301: Chapter 301 Drunken Blade, A Shocking Event

Rumble.

The entire massive hull of the ship sank abruptly by a significant margin,

and the people inside the cabin cried out in alarm. Some could no longer stand steadily, stumbling to steady themselves against tables and chairs.

"Not good, this ship cannot hold out anymore!"

"The power of their exchange is too strong; if they keep fighting, the ship will sink!"

Chen Ran and Qin Jianshen exchanged a look, understanding each other without a word, and moved almost simultaneously.

Their two figures turned into afterimages, instantly rushing out of the cabin and landing on the surface of the river.

Under the shroud of night, the river water shimmered with a faint glint, and as a gentle breeze blew, layers of ripples stirred across the surface.

The moonlight was like water, spilling across the river and reflecting two figures standing atop the water.

Chen Ran stood with his hands behind his back, his ink-colored robes fluttering slightly in the night wind, his posture as upright as a pine.

Qin Jianshen held a long saber in hand, a bamboo hat hanging crookedly behind his head.

The two stood ten zhang apart, their Auras confronting each other from afar.

The people inside the cabin swarmed to the windows, stretching out their necks to look.

"So formidable..."

"Is this the means of the Innate Realm, being able to tread on water and stand in mid-air?"

"When can Martial Artists of our generation ever reach such a Realm?"

Someone exclaimed in a low voice, their eyes filled with longing and awe, and even their breathing became cautious, for fear of disturbing this clash.

Zhao Chi also walked to the window, his gaze fixed tightly on the two figures on the river, his eyes behind the mask narrowing slightly.

Although he was also in the Innate Realm, compared to the tenth on the Heavenly Rankings, there was still a considerable gap after all.

Who would have thought that inside such a passenger ship, three Innate Realm experts would gather at the same time.

"It seems that young man has some tricks up his sleeve..."

Zhao Chi muttered to himself in a low voice, then raised his hand to signal the men in black behind him to hold their ground for the time being.

He wanted to see just who among these two Innate Realm experts would emerge victorious in their clash.

...

On the river surface, Chen Ran made the first move.

He curled his five fingers into a hollow grip, true essence surging within his body, and the Lingxiao Sword Intent burst forth from his palm.

A wisp of pale cyan Sword Qi condensed between his palms,

the Sword Qi concentrated yet unscattered, spiraling in his palm like a living creature, emitting bursts of buzzing sounds.

Seeing this, Qin Jianshen grinned, took a flask of wine from his waist, and threw his head back to gulp it down.

Gulp, gulp.

As the wine entered his throat, the Aura on Qin Jianshen's body suddenly soared.

An Aura intertwining drunkenness and murderous intent diffused from his body, akin to a sudden violent gale that stirred up the waves on the river.

His eyes were slightly red, True Qi surged across his body, and he faintly emitted a scarlet-red glow.

Someone inside the cabin exclaimed again:

"That is the signature technique of Drunken Saber Qin Jianshen, the Drunken Immortal Steps!"

"Rumor has it that for every flask of wine he drinks, he can temporarily increase his cultivation by thirty percent in a short time. His speed is as fast as a ghost, and his saber technique is fierce and peerless!"

"It is said that an expert also at the Peak of the Innate Realm once could not even withstand three moves under his Drunken Immortal Steps before being beheaded with a single saber strike!"

Hearing this, the crowd all drew in a breath of cold air.

This was the might of an Innate Realm expert.

Every single move and stance could shake mountains and rivers.

The next instant, Qin Jianshen moved.

His figure turned into an afterimage, instantly disappearing from where he stood and heading straight for Chen Ran.

His speed was so fast that it was almost impossible for people to capture his trace.

Purple flames flickered in Chen Ran's eyes, his expression calm. With a wave of his five fingers, the Sword Qi in his palm roared outward.

Clang, clang, clang!

Dozens of streaks of Sword Qi poured down like a torrential rain, each carrying the sound of shattering the air as they slashed toward Qin Jianshen's figure.

The Sword Qi traced streaks of cyan trajectories across the night sky, as dazzling and eye-catching as a meteor shower.

Innumerable pillars of water were stirred up on the river surface, and water splashes flew everywhere.

Qin Jianshen's figure flickered like a ghost, dodging left and right, actually managing to weave right through the rain curtain of Sword Qi without suffering the slightest injury.

"So fast!"

Someone inside the cabin exclaimed.

"I can't see his movements at all!"

"Is this the strength of the Heavenly Rankings..."

Everyone held their breath and concentrated, their gazes closely following the two figures on the river surface.

The two's speed grew faster and faster. On the river surface, only two afterimages intertwined and entangled could be seen, with saber lights and Sword Qi splashing everywhere, stirring up pillars of water shooting into the sky.

Rumble!

A streak of Sword Qi slashed onto the river surface, water splashes bursting apart like a blooming lotus flower.

Immediately following that, several more streaks of Sword Qi slashed down in succession, causing massive pillars of water to burst up across the river one after another, resembling dozens of water dragons churning.

Qin Jianshen's figure flashed, closing in to within three zhang of Chen Ran. The long saber in his hand was drawn from his waist and slashed down diagonally.

