Antelope Hanging Its Horns

The blade intent ravaging the entire arena vanished completely into the golden tyrant saber at his words. Zhou Tianshen clasped the air with both hands, and the tyrant saber trembled, bursting forth with a radiance ten thousand zhang long.

Xu Xiaoshou's pupils contracted. This guy had another trick up his sleeve?

He lifted Hidden Pain. This Ninth-Grade Spirit Sword, normally wild and unruly, actually let out a whimper, as though it felt terribly wronged.

Xu Xiaoshou's face darkened. He knew that with his current level of sword intent, he probably could not withstand this move.

Without the slightest hesitation, he exchanged for another three skill points and continued adding them to Sword Mastery.

"Sword Mastery (Acquired Lv. 6)."

In the blink of an eye, another flood of knowledge poured into him. As he watched Zhou Tianshen's golden tyrant saber suspended in his empty grasp, he seemed to have learned something.

The next second, the leisurely sword intent filling the heavens drew back in. Xu Xiaoshou held Hidden Pain in an empty grip and actually gathered all that boundless sword intent into it as well.

Zhou Tianshen:???

The spectators stared at the identical opening stances of the two men, utterly dumbfounded.

"What's going on? Xu Xiaoshou knows Zhou Tianshen's saber technique too?"

"How is that possible? Wasn't Zhou Tianshen's move the opening stance of the innate spirit technique, Immortal Pulls Up the Mountain Technique? How does Xu Xiaoshou know it too?"

"Could that guy be stealing techniques right on the spot? My heavens, that's monstrously gifted."

"Stealing an innate spirit technique? Are you kidding me?"

Xu Xiaoshou did not know what Zhou Tianshen's saber technique was, nor could he unleash that ten-thousand-zhang golden radiance. But this move truly was the newest technique he had just happened to comprehend...

"Leisurely White Clouds, Two!"

"Immortal Pulls Up the Mountain Technique!"

The two nearly drew saber and sword at the same time. As Zhou Tianshen raised his tyrant saber, a several-zhang-tall golden saber light swept up from the ground. Killing intent surged as it tore open the arena and slashed toward Xu Xiaoshou, leaving him nowhere to evade.

Yet strangely, when Xu Xiaoshou drew his sword, not even a fart came out. It was as if he were merely teasing the air.

The spectators' jaws dropped one after another. Xiao Qixiu felt as though his heart had skipped a beat.

After all that feinting, you were really just drawing your sword? Someone could die!

He instinctively wanted to rush forward, only to see Xu Xiaoshou give the golden saber light a slight flourish of his sword, then slowly pull Hidden Pain back.

A surging suction force appeared. The void transformed into a vortex of clouds, and Xu Xiaoshou's sword casually brushed that heaven-rending golden light aside.

But that was not the end. He spun around once and sent the golden light straight back.

Zhou Tianshen was dumbstruck. What the hell kind of demonic art was this? It had actually deflected his innate spirit technique, Immortal Pulls Up the Mountain Technique, right back at him! That move had nearly drained all his spiritual energy to begin with. Now, he had no choice but to forcibly launch another slash, using the force of collision to completely cancel out the terrifying returning attack.

The two golden lights collided with a thunderous boom, shattering into countless golden scales that rained down. Amid that breathtaking fall of gold, a figure drifted over with sword in hand.

But Zhou Tianshen had no attention to spare for any of that. Xu Xiaoshou's sword technique was like an antelope hanging its horns, leaving no trace behind.

That immortal-like sword strike shocked him no less than his grandfather, who had led him onto the path of the saber when he was young.

"A sword can be used like this?"

"What about a saber?"

He sank into deep thought and, without realizing it, completely forgot that he was still in the midst of battle.

Left with no choice, Xu Xiaoshou forcibly halted his sword move. The black sword stopped before Zhou Tianshen's forehead, yet the sword intent he still could not wield entirely at will had pierced his brow, drawing crimson blood.

Zhou Tianshen still had not woken up!

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. This was a battle, for heaven's sake. Could you please respect your opponent? Just as he was about to withdraw his sword, a surging wave of spiritual energy erupted from Zhou Tianshen's body and flung Xu Xiaoshou away.

