Shou Xin simply shook his head and arrived before the very same promoter.
"You really came… I had already lined up a real fight, but you will do as a warmup for my An Nu." The promoter walked forward, "You will wait here till the battle begins. Ah, on the off chance you survive… My name is Meng Qi."
Shou Xin... decisively ignored him.
---
Light poured into the tunnel at the gate was opened.
Shou Xin calmly strolled out unto the arena grounds, his gaze beneath the hood he wore cold.
There were whispers of him in the arena amidst the shouts for the betting.
"The odds are 1:10 in favor of An Nu! Place yours bets! Will An Nu the ripper defeat the famed Sea Spring Swordmaster of the fallen Shou Clan, Shou Xin?! A fortune awaits!"
Vienna, who sat in the seats above, took out ten gold serpents and placed the bet on Shou Xin, getting many strange gazes.
"...a brother?" In the premium boxes above the arena a woman slightly smiled, "Interesting."
"Shall we take him, Young Miss?" Several warriors stepped forward.
She waved her sleeve.
"Do you want to die?" She sighed lightly, "The real Sea Spring Swordmaster is that man in the stands, the one in the arena is clearly an imposter. I cannot even fathom the power of that young man in the stands."
The warriors felt chilled, but as Martial Warriors they also wished for nothing more than to test their skills as the pride within them welled up.
Vienna slightly glanced upwards, a frown cresting his face as he felt her gaze.
"A pig seeking pearls."
(Author's Note - This is an idiom meaning a person seeking far above their station.)
Vienna turned his gaze back down to the arena where the battle had already begun.
---
"Weak… too weak!" Was the only thought Shou Xin could think as he fought against An Nu.
The man, two meters tall and built like a brick house looked as though he could knock one down with ease, and yet he was so slow he put all strong men to shame as most were deceptively fast.
Shou Xin swiftly dodged each of his strikes with minimal movements, his gaze following the strikes and a bitter look in his eyes.
"Master's training is true to its purpose." Shou Xin said coldly, "...I hate it."
He was hoping that the fight would be hard fought, so he could rebuke Vienna the next time he tried to tell him that the training was top of the line, but now as he easily dodged all of the strikes he felt ashamed and aggrieved because he knew now that there was certainly no escape or excuses.
Not that he would use them if there were, but now he knew he himself would never escape it, his pride locking him in.
As his mind wandered, the giant An Nu roared and a horrifying burst of Qi flew out slamming into Shou Xin like a train.
He flew back, taking the Sea Spring Sword with the sheathe still on it out and flicking his wrist.
His Listless Slash was full of Sanguine Sword Qi which was innate sharp, yet, in that moment he felt an inch.
Drawing his mind inward, he saw his foundation and deep within it his soul, the Sanguine Sword Qi shot down like lightning through it and connected to his soul but in the process the large amount of Sanguine Sword Qi he was trying to draw out become destroyed and that which didn't was made incredibly dense and robust.
In a split second, the sheathed Sea Spring Sword released a terrifying burst of Sanguine Sword Qi.
"RUAAA!!!" The Giant An Nu roared viciously as he swing his massive boulder-like fists seeking to break the seemingly thin Sanguine Sword Qi.
The crowd held their breath but those who were accustomed to the battles in the arena averted their eyes waiting for the short scream and the sound of Shou Xin being crushed into paste.
"AH!" A girlish scream echoed.
Boom!
A huge noise resounded!
Those who had looked away peeked through their hands, it was strange that the arena was so quite.
Yet, when they opened their eyes, they too had no words.
An Nu was bleeding all over, his chest had a long slash which had pierced him deeply almost splitting him in two if not for the small amount of chest armour and his reinforcement last second.
Shou Xin landed, his Sea Spring Sword already back at his hip and his hand resting on it's hilt.
He slowly began to walk away turning his back on An Nu.
An Nu had never been disgraced like this in his entire life and raged.
"Die!" He charged forward for only a step.
