Destroying the Rotten and Decaying

"Brother Qin, you… you're going up?" Tang Xiaoman struggled to sit up from the ground, ignoring the pain in his body, and said urgently, "Be careful, that Wei Jun is at Hundred Refinements Sixth Layer, he's definitely a ruthless character forged in life-or-death combat!"

Tang Xiaoman was genuinely anxious. Although he usually joked around, he knew the situation clearly. He had been knocked down by a single punch from Wei Jun even after using the Blood Boil secret technique. Qin Jue was only at Hundred Refinements Fourth Layer; a difference of two minor realms, it was impossible to win.

Qin Jue turned his head and looked at the worry on Tang Xiaoman's face, smiling.

"It's fine. I know that guy is a tough opponent, and your loss was understandable. However, I use a sword, which is different from you."

Qin Jue's gaze fell upon Wei Jun, who had just stepped off the stage, his eyes showing no fear.

"Besides, the results of my hard training these past few days need an opponent to verify."

After speaking, Qin Jue said no more, patted Tang Xiaoman's shoulder, and turned to walk towards Platform D-5.

"Hey, Brother Qin!" Tang Xiaoman watched his retreating back, only able to smile bitterly and shake his head.

Platform D-5.

Qin Jue walked up the steps. He didn't deliberately release his aura; his Hundred Refinements Fourth Layer cultivation made him unremarkable among the surrounding martial artists at the Fifth or Sixth Layer.

"Haha, no way, a little kid at Hundred Refinements Fourth Layer?"

"Is this kid still asleep? Think the money here is easy to earn?"

"Hey, I bet he won't last ten breaths! Anyone taking bets?"

The gamblers below erupted in undisguised laughter and jeers. In a place like the Hundred Battles Martial Training Ground, one's realm represented everything. Challenging a higher realm was not unheard of, but surviving one out of ten matches would be considered lucky. As for winning? That was something only a genius could achieve.

The one-eyed old man in charge of registration was leaning against a pillar not far away, dozing. Hearing the commotion, he opened a slit of his eye. A flicker of disdain flashed in his cloudy, single eye before he closed it again, as if he had already seen the outcome.

Qin Jue ignored them, standing quietly, awaiting his opponent.

Soon, a bald man with his upper body bare, a fierce tiger tattooed on his chest, leaped onto the stage from the crowd. He was a regular here, nicknamed "Shattered Rock," with a cultivation at the peak of Hundred Refinements Fourth Layer.

The bald man twisted his neck, emitting crisp cracking sounds. He grinned menacingly at Qin Jue, "Hey, kid, are you even old enough to grow hair? Hundred Refinements Fourth Layer? You dare come to Platform Five to die with such little cultivation? These hands of mine have torn apart many arrogant brats who didn't know their limits. If you kneel down now and kowtow three times, calling me grandpa, I might just let you crawl away."

The spectators below joined in the heckling, whistles and curses rising and falling.

"Shattered Rock, stop wasting time, tear him apart!"

"I bet fifty gold on you, finish him in three moves!"

Facing the overwhelming mockery, Qin Jue's eyes remained unperturbed.

He was adjusting his breathing.

Under the first layer of the Myriad Forms Style, the "Mind Mirror" state, all the surrounding noise was filtered out. The bald man's seemingly oppressive taunts were full of openings in Qin Jue's eyes, like a sieve riddled with holes.

"Since you won't speak, then die!"

Seeing Qin Jue ignore him, a fierce glint flashed in the bald man's eyes. He let out a roar, and the bluestone slab beneath his feet suddenly cracked. He shot out like a cannonball, his large hands whistling through the air. His fingers formed claws, glowing with a dark light, aiming straight for Qin Jue's throat.

This claw strike was powerful and fierce, clearly a vicious martial skill like Eagle Claw. If it landed, the throat would be instantly torn apart.

The audience below widened their eyes, as if they had already seen the bloody scene of Qin Jue's throat being ripped open.

