The Name Jian Jiu Resounds Through the Great Soul Arena, Battle Against Yu Tianheng

"Ha... haah..."

Fierce Wolf's eyes bulged wide. Both hands clutched his throat as blood seeped through his fingers, disbelief frozen upon his twisted face.

A few breaths later.

He fell straight backward with a bang, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The spectator stands, boisterous just moments ago,

had now sunk into deathly silence.

Many people still had their hands raised, hysteria lingering on their faces.

Even the host had yet to step down from the arena.

Too fast!

A one-sword instant kill!

Less than ten breaths had passed from beginning to end!

Li Zhexian did not even glance at Fierce Wolf's corpse, his eyes still open in death. He turned and headed toward the backstage passage.

Only after he left the arena

did curses and cries erupt one after another from the stands.

A rookie in his first Soul Fighting match had instantly killed a near-Copper Badge fighter with four consecutive victories. No one knew how many people had gambled themselves into ruin on this match.

But none of that had anything to do with Li Zhexian.

When he arrived backstage, the other contestants looked at him differently.

Behind the Faceless Man mask, Li Zhexian's gaze swept across the faces of the fighters one by one.

Yet not a single person dared meet his eyes.

This was the change in status brought about by strength.

Time passed to nine o'clock.

Li Zhexian's second match had arrived.

His opponent had just achieved three consecutive victories and was an exceptionally formidable fighter among Iron Badge contestants.

Yet it was still just one sword.

Two Soul Fighting matches.

Li Zhexian had drawn his sword twice.

In merely one night, the name "Jian Jiu" had already gained some renown.

Over the following period of time,

Li Zhexian's routine of traveling between three places finally changed somewhat.

As usual, he ate and fished with Xue Qinghe during the day, then returned home to practice swordsmanship at night.

But in between,

he also went to the Great Soul Arena to fight.

Two matches a day.

Two matches, two sword strikes.

At least, so far, after ten days and twenty matches, rising from an Iron Badge to a Silver Badge, he had yet to encounter an opponent who required him to draw a second sword.

The name "Jian Jiu" resounded throughout the Imperial City Great Soul Arena, and even Soul Fighting Arenas in other cities had heard of him.

Sizzle—

On the clean Green Stone slabs,

the plump fish sizzled in its own fat.

Its fresh, savory fragrance drifted through the air alongside the breeze from the lotus pond.

"Li Zhexian..."

Xue Qinghe looked at Li Zhexian, who was lowering his head as he grilled the fish, a trace of puzzlement flashing through his eyes.

"Why do I feel like something about you has changed?"

Li Zhexian turned the fish over without raising his head.

"What's different?"

Xue Qinghe frowned and looked Li Zhexian over from head to toe.

"Hard to say..."

He could not pinpoint what it was. He simply felt that the carefree White-robed Youth from before seemed to have become far sharper.

Every now and then, when Li Zhexian's gaze shifted, the indifference revealed in his eyes made her heart tremble faintly in surprise.

After thinking for a moment, Xue Qinghe spoke again.

"Li Zhexian, are you sure you won't go to the Royal Academy?"

Li Zhexian said helplessly,

"Why are you so insistent on making me attend the Royal Academy?"

Without even thinking, Xue Qinghe replied,

"Because once you graduate, you can become a Deacon for the Heaven Dou Imperial Family."

Li Zhexian took a bite of fish and raised his eyes toward Xue Qinghe.

"Thanks a lot."

"You've even planned out my future for me."

Xue Qinghe's eyes lit up.

"So you agree?"

"I refuse."

Li Zhexian said lazily,

"To be honest, there aren't many students at the Royal Academy who can beat me. What would I go there for?"

"Later, I still have to travel the continent and keep looking for fine wines I've never tasted."

Xue Qinghe curled his lips.

He merely took it as an excuse Li Zhexian was using because he did not want to attend the Royal Academy.

"Mm, your guards are here."

Xue Qinghe still wanted to speak.

Li Zhexian raised an eyebrow and gestured with his chin behind him.

Xue Qinghe turned around and found that Pufferfish and Snake Lance had arrived.

"You two are here. Want to sit down and have a bite?"

Li Zhexian said with a smile to Pufferfish and Snake Lance.

After spending the past several days together,

he had become fairly familiar with Pufferfish and Snake Lance.

As for the fact that they were Title Douluo, he pretended not to know. He treated them only as guards of Crown Prince Xue Qinghe and had never displayed anything unusual because of it.

"No."

After Pufferfish and Snake Lance gave their stiff reply, their gazes turned toward Xue Qinghe.

Xue Qinghe's brows furrowed slightly.

Since the two had not spoken openly, it meant what they were about to say was not suitable for Li Zhexian to hear.

"Li Zhexian, I'll be leaving first."

"Mm."

Li Zhexian nodded, then seemed to remember something and quickly added,

"Hey, bring me a Three Immortals Chicken tomorrow. Stuff the belly with lotus seeds!"

Without turning back, Xue Qinghe waved a hand to show that he understood.

After they had walked some distance away,

Pufferfish and Snake Lance still looked at Xue Qinghe with complicated expressions.

Tomorrow, there would be one less chicken on old Emperor Xue Ye's dining table again.

Who knew what kind of spell Li Zhexian had cast on the Young Master? The Young Master treated him far too well.

"What is it? Go ahead."

Turning to business, Snake Lance said seriously,

"Young Master, an exceptionally formidable sword Martial Soul expert has appeared at the Great Soul Arena recently."

"Though he wears a mask, judging by his bearing, he should be quite young. Yet he has won twenty consecutive matches, breaking the record for the fastest promotion to a Silver Badge."

"Most importantly, this Jian Jiu has used only one sword strike so far."

Xue Qinghe stopped walking.

"Only one sword strike?"

Pufferfish nodded.

"Yes, Young Master."

"Of his twenty opponents, eighteen died and two were injured. His swordsmanship is extremely sharp and ruthless."

"Moreover, the record Jian Jiu broke belonged to Yu Tianheng. Yu Tianheng has already registered for tonight's Soul Fighting match. The two are bound to face each other."

Xue Qinghe pondered for a long while before saying,

"I'll go take a look tonight."

"Jian Jiu..."

"Since when did the Imperial City gain such a gifted swordsman?"

Night.

In the courtyard.

A chilling sword gleam flashed past, and the air seemed to carry an added trace of bloodlust.

These past days of tempering have brought great benefits.

I've found the truest essence of swordsmanship.

My Soul Power has also risen to level twenty-three through cultivation and the combined effects of my Wine Martial Soul.

Today's opponent, Yu Tianheng... Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, captain of the Heaven Dou Royal Team...

Interesting...

Li Zhexian put on the Faceless Man mask.

Under the night sky, a white-robed figure darted past like Ghost Charm.

Imperial City Great Soul Arena.

Eight o'clock at night.

Li Zhexian stepped onto the arena.

Unlike ten days ago, the sight of that white-robed figure turned the entire spectator stand into a lit powder keg, as though it might blow the whole Great Soul Arena apart.

Cheers, screams, and roars mingled together, forming a near-tangible wave of sound that rumbled throughout the venue.

"Jian Jiu! Jian Jiu! Jian Jiu!"

"Ahhh! Is he going to instantly kill his opponent with one sword again today?!"

"Idol! I'm going to become a swordsman as powerful as Jian Jiu someday!"

"My whole family has gone broke! I sold a kidney just to bet on Jian Jiu winning!"

Second floor.

Inside the VIP Box.

At that moment, seven young men and women stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the arena below...