Bai Kaluo

Special Grade Elite!

Those four words instantly set everyone present on edge.

The clan's grand tournament was held once a year, and it had been more than a century since anyone had been named a "Special Grade Elite."

Being awarded this title meant that reaching the Universe Realm was almost a certainty, and even breaking through to the Domain Lord level was well within reach.

"Who exactly is Bai Luoyan? Why have I never heard of her before?"

"Bai Luoyan, Bai Luoyan—do you really need to ask? She must be someone Lord Bai Luoyan brought here himself."

"I see. No wonder Lord Bai Luoyan made a special trip here."

The Universe Realm powerhouses chatted among themselves.

Although the girl was still far weaker than they were, everyone knew it might not be long before she stood on equal footing with them—or even surpassed them.

In the Blade Tomb World, Bai Luoyan shook her head slightly.

Too weak. Is there really no one in this year's tournament who can make me take them seriously?

By now, dozens of people had surrounded her.

"This girl is no ordinary opponent. Everyone, attack together!"

"Kill!"

Dozens of people surged forward at once, unleashing their strongest techniques with overwhelming force.

But the girl's long sword rang softly, and her figure suddenly vanished.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

She drifted through the crowd like a fleeting breeze. Every flash of her sword sent another person out of the tournament.

In moments, the girl stood with her sword lowered, while all those dozens of opponents had been eliminated.

On the plaza outside, the figures of dozens of people had barely appeared when gasps erupted around them.

"Impossible... How could this happen? Dozens of us joined forces, and we were defeated so easily?"

"She was too strong. We weren't even on the same level."

"And here I thought I was a genius. Now I see that compared with a true genius, my talent is nothing."

They were all young talents from different regions of Blade Planet, but the gap between them and the truly top-tier geniuses had been laid bare in an instant.

At the same time, Bai Xingyun had also encountered a formidable opponent—or at least, that was how he seemed to everyone watching.

"Heh, I hear your swordsmanship is impressive. But... I'll be the one who wins." Bai Tianluo's lips curled into a smile, his confidence plain to see.

This battle had also drawn the attention of many Universe Realm powerhouses.

Bai Tianluo had been classified as a Second Grade Elite only because of his age. In terms of actual combat strength, he was no weaker than Bai Xingyun had appeared earlier.

"Let's see how far this Bai Xingyun can go," someone remarked with interest.

They had already gathered information about Bai Xingyun's background.

He had come from a remote little town, where the strongest person he had ever seen growing up was only at the Star Realm. His cultivation environment had been even worse than Bai Yuan's and the others'.

Yet this genius from such a barren place had still managed to reach this level. It was truly astonishing.

A proud fighting spirit flashed in Bai Xingyun's eyes.

He was a born fighter, but in all his years, he had never met anyone his age who could truly match him.

Even after coming to the Blade Tomb World, where geniuses from all over had gathered, nothing had changed. So far, no one had been worthy of a second slash from him.

"Take my first slash!"

Before his words had even faded, he was already moving.

His blade flashed like snow, blooming in silence.

Dozens of silver arcs seemed to appear in the air at once, their real and illusory forms overlapping until they were impossible to distinguish.

"His blade isn't even fast! How can it leave so many afterimages?"

Bai Tianluo's expression changed drastically. He hastily pushed his eyesight to its limits, scanning the layers of blade shadows at lightning speed.

At last, in the shifting gaps between illusion and reality, he caught sight of the truly lethal slash!

Clang!

The War Blades rang out, sparks flying.

Bai Tianluo staggered back three steps. The web between his thumb and forefinger throbbed where he gripped his blade, but at the very last moment, he had managed to block that seemingly supernatural strike.

Seeing his blade blocked, Bai Xingyun didn't grow angry. Instead, he laughed.

There was not the slightest trace of defeat in that smile—only pure, blazing excitement.

"Good!"

He slowly uttered the word. The War Blade in his hand dipped slightly, but the aura around him began to rise steadily.

"You've earned the right to make me take this seriously."

In an instant, Bai Xingyun attacked again.

This time, he wielded both blades at once!

A storm of blade shadows swept toward Bai Tianluo. Their real and illusory forms were impossible to tell apart, and there was no way to know which slash was real and which was fake.

Self-created sword technique—Thousand Blade Afterimages!

Spurt...

Bai Tianluo froze in place.

The next moment, his head separated completely from his body.

"So his blade wasn't slow. He was just so fast that my eyes couldn't keep up..."

As that final thought crossed his mind, his figure was teleported out of the Blade Tomb World.

On the plaza, Bai Tianluo instinctively touched his neck, then shook his head with a sigh.

"He's undoubtedly the champion of this tournament."

At that moment, even the Universe Realm powerhouses watching from the stands couldn't hide the surprise in their eyes.

Many of them openly admired Bai Xingyun and immediately offered to take him on as a disciple.

"What a fast blade! Though he used both blades at once, it's no easy feat to master speed and the interplay between real and illusory forms to such an extent!"

"This young man is truly exceptional. If he improves just a little more, he may well become another Special Grade Elite."

"I want him as my disciple."

"Old Xin, you don't even use twin blades. Forget it. A disciple like this belongs under my tutelage."

"We'll let him make his own choice when the time comes."

Bai Xingyun's strength now surpassed even that of the previous tournament's champion by a few notches, bringing him right to the threshold of a Special Grade Elite.

With talent like his, a little cultivation would give him an excellent chance of reaching the Universe Realm in the future.

And the bond between master and disciple had always been one of the strongest ties on the path to power.

Naturally, no one wanted to let such a promising talent slip away.

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

Bai Yuan, too, had encountered an expert who had comprehended a Concept.

"Impressive! You're only at Apprentice Level 8, yet you can hold your own against me!"

His opponent's twin blades danced wildly, his attacks relentless and airtight, forcing Bai Yuan to retreat again and again. For a while, he could barely counterattack.

Bai Yuan's brows knitted together, his gaze growing calmer by the moment.

"Looks like I have to take it a step further."

"Sharp Metal Seven-Fold Slash!"

In an instant, eight layers of hidden force burst forth from the edge of his blade!

At the same time, his body and blade merged seamlessly, and the Sharp Metal Concept pierced outward.

The blade flashed past, its keen edge cutting to the bone!

The opponent's previously airtight web of frenzied slashes was cleaved open by that strike.

His expression changed, but he reacted astonishingly quickly. He pivoted on his feet and instantly unleashed a Perfect Level movement technique, retreating backward.

But Bai Yuan's blade was faster than his retreat.

Spurt!

Blood flashed. The blade had missed bone and sinew, but it still cut through the skin, and blood dripped from its edge.

His opponent staggered to a halt and looked down at the thin bloody gash across his chest, unable to hide his shock.

"Your Force Amplitude is actually stronger than mine! It's over six times! What's your name?"

"I'm Bai Yuan. And you?" Bai Yuan asked casually.

"I am Bai Kaluo," the other man replied frankly.

Bai Yuan hadn't paid much attention at first, but the moment he heard the name Bai Kaluo, he immediately realized who he was.

Twin blades, the Wind Concept, and a sword technique that grew stronger the longer he fought...

There was no doubt about it. This was Bai Kaluo, the Blade Clan member who would one day be subdued by Luo Feng.

Bai Kaluo hadn't yet reached the Planet Realm. That meant Luo Feng wouldn't be born for at least several thousand years—or perhaps even tens of thousands.