Most of the attention was focused on the arena. On one side was a dark horse that had won nineteen games in a row. In the past, no one as young as him had ever bulldozed through the preliminary stage of the Prodigy Summit.
On the other end was Wu Prefecture City's well-known super mercenaries. Jiang Wenhua's rise was nothing short of meteoric! Those who died in his hands numbered in the hundreds, many of which were once famous figures.
A blood-colored saber appeared in Jiang Wenhua's hands. Once the crows saw the weapon's appearance, everyone's gaze froze and had an expression of dread.
"The Eight Bloodwave Sabers!"
In a flash, Jiang Wenhua's saber split into eight. The saber's formidable Qi caused the arena's hard floor to crack at once!
"The Eight Bloodwave Sabers! This is the technique that made Jiang Wenhua famous. I heard that he accidentally found himself in a cave and obtained it by chance a few years ago. It turned out to be a Yellow Rank Advanced saber technique! He made a name for himself from then on! "
A Yellow Rank Advanced saber technique! Many people were stunned!
Throughout Wu Prefecture City, Yellow Rank Primary skills were readily available and most martial cultivators would be able to learn one or two such techniques. Yellow Rank Intermediate however, were not that common, and whenever they appeared, disputes and even bloodshed might be caused over it. Most of them fell into the hands of various clans. As for Yellow Rank Advanced techniques, they never appeared publicly—only the Three Great Clans had such treasures!
Jiang Wenhua was not a member of the Three Great Clans, but he had learnt a Yellow Rank Advanced technique. That was precisely why he could become one of the top ten mercenaries!
Eight indiscernible air waves were seen cutting across, blocking all angles and sealing all means of escape. Li Ye had no choice and could only block it head-on, unless he were to leap in the air to dodge it.
However, everyone knew that there was no way for a cultivator to suspend themselves briefly in midair, unless they were an Innate Sovereign Level Master. Not even a Grandmaster was capable of doing so, and there was no point to attempt that because it would only make one a live target.
"So fast!"
Someone exclaimed suddenly. Everyone then saw the young man vanish instantly after nearly being slashed by the saber's shadows. Some sharp-eyed people even saw Li Ye evade the attacks with lightning speed, just as the saber's shadow could hit him. At the same time, his footsteps flickered and he managed to escape the boundary of the saber's shadows.
Sure enough, the saber that was strong enough to cut smoothly through bamboo sliced through the air, leaving a one-inch deep crack on the arena platform.
Li Ye's speed surprised Jiang Wenhua, prompting him to set aside his underestimation and put his guard up.
At the same time, Li Ye avoided his opponent's attacks but slowly began to feel fearful. "It's a Yellow Rank Advanced saber technique. If it wasn't for my speed, that one move would be enough to threaten me!"
"I can't believe I looked down on you, Kid!"
Jiang Wenhua's expression became slightly serious. Prior to their battle, he had also observed Li Ye's earlier consecutive victories, but it was unfortunately that all those opponents were blown away by a mere punch from Li Ye. It was only then he and everyone else discovered what immense speed Li Ye had.
"It's very difficult for a Level Six cultivator to avoid the saber's attacks. This kid is almost as fast as a Level Seven Martial Master! It could be difficult to win today if I don't use that move!"
Jiang Wenhua's face turned dark. As a legendary figure among mercenaries in Wu Prefecture City, his strength most definitely could not be considered measly. The minute he saw Li Ye's speed advantage, he knew that ordinary moves were useless and thus had an idea.
In an instant, dozens of shadow-sabers split out instantly, with each one even more formidable than the previous. Even a Level Seven Martial Master would shudder after seeing that!
"This Bloodwave Saber Technique is no doubt a century-old lost technique from an earlier generation saber king. It is obviously more terrifying than ordinary Yellow Rank Advanced techniques! It may even be as strong as a Black Rank Primary technique!"
The saber technique that Jiang Wenhua acquired by chance was a lifetime work and a lost technique created by Dao Wuwei, a saber king who used to dominate Jiangnan Circuit more than a century ago! The technique was far more powerful than most ordinary techniques and its power resembled Black Rank Primary techniques more closely!
Dao Wuwei was an Innate Sovereign Level Master during his prime and had even defeated other Innate Sovereign Level Masters with his Bloodwave Saber Technique! If he had not provoked a Dark Earth State Master who then went on to kill him, Dao Wuwei could be said to be invincible among all other Innate Sovereign Level Masters!
Present Jiang Wenhua did not have Dao Wuwei's skills, but it was foolish to underestimate his execution of the Bloodwave Saber Technique!
"Jiang Wenhua has probably already cultivated the Bloodwave Saber Technique to lesser attainment. His cognizance of the saber technique is really frightening. Who knows, in ten years, he might even step into Innatism and ascend to the Innate Sovereign Level. Maybe then he will become another powerhouse just like Dao Wuwei was back then."
Many people were in awe, including members of the Three Great Clans.
"The Bloodwave Saber Technique! It's no surprise to see such might in a creation by the saber king Dao Wuwei!"
Ordinary Yellow Rank Advanced techniques warranted less attention from the Three Great Clans. After all, only Black Rank Techniques could whet their appetites.
