Ji Shu's Sword vs Linghu Chong's Sword

Ji Shu reacted with extreme speed, drawing his sword like lightning. The Righteous Qi Sword Art unfolded, guarding him so tightly that not even water could splash through, nor needles pierce in!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Linghu Chong and Ji Shu fought speed with speed. In merely a few breaths, they had already exchanged several moves.

A moment later, they had traded more than a dozen more.

The people below the stage could only see layers upon layers of chilling sword shadows and dazzling sword light!

They secretly clicked their tongues. If they had been in their place, facing such swordsmanship, how many moves could they have blocked?!

"Are young people these days all this monstrous?"

Mr. Mo Da was deeply moved.

He had originally wanted to go up and try his hand. After all, the Mount Hengshan Sect had come; admitting defeat without even stepping onto the stage for a match would have been far too humiliating.

But now that he had seen Linghu Chong's and Ji Shu's swordsmanship, he immediately abandoned the thought of competing. He was no match for them at all!

If he went up and was defeated in three to five moves, that would be even more humiliating! Better to sit tight and fish from the bank.

That was what he thought.

Naturally, people from the other sects were also astonished, each secretly thinking:

"Though the Mount Hua Sect has already declined, its foundations are extraordinary, and its swordsmanship heritage is remarkable. The fact that it has successively produced two swordsmanship experts proves it!"

Ding Mian and the others, meanwhile, were secretly exhilarated.

"Fight! Fight! The more spectacular and brutal the fight, the better! Best if they both end up wounded!"

Yue Lingshan and the others wore worried expressions.

On the stage, Ji Shu was continuously observing the swordsmanship of the Nine Swords of Dugu.

If he had wanted to kill Linghu Chong, three to five moves would have been enough!

But he did not kill him. Instead, he traded swift sword moves with him.

He wanted to observe the Nine Swords of Dugu at close range, to glimpse one or two of its underlying principles.

With his Supreme Talent supporting him, the more Ji Shu exchanged swordsmanship with Linghu Chong, the more relaxed he became.

He had already glimpsed some of the essence of Linghu Chong's Sword-Breaking Stance.

The sword techniques he used became increasingly unrestrained and unpredictable, free and effortless.

But truly comprehending all its essence was clearly impossible.

The true transmission is one sentence. Without the mental cultivation formula of the Nine Swords of Dugu, merely observing its outward form will likely make it difficult to see through all its essence.

Ji Shu sighed inwardly.

Feng Qingyang would not teach him the Nine Swords of Dugu, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Now that Linghu Chong, who had learned the Nine Swords of Dugu, was right before him, Ji Shu had originally wanted to see whether he could learn this sword art from him. But seeing how Linghu Chong wanted nothing more than to kill him, it was obviously impossible to make him teach it.

Ji Shu observed for a while longer. After finding that there was nothing more to gain, he decisively swung his sword. Clang!

A streak of Sword Qi shot from the tip of his blade, striking the sword in Linghu Chong's hand dead-on. Linghu Chong's palm went numb, and he lost his grip. Clang! His sword fell to the ground, and his entire body was sent flying by a tremendous force. Like a scrap of torn cloth, he arced off the stage and toward the ground before landing heavily with a bang!

"Sect Leader!"

The Mount Hengshan nuns turned pale in alarm and hurried forward to help Linghu Chong up.

Linghu Chong staggered to his feet and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He stared at Ji Shu in shock. "You, you, you actually... actually..."

He had actually broken his Nine Swords of Dugu!

How was that possible?!

He had been extremely sharp during the fight and had long noticed that Ji Shu was using him to practice swordsmanship.

That had stunned him. So he had drawn his sword faster and faster, his movements increasingly elusive and unpredictable. Yet Ji Shu still seemed to have grasped some of its essence. Such talent surpassed his, Linghu Chong's, by who knew how many times!

His heart was Overturning Rivers and Seas, impossible to contain!

"Victory goes to Ji Shu of the Mount Hua Sect!"

