257: Chapter 256 The Third Battle!

When the drawing results for the first round of the Sword Discussion Assembly were announced, the entire crowd erupted in an uproar.

Jiang Hanzhou's opponents—Heavenly Sword Peak Inner Sect Disciples Zhao Han, Sun Qing, and Zhou Wu.

It was not one person, but three.

More accurately, it was a gauntlet. According to the rules of the Sword Discussion Assembly, each participant had to undergo three consecutive duels with no rest time in between. The three opponents 'randomly' assigned to Jiang Hanzhou were all elites ranked in the top ten of the Heavenly Sword Peak's inner sect, with cultivation bases all at the Late Stage of the Primal Elephant Realm or above.

Zhao Han, Late Stage Primal Elephant Realm, specialized in sword Formation combined-attack techniques.

Sun Qing, Peak Primal Elephant Realm, possessed an eerie sword style that focused on vital points.

Zhou Wu, Late Stage Primal Elephant Realm, had a powerful Physical Body and once withstood three strikes from an Early Stage Dragon Fetus Realm Cultivator without being defeated.

The three each had their strengths and shared a tacit understanding; they were the core members of the 'Three Talents Sword Formation' carefully cultivated by Cold Frost Master of Heavenly Sword Peak.

"This is no coincidence." Zhou Lie gritted his teeth in the spectator stands. "Those bastards from Heavenly Sword Peak are clearly trying to use a gauntlet to wear down Junior Brother Jiang!"

Liu Ningshuang did not speak, but her cold eyes were fixed on the platform, her fingers unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes.

Master Xue Mu sat at the very front, his face as calm as water, showing no emotion. However, a cold glint occasionally flashed in his deep eyes.

In the spectator stands of Heavenly Sword Peak, a faint, barely perceptible smile tugged at the corner of Cold Frost Master's mouth.

"A gauntlet?" a Disciple beside him whispered. "Elder, isn't this a bit too obvious?"

"What if it is obvious?" Cold Frost Master said indifferently. "It's within the rules; who can say anything? Besides—I want to see how long that Jiang Hanzhou can hold out against the Three Talents Sword Formation."

On the platform, Zhao Han, Sun Qing, and Zhou Wu had already taken their positions.

Zhao Han stood in the center, holding a longsword of pure grayish-white with fine Formation runes engraved on the blade; Sun Qing was on the left, his longsword as black as ink with a faint cold light flowing at the edge; Zhou Wu was on the right, gripping a heavy sword in each hand, their blades as wide as door panels.

The positioning of the three seemed loose, but it actually corresponded to the Heaven, Earth, and Man positions of the Three Talents. Their auras intertwined and wound around each other, forming an invisible sword Formation that enveloped the entire platform.

"Jiang Hanzhou." Zhao Han spoke, his voice calm. "You are well aware of the rules of the Sword Discussion Assembly. Three consecutive battles with no rest. If you surrender now, there is still time."

Jiang Hanzhou stood in the center of the platform, the tiger soul saber hanging at his waist, his expression as usual.

He looked at Zhao Han, said nothing, and simply shook his head gently.

Zhao Han's brow furrowed slightly: "Since you insist—"

"Too much nonsense." Jiang Hanzhou interrupted him, his voice not loud, yet clearly reaching the ears of everyone present. "If you want to fight, then fight."

The entire arena fell silent.

Zhao Han's face instantly darkened, and Sword Intent surged around him, almost solidifying.

"Fine." He said word by word. "Since you seek death, don't blame us for showing no mercy."

He raised his hand, his longsword pointing straight at Jiang Hanzhou.

"Three Talents Sword Formation—Activate!"

The moment the words fell, the three moved simultaneously.

Zhao Han's longsword traced a mysterious arc, and the Formation runes on the blade suddenly lit up. The grayish-white light condensed into a zhang-long Sword Qi at the tip, slashing toward Jiang Hanzhou from the front.

Sun Qing's figure flickered like a ghost, his pitch-black longsword thrusting silently from the side, the blade pointing straight at Jiang Hanzhou's ribs.

