"Ninth Prince, you better be careful!"
Xue Kai smirked as he channeled his True Qi into his sword, activating three force-enhancing runes. The sword in his hand immediately reached a weight of 350 pounds, becoming immensely heavy.
Holding the sword with both hands, he executed broad and powerful moves. As he swung the sword, shockwaves rippled through the air. Though the sword technique appeared simple, it was flawless and devoid of any unnecessary flourishes—each strike carried immense power.
Zhang Ruochen also channeled his True Qi into the Blue Water Sword, activating one ice rune and one force rune. A piercing cold aura emanated from the blade, forming tiny white frost particles in the air.
Knowing his strength was not on par with Xue Kai's, Zhang Ruochen chose not to engage in direct confrontation.
Instead, he employed a mysterious footwork, moving swiftly while swinging his sword, dodging Xue Kai's attacks with precise timing.
From outside the arena, Lin Fengxian closely observed Zhang Ruochen's footwork, his heart skipping a beat. "How is it that his footwork matches that of the Heaven's Heart Sword Technique?"
Advanced sword techniques often have complementary footwork. When combined with the sword technique, they can unleash the full potential of the skill. Seeing Zhang Ruochen execute this footwork left Lin Fengxian astonished.
Xue Kai's sword was incredibly heavy, resulting in high True Qi consumption.
As the battle prolonged, Xue Kai began to feel fatigued, sweat dripping from his forehead. More than half of his True Qi was already depleted.
Initially aiming to defeat Zhang Ruochen within a few moves, he found himself unable to even touch Zhang Ruochen's sword after dozens of exchanges.
Something was wrong!
He had fallen into a trap!
"He's deliberately draining my stamina and True Qi."
Realizing this, Xue Kai pulled back some of his True Qi, activating only one of the force runes. His sword instantly became half as heavy!
Now was the moment!
Zhang Ruochen seized the initiative!
"Heaven's Heart Guides the Way!"
Zhang Ruochen's arm moved as he slashed out with his sword. An eight-meter-long sword energy shot across the ground, leaving a path as it extended toward Xue Kai.
Xue Kai was taken aback, not expecting Zhang Ruochen to be capable of executing an advanced spiritual-level sword technique.
In a hurry, he channeled all his True Qi and raised his sword to block.
"Boom!"
The sword energy clashed against Xue Kai's blade, sending him flying. His clothes shredded into pieces.
When he landed, he was already outside the arena.
Looking at his bloody hand, Xue Kai glanced back at Zhang Ruochen, who stood confidently in the center of the arena. With a bitter expression, he said, "I've lost."
As the battle concluded, the spectators were still in shock.
A warrior at the large extremity of the Yellow Realm had been defeated by someone at the small extremity?
"He really used the Heaven's Heart Sword Technique. How is this possible?" Lin Ningshan's eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't accept that Zhang Ruochen knew this technique and, moreover, seemed to have mastered it better than she had.
"Could it be that the mysterious person we encountered at the Central Auction was him?"
Lin Fengxian's face turned serious. "It's not that simple. Ningshan, don't forget, the Heaven's Heart Sword Technique we acquired wasn't the original copy. It was a transcription made by a warrior at the Heavenly Extremity Realm."
"Father, are you suggesting that Zhang Ruochen's rapid progress is due to having a Heavenly Extremity Realm expert supporting him?" Lin Ningshan whispered in surprise.
"Shh!"
Lin Fengxian motioned for silence. "Let's not let others know. We'll discuss this further when we get back."
Lin Ningshan nodded, her eyes narrowing as she stared at Zhang Ruochen, filled with resentment. "No wonder he was able to evade my 'Heaven's Heart Guides the Way' move. It turns out he also knows this sword technique. Zhang Ruochen, how many more secrets are you hiding?"
"Even Xue Kai lost?"
"Ninth Prince seems to have mastered a spiritual-level sword technique. It's no surprise Xue Kai lost to him."
"It looks like the Ninth Prince has also reached the Sword Follows the Heart level. He truly is a swordsmanship prodigy."
...
No one dared to underestimate the Ninth Prince anymore. Instead, they viewed him as an exceptional martial arts genius, even believing he was on par with the Seventh Prince in terms of talent.
The next duel was between the Fifth Prince and Situ Linjiang.
The Fifth Prince had activated a Grade Three Divine Martial Imprint and was nineteen years old, having reached the large extremity of the Yellow Realm.
Situ Linjiang, the number one talent of the Situ family, had activated a Grade Four Crimson Flame Divine Martial Imprint. At seventeen, he had also reached the large extremity of the Yellow Realm.
