Chapter 532: The Biggest Dark Horse

“The match begins!”

As the referee’s voice faded, the atmosphere on the arena instantly shifted.

Zhao Qingyue did not immediately charge forward. Instead, he gently nudged his Qingyue Sword with a finger, his expression relaxed. As he pushed it, the Qingyue Sword let out a clear ringing sound!

In the very next instant, before the chime could even fade from the crowd’s ears, the blade flashed like a streak of white light, arriving right before Su Yu.

Such a fast sword!

Numerous experts paled in shock. The speed of this strike completely exceeded the visual limits of a Martial Artist. Before they could even react, the sword light had already struck out. How could Su Yu possibly block this? Many had already made up their minds, believing Su Yu would be defeated in a single strike and the match was effectively over.

Up on the high platform, the several Divine Storage Realm experts naturally saw this strike clearly, and some gave slight nods of approval. This sword strike had far surpassed the level of the Muscle Forging Realm. Zhao Qingyue possessed a formidable momentum, making him highly favored to claim first place.

On Su Yu’s side, his Divine Sense had been released the moment he stepped onto the arena. He had never once let his guard down. The instant Zhao Qingyue nudged the treasured sword, Su Yu sensed the anomaly.

CLANG!

Mo Yuan, drawn from his back, slashed out like a bolt of black lightning, accurately blocking the strike.

Shock flashed in Zhao Qingyue’s eyes. He thought, “The power of Su Yu’s blade is no less than mine. He actually blocked it?” Before he could fully process his astonishment, Su Yu flipped his wrist. Mo Yuan, like a vicious flood dragon, slid forward right against the Qingyue Sword, aiming straight for Zhao Qingyue’s hand!

Zhao Qingyue truly lived up to his reputation as a True Dragon Seed Candidate. Even after his opening strike was unexpectedly thwarted and immediately countered by Su Yu, he still managed to react swiftly under such circumstances. His Sword Stance surged wildly as the Qingyue Sword let out another ringing chime. He changed moves, retracting his blade to parry while simultaneously retreating sharply backward.

For an ordinary expert, such a response would have been enough to salvage the disadvantage of losing the initiative.

However, he still underestimated Su Yu!

Mo Yuan instantly roared like a dragon. Bolstered by both the Subduing Demons and Demon-Vibrating stances, the blade transformed into a tyrannical, vicious dragon, relentlessly attacking the opponent.

CLANG CLANG CLANG!

In the blink of an eye, Su Yu unleashed dozens of dark red blade flashes, beating Zhao Qingyue into a continuous retreat and firmly suppressing him.

From the moment Zhao Qingyue initiated his attack to Su Yu blocking and countering, the exchange between the two lasted merely a few breaths. Only now did the spectating crowd abruptly process what had happened, and a massive uproar soared into the sky.

“Fuck, what the hell! Su Yu actually blocked Zhao Qingyue’s sword!”

“What just happened? Isn’t Su Yu only at the Little Dragon Tendon stage? Zhao Qingyue is a True Dragon Pride, right?”

“This is huge! Fuck, fuck, fuck, Su Yu was hiding his strength all along!”

Many couldn’t help but spew strings of curses, finding it absolutely unbelievable. This Martial Examination had produced its biggest dark horse yet, completely shattering everyone’s preconceived notions.

Over at the top ten contestants’ seats, Gu Changfeng, Li Lishu, Wang Jifan, Li Jingfeng, Wen Lichu, and the others all wore expressions of sheer shock. They wondered, “Brother Su can actually fight a True Dragon Tendon?”

Li Jingfeng had already rushed to the edge of the elevated seating, leaning forward with his eyes locked intensely on the arena below. Previously, he himself had showcased his newly acquired True Dragon Tendon realm and fiercely battled the True Dragon Pride, Wang Jifan, which had sparked intense discussions throughout the city. His own reputation was that of the biggest dark horse of this Martial Examination; after all, as yet another True Dragon Pride, no one could afford to ignore him. But now, Su Yu was actually fighting a True Dragon Tendon while only being a Little Dragon Tendon—it was simply inconceivable! Such a feat was something even he couldn’t achieve.

Wen Lichu’s red lips were parted in a perfect ‘O’ shape, and her delicate hands unconsciously gripped the hem of the skirt resting on her jade-like legs.

