The Top Three of the Outer Prefecture

Qin Jue made his way down the mountain, silently turning things over in his mind.

He had mastered the first stance of Cicada Wing, Flap Wings. Combined with the swordsmanship experience he had accumulated in his previous life, he was confident he could defeat an ordinary Hundred Refinements Fourth Layer martial artist head-on.

As for the Hundred Refinements Fifth Layer...

Although Thousand Threads placed an immense strain on his body and forcing it out would injure his arm, if he found an opening and caught his opponent off guard, he might still be able to kill him with a single strike!

I still need to raise my cultivation as soon as possible.

Qin Jue gathered his thoughts and kept walking.

Just then, a hubbub reached his ears.

"Have you heard? Zhong Li Shan challenged Chu Hanjiang. They're both at the Hundred Refinements Seventh Layer, and they're among the Top Three Outer Prefecture figures. This battle's bound to be a clash of dragons and tigers!"

"That madman Zhong Li Shan has mastered the overbearing Cloak Chaotic Mace Technique, while Chu Hanjiang's Flow Breaking Light Splitting Sword has long since reached great mastery. Who knows which one will win!"

A crowd of disciples hurried over at once, eager to witness this peak duel.

"Zhong Li Shan? Chu Hanjiang?"

Qin Jue searched his memory for the two names. Both were famous figures in the Outer Prefecture, and their cultivation had reached the Hundred Refinements Seventh Layer. Their foundations were solid, and they were only a step away from the eighth layer.

Since it's on the way, I might as well take a look, Qin Jue mused. Shutting myself away to train isn't the true path of martial arts. Only by knowing myself and my opponent can I see how the top talents at Qingcang Academy measure up, and how far I am from them.

With that, he stopped hesitating and followed the crowd deeper into the Martial Arena.

Before he even reached the Martial Arena, a powerful gust of energy rushed toward him.

Bang!

A dull boom reverberated through the Martial Arena. The bluestone floor where the blow had landed had caved in noticeably!

At the center of the arena stood a burly young man, bare-chested. Beneath his bronze skin, his blood and energy surged like fire, steaming into a faint crimson haze—the hallmark of the Hundred Refinements Seventh Layer, Wolf Smoke Blood!

He brought the black iron mace crashing down in a heavy strike!

"Chu Hanjiang! Stop dodging around like a woman! Take this!"

The burly youth was Zhong Li Shan. He grinned wildly, his words brimming with arrogance.

Facing the fierce blow, Chu Hanjiang's brow furrowed slightly. The instant the mace came down, he shifted his step and narrowly dodged it.

Boom! With a tremendous crash, the bluestone floor shattered, sending fragments flying!

In the instant when Zhong Li Shan had exhausted his strength but had yet to gather new force, Chu Hanjiang drew his sword.

"Shut up!"

With a cold shout, blood and energy churned within him. His sword moved with unbelievable speed. As a sharp Sword Qi whistle tore through the air, one streak of light remained where he had stood, while another, tinged with faint crimson, had already sliced toward Zhong Li Shan's wrist!

The second stance of Flow Breaking Light Splitting—Light Splitting!

Shhk! A soft sound rang out, like silk tearing.

A chill ran through Zhong Li Shan's wrist. His sturdy bracer had been sliced open by the sword! Had he not cultivated the Hundred Refinements Profound Gold Body, which made his skin far tougher than an ordinary person's, the strike would have severed the tendons in his wrist!

"Good! Now that's a real strike!"

Faced with a blow that had nearly crippled his wrist, Zhong Li Shan wasn't angry. His eyes instead lit up, and he roared, "Again!"

He twisted his body sharply, channeling all the boiling blood and energy within him into the heavy mace. A faint red sheen appeared across its formerly black surface as he swept it sideways, unleashing an even more piercing howl!

The second stance of the Cloak Chaotic Mace Technique—Thousand Jin Drop!

Chu Hanjiang's expression didn't change. His long sword struck the mace at a precise point from an unbelievable angle.

Clang!

A crisp ring sounded. Zhong Li Shan's unstoppable mace was forcibly knocked off course, leaving his chest tight with discomfort!

"Good eyes."

On the outskirts of the crowd, Qin Jue narrowed his eyes and nodded to himself.

In that split second, Chu Hanjiang had found the gap in his opponent's move. Such keen eyes were beyond the reach of an ordinary person.

