A Breeze Stirred at the Duckweed's Edge

"Boom—"

With a muffled thud, the bluestone ground caved beneath his foot, sending rubble flying in every direction.

Ning Zhiyuan shot forward!

His battle saber carved a blood-red arc through the air. Its weight bore down like a mountain as he brought it crashing toward Qin Jue's head!

"Rippling Waves First Strike!"

A deep resonance rolled through Ning Zhiyuan's bones, like waves pounding a shore. His blood surged through his body and poured into the battle saber. As the strike fell, the air itself groaned beneath its pressure, then burst with a sharp crack!

A hint of gravity flashed through Qin Jue's eyes.

He couldn't take that strike head-on!

He shifted his footing and slid three feet sideways, his body flowing like water as he swept his iron sword up at an angle.

"Swish—"

The sword's edge skimmed the saber again, but this time, the force bearing down from the blade was suddenly several times heavier than before!

Qin Jue felt his wrist jolt. The web between his thumb and forefinger tingled, and the impact drove him half a step back.

"Ha ha ha!"

Seeing this, Ning Zhiyuan burst into laughter, his eyes brimming with a savage glint. "Qin Jue, aren't you good at dodging? Let's see where you can run now!"

Before his words had even faded, he drove off the ground again, shooting forward!

"Rippling Waves Second Strike!"

The resonance in his bones grew more violent. The force not yet spent by the first strike had been stored within them; now it joined with the fresh power of the second strike. Blood-red light blazed brighter along the saber as it came crashing down like a raging sea!

This strike was a full thirty percent heavier than the first!

The watching disciples turned pale with shock. Every one of them could see how terrifying that blow was.

"What a terrifying blade!"

"So this is Senior Brother Ning's Rippling Waves Blade Art! Each strike is heavier than the last!"

"Qin Jue managed to deflect the first one, but this one... I'm afraid he won't be able to stop it!"

On the Martial Arena, Qin Jue's expression remained calm. He merely narrowed his eyes, fixing on the strongest—and weakest—point in the descending blade's momentum.

"He's just relying on his higher cultivation to crush me."

Rather than retreat, Qin Jue stepped forward into the gale of the saber.

In that instant, the iron sword in his hand turned into a blur of shadows!

"Tide Rising Stance!"

The swordlight flowed like water. Three sword-shadows slashed out almost simultaneously, their momentum flowing without pause. At that critical moment, they wound around the battle saber from three different angles!

"Ching! Ching! Ching!"

The sword's edge struck the saber three times, each blow sapping a little of its force.

Qin Jue had managed to deflect most of the second strike's stacked power with this very method!

Even so, its remaining force was still immense. A violent shock traveled through Qin Jue's iron sword, driving him two steps back and leaving both arms tingling!

"It's not over yet!"

Seeing Qin Jue driven back, Ning Zhiyuan's savage grin grew wilder. "You were lucky to block the second strike. But this is where it ends!"

His aura surged once more. The blood in his body boiled over—he was about to unleash the third strike!

"Rippling Waves Third Strike!"

The resonance in his bones rolled like muffled thunder. The force stored from the first two strikes erupted all at once, joining with the third.

Ning Zhiyuan clenched his teeth, veins bulging as he forcibly stacked the three surges of power. As his strike fell, the saber blazed with blood-red light, its momentum crashing down like a landslide!

The first strike split a wooden post, the second cleaved through forged iron, and the third—

Could split mountains and shatter stone!

The very air across the Martial Arena seemed to freeze under its pressure!

The watching disciples scrambled backward. Those with weaker cultivation turned deathly pale from the lingering force alone!

"Too strong!"

"That strike... even a Hundred Refinements Fifth Layer martial artist would have to avoid its edge!"

"Can Qin Jue stop it?"

"He can't! The first two strikes already drove him back, and this one's even fiercer. His sword is going to shatter!"

On the high platform, a glint flashed through Chu Hanjiang's eyes. "Three strikes of Rippling Waves, each layer adding to the last... But Ning Zhiyuan hasn't mastered the Rippling Waves Blade Art. He's barely just begun."

Yun Qianyue furrowed her brows slightly. "His power doesn't flow together smoothly. Seventy percent brute force, thirty percent technique. But that Qin Jue..."

Her gaze settled on Qin Jue in the Martial Arena. "He's held on this long using the first stance of the Tide Rising Sword Technique. His swordsmanship is exceptional. It's a pity his cultivation is a layer lower. In the end, he's still short on strength."