Be that as it were, there could not help but pay attention when they saw the zenith of all saber techniques, one that was created by a generational saber king.
Even the disinterested-looking three guests seemed to pay slightly more attention at that time. Unfortunately, they only glanced casually before looking away in disdain.
"Jiang Wenhua seems quite strong. Even a Level Seven Martial Master may not necessarily be able to defeat him!"
The Wu and Yuwen patriarchs showed a slight interest. The Yuwen patriarch nodded without hiding his praise and said, "Such strong saber wielders are exactly what my Yuwen family lacks. How perfect would it be if the Yuwen clan had such a talent?"
Such blatant solicitation lit up the eyes of the Li and Wu clan's members. Although it was clear that Jiang Wenhua had only reached peak Level Six and had yet to break through to Level Seven, his combat ability certainly exceeded that of a Level Seven Martial Master. Most important was the Bloodwave Sword Technique, which gave ideas to many of the great clan's members.
The Li clan's Head Elder had a rather sullen expression. The others were more concerned with Jiang Wenhua, but his focus was on another figure. No one noticed that a dense killing intent appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Li Ye split into four doppelgangers in an instant. Each figure was so realistic that there was no way to tell one from the other.
"It's useless!"
Jiang Wenhua roared, then aimed shadow-sabers at three figures. Those three doppelgangers then disappeared, leaving countless people in awe.
Unfortunately, none of them were Li Ye's original body, but the last remaining one was. Faced with the onslaught of the shadow-saber, a bloody radiance appeared in his eyes.
At that moment, the shadow-saber looked as though it was in slow motion, allowing him to even see the trajectory of the attack.
"Bloodpupils!"
At the critical moment, Li Ye's bloodpupil gave him the opportunity to see his opponent's sequence of moves as well as the trajectory of the shadow-saber.
The flow of time returned to normal the next moment. Li Ye avoided the shadow-saber, and at the same time, he split into four doppelgangers and separated in four directions.
"He dodged it! This kid's physical technique is definitely Yellow Rank Advanced!"
Once Li Ye was seen to dodge Jiang Wenhua's continuous attacks, many people finally began to take the unknown boy seriously.
Although Li Ye had previously defeated many people and plundered nineteen consecutive victories, none of the opponents were well-known heavyweights. Jiang Wenhua was different—his reputation was incredibly well-known throughout Wu Prefecture City, with many Level Seven Martial Masters afraid to underestimate his Bloodwave Saber Technique.
"It's my turn now!"
The four doppelgangers resembled four strong winds, sending out dozens of kicks in an instant. His might was displayed in full glory through the skyful of kicks.
The Windstorm Kick! Li Ye discovered that the combination of the Windstorm Kick with the Footstep Mirage could allow his afterimages to execute kicks similar to the original body!
"Such a pity that the afterimages have zero power. They can only be used as a means to confuse the opponent."
Even so, it was enough to attract the interest of various other people!
Those who were intrigued by it included some of the stronger individuals hailing from the Three Great Clans!
Everyone knew the Windstorm Kick well, but no one had ever utilized them to such an extent!
"This kid is good."
A voice startled those from the Three Great Clans. They looked over and saw that the speaker was the gloomy-faced man, the same one who came with the fat man and the beautiful woman.
The identity of those three individuals was known only by a small number of people there. Hearing him expressing his commendation for Li Ye made everyone else feel rather disheartened.
"He really is good. He integrated the Windstorm Kick with a physical technique. Although it does not increase the Windstorm Kick's power, it still produces a confusing effect for the opponent. This boy's cognizance is not bad."
Even more surprising were those additional remarks from the beautiful woman. She nodded and lavished praise as well.
Head Elder Li had an ashen look on his face. Seeing his expression, the Wu and Yuwen patriarchs sported mocking looks. They were well aware of who Li Ye was, as well as the nightmares inflicted on them by the old man in the past. Needless to say, the Wu and Yuwen clans were nothing more than onlookers over what happened to the man's only son over the past few years.
When the Wu and Yuwen patriarchs exchanged glances at each other, they could see the other's contempt, ridiculing the Li clan for driving out such talent from their clan in the past. Similarly, there was also dread and murderous intent, but they covered it up immediately.
Sure enough, Jiang Wenhua was discombobulated by Li Ye's omnipresent attacks.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
No matter how fast he wielded his saber, a few kicks still landed on his body. It forced him to back off in quick succession, and there was a smudge of redness flowing out from the corner of his mouth.
Before he could attempt a counterattack, a strong punch landed in the center of his chest. He, and screamed and flew out of the arena.
The whole venue fell silent.
There was practically no suspense as Li Ye bagged twenty consecutive victories and advanced to the final stage of the Prodigy Summit.
At the same time, Li Ye became a dark horse in the eyes of many. After all, new faces such as Li Ye were more exciting compared with those prodigies who had made a reputation for themselves in the last prodigy summit.
The preliminary qualifiers soon came to an end, with seventeen people reaching the final successfully. In addition to Li Ye, the Li clan's advancers were Li Yijian, Li Yu, and Li Datou. Besides members of the Three Great Clans, there were also several of Wu Prefecture City's rogue cultivators and smaller clan disciples who managed to reach the finals.