"Damn it! You damn fly! All you do is use underhanded tricks!"

Zhong Li Shan felt as if his strike had hit a wad of cotton. The frustration of having nowhere to put his strength made him furious, and he bellowed in rage.

"If I can't beat you with technique, I'll crush you with strength!"

With a furious roar, the Wolf Smoke Blood steaming from his body grew even thicker. His heavy mace swung faster and faster, until a black storm wrapped in crimson haze formed around him!

"It's the third stance of the Cloak Chaotic Mace Technique—Raging Waves Roll!" someone in the crowd cried out in alarm. "Back away! You'll get caught in it!"

Facing the black tempest sweeping over everything, Chu Hanjiang's expression shifted slightly. He knew full well that trying to meet the mace head-on with nothing but physical strength, against its added rotational force, would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

But there was nowhere to dodge!

A cold light flashed in Chu Hanjiang's eyes. He squeezed every last drop of his surging blood and energy into a single point! The long sword in his hand stopped trembling and became perfectly still. At its tip, a scarlet point glimmered like a bead of blood, packed with limitless penetrating force!

The third stance of Flow Breaking Light Splitting—Breaking Momentum!

This strike did not seek to kill. It sought only to break the opponent's momentum!

The sword light surged forward like a narrow line of crashing waves, stabbing into the fiercest point of the black storm in a head-on clash!

Boom!

The violent explosion shook the entire Martial Arena! Dust billowed and rubble flew. The surrounding disciples were driven back several steps by the powerful rebound, their faces pale with shock!

As the dust settled, the two figures in the arena were both sent flying!

Zhong Li Shan grunted and staggered back seven steps. Each step left a deep footprint in the hard bluestone floor. A white mark now crossed his chest: Sword Qi had pierced the defenses of his Hundred Refinements Profound Gold Body. It hadn't drawn blood, but it still throbbed with pain.

Chu Hanjiang, meanwhile, was sent flying like a kite with its string snapped. With a heavy thud, he crashed to the ground!

"Cough..."

Chu Hanjiang spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning instantly pale as paper! He struggled to rise, but his sword-bearing right arm trembled uncontrollably, and his palm was slick with blood!

"That was exhilarating! Damn, that was exhilarating!"

Zhong Li Shan steadied himself and wiped a hand across his chest. The fighting spirit in his eyes had only grown stronger. His huge, bell-like eyes seemed to burn with twin flames.

He laughed loudly. "That was exhilarating! Chu Hanjiang, you're a lot stronger than last year! But if that's all you've got, then this ends here today!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhong Li Shan let out a thunderous shout. The blood and energy within him erupted, and a visible wave of crimson swept outward from him! Under the unseen pressure, the bluestone floor beneath his feet cracked inch by inch, groaning with a series of sharp creaks!

"That's Crimson Blood Armor! It's a blood-and-energy technique!"

"Good heavens! He's already mastered a blood-and-energy technique!"

The newer disciples had never seen anything like this. They turned ashen with fear, their legs going weak.

Across the arena, Chu Hanjiang's pupils contracted slightly, and a trace of astonishment crossed his face. But in the next instant, his fighting spirit burned even brighter. "Good, good, good! Zhong Li Shan, I didn't expect you to reach this step too!"

Before his words had even faded, Chu Hanjiang wiped the blood from his lips and stepped forward. A flush, unnatural against his pale cheeks, rose in an instant.

The sword in his hand, previously wreathed in a cool light, now glowed with an eerie crimson, like a blood-red sun on the verge of bursting forth.

The weaker disciples felt their eyes sting beneath the sword light and couldn't help retreating several steps!

Seeing this, Zhong Li Shan was startled at first, then roared with even greater excitement. "Good! Very good! Now we're talking!"

The disciples below the arena were in an uproar.

"Both... both of them have mastered blood-and-energy techniques! Is this year's Outer Court Grand Competition going to be a clash of immortals?"

"The rewards this year are just too amazing. I heard the top ten will qualify for the Inner Court Promotion Assessment, and the Top Three will even get to enter the legendary Dragon Transformation Pool for a baptism! It's a sacred place that can completely remake a person. No wonder they saved their trump cards for last."

"That's right! Either of those two is already almost as strong as Zhong Li Shan was last year! I remember he nearly knocked Xiao Ting Yuan off his perch with only half a blood-and-energy technique!"

