Blade Slashing the Six Paths

Qianshan Huo felt somewhat dejected. Upon exiting the Dream God Realm, he was met with the concerned gazes of his master and junior sister.

"Senior Brother, did you advance?"

Qianshan Huo nodded, his tone listless.

"What's wrong? Did you encounter a formidable opponent?" Seeing through his disciple's thoughts at a glance, the Mortal World Blade King asked.

Qianshan Huo nodded, clenching his fists. "I met someone today. His strength was quite high, but he was far too arrogant. If it weren't for his luck, he would have undoubtedly died."

"Luck is also a form of strength. Besides, how do you know he was arrogant?" the Mortal World Blade King asked.

"I used the Severing the Mortal World." Qianshan Huo's words caused the Mortal World Blade King's expression to turn solemn. He was well aware of his disciple's talent; even at the mid-stage of the Marquis Realm, he had already touched upon the Heavenly Blade Artistic Conception and grasped the true essence of the Severing the Mortal World. The Mortal World Blade King mused that if his disciple's cultivation base hadn't been a step behind, he would have absolutely been a seeded player.

Yet, he hadn't expected that in the very first preliminary round, Qianshan Huo would encounter an opponent he couldn't defeat even after unleashing the Severing the Mortal World.

"Now you know the truth that there is always a heaven beyond heaven, and people beyond people," the Mortal World Blade King said, suppressing the surprise in his heart.

"But that guy was truly too arrogant. He actually used his own body to test my blade; it was hateful. If I encounter him again, I will definitely make him pay."

Qianshan Huo remained somewhat angry and unwilling to accept it.

The Mortal World Blade King shook his head. "There are countless geniuses in this world. You must not be arrogant in victory or discouraged in defeat. Go now; I believe you must have gained many insights from this battle. If you can surpass yourself, you can surpass others."

Qianshan Huo nodded, calmed down, and began his seclusion to reflect.

It wasn't just Qianshan Huo; as the first day of the First Martial Arts Tournament concluded perfectly, ninety percent of the three billion participants had been eliminated in just one day, leaving only three hundred million.

Following the terrifying elimination rate, countless people began interacting within the Dream God Realm, and many prestigious senior experts also began to critique the first day's events.

Lin Huang did not care about these things. After exiting the Dream God Realm, his mood was still somewhat complex, but it quickly turned calm. He walked out of his room and headed toward the Three Holy Mothers' jelly shop.

"You've come."

"I gained quite a bit."

"The insights are deep."

Lin Huang nodded, glanced at the Three Holy Mothers, and remained silent.

"You have gains."

"Then go and reflect."

"Go and fight."

Lin Huang smiled and nodded. "Therefore, I need a blade and a whetstone."

After conversing with the Three Holy Mothers for a moment, she gave Lin Huang a blade and a person.

Lin Huang carried the blade, casually took the elephant mask from a child eating jelly, and with his body like a long rainbow, headed toward the Prefecture Lord's mansion.

Prefecture Lord Chen was busy approving official documents. With the start of the First Martial Arts Tournament, the entire Daqian Prefecture could be described as surging with activity, especially since the first day of the preliminaries had just ended, and many eliminated contestants had begun causing trouble after getting drunk. Prefecture Lord Chen had just signed an order for a curfew in conjunction with the Law Enforcement Department and was preparing to approve the next document when he suddenly felt something was wrong.

Quiet. It was too quiet.

As the mansion handling the vital affairs of a prefecture, it had never been this silent. The memory of the assassination attempt on the Prefecture Lord a few days ago flashed through his mind subconsciously. His vigilance rose, and as he looked up, he saw a person wearing an elephant mask, carrying a blade, standing inside the doorway.

Prefecture Lord Chen narrowed his eyes and slowly stood up. Although he could not see the intruder's face, he could tell from the way the person gripped the blade that he was young.

The fact that someone could break into the Prefecture Lord's mansion without a sound, possessing such strength, surprised Prefecture Lord Chen.

"Young man, do not ruin yourself. Trespassing into the Prefecture Lord's mansion is a grave crime."

Lin Huang, wearing the elephant mask, raised his blade and pointed it at Prefecture Lord Chen. "Fight."

As soon as the words fell, Lin Huang swung his blade. This strike was the Fire-Slaying!

If Qianshan Huo had seen this scene, he would have been terrified and unable to believe his eyes.

Although Lin Huang's Fire-Slaying lacked the precision and weight that Qianshan Huo had honed through thousands of strikes, it possessed an inherent elegance and carried Lin Huang's own understanding, making it equally stunning.

Prefecture Lord Chen's pupils contracted as he reached out to grab and meet Lin Huang's blade head-on.

Clang!

The fist and blade met, emitting the sound of metal clashing.