"Not necessarily."

Chu Hanjiang replied coolly, "Look again."

Yun Qianyue paused, then turned her eyes back to the Martial Arena.

On the Martial Arena.

Facing the terrifying third strike, Qin Jue narrowed his eyes. The oncoming blade's light was reflected in his pupils, but there was not a hint of panic in his gaze.

"Still not enough..."

He slid sideways, his body flowing like water, while his iron sword became a blur of shadows!

"Tide Rising Stance!"

The first sword swept upward at an angle, its momentum as light as flowing water as it brushed the saber's edge. With a hiss, it stripped away a fraction of the blade's force.

The second sword turned smoothly with the first. Its edge struck the saber several times, stripping away another fraction of its force.

The watching disciples sighed and shook their heads.

"Tide Rising Stance again..."

"It won't work."

Someone looked on with regret, unable to bear watching. "Qin Jue's swordsmanship is impressive, no doubt, and it's remarkable he's held out this long."

"Too bad Senior Brother Ning's third strike is so terrifying. Tide Rising Stance alone won't be enough to stop it..."

"Qin Jue is about to be badly hurt..."

Just as everyone thought Qin Jue was certain to lose, at the very instant the second sword turned and the third was about to strike—

A flash of brilliance lit Qin Jue's eyes!

In that instant, as the sword's momentum turned, the blood and energy within his body abruptly surged back. The force of his first two sword strokes converged into one, like seawater flowing back with the ebb tide, countless little streams joining to form a river!

This was the Tide Surging Stance perfected—gathering momentum, then unleashing it in one seamless motion!

This sword technique demanded extraordinary control over the flow of a sword's momentum. The slightest misstep would leave the gathered force insufficient or scatter its momentum, making it impossible to unleash its true power.

Yet Qin Jue wielded the strike with effortless fluidity!

A sudden unease welled up in Ning Zhiyuan's heart!

"Not good!"

But it was already too late!

The instant the third sword turned—

"Tide Surging Stance!"

Qin Jue gave a low shout, and all the force he had gathered burst forth!

"Boom—"

The iron sword pierced the air with a shrill hum. This strike was more than twice as fast as the first two!

The compressed air formed a white trail along the blade. The sword's momentum surged like a tide, unstoppable!

"Clang—"

Sword met saber, and the clash rang out like thunderous metal striking stone!

"Boom!"

A terrifying shockwave burst out from the two of them. The bluestone ground shattered under its force, cracks spreading in every direction like a spiderweb!

Ning Zhiyuan felt his grip go numb as a tremendous shock traveled through his battle saber. The weapon flew from his hand, beyond his control!

"How is this possible!?"

His eyes filled with disbelief. The third strike of Rippling Waves, the move he'd always been so proud of, and Qin Jue had knocked his saber away with a single sword thrust!

But Qin Jue's momentum hadn't run out. That was the power of the surging tide—once unleashed, it was unstoppable. A second strike followed right on the first!

"Swish—"

Swordlight flowed like water, stabbing straight toward Ning Zhiyuan's chest!

Ning Zhiyuan paled with shock. He hadn't expected Qin Jue's strike to have a follow-up. In his haste, he could only raise his arm to block!

"Shhk—"

The sword's point struck his arm, carving a bloody gash in an instant. Blood sprayed through the air!

Ning Zhiyuan flew backward, flipping several times in midair before crashing heavily onto the ground more than ten zhang away. He slid several feet across the stone before stopping, then spat out a mouthful of blood!

Afterward, Qin Jue lowered his eyes to the iron sword in his hand.

Cracks webbed across its blade. At last, with a sharp snap, it shattered into several pieces, leaving only a bare hilt in his grasp.

"Tsk."

Qin Jue shook his head, a look of pain crossing his face.

The entire Martial Arena fell into deathly silence.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what they had just seen. What had happened was completely beyond their expectations.

A moment later—

"How is this possible!?"

"Ning Zhiyuan... lost!?"

"That last strike... was that Tide Surging Stance!?"

"Impossible! Qin Jue is only at Hundred Refinements Third Layer. How could he have mastered Tide Surging Stance!?"

"That's the second technique in the Tide Rising Sword Technique. Even martial artists at Hundred Refinements Fourth Layer might not be able to master it!"

"This... this is unbelievable!"

