Chapter 302 - 180: Demon Saber Cheng Xiao

Chapter 302: Chapter 180: Demon Saber Cheng Xiao

However, ever since Zheng Xiu learned that time passed extremely slowly in the memory world of the Cannibal Painting, he was no longer in a hurry. He decided to let things take their course, taking the opportunity to cultivate his Path and grind for experience.

He had once believed the key to escaping Gongsun Mo’s Cannibal Painting was to fulfill Gongsun Mo’s last wish—to let either Gongsun Mo or Xie Luohe "return to being human."

But now...

As Zheng Xiu connected the dots between Xie Luohe’s current strange behavior and the information he’d previously gathered, he suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

’It’s Xie Luohe! She’s the one who wants to "return to being human"!’

’What would happen once Xie Luohe "returns to being human"?’

’I was careless!’

Zheng Xiu slammed his fist on the table, an inexplicable agitation rising within him.

THUD.

The table didn’t crack.

His fist throbbed with pain.

Enduring the pain in his fist, Zheng Xiu was suddenly struck by a terrifying possibility.

’If Xie Luohe really does "return to being human," losing her status as a Deceitful Object and becoming an ordinary person again, will Mystic Feng Bei completely and utterly vanish?’

Zheng Xiu would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen.

"Sir, it’s your turn."

The martial arts tournament was nearing its end.

Those who had made it this far were all masters with a place on the Weapon Manual.

Xiaotao reminded him.

In a daze and with a heavy heart, Zheng Xiu walked down to the platform.

Once again, he became the focus of all eyes.

Whether it was Xiao Buping’s reputation as a "scoundrel," the rumors of his story with Xie Luohe, or the sheer audacity of him breaking the Iron Maiden’s scissor kick with his neck, everything about him had left a deep impression on the crowd.

Some people are simply born to be the protagonist.

Whether as the Richest Person, a rogue, a Mighty Man, a young prodigy, or a scoundrel.

There was always a reason for Zheng Xiu to be the center of attention.

Standing across from Zheng Xiu was a Swordman.

An unremarkable-looking Swordman.

He was dressed in a long, pale blue robe, over which he wore a tattered, dark gray cloak. His messy hair hung down loosely. His eyes were lifeless, seemingly out of focus. His thin lips were pressed into a firm line, his pallid complexion a stark contrast to the jet-black scabbard he clutched to his chest.

’A dead man.’

The Swordman’s expressionless face brought two words to Zheng Xiu’s mind: "dead man."

"Cheng Xiao."

The Swordman coldly uttered two words—his name.

On the Sword Inquiry Platform.

Everyone’s expression changed the moment they heard the name "Cheng Xiao."

"Ranked seventh on the Weapon Manual, the Demon Saber, Cheng Xiao!"

"They say he’s bound by a blood feud, utterly devoid of sentiment or mercy, and his saber strikes are as fast as lightning!"

"He rarely appears in public, and few who have seen him in action live to tell the tale!"

"They say back when Bai Xiaosheng first placed him in the top ten of the Weapon Manual, he was still a nobody. Someone sought him out with a Taunt. He didn’t just kill the challenger; he took his saber to the man’s entire sect and annihilated all twenty-seven of them!"

"He’s interested in the Hero Rankings too?"

It seemed Cheng Xiao’s fearsome reputation was well-known in the Jianghu.

Cheng Xiao’s name was a stark contrast to his actual demeanor.

He was not "Clamorous" at all; on the contrary, he was a man of few words.

"Xiao..." Feeling agitated, Zheng Xiu suddenly found he didn’t want to say the name "Xiao Buping." He looked up at Cheng Xiao.

Zheng Xiu bit his finger, letting the blood flow freely. He dipped his Luohe Brush into it, then flicked droplets of blood high into the air. When they landed, they formed a perfect circle enclosing them both.

Zheng Xiu didn’t like this agitated state of mind.

He was only Human, an ordinary Mighty Man. He couldn’t predict the future like a God, nor could he remain perfectly calm in the face of everything.

But this agitation, which had sprung from nowhere, was making Zheng Xiu deeply uncomfortable.

He didn’t know what Xie Luohe wanted to do, and he understood even less what she was thinking.

’Is Xie Luohe just an illusory memory?’

’Is she Feng Bei?’

’Is she Xie Luohe?’

’Is she Feng Bei?’

’Is she Xie Luohe?’

Two faces, with identical features but completely different temperaments, flashed chaotically before Zheng Xiu’s eyes, finally overlapping into one.

In that instant.

For the first time, a flicker of emotion crossed Cheng Xiao’s dead-man-like face.

"The usual rules, but with higher stakes. The first to step out of the circle dies."

Projection.

CRACK, CRACK, CRACK.

Zheng Xiu’s bones seemed to swell within his body as his spine shot ramrod straight.

A trace of surprise appeared in Cheng Xiao’s eyes, and his pale face showed emotion for the second time.

"You’re not Xiao Buping."

Cheng Xiao closed his eyes, then snapped them open. His lifeless eyes were now burning with a fierce will to fight.

Zheng Xiu shook his head, not denying it, and looked towards Dugu Xiang on the high platform.

Dugu Xiang asked, "Cheng Xiao, do you accept?"

Cheng Xiao nodded. "I do."

[Unbreakable].

Passive Skill.

Zheng Xiu clenched his fists, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

He was agitated and needed an outlet.

