Chapter 55: Ten Thousand in Hand

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Ten Thousand in Hand

As Yi Xiaoyao finished speaking, an uproar swept through the crowd. Five thousand Star Points—that was a staggering sum!

Even Sharon’s expression changed. "Kid, if you don’t dare, just say so. Stop making excuses! As if you could possibly have that many Star Points."

Yi Xiaoyao took out his Jade Token. The number—five thousand Star Points—glowed brightly, stinging Sharon’s eyes.

"Just answer me. Do you dare, or not?"

Yi Xiaoyao put away the Jade Token, throwing Sharon’s own words back at him.

Sharon’s face twitched. He truly hadn’t expected that Yi Xiaoyao, a mere newcomer, could actually produce five thousand Star Points.

"Why wouldn’t I dare! However..."

Of course Sharon dared to accept the challenge. In his eyes, Yi Xiaoyao was practically handing him Star Points. How could he possibly pass up such a golden opportunity?

The only problem was... while Yi Xiaoyao could put up that many Star Points, Sharon himself could not.

Sharon coughed dryly a couple of times and turned to the crowd.

"Friends, who can lend me three thousand Star Points? Once I beat that kid, I’ll pay you back four thousand!"

Yi Xiaoyao was suddenly speechless. ’So this guy doesn’t even have five thousand Star Points on him.’

This once again demonstrated just how precious Star Points were in the Seven Kills Star Hall.

For this reason, other disciples would normally be unwilling to lend out their Star Points so easily.

But now, many were willing to lend to Sharon. Everyone was certain he would win, and they could make an extra thousand in profit. What was not to like?

"This newcomer wins two matches and suddenly gets cocky. Does he really think he can beat Sharon?"

"Geniuses like him always have an arrogant and conceited temperament."

"True enough. Still, I’d love to see the look on this genius’s face after he loses everything and becomes dirt poor."

By now, Sharon had gathered enough Star Points. He turned to Yi Xiaoyao with a sinister grin.

"Kid, since you’re courting death and gifting me five thousand Star Points, I’ll graciously accept!"

Yi Xiaoyao met his gaze and smiled faintly. "Right back at you."

Seeing that Yi Xiaoyao was still so calm and composed, Sharon snorted coldly.

"Arrogant!"

The moment he spoke, Sharon whipped a black staff from his back. Fiery red Spiritual Power rapidly coiled around it, and with a sharp whistle, he brought it chopping down toward Yi Xiaoyao.

Watching the staff come at him, Yi Xiaoyao’s eyes narrowed.

The power behind this strike was astonishing. He had to admit, the Third Realm of Foundation Establishment was truly powerful—far beyond what the likes of Qi Yue and Sun Bing could ever hope to match.

Yi Xiaoyao began to take this seriously. The Bloodthirsty Sword flashed in a brilliant, blood-red arc to meet the attack.

Staff and sword clashed with an explosive bang.

The fiery red Spiritual Power on the black staff instantly coiled around the Bloodthirsty Sword, surging along the blade toward Yi Xiaoyao’s body.

But just then, the Dark Spiritual Power on the Bloodthirsty Sword erupted with a Devouring Power, completely consuming the fiery red Spiritual Power in an instant.

In the next moment, both stumbled back in unison.

Sharon’s heart lurched with shock. Even a cultivator at the Second Realm of Foundation Establishment would struggle to block that move, yet it had been effortlessly neutralized by Yi Xiaoyao’s bizarre Spiritual Power.

"You’re clearly no ordinary First Realm Foundation Establishment cultivator, but you’re still weak compared to me!"

Sharon sneered, then began to spin the black staff in his hand. Under the rapid rotation, the fiery red Spiritual Power formed a ring of blazing fire.

"Desolate Flame Staff Technique!"

With a furious roar, Sharon unleashed his full power, the Flame Rod lashing out toward Yi Xiaoyao.

The surrounding air instantly grew scorching hot. A fiery aura, like a blazing sea, rapidly enveloped Yi Xiaoyao, and every strike of the staff carried immense power.

The low-grade swordsmanship he had used before was no match for an assault of this magnitude. Yi Xiaoyao raised his sword and let out a low shout.

"Angry Wind Sword Skill."

