Chapter 1186 - 1183: Duel of the Beautiful Swordswomen

"Don’t run, hey! Let’s have another bout. I’ll only use forty percent of my strength—no, twenty percent!"

Yan Hu had always been a fiercely battle-loving man. Watching Luo Feng and the others exchange blows, his fighting spirit had long since built up to the brim, itching for a good release. Now that he’d finally found a proper opponent, he was naturally unwilling to let things end just like that, chasing after him while shouting.

However, hearing his shout, the Swordsman who had challenged him didn’t even dare look back; his speed as he darted away suddenly increased by several degrees.

Yan Hu chased all the way to the edge of the Dragon Pillar, scratched his head with a speechless look, then folded his arms and called out to the contestants on the eighth level:

"Which one of you will challenge me next? I won’t use my hands."

No one answered the challenge.

Even with the poorest eyesight, everyone could now see that Yan Hu was no simple character. That young Swordsman just now was a Martial Artist at the late ninth layer of the Spiritual Rotation Realm, somewhat famous in the rtiad. Yet his full-power strike with the sword still couldn’t withstand Yan Hu’s simple, straightforward punch. What kind of ferocious, domineering fist force was that!

Moreover, the Wild tribe and Beast Taming combined was their true peak state, and Yan Hu hadn’t even used Beast Taming just now. Those who had previously doubted whether Yan Hu truly deserved his second place among the Eight New Stars had that last trace of doubt vanish like smoke with that single punch. Many people secretly began to wonder, if Luo Feng and Yan Hu were to cross hands, who would actually come out on top.

Luo Feng had been observing Yan Hu this whole time, and he felt somewhat astonished inside.

From the start of the exchange to its end, there wasn’t the slightest flow of Yuan Qi in Yan Hu’s meridians—not because Yuan Qi didn’t exist, but because it was all fused into his flesh and blood.

Under the perception of his Soul Power, every inch of the opponent’s flesh was like steel tempered in blazing fire, radiating a crimson glow, containing an extremely terrifying Yuan Qi!

Luo Feng himself also had Yuan Qi within his flesh and blood, but in comparison it wasn’t even a tenth of Yan Hu’s. It seemed the saying that the Wild tribe did not cultivate Yuan Qi and focused solely on tempering the body was true; by fusing Yuan Qi completely into flesh and blood, the physique would certainly become unimaginably terrifying, with strength and defensive power able to crush Martial Artists of the same level. No wonder Yan Hu had shattered Sword Gang with a single punch just now. If one were to draw a comparison, he was basically a humanoid ferocious beast.

Retracting his gaze from Yan Hu, Luo Feng looked toward another Dragon Pillar. Someone had just issued a challenge to He Qin.

Her opponent this time was a female Swordsman from the Jade Hall, ranked last on the eighth level, likewise at the peak of the ninth layer of the Spiritual Rotation Realm. Her eyes flickered with light, sharpness overflowing—a master who had also comprehended Sword Intent.

From the discussions around him, Luo Feng learned that this female Swordsman was named You Jingyun. In the previous New Dragon List Tournament she had ranked fourteenth. The Flying Spirit Illusion Moon Sword she cultivated was a lower-tier earth-grade Swordsmanship, containing Illusion Technique transformations—its attacks were like gazing at flowers in the mist, real and unreal, making it impossible to guard against. It was one of the most renowned sword arts of the Jade Hall.

Neither He Qin nor You Jingyun underestimated the other. At the very start of the duel they each stirred their Sword Intent. Sword winds howled across the entire platform, a chilling sharpness filling the air; clashes between swords ignited booming, blazing sparks that flashed madly.

Clang clang clang clang...

Their sword moves were extremely fast; those clear, icy sounds linked into one continuous chain, with no gaps discernible. Due to their differing Sword Intents, the sword momentum each exuded was completely different.

On He Qin’s side, wind and snow swirled; every strand of Sword Qi was incomparably sharp, the icy Sword Qi exactly like the impression she gave in daily life—cold and ruthless, filled with nothing but endless sharpness that made one feel a chill in their heart at a single glance.

You Jingyun’s figure on the platform was vague and unpredictable; not only her body, but the Sword Qi she unleashed was the same—ethereal as smoke, leaving no trace, brimming with infinite transformations, like the bright moon in water, half-real half-illusory, leaving others unable to grasp it.

The two of them exchanged over a hundred moves in one breath. Whether You Jingyun or He Qin, both were rare beauties, and with their sword arts being extremely exquisite, from afar it looked as if two Swordsmen were gracefully dancing within the crisscrossing web of Sword Qi.

