In the blink of an eye, another month passed.
Yu Duan had been at Beiming Sacred Land for over fifteen years. This was his second ranking tournament, and he was thoroughly familiar with how it worked.
Unlike his difficult first tournament,
Yu Duan had yet to suffer a single defeat, from the very first match on the first day of this one.
Virtual Universe, Decisive Battle Space.
"Whoosh!"
Two streaks of light flashed, and Yu Duan and Yalunsi appeared in the sky at the same time.
Beneath them stretched an endless, boundless ocean.
"Just as you predicted, Yu Duan—the Sacred Land scheduled our duel for the very last match."
Yalunsi, the Yan Shen Armament strapped to his back, fixed his gaze on Yu Duan. A serious look appeared in his eyes.
Yu Duan swept his right hand out. Countless fine law patterns, hidden across the Glazed Longsword, emerged as black-and-white radiance surged and coiled around its tip!
"Please, Senior Brother. Teach me!"
As Yu Duan's words fell, Yalunsi rode the Dark Cloud Shuttle, his figure tracing mysterious spatial paths and leaving behind arcs of dark gold.
The void rippled, and eighty-one images of Yalunsi appeared. They formed nine groups of nine, each in a specific position, responding to one another and instantly creating a powerful Space Control domain.
The second layer of Ten Thousand Line Flow: Nine Line Flow perfected!
Being able to create nine Phantom Bodies marked the entry level of Nine Line Flow. Eighty-one Phantom Bodies meant it had been perfected.
As Yalunsi executed his movement technique, nine golden swords shot from behind him.
Blazing golden light blossomed from Yalunsi's body, rippling outward like a tide in every direction and intertwining with the nine golden swords.
Under the golden tide, the nine swords surged and connected. Countless golden sword auras burst forth, and the spherical space within a three-hundred-meter radius of Yalunsi instantly became a Sword Domain.
The third stage of the Yan Shen Armament, Heaven Sword Style—also known as the Sword Domain!
As Yalunsi shot toward Yu Duan, the Nine Line Flow domain intertwined with the Sword Domain. It was like a golden star plunging from the universe, crashing toward Yu Duan.
"Good!"
Whoosh!
In an instant, dazzling light and dark currents intertwined and burst from Yu Duan.
His speed soared countless times over. He seemed to become a black-and-white streak of light, making sharp turns through the sky as if defying the laws of physics.
Clang!
A clear sword ring rang out, followed at once by an endless interweaving of black and white light. A black-and-white edge extended from the Light and Time Sword.
Concentrated power from the laws of light and the Time Origin surged into that edge, swiftly condensing it into a massive, ancient-looking black-and-white sword, a hundred meters long and covered in countless blazing law patterns.
"Boom!"
The Yan Shen Armament's third stage, Heaven Sword Style!
The Light and Time Sword's third stage, Severing Dusk and Dawn!
Gold and light clashed; time and space collided. The power of the Source Laws—terrifying beyond compare at Star Level—erupted like a storm, raging in every direction in an instant.
Clang, clang, clang...
In an instant, after hundreds and thousands of clashes, the blazing golden sword rays were sent flying backward.
The golden sphere, filled with razor-sharp sword energy, seemed to be suddenly torn open by Yu Duan's black-and-white greatsword, forming a vast rift.
On one side of the rift blazed white light.
On the other side stretched an endless, shadowy realm.
This was one of the defining features of the Light and Time Sword's third stage. That was why this level was also called the Boundary of Dawn and Dusk!
"Light and Time Sword's third stage! Hahaha... Good! Looks like I don't have to hold back!"
After seeing Yu Duan use that move, Yalunsi burst into laughter. The seriousness in his eyes had now completely transformed into fighting spirit.
It had been so many years!
For so many years, Yalunsi hadn't had a chance to fight an opponent of equal standing with everything he had!
"Hum!"
Space rippled. The golden sphere domain, torn open by a rift, contracted in an instant!
This wasn't retreat. He was concentrating his power!
When the Sword Domain fully merged with the nine golden swords, it would form a golden totem pillar. That would be the Yan Shen Armament's fourth stage.
But Yalunsi was still far from that level. For now, he had only reached the early stage of the Heaven Sword Style.
"Condense!"
Golden light flared in Yalunsi's eyes. Three of the nine golden swords within the Sword Domain fused in an instant, becoming one enormous, hazy golden sword.
Three swords as one!
A terrifyingly sharp aura burst forth, several times stronger than before. It tore through the air across hundreds of kilometers and slashed toward Yu Duan like a sword sent down by the heavens!
Yu Duan showed no intention of retreating either. His laws, domain, will, and Origin Force surged at once, all his strength resonating and converging in a state of Unity of Heaven and Man.
Whoosh!
In that instant, the black-and-white greatsword, which had been a hundred meters long, shrank to nearly half its size. Yet the aura it gave off grew even denser.
"Boom!"
The golden greatsword and the black-and-white greatsword collided!
The wielder of the black-and-white greatsword felt a tremendous force travel through its blade. His figure was sent flying in an instant, blood spraying from his mouth.
Meanwhile, under Yalunsi's control, the golden greatsword shot forward. Like a dazzling golden meteor streaking across the sky, it slashed straight through Yu Duan's chest!
"Battle over. Winner: Yalunsi."
The Battle Space's cold, mechanical voice rang out, announcing the end of the 344th duel in the second stage of the ranking tournament.
Virtual Universe, examination hall.
A flash of light appeared, and Yalunsi and Yu Duan materialized at the same time.
"I lost, just as expected. I didn't realize your Heaven Sword Style had already reached the early stage, Senior Brother Yalunsi."
Yu Duan glanced at Yalunsi beside him. His expression hadn't changed at all despite his defeat.
Instead, Yalunsi sighed and draped an arm over Yu Duan's shoulder. "Your talent is truly astonishing, kid."
"In your thirties, and already at the Light and Time Sword's third stage. That's incredible."
Yalunsi gave a self-deprecating smile. "To be honest, when I first heard that Lord King Qinghuan had taken you as a personal disciple, I was a little jealous."
"But I can't feel jealous now. How many eras does it take for a genius like you to appear among the Cosmic Humans?"
"Someone like me comes along every five thousand years."
Yalunsi had reached the threshold of an Upper Law in his four-hundredth year. His talent was roughly on par with the top ten in the Genius Tournament.
Among all Star Level Fighters and Spirit Readers in the universe, Yalunsi was a genius among geniuses, the best of the best.
But over the vast timescale of the ancient universe, so-called super-geniuses weren't rare.
On average, the Human Race might not produce a single Immortal in several thousand years.
Yet geniuses of this caliber emerged every few thousand years.
Noticing Yalunsi's mood, Yu Duan smiled. "So now the one who lost has to comfort the winner? You'd better buy me a drink. Otherwise, that just won't do."
"Hahaha! Come on, let's go get a drink. We'll call Pengnuolai, An Yao, Chi Li, and the others and have a proper get-together." Yalunsi burst out laughing.
The earlier duels were glossed over without dragging things out.
Before you continue