Shi Ming still stood where he was.
No one saw him draw his sword.
But a streak of Sword Qi had already slashed toward Li Tiezhu.
Fast.
So fast that most cultivators present saw only a flash of white light, without even catching its path.
Li Tiezhu did not so much as lift his eyelids.
He did not even move his feet. With a flick of his wrist, he held the black staff engraved with the words "Joyous Union" across his body.
Clang!!!
Sparks flew from the black staff.
The shock waves raised tsunami-like swells across the sea.
Li Tiezhu did not budge.
Shi Ming also remained where he was, his hand still resting on his sword hilt, the blade still sheathed.
The entire crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted.
"Was that just... the Endless Sword?!"
"I never even saw him draw..."
"Neither did I..."
An old cultivator stroked his beard and narrowed his eyes. "The Endless Sword. The technique that made Shi Ming famous."
"Unlike those flying-sword Divine Abilities, he doesn't pursue splitting his sword light or unleashing ten thousand swords at once. He pursues only one thing... speed."
"Speed taken to its utmost limit. One sword strike is enough."
One sword strike to shatter ten thousand arts.
Everyone fell silent, for Li Tiezhu had effortlessly blocked a sword strike they could not even see clearly.
"Number one on the Azure Profound Ranking. He certainly lives up to his reputation," someone said admiringly.
Higher up in the clouds.
Black Mountain lay at the edge of a cloud, craning his head downward. He slapped his thigh. "Huh? Since when did this kid start using a staff?"
"I remember the cultivation method our brother gave him back then came from the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect?"
Si Chen smiled.