The man who was being held back shook off his sleeve with a sigh of frustration, speaking with a hint of anxiety. "Senior Brother, did no one send you a message just now? I heard the Chief Disciple has already clashed with Jueyu. Their exchange of one hundred and twenty-four swords was absolutely magnificent. Now, even the elders of our Cang Sheng Dao believe this fight will likely be the pinnacle of sword combat in the last hundred years. If we miss witnessing it, we will surely regret it for the rest of our lives—"

Yuan Fei’s face flushed slightly. He usually cultivated outside, and he rarely thought highly of these fellow disciples. Indeed, he had few friends within the Cang Sheng Dome.

"But aren't you afraid of the sect rules?"

The man paid him no mind, already walking toward the exit. "The maxim is that the law does not punish the masses; haven't you noticed even the lecturing master has already left?"

Yuan Fei turned his head; sure enough, the instructor who had been teaching was nowhere in sight.

He hesitated, tempted to follow and watch, yet a deep unwillingness churned in his chest. He truly did not wish to see Tan Qiu—the person he had criticized and belittled countless times—looking so spirited and triumphant.

After a moment of internal struggle, he finally stepped out, exiting the Scripture Hall. Stepping through the void, he arrived in the Cang Sheng Dome shortly thereafter.

As everything within that spatial rift unfolded before Yuan Fei’s eyes, he immediately sucked in a sharp breath.

The space, normally quite stable, had been utterly torn in two.

There, at the very center of the fault line, Tan Qiu and Jueyu were locked in furious battle. Black tides surged, Jueyu harnessing the power of the shattered space to elevate the might of his Great Annihilation Sword to its zenith.

And Tan Qiu stood within the dense expanse of black sword shadows, retreating not a single step. Silver sword light flickered intermittently, holding all the surging black sword tides firmly outside a ten-zhang radius.

Yuan Fei couldn't help but be momentarily lost in thought. He was a connoisseur of the blade. Even a brief observation told him this battle was distinctly different from the fight between Xue Chu and Jueyu ten days prior.

In the earlier match, the swordsmanship was incredibly fast, relying entirely on instinct superior to the opponent’s. The latter could only respond primarily with their own reaction capabilities. Though dangerous and brilliant, the level of swordsmanship was markedly low.

This time, however, was different. Every single sword strike from both combatants possessed clear intent and deep meaning. Each move had been calculated at least ten steps ahead. Sometimes, a seemingly useless strike only revealed its purpose three or five movements later, constantly pressuring and guiding the opponent toward revealing an opening.

The paths of their swords were profoundly arcane, the two martial intents completely entangled, clashing and colliding in harmony with the momentum of the entire heaven and earth. Even the residual shockwaves were enough to make one’s heart pound.

"—A pinnacle battle of the sword in a century?"

A soft murmur escaped Yuan Fei’s lips as a wild surge rose within him.

The sheer strength of Tan Qiu was terrifying to him. All his defiance, all his arrogance, was utterly shattered by these two men at this moment!

—This third-generation true disciple is truly the strongest of their generation! The position of Chief Disciple is undeniably deserved!

Yuan Fei felt tangled, his emotions incredibly complex. Yet, his eyes refused to wander for even a second.

It wasn't just him; every disciple who had emerged from the Cang Sheng Dome stood there, stunned and fixed on the battle.

"They always said Chief Tan’s sword skills were peerless, the best in the Cang Sheng Palace for the past twenty years. Turns out, they weren't exaggerating—"

"We actually have such a powerhouse within our Cang Sheng Dao."

"After today, I wonder who in the Dome will dare to object?"

"A year of accumulation, building up slowly, and one breakthrough results in such power. I think you people were truly blind!"

Near Su Chen, a man in his early twenties suddenly tore open the void without warning, appearing beside the two of them.

He stood tall, like a solitary pine, his features sharp and his expression cold and severe.

Su Chen started slightly at the sight.

"You came fast! Were you nearby?"

The distance between the Myriad Sword Dome and the Cang Sheng Dome was at least thirty thousand li.

"I used twelve Lesser Teleportation Talismans—"

Saying this lightly, Ling Jian Ruotao first glanced at Lei Dong. His eyes narrowed for a moment before he completely dismissed him, turning his gaze toward the ongoing fierce battle.

"A'Chen, I hope this fight doesn't disappoint me, to justify the cost of these Teleportation Talismans. I truly don't believe there is a swordsman sixteen years old who can match Jueyu equally—"

As the two distant figures entered his sight, Ruotao's pupils contracted sharply. A moment later, he murmured, lost in thought.

"You spoke well. If I hadn't come today, I would have regretted it for life!"

Lei Dong beside him merely let out a cold snort and ignored him, continuing to watch.

Just then, there was another sharp 'ding' sound in the void.

Jueyu’s black broadsword was once again repelled when it reached ten zhang away from Zong Shou. His entire body was forced back nearly a hundred zhang. However, this time, he did not strike again. Instead, he stood fixed in place, his face pale.

In the preceding exchange of one hundred and forty-nine sword strikes, both had fought with all their might, allowing no time for recovery. Even Jueyu, with his cultivation at the Eighth Order and an internal essence as vast as the ocean, felt he could not persist much longer. The true qi within him was nearly exhausted.