She wondered, “Was Su Yu actually hiding his strength before?

“Did he not even go all out when he defeated me?

“Just what kind of monster is he? A Little Dragon Tendon fighting a True Dragon Tendon… has his talent surpassed all the geniuses of Black Stone City?

“With such talent, even those few prominent figures couldn’t have achieved this back in their day.”

Her gaze subtly shifted to the higher viewing platform, where the few figures seated there also had shock flashing through their eyes.

Grand Master Jin Fugui fiercely gulped down his Spiritual Tea, directly chewing up a few tea leaves. “Damn it, the Outer City has really produced a monster. There’s no mistaking this kid’s Qi and Blood and Great Tendons; it’s the Little Dragon Tendon realm!”

Liu Longyu uncrossed her snowy, plump legs. Her originally casual demeanor shifted as she sat up straight, staring intently at the arena. She mused, “What a kid, he truly hid his depths well. Looking at his stance, he might have been aiming for the top spot in the Martial Examination from the very beginning.”

At this moment, Su Yu had already launched another dozen astonishingly tyrannical attacks in quick succession. Pressing his advantage in one vigorous surge, he slashed apart a piece of Zhao Qingyue’s robes, nearly wounding him.

“Haha, my Zhenwu Mansion is truly producing geniuses in droves!” Pavilion Master Qian laughed heartily, then downed the Spiritual Tea on his table in one gulp before commanding, “Pour me some tea!”

He didn’t hide his expression in the slightest; he was clearly extremely satisfied with Su Yu’s sudden rise to prominence.

“Zhao Longtian, Li Muyan, back when the two of you were at the Little Dragon Tendon stage, could you fight against a True Dragon Pride?” Pavilion Master Qian asked with a smile.

Zhao Longtian’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. After a brief moment of thought, he replied, “Mansion Master, back then, I could not fight across a gap of three minor realms, especially not against someone at the Extreme Realm of the True Dragon Tendon.

“However, in my early twenties, I had already broken past the True Dragon Tendon and entered the Profound Bone Realm. While in the Profound Bone Realm, I did manage to slay enemies three minor realms above me.”

His tone was flat, devoid of any boasting, as if he were merely stating a fact. Yet, the content of his words was astonishing. Slaying someone three minor realms higher while in the Profound Bone Realm carried a weight far more staggering than what Su Yu was doing below. After all, the higher the Realm, the harder it was to fight across it. Furthermore, he spoke of slaying them, not merely exchanging blows.

“Mansion Master, Su Yu’s astonishing performance is enough to prove his monstrous talent. In the future, our Black Stone City will produce yet another true expert,” Li Muyan offered her evaluation, a trace of admiration flashing in her eyes.

She had some prior knowledge of Su Yu. Having heard Li Jingxuan and the others recommend him, she had once considered taking him as a vassal. But now, seeing Su Yu’s immense talent, she realized she had underestimated him. Someone with this caliber of talent had to be treated as a crucial ally.

The battle on the arena was in full swing.

Su Yu’s grasp of the battle’s timing was astonishing. Relying solely on Zhao Qingyue’s carelessness during the opening strike, he had consecutively suppressed his opponent for over a hundred moves. At this moment, he landed yet another slash on his opponent’s chest, drawing blood.

Zhao Qingyue was already burning with fury. Blood dripped from the wound on his chest, and a dense killing intent flashed in his eyes! When had he ever suffered such a loss? He never expected that a single moment of carelessness today would result in Su Yu suppressing him to this extent. It was an incredibly frustrating fight.

However, by risking further injury just now, he successfully forced Su Yu back and stabilized the situation.

“Su Yu, your strength is indeed formidable, but do you really think you can secure victory with these insignificant parlor tricks?” Zhao Qingyue’s voice was suppressed with anger; he was clearly about to get serious.

Without waiting for Su Yu’s response, his figure flickered like a passing breeze. The Qingyue Sword in his hand thrust toward Su Yu from multiple different directions. Unlike before, the Qingyue Sword was no longer silent. Every thrust swept up a massive expanse of sword light, leaving behind bright, crisscrossing sword trails in the air!

In the blink of an eye, the sword light draped over Su Yu like a curtain of rain!

Struck by the residual might of the escaping sword light, the indestructible ironwood arena was sliced open like soft tofu, covered in dense, fine sword marks.