Chapter 169: Confronting Sword Wind Breaker

Chapter 169: Chapter 169: Confronting Sword Wind Breaker

Hua Yunfeng, ranked eleventh on the Hidden Dragon List, was defeated in a single, casual sword strike from Yi Xiaoyao!

The outcome took everyone by surprise.

’This kid has gotten stronger again. What a monster!’

Although the Black Robe Hall Master had anticipated it, he couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

Even Sword Wind Breaker, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them to gaze solemnly at Yi Xiaoyao, his thoughts unreadable.

"Senior Brother Hua, you’ve lost."

Yi Xiaoyao said to Hua Yunfeng with a faint smile, sheathing his sword.

Hua Yunfeng felt as if he had been struck by lightning. ’That’s right... I’ve lost!’

He hadn’t just lost; he’d been utterly crushed. If Yi Xiaoyao hadn’t shown mercy, he would be a cold corpse by now.

’The gap... it’s just too great!’

Hua Yunfeng’s face flushed crimson. More than shock, he was overcome by an immense feeling of shame.

He had always thought that defeating Yi Xiaoyao would be the simplest of matters, yet in the end, he couldn’t even withstand a single one of his opponent’s casual strikes.

Next, Yi Xiaoyao turned to the other three who had just opposed him and asked in a cold voice, "My three senior brothers, do I still need to face you in a head-on battle?"

Upon hearing this, the three men’s faces twitched, their complexions alternating between pale and flushed. All three of them were weaker than Hua Yunfeng. ’If even Hua Yunfeng is no match for Yi Xiaoyao, how could we possibly defeat him?’

"We... acknowledge your rank and strength. We were presumptuous before," the three said, forcing bitter, awkward smiles.

The surrounding disciples immediately burst into an uproar, all of them excitedly talking amongst themselves.

"It seems Yi Xiaoyao’s ranking is the real deal!"

"If I’m not mistaken, the strike Yi Xiaoyao used to defeat Senior Brother Hua just now was just an ordinary, casual slash, wasn’t it?"

"I noticed that too. But Senior Brother Hua couldn’t even take that ordinary strike... what does that imply?"

"My heavens, just how strong is this Yi Xiaoyao?"

Everyone couldn’t help but wonder: if he could defeat an expert ranked eleventh on the Hidden Dragon List with a casual strike, just how powerful would Yi Xiaoyao be at full strength?

At that moment, Su Xiang, who was ranked sixth, was also pondering this very question, his eyes filled with astonishment.

He could arrive at the answer more easily than the ordinary disciples, as he could use himself as a benchmark for comparison with Yi Xiaoyao.

Su Xiang knew he could also defeat Hua Yunfeng, but to do it with such a casual strike was something he was completely incapable of doing.

So the answer was obvious...

"Su Xiang, although this Yi Xiaoyao is ranked below you, he is significantly stronger."

Sword Wind Breaker said to Su Xiang with a strange smile, cradling his great saber.

Su Xiang gave a helpless smile. As much as he was unwilling to accept it, it was indeed the truth.

"I admit, Yi Xiaoyao is stronger than me. But I’m more curious—between you and him, who’s stronger?" Su Xiang retorted, his eyes glinting with interest.

They weren’t speaking loudly, but their words reached the ears of the surrounding disciples, causing yet another uproar.

Su Xiang, ranked sixth, had actually admitted he was weaker than Yi Xiaoyao, ranked eighth. That was truly explosive news.

As for the four men ranked below tenth who had wanted to defeat Yi Xiaoyao, they looked even more awkward. Recalling their earlier thoughts and words, they were so ashamed they wished the ground would swallow them whole.

At the same time, everyone was extremely curious as to how Sword Wind Breaker would respond.

Sword Wind Breaker was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled. "To have reached this level at his age is already quite impressive. It’s only a matter of time before he surpasses me."

The implication was clear: Sword Wind Breaker was saying that the current Yi Xiaoyao had not yet surpassed him.

Sword Wind Breaker didn’t think he was wrong on this point, as he too could defeat Hua Yunfeng with a single, casual strike of his saber.

Hearing this conclusion, the crowd let out a collective sigh of relief. If even Sword Wind Breaker admitted to being inferior to Yi Xiaoyao, it would be too terrifying and difficult to accept.

Still, Sword Wind Breaker’s praise for Yi Xiaoyao was exceptionally high, causing the other disciples to look at him with even greater awe.

Yi Xiaoyao, having overheard their discussion, broke into an amused smile and walked toward Sword Wind Breaker.

"Senior Brother Dao, I’d also like to know the gap between us. Why don’t we have a little match, what do you say?" Yi Xiaoyao said with a grin.

The real reason Yi Xiaoyao proposed this was to see if he currently had what it took to contend with Shangguan Tianjian.

If he couldn’t even match the second-ranked Sword Wind Breaker, then there was no way he could compare to the first-ranked Shangguan Tianjian.

"A match with you?" Sword Wind Breaker’s gaze shifted. Given his temperament, countless people had wanted to challenge him over the years, but he had never bothered to humor them.

But this young man before him was indeed qualified to face him. And since he would most likely surpass him in the future, Sword Wind Breaker was naturally interested.

After a moment, Sword Wind Breaker raised an eyebrow. "How shall we compete? A head-on battle?"

"We can’t go all out fighting here. A battle where we have to hold back is no fun at all."

Yi Xiaoyao shook his head, then thought for a moment before smiling. "How about this: just one move between us. What do you think?"

"Fine," Sword Wind Breaker agreed nonchalantly.

In that instant, all the surrounding disciples erupted with excitement.

"Yi Xiaoyao is actually going to fight Sword Wind Breaker?"

"This is going to be incredible! I wonder who’s stronger."

"Sword Wind Breaker is stronger, obviously. Yi Xiaoyao just wants to gauge the gap between himself and Senior Brother Dao, not prove he’s the stronger one."

It wasn’t just the newer disciples; even the senior ones were now intrigued.

One was Sword Wind Breaker: long-famous, ranked second on the Hidden Dragon List, his strength undisputed.

The other was Yi Xiaoyao: a legendary genius who had risen meteorically in a short time and had just now proven himself.

A clash between these two was, naturally, an incredibly anticipated event.

Everyone instinctively took a few more steps back, because a clash between these two was bound to have a massive impact.

"Wait." The Black Robe Hall Master raised a hand. "My Seven Kills Star Hall can’t withstand the destruction you two are capable of. You will both use only fifty percent of your strength!"

Yi Xiaoyao and Sword Wind Breaker both nodded. If they were to unleash their full power, the buildings of the Seven Kills Star Hall would indeed be damaged. Limiting both sides to fifty percent of their strength wouldn’t affect the fairness of the bout.

The two faced each other from a hundred zhang apart. An instant later, a sky-piercing Sword Momentum erupted from Sword Wind Breaker—Peak Sword Momentum!

The battle intent in Yi Xiaoyao’s eyes flared. He, too, unleashed his own peak-stage Sword Momentum, which surged like a tide of ten thousand swords, vast and powerful.

Feeling the clash between these two torrents of Momentum, everyone nearby trembled in fear, their faces turning pale.

These two... they were too powerful!

But who was stronger?

...