However—

Just as the large hand was about to touch Qin Jue's throat, Qin Jue moved.

He flipped his wrist, and the Cold Iron Sword rose, still in its sheath. The end of the sheath struck the inner side of the bald man's wrist before his attack.

This move was the first stance of Cicada Wing · Thousand Layers, [Flap Wings]!

Although the sword was not unsheathed, Qin Jue transmitted the subtle, high-frequency vibration through the sheath directly into the bald man's arm meridians.

"Buzz—"

A visible ripple spread through the air.

"Ah!!"

The bald man cried out in pain, his face contorting. He felt as if his entire right arm was being pierced by countless steel needles. The strange vibrating force traveled up his bones, numbing half of his body and causing his accumulated Qi and Blood to dissipate instantly.

But he was, after all, at the peak of Hundred Refinements Fourth Layer. Enduring the intense pain, he slammed his left fist towards Qin Jue's face.

"Too slow."

Qin Jue whispered.

He activated Startling Swan Flash under his feet, his figure flickering as he retreated half a step, narrowly dodging the punch. At the same time, his sword sheath drew an arc through the air, striking the bald man's knee bend with a "snap."

This strike used the subtle force from the Tide Rising Sword Technique, leveraging a small force to overcome a large one.

"Plop!"

The bald man, who was charging forward with all his might, instantly lost his balance. His massive body crashed heavily to the ground, his kneecap hitting the bluestone slab with a series of cracking sounds.

"You…"

The bald man looked up in terror. Just as he was about to speak, he saw a cold glint rapidly enlarging in his pupils.

It was the tip of the sword sheath.

Qin Jue flicked his wrist, and the sword sheath, like a viper flicking its tongue, hovered half an inch from the bald man's brow. The sharp wind pricked the bald man's forehead skin, causing cold sweat to stream down his face.

The entire venue fell silent.

A full three breaths passed before the skinny old man who was acting as the referee reacted. He swallowed and shouted in a sharp voice, "The winner... the winner is Ghost Face!"

"Whoosh—"

The crowd instantly erupted.

"He didn't even draw his sword? He won already?"

"That was Shattered Rock! He was forced to his knees in just two moves?"

"Did I see that right? What kind of move was that? You can even use a scabbard like that?"

Qin Jue retracted his scabbard, not even glancing at the bald, burly man kneeling on the ground.

"Next."

The following half hour was a visually stunning feast that overturned the perceptions of the audience at Arena D-5.

If the first match had only caused surprise, then the subsequent matches left them deeply shaken.

The second match: a Hundred Refinements Fifth Layer early-stage swordsman.

As soon as the opponent stepped onto the stage, he unleashed a set of airtight sword techniques, his blade light like snow, exuding a chilling aura.

Qin Jue drew his sword this time.

But he only made one move.

The instant the opponent's overwhelming blade shadows descended, Qin Jue activated his Mind Mirror. Startling Swan Flash allowed him to cut into the blind spot of the blade light like a phantom. Immediately after, the Cold Iron Sword let out an extremely faint hum—Flap Wings!

The spine of the Cold Iron Sword precisely struck the opponent's long saber, and a high-frequency vibration instantly erupted.

"Clang!"

The swordsman felt a violent tremor in his hand, and the steel long saber in his grasp was actually shattered into three pieces! Fragments of the blade scattered everywhere, scaring the swordsman into sitting down on the ground, his face ashen.

The third match: a Hundred Refinements Fifth Layer mid-stage martial artist skilled in leg techniques.

Qin Jue responded with the Tide Rising Sword Technique. Facing the storm-like leg shadows, the sword in his hand was like a bottomless lake, continuous and unending. No matter how fierce the opponent's attacks, they were all resolved by his supple sword momentum.

Finally, taking advantage of the opponent's exhaustion, Qin Jue's sword momentum shifted—Tide Surging Stance!

The sword light exploded like a rising tide, and the sword spine heavily struck the outer side of the opponent's thigh, sending him flying out of the ring.

The fourth match...

The fifth match...

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