One Sword, Instant Kill (Please Bookmark, Please Follow)

"What if I win?"

The moment Zhong Ming said that, Xie Yuzhu's expression turned cold.

"Impossible. This young lady is at Mid Qi Condensation, and I have Chongyuan. There's no way you can defeat me."

Facing Xie Yuzhu's absolute confidence, Zhong Ming did not argue directly. He merely smiled. "It is indeed difficult for me, at early Qi Condensation, to defeat you, Miss. But there are always unexpected turns in this world. What if I win..."

"There will be no unexpected turns. This young lady will definitely win."

Firmly convinced of her victory, she finally spoke. "Though I think you're indulging in wishful thinking, since you insist, this young lady will give you a promise."

"If you defeat this young lady, I'll cover all the future upgrades for your Flying Sword."

After saying that, Xie Yuzhu glared at Zhong Ming. "No more problems now, right?"

"None. Miss Xie, you may make your move."

As he spoke, Zhong Ming drew back his left foot and assumed a sword-drawing stance.

"Buzz..."

As he took that stance, a peculiar intent enveloped the several meters around Zhong Ming.

It was like a place whose surface was calm and still, while beneath lurked undercurrents, whirlpools, and bottomless abysses.

The moment Zhong Ming assumed his sword-drawing stance, even the aura around him became eerily tranquil.

Within that range, Xie Yuzhu was not deceived by the surface calmness due to her keen senses. Instead, she felt a chill and a measure of threat.

Yet this did not frighten her. Instead, her eyes suddenly lit up.

"You've got some skill, huh? No wonder you were rated Class A on Dragon Stream Peak."

"But it still isn't enough to deal with me."

Boom!

Before her words had faded, she erupted with immense Energy Blast and charged furiously at Zhong Ming while wielding her greatsword, like a humanoid tyrannosaur.

Boom!

While still midway through her charge, her mana transformed into flames and flowed into the patterns on the Chongyuan Sword. The already massive Chongyuan Sword extended several more meters, forming a blade of fire.

Rumble...

Wielding a nearly seven-meter flaming greatsword, Xie Yuzhu smashed it viciously toward Zhong Ming from a great distance.

Ferocious, tyrannical, irresistible—those were the feelings Xie Yuzhu gave Zhong Ming.

At Mid Qi Condensation, she had been nourished by heavenly treasures since childhood. This gave her three to five times more mana in her qi sea than an ordinary Mid Qi Condensation cultivator.

As she swung a high-grade artifact at him, Zhong Ming felt as if a mountain were collapsing upon him.

Is this what a genius with a background is like? She's absurdly strong. I can't block this attack.

Realizing that he could not block it, Zhong Ming ultimately did not try.

"Hm?!"

Zhong Ming's refusal to defend caught Xie Yuzhu off guard and made her anxious.

"Idiot, are you trying to die? Dodge!"

In her panic, she even wanted to withdraw her sword.

Unfortunately, after being suppressed for so long and harboring a longing for sword cultivators, she had poured everything into this slash. Having held nothing back, even she could no longer retract it.

In the end, she could only watch helplessly as her flaming greatsword crashed down, and Zhong Ming's figure turned into a bubble amid the fiery shockwave.

"It's over, I killed someone... No, a bubble? That wasn't Zhong Ming!"

"A clone? An illusion? Where is his real body?"

At that moment, Xie Yuzhu had already sensed something and desperately tried to locate Zhong Ming's true body.

Unfortunately, by the time she reacted, it was already too late.

Clang!

Just as Xie Yuzhu's Long Sword missed, a crisp sword cry suddenly rang out at her side.

Along with the sound came a sharp, lightning-fast flash of sword light.

At some point, Zhong Ming had shifted to her flank. What remained in his original position was merely an illusion created through the refraction of Water Flow and the Cloud Mist Technique.

"Not good!"

Bang!

In the end, Xie Yuzhu was sent flying more than ten meters away.

Zhong Ming had not intended to kill her. At the final moment, he changed his Long Sword from a vertical slash into a horizontal strike.