The gleam of his sword was accompanied by a howling wind. A gale kicked up, and as the two clashed, astonishing waves of Spiritual Power rippled outward.

FWOOSH!

With a roar, the flames intensified. Yi Xiaoyao’s expression changed; he hadn’t expected this. Instead of being extinguished by the gales from his Angry Wind Sword Skill, his opponent’s flames were fanned by the wind and grew explosively.

’This is bad!’

Yi Xiaoyao cursed inwardly. Although his Angry Wind Sword Skill was no less powerful than the Desolate Flame Staff Technique, he hadn’t considered that different Attributes could strengthen or weaken one another.

Sharon noticed this as well. He roared with laughter as his flames fed on the wind’s power. The might of his Flame Rod surged, and its wide, powerful swings forced Yi Xiaoyao back again and again.

Yi Xiaoyao’s brow furrowed. This was the first time his Spiritual Skill’s Attribute had been countered, and he began to recognize his own shortcomings.

"Haha, so the newcomer was hiding his strength after all. But he’s still being overpowered by Sharon."

"This newcomer is about to lose!"

"It’s to be expected. How could a First Realm of Foundation Establishment possibly defeat a Third Realm? The fact that this kid lasted so long against Sharon is already impressive."

Seeing this, the surrounding disciples all began to comment, gloating at his misfortune.

Meanwhile, Sharon fought with increasing ferocity, laughing heartily as he completely suppressed Yi Xiaoyao.

"Kid, you can be proud for holding your own against me for this long! Maybe you’ll surpass me in the future, but right now, I can crush you with ease!"

Hearing this, a cold smile played on Yi Xiaoyao’s lips.

"Whether now or in the future, you will never be worthy of crushing me!"

As he spoke, streaks of black Sword Qi suddenly appeared within the gleam of his sword.

The flames that had been pressing down on Yi Xiaoyao were met by the Angry Wind Sword Skill, now infused with Destructive Sword Qi. Not only could they no longer feed on the wind, but they were also rapidly annihilated by the Sword Qi.

Hundreds of strands of Sword Qi, thick with a destructive aura, descended upon Sharon. In a single instant, they effortlessly crushed his offensive. Dozens of strands continued onward with unabated momentum, carving bloody gashes all over his body.

"What?"

Sharon’s wild arrogance instantly turned into deep shock. His clothes had been shredded into a pile of rags.

At that moment, Sharon completely forgot his vow to crush Yi Xiaoyao. He looked down at the blood-drenched Sword Marks covering his body, his heart pounding with terror.

If Yi Xiaoyao had wanted to kill him just now, he would already be a corpse.

The outcome of the battle was clear to everyone without a word being said.

"How is that possible! Even Sharon... lost!"

"That was Sword Qi! That newcomer actually managed to cultivate Sword Qi, and it’s terrifyingly powerful!"

"A First Realm of Foundation Establishment defeating a Third Realm... I’ve never heard of such a thing. Even seeing it with my own eyes, I can hardly believe it."

"He’s a monster! This kid is no newcomer, he’s an absolute monster!"

To think that just moments ago, these senior disciples had thought Yi Xiaoyao was a pushover they could crush with one hand.

Now they knew the truth. This so-called newcomer, Yi Xiaoyao, was no pushover—he was a steel plate they’d just shattered their own feet against.

Having witnessed three battles, everyone now stared at Yi Xiaoyao as if he were a monster.

A cultivation genius with extraordinary talent in the Sword Dao, who had even cultivated Sword Qi of such terrifying power.

And most importantly, he possessed the strength to challenge and defeat those at higher realms.

No one could comprehend how all these abilities, which everyone coveted, could be concentrated in one person, Yi Xiaoyao.

Of course, Yi Xiaoyao could guess what they were all thinking. He possessed the Sword God Bloodline, and the Devouring Sword God Technique he practiced was a heaven-defying Cultivation Technique. How could ordinary people like them possibly imagine it, let alone compare to it?

And so, Yi Xiaoyao ignored their stares and took the five thousand Star Points from Sharon’s trembling hand.

Looking at the ten thousand Star Points now displayed on his Jade Token, Yi Xiaoyao finally broke into a satisfied smile.

The ten thousand Star Points that Cultivator Duan had been so certain Yi Xiaoyao could never obtain were now his, after only half a day.

...