His top half was dissected from his bottom half, a slash no one had seen save for the few experts in the crowd.
The moment An Nu moved, he died.
Shou Xin quietly stood back where he began, feeling disappointed he looked up to the announcer in his box.
"Ah-, In an upset victory, the Sea Spring Swordmaster has won against An Nu the ripper, decisively striking him in twain using two swift, and ruthless strikes!" The announcer felt the hair on the back of his neck stand.
Countless people felt extremely wrathful, their gazes locked on the announcer though not targeting the announcer, they looked down at Shou Xin.
Sensing the killing intent, Shou Xin released his own bloodthirst.
Those people who had released that killing intent were horrified, their killing intent was like that of a regular humans.
Shou Xin's bloodthirst was like that of a killer who had refined it ceaselessly.
"Why have you not left?" Meng Qi appeared from the side.
"You said there was another opponent." Shou Xin coldly stared at him, causing him to shiver.
"He came here to challenge An Nu."
"I defeated An Nu."
"Ah…"
Meng Qi looked up at the announcer box, the announcer then turned back as though talking to someone before speaking up.
"Due to the upset match with it's quick end, the great bosses have chosen to allow the Sea Spring Swordmaster who has said he would take over this arena, to taste as many matches and challengers as wish to attack within the time block of the original expected length." The announcer said, "Only those within one small realm of him may challenge!"
Shou Xin instantly sensed several strong gazes pointed at him.
"The difference between one small realm is ten times." Vienna leaned back in his seat the betting agent crumpled beside him as he had tried to refuse giving over his prize, "Well, whatever."
He munched away on snacks.
Shou Xin glanced at Vienna and could see what had happened, he shook his head annoyedly, his pent up stress rising to the surface.
"Ah… fuck it." Shou Xin took off the cloak revealing himself he raised the Sea Spring Sword, "If anyone here within a realm can force me to draw my sword, I will personally give over all of my earnings from the last fight!"
"You bastard!" Vienna shouted gathering the attention, "You will not!"
"It was my money you betted with... esteemed brother!" Shou Xin angrily shouted back only to quickly realize who he was talking to and changing his tone slightly.
"You-, fine then, but you are not allowed to kill anyone else and..." Vienna cursed, "If you lose, I will skin you."
Shou Xin felt cold sweat drip down his back.
These two who looked like brothers made many in the crowd want to laugh, but they could not given the situation.
Before Shou Xin, an opponent appeared.
"Tai Lian of the Tai Sword School, ready!" Tai Lian appeared, his countenance that of someone who didn't care about anything around him and only sought strength.
Shou Xin looked at him coldly.
"Surrender."
Tai Lian's expression darkened as he drew his blade, he was not a showman now a slow starter like An Nu.
His blade pierced forward accompanied by the power of his law.
Shou Xin watched the sword as though in slow motion, his muscles relaxed and his feet seemed to be drifting on clouds as he easily dodged the strike, appearing behind him.
In an instant, his sheathed sword arrived at Tai Lian's throat.
"...I admit defeat." Tai Lian swallowed hard.
"Too many wasted movements!" Vienna shouted from the side before Shou Xin could say a thing.
"How?!" Shou Xin shouted back, no longer caring about anything in his rage.
Yet, before Vienna answered, Shou Xin's expression fell and his body vanished from place as he kicked the ground flying up into the sky.
Several swordsmen had appeared in the arena and one of them had attacked.
Shou Xin focused on that single man, he could sense a sharp power radiating from his law, the air around him seemed to turn into blades at random cutting those around him.
Shou Xin fell towards him and the swordsmen grinned viciously, "Tai Lu, ready."
He flicked his wrist and countless small almost invisible blades rushed towards Shou Xin.
Shou Xin waved his hand, the Sea Spring Sword gathering an immensely dense Sanguine Sword Qi.
He swung in a full moon arc.
Tai Lu's gaze emptied out instantly as he fell to his knees, his sword arm horribly injured.
"How?" Tai Lu wanted to scream, but his pride didn't allow it.