This time, it had truly been an honorable sword duel, and Liu Zongshou had been defeated fair and square.
It didn't matter whether Liu Zongshou still had secret techniques he hadn't used. He had been outmatched, plain and simple.
Seeing their senior brother struck into the sky like a star with a single move, the disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain hesitated, awkward and uncertain. For a moment, no one stepped forward to continue the duel.
The disciples' earlier resolve to fight on even unto death had been abruptly shattered by the imposing aura of this unremarkable-looking, sunny young man.
It wasn't that no one dared face him. The disciple who had drawn the sixth lot was about to step onto the platform, but Yao Xuanzhou reached out and stopped him.
Clearly, this boy Shi Kai had truly come to duel with swords. It was rare enough that even Master Yao felt he had to offer his disciple some advice.
"Liu Zongshou wasn't careless... A single strike that can cut someone down with saber aura is difficult for an ordinary Golden Core cultivator to defend against." Yao Xuanzhou paused, then slowly continued, "Even if someone specializes in the Body Domination Technique, it's difficult for an ordinary person to reach the stage of releasing Divine Hardness before attaining a Divine Essence Body... This boy is either a Martial God from a past life who has disassembled his body and started cultivating anew, or a naturally gifted martial prodigy born into the world... With talent like this, he can at least be ranked among the upper three grades...
"And... it's clear he has a firm Dao heart and carries tremendous fortune. You're all on the threshold of a killing tribulation... When you face a child of destiny like this, I'm afraid your abilities will be cut in half... If you want to beat him... No, if you want even the slightest chance of survival, you must be prepared to die... Understand?"
The disciple who had drawn the sixth lot bowed. "Thank you for your guidance, Master Yao. I've learned my lesson."
Master Yao opened his mouth as if to say more, but in the end, he closed it and shook his head. "...Go."
The disciple bowed again, leaped onto the jade platform, and saluted.
"I'm Zhao Laifu, a disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain. Please instruct me."
Shi Kai cupped his fist toward him as well. "Please instruct me."
Then, as before, he tossed the heavy wooden oar behind him and assumed the exact same stance as before, sweeping his saber horizontally at waist height.
Zhao Laifu looked at him. "Brother Shi, are you really going to use that Riding Waves and Splitting Waves Slash again? We've all seen that move by now..."
Shi Kai was about to reply when Zhou Sheng burst out laughing. "Has Ink Bamboo Mountain started resorting to tricks like this? Little Hero Shi, as the saying goes, a heavy sword needs no edge, and great skill appears effortless. Don't listen to these demonic heresies meant to confuse you. There's no need to switch to another technique.
"It's clear that you've honed this special move through countless repetitions, without any flashy tricks. If it can be broken, then it can be broken; if it can't, then it can't.
"Just strike straight at him. So what if he's seen it? Let's see how he responds."
Hearing Zhou Sheng offer advice, Shi Kai looked a little embarrassed. "Well... that's not really what I meant. Brother Zhao, I've only been at Foundation Establishment for a little while myself, and I only just learned this move. I don't know any others."
Silence fell. Zhou Sheng shut his mouth for a moment, too.
Zhao Laifu hesitated, then asked, somewhat unwillingly, "Brother Shi, how long have you been at Foundation Establishment?"
"Oh, almost half a year. But I practice the Riding Waves and Splitting Waves Slash every day, so be careful, Brother Zhao." The twin brothers from E Shenyu didn't even have time to stop him before Shi Kai stated it openly.
"He forged saber aura in half a year!" Zhou Sheng exclaimed.
"What a fine young man!" Nangong Wushuang's eyes lit up as she looked Shi Kai up and down, admiring his broad shoulders and straight back.
Who would have thought the boy was so blunt? The twins could only exchange a glance and sigh. "Kai, focus on the duel. Never underestimate the heroes of the world."
Shi Kai nodded earnestly. "All right, Uncle!"
Zhao Laifu fell silent for a moment, then cupped his hands. "Very well. Today, I'll let Brother Shi see the Dao art I've spent forty years cultivating."
Zhao Laifu gritted his teeth and chewed the pill hidden in his mouth. In an instant, True Breath circulated and Dao energy surged. At the same time, he flailed his arms, let his hair down, stamped his feet, and wore a crazed expression, as if possessed.
"Spirit Possession!" Abbot Faji recognized it again and shouted, exposing the technique. "He's inviting an external spirit or monster into his body to greatly increase his power! Bamboo Mountain's demonic cultivators! Just how many sects' secret techniques have you stolen?"
