Behold Xie An, completely shielded and protected. Zong Shou, however, secretly shook his head; this Great Annihilation Sword could extinguish everything. What use were defenses?
He considered warning him, but the moment he recalled that even an offensive strike from Xie An would likely yield no victory, he could only sigh softly and pat Chu Xue’s shoulder.
“Xue’er, those few likely won’t manage. This time, it must fall to you. Don't lose too miserably, remember, if you disgrace your young master this time! Then you won’t be allowed to eat for ten days—”
Chu Xue gasped, momentarily flustered. If even Yuan Fei, at the peak of the Seventh Order with his sword, couldn't withstand the Sword of Absolute Desire, how could she, a mere Sixth Order cultivator, possibly stand against the wielder of Absolute Desire? Her young master was simply unreasonable!
Anxiously unsettled, oscillating between fear of failure and a strange, surging readiness, she waited.
Zong Shou offered no comfort, instead looking toward the sky. He abruptly mounted his sword and ascended two hundred zhang.
At this moment, nearly everyone’s gaze was fixed on the confrontation between Jue Yu and the two figures below. Except for the dozen or so powerhouses above the Ninth Order, no one paid attention to his ascent.
After momentarily probing the space up there, Zong Shou’s brow twitched, and he suddenly stepped forward twice into the empty void ahead.
There was no barrier preventing his passage. The scene before his eyes instantly shifted, and he found himself inside a pavilion.
Looking around, he saw a courtyard spanning three hundred zhang behind him. From the railing of this pavilion, he could survey the scene unfolding below.
Han Fang was seated in a rocking chair, his face, intricately carved with lines, was exceptionally grim. His eyes pierced with sharp light as he watched Jue Yu.
Beside him, a low table and another rocking chair were placed.
A glint flashed in Zong Shou’s eyes. He picked up a fruit from the table—fist-sized, intensely ruby red, and glistening as if ready to drip—and bit into it in one gulp.
A refreshing fragrance flooded him, the mouth filling with juice that exploded on his tongue. It was undeniably sweeter than even his finest heavenly nectar.
It truly was the Crimson Jade Spirit Fruit, rumored to allow a Fourth Order Spirit Master or Martial Cultivator to advance a full stage simply by consuming one.
He couldn’t help but gasp inwardly. He had always assumed that since Elder Brother Han Fang guarded the Scripture Annex B Tower year-round, he must reside there. Yet this old man, who usually gave away nothing of his power, actually possessed a movable Immortal Abode, one whose spiritual energy density rivaled that of the Azure Sky Realm.
And this Crimson Jade Spirit Fruit, something even peak Innate experts desperately craved, was being treated as a mere snack.
Indeed, a Divine Realm expert who had lived for several thousand years, even one constantly stationed at the Azure Life Dao Palace, possessed a wealth far beyond Zong Shou’s comprehension.
A clang of a sword resonance reached his ears again. Zong Shou looked down. Before Jue Yu, a black tide once more billowed, and from within it, a streak of sword light erupted, trailing countless bolts of black lightning.
As the dark, swift gleam flashed, Xie An’s protective spirit shield was pierced almost instantly!
Though the few guarding retainers fought desperately to shield their master, the black broadsword, bearing an aura like demonic breath, merely swept around once, forcing the several Seventh Order guards back with injuries. Then, Jue Yu drove the sword forward, stabbing directly at Xie An.
With another dull thud, Xie An’s entire body was sent flying back dozens of zhang.
The multiple protective spirit arts he had arrayed shattered into pieces. The purple-gold long robe he wore disintegrated into scraps.
An Eighth Order spirit-artifact robe, destroyed completely in that single blow.
Zong Shou frowned, musing, Just as I thought! With the Law of Destruction, as long as Jue Yu perceives a weakness, all spirit artifacts are dust before the Great Annihilation Sword. However, today Jue Yu had shown restraint.
That strike, though seemingly brutal, had not actually wounded Xie An; it had merely shattered all the spirit arts and artifacts surrounding him.
Han Fang remained silent, deep in thought. After a moment, he turned back and asked coldly, “What is your plan in sending Chu Xue out? What mystery are you hiding?”
Zong Shou smiled without speaking, walked to another rocking chair, sat down, and poured himself a cup of wine. He sipped it carefully, his brow furrowing slightly. This was definitely Hundred Spirit Nectar; a mere hundred grams later in time could fetch a staggering price of one hundred Ninth Order Spirit Stones.
Just how extravagantly wealthy was this old man Han Fang?
He knew he could not drink alcohol, so he dared not consume more. Fortunately, this small sip wasn't enough to intoxicate him, merely causing his complexion to redden slightly.
However, within his body, his soul power, nearly depleted from refining the Glazed Fire Radiance and Dark Extreme Cold Origin Pearls, was replenished. One spirit fruit and a tiny sip of wine had restored his vitality completely.
Seeing Han Fang’s expression growing increasingly impatient and somber, Zong Shou finally lifted his gaze slightly. “If I said Xue’er could withstand more than ten strikes from Jue Yu, would you believe me, Elder Brother?”
Han Fang’s expression flickered with surprise. He carefully examined Chu Xue again, scrutinizing her essence. The Spirit Sealing Talisman and Earth Sinking Talisman on her person had been removed.