"The Vajra Divine Body at the small success perfection stage." Lin Huang's eyes were like torches; after just one exchange, he recognized that what Prefecture Lord Chen practiced was the now-widespread Vajra Divine Body, and he had cultivated it to the realm of small success perfection.

The Vajra Divine Body was said to grant an indestructible body upon reaching great success. Although Prefecture Lord Chen had only reached small success perfection, it was enough to withstand a long blade; even Lin Huang's strike could not leave a mark on his fist. To have cultivated a physical body to this extent was terrifying.

But Lin Huang did not care and followed up with another strike.

From his brief exchange with the Three Holy Mothers, Lin Huang had deliberately sought advice and learned that due to soul strength limitations, the six eighteen-stage cultivators all had absolute limits in their cultivation of the Six Paths in One. Being able to cultivate one of the Six Paths to the limit of the stage made one a peerless genius, and being able to surpass that limit made one a supreme genius capable of sweeping through the contemporary era.

As a King-level expert, Prefecture Lord Chen's divine body cultivation was only at small success perfection, far from the great success divine body that was the limit of the King Realm.

But soon, Lin Huang thought of how he had presumptuously called himself a Great Sage while his own divine body cultivation was only at the small success stage, and he felt gloomy. He began to dance his long blade wildly, each strike faster than the last.

Earth Severing! Water Severing! Fire-Slaying! Wind Severing! Yin-Yang Severing!

The Blade Slashing the Six Paths was unleashed in an instant. Compared to the version Qianshan Huo had displayed, it lacked that overbearing, world-dominating momentum that sought to sever all six paths in one strike, but it was far more profound in its understanding of the six paths. With a single strike, the six paths rotated, reenacting earth, water, fire, and wind, opening up yin and yang, sealing space and time—it was flawless and breathtakingly brilliant.

Prefecture Lord Chen was horrified. Facing this strike, he found he had no way to block it and could only let out a muffled groan, using his hands to protect his vitals while pushing his Vajra Divine Body to the limit.

Clang, clang, clang!

The sound of metal clashing rang out incessantly. Prefecture Lord Chen stumbled back three steps, a sharp pain radiating through his body. Upon closer inspection, his Vajra Divine Body, which he had cultivated to the peak of minor completion, was covered in dense blade marks, looking like a cracked piece of porcelain.

"You are a genius. It is a pity, however, that a genius is ultimately just a genius." Prefecture Lord Chen's expression turned grim, his anger fully ignited. He swung his arm in a simple, straightforward punch—this was the Mountain Crushing Fist.

Lin Huang did not dodge or evade. His long blade moved even faster, striking out with Severing the Mortal World.

The mortal world rolled forth, only to be severed by a single blade.

Compared to Qianshan Huo's Severing the Mortal World, Lin Huang's strike lacked the Heavenly Path intent of having nothing but the blade in one's heart. It had the form, but lacked the spirit. Yet, it contained Lin Huang's own understanding; after all, he had nearly transcended his Human Tribulation, and he possessed his own insights into severing the mortal world.

Unfortunately, he had yet to form his own intent and had failed to achieve enlightenment through the mortal world, so this strike ended up being inferior to his previous Blade Slashing the Six Paths.

Prefecture Lord Chen let out a soft sound of surprise, also feeling that Lin Huang's strike was far below his usual standard. He didn't dwell on it, however, and simply raised his palm before pressing it down—this was the Mountain Moving Palm!

His formidable physique erupted, shattering the void. Under the force of this palm, the power of moving mountains—where one force overcomes ten thousand techniques—instantly obliterated Lin Huang's Severing the Mortal World.

Lin Huang shifted his grip on the long blade. He realized that the reason Severing the Mortal World was so powerful was because Qianshan Huo had integrated his own intent into it; in terms of pure understanding of the six paths, it was far inferior to Blade Slashing the Six Paths.

He was no longer in a rush to seek enlightenment. He simply abandoned Severing the Mortal World and used only Blade Slashing the Six Paths, over and over again. With every strike, his comprehension of the six paths deepened, and the insights he had gained from the Sages of Zhongnan were, with the help of Prefecture Lord Chen's pressure, integrated bit by bit into this blade technique.

After exchanging a dozen rounds, Lin Huang spat out a mouthful of blood, his divine body on the verge of collapse. He glanced at the solemn-faced Prefecture Lord Chen, sheathed his long blade, tapped his feet against the ground, and turned to leave.

"You want to leave! Stay here!" Prefecture Lord Chen laughed in his rage, his aura erupting violently, but he struck nothing but air. Looking closely, there was no longer any sign of Lin Huang. He was shocked, almost believing it had all been a dream.

PS: I have been uploading for five days, five chapters a day. The first chapter was a massive 5,000-word entry. In just five days, we are nearing 70,000 words, and the contract has finally been signed. Therefore, I am asking for recommendations and follows with full confidence.