Shi Kai had never seen a move like this before, and he stared in astonishment.
Zhou Sheng immediately warned him, "Little Hero Shi! You don't need to follow the principles of righteous conduct when facing this wicked, unorthodox technique! Strike now, before he finishes summoning the spirit! Otherwise, your life will be in danger!"
But Shi Kai simply nodded to Zhou Sheng. "Thank you for the warning. But my uncle told me that a sword duel is about showing off what you've learned, and you should have no regrets even if you lose. I want to see the ultimate techniques of the heroes of the world!
"Brother Zhao, let me know when you're ready. I'll give it everything I've got, too! Let's make this a fair fight!"
Zhou Sheng frowned and glanced at the twins. The meaning in his eyes couldn't have been clearer: How did you manage to train such an uncut gem into such an idiot?
The brothers both looked away, pretending they hadn't understood.
"Heh heh heh, good! Brother Shi, you're an interesting fellow! If I get the chance, Zhao Laifu will buy you a drink! Hyaah!!!"
With that, Zhao Laifu let out a fierce roar and tore off his Daoist robe. His skin had turned a bluish green, either from the potency of the pill's poison or from bleeding beneath the skin. His face was literally blue, with fangs bared and features contorted; he was almost unrecognizable as human. No one knew what evil god he had summoned into his body.
"Hss—haa—" Shi Kai closed his eyes and exhaled, then took a deep breath. Hot steam poured from his mouth and nose. His Riding Waves and Splitting Waves Slash stance engaged every muscle in his body, storing up power. His athletic body was taut as a fully drawn bow, and he focused his life's cultivation into the great oar in his hands.
"Immaterial Shadowless Divine Fist!"
Zhao Laifu shrieked and lunged.
"Riding Waves and Splitting Waves Slash!!"
Shi Kai charged forward and swept his oar across.
As before, they exchanged only one move,
and the result was the same.
Sometimes, the gulf between people was so vast that it left one feeling powerless. A secret art honed for forty years was still utterly useless before the single move a child of destiny had learned half a month ago.
But so what?
Not everyone fought to witness the brilliance at the summit.
Some willingly marched to their deaths so that those behind them could live.
"What..." Shi Kai stared blankly at his hands.
His oar had been broken by a punch.
Zhao Laifu hadn't dodged. He had charged forward and taken the Riding Waves and Splitting Waves Slash head-on. Even with spirit possession making him nearly impervious to blades and spears, the direct strike had driven the wooden oar into his flesh and bone. He paid the price of having almost half his body cleaved apart, but broke Shi Kai's weapon with a punch. Then he fell to the ground and died.
With that punch, Zhao Laifu could actually have traded his life for Shi Kai's and smashed his head in. But he hadn't.
It wasn't because Shi Kai was an idiot who wasn't a bad person or anything like that. At that moment, he wouldn't have killed even that bastard Lü Daolian. It was simply easier to spare Shi Kai.
The real reason was that Zhao Laifu knew the other side had brought only five Foundation Establishment cultivators.
If he killed Shi Kai, the junior disciples behind him would have no chance to win "three matches" in a row.
That was the sliver of hope Yao Xuanzhou had spoken of.
But it wasn't meant for Zhao Laifu.
"I'm Liu Ting, a disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain. Please instruct me!"
The seventh swordsman of Ink Bamboo Mountain leaped onto the jade platform, facing Shi Kai, who was now unarmed.
"Pfft!" Shi Kai also fell to his knees, blood spraying from his mouth and nose. Zhao Laifu had been too close. Even without trying to kill him, that head-on clash had wounded Shi Kai with the force of his punch.
What's more, the blood he spat out was black. Zhao Laifu had poisoned himself as well, to ensure his scheme against Shi Kai would succeed...
"Bamboo Mountain's demonic cult! Despicable and shameless!" Nangong Wushuang cursed furiously.
The twin brothers from E Shenyu scowled and prepared to step in.
Liu Ting remained expressionless as he took out a bottle of medicine. "This is the antidote. The poison isn't hard to remove, but he needs an elder to watch over him while he rests and recovers. If he forces himself to circulate his energy and exert his strength, the poison will spread through his body and inevitably leave hidden damage in his meridians.
"Shi Kai, you have a bright future ahead of you. You still want to witness the ultimate techniques of the heroes of the world, don't you?"
The two Nascent Soul cultivators, brimming with killing intent, froze at once.
Shi Kai turned his head in confusion, glanced at Zhao Laifu beside him, then wiped the blood from his mouth and nose and struggled to his feet. "I'm out of strength. I forfeit."