Everyone stared in surprise at the sky. Endless spiritual energy came rolling in and poured into Zhou Tianshen's body. Faint Dao sounds lingered in their ears, as though immortals were murmuring softly, bringing enlightenment like a sudden clearing of the mind.

"Ha!"

Zhou Tianshen suddenly opened his eyes. His aura leaped from the tenth realm of Spiritual Cultivation into the Innate Realm. With a loud shout, saber intent surged in all directions and actually cleaved the barrier apart completely.

Xu Xiaoshou lay sprawled on the ground, dumbfounded. What the hell was this? He broke through into the Innate Realm in the middle of a fight?

Were you using cheats?!

Before he could think further, he immediately got to his feet. Zhou Tianshen had already been so terrifying at the tenth realm of the Acquired Realm. If he had stepped into the Innate Realm, how could this possibly end well?

Unexpectedly, after his shout, Zhou Tianshen sheathed his saber and spoke respectfully.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Xu, for showing mercy. I was reckless. From the way you withdrew your sword just now, I know that Senior Brother Xu is truly a refined gentleman!"

Xiao Qixiu came back to his senses and immediately waved a hand. "The match is over. Xu Xiaoshou wins!"

Naturally, he knew that if Xu Xiaoshou had not withdrawn his sword, Zhou Tianshen would not merely have failed to break through—he likely would have lost his life here.

Of course, with Xiao Qixiu watching over the match, the latter clearly could not have happened.

Yet victory was victory, and defeat was defeat. In a life-and-death battle, no enemy would leave you an opportunity to break through. This battle had already ended the moment Xu Xiaoshou withdrew his sword.

Xu Xiaoshou smiled, holding the black sword upside down, neither confirming nor denying Zhou Tianshen's assessment.

But Zhou Tianshen's face had turned red. Before the match, he had loudly declared that Xu Xiaoshou was ruthless and merciless. Yet he had ended up having his life spared by that very "ruthless and merciless" Xu Xiaoshou. It was undoubtedly a tremendous irony.

"Good!" His eyes shifted, and his thoughts shot from his gut straight into his brain. He nodded heavily at Xu Xiaoshou. "I've decided. I, Zhou Tianshen, am making you my friend no matter what!"

Xu Xiaoshou waved a hand and left the arena. He had no desire to say another word to this one-track-minded fellow.

This match could be said to be his most difficult one so far. The match against Liu Zhen counted as well, but the difference was that he had gained much from Zhou Tianshen.

Especially that final, divinely inspired Leisurely White Clouds, Two. Xu Xiaoshou had not even had time to name it.

The flash of inspiration had passed in an instant. It had simply appeared, and Xu Xiaoshou had simply used it. This state of becoming one with the sword, the move, and the intent, with no distinction between them, was exceedingly wondrous.

It was as though everything had come naturally, smooth and incomparably satisfying.

When that sword strike came out, even Xu Xiaoshou himself had been frightened. He needed to hurry back and ponder it carefully.

Zhou Tianshen's breakthrough into the Innate Realm had shattered the barrier, and the information panel was instantly flooded with messages. But Xu Xiaoshou could no longer care about that. All he wanted now was to return and sort through his sword techniques.

Thunderous applause erupted from the spectator stands. Some were admiring, some astonished, but more than anything, there was regret.

Throughout the entire arena, nearly everyone was considering the same possibility: if Zhou Tianshen had awakened a little earlier, perhaps the match would have ended differently.

Only one person was an exception—the chief referee, Xiao Qixiu. He stared blankly at Xu Xiaoshou's departing back, unable to speak.

That delayed declaration of "the match is over" had not been because he was waiting for Zhou Tianshen to concede defeat. He had truly been stunned by Xu Xiaoshou's sword strike.

Antelope hanging its horns, an immortal's sword! Casting aside spirit techniques entirely, forgetting sword forms, fighting purely with sword intent and meeting moves through instinctive response—was this not the strongest state of the strongest sword cultivators that the Eighth Sword Immortal had once spoken of?

His eyes brimmed with shock. Perhaps even Xu Xiaoshou himself had yet to realize just how terrifying it was to fight using nothing but pure sword intent.

But Xiao Qixiu had seen it: the shadow of a strongest sword cultivator rising like the morning sun!

He waved a hand to suppress the crowd's commotion and activated the drawing screen once more.

"The competition continues!"