One Sword, No Regrets

The entire arena erupted in cheers, everyone pointing and whispering, their focus solely on Yue Qianchou as he emerged. The sect leader and others on the upper floor were somewhat surprised; judging from the disciples' reactions, they hadn't expected Yue Qianchou to wield such influence. Gu Qingyun felt a surge of excitement. Since the Demon Ghost Domain trials began, Yue Qianchou seemed to have become a legend in name only, and although the two were on good terms, his presence had undeniably put him under considerable pressure. Kou Xuehua and the other women were also excited. So far, no one on Fu Xian Island who knew Yue Qianchou had actually seen him fight; their anticipation was palpable.

Twenty disciples handed their drawn lots to Dongfang Changao. Their attention was all focused on Yue Qianchou, their eyes fixed on the lot in his hand, clearly hoping to fight him. Ten elders announced the numbers they needed to supervise, and pairs of disciples followed them towards the competition area. When only Yue Qianchou and one other person remained in front of the hall, they both turned and looked at each other. Needless to say, they were destined to be rivals.

The person supervising the two's competition was Elder Sun, who had gone to the Demon Ghost Domain last time. He glanced at the two and said loudly, "The one who drew number 200, come with me." After saying that, he walked towards the last competition area, and the two followed.

"Hey kid, you better step up your game!" Guan Wei Wu rubbed his hands together excitedly and anxiously. There were even water stains on the railing he had just gripped, clearly his hands were sweaty. Fei Denan, standing to the side, glanced at him and chuckled, "Don't worry, I've taken note of his opponent. He's not the kind of ruthless killer. Even if he loses, nothing serious should happen."

Because Yue Qianchou frequently visited Myriad Fragrance Garden, many disciples there recognized him. Seeing him already standing in the competition area, they all began to discuss him, naturally focusing on whether he could defeat his opponent. Xiao Wanqing and the other girls turned around and confidently told them, "Yue Qianchou will definitely succeed." Their blind admiration remained undiminished. Kou Xuehua, however, was much more rational; upon hearing their words, she slightly shook her head.

"Begin!" Dongfang Changao's shout echoed around. The onlookers fell silent instantly. The sounds of fighting immediately erupted from the arena. However, none of this concerned anyone; everyone's attention was focused on the two people in the number ten arena.

The two men in the arena hesitated to make a move. They sized each other up for a while, then suddenly burst into laughter, leaving those around them somewhat bewildered. Yue Qianchou's opponent clasped his hands in a fist salute and said with a smile, "I am Lu Guang, late Core Formation stage Demon Ghost Domain. You are the legendary Yue Qianchou, who roamed the Demon Realm! I have long admired your name. I never expected that the first match against you would fall to me. It is an honor!"

"So it's Senior Brother Lu. I witnessed your skills yesterday. I hope you'll show mercy again later," Yue Qianchou said with a smile. He remembered this man; yesterday, he was the only one who stopped short of injuring his opponent. Besides his kind heart, his skillful control over his attacks also indicated considerable cultivation.

"Are you two here to chat or to compete?" Elder Sun, who was in charge of supervising the competition, was a little annoyed. The two of them stood there for a moment, then looked each other up and down, then smiled, and then chatted for a while. Several matches in other venues had already been decided, but these two hadn't made a move yet.

"Please!" Lu Guang gestured for the other party to make the first move. In his mind, the two of them were two levels apart in cultivation, making this a contest with no suspense. Even if he won, it would be a bit unfair.

Yue Qianchou smiled and nodded, but his aura suddenly changed. Although he still had a smile on his face, in that instant, it was as if he was not a person, but an unmoving mountain, indifferently looking down at his opponent.

Lu Guang suddenly felt a sense of suffocation from the oppressive aura. Startled, he flicked his longsword out from behind him with a clang, circling around him cautiously. Elder Sun's pupils also dilated sharply as he stared at Yue Qianchou in astonishment.

The disciples watching the competition also noticed the unusual situation. A sharp glint suddenly flashed in Feng Xiangtian's eyes as he fixed his gaze on the scene, slowly stroking his long beard. The elders also narrowed their eyes slightly.

Meanwhile, in other arenas, the winners had already been decided and the games were over, but they hadn't even made a move yet.

"Senior Brother Lu, please be careful. I am about to use a move called 'One Sword, No Regrets.' Please give me your guidance." Yue Qianchou said calmly, putting immense pressure on Lu Guang. He didn't understand why this was happening. His opponent's cultivation was clearly two levels lower than his, and he didn't know what he was afraid of.

Suddenly, everyone staring at the area seemed to see a flash of light. Before they could figure out what was happening, they saw a gleaming flying sword pressed straight against Lu Guang's throat. As everyone remained silent and astonished, the "whooshing" sound of a sword being drawn quickly spread throughout the square.

Everyone was shocked to realize what had happened. The sword was already at their opponent's neck, and they had only just heard the sound of it being drawn. My God! How fast was that? It was terrifying! It undoubtedly exceeded the speed of sound.

Elder Sun was the closest to the two fighters. Although his cultivation level allowed him to see the trajectory of the sword strike, its speed was truly astonishing. On the upper floor, Sect Leader Feng Xiangtian, who was stroking his beard, froze. All the elders were stunned, and Guan Wei Wu stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief.

Feeling the sharp edge poised to strike his neck, Lu Guang, his face pale, forced a bitter smile and said, "I've lost!"

The longsword that had been circling around him slowly returned to its sheath. Was there any need to continue the fight? The other person had already shown mercy; otherwise, his head would have been severed from his neck long ago. But the speed was far too fast, so fast that he didn't even have a chance to react.

Yue Qianchou withdrew his imposing aura, his longsword flashed back into its sheath, and he turned to leave. Suddenly Lu Guang called out, "Junior Brother Yue, wait!"

"Is there anything I can help you with, Senior Brother Lu?" Yue Qianchou asked, turning around.

"Thank you for your mercy Junior Brother Yue Xie Yue!" Lu Guang bowed dejectedly and asked, "I just heard Junior Brother Yue say that this move is called 'One Sword, No Regrets'. I find it strange, as I don't think I've ever seen this sword technique in the Scripture Pavilion. Please enlighten me, Junior Brother Yue, so that I can understand why I lost."

Yue Qianchou smiled calmly and said, "This sword technique is something I came up with on my own while reading the sword techniques in the Scripture Pavilion. Senior Brother Lu, there's no need to thank me. You should thank yourself! If it weren't for Senior Brother Lu's compassionate heart during yesterday's competition, I would have had no regrets after casting this sword. But in the end, I still regretted it and dared not harm Senior Brother Lu in the slightest." After saying that, he turned and walked towards the crowd in the Alchemy Pavilion.

Lu Guang broke out in a cold sweat. It turned out that the other party had spared him because he hadn't hurt anyone yesterday. Otherwise, that sword strike could have really taken his life. Thinking about it, he felt fortunate for his momentary kindness yesterday.

At this moment, the people on the Cultivation Pavilion's side remained silent. The Core Formation stage disciples were all putting themselves in the shoes of the Core Formation stage Pavilion disciples, wondering if they could have dodged that sword strike. The other sects, however, erupted in jubilation, as if they themselves had won. Yue Qianchou's sword strike was brilliant; with just one strike, he had defeated the Cultivation Pavilion disciples, finally giving them, the inferior disciples who did menial tasks, a sense of satisfaction...

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