Before his words had even faded—
Wei Jun's aura surged once more!
His whole body swelled a size larger. The veins beneath his skin bulged and writhed.
An even more powerful pressure swept across the arena!
The spectators below the stage blanched.
"That aura... It's even stronger than before!"
"He had another trump card?"
The secret art, Wolf's Walk!
It was Wei Jun's ace, a burst technique that could greatly boost his speed and strength for a short time.
"One move decides it!"
Wei Jun roared, stamped down, and charged forward in an instant—more than twice as fast as before.
"Come on!"
Qin Jue gave a low shout. The blood and qi within him began to burn furiously, and his eyes turned completely silver-white!
Startling Swan Flash · Floating Light was pushed to its utmost limit!
All out!!
Qin Jue's figure vanished from where he stood, transforming into a streak of silver-white light!
He moved so fast he didn't even leave a blur behind!
At the instant his speed exploded—
The Cold Iron Sword in Qin Jue's hand suddenly shuddered, letting out a long, piercing hum!
Cicada Wing · Thousand Layers—Flap Wings!
Fueled by the explosive momentum of Startling Swan Flash, the sword art's power was pushed to its limit!
That sword was too fast to see!
That sword was so beautiful it stole the crowd's breath!
Silver light shone like the moon. In that instant, the entire arena was bathed in its glow!
Wei Jun's pupils contracted. He could feel how terrifying that sword was!
"Roar!"
Wei Jun roared. The muscles in his arms swelled again, and a faint golden sheen spread over his fists!
"Steel Fist · Decisive Kill!"
Fist and sword collided, unleashing a thunderous crash!
A terrifying shockwave burst outward from the two of them, instantly cracking the blue stone tiles of the arena!
But in the next instant—
Wei Jun's fists were actually knocked aside!
It was the terrifying burst created by combining Startling Swan Flash's sudden charge with the sword art's power, amplified by Flap Wings!
The Cold Iron Sword kept going, slashing toward his chest!
"Pfft!"
Blood sprayed through the air!
Qin Jue's figure flashed past Wei Jun and appeared ten yards behind him.
He remained motionless, still holding the pose of his sword strike.
The Cold Iron Sword pointed diagonally at the ground, blood still dripping from its tip.
Wei Jun stood rigidly in place, his fists still held in the posture of his punch.
Time seemed to stop in that moment.
The arena fell completely silent.
Everyone held their breath, staring wide-eyed at the two figures onstage.
One breath.
Two breaths.
Three breaths.
"I... lost..."
Wei Jun spoke softly, with a trace of relief in his voice.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the wound in his chest suddenly burst open, and blood gushed out like a spring!
Wei Jun swayed, then crashed to the ground!
"Thud!"
The entire arena fell deathly silent.
Everyone stood gaping, staring blankly at the scene. Even the One-eyed Old Man, who had kept his eyes half-lidded until now, suddenly opened them wide. His single eye was filled with disbelief.
A Hundred Refinements Fourth Layer warrior had gravely wounded a Hundred Refinements Sixth Layer warrior?
How was that possible? The power unleashed in that instant hadn't seemed like something a Jade Bone Realm martial artist could possess!
"Hah... hah..."
Qin Jue slowly lowered his sword. His face was pale; he had used up nearly eighty percent of his blood and qi, and his mind was pushed to its limit.
If not for the solid foundation laid by the Nine Revolutions Viscera Refining Secret Record, he would have collapsed long ago.
But his eyes had never been brighter.
He had won this fight.
The referee stood stunned for a long moment before finally coming to his senses. His voice trembled as he shouted:
"W-winner, Ghost Face!"
"Ten straight wins! Ghost Face has achieved ten straight wins!"
That cry was like a spark dropped into a powder keg.
"Ghost Face! Ghost Face! Ghost Face!"
"Good heavens! What did I just see? He defeated someone two layers above him? What a monster!"
"He won! He really won! Ten straight wins! Hahaha, I've struck it rich! I bet everything on Ghost Face, at five to one!"
The crowd went completely mad. Countless Gold Notes flew into the air, like a golden rain.
In a corner of the crowd, Tang Xiaoman stared at Qin Jue, utterly dumbstruck.
"That sword... That sword..."
He muttered to himself, unable to find words for a long while.
In the end, he could only grin foolishly and say:
"Brother Qin, you goddamn... You were insanely cool!"
On the arena, Qin Jue turned and looked at Wei Jun, who lay on the ground.