Master Fangzheng of Shaolin Temple announced loudly.

His gaze toward Ji Shu was filled with astonishment. Clearly, he had never expected a newly initiated Mount Hua Sect disciple to be so powerful.

Among the many sects present, unless they had deliberately investigated him, it was perfectly normal for them not to know Ji Shu's background.

Ji Shu was merely a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect. Aside from a few people with ulterior motives, most did not even know who he was. Now that they saw Ji Shu defeat Linghu Chong, they too were astonished and deeply moved!

"A hero emerges in youth! We originally thought Linghu Chong of the Mount Hua Sect was already extraordinary. Who would have thought an even more formidable Ji Shu would emerge!"

The crowd broke into discussion, some speaking loudly without the slightest attempt at restraint.

Linghu Chong staggered back to the seats assigned to the Mount Hengshan Sect. Hearing those words, his face flushed crimson, shame and fury churning in his heart as his hatred for Ji Shu grew ever stronger. All along the way, he had been a favored genius, admired by all. Yet now, Ji Shu had abruptly knocked him to the ground, leaving him miserable as a defeated dog. The blow to him was no different from a bolt from the blue, and he was utterly dazed.

He did not hear a single word of Ren Yingying's consolation.

His mind was filled with the sight of himself being knocked off the stage by Ji Shu, with everyone's admiring expressions toward Ji Shu—and the contemptuous, disdainful looks they had cast at him.

And all of this had been brought about by Ji Shu. Without Ji Shu, he would never have fallen to such a state. Without Ji Shu, his master, Martial Mother, and junior martial sister would not care only about Ji Shu while ignoring him. Without Ji Shu, the Six Immortals of Peach Valley would not have died. Without Ji Shu...

Linghu Chong clenched his fists and lowered his head slightly. His eyes had already turned red!

"He won!"

"Ji Shu won again!"

The cheers of Yue Lingshan, Lu Dayou, and the others came from beside him.

Linghu Chong's emotions were in turmoil. He instinctively looked up and saw a Mount Song disciple being smacked off the stage by Ji Shu with a "scabbard"!

He had not used his sword. He had used a "scabbard"!

Linghu Chong recalled that tremendous force from earlier and immediately understood. He too must have been struck by Sword Qi, then hit again by the scabbard, which was why he had flown off the stage.

Using a scabbard to beat him was simply going too far!

"Ji Shu is truly powerful."

Ren Yingying was speaking as well. "With such calm ease, he sent Zhang Jingchao, Sima De, and Deng Bagong of the Thirteen Protectors of Mount Song flying. His internal strength and swordsmanship must already have reached the realm of perfection!"

Hearing this, Linghu Chong felt his blood surge. The hatred and killing intent in his heart toward Ji Shu condensed until it seemed almost tangible.

Ren Yingying seemed to sense it. She glanced at him, frowned, and said coolly:

"Hero Linghu. I have said everything I needed to say. If you still insist on going your own way, then do not blame me for refusing to help you when the time comes."

Linghu Chong looked at her with bloodshot eyes.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I have already made myself very clear. Can't you understand?"

Ren Yingying was angry as well.

"I have been with you for so long, yet you still cannot forget your junior martial sister. Because of her, you have nearly gone mad. I do not want to go mad with you!"

"You, you..."

"I'm not talking to you anymore."

Ren Yingying looked toward Ji Shu on the stage. "I want to watch the match! Stop disturbing me!"

Ren Yingying's beautiful eyes, brimming like water, watched Ji Shu without blinking.

Seeing this, Linghu Chong nearly ground his teeth to pieces.

From the corner of her eye, Ren Yingying saw this and sighed inwardly. She had done everything she could for Linghu Chong. Over all this time, how much had she given? She had originally wanted to make their relationship official, but Linghu Chong's behavior these past two days had disappointed her deeply. People feared comparison most of all. Compared with Ji Shu, Linghu Chong seemed like a petty-minded street thug, while Ji Shu possessed the bearing of a great commander.