Zhou Wu charged forward with large strides, his two heavy swords carrying the weight of ten thousand jun, smashing down toward Jiang Hanzhou's head from the left and right.

The three attacks arrived almost simultaneously.

Each one was enough to heavily injure a Peak Primal Elephant Realm Cultivator. With the three combined, even an Early Stage Dragon Fetus Realm Cultivator would have to temporarily avoid their edge.

But Jiang Hanzhou did not retreat.

He just stood there, quietly watching the three approaching attacks.

"What's wrong with him?" someone in the spectator stands exclaimed. "Why isn't he moving?"

"Is he scared witless?"

"No—look at his hand!"

Everyone's gaze fell on Jiang Hanzhou's right hand.

That hand was slowly reaching for the hilt of the tiger soul saber at his waist.

The movement was very slow, slow enough for everyone to see every frame.

But the moment that hand gripped the hilt—

An indescribable pressure erupted from within his body!

That pressure was like a mountain collapsing, like a tsunami sweeping through, like heavenly fire incinerating all things!

Dragon Fetus Realm.

It wasn't the Primal Elephant Realm, nor a Pseudo-Dragon Fetus; it was the true, complete, and solidly founded pressure of the Dragon Fetus Realm!

Zhao Han's face changed drastically: "Not good—"

But he had no time to react.

Because Jiang Hanzhou's saber was already unsheathed.

The moment tiger soul was unsheathed, the temperature of the entire platform suddenly rose by a hundred degrees. Four-colored brilliance flowed across the blade—red, gold, blue, and purple—the four colors intertwined like four flood dragons coiling at the edge of the blade.

But within that four-colored brilliance, there was a fifth power.

It was an indescribable will. It wasn't True Intent, nor blood-qi, nor Divine Soul, but—Slaying.

A pure, unadulterated will of 'Slaying' without any Impurities.

dragon slaying True Intent.

The moment it merged into the tiger soul saber, the four-colored brilliance on the blade suddenly retracted, turning into a simple and unadorned saber light.

That saber light was not dazzling or brilliant; it was even somewhat dim.

But the moment Zhao Han, Sun Qing, and Zhou Wu saw that saber light, an indescribable fear surged in their hearts—it was the submission of the Dao Heart to a higher level of power, the instinctive trembling of the weak before the strong.

"Three Talents Sword Formation—Full Defense!"

Zhao Han bellowed, and the three changed their moves simultaneously. Zhao Han's longsword drew a perfect circle in front of him, the grayish-white Sword Qi forming a zhang-wide light shield; Sun Qing's pitch-black longsword stabbed into the ground, and countless black sword threads surged from the earth, wrapping the three in layers; Zhou Wu crossed his two heavy swords in front of him, his body swelling by a size as a bronze luster surfaced on his skin.

Three layers of defense.

The Wall of the Sword Formation, the Net of Sword Threads, and the Shield of the Physical Body.

With the three layers stacked, even a full-strength strike from a Middle Stage Dragon Fetus Realm Cultivator might not be able to break through.

But Jiang Hanzhou's saber was no ordinary saber.

The moment that saber strike was unleashed, the entire platform fell silent.

There was no loud roar, no explosion, no world-shaking commotion.

There was only a soft sound—

"Chi."

Like a knife cutting through tofu, like a hot blade entering snow, like a sharp edge gliding through silk.

That simple and unadorned saber light silently sliced through Zhao Han's Wall of the Sword Formation, silently severed Sun Qing's Net of Sword Threads, and silently split open Zhou Wu's twin swords.

Then, it left a bone-deep saber wound on each of their chests.

Blood gushed out.

The bodies of the three were sent flying simultaneously, slamming heavily into the defensive light screen of the platform, producing three muffled thuds.

The light screen vibrated violently, nearly shattering.

Zhao Han struggled to stand up, but within the saber wound on his chest, an eerie power was constantly eroding his Meridians. That was the resonance of the dragon slaying True Intent; it wasn't just destruction, but a fundamental denial of his sword Dao Foundation.

