Xie Jinghan vs. Chu Ning

In the Xie Household's reception hall, Xie Huaijin, Ling Yun, and the others all turned their eyes toward Xie Jinghan and Chu Ning.

The two set the time and place for their sword challenge on the spot.

"Three days from now at noon, Wangjiang Terrace outside Heaven-Bearing Prefecture City. I will wait there for a battle with Brother Jinghan," Chu Ning said in a deep voice.

"Agreed." Xie Jinghan gave a slight nod and accepted.

When swordsmen challenged swords, there was no need to hide and conceal; it was naturally open and aboveboard.

The news spread with astonishing speed, reaching all corners in the blink of an eye.

For a time, the entire martial arts circle of Heaven-Bearing Prefecture learned of a shocking piece of news—

Chu Ning of the Mystic Azure Sword Sect had challenged Xie Jinghan of the Xie Household to a sword duel!

Countless eyes turned toward them: one was a foremost swordsman of the Mystic Azure Sword Sect's generation, while the other was the newly risen prodigy of the Xie Household in Heaven-Bearing Prefecture.

The news continued to ferment, its fervor rising layer upon layer as it swiftly swept through the martial world of Central Province.

The winds and clouds of Central Province stirred.

Fifty li south of Heaven-Bearing Prefecture, the Han River surged eastward in mighty torrents.

The riverbank rose high, where a towering Wangjiang Terrace stood beside the water. A hundred zhang tall and square in shape, it had long jade stairways laid out to the east, south, west, and north, descending tier upon tier for people to climb.

The open ground beneath the terrace was broad and level, enough to hold tens of thousands of people.

Three days later, outside Heaven-Bearing Prefecture City, Wangjiang Terrace.

The sky had only just begun to brighten when this viewing terrace was already packed with surging crowds and gathered carriages and horses.

Local martial artists from great families, wandering martial artists, and renowned sword experts from every direction all converged here, spreading around the terrace as they waited in silence.

Various powers had even erected viewing stands in advance for important figures to watch from above.

Everyone was waiting for this pinnacle clash that had drawn the attention of all.

As the sun slowly climbed, noon arrived. The river wind surged grandly, and the daylight blazed bright. It was the time of day when one's essence, energy, and spirit were at their fullest—the hour of the decisive battle had come.

On the high terrace, Chu Ning had arrived long ago.

With the Azure Wave Sword at his waist in hand, he stood in the center of Wangjiang Terrace, his eyes lightly closed. His bearing was upright and tall, without a single unnecessary movement.

Over the past three days, he had not stayed at the Xie Household's guest residence. Instead, he had sat cross-legged by the river day and night, calming his mind, comprehending the sword, casting aside every distracting thought, and bringing his body, heart, and intent to their peak.

Threads of water vapor continuously spread and gathered around him.

At this moment, he was very quiet—quiet to a terrifying degree.

Like how one could never know what lay accumulated beneath a tranquil water surface.

Just as the entire venue waited in stillness, a lean figure slowly crossed the long stairway and calmly entered Wangjiang Terrace.

Xie Jinghan had arrived as promised.

He wore a plain-colored robe, his posture straight and crisp. His pace was neither hurried nor slow, and his expression was calm and undisturbed. His aura lay dormant within him, yet concealed an edge weighing a thousand jun.

Sensing the newcomer's aura, Chu Ning, who stood silently in the center of the terrace, abruptly opened his eyes.

A flash of sword light suddenly flickered through them.

The sword intent that had lain dormant for so long erupted with a roar—vast, majestic, and immense, sweeping across all of Wangjiang Terrace like raging waves and tempestuous billows!

At the same time, Xie Jinghan no longer concealed his edge.

Battle intent rose within him as his sword intent was released without the slightest reservation!

Compared to Chu Ning's sword intent, his was solitary and razor-sharp, icy enough to pierce the bone, tyrannical beyond compare!

Two utterly different powers of peak Sword Intent Realm collided with a thunderous crash!

Boom—!

An invisible blast of air exploded and swept in every direction.

The two sword intents faced each other from afar, violently interweaving.

The two had remained locked in confrontation for three full hours.

For those three hours, neither had moved. Yet anyone with discernment knew that the two of them were at their most dangerous right now.

Because their sword intents were rising madly. The two stood as motionless as statues, but these two statues would either remain still—or, once they moved, shatter stone and shake heaven.

There would be only one move!

Both were determined to win, and both possessed their own pride.