Zheng Xiu crooked a finger at Cheng Xiao. "I’ll grant you the first three moves."

Cheng Xiao nodded. Had it been someone from one of the righteous sects, they might have demurred, refusing to take such an advantage, or perhaps flown into a rage, shouting, "You look down on me!" But Cheng Xiao was different. He simply nodded and said, "I accept your offer. But I only need one move."

SHING!

No one saw how Cheng Xiao drew his saber.

A sharp ring.

That was the sound of the blade rapidly scraping against the inside of the scabbard.

Before Zheng Xiu, the friction between blade and scabbard actually ground out blinding sparks.

A white bolt of lightning shot towards Zheng Xiu’s face.

The instant Cheng Xiao attacked, on the high platform, Dugu Xiang’s expression soured and he shot to his feet.

Cheng Xiao’s first move was a killing blow, completely disregarding the rules of the Hero Rankings.

This wasn’t a sparring match; it was a killing blow!

In the Hero Rankings tournament so far, only two people had repeatedly won without a fight.

One was "Xiao Buping", who won twice without a fight.

The second was Cheng Xiao.

Those who knew of Cheng Xiao’s fearsome reputation didn’t dare to fight him and conceded defeat.

This was the Demon Saber Cheng Xiao’s first time drawing his blade on the Sword Inquiry Platform.

And his first strike was like silent thunder.

CLANG!

A savage grin spread across Zheng Xiu’s handsome face as his Iron Fan shot out with the speed of a striking spark.

TINK! TINK!

Two crisp sounds, and two "objects" fell to the ground at the same time.

They had moved, yet it seemed they hadn’t. After a brief moment, light flashed across the Sword Inquiry Platform, and the two fighters were frozen in position.

Inside the circle Zheng Xiu had drawn, half of a broken saber and a row of fan ribs lay on the ground beside them.

Cheng Xiao was expressionless, looking down at his saber.

"I’ve lost."

Cheng Xiao slowly returned the half-saber to its black scabbard.

His face showed no sign of vexation, regret, or Anger. He was as calm as ever as he walked off the Sword Inquiry Platform.

"What happened?"

"How did that scoundrel Xiao Buping win?"

"Cheng Xiao’s saber is said to be forged from Undersea Profound Iron, how could it have broken?"

"Xiao Buping’s fan broke too. Don’t tell me it was a Divine Weapon?"

"Even if they were, it’s too late now! The Martial World has just lost two peerless weapons!"

Many of the Knights who couldn’t clearly see what had happened in that instant wore expressions of deep regret.

They thought that Xiao Buping’s Iron Fan had clashed with Cheng Xiao’s Demon Saber, and both had broken simultaneously.

Dugu Xiang’s brow was tightly furrowed.

Behind him, several elders of the Dugu Family also showed grave expressions.

Among all the Knights present, you could count on two hands the number of people who had clearly seen what transpired in that moment.

The Demon Saber Cheng Xiao, master of the ultimate Swift Saber.

He practiced with his saber every day, without rest or sleep. Three thousand swings a day, every day, for ten years. His Electric Light Slash had reached the Peak of Perfection, bordering on the Dao itself.

Dugu Xiang’s expression was grim. He was astonished at how fast Cheng Xiao’s saber was.

But what astonished him even more was how this Iron Fan-wielding scoundrel, this man he’d taken for a clown, was so incredibly tough!

In that instant, Cheng Xiao’s Swift Saber had easily sliced through the ribs of the fan.

His saber had broken not against Xiao Buping’s weapon, but against his bare hand!

Xiao Buping had used his bare hands to chop Cheng Xiao’s saber in half!

More than being astonished by Cheng Xiao’s speed, Dugu Xiang and the elders behind him were astonished by Zheng Xiu’s toughness!

"Perfected External Skills. A Vajra Indestructible body."

After a moment of silence, an old senior of the Dugu Family, the former Patriarch, slowly uttered the six words.

Another elder nodded. "He has reached the Mastery Realm."

A third elder shook his head. "The Peak of Perfection."

They all said at the same time, "We misjudged him."

Cheng Xiao left, clutching his black scabbard.

The crowd watched Cheng Xiao’s retreating figure, then glanced at the broken saber on the ground. Their eyes filled with pity, as if they were witnessing the fall of a generational master.

Even if he failed to win the Hero Rankings today, once word of this battle spread through the Jianghu, Xiao Buping would surely earn a prominent place on the Weapon Manual!

This, after all, was one of the primary reasons many Martial Knights had come to the tournament.

You fought for a place on the Hero Rankings if you could, because Bai Xiaosheng was omniscient. He would surely hear of the matches at Hidden Sword Manor today, and the Weapon Manual’s rankings were bound to see a seismic shift.

The "damned scoundrel Xiao Buping" straightened his spine and walked back to his seat.

At first, many people looked at the scoundrel with only disdain and hatred, but after Xiao Buping displayed the strength to defeat the Demon Saber Cheng Xiao, everyone’s gazes began to change.

This was especially true for the unmarried female Knights.

This Xiao Buping was looking more and more handsome, more pleasing to the eye the longer they looked.

As for his sordid reputation in the Jianghu? What was that? That was just being worldly and passionate. What great master wasn’t?

The female Knights exchanged glances. They sat with their legs pressed tightly together, their eyes filled with flirtatious charm.

’So handsome.’

’So virile.’

’So strong.’

The female Knights’ hearts fluttered, their lips silently forming the words.