Chapter 212 - 123: Crushing an Embracing Pill Master with a Single Sword, Zhang Su’s Invincible Pill Force

The razor-sharp sword point sliced through the skin on his throat, drawing beads of blood.

A single drop of blood slid down the tip of the blade and landed on the wooden planks of the arena with a faint patter.

Zhou Yue went rigid.

The hand clutching his saber trembled faintly.

’So fast.’

’Compared to Zhang Su’s Swordsmanship, how could his Rainbow Transformation Saber Technique possibly be called fast?’

He hadn’t even seen how Zhang Su made his move.

All he saw was a flash of white light, and then a cold longsword was resting against his throat.

His saber was still in mid-swing, his arm not yet fully extended.

One more step and his throat would have met the tip of the blade.

Thankfully, Zhang Su had held back.

This was not a battle to the death, just a match.

Otherwise, had Zhang Su applied just the slightest pressure, Zhou Yue would have surely died!

"Thank you for your mercy, Young Hero Zhang. I concede..."

Zhou Yue conceded.

His voice trembled slightly.

He slowly sheathed his saber, the sound of the blade sliding home starkly clear in the quiet of the arena.

He gave Zhang Su a cupped-fist salute, then turned and walked off the arena.

His steps were heavy.

Though both were at the Embracing Pill Realm, they were clearly not on the same level.

As Zhou Yue stepped off the arena, he glanced back at Zhang Su.

The green-robed figure still stood on the arena, longsword sheathed, his face expressionless.

It was as if that last strike had been effortless.

Not even worth mentioning.

Zhou Yue gave a bitter smile.

He had roamed the Jianghu for over twenty years and had never encountered an opponent like this.

Despite being in the same Realm, he had been utterly crushed, powerless to resist.

Many in the crowd below were baffled by Zhou Yue’s concession.

Many of the Jianghu Martial Artists, in particular, had expected a clash of titans.

But it was over in a single move.

They couldn’t even tell how profound Zhang Su’s Swordsmanship was.

"What’s the deal with Zhou Yue? He couldn’t even block a single move. Has his renowned Rainbow Transformation Saber Technique been nothing but hype all these years?" a burly man boomed.

"And Zhou Yue is supposed to be at the Peak of Pill Force. I didn’t see him have any advantage at all," another young man with twin swords strapped to his back shook his head.

"Could Zhou Yue have been paid off by the Guiyuan Sect? Was he just here to make Zhang Su look good?" someone suggested an even more outrageous theory.

But these were just the thoughts of a certain few.

The Jianghu Martial Artists with lower Cultivation couldn’t grasp the subtlety of that last strike.

They just thought Zhou Yue was too weak, so weak that he couldn’t even take one hit.

But those at the Peak of Gang Force, along with the Elders and Sect Leaders of the Three Sects, had seen it all clearly.

Each wore a grave expression.

"Zhang Su’s sword... is incredibly fast!" Ye Ling commented.

Her tone was calm, but her gaze had grown more serious.

’Could I dodge it?’

She considered it carefully. ’At that speed, I think I could.’

’But is this Zhang Su’s fastest technique?’

’Not necessarily.’

’Zhang Su’s sword could be even faster!’

Zhou Dingshan’s focus was different.

He was not skilled in Body Technique, nor was he known for a fast saber.

His specialty was power.

Therefore, he focused on the power behind Zhang Su’s strike.

’Zhang Su’s strike is indeed fast, and the burst of Pill Force it contains is terrifying. I doubt I could dodge it, but I wouldn’t need to. That sword strike can’t break my Gang Force!’

Zhou Dingshan hailed from the Five Elements Sect’s Thick Earth Peak. His Rock Force had already evolved into Rock Gang Force.

His Defense Power was astounding.

His Gang Force covered his entire body, thick and resilient. An ordinary blade wouldn’t even leave a scratch on it.

No matter how fast Zhang Su’s sword was, if it couldn’t penetrate his Gang Force, it would be a wasted effort.

However, neither the Five Elements Sect nor Medicine Valley knew the true extent of Zhang Su’s abilities.

The Guiyuan Sect, however, was a different story.

Whether disciples or Elders, everyone from the Guiyuan Sect wore a peculiar expression after seeing Zhang Su’s strike.

"That’s... the Nine Shadows Sword Technique, isn’t it?" one Elder said, stroking his beard, his voice laced with disbelief.

"That’s right, it’s the Nine Shadows Sword Technique. A mere Qi Blood Realm Sword Skill... to think Zhang Su has reached such a level of Mastery with it through his Cultivation. He has far surpassed the technique itself," another Elder chimed in, his eyes full of admiration.

"When the Nine Shadows Sword Technique reaches Perfection, it creates only nine sword-shadows, a state known as Nine Swords Unite, making it incredibly fast. But in that strike from Zhang Su just now, how many sword-shadows were there? Dozens, at least! With dozens of swords uniting as one, just how frighteningly fast must that be?"

A white-haired elder shook his head, overcome with emotion.

"Other than a Gang Force Martial Artist who could rely on their tyrannical Gang Force to block it head-on, I’m afraid no one below that Realm could stop it."

"Who would have thought the Nine Shadows Sword Technique could become so powerful? To be driven by Divine Intent... truly incredible! And what’s more, Zhang Su has many even stronger sword techniques..."

Many of the Elders sighed, overcome with emotion.

They knew Zhang Su was strong, but they had never imagined he could be *this* strong.

He could defeat an Embracing Pill Strongman of the same Realm with a single, casual move.

His opponent had been utterly powerless to resist.

It was total domination.

That level of strength was already far beyond that of an Embracing Pill Martial Artist.

Zhang Su walked directly off the arena and returned to his place beside Zhou Peng and Xie Guanchao.

His expression was serene, showing no sign of pride or excitement.

It was as if the fight had been nothing more than an ordinary matter.

Mo Tingzhu immediately said with deep admiration, "Congratulations, Young Hero Zhang. Not only have you achieved Embracing Pill, but your strength is simply astounding. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it..."

His voice was filled with sincere admiration.

In his nearly forty years, he had seen many geniuses, but this was the first time he had ever seen someone like Zhang Su.

Achieving the Embracing Pill Realm at seventeen and defeating a peak Embracing Pill expert with a single sword strike.