Chapter 434: Champion Zhang Mountain

Chapter 434 -228: Champion Zhang Mountain

‘But even so, there’s no way this junior brother should have mastered the Cloud Dragon Nine Stances, right?’

‘Perhaps it was an epiphany he had on Sword Peak, something that carries a hint of the Cloud Dragon Nine Stances.’

He nodded again and again, a slight smile touching his lips.

‘This is good. Defeating his opponent in a single move using pure swordsmanship… even a Grandmaster wouldn’t be able to spot anything unusual. That’s just like him.’

Meanwhile, Lin Zhen was also stunned. She never imagined that Junior Brother Zhang, who had claimed he was just going up to test the waters for everyone, would end up defeating his opponent in a single move!

‘So the best way to reduce danger is to simply eliminate it outright…’

Huang Zifeng was equally shaken. As he stared at the swordsmanship Xie Yuan had displayed, he was involuntarily lost in thought. A moment later, a cold sweat broke out on his back.

‘If that had been me, I don’t think I could have countered that move either!’

On the fourth floor, the scions of the great families were all silent. The disciples of the Yao family, who had been so full of bravado before the match, were now utterly speechless.

The members of the other families exchanged glances, their expressions complex as they looked down at Yao Tianchuan and Xie Yuan.

“Interesting.”

A young master in a brocaded robe flicked open his folding fan, his gaze fixed on Xie Yuan as a slight smile played on his lips.

A nearby Yao family disciple started to glare at him, but when he saw the young master was the clear center of a group from the Wang family of Langya, he was instantly intimidated into silence.

Back on the tournament stage, Yao Tianchuan stared blankly at the ground, the sword in his hand trembling uncontrollably.

‘How was it one move again? The moment he decided to get serious, why couldn’t I last even a single move… again?’

‘I trained for a whole year, and this is still the result?’

His eyes were filled with confusion. He looked around blankly, and the sight of Xie Yuan’s back as he turned to leave the stage seemed to blur, overlapping with his memory of that night on Cloud Mountain.

Yao Tianchuan froze for a second before realizing he was in Jinling.

But as he stared at Xie Yuan, his eyes gradually reddened and his breathing grew ragged. His mind was completely filled with the flash of the sword from that night and the sword from moments ago. The images merged and separated, merged and separated, until he could no longer tell them apart.

He couldn’t help but tighten his grip on his sword, roaring with a crazed look on his face:

“Damn you! Don’t you go anywhere! Let’s go another three hundred rounds! I will defeat you today!”

Gripping his Long Sword, Yao Tianchuan suddenly lunged at Xie Yuan’s back. Taking advantage of the moment his opponent was completely unaware, he thrust his blade toward the back of his heart!

Gasps of alarm erupted from the crowd below, but before the sounds could even fully register, a voice filled with suppressed fury boomed from the floors above:

“Yao Tianchuan! Stop!”

It was as if a gong sounded in Yao Tianchuan’s head. He snapped back to his senses instantly, swayed on his feet, and collapsed to one knee.

The referee rushed over and dragged him away. Xie Yuan spun around, feigning a look of mild panic as he silently loosened his grip on his sword.

The audience members craned their necks in unison, peering up at the tall building. They were all trying to see which great expert could, with a single shout, snap the berserk Yao Tianchuan back to his senses and render him powerless. But the fifth floor of Wangjiang Building remained perfectly still and silent.

On the fifth floor, the old man’s face was black with fury. He slowly closed his eyes.

‘On an occasion like this, a disciple of the Yao family has not only lost the match, but has lost his honor as well. If he had actually managed to injure, or even kill, a disciple of the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect with that sneak attack… forget our reputation being ruined in front of the entire world, Li Xingtuo himself would probably descend upon Jinling.’

‘One Yao Tianchuan, one Yao Yilong… their skills are simply not up to par, and they’ve brought shame upon the entire Yao family…’

The old man felt a headache coming on. He took a sip of tea to quell his anger before turning his gaze back to Xie Yuan on the stage.

‘Judging by the Blood Qi he’s showing and his reaction just now, he really has just recently broken through to the Qi Blood First Transformation Realm.’

‘But how is his swordsmanship so superb?’

‘Has the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect found another swordsmanship genius?’

‘And the spot for Jianzhen Lake…’

The old man’s face grew grim. He then heard Duke Ning sigh beside him.

“A pity for young Tian Chuan. His actual power is greater than his opponent’s. It’s just that this Sword Sect junior’s swordsmanship is rather strange, and he managed to seize the initiative. If they were to have a straightforward fight, the gap wouldn’t be so large. I believe young Tian Chuan would have the greater chance of victory.”

“His skills were inferior. He needs to go back and train,” the old man said in a gruff voice.

“Patriarch Yao, you are too modest.”

Duke Ning stroked his beard and chuckled, though he privately disagreed.

‘I’d heard that Yao Tianchuan’s Sword Heart was already unstable. After this blow, it’s anyone’s guess whether he’ll even be able to continue practicing martial arts…’

‘Still, this young man from the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect has impressive swordsmanship. He overwhelmed Yao Tianchuan with pure technique, leaving him no room to fight back.’

‘I recall when Yao Tianchuan first burst onto the scene. At the Young Dragons Tournament, he relied purely on his profound swordsmanship, defeating even Second Transformation Realm opponents with technique alone.’

‘Yet this young man has now surpassed even that version of Yao Tianchuan. A cultivator who has just entered the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm defeating an opponent on the verge of the Second Transformation Realm—and Yao Tianchuan wasn’t suppressing his cultivation level, either… To call him a genius feels like an understatement.’

‘The martial world is always like this. Each new wave overtakes the last; there will always be someone younger and stronger coming up from behind.’

‘It’s just… I’d like to remain at the crest of that wave for a few more years myself…’

Duke Ning smoothed his hair, his eyes dark and inscrutable.

Amidst the stares of the entire crowd, Xie Yuan returned to the third floor of Wangjiang Building. Ning Zi immediately led a round of enthusiastic applause.

“Wow, Junior Brother Zhang! I had no idea you were so incredible! I feel like your swordsmanship is almost on par with mine!”

“You flatter me, Senior Sister. I’m still a long way from reaching your level,” Xie Yuan said with a humble expression.

Seeing the utterly sincere look on Xie Yuan’s face, Qin Zhenyang’s mouth twitched slightly.

“Junior Brother Zhang, you’re really amazing!” Lin Zhen said in her gentle voice, giving Xie Yuan a thumbs-up.

Huang Zifeng also sighed. “I thought your chances were slim when you went up on stage, Junior Brother Zhang. I never expected you to win in a single move. I underestimated you.”

“It was all Sword Peak, all Sword Peak. I just happened to know a move to counter his.”

Xie Yuan gave all the credit to Sword Peak.

He sat down at the table to drink some tea and rest. He noticed that while many people were sneaking glances at him, there were no other disturbances, nor had anyone from the upper floors come looking for him. He gave a slight, satisfied nod.