Liu Beixuan lowered his head and glanced at the Azure Nether Jade Pendant at his waist. The cracks across the pendant were spreading, and its gentle azure glow was dimming bit by bit.
He looked again at the White Jade Folding Fan in his hand. Upon its shattered ribs, the last wisp of Saintly Breath was dissipating.
Then, he smiled.
That smile was as unrestrained as ever, as arrogantly superior as ever, still carrying that maddeningly showy air that made people love and hate him in equal measure.
He raised his head and looked toward the empty space opposite him on the Arena, as though Sword Fiend were still standing there.
"What a... Sword Fiend."
His voice was not loud, yet everyone inside and outside the Arena heard him with perfect clarity.
His voice remained clear and bright, still tinged with laughter, as though nothing had happened.
"I, Liu Beixuan, have roamed the world all my life, and among my peers, I have never met an opponent."
He took a step forward. His feet staggered, but he steadied himself.
He stood at the center of the Arena, his white robes stained with dust, his long hair hanging loose, a streak of crimson blood at the corner of his lips. The Azure Nether Jade Pendant at his waist flickered with its final trace of light.
"Today's battle..."
He lifted his head and looked toward the Sky Vault.
"Exhilarating."
Slowly, he raised a hand, drew the bloodstained Long Sword from his waist, and plunged it into the ground before him.
Then he dropped to one knee, one hand gripping the sword hilt, the other hanging at his side.
His head bowed slightly, white hair veiling his face. Yet the wild smile at the corner of his lips still had not faded.
He