Of course, as his sword came down, Zhong Ming realized that he had overthought things. The moment Xie Yuzhu's life was threatened, a brilliant shield was activated from the necklace at her neck, causing Zhong Ming's Long Sword to land on the shield instead.

She even has life-saving equipment. A Lineage descendant really is a Lineage descendant.

"Despicable!"

While Zhong Ming was sighing inwardly, Xie Yuzhu, who had been sent flying, had already risen to her feet.

Protected by the shield, she had not suffered much injury.

But her face was clearly angry now, and she felt that Zhong Ming's methods were vile, despicable, and shameless.

"You're a sword cultivator. How can you use such lowly methods..."

Before Zhong Ming could respond, a scoff rang out nearby.

"Who told you sword cultivators can't use such methods?"

The one who spoke was Qi Hong.

The appearance of him and several others, along with the sharp sword cultivator aura surrounding them, left Xie Yuzhu confused.

"Aren't sword cultivators supposed to be upright and open, free and unrestrained?"

"Heh..." Xie Yuzhu's words made the scorn on Qi Hong's face deepen. "Upright and open, free and unrestrained? Heh, sword cultivators like that died out long ago... Demons and Monsters won't talk to you about such things. Ambushes, assassinations, lures, self-destruction, attacks on the heart... To kill us, demons and evil creatures will use every sinister method they can."

"As sword cultivators, only by being more decisive in slaughter and more willing to stop at nothing than they are can we survive."

At this point, Qi Hong shook his head.

"Little girl, if I were you, I'd give up those meaningless fantasies. The world outside is far more dangerous than you imagine."

"The core of sword cultivators today has only one word: kill!"

"Kill everything. All things can be killed!"

"..."

Qi Hong's words shattered Xie Yuzhu's fantasies about sword cultivators and left her silent.

After a long while, once she had recovered, she first bowed to Zhong Ming.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you despicable. You won just now as well."

"I keep my word. I'll forge you a better-quality Flying Sword. In the future, you can also leave your Flying Sword's upgrades and maintenance to me."

At this point, Xie Yuzhu's expression suddenly turned solemn.

"But I have one request. I want to fight you again."

Clearly, her previous defeat had partly come from carelessness, and she was unwilling to accept it.

To persuade Zhong Ming to fight, she was even prepared to offer some resources.

"You're the leader of the Sword Testing Platform, right? I can offer spirit stones..."

"No need. Forging a Flying Sword for me will count as you owing me a favor. If you want someone to spar with in the future, you can always come to me."

Zhong Ming was no fool, and at present, he also needed something from Xie Yuzhu.

She would not only forge his Flying Sword, but he would also need to trouble her with its future maintenance and upgrades.

Under such circumstances, Zhong Ming would not offend her. He was more willing to befriend her.

Zhong Ming's words made Xie Yuzhu look at him far more favorably.

Then, before their next battle, she said to Zhong Ming, "Please be careful next. This time, I'm going all out."

"I will."

"Whew..."

After taking a deep breath, Zhong Ming once again assumed his sword-drawing stance.

On the other side, Xie Yuzhu poured her vast mana into the Chongyuan Sword.

The next moment, gripping the sword with both hands, she swung with all her strength.

With a bang, she threw the person-tall greatsword at him.

"Hm?!"

"Thrown?"

Watching the Chongyuan Sword tear through the air toward him, Zhong Ming was momentarily surprised.

He could not understand why Xie Yuzhu would do this.

However, though he could not figure it out, Zhong Ming remained cautious. At once, he activated the Leaping Wave Dragon Creek Steps and leaped to the side, intending to evade the greatsword's strike.

But just as Zhong Ming jumped—

"Go!" With Xie Yuzhu's sharp cry, the Chongyuan Sword suddenly changed direction and continued flying toward Zhong Ming.

"It's actually a Flying Sword."

Zhong Ming had not thought so before because the Chongyuan Sword was too thick and heavy, like a door plank. Such a greatsword could not possibly fly quickly.

