Chapter 534: Victory!

After suppressing Zhao Qingyue’s Clear Light Filling the Courtyard and injuring him once more, Su Yu could already sense a drop in his opponent’s aura and a waning of his strength. He gave his opponent no chance to rest, immediately closing the distance again. His masterful execution of both the Spiritual Ape Demon-Slaying Saber and the Demon Ape Demon-Vibrating Saber Techniques made the power of each of his strikes increasingly astonishing.

Zhao Qingyue’s expression darkened. He rallied his Qi and Blood once more and clashed with Su Yu. They exchanged blows for dozens of rounds again, but Zhao Qingyue was firmly suppressed, sustaining yet another saber wound. Gritting his teeth through the pain, he unleashed the Qingyue Seven Swords in rapid succession, attempting a counterattack.

However, Su Yu’s Demon-Suppressing Stance had become increasingly formidable. The Demon-Suppressing Stele reflected by the Hundred Stances Returning to Storage Technique not only made his control over the Demon-Suppressing Stance much smoother but also significantly amplified its might.

Su Yu slashed downwards with the crushing weight of a massive mountain. With a thunderous boom, the previously invincible Qingyue Sword Stance was shattered. Immediately following was a lightning-fast horizontal sweep, its speed not a fraction slower than the Qingyue Sword Light.

Beaten into a continuous retreat, Zhao Qingyue felt as if he were facing a Demon Ape one moment, and a Spiritual Ape the next. The Demon Ape was brutal and terrifying; as the black saber swung, its killing intent was staggering. The Spiritual Ape was agile and ethereal; every move resembled an ape reaching for the moon, covering a vast area and making evasion nearly impossible.

The spectators watched with bated breath, unconsciously falling into a pin-drop silence, not even daring to breathe loudly. They were thoroughly blown away by this astounding Saber Technique, unable to comprehend how anyone could switch their Saber Stances so effortlessly.

Up in the high seating area, Mo Guhong pulled down the brim of his bamboo hat and finally sighed. “This kid’s talent for the saber is astonishing. What a pity… what a pity that this old man has already taken a disciple…”

Beside him, Liu Longyu couldn’t help but let the corners of her lips curl into a slight smile upon hearing this. She thought, “You old coot, you’ve already accepted so many bribes from the Zhao Family. It’s too late to back out now.”

Back on the arena, another saber slash struck Zhao Qingyue squarely in the chest. Had he not used the Qingyue Step to dodge at the very last possible moment, that strike would have severely crippled him. But even so, he was already thoroughly bloodstained, having never looked this wretched in his life. By this point, he fully realized that he truly was no match for this Su Yu.

The thought of himself—a dignified True Dragon Pride—being so utterly suppressed by someone merely in the Little Dragon Tendon Realm made his heart ache as if it were being sliced by knives. He was supposed to be the Zhao Family’s True Dragon Pride, someone whose name had long been renowned throughout Black Stone City, the one carrying everyone’s expectations to become the Martial Examination Champion Scholar… To think that today, he would actually become nothing more than a stepping stone for someone else’s rise to prominence.

He thought, “No! It’s not over yet. I still have one last move!”

He quickly suppressed the myriad of emotions swirling in his heart, his eyes turning cold once again. He mobilized the Qi and Blood within his body without any reservation, not caring in the slightest even if his wounds burst open. It had to be said that this Zhao Qingyue truly was a prodigy. If an ordinary person were to face such a formidable opponent, they would either suffer a mental breakdown or fall into deep self-doubt. Yet, he swiftly repressed all those emotions and decisively unleashed his final move!

He slowly wiped his bloodstained fingers across the Qingyue Sword in his hand, followed by a resonant metallic ring that echoed throughout the entire arena. On the ground, the spots previously slashed by the Qingyue Sword, where remnants of the Qingyue Sword Stance still lingered, actually began to respond, emitting a dense, subtle humming sound. One streak, two streaks… all the way until the seventh sword mark lit up. At that moment, the Qingyue Sword Stance erupted once more across the entire arena.

This time, it was far more powerful than before. Furthermore, the stances rapidly converged, closing in to surround Su Yu from seven different directions.

“Seven Swords Unification, Qingyue Sword Resonance. This kid from the Zhao Family has actually touched the threshold of this sword strike.”

Up on the high platform, a hint of admiration flashed in Mo Guhong’s eyes beneath his bamboo hat. Sabers and swords were interconnected in certain aspects. As a top-tier Swordsman in the Divine Storage Realm, Mo Guhong could naturally see just how powerful this sword strike was. He was also somewhat curious to see if Su Yu possessed a Saber Technique capable of countering this strike!

