The Sword Lacked Killing Intent—Registering at the Great Soul Arena, Instant Kill with One Sword

Pufferfish and Snake Lance withdrew their gazes.

They began speaking to Xue Qinghe about serious matters.

"Young Master, the new students at Heaven Dou Royal Academy this year are formidable."

"Yu Tianheng, who possesses the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit and enrolled two years ago, has become the captain of the Heaven Dou Royal Team."

"Leading six teammates, he has already achieved twenty consecutive victories at the Imperial City Grand Fighting Arena."

"If you wish to control the Heaven Dou Empire in the future, it would be best to build good relationships with these geniuses."

Xue Qinghe nodded with an indifferent expression. After a long silence, he said:

"Inform the academy committee."

"I have someone who wants to attend the Royal Academy."

Pufferfish and Snake Lance exchanged glances, both seeing a trace of helplessness in the other's eyes.

Was the Young Master really this concerned about that boy named Li Zhixian?

The other party had rejected him time and again, yet he still kept pursuing him.

Of course.

Those words could not be spoken aloud.

The two replied:

"Yes."

Moonlight spread across the ground like salt.

Li Zhixian stood in the center of the courtyard, the Azure Lotus Sword in his hand carving out streaks of sharp sword light.

His Sword Speed was too fast!

And too sharp!

The sword, three fingers wide and three feet six inches long, became an impenetrable blur in Li Zhixian's hands.

The old locust tree in the courtyard was stirred by the sword qi, its leaves falling in rustling showers.

Swish—!

Swish—!

Cold sword light flickered throughout the courtyard.

Every strike struck with flawless precision, piercing through the falling leaves.

When Li Zhixian finally came to a stop.

The Azure Lotus Sword in his hand was already threaded with fallen leaves.

Not a single one of the countless leaves that had danced through the air had fallen to the ground.

If outsiders had witnessed this scene, they would surely have been horrified.

Yet Li Zhixian was not satisfied.

He stared at the Azure Lotus Sword. Starlight flowed along its blade, reflecting his faintly furrowed brows.

"No, no..."

"My sword may be getting sharper and sharper, but it seems to be missing something..."

Just as Li Zhixian frowned in thought.

"Meow—!"

Outside the courtyard.

A miserable howl suddenly rang out.

Li Zhixian instinctively looked over and saw two wildcats leap onto the wall, one chasing and the other fleeing.

The fleeing wildcat suddenly turned around, bared its fangs, arched its back, and sprang forward, its front claws slashing out.

"Meow—!"

Blood immediately bloomed on the neck of the wildcat that had held the upper hand.

At that sight.

Li Zhixian's gaze froze.

A flash of insight crossed his mind.

He knew what his sword lacked.

From what he had seen and learned, he knew the first three realms of the sword: the lower sword slew others, the middle sword slew oneself, and the upper sword slew the night.

By creating the Yaoguang Sword, he had stolen a wisp of starlight and touched upon the sword of the third realm.

But he had forgotten the foundation.

—A sword was a weapon of slaughter!

Li Zhixian murmured:

"Perhaps..."

"I need more real combat where blood is shed."

The following morning.

Li Zhixian arrived before a magnificent structure located at the southeastern corner of the Imperial City.

The structure resembled the Roman coliseum from Li Zhixian's previous life. Its oval outer walls were built from huge yellow stones, their surfaces covered in cracks weathered by wind and rain, as well as bloodstained impact marks.

More than a dozen towering archways, like the ribs of a giant beast, were arranged neatly across the four-story outer walls.

"So this is the Imperial City's Great Soul Arena..."

Li Zhixian stepped into the Great Soul Arena.

In an instant.

A tide of clamor crashed over him.

Sand and dust churned through the murky air, mixed with the stench of blood and sweat.

Deafening roars came from every direction—the bellowing of contestants, the shouts of spectators, and the explosions of colliding soul skills, all tangled together.

Li Zhixian looked ahead, and all he saw was chaos.

