Surging Soul Power began to gather in Ji Juechen's sword.
The air around his Meteorite Longsword began to twist.
Lin Yuan's power steadily drew inward as he savored the sword strike he had unleashed underground.
With that experience behind him, the path gradually grew clearer before Lin Yuan's eyes.
"The young lotus has only just revealed its pointed tips..."
As he recited the poem, countless sword images spread from Lin Yuan's hands.
They formed countless green blades of air around him, fluttering like dragonflies.
The stray sword images split the ground around them. Even a defensive-type Soul Ancestor would be in for a rough time if struck by them.
Wrapped in an unmatched sword intent, Ji Juechen leaped high into the air. The gusts kicked up by his sword carried the dust from the ground with them.
His face was alight with unparalleled excitement and fervor. Gripping his sword hilt in both hands, he brought it crashing down toward Lin Yuan.
"Dragonflies had long since..."
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Ji Juechen's sword shattered Lin Yuan's sword images without slowing, and he pressed forward with a feral grin.
"Stand!"
Cold sweat beaded at Lin Yuan's temples. The scattered sword images had cut Ji Juechen into a bloody mess.
His clothes had been reduced to rags, and aside from his vital areas, there wasn't a single uninjured part of him.
The battle had turned into a bloody fight to the death, a sensation even the Huo Yuhao who had reigned supreme in the original story couldn't give Ji Juechen.
One sword beam even slashed across Ji Juechen's eye, wounding it.
"Charge!"
All of Lin Yuan's sword images vanished in an instant. Ji Juechen's blade was already right before him.
"So... did Juechen win?" Jing Ziyan asked, her voice trembling.
Even Cao Xin, standing nearby, was so tense he nearly forgot to intervene.
If he could, he would have gladly stood by and watched the two swordsmanship prodigies fight.
Interfering would be a tremendous humiliation to both Ji Juechen and Lin Yuan.
"Head!"
Lin Yuan's tightly shut eyes snapped open, blazing with brilliant light.
The green Jade Dragon-Slayer shot toward Ji Juechen like a swimming dragon.
Clang!
A tremendous sword ring rang out as a fierce gale of sword energy swept through the area.
All three girls except Cao Xin clapped their hands over their ears and squeezed their eyes shut.
Only after the scene had fallen completely silent did Jing Ziyan, the most powerful among them, open her eyes and look over.
"Sorry I couldn't let you enjoy yourself, Brother Ji."
As he finished speaking, a wound stretched from Lin Yuan's shoulder down to his lower abdomen.
Crimson blood gushed out. Leaning on the Jade Dragon-Slayer, Lin Yuan dropped to one knee.
Ji Juechen smiled faintly. "You clearly won. Why say that?"
Then Ji Juechen swayed and fell straight backward.
Just as Jing Ziyan was trying to make sense of what had happened, a large chunk of iron dropped from the sky.
It landed in front of her and embedded itself in the ground.
Jing Ziyan recognized it: the blade of Ji Juechen's Meteorite Longsword.
Alarmed, she hurriedly looked back up toward Ji Juechen.
The dust kicked up by their clash had kept her from seeing clearly.
His Meteorite Longsword had already been snapped in two, its cut surface perfectly smooth.
"If you'd had a good sword, the outcome might still have been uncertain."
After saying that, Ju Zi came over to Lin Yuan and stuffed an orange into his mouth.
She hadn't even peeled it. Lin Yuan knew she was scolding him in her own way for acting recklessly.
So he began chewing and struggled to swallow it, peel and all.
"What is the best sword in the world?" Ji Juechen asked Lin Yuan, propped up by Jing Ziyan.
"Come with me, and I'll find the best materials and the finest craftsman to make you one." Lin Yuan pointed to himself with his thumb.
Jing Ziyan realized what was going on. These people had come to poach Ji Juechen!
If they were a faction within the Sun Moon Empire, they wouldn't have gone to such lengths to approach him.
They had to be from a foreign power, here to tempt Ji Juechen into betraying his country!
Jing Ziyan discreetly pinched Ji Juechen to remind him that these people couldn't be trusted.
Ji Juechen's eyelid twitched. Jing Ziyan had clearly pinched him hard enough to hurt.
"Dean Jing Hongchen showed me kindness by recognizing my talent. I'm afraid I can't accept your offer," Ji Juechen refused.
Jing Ziyan breathed a sigh of relief and began thinking about how they could get out of there.
Cao Xin was just about to grab them when Lin Yuan raised a hand to stop him, his expression amused.
"You're the sort of person who cares about gratitude?"
"Dean Hongchen is my dearest friend and respected elder. Offer me the right terms, and keep fighting me." Ji Juechen's eyes shone with eagerness for another fight.
Lin Yuan wore an expression that said he'd expected as much. "All right. I agree."
"Give me some time. I still have to repay Dean Hongchen for his kindness," Ji Juechen said, nodding to Lin Yuan.
"Sure. Take all the time you need." Lin Yuan agreed, then turned to Nana.
"Nana, I've taken care of everything here. Now I can help you with your parents' situation."
Nana, standing off to the side, looked briefly dazed, then nodded to Lin Yuan with tears in her eyes.
He had met her by chance when he and Ju Zi returned to Mingdu.
Since they had crossed paths, there was no way he would let the opportunity slip by. It wasn't just that Nana herself had a talent for management; Lin Yuan also intended to recruit the Soul Engineers within the Evil Soul Master faction connected to her.
Lin Yuan rose to his feet. After recovering some Soul Power, he activated the Jade Dragon-Slayer's innate Soul Skill.
The others saw a flash of green light, and the wounds on Lin Yuan's body vanished without a trace.
Other than looking a little pale from exhaustion, he seemed no different from usual.
"Come, Brother Ji. Let me heal you too." Holding the Jade Dragon-Slayer, Lin Yuan intended to share some of his life force with Ji Juechen and help him recover.
Looking at the Jade Dragon-Slayer in his hand, Lin Yuan couldn't help thinking of the Shennong Ruler.
If the Jade Dragon-Slayer didn't have the offensive power of a Sword Martial Soul, it really would be the Shennong Ruler.
"Wait." Ji Juechen had also realized that Lin Yuan's Martial Soul had healing abilities.
"Heal me, but leave this part alone." Ji Juechen pointed at his injured eye.
"Brother Ji, if I don't treat your eye, it'll severely impair your vision," Lin Yuan said, troubled.
"Then I'll work hard enough to make up for the disadvantage and overcome the flaw."
"I want to keep it as the motivation that drives me onward," Ji Juechen said with a smile.
Lin Yuan nodded in agreement. That was fine too.
In the original story, Ji Juechen had failed to advance further because he'd lost his invincible heart. The reason was that Lao Huo had shattered his confidence.
He was actually the best example of the saying, "There are no useless Martial Souls, only useless people."
"What about you?" Lin Yuan asked with a smile as he healed Ji Juechen, then turned to Jing Ziyan.
Jing Ziyan spread her hands helplessly and looked over at Cao Xin.
"Senior, what's your cultivation level?"
"Titled Douluo."
"You can see that there's no way I could escape from a Titled Douluo. So I'm joining you." Jing Ziyan looked utterly resigned.