching the peak of Sword Follows the Heart. How much more power is he concealing?” Huang Yanchen widened her almond-shaped eyes, feeling an urge to personally force Zhang Ruochen to reveal all his strength.
Just a few days ago, Huang Yanchen had only reached the high stage of Sword Follows the Heart.
She had been thrilled about it, but now, after just a few days of happiness, Zhang Ruochen had crushed her spirits again.
“With Qing Chibai’s strength, he should be able to force out his true power.” Huang Yanchen’s lips curled slightly, revealing a row of snow-white teeth.
Qing Chibai stood steadily on the water, his cyan robe darker than the pool’s surface, his neatly combed hair flowing without wind.
Even motionless, invisible sword qi swirled around him, producing a “shush” sound. Anyone daring to step within five paces would be torn apart by the invisible sword qi.
This was the peak of Sword Follows the Heart!
To ordinary people, Qing Chibai at this moment seemed no different from a legendary sword god.
Qing Chibai valued his reputation. As a half-saint’s disciple, he had to be the best and defeat Zhang Ruochen in the shortest time possible.
Zhang Ruochen carried no such burden, but he still wanted to win, hoping to use this battle to break through to a higher level in the sword dao.
That realm was called “Sword Heart Illumination.”
Qing Chibai had only just reached the peak of Sword Follows the Heart; he was still a world away from Sword Heart Illumination.
In his previous life, Zhang Ruochen had already reached Sword Heart Illumination, so achieving it again was far easier for him than for Qing Chibai. Now, Zhang Ruochen’s sword dao realm was very close to Sword Heart Illumination.
Though both were at the peak of Sword Follows the Heart, Zhang Ruochen’s realm was higher than Qing Chibai’s.
Of course, Qing Chibai had many advantages that Zhang Ruochen lacked, which was why their battle remained evenly matched.
“If I used the Space-Time Domain, I’d have an eighty percent chance of defeating Qing Chibai.”
After careful thought, Zhang Ruochen shook his head. It was better not to reveal the power of the Space-Time Domain.
The big shots of the Thousand Water Commandery were surely watching this battle in secret.
Other trump cards could be exposed, but the Space-Time Domain was Zhang Ruochen’s greatest ace—it absolutely could not be revealed.
“Swallow Skimming Water!”
After a brief standoff, Qing Chibai struck first, darting like a swallow skimming the water’s surface. His cyan battle sword trembled like a swallow’s tail, creating countless sword shadows.
This was a spirit-grade middle-rank martial technique: the Swallow Sword Art.
Zhang Ruochen had never practiced any spirit-grade middle-rank sword techniques, so he had to continue using the spirit-grade lower-rank Heart of Heaven Sword Art against Qing Chibai.
“Heart of Heaven, Breaking Plum Blossoms!”
Zhang Ruochen soared from the willow top, thrusting his sword forward, shattering all of Qing Chibai’s sword qi.
Qing Chibai remained unfazed, immediately changing his technique: “Swallow Returning to the Nest!”
His cyan battle sword thrust directly at Zhang Ruochen’s heart.
Sensing the sharpness of the sword qi, Zhang Ruochen quickly retreated, but his sleeve was still torn by the sword qi with a “rip” sound.
The white sleeve was shredded into strips of cloth, falling onto the water.
Qing Chibai pressed his advantage, his sword moving like a swallow in flight, thrusting rapidly toward Zhang Ruochen’s neck.
…
That’s all for today. Bursting once has worn me out like a dog. To save up drafts, I’ve had less than six hours of sleep a day for the past week. Now I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Little Fish knows the monthly ticket rankings are hopeless, but I still hope everyone will cast their monthly tickets for Little Fish. Thank you.