A bloodstained arena stood at the center, where soul masters fought until they were covered in blood.

People in the stands waved their arms, their faces twisted in hysterical frenzy.

Li Zhixian slowly exhaled.

Excitement gradually welled up in his dark eyes.

He squeezed his way to the registration desk.

"I want to register for soul fighting."

The registration process went smoothly.

Li Zhixian chose "Sword Wine" as his alias.

An iron soul-fighting badge was pinned to his chest, representing his rank.

In the Great Soul Arena, victory and defeat determined one's points, and points could raise the rank of one's badge.

From lowest to highest, the badge ranks were: iron, bronze, silver, gold, and purple gold.

The higher the rank, the stronger the opponents—and the greater the rewards.

Li Zhixian selected a Faceless Mask with no features and put it on before heading straight for the betting hall.

He placed all his savings—three Gold Soul Coins—in a row on the betting table.

"I'm betting on Sword Wine to win the eight o'clock and nine o'clock matches tonight."

After doing all that.

Li Zhixian left the Great Soul Arena.

It was still early.

He had arranged to eat grilled meat with Xue Qinghe, so it would not be too late to return that evening.

In the blink of an eye, night had fallen.

Backstage for the Great Soul Arena contestants.

Li Zhixian stood with his arms folded, leaning against the wall as he coldly watched contestants with bruised faces or injured bodies walk back and forth.

He also saw several figures curled up in a corner, wrapped like rice dumplings, blackish-red blood seeping through their coarse cloth bandages.

People said soul masters held high status.

But in the Great Soul Arena, soul masters were not much better off than beasts.

Blood and cruelty were the dominant colors here.

Soon.

It was eight o'clock.

Li Zhixian had no fame to speak of. When the host announced his arrival, he slowly stepped onto the stage and received little applause.

But his opponent was another matter.

The host shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Now, let us welcome... Li Lang with our most enthusiastic applause!"

A wave of cheers immediately erupted beneath the stage.

"Li Lang has already won four consecutive one-on-one soul-fighting matches!"

"If he can defeat today's opponent—Sword Wine—he will achieve a five-match winning streak and have his badge promoted to bronze rank!"

Li Zhixian calmly watched his opponent step onto the stage.

He was a burly man with a bare upper body. A blood-wolf tattoo covered his fleshy face, making his temperament all the more vicious.

Noticing the faceless man across from him sizing him up.

He grinned, exposing his crimson gums, and made a throat-slitting gesture.

Li Lang's provocative action.

Stirred up the crowd's emotions.

They howled hysterically at the stage.

"Li Lang! Smash your opponent to pieces!"

"I bet one gold coin on Li Lang! Damn it, Li Lang, you'd better win for me!"

"This Sword Wine is obviously a rookie! I bet everything I own and even borrowed three gold coins—Li Lang will definitely win!"

"Li Lang, tear Sword Wine apart for me!"

With such a heated atmosphere.

The host immediately announced in a loud voice.

"This soul-fighting match begins now!"

The host quickly left the arena.

Amid the audience's increasingly thunderous roars.

Li Lang's Soul Power boiled throughout his body. His already massive frame swelled another three sizes, blue-gray fur sprouted over his arms, fangs protruded from his savage face, and a scarlet glint appeared in his eyes.

One white and one yellow soul ring emerged beneath his feet as he roared and charged at Li Zhixian.

Li Zhixian remained where he stood, not moving for a long time.

He looked as though he had been frightened senseless.

The spectators seemed to have already envisioned blood and organs splattering across the ground, and their shouts grew even more frenzied.

However, just as Li Lang pounced to within a meter of Li Zhixian.

A flash of sword light suddenly streaked forth.

In that instant, even the dim yellow oil lamps within the Great Soul Arena seemed to darken by a fraction.

Li Lang stopped in his tracks, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints.

Across his neck.

A bloodline as thin as a hair quietly bloomed...

Two updates a day, guaranteed. Please vote, dear readers. Thank you, dear readers! This little author bows~~~