Wei Jun still held that rigid posture, the sword wound across his chest horrifying to behold. His eyes were wide open, shock and unwillingness lingering in his pupils.
"You... that sword..."
Wei Jun struggled to speak, his voice hoarse. "What was it called?"
Qin Jue was silent for a moment, then replied calmly, "Cicada Wing · Thousand Layers."
"Cicada Wing... Thousand Layers..."
Wei Jun repeated the name under his breath. A flicker of understanding crossed his eyes. "No wonder... No wonder the sword's ringing sounded like a cicada... So that was it."
He gave a bitter laugh. "To lose to a sword art like that... I have no regrets."
After that, he said no more, letting the Hundred Battles Martial Training Ground's healer carry him away.
Qin Jue watched Wei Jun being carried off, his heart calm.
The winner had been decided. There was nothing more to say.
He turned and walked off the stage. The spectators below automatically made way for him, every one of them looking at him with awe.
Those who had mocked him earlier now fell silent as cicadas, afraid Qin Jue would remember their faces.
Those who had bet on Qin Jue's victory, meanwhile, were flushed with excitement, wishing they could rush over and cling to his leg.
Qin Jue ignored their stares and headed straight for the backstage area.
He needed to collect his ten-win reward, then leave as soon as possible.
He had no strength left to fight.
If someone challenged him again, or took the chance to attack, the consequences would be unthinkable.
In a luxurious private room on the top floor of the Hundred Battles Martial Training Ground,
a young man in a richly embroidered purple robe, a jade pendant hanging from his waist, gently swirled the white jade wine cup in his hand. As he watched the figure on the arena, interest appeared in his previously indifferent eyes for the first time.
"Interesting." The Purple Robe Young Master took a small sip of wine, the corners of his mouth lifting. "A Hundred Refinements Fourth Layer warrior, yet he can unleash killing power at the peak of the Sixth Layer. That sword technique in the instant of impact was some kind of profound vibration technique... This kind of minute control over power would be beyond most of those so-called geniuses in the Inner Court."
Behind him stood a burly black-clad guard, his aura unfathomable. He was clearly an expert.
"Young Master, that sword strike fused movement technique and swordsmanship into one." The black-clad guard spoke in a low voice. "And his timing was precise. In that situation, he advanced instead of retreating, staking everything on a desperate gamble. He was born to kill."
"Oh? Even Uncle Tie thinks so?" The Purple Robe Young Master looked surprised, then smiled even more broadly. "It seems this trip to such a small place hasn't been entirely fruitless after all."
"Go and find out everything about him. If he has a clean background and no powerful connections, try to recruit him. If he can't be recruited..."
The Purple Robe Young Master paused, his eyes turning icy in an instant. "Then see if he can be made to work for me. If someone like him can't become my blade, he has to be eliminated."
"Yes." The black-clad guard bowed in response, then retreated into the shadows.
Backstage.
Qin Jue had barely stepped down when Tang Xiaoman wrapped him in a bear hug, nearly squeezing the breath out of him.
"Brother Qin! You were incredible!" Tang Xiaoman was so excited he could barely get the words out. "What was that last move? You even sent Wei Jun flying! He was a Hundred Refinements Sixth Layer warrior!"
"Cough, cough... Let go." Qin Jue pushed him away weakly, grumbling, "Squeeze any harder and I'll really die."
"Heh, I got carried away." Tang Xiaoman released him. Seeing Qin Jue's pale face, he lowered his voice and asked with concern, "Are you badly hurt?"
"I'm just exhausted. I'll be fine after a couple of days' rest." Qin Jue shook his head and pulled a stack of Gold Notes from his clothes. They were his winnings from the bets, just paid out.
The payout was even more than he'd expected. His ten-win bonus, combined with his share from the high odds in the final bout, came to a full three thousand Gold Notes!
It was a fortune. Enough to buy a hundred-year-old spirit herb, or even go treasure-hunting at Wuming Workshop for some genuinely good finds.
"Let's go. It's not safe to linger here." Qin Jue tucked away the Gold Notes and glanced around.
Though the people around them were cheering, Qin Jue keenly sensed several unfriendly gazes.
Worse still, his blood and qi hadn't fully recovered. If anyone took the chance to attack, he would be powerless to fight back.
"Yeah, I can feel it too. Several groups are watching us." Tang Xiaoman's joking expression vanished.
The two of them hurried through the backstage passage and merged with the crowd leaving the arena.
Before you continue