His face was deathly pale, a trickle of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, and he finally collapsed powerlessly to the ground.

Sun Qing and Zhou Wu were the same.

The eyes of the three were filled with shock and fear.

They had lost.

Completely and utterly defeated.

From the moment Jiang Hanzhou drew his saber to the moment the three fell, only a single breath had passed.

And Jiang Hanzhou had only used one strike.

One strike to break the Three Talents Sword Formation, one strike to defeat three Primal Elephant Realm elites.

He didn't even need a second move.

The entire arena was deathly still.

That silence lasted for three full breaths, and then—

"Whoosh—!"

The sound of discussion rose like a tide, nearly flipping over the entire Sword Discussion Platform.

"One strike! He only used one strike!"

"The Three Talents Sword Formation! That's a combined-attack Formation carefully cultivated by Heavenly Sword Peak; even a Middle Stage Dragon Fetus Realm Cultivator would have to expend some effort—and he actually broke it in one strike?!"

"Did you notice? That strike of his contained five types of power! Four types of True Intent plus something indescribable—what was that?"

"dragon slaying True Intent! That's the dragon slaying True Intent from the Dragon Slaying True Person's Immortal Cave! He actually refined that thing?!"

"My god... he's only been in the sect for half a year..."

"Half a year? Stepping into the Dragon Fetus Realm and refining the dragon slaying True Intent in just half a year? What kind of Prodigy is this?!"

Among the discussions, some were shocked, some were fearful, some were excited, and some were jealous.

But everyone's gaze was fixed on the figure in the center of the platform.

Jiang Hanzhou sheathed his saber and turned to walk toward the edge of the platform.

His pace was steady and his expression normal, as if that strike just now had been done casually.

When he reached the edge of the platform, he stopped and said without looking back:

"There are two more matches."

His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

"If you want to fight, then hurry. If not—surrender."

Zhao Han struggled to lift his head and look at Jiang Hanzhou's back. His lips moved, but he couldn't say a single word.

He wanted to stand up, to continue fighting, and to uphold the dignity of Heavenly Sword Peak.

But the saber wound on his chest was too deep.

It wasn't just a wound to his Physical Body, but a wound to his Dao Heart.

Jiang Hanzhou's strike had not only severed his Meridians but also his Battle Intent.

Now, as long as he closed his eyes, that simple and unadorned saber light would appear in his mind—a light that contained a power that made him feel fear from his very bones, a denial of his entire martial arts career.

"I..."

He opened his mouth and finally lowered his head powerlessly.

"I surrender."

The two words were as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

But on this deathly silent platform, they clearly reached everyone's ears.

Sun Qing and Zhou Wu looked at each other and also lowered their heads at the same time.

"I surrender."

"I surrender."

A triple surrender.

The gauntlet had ended before it even truly began.

In the spectator stands of Heavenly Sword Peak, Cold Frost Master's face was terrifyingly dark.

Beside him, the faces of the two inner sect Elders were also unpleasant.

"Trash." Cold Frost Master whispered, his voice containing an irrepressible fury. "Three pieces of trash."

"Elder," the Disciple beside him said cautiously, "should we let Senior Brother Han—"

"Shut up." Cold Frost Master said coldly. "Han Qing's opponent is not him. According to the rules, Han Qing won't encounter him until the semi-finals. Before then—let him enjoy his pride for a few days."

He paused, his gaze like a knife: "But he won't be proud for long. Han Qing's Sword Gu Secret Technique specifically counters True Intent Fusion. No matter how strong his saber is, it cannot cut through the Intent-Devouring Gu."

In the spectator stands of Red Fire Peak, Master Xue Mu's mouth curled into a faint smile.

"That brat." He murmured. "Well done."

Behind him, Zhou Lie was so excited his face was flushed red, and he nearly jumped from his seat.

"One strike! He won in one strike! Junior Brother Jiang is too fierce!"