Three hours. Three full hours, and neither had moved. Both were seeking the other's flaw. Even the slightest flaw would be enough for all the power they had accumulated to pour forth and erupt at that single point.

The atmosphere over all of Wangjiang Terrace was pushed to its peak.

The entire venue fell deathly silent. Countless eyes locked tightly onto the two young figures facing off in the center of Wangjiang Terrace, their very breathing halted.

Those below the Innate Realm could not approach at all. Though the two on the terrace had made no move, the pressure that seemed to descend from nowhere left everyone struggling to breathe.

Xie Jinghan felt that Chu Ning's heart was too quiet, without the slightest flaw.

Suddenly, a clap of thunder exploded between heaven and earth. A torrential downpour descended from the sky.

The people below the terrace were caught off guard and drenched by the rain, hurrying to find shelter.

In an instant, the place became bustling and clamorous, with noise rising and falling as the tranquil atmosphere was shattered at once.

All of a sudden, Xie Jinghan's pupils contracted. The opportunity had come.

"Shiiing~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Xie Jinghan drew his sword.

The instant Xie Jinghan drew his sword, Chu Ning also drew his sword and swung it toward him.

Ling Yun, Wang Tianfeng, and Xie Jinlin all stared intently at the terrace.

Ling Yun, in particular, had kept his eyes fixed on Xie Jinghan without blinking. He had been muddled and dazed in the Blood Pool and had not seen clearly before. This time, he had to see it clearly.

"Leaping Art the Void!"

The instant Xie Jinghan drew his sword, his entire body rose into the air.

"Sword-Drawing Technique-Edge Flowing Light!"

The instant the Thunderclap Sword left its sheath, the entire space darkened, as though a black hole had swallowed every ray of surrounding light.

At the height of that darkness, a brilliance brighter than the blazing sun appeared—dazzling and eye-catching!

Strands of lightning, condensed to the utmost extreme, coiled around the blade.

"Brother Chu, be careful."

As the words fell, the ultimate edge erupted completely!

At that moment, time seemed to freeze.

Everyone below the terrace only felt their vision blur. They could not see clearly at all, nor could they possibly catch the sword's trajectory in time.

"Heaven-Overturning Giant Waves!"

Chu Ning's tranquil state of mind was disrupted, yet beneath that calm lake surface, towering waves surged skyward!

Azure light bloomed from the Azure Wave Sword.

His sword intent was like a tide, surging and roaring, wave after wave, layer after layer.

Rolling waves crashed forth, determined to drown Xie Jinghan, his sword intent, his sword light, and everything around them beneath the tide.

The two figures clashed.

The two sword intents collided with a thunderous bang.

In that instant, Xie Jinghan gripped the Thunderclap Sword as his sword light pierced through, tearing apart layer after layer of giant waves.

The giant waves seemed endless, streaming ceaselessly from Chu Ning's Azure Wave Sword.

"Boom boom boom boom boom!"

"Crackle crackle crackle crackle crackle!"

Explosions rang out one after another, shaking the wilds along the riverbank.

Then, the two figures crossed paths and separated at the first touch.

"Clang!"

Xie Jinghan sheathed the Thunderclap Sword.

As the sword light swept past, Chu Ning's sword intent shattered with a roar. The hand gripping his sword trembled faintly, his heart filled with disbelief.

He had actually failed to receive that sword strike steadily!

He possessed Clear Swordheart, so the sword light had little effect on him. Beneath the sword intent of Heaven-Overturning Giant Waves, wave upon wave, the edge of the Sword-Drawing Technique had been blocked layer upon layer.

Yet the strands of lightning within that sword light had actually pierced through the barrier of sword intent and struck his body.

At the center of Wangjiang Terrace, Chu Ning slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, regaining his calm. He withdrew his sword intent and solemnly cupped his hands toward Xie Jinghan, utterly convinced.

"Brother Xie, I am inferior to you in the sword."

"I lost."

The clamorous Wangjiang Terrace fell utterly silent in an instant.

After only a few breaths, the entire venue abruptly erupted in an earth-shaking uproar!

"What a fast sword!"

"Too sharp! Too tyrannical! I want to learn the Sword-Drawing Technique too!"

"The victor has been decided! Xie Jinghan won!"

"Just one sword strike! Just one strike shattered Chu Ning's sword intent!"

Countless cries of shock, praise, and uproar rose and fell, echoing across the riverbank.