But no matter how he observed, he could only discern that this girl possessed slightly more robust true force than others, and her physical foundation was exceptionally solid. Furthermore, her primordial soul held twelve true talismans, giving her spirit arts a respectable, upper-mid tier capability.
Beyond that, there was nothing remarkable or outstanding; she was utterly ordinary.
In his eyes, her intelligence was far from bright, not worth mentioning. He presumed she couldn't have learned any truly profound swordsmanship in a year and a half.
It was strange, though, how Chu Xue had managed to manifest twelve true talismans given her comprehension level—
Vaguely, he recalled Zong Shou’s words from when he first arrived at the Azure Sky Realm a year and a half ago: —If you don't take this disciple, don't regret it later.
He immediately shook his head slightly again. “I hold no prejudice against this girl! Her innate aptitude, possessing the Spirit-Forged Tiger Bone, is more than enough for a direct disciple of our lineage. But she is too young; she lacks the necessary seasoning to resist Jue Yu—”
Zong Shou chuckled upon hearing this, leaning back in the rocking chair, swaying rhythmically. “How about a wager then? I wager this Immortal Abode of yours.”
Han Fang let out an ‘En?’ surprise, musing that the younger man was quite confident, before he burst into soft laughter. “A wager is acceptable, but Junior Brother, do you currently possess a stake of equivalent value?”
Zong Shou’s expression froze momentarily. Han Fang acted as if he hadn't noticed, continuing, “How about this: If you win, I will grant you two million Merit Points. If you lose, you must assume the position of Azure Life Palace Master for a term of ten years, serving diligently without complaint—”
Zong Shou frowned slightly. Two million Merit Points versus ten years as the Palace Master—that seemed like a bad trade.
“Two million is too little! The Master of the Azure Life Academy is a tiresome, mentally taxing post. Look at Nephew Fang Wen, he looks like a little old man—”
“Agreed!” Han Fang smiled and nodded, then narrowed his eyes slightly. “If Jue Yu binds his true qi and soul power, what chance do you give yourself against him right now?”
Zong Shou sighed softly, offering no reply. He lay in the chair, swaying back and forth, thinking that the old man Han Fang still didn't fully trust him.
But then again, he reasoned, without knowing about Chu Xue’s Battle-Martial Body, who would suspect that this ordinary-looking girl, whose cultivation hadn't even reached the Seventh Order, could contend with the Sword Prodigy, Jue Yu?
※ ※ ※ ※
A quarter of an hour later, the atmosphere in this rift in space-time had become suffocatingly dense.
The nearly ten thousand disciples of the Azure Life Dao watched the arena with eyes blazing, while the surrounding onlookers held their breath, careful not to agitate the already frayed nerves of the Azure Life disciples.
Six matches, six defeats. The first five were vanquished by a single sword strike, crushed effortlessly, none able to withstand it. Even the last challenger, Guo Yu, managed only to parry three blows before his weapon was severed.
Standing about three hundred zhang away, Lei Dong’s expression was intensely complex. After a moment, he finally exhaled lightly. “That Jue Yu is truly ruthless! It seems he genuinely wants to force Tan Qiu out; he’s holding absolutely nothing back!”
In the past, when Jue Yu challenged various sects, his goal was genuinely to hone his swordsmanship, never relying solely on brute force. This time, however, it was total suppression! Eighth Order robust true force, supreme swordsmanship, and peak Martial Dao intent—the convergence of these three meant that even the top five elite disciples of the Azure Life Dao Palace could not take a single complete strike!
“I believe Guo Yu’s strength is slightly superior to mine—”
This meant that if Jue Yu had attacked with full power, Lei Dong might not even last three rounds against him.
His face looked bitter. Su Chen forced a smile and glanced around. “I fear the Azure Life Dao miscalculated this time. If they cannot find a suitable contender to turn the tide, they are going to be utterly humiliated.”
All around them, cultivators and martial artists from various sects either smirked silently, gloated, or beamed with malicious delight.
Lei Dong frowned slightly, aware that what Su Chen said was true. The world wouldn't care about the actual circumstances; they would naturally assume that the so-called elite disciples of this generation from the Azure Life Dao couldn't even withstand one sword strike from Jue Yu, proving their lack of depth.
“I wonder who the Azure Life Dao’s next challenger will be?”
The seventh person, the final selection, should be the strongest disciple of this generation, the closing act. Besides Guo Yu, he truly hadn't heard of anyone else. Could it be Tan Qiu?
Across the way, the more than ten thousand Azure Life disciples had finally snapped out of their daze, looking at each other in confusion.
“Who’s next?”
“I remember one of the names the Palace Master mentioned was Xue Chu?”
“Is it her? Chief Tan Qiu’s personal guard and inner disciple? I recall that little girl’s cultivation isn't even Sixth Order?”
“What are the Palace Master and the others thinking? How could they choose a Sixth Order cultivator?”
All eyes scanned the crowd, trying to locate this ‘Xue Chu.’
Chu Xue had been somewhat lost in thought, replaying Zong Shou’s sword strike from two years ago over and over in her mind.
It was only when the gazes of the crowd turned towards her that she suddenly felt a surge of realization mixed with surprise. Stared at by so many eyes filled with confusion and doubt, she first felt a wave of panic, instinctively wanting to retreat. Then, realizing something, she bit her lip and stepped forward.