Some young Martial Artists watched, utterly enthralled, while the established experts were all secretly nodding in appreciation. He Qin and You Jingyun were both genius Swordsmen who had comprehended Sword Intent; watching them duel, many people managed to grasp a few insights. This was precisely why so many came to Group Dragon Island to watch the New Dragon List Tournament—by studying the exchanges of these top-tier young geniuses and pondering them, they could improve their own comprehension.

After two hundred consecutive moves, He Qin and You Jingyun gradually began to show a difference in strength.

In terms of cultivation, You Jingyun was in no way inferior to He Qin, but her Sword Intent was far weaker. Moreover, the ice-and-snow Sword Intent could freeze a Martial Artist’s Yuan Qi; the longer the exchange, the greater the impact on the opponent. After two hundred moves, a layer of white frost had already formed on You Jingyun’s brows and long black hair, and her Swordsmanship had lost its earlier fluidity—she had clearly fallen into a disadvantage.

Knowing that if she continued to drag things out she would be doomed to defeat, You Jingyun’s gaze suddenly firmed. Her entire body’s Yuan Qi shook, melting the ice and snow upon her; with a light tap of her toes, her figure floated out like a cloud that had lost all weight.

"Flying Spirit Moon Wheel Dance!"

You Jingyun’s figure flickered unpredictably. On the platform, clusters of sword light formed one sword blossom after another, continuously blooming in the air and filling the space, like one bright Moon Wheel after another, gradually closing in around He Qin with no gaps left.

He Qin’s gaze moved slightly. Standing in place, she gripped the sword hilt with both hands, the tip of her sword thrust into the ground.

"Free and Unrestrained Aura!"

Sss!

A surge of razor-sharp qi shot skyward. Centered on the tip of He Qin’s sword, strands of Sword Qi like flowing silk flared out, spinning of their own accord to form a colossal Sword Qi storm dozens of meters high, spreading in all directions. With the influence of the ice-and-snow Sword Intent added, it was as if a blizzard of ice and snow had erupted.

Crack crack crack...

The sound of crystal shattering rang out incessantly. Wherever the ice-and-snow tempest swept, the sword wheels were smashed to pieces one after another.

Swish!

A figure flashed to the edge of the platform—it was You Jingyun. She glanced at the treasured sword in her hand, now encased in ice and turned into a lump of frost, and the rosy corners of her lips curved in a wry smile as she said, "Your ice-and-snow Sword Intent is indeed formidable. I’ve lost."

Her Swordsmanship was best suited for close-range entangling combat. Yet now she simply couldn’t get near He Qin; if she kept fighting, she would definitely be injured.

As the sky-filling Sword Qi withdrew, He Qin walked out from the wind and snow and offered a sword salute. "I accept your concession."

You Jingyun held her sword in her left hand and returned the salute, then swept down from the Dragon Pillar.

"That battle was truly splendid!"

"Mm. Before the exchange, I thought You Jingyun would win; I never imagined she’d actually lose."

"She lost in the realm of Sword Intent. He Qin’s ice-and-snow Sword Intent has likely reached the境界 of fifty percent Sword Intent, whereas You Jingyun’s Sword Intent has only just reached Small Success. She can’t complain about losing."

Although the duel between He Qin and You Jingyun didn’t have the same soul-stirring intensity as the battle between Luo Feng and Xia Yunjing, a clash between two genius female Swordsmen who had comprehended Sword Intent had its own charm. Even long after the duel ended, the crowd still felt a lingering sense of enjoyment.

However, through this battle, everyone truly came to understand He Qin’s strength and began to look at this newly risen member of the Three Heavenly Swords with newfound respect.

As for the result of He Qin’s bout with You Jingyun, Luo Feng was not surprised.

He had long since discerned the gap between their Sword Intents—a difference not only in realm, but also in the nature of the Sword Intent itself.

He had already noticed that whether it was Sword Intent or Grand Momentum, there existed distinctions of strength and weakness, and the quality of He Qin’s ice-and-snow Sword Intent far surpassed that of You Jingyun’s Sword Intent.

Afterward, there were three more challenge matches. The first two ended in failure for the challengers, and the third was Su Rui challenging Ye Siyi.

Ye Siyi was clearly extremely wary of Su Rui’s Sound Skill. From the very start of the duel she broke from her usual style, fully unleashing Phantom Mirage Step, pairing it with her Swordsmanship to launch a proactive assault.