Liu Ningshuang did not speak, but an indescribable light flashed in her cold eyes.

It was gratification, pride, and also a hint of—shock.

She considered her own talent to be not bad and her cultivation to be diligent enough. But seeing Jiang Hanzhou's strike, she finally understood what a true Genius was.

It wasn't just being born with extraordinary talent or having an exceptional Foundation; it was—when everyone thought you had reached your limit, you could still explode with a power that made them despair.

In the spectator stands of Bibo Pool, Master Qingxuan nodded slightly.

"Not bad." He said indifferently. "In that strike, there is the long-lasting nature of the Tide, the intensity of the Pure Yang, the sharpness of the Metal Sharpness, the variability of the heavenly fire, and the will of the dragon slaying. Five types of power, perfectly fused. This child's Comprehension Ability far exceeds the ordinary."

Teng Yuzhi did not speak; she only looked at the figure in the center of the platform, her eyes complex.

She remembered the first time she met Jiang Hanzhou. At that time, he was just an Outer Sect Disciple who had just entered the Dragon Abyss Palace, with low cultivation and completely unremarkable.

Half a year.

It only took half a year.

He had grown from an Outer Sect Disciple to a level that shook the entire Dragon Abyss Palace.

"Junior Sister," Senior Brother Su Jingyuan whispered, "do you think he can beat Han Qing?"

Teng Yuzhi was silent for a moment and slowly said: "I don't know."

"But—"

She paused and said word by word: "If there is anyone in this world who can beat Han Qing, that person must be Jiang Hanzhou."

In the spectator stands of Tianji Peak, Grand Elder Great Elder Xuanjizi sat at the very front.

His gaze fell on Jiang Hanzhou, and he remained silent for a long time.

A sharp light flashed in his eyes.

The envoy from Black Jade Mansion, that Middle-aged Scholar with a lean face, was currently staring fixedly at Jiang Hanzhou, his eyes full of shock.

"Dragon Fetus Realm... five types of True Intent perfectly fused..." He murmured. "When did the Dragon Abyss Palace produce such a Prodigy?"

The envoy from the Sea Quelling Department, a general wearing dark black battle armor, had a smile tugging at his lips.

"Interesting." He whispered. "This little fellow is worth winnowing over."

The envoys from the Three Great Clans of the East Sea were also discussing in low voices.

"This boy's future is limitless..."

"If he could be recruited into the Li Family..."

"The Zhou Family is willing to pay a heavy price..."

Amidst the discussions, Jiang Hanzhou had already walked off the platform.

He returned to the rest area of Red Fire Peak, sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

Zhou Lie leaned over, his face full of admiration: "Junior Brother Jiang, that strike of yours was too fierce! I didn't even see how you drew your saber!"

Jiang Hanzhou did not open his eyes and only said indifferently: "Focus on watching the matches. Han Qing's opponent is not weak."

Zhou Lie was taken aback and turned his head to look at the platform.

On the platform, Han Qing was slowly walking up.

His opponent was Zhao Yuanjing, the number one inner Disciple of Black Tortoise Peak.

Peak Primal Elephant Realm, practicing the Black Tortoise True Secret, with a powerful Physical Body and astonishing defensive power.

But Han Qing only used one sword strike.

The moment that sword was unsheathed, a thick bloody aura permeated the entire platform. The blood-red patterns on the blade writhed frantically, turning into countless fine black tentacles that surged toward Zhao Yuanjing.

Zhao Yuanjing exerted his full power to activate his Protective Aura, attempting to resist.

But those black tentacles ignored his defense and drilled directly into his body, frantically devouring his martial True Intent.

After three breaths, Zhao Yuanjing's face was as pale as paper, and his body was swaying.

"I surrender." He spoke with difficulty, his voice hoarse.

Han Qing sheathed his sword and walked off the platform expressionlessly.

His gaze collided with Jiang Hanzhou's gaze in mid-air.

At that moment, the entire Sword Discussion Platform seemed to fall silent.

Both gazes contained an indescribable killing intent.