Within the younger generation of the entire royal city, Situ Linjiang had established a name for himself. With his talent, he might even break through the large extremity of the Yellow Realm and reach the Black Realm before the age of twenty.
Situ Linjiang held a black spear, standing proudly in the center of the arena as he faced the Fifth Prince. Confidently, he declared, "Your Highness, you're no match for me."
The Fifth Prince responded, "We are both at the large extremity of the Yellow Realm. Defeating me won't be so easy."
"You know very well that I possess the Grade Four Crimson Flame Divine Martial Imprint. My True Qi carries the power of flames. At the same level, no one can rival me. It won't be easy for you to withstand even ten moves against my spear," Situ Linjiang stated confidently, his eyes sharp and his demeanor exuding an aura of invincibility.
Indeed, those who possess elemental Divine Martial Imprints are generally stronger than those with ordinary ones at the same level.
"Is that so? We'll find out soon enough," the Fifth Prince replied, raising his sword. His True Qi flowed rapidly through his twelve meridians, surging into his weapon.
"Swoosh!"
He activated the three engraved runes on his sword simultaneously, and a meter-high sword glow erupted.
The Fifth Prince initiated the attack, using a mid-grade human-level sword technique, slashing his sword to create a vortex of sword light, which he directed at Situ Linjiang.
To secure a notable rank in the year-end assessments, most young warriors had prepared one or more mid-grade human-level techniques, aiming to make a name for themselves.
The Fifth Prince was no exception. He had spent six months mastering the Heavenly Light Sword Technique, a set of eight moves, of which he had successfully learned three.
"Is that all the Heavenly Light Sword Technique has?" Situ Linjiang sneered.
Under the Fifth Prince's relentless assault, Situ Linjiang appeared calm and composed. Wielding his black spear, he effortlessly deflected each of the Fifth Prince's attacks.
"Clang! Clang!"
Sparks flew as the spear and sword clashed.
"Cloud Rain Sword!"
The Fifth Prince shouted, leaping six meters into the air. With both hands gripping his sword, he slashed down.
The sword's glow intensified, showering down like a rain of light upon Situ Linjiang.
Having opened thirteen meridians, one more than the Fifth Prince, Situ Linjiang's True Qi flowed quickly through them and surged into his arms.
His hands seemed to ignite with flames, channeling fire into his spear and activating the three fire-element runes engraved on it.
"Fiery Spirit Snake!"
Utilizing a top-grade human-level technique, the Fire Serpent Spear Technique, he thrust his spear. It resembled a fiery serpent, shattering the Fifth Prince's sword light.
"Boom!"
The Fifth Prince was sent flying, his royal robe catching fire and turning to ashes within moments.
Situ Linjiang charged forward, delivering a reverse strike with his spear's tail, hitting the Fifth Prince in the chest and knocking him out of the arena.
The Fifth Prince struggled to his feet, wiping blood from his mouth as he gazed at Situ Linjiang, who stood in the arena like a reincarnated spear deity. "The Fire Serpent Spear Technique... impressive! If you had used it from the start, I probably wouldn't have been able to withstand even three moves."
Situ Linjiang's technique was indeed dazzling, demonstrating a mastery of the Spear Follows the Heart level. Combined with the flame power in his True Qi, he had few equals at the large extremity of the Yellow Realm.
Outside the arena, Mo Hanlin remarked calmly, "Now, it's down to just the Ninth Prince and Situ Linjiang. As expected, Situ Linjiang is the top youth of the Situ family. There's no need for the final match."
"Why's that?" Qin Ya blinked her enchanting eyes, her lashes long and neat. Her flirtatious gaze seemed to captivate every man's soul.
Mo Hanlin explained, "Situ Linjiang's cultivation places him at the peak of the large extremity stage in the Yellow Realm. Even among his peers, few can match him. Although the Ninth Prince is extraordinarily talented, he's only at the small extremity stage. While he could defeat Xue Kai, defeating Situ Linjiang is beyond him."
Many spectators shared Mo Hanlin's view. While they acknowledged the Ninth Prince's prodigious talent, they couldn't believe he could defeat Situ Linjiang at this stage.
"If the Ninth Prince were given another year to cultivate, defeating Situ Linjiang wouldn't be an issue. But as it stands, there's still quite a gap."
Qin Ya's lips curled into a smile. "That's not necessarily the case. Geniuses are called so because they create miracles. I'm eager to see if the Ninth Prince can do just that. If he does, I might become even more interested in him! Haha!"
Her eyes twinkled as she smiled, curving into two crescent moons like a pair of enchanting moons.