“Sever!”

Zhao Qingyue let out a low shout. An astonishing sword light flared on the Qingyue Sword in his hand. In the next instant, like a fleeting flash of time or the seamless horizon where sea meets sky, it thrust straight toward Su Yu’s chest. What was even more shocking was that simultaneously, seven other streaks of sword light were flashing around Su Yu. Like concentrated white lasers, they all pierced toward him at the exact same time!

This strike was the Seven Swords Unification—impossible to evade!

Su Yu sensed the terror of this strike. On this arena, there was absolutely no way to dodge it, nor any way to escape! Therefore, he didn’t try to dodge at all. Instead, he opted for a much more domineering countermeasure!

Prison Suppression!

At that moment, he utilized his full strength to channel the Demon-Suppressing Stele within his Divine Sense, pushing his Demon-Slaying Saber Stance to an unprecedentedly blazing peak. Triggered in this state, the power of the Prison Suppression Trait reached its absolute zenith.

Centered around Su Yu, everything in the vicinity was instantly stifled. It was as if an invisible Black Prison had descended, brutally suppressing everything in its path. Bearing the brunt of it, Zhao Qingyue immediately felt as if everything around him had sunken into a quagmire. His Qi and Blood, his Divine Soul, his Great Tendons… Everything was slowing down, as though he had been burdened with heavy shackles, rendering him completely immobilized. Even that supreme Qingyue Sword Light instantly became sluggish, seemingly suppressed by an invisible force.

“Transforming stance into force!”

On the high platform, Liu Longyu gave a loud slap against her own long, plump thigh, a bright gleam flashing in her eyes. Transforming stance into force was an ability typically only comprehended by experts in the Profound Bone Realm. Yet at this moment, the Prison Suppression effect unleashed by Su Yu had already reached that level, imposing a massive influence on the enemies and objects around him.

“This kid Su Yu’s comprehension is astounding. He’s an absolute monster!” Jin Fugui couldn’t help but praise him as well, the fat on his face quivering as he felt a lingering sense of shock.

“BOOM!”

After Su Yu’s Prison Suppression Trait took effect and everything around him was subjected to its suppression, he immediately unleashed a rapid succession of terrifying saber lights, severing all the surrounding sword lights. Being right at the front, Zhao Qingyue received the special attention of the strongest saber slash. At that moment, the Qi and Blood in his body were actively being suppressed, and his Sword Stance had been weakened. Upon colliding with this strike, he was instantly blasted back.

“PFFT!”

With his final move broken, the injuries Zhao Qingyue had been forcefully suppressing could no longer be contained. While still in midair, he spewed out a mouthful of blood, his body flying entirely out of the arena.

The referee stood momentarily stunned, as the battle between the two had simply been too intense. Seeing Su Yu look over, he quickly coughed and loudly announced, “Su Yu, victory!”

Upon hearing the declaration of his victory, Su Yu sheathed his saber and turned to calmly walk off the stage. It wasn’t until his tall, slender figure reached the bottom of the platform that the entire audience finally snapped out of their daze. Following that, deafening cheers abruptly erupted across the venue, shaking the very wood shavings on the arena floor.

“He won! Brother Su won!”

Yang Ai’s youthfully vibrant body leaped up without a hint of reservation, throwing herself into Su Yu’s embrace. Feeling somewhat helpless, Su Yu caught her by her round buttocks, patted her pristine white back, and set her back down.

“Alright, don’t get too excited. The tournament isn’t over yet.”

“Sister, get down quickly. There are so many people watching. Let Brother Su sit down and rest first,” Yang Zhen said helplessly as he pulled his sister away from Su Yu.

“He won. He actually won. Brother Su’s battle today has practically set a new record, completely elevating the standard for geniuses in Black Stone City!” Li Jingfeng muttered to himself, leaning sideways to avoid a rather glaring ray of sunlight. At this moment, seeing those fiery gazes and hearing the passionate discussions, a profound sense of envy surged in his heart.

He thought, “Damn, now this is how you show off! I want to do that too!”

Gu Changfeng’s eyes were also burning with passion right now. He couldn’t help but grin widely, clearly not having expected Su Yu to actually win. He thought, “Are we really going to meet in the finals? Su Yu, we both came from humble beginnings—one a hunter, the other a fisherman. If we actually meet in the finals, I wonder what kind of expressions those arrogant Inner City snobs will have.”