The fact that it was a Flying Sword truly exceeded Zhong Ming's expectations.

But once he knew, Zhong Ming was no longer afraid.

He did not even intend to bother with it. Sensing that it could not fly quickly, Zhong Ming sprang forward, intending to pass by its side.

The next moment, Zhong Ming wanted to accelerate further and charge straight at Xie Yuzhu.

Yet Zhong Ming's actions did not frighten Xie Yuzhu. Instead, a faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips.

Just as Zhong Ming had leaped to the side of the Chongyuan Sword and lightly tapped the ground with his toes, ready to accelerate again—

Xie Yuzhu's sword fingers suddenly turned sharp, and several words slipped from her cherry lips.

"Got you!"

As she spoke, a violent fluctuation of Spiritual Energy suddenly erupted from within the incomparably heavy Chongyuan Sword at Zhong Ming's side.

"Not good!"

That fluctuation made Zhong Ming's heart tighten and his pupils contract.

The next moment, he immediately halted the Leaping Wave Dragon Creek Steps, swung his Long Sword, and unleashed the Dragon Creek Swordplay.

Bang!

As Zhong Ming executed his swordplay, the Chongyuan Sword suddenly exploded apart.

That was not a figure of speech, but the literal truth. Under Xie Yuzhu's control, the Chongyuan Sword burst apart, splitting from one Long Sword into seven.

The next moment, those seven Long Swords became seven streaks of light and shot toward Zhong Ming together.

Whoosh...

Fortunately, Zhong Ming was no weakling. At once, he unleashed the Dragon Creek Swordplay with all his strength.

Through Water Fluctuation, Zhong Ming's Long Sword carried a pulling force and was exceptionally adept at deflecting force.

With a sweep of Zhong Ming's sword, five of the seven incoming Long Swords were diverted.

As for the remaining two, Zhong Ming evaded them using the Leaping Wave Dragon Creek Steps.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Whoosh...

What followed was a fierce entanglement between Zhong Ming and the seven Long Swords.

While wielding his Long Sword, Zhong Ming continuously shifted, dodged, and leaped, while unleashing the Dragon Creek Swordplay with all his might to form a whirlpool of water at his side.

His figure was swift as a dragon and serpent, his sword guiding the flow of water. He was elegant and nimble, yet contained a peculiar spiritual charm of water.

To deal with the seven Flying Swords, Zhong Ming, fighting with all his strength, displayed his swordplay, Footwork Technique, and Water Technique in their entirety.

This all-around strength also made Qi Hong and the others watching nod in satisfaction.

Knowing that Zhong Ming's improvement was extraordinarily rapid, Qi Hong and the others were merely satisfied. Granny Lan, who had accompanied Xie Yuzhu, was different.

Zhong Ming's performance made her eyes light up.

"With only early Qi Condensation cultivation, he can actually withstand the young lady's attacks for so long. Zhong Ming's talent is quite good."

After praising him, she shook her head again. "But with only this much, you still won't be the young lady's opponent."

Granny Lan did not believe Zhong Ming could defeat Xie Yuzhu, but that was not belittlement, nor was it favoritism simply because Xie Yuzhu was her young lady.

The current battle situation truly was extremely unfavorable for Zhong Ming.

Zhong Ming was not weak, but Xie Yuzhu was stronger.

At Mid Qi Condensation, and having been tempered by heavenly treasures, she could control seven Flying Swords at once, and their speed remained extremely fast while their force was overwhelming.

Every time, Zhong Ming had to go all out merely to deflect their attacks.

What troubled him even more was that she had seven Flying Swords like these.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The seven Flying Swords crisscrossed through the air, forming a sword net that sought to trap and kill Zhong Ming within it.

Whoosh...

It was only because Zhong Ming had cultivated his swordplay, Footwork Technique, and breathing technique all to the third realm, the level of consummate mastery, and could also use Water Flow to create mist and illusions, that he was able to hold on.

Even so, Zhong Ming was still defending with great difficulty.

Yet Zhong Ming's performance had already satisfied Granny Lan, who had accompanied Xie Yuzhu.

