The Price!

Lu Jue finally raised his eyes and looked calmly at the other man.

That gaze was as deep as an ancient well, without the slightest ripple, yet it made Jiang Youwei's gathered momentum falter.

"Finished?"

Lu Jue spoke, his voice quiet but clearly reaching the other man's ears. The smile on Jiang Youwei's face visibly stiffened.

"Your sword is trembling."

"You use strength bought with flattery and speak words that go against your heart. Someone like you isn't even qualified to make me get serious!"

"Tell Zhao He—"

"His money can't buy my path, and his walls can't stop my fists."

"Arrogant!"

The composure on Jiang Youwei's face froze in an instant. He spoke no further, lunging forward as the costly Synthetic Training Sword gave a piercing shriek and transformed into a cold blue bolt of lightning, stabbing straight at Lu Jue's face!

This strike was fast, ruthless, and precise, gathering all his strength. The sword wind was so fierce that it carved clear ripples through the air.

Lu Jue's eyes narrowed slightly. Faced with a sword aimed directly at his face, his thoughts raced.

His head was by no means his weak point, but exposing that trump card too early to the prying eyes below the stage—especially to Zhao He—would not be wise.

In the blink of an eye, he made his choice.

Just as the sword tip was about to touch his forehead, his left fist shot upward—not to meet the blade, but to smash the side of the sword with the back of his fist.

Clang!

With a crisp ring of metal striking stone, several sparks burst from where fist and sword collided.

"So your weakness really is your head!" Jiang Youwei shouted, his heart instantly swelling with arrogance.

He twisted his wrist, unleashing a sword barrage like a raging storm. The Synthetic Training Sword became arcs of blue light, attacking Lu Jue's face.

Lu Jue blocked again, then spotted an opening and sent a swift straight punch directly at Jiang Youwei's centerline.

Yet Jiang Youwei's footwork was extraordinarily nimble, like willow catkins drifting in the wind. With a light turn of his body, he let that sure-hit punch brush past his clothes and miss.

"Hmph, do you think my Returning Snow Steps are something you can touch so easily?" Jiang Youwei sneered. His longsword swept upward with the motion, forcing Lu Jue half a step back.

Lu Jue had never before tangled with a Sword Dao genius like Jiang Youwei. Fists were short, swords were long, and coupled with that exquisite footwork, he was temporarily forced onto the defensive.

Several probing bursts had all been evaded by a hair's breadth. Yet that training sword always slipped through openings like a venomous snake, leaving threats along the paths of his movements.

Riiip!

With the sound of cloth tearing, the sword tip sliced a long gash across the clothing at Lu Jue's left shoulder.

The smug curve at Jiang Youwei's lips had only just appeared when his smile froze completely the next instant.

Beneath the torn cloth, only a faint pale mark appeared on Lu Jue's skin. Moments later, it quietly faded away. It had not even broken the skin!

What kind of Hardening Kung Fu was this?!

Jiang Youwei's heart shook violently. Though his Synthetic Training Sword was unsharpened, driven at full force, it had enough penetrating power to shatter bricks and stone. Yet now, it could not even leave a bloody mark on the other man's skin?

The sharp-eyed trainees below the stage also noticed this bizarre scene. Suppressed cries of shock spread like a tide.

"Did you see that? Jiang Youwei's Qi and Blood Value broke ten thousand long ago, right? With that kind of strength, he can't even break the skin!"

"I fought Jiang Youwei before. One slash from him sent me straight into intensive care!"

"Impossible! Jiang Youwei held back!"

"He absolutely didn't hold back! Jiang Youwei signed with the Li Family!"

"It's Lu Jue's hardening technique. I was there when he challenged Li Zhanting! Lu Jue's only weakness is his head!"

"Again! I want to see just how hard you really are!" Jiang Youwei laughed in extreme anger. The footwork beneath him suddenly changed, his body swaying left and right like an afterimage in the wind. His sword tip pointed vaguely at Lu Jue's chest and abdomen, as though he intended to keep testing the defense across his body.

Just when everyone thought he would continue circling and probing, his wrist suddenly flicked. The sword tip that had been aimed at Lu Jue's chest drew a strange arc, darting at Lu Jue's temple like a venomous snake flicking out its tongue. This strike was sinister and tricky, completely defying the trajectory of his previous attacks!

However—

Smack!

Lu Jue's left hand had somehow already shot out like iron pincers. His five fingers precisely clamped around the sharp sword tip. The blade, capable of piercing brick and stone, was firmly locked in his bare hand and could advance no farther!

Jiang Youwei's pupils contracted sharply. Before he could change his move, a vast, immense force had already struck him squarely in the chest.

Bang!

Lu Jue's right fist slammed into his chest like heavy artillery.

Jiang Youwei flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily into the edge of the arena with a dull thud.

"Cough—" He dropped to one knee and violently spat out a mouthful of blood. His sword-holding right hand trembled fiercely, and his face instantly turned as pale as paper.

The force of that punch far exceeded anything he understood!

At that critical instant, if he had not forcibly twisted his body with Returning Snow Steps at the last moment and shed part of the force, then even if he did not die, he would have been grievously crippled!

Even so, the violent fist force still jolted his internal organs out of place, nearly robbing him of the ability to fight.

"You... what kind of monster are you?" Jiang Youwei used his sword for support and barely climbed to his feet. His voice was hoarse and unpleasant, every word carrying flecks of blood.

Lu Jue looked at him calmly. "Surrender, or I'll help you surrender!"

A trace of struggle flashed across Jiang Youwei's face.

He knew he no longer had any chance of winning. Yet in the instant his will slackened, his lower body suddenly stiffened, then began trembling violently beyond his control. Lu Jue, standing opposite him, even heard faint mechanical noises.

"You're not hurt yet! I can't surrender!"

Jiang Youwei's voice abruptly rose, carrying a sob on the verge of collapse. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at Lu Jue.

"Please! Please!"

"Let me cut you once! Just once! As long as I draw blood!"

As the words fell, he charged again with his sword in an exceedingly bizarre posture. His movements were stiff and twisted, his blade tracing chaotic arcs through the air. He had long since lost the form of his earlier attacks; only instinctive swings driven by despair remained.

Lu Jue sharply noticed that Jiang Youwei's pupils seemed to lose focus in that instant. His eyes turned hollow and crazed, while the faint sound of machinery grew clearer and clearer as he approached.

"Could that mechanical sound mean he still has some unspeakable trick up his sleeve?"

Lu Jue's eyes turned ice-cold.

Though he did not know what strange change had occurred to the other man, he had never been soft-hearted toward enemies.

This time, he did not even need to judge the other man's footwork. With a single stride forward, he precisely cut into the center amid the chaotic sword shadows. His right fist, carrying a fierce gust of wind, smashed heavily into Jiang Youwei's chest!

Bang!

Jiang Youwei flew backward through the air like a kite with its string cut.

But at that very instant—

Jiang Youwei suddenly convulsed in midair, and a foul-smelling substance abruptly sprayed out!

At the same time, an egg-sized metal object struck the arena with a thunk. After rolling several times, it emitted a faint electric buzzing sound.

Lu Jue frowned tightly. Waves of numbness spread through the hand that had struck the other man's chest just now. That was clearly the sign of an electric current passing through it!

When his gaze shifted and he clearly saw the object on the ground, even with his temperament, his mind jolted!

So this was the price of being a dog for the Power Elites?