Chapter 60: Future Sword Dao Grandmaster

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Future Sword Dao Grandmaster

Five shimmering silver butterflies landed on the five Strong Cyan Tigers, one for each beast. In an instant, the butterflies vanished, and the Strong Cyan Tigers collapsed to the ground, dead.

After confirming that the 100 Soul Points were in his account, Li Heng lowered his Cyan Blade Longsword, turned, and walked out of the brawl arena.

"Thir...thirty-two seconds..."

The staff member was stunned. He only snapped out of it when Li Heng started walking out of the brawl arena, at which point he hurriedly pressed the stopwatch in his hand.

He had thought it would take several minutes before any signs of a victor emerged, but who would have expected this? How much time had even passed? The outcome was already decided in a flash.

’This student... what kind of Swordsmanship was that?’

The staff member in charge of timing had seen all sorts of things, big and small, at the Battle Hall.

But this was truly the first time he’d ever seen a situation like this.

He hadn’t even clearly seen how a high schooler had swung his sword, and the fight was already over? And what’s more, he’d done it in one go, facing five soul beasts at once.

"Are high schoolers these days this incredible? Five Strong Cyan Tigers! The kind that had been starved for days, and he just one-shot them?" The timer couldn’t help but stare at Li Heng, his mind reeling.

If Li Heng’s performance just now was shocking and astonishing to the bystanders...

...then for Zhang Xue, those thirty-odd seconds had just delivered the first true shock to her worldview she had ever experienced in her life.

Thirty seconds ago, Zhang Xue had been watching with a mix of apprehension and a slightly "judgmental" attitude, wanting to see what Li Heng’s strength and performance were really like.

But when those shimmering silver butterflies appeared, Zhang Xue’s mindset changed.

The shimmering silver butterflies were breathtaking at first glance, but after the amazement came endless thought and doubt.

’The fight is over just like that? Five soul beasts were one-shot, just like that?’

’Did he even swing his sword?’

’Does this mean I lost?’

’What were those butterflies?’

’The Strong Cyan Tigers, gone in the blink of an eye?’

’What am I even thinking?’

"Zhang Xue, don’t be discouraged! You already did very well!"

Zhang Xue’s eyes were vacant, having lost their focus. Her mind was in a daze, her thoughts scattered to who knows where.

But as Zhang Xue’s thoughts "scattered," Wang Junde’s voice pulled her back to her senses.

"Uncle... I..." Zhang Xue didn’t know what to say, her voice wooden.

"It’s not your fault! You were up against a monster! A person can’t compare to a monster."

Wang Junde narrowed his eyes, comforting Zhang Xue while staring at the slowly approaching Li Heng, his own heart in turmoil.

’One sword move, instantly killing five Strong Cyan Tigers at once!’

’Not an ounce of extra force was shown; both his technique and power were just right.’

’He’s so young, yet he’s already reached grand completion with the Mist Butterfly Swordsmanship!’

’Sword Way prodigy is probably no longer enough to describe this Li Heng. Even the genius disciples from families with long Sword Way traditions might not be able to reach his level.’

’This student... it’s no longer a question of whether he’s worth cultivating. If he entered the Celestial List, he would rank in the top one hundred at least!’

"Uncle! Am I really that bad?!" Zhang Xue still hadn’t recovered, her eyes unfocused.

Hearing Zhang Xue speak, Wang Junde patted his niece’s shoulder and said in a heavy tone, "Zhang Xue! There are many things in this world that can’t be changed just through hard work. For example, there’s a type of person in this world called a genius."

"Let me be blunt, you’re a genius too! Your soft weapon skills, as long as you continue to hone them, will sooner or later allow you to become a Soft Weapon Grandmaster."

"Then what about Li Heng? You said before... he’s a monster?" Zhang Xue was still confused, her heart filled with curiosity and questions.

"Heh! A monster! Do you know about the Celestial List? Any youth under twenty in the entire world who reaches the Soul Warrior realm can be included! And Li Heng... he could rank in the top one hundred! Let me put it this way: even if it were me, if I had to compete with Li Heng at your age, I would also lose miserably!"

"Now... do you still think losing to him is embarrassing?" Wang Junde asked again.

Zhang Xue fell silent for a moment. She didn’t answer right away, instead raising her eyes to look at Li Heng, who wasn’t far from her. Then she replied, "I don’t think it’s embarrassing. I know the gap between us is huge, but I just... I just... feel awful... so awful..."

Wang Junde understood. His niece had gone through life with hardly any setbacks. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she’d been treated like a princess her whole life.

This was probably the first real setback she’d ever encountered in her life, and this first setback was hell-level, enough to drive one to despair!

At the same time, Wang Junde also realized something. When Li Heng had talked about killing those five Strong Cyan Tigers earlier, his tone—like he was ordering from a menu—wasn’t just nonchalance.

It was because he didn’t see the five Strong Cyan Tigers as a threat at all!

And the facts proved it. It seemed Li Heng hadn’t used his full strength at all.

In other words, Li Heng could have clearly chosen to fight six, seven, or maybe even eight of them and still won, and the pressure probably wouldn’t have been that great.

But even so, Li Heng had still only chosen five, probably to spare Zhang Xue’s feelings and state of mind.

What young man isn’t a little reckless?

But this Li Heng, with such a mindset, would absolutely be worthy of the title of Sword Dao Grandmaster in the future!

"It’s okay! If you want to cry, then cry!"

Having understood the whole situation, Wang Junde hugged Zhang Xue. The latter really did start crying, though she shed her tears in silence.

Watching Li Heng walk over, Lin Jiangang had a smile on his face and joy in his heart. The more outstanding Li Heng was, the more it proved that not only was his judgment correct, but it was also extraordinary.

’Tsk, tsk...’

’Instantly killing five Strong Cyan Tigers!’

’And it looked like he barely tried, which means... his true strength is definitely beyond one-versus-five!’

’Barring any accidents, Maple City’s first Sword Dao Grandmaster!’

"Li Heng! Well done! You were using the Mist Butterfly Swordsmanship just now, weren’t you?" Lin Jiangang suppressed his other emotions and asked.

’Mist Butterfly Swordsmanship?’

’I used the Ghost Butterfly Illusion Sword!’

’I stopped using the Mist Butterfly Swordsmanship days ago.’

Before Li Heng could reply, Lin Jiangang continued.

"Or should I say... you must have used the Illusionary Butterfly Swordsmanship! I can tell from your silence. You must have grasped the essence of the Illusionary Butterfly Swordsmanship from the Mist Butterfly Swordsmanship! Last time in the skill shop, plenty of people saw you!"

’Illusionary Butterfly Swordsmanship?’

’Whatever you say.’

Seeing Lin Jiangang’s misunderstanding, Li Heng didn’t feel like explaining. It just so happened this would save him some trouble.

"Just good luck, just good luck! By the way, Manager Lin, what are the next steps?" Li Heng laughed it off, not wanting to dwell on the matter, and casually changed the subject.

’What are the next steps?’

Lin Jiangang smiled at this and said softly, "No rush. First, let me tell you about the matter of the Secret Realm Moye Forest."