The experienced senior disciples exclaimed in amazement.

At the mention of Xiao Ting Yuan, the crowd fell somewhat quieter. The number-one spot in the Outer Prefecture—a name that loomed over every Outer Court Disciple like a towering mountain!

The Dragon Transformation Pool... A direct path to the Inner Court...

Hearing the crowd's discussion, Qin Jue's thoughts stirred.

Yet just as the two torrents of blood and energy were about to collide, Zhong Li Shan suddenly reined in his aura.

He grinned and spoke in a voice like a tolling bell. "Chu Hanjiang! Good! Today, you've finally earned the right to stand before me! Let's stop here. I'm saving that move for the Outer Court Grand Competition! When the time comes, I'll use it to show you that the gap between second and third is a chasm you'll never cross!"

At his words, Chu Hanjiang also withdrew his crimson sword light and replied coldly, "Too bad. This year, you're no longer my target. The number-one spot in the Outer Prefecture is due for a new owner!"

They saw the blazing fighting spirit and a trace of recognition in each other's eyes. There was no need to continue this battle.

"Tsk—"

The spectators let out a disappointed chorus of boos, but they knew this was the wise choice. Blood-and-energy techniques were precious martial arts that could only be borrowed from the second floor of the Myriad Scrolls Pavilion. They were life-or-death trump cards that consumed one's own blood and energy, and their power was astonishing!

But the cost was just as fearsome. An ordinary Blood Melting Realm martial artist would be left drained or even pass out after using one or two moves. Injuring their foundation in a spar would be truly foolish.

"Too bad I didn't get to see the final clash."

Qin Jue shook his head and reluctantly pulled his gaze away. Though the battle hadn't reached its conclusion, it had still given him a clearer sense of his body's current strength.

If I used every trump card I have, I still wouldn't be their match right now.

Qin Jue pondered. At the Hundred Refinements Seventh Layer, their blood and energy burn like fire, and their strength and explosive power far surpass my current level. Unless I can advance to the Hundred Refinements Sixth Layer, I'd have less than a one-in-ten chance in a head-on fight.

The Outer Court Grand Competition was eight months away. The legendary Dragon Transformation Pool, said to remake a person from head to toe, was open only to the Top Three. If he wanted to close the gap between himself and these top talents in such a short time, this competition was his best opportunity.

I have to compete for it.

Suppressing the ripples in his heart, he turned and left for the Deacon Hall.

Just then, someone in the crowd pointed at his retreating figure and whispered in surprise:

"Huh? That person carrying a sword—isn't that Qin Jue, the one who beat Ning Zhiyuan a few days ago?"

"I think it is! I was there. That Tide Surging Stance was simply breathtaking!"

"I heard he's only at the Hundred Refinements Third Layer? Overcoming someone stronger—another swordsmanship freak!"

"Tsk tsk, looks like this year's Outer Court Grand Competition will be worth watching. That kid might become a dark horse. I heard the Ning Family has already declared they'll deal with him."

The discussion reached Qin Jue's ears, but he didn't slow his steps. His expression remained as calm as still water.

Fame?

To him, it couldn't fill his stomach or be exchanged for cultivation resources. In a world where strength reigned supreme, only the sword in his hand and his own cultivation were eternal truths.

"Interesting."

Zhong Li Shan's booming voice came from behind. He had evidently heard the discussion too. He glanced casually at Qin Jue's departing figure, scratched his head, and chuckled. "Hundred Refinements Third Layer? He's too fragile! I wouldn't dare touch a little guy like that. What if I killed him with one swing of my mace? Chu Hanjiang, looks like this so-called 'dark horse' will have to be left to someone like you, who plays with embroidery needles, to train him slowly. Hahaha!"

In his eyes, only Chu Hanjiang, an opponent at his own level, was worth facing. The others couldn't interest him.

Faced with Zhong Li Shan's arrogance, Chu Hanjiang sheathed his sword and glanced at Qin Jue's retreating figure. His expression remained indifferent as he replied, "Zhong Li Shan, put away your arrogance. Be careful you don't capsize in a ditch."

"Hah? Him?" Zhong Li Shan scoffed in disdain, clearly not taking it seriously.

Up ahead, Qin Jue's steps paused for an instant. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, but he didn't look back. He continued toward the Deacon Hall.