"This Zhong Ming is worth recruiting... He could serve as the young lady's Dao Protector."

Although she acknowledged Zhong Ming's talent, Granny Lan still believed that he was only fit to become a Dao Protector.

At the same time, she believed that Zhong Ming... was about to lose.

And it was not only her who thought Zhong Ming would lose. Qi Hong, Yang Chen, and the others, who thought highly of Zhong Ming's future, also shook their heads regretfully.

Shi Yun said, "What a pity..."

Qi Hong said, "It truly is a pity. If Xie Yuzhu were merely an ordinary Mid Qi Condensation cultivator, Zhong Ming would have had a chance at victory with several techniques that had reached the third realm. But Xie Yuzhu is no ordinary cultivator. She is a Lineage descendant, and one of its elites at that."

As they sighed, Xie Yuzhu, seeing that her prolonged assault had failed to bring Zhong Ming down, formed another hand seal.

"Heavy Mountain Sword, Triple Gravity!"

"Bzz!"

With Xie Yuzhu's sharp cry, one of the seven Flying Swords besieging Zhong Ming suddenly activated the patterns etched into its blade, releasing an earthy yellow glow.

The light touched Zhong Ming's body, and his entire body immediately sank heavily.

And that was not the end.

"Fine Snow, condense!"

Following Xie Yuzhu's another crisp shout, one of the seven swords—a crystalline Long Sword that looked as if it had been forged from ice and snow—suddenly radiated a chill.

The extreme cold froze the flowing water Zhong Ming had summoned, even leaving his body somewhat icy and stiff.

Feeling this, Zhong Ming knew that he was about to lose.

He was not afraid of Mid Qi Condensation cultivators. With several cultivation arts having reached Realm 3, he had the ability to contend with Mid Qi Condensation cultivators.

Nor was he afraid of seven Flying Swords on their own.

If Xie Yuzhu had been in early Qi Condensation, those Flying Swords would not have been so powerful, nor would she have been able to control all seven in one breath.

Even the swords' speed and force would not have been so terrifying.

In that case, relying on Water Flow, Zhong Ming could have easily drawn them into his watery vortex and trapped them there with no escape.

Unfortunately, Xie Yuzhu possessed both advantages.

With abundant spiritual power and razor-sharp Flying Swords, she was a prodigy of Mid Qi Condensation.

Those who challenged above their realm usually challenged ordinary cultivators. If you were a prodigy, so was your opponent. Under such circumstances, fighting across realms was simply impossible.

Qi Hong: "Sigh, defeating a prodigy across realms truly isn't easy. But Zhong Ming still has a chance. If, by the end of the month, one more of Zhong Ming's cultivation arts or sword techniques breaks through, he'll have a chance to... contend with Xie Yuzhu."

Seeing Zhong Ming show signs of defeat, no one mocked him, much less blamed him.

Even Xie Yuzhu, who was fighting Zhong Ming, thought him very powerful.

"So strong. If we were at the same realm, and I didn't have so many magical artifacts in hand, I definitely wouldn't be Zhong Ming's match in this duel."

Even his opponent respected him, making Zhong Ming's defeat seem understandable.

But while others could forgive it, Zhong Ming himself was unwilling to accept it.

He did not want to lose, especially not to a little girl like this.

"Understandable? Demons and Monsters won't reason with me like that!"

"Too many people are born with innate advantages. Am I supposed to admit defeat whenever I encounter them?"

Defiance, unwillingness, refusal to lose.

All kinds of pent-up resentment accumulated in Zhong Ming's heart, leaving him stifled and furious.

At this moment, even though defeat had already been decided, those emotions still kept Zhong Ming from surrendering without a fight.

Not only did he not stop, he cast aside every other thought and focused wholly on one thing.

"I want to win!"

This unyielding emotion, this refusal to accept defeat, was so intense that it stirred something within Zhong Ming's sea of consciousness.

Its stirring also caused the aura Zhong Ming gave off to abruptly change.

It became majestic, domineering, grander and vaster.

"Roaaar!"