417: Chapter 417 99.99%

"Big oaf."

Dragon Abyss spoke indifferently, "You're swinging quite hard."

"Now... it's my turn."

Before his voice even faded, the light in his right hand suddenly flared!

A hideous, pitch-black war halberd instantly condensed into shape within his palm!

His figure suddenly blurred!

That wasn't an afterimage from high-speed movement, but a bizarre movement technique!

In the next instant, he appeared beside Lei Poyue!

The Sea Halberd in his hand was like a living thing, turning into a bolt of eerie blue lightning that was nearly impossible for the naked eye to track!

First strike! Thrust!

The tip of the halberd tore through the air, letting out a shrill whistle! Its speed reached the absolute limit!

Blue True Qi was highly compressed at the tip of the halberd, forming a needle-point of destructive cold light that aimed straight for Lei Poyue's throat!

Lei Poyue's pupils constricted! He barely managed to sidestep and block with his greatsword held horizontally!

"Clang—!!!"

The sound of clashing metal exploded! Sparks flew everywhere!

A massive impact transmitted through the blade. Lei Poyue's arms shook violently, the webbing between his thumb and forefinger instantly split open, and he was forced back three steps by the shock!

However, Dragon Abyss's attacks were like a torrential storm, giving him no room to breathe at all!

Second strike! Slice!

The moment the Sea Halberd struck the greatsword, it turned with the momentum like a viper striking back. The halberd blade swept out a crescent-shaped arc of eerie blue light, slicing toward Lei Poyue's waist and ribs!

The speed of the technique change was inconceivable!

Lei Poyue didn't have time to adjust his center of gravity and could only barely take the hit with the side of his blade!

"Screech—!"

An ear-piercing sound of metal grinding! The blue arc of light plowed a deep gouge into the surface of the greatsword!

Third strike! Sweep!

Dragon Abyss flicked his wrist, the Sea Halberd using the recoil from the previous two strikes...

...to sweep out from bottom to top in an even more violent manner!

Atop the halberd's shaft, the eerie blue True Qi suddenly surged...

...transforming into a crescent-shaped Qi blade over ten feet wide, carrying overwhelming power and a sharpness that could cut through anything!

This was the true killing move!

"Bang—!!!"

A muffled thud!

Lei Poyue, along with his sword, was sent flying like an anvil struck by a giant hammer!

He crashed heavily onto the arena floor thirty feet away and rolled several times. The greatsword slipped from his hand, landing several feet away.

He struggled to prop himself up, but his arms were trembling violently.

The blood in his chest surged like boiling water, and he spat out a mouthful of blood onto the blue crystal floor, a shocking sight.

Three exchanges! Three moves!

A powerful Human Prodigy at the Fourth Rank Peak had completely lost the strength to fight again!

The entire venue fell into a dead silence!

After a brief moment of silence, the Sea Race camp suddenly erupted with deafening cheers and applause!

Giant whales sang and sea beasts roared, the waves of sound sweeping across the sea like a tsunami!

Meanwhile, the human camp was shrouded in a suffocating gloom.

The experts and powerhouses in the military had ashen faces, their expressions so solemn they were almost dripping with tension.

"Such formidable strength... such sharp and overbearing halberd techniques..."

"Poyue... was completely countered. Whether it was strength, speed, or the condensation of True Qi, he was at a disadvantage."

"The opponent's blood and qi foundation is at least two thousand calories higher than Poyue's!"

"A Profound-level cultivation technique. This person is definitely practicing a water-attribute technique at the Profound level or higher!"

"Otherwise, it would be impossible to defeat Lei Poyue, who has already stepped onto the threshold of fifth stage saber intent, within three moves!"

On the arena...

"I... concede."

Lei Poyue's voice was hoarse and low, as if he had exhausted all his strength.

He lowered his head.

A powerhouse from the military quickly swept onto the arena and brought Lei Poyue down.

Dragon Abyss watched Lei Poyue's departing back and curled his lip.

If Dragon Soaring hadn't repeatedly instructed him before the battle to focus on "displaying the grace of the Dragon Whale Clan's younger generation"...

...and to minimize killing to avoid affecting the impression of that lord who might be watching from the shadows...

...that last strike just now would never have merely knocked the opponent down; it would have pierced straight through his chest.

What a pity.

He shook his head slightly, restrained his aura, and retreated to one side of the arena to wait for his next opponent.

The human camp.

A high-ranking military official heavily placed a hand on Chu Yunfei's shoulder.

"Yunfei, when you go up later... do what you can. Victory is important, but preserving yourself is also your duty."

His tone carried helplessness and a hint of pain.

Chu Yunfei's strength was on par with Lei Poyue's.

Since the opponent could completely defeat Lei Poyue in three moves, defeating Chu Yunfei naturally wouldn't take much effort either.

Chu Yunfei gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist, his knuckles turning white.

He nodded without saying a word.

Second match: Chu Yunfei versus Dragon Abyss.

His sword techniques were elegant and agile, and his True Qi was of the ice attribute, which shared some origins with Dragon Abyss's water-element True Qi. Logically, he shouldn't have been countered as severely as Lei Poyue.

However, the gap was all-encompassing.

Speed, strength, combat experience, True Qi quality...

Chu Yunfei gave it his all, his sword light like snow and impenetrable, yet he only managed to last for two moves.

In the first move, he barely neutralized Dragon Abyss's thrust with an exquisite force-deflecting sword technique, but the shock numbed the webbing of his hand and stalled his momentum.

In the second move, Dragon Abyss seized this fleeting opening. The Sea Halberd was like a venomous dragon emerging from the sea, piercing straight through the center!

Chu Yunfei barely managed to block with his sword held horizontally, but the overwhelming and terrifying force swept him and his sword right out of the arena!

"I concede!"

Chu Yunfei's protective True Qi was pierced, his longsword flew from his hand, and he was struck by a gust of wind from the halberd. He was sent flying, slamming hard against the light barrier at the edge of the arena, unable to get up for a long time.

Two consecutive losses.

The human camp was in total silence.

The oppressive atmosphere was like an invisible mountain, weighing heavily on everyone's heart.

Many people instinctively turned their gaze toward the figure at the very front of the group, standing as steady as a mountain and as deep as an abyss.

Xiao Shan.

However, to everyone's surprise, there was not the slightest hint of panic or anger on the face of this Eighth-Rank Grandmaster.

His expression remained as calm as water, his gaze deep, as if the two losses before him were entirely within his expectations.

Xiao Shan slowly turned his head, his gaze passing over the silent generals and landing on the composed young man in black at the back of the group.

"Qin Yan."

He spoke, his voice calm.

"How certain are you?"

In an instant, countless gazes, like sharp arrows, focused simultaneously on Qin Yan.

There was doubt, worry, curiosity, and even more expectation.

Qin Yan looked up and met Xiao Shan's gaze.

There was no trace of panic or cowardice on his face.

He thought for a moment and spoke seriously, his voice clear and certain:

"Ninety-nine point nine nine percent."

It wasn't a full hundred percent; he left a fraction out of reverence for the unknown and the accidental.

But what was the difference between "ninety-nine point nine nine percent" and a hundred percent?

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding soldiers, including those high-ranking military officials who couldn't keep their composure...

...all felt a great shock in their hearts, some even wondering if they had misheard.