His two uncles immediately leaped down to protect Shi Kai and leave. One of them reached out and snatched Liu Ting's pill, glaring at him. Killing intent was plain in his eyes.
Liu Ting's expression didn't change. "You trust that the antidote I gave you is real?"
The other man was momentarily stumped. He gritted his teeth, shook his head, and snapped, "Let's go, let's go!"
The two of them promptly shielded their precious nephew and prepared to flee.
Seeing how decisively the two men were withdrawing, and with only three opponents left, Yao Xuanzhou's fingers twitched. But then he looked at the killing formation surrounding the spirit ship and remembered that three Nascent Soul divine generals from the Nangong Family were still hiding in the clouds. He hesitated and didn't act at once.
Who could have guessed that during that hesitation, Zhou Sheng would jump forward and block the people from E Shenyu? "I'm Zhou Hao. I've witnessed Little Hero Shi's chivalrous courage in this sword duel, and I'm deeply impressed. Here is the Hundred Flowers God Condensed Jade Dew bestowed by my sect. It can dispel misfortune, cleanse the marrow, and purge all poisons."
Abbot Faji also chanted a Buddhist invocation. "Namo Acalanatha Buddha. Little Hero Shi unhesitatingly acted with heroic righteousness on behalf of Tiantai Mountain. How could I, Faji, be stingy? Here is a Qingting Protecting Heart Lamp. It can protect the body, drive away demons, and greatly benefit cultivation. Please accept it as our thanks."
Nangong Wushuang was quick to react this time, too. Her phoenix eyes fixed on the young man who had just displayed such skill, and she stepped forward. "There's no need for you two fellow Daoists to worry. My Nangong Family has a unique treasure, Phoenix Tears, which can cure every illness and bring the dead back to life. And this Meteorite Divine Fire Saber, which I've kept in my collection, has had no worthy wielder until now. At last, I've found its rightful owner."
Shi Kai was actually fine, but when he saw the pile of treasures suddenly being thrust before him, he scratched his head. "Uh, thank you, everyone."
He might have lacked experience in the martial world and failed to understand what was going on, but his two uncles knew exactly what these people were planning.
They had seen Shi Kai fight and realized that E Shenyu was strong, while these enemies of the Bamboo Mountain Sect were especially formidable. So, naturally, they wanted to keep the two brothers here as extra muscle.
The two exchanged a glance, then looked at their nephew, who was foolishly grinning as he held the long saber. They could only sigh.
If E Shenyu had possessed a spiritual treasure like this to protect their nephew, how could such a rare and gifted genius have nearly fallen victim to the demonic cultivators below? Sadly, they were rogue cultivators. Even knowing others had ulterior motives, they didn't have the nerve to refuse the Immortal Palace once they had been targeted.
With their weakness in the other side's hands, the two men said nothing, but silently reached an understanding. They stopped trying to escape and stayed to treat Shi Kai's injuries. They turned hostile looks toward the people from the Bamboo Mountain Sect below, who had, in a way, repaid kindness with ingratitude.
Seeing that they had secured these two fighters, Zhou Sheng and Faji nodded. They knew there was no time to waste.
Faji turned to the novice monk beside him. "Puxiang, go kill the three of them and bring the disciples' sword duels to an end."
The novice monk pressed his palms together and bowed. "Yes, Abbot."
When Yao Xuanzhou saw the novice monk step down, he suddenly realized something was wrong. He frowned and shouted, "Zhou Sheng! Aren't you sending your disciple down?"
Zhou Sheng laughed heartily. "Brother Yao, you really do take things for granted! I'm a frail scholar, and it's only natural that I'd bring a pageboy to attend to my writing and ink. Who said he was my disciple? Who said he had to take part in the sword duel? Hahahaha!"
Yao Xuanzhou's face turned ashen. He knew he had been outmaneuvered again.
He had originally thought that after Liu Ting defeated Shi Kai, he would go on to defeat the pageboy and the novice monk, leaving Yao at least a chance to survive.
But Zhou Sheng wasn't sending the pageboy into the arena.
That meant the disciples' sword duels were effectively over.
The novice monk Puxiang was the last Foundation Establishment disciple on Tiantai Mountain's side. Whether he won three matches or lost one, the disciples' duels would be over all the same.
At that point, the Nascent Soul cultivators and divine generals who had been watching from all around could swarm in and slaughter every last member of Ink Bamboo Mountain.
No matter how many Yao Xuanzhou could kill, or whether he managed to escape, not one of the disciples aboard this ship would survive.
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