The Startling Swan Blade Appears, Shaking the World!

"Was that... Blade Momentum?"

"How could a Second-Rate Martial Artist comprehend Blade Momentum?"

"Blade Momentum..."

Among the crowd, some well-informed martial artists widened their eyes, as though they had witnessed something unbelievable.

Blade Momentum!

A power of the mind that only the very best among First-Rate Martial Artists could possibly grasp.

According to legend, Blade Momentum, Sword Momentum, and other martial momentums could almost only be mastered by those whose Skill Approaching the Dao.

This meant that, in a sense, Ji Qing's attainments in the blade had already reached the realm of Skill Approaching the Dao!

However, "Blade Momentum" was still too obscure. Most people of the Jianghu had neither heard of it nor seen it before.

They did not understand it, nor could they appreciate the terror of Blade Momentum.

But Du Chen on the arena was different.

He was already a top-tier blade master, so naturally he knew what Blade Momentum was.

Moreover, he was facing Ji Qing's Blade Momentum head-on!

The instant Ji Qing's hand gripped the hilt, terrifying Blade Momentum erupted. In Du Chen's eyes, it seemed as though only one blade remained between heaven and earth—a blade capable of cleaving away all things!

At that moment, a trace of fear rose in Du Chen's heart.

But beyond fear, what he felt even more was excitement.

Because Blade Momentum was also the pursuit of his entire life.

He had never imagined that today, he would be able to face true Blade Momentum head-on!

Ji Qing's hand rested on the hilt.

He did not draw his blade immediately, because he needed to accumulate momentum.

He wanted to unleash the most peak strike possible, and naturally, he needed to accumulate his momentum to its peak as well!

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

Clang.

Du Chen was unwilling to wait any longer. He drew first.

Although Ji Qing's Blade Momentum was terrifying and powerful, it was not so powerful that Du Chen could not even draw his blade.

Facing the Blade Momentum head-on, confronting the terror within his own heart, Du Chen drew his blade with an unstoppable resolve.

The moment Du Chen drew his blade, he seemed to return to his childhood. The first time he practiced the blade, beneath his father's stern gaze, he had gritted his teeth and drawn it.

The first time he drew his blade.

The first time he swung it.

The first time he practiced the blade.

How pure Du Chen had been back then.

There had been no troublesome worldly affairs.

No dazzling desires for fame and profit.

Only a heart that wished to "draw the blade."

But now, it had all returned.

Spurred on by Ji Qing's Blade Momentum, Du Chen seemed to have found his original aspiration once more.

At that moment, Du Chen was at the absolute peak of his life—and closer than ever to comprehending his own Blade Momentum!

However, Ji Qing drew his blade as well.

A fraction slower.

But that did not matter.

His momentum had also reached its peak, and he drew at that very pinnacle!

Ji Qing's blade left its sheath. It looked a sliver slower than Du Chen's blade-light, yet it struck later and arrived first.

A dazzling flash of blade-light filled everyone's vision.

Even beneath the bright daylight, the brilliant sun was not as dazzling as that slash.

This was a strike that fused three blade techniques into one!

From the instant he drew, Ji Qing's blade accelerated—faster and faster—until its light swept across Du Chen's neck, like a startled swan flashing through the void and vanishing in an instant.

Yet very few people could see that scene clearly.

Most could not even make out the blade-light.

They only saw two flashes of blade-light flicker through the air before all returned to stillness.

It was as though neither of them had moved at all.

The two men still stood where they were.

Whoosh.

Some of the elder veterans of the Jianghu could no longer remain seated. They abruptly rose to their feet, their eyes fixed tightly on the two figures atop the arena.

Both men had only swung their blades once.

The victor seemed to have been decided, yet no one knew who had won and who had lost.

"I only saw a flash of blade light. Then they were both still standing there. That's it?"

"I've been watching them the whole time, but did they really draw their blades? Why couldn't I see anything at all...?"

"I practice the blade too. I've trained for more than ten years, even. How did they not use any blade techniques, not a single move, just one flash of blade light? What was that?"

"When masters cross blades, one move is enough..."

Below the arena, many people looked at one another, their eyes filled with confusion.

Click.

Ji Qing sheathed his blade.

He said nothing, merely standing quietly atop the arena.

Only Ji Qing and Du Chen understood that, in that fleeting instant, both of them had unleashed the most peak-perfect strike of their lives.

Though there had only been one strike, victory and defeat had already been decided.

Du Chen looked at Ji Qing and asked calmly, "What blade technique was that?"

"I created it myself—the Startling Swan Blade! You're the first person to see it!"

"Startling Swan... a fine blade technique! It is the fastest, most beautiful strike I have ever seen. To die beneath such a blade technique, I have no regrets..."

As his words fell, the smile on Du Chen's face gradually froze.

Thud.

His body toppled stiffly onto the arena.

A line of blood appeared across Du Chen's neck. Blood instantly burst forth, swiftly staining the ground red.

A thick scent of blood permeated the air.

He was dead.

Du Chen had died just like that.

With only one strike!

Du Chen, the Wind Chasing Blade, hailed as Green Province's foremost constable, had fallen beneath Ji Qing's blade.

Silence!

The entire area around the arena was deathly quiet.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, their gazes locked onto Du Chen's corpse on the arena.

They seemed unable to believe it.

The mighty Wind Chasing Blade had died just like that?

Killed in a single strike!

But when they thought carefully about that strike, no one present had even been able to see the blade light clearly. If they truly faced Ji Qing's strike, who could block it?

They could not even understand it.

How could Ji Qing's blade be so fast?

Ji Qing walked down from the arena, one step at a time.

Clatter.

A group of constables hurried forward, drawing their blades and blocking Ji Qing's path.

Ji Qing made no movement. He merely raised his head, his calm gaze sweeping across the constables.

The constables' bodies stiffened.

Ji Qing took one step, and they retreated one step.

Yet not a single constable dared step forward. They did not even dare utter a word of rebuke.

And so, beneath countless watching eyes, Ji Qing walked step by step through the crowd, slowly vanishing from everyone's sight.

Clang.

Someone's blade fell to the ground.

It was a bladesman.

All his life, he had prided himself on being a bladesman. Since beginning martial training, his blade had never left his hand.

Yet after twenty years of practicing the blade, only today—after witnessing the battle between Du Chen and Ji Qing—did he seem to suddenly awaken to what true blade techniques were.

"Hahaha, twenty years of blade practice, all wasted years. This blade might as well be thrown away..."

The swordsman laughed loudly as he turned and left.

There were many Jianghu folk just like him.

All wore dazed, soul-lost expressions.

Yet others' eyes shone brightly, the shock in their hearts refusing to settle for a long while.

"A blade technique can be this fast? And that near-divine blade momentum... One day, I too will reach such a realm!"

But whether they felt stirred or despondent, this battle had already shaken the entire Jianghu!

On the third day of the ninth month in the tenth year of Yongchang, Ji Qing, the Heartless Blade, ranked fifth on the Villain Ranking, fought Du Chen, the Wind Chasing Blade and Green Province's foremost constable, in Anyang City.

Ji Qing slew Du Chen with a single blade stroke in the street!

The moment the news emerged, the Jianghu trembled! The world erupted in uproar!