The crowd erupted into a clamor. Everyone talked over one another, looking at Qin Jue with shock and awe.

Surprise flickered through Chu Hanjiang's eyes on the high platform. He took a long, thoughtful look at Qin Jue, said nothing, and strode away.

Yun Qianyue studied the young man, a glimmer of wonder in her cool eyes. "Perfecting Tide Surging Stance isn't hard. What's hard is seizing the opening in that instant—storing strength as the tide ebbs, then unleashing it as it rises. His understanding of the sword is far too mature for a boy his age. He seems more like a swordsman who's spent decades immersed in the art."

With that, she withdrew her gaze and left, still puzzled.

On the Martial Arena, Qin Jue glanced at the sword hilt in his hand, tossed it aside, then brushed the dust from his clothes and walked toward the officials' stand.

His expression was calm, as though what he'd just done had been no more than a trivial matter.

The smile had frozen on Ma Chen's face. He stared blankly in the direction where Ning Zhiyuan had fallen.

The steward, Lin Xiuyuan, gave Qin Jue a long look. After a brief pause, he said slowly, "The winner of this match is Qin Jue."

Lin Xiuyuan glanced at the roster in his hand, then looked at Qin Jue again. "According to Qingcang Academy's rules, the victor in a challenge receives half the loser's Battle Merit. Ning Zhiyuan currently has 320 points, so you receive 160 Battle Merit."

At the words "Battle Merit," a genuine smile finally appeared on Qin Jue's face.

He cupped his hands slightly. "Thank you, Steward Lin."

One had to understand that Battle Merit was precious at Qingcang Academy. It determined not only the monthly rankings, but also whether one could obtain the academy's cultivation resources.

As a Hundred Refinements Fourth Layer martial artist, Ning Zhiyuan had earned a great deal of Battle Merit over the past few days. He had 320 points already.

Now Qin Jue had taken 160 of those points from him. Ning Zhiyuan had lost both the lady and the soldiers.

Ning Zhiyuan's chest heaved as he gasped for breath.

He... had lost?

Lost to a Qin Jue at Hundred Refinements Third Layer?

How was that possible!?

Ning Zhiyuan struggled to get up, unwilling to accept it, but found that the force of that final strike had sent his meridians roiling. His blood and energy were in disarray, and he couldn't summon the strength to move.

"This can't be... This can't be..."

He murmured to himself, his face white as paper. In the end, his eyes rolled back, and he passed out.

Qin Jue calmly walked down from the Martial Stage, and the crowd parted to let him through.

Everyone watched him with shock, awe, and disbelief. Three days ago, people had been certain the young man was bound to lose. Today, he had achieved a feat that left them speechless: with cultivation at Hundred Refinements Third Layer, he had defeated Ning Zhiyuan at Hundred Refinements Fourth Layer head-on!

And he hadn't won through sheer luck. He had relied on true strength, breaking the third strike of Rippling Waves—Ning Zhiyuan's most prized technique—with a single sword strike. His combat ability already far surpassed that of martial artists at the same level.

After all, martial artists capable of fighting above their level were rare to begin with. Qin Jue hadn't merely done that—he had faced his opponent head-on. This went beyond talent; his understanding of martial techniques and grasp of the moment were astounding.

Su Jin stood beneath the Stone Pavilion, watching Qin Jue's retreating figure, her eyes filled with complicated emotions.

That young man had truly changed.

He had become... someone she didn't recognize, stirring feelings in her that she couldn't quite name.

Shen Zhiqiu tugged at her sleeve, utterly stunned. "Jin Jin, Qin Jue... he actually won! How is that possible!? That was Ning Zhiyuan at Hundred Refinements Fourth Layer!"

Su Jin fell silent for a moment, then nodded gently.

"That's right. He won."

By then, Qin Jue had already left the Martial Arena.

He looked up at the sky, narrowed his eyes as he felt the warmth of the sunlight, and stretched.

That day, Qingcang Academy remained as noisy as ever. Some people lamented Ning Zhiyuan's defeat, while others discussed the mysteries of the Tide Surging Stance.

But no one knew that a soul, trapped in a barren world for sixty years and having spent those same sixty years honing its sword without advancing an inch, had finally broken free of its shackles.

Like rain after a long drought, like a trapped dragon loosed into the sea.

So it was that a breeze stirred at the duckweed's edge, and waves rose from the slightest ripples.