Zong Shou, on the other hand, looked even worse. His figure flickered and distorted constantly—this was his soul force failing to sustain his Dharma Body's true form. However, his recovery rate was noticeably faster than Jueyu’s. In just a few breaths, the eighteen spiritual meridians in his Sea of Consciousness, along with the crude Black and White Holes, had already extracted and purified a massive amount of pure spiritual energy to replenish his losses.

Although Jueyu had integrated several Heavenly Veins, the crude Black and White Holes in his primordial spirit absorbed spiritual energy several points faster than even those with five or six Heavenly Veins!

In an instant, Jueyu’s breathing stabilized. But he did not rush to attack; instead, he fell into deep thought.

"Since your sword art is named Great Formlessness, it likely allows you to simulate other sword arts as well? As for Yuan Yi, it should mean the origin of all things unified. You only defended just now; were you distracted, studying my Great Annihilation Sword?"

Zong Shou raised an eyebrow, then nodded with an 'En,' not hiding anything.

"Precisely so!"

With a casual wave, his Fire Yin Sword trailed a wave of black tide, the unmistakable signature of the Great Annihilation Sword. He had seen this set of sword techniques ten days ago, but without engaging in personal combat and experiencing it up close, it was impossible to deduce the true qi circulation paths and the specific core essence of the corresponding incantations.

At this moment, the ten thousand people gathered on either side of the spatial rift fell silent. It was only after Jueyu pointed it out that they realized Zong Shou had not been fully invested just now. He had actually been distracted, learning the Great Annihilation Sword!

"I, Jueyu, am actually being underestimated like this!"

Jueyu let out a wry laugh, though a hint of annoyance flickered in his eyes. This fellow was truly infuriating. While he was pouring his entire being into the fight, the other was distracted, deducing the very origin of his sword art—

Yet, he still didn't attack, merely raising the broadsword in his hand slightly, pointing it forward with an extremely esoteric sword stance.

"Our swordsmanship should be comparable. Chief Tan, are you not afraid of defeat?"

Zong Shou blinked his eyes slightly, then gently flicked his sleeve, a slight curl at the corner of his lip as he held his long sword reversed before him. His sword intent condensed but did not scatter, focused within a ten-zhang radius, yet it enveloped the entire million-zhang space, constantly ascending, surging toward a higher peak!

His Yuan Yi Sword was incomplete. What he most welcomed was sparring against an evenly matched powerhouse like Jueyu, using the opponent's strength to shore up his own deficiencies.

Jueyu laughed loudly and stopped wasting words. The broadsword in his hand once again transformed into black light and demonic breath. But this time, it was markedly different from before. Infinite destructive power instantly gathered all the surrounding black fissures into the black sword light along its path.

He brought the sword down. In the span of several thousand zhang around him, the entire space cracked open again with countless black, web-like lines, crumbling apart. This action completely severed Zong Shou's sense of communion with the surrounding heaven and earth.

—Great Annihilation’s Non-Life!

With this single strike, all beneath the sword faced death with no hope of life! This was the sword move he had been unable to break through for two years, and now it burst forth completely. Stealing a glance at his sword art? Then he would strike hard enough to make distraction impossible! Even if the Yuan Yi Yin Sword was truly impenetrable, he would shatter it!

Zong Shou’s gaze turned solemn, his expression showing a hint of caution. He still sent forth a stream of cold, clear sword light, piercing straight through. At the ten-zhang mark, against the sharp edge of the vast black sword light, the sword energy merely spun and vibrated once. The countless black fissures were completely wrested from Jueyu’s control and exploded outward.

The black sword tide stalled once more and was forced to retreat.

Several thousand zhang away, Ruotao exclaimed, "Yi," straightening his body, his eyes sharp with focus.

Su Chen was momentarily bewildered, but before confusion could fully set in, Ruotao spoke: "This Cang Sheng Tan Qiu is truly extraordinary! His cultivation might be lower than Jueyu's, but his sword skill likely surpasses Jueyu's! He has already deciphered seventy percent of the profound mysteries of this Great Annihilation Sword. This strike is a direct assault on the weak point, exploiting Jueyu's inability to fully control his own sword moves—"

"Seventy percent?"

Su Chen glanced in astonishment at the soul projection. "Doesn't that mean Jueyu is already destined to lose?"

"That is not necessarily true!"

Ruotao smiled. "Although Tan Qiu is learning, didn't you see that Jueyu’s sword skill is also advancing rapidly, improving and changing every moment?"

Lei Dong, beside him, grumbled in a low voice, "Indeed! These two are evenly matched. It's a wonder that you, Ruotao, are renowned alongside Jueyu. I wonder now, if you could take how many strikes from these two?"

"Around two hundred strikes!"

Ruotao showed no irritation, replying with a graceful smile and a counter-jab: "And I wonder how many strikes Young Master Lei could take? Clearly, your innate talent for the sword has earned praise even from the head of all sects, yet you insist on fussing over trivial matters and learning the saber. Not only your uncle and grandfather, but even Miss Zhenru has been heartbroken over you."

Lei Dong was effectively choked into silence, finally letting out a cold snort and ignoring him.

Gazing into the distance, Zong Shou once again forced Jueyu back ten zhang with a sword strike. Then, the sword light retracted and gathered before his chest. His eyes were clear and cold as he looked into the distance, radiating boundless confidence.

"Within ten zhang is my Immovable Sword Domain!"

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