The blade cleaved through the air, its vital energy condensing into substance, faintly carrying the sound of wind and thunder.

The saber light was like a ribbon of white silk spanning across the sky, carrying an unmatched might to directly target Chen Ran's throat.

Chen Ran's gaze narrowed slightly, the Sword Qi in his palm sweeping horizontally to collide with the long saber.

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing resounded across the river, like a great bell tolling, vibrating everyone's eardrums with a sharp pain.

Air waves spread toward the surroundings, and the river water was jolted apart to both sides, actually revealing the pitch-black silt at the bottom of the river.

The two each retreated several zhang, confronting each other once more.

Chen Ran's robes fluttered slightly, his expression remaining calm, the Sword Qi in his palm concentrated yet unscattered.

Qin Jianshen held a smile at the corners of his mouth, the long saber in his hand vibrating slightly and emitting bursts of buzzing sounds.

"Interesting, little brother's strength is even stronger than I imagined."

Qin Jianshen licked his lips, the Battle Intent in his eyes growing even more intense.

"Then next, I'll have to get serious."

As soon as his voice fell, his figure surged up once more, his speed thirty percent faster than before.

The entire person resembled a stream of light, instantly slicing through the night sky and heading straight for Chen Ran.

The long saber in his hand fluttered, the saber light like a waterfall, pressing down upon Chen Ran to cover the heavens and earth.

Every single saber strike contained a terrifying might, as if it would cleave the air apart.

As for Chen Ran, purple flames rose within his eyes, and he struck out with both palms simultaneously, countless Sword Qi bursting forth from between his palms to collide with the saber light.

Boom, boom, boom!

Vital energy exploded, and pillars of water shot up on the river surface one after another, resembling dozens of water dragons churning.

Massive roaring sounds echoed successively, shaking the entire ship so that it trembled.

The two figures crossed paths, their speed reaching an extreme, almost turning into two blurry light and shadow figures.

The people inside the cabin could no longer see their movements clearly at all, only seeing the constantly bursting splashes of water on the river surface, as well as the flashing lights of sabers and swords.

"Too fast!"

"I completely can't see!"

"Is this the exchange between Innate Realm experts? It's simply like immortals fighting..."

Everyone muttered to themselves, their eyes filled with shock and awe.

Bai Nianci stared at the river surface, yet found that her eyesight simply could not keep up with the speed of the two.

She could only barely capture some afterimages and the constantly bursting water splashes.

Liu Qing's expression was solemn as she said in a low voice:

"That young man's strength has reached at least the Late Stage of the Innate Realm, and might even be at the Peak."

"If he goes all out, he's afraid he could destroy this ship in an instant."

Hearing this, Bai Nianci felt even more shocked in her heart.

The Late Stage of the Innate Realm...

That was already the most top-tier existence under heaven, excluding Grandmasters.

Yet the young man before her eyes who looked only to be in his early twenties had actually reached such a Realm.

Just how shocking and world-shaking must this person's natural talent be?

...

On the river surface, the more Qin Jianshen fought, the more alarmed he became.

The opponent's speed was actually able to keep up with his own.

You must know that the Drunken Immortal Steps was his signature technique. Coordinated with the enhancement of wine power, his speed could rank in the top three among the top ten of the Heavenly Rankings.

Yet the young man before him, in terms of speed, was clearly inferior to himself.

Yet he could tightly lock onto his figure and even suppress him by a head on a few occasions.

"Truly strange, where did he get such a strong movement technique?"

"No, that might not necessarily be a movement technique."

Qin Jianshen's gaze narrowed slightly,

and amidst the sky-full of water mist over the river surface, a strand of faint purple light emerged at some unknown time.

Purple flames burned faintly in Chen Ran's eyes; those purple flames were extremely eerie, as if they could pierce through all illusions and see entirely through his movement trajectory.

This was precisely the secret technique recorded in the Nether Soul Heart Sutra, the Nether Eye!

"An expert at the Peak of the Innate Realm is much stronger than I imagined."

Chen Ran murmured faintly, glancing at his trembling arms.

After a few brief exchanges, he had actually faintly fallen into a disadvantage.

Chen Ran had originally thought that after his Breakthrough to the Innate Realm, even if he encountered an opponent at the Peak of the Innate Realm, he would have nothing to fear.

Yet he felt an extremely strong sense of oppression from that bamboo-hatted man.

Even after activating the Nether Eye state, he could only barely keep up with the opponent's speed.

"Is every Innate Peak expert this strong, or is he just an exception?"

"The tenth on the Heavenly Rankings, Drunken Saber—Qin Jianshen."

A faint light grew even more intense in Chen Ran's eyes, as if he were judging whether or not to deploy his dozen or so unrevealed backup plans.

"This is..."

Finally, Qin Jianshen seemed to have thought of something. His heart startled, and a name flashed across his mind.

Could it be him?

Qin Jianshen's thoughts spun like lightning, his figure abruptly halting as he landed on the river surface and raised his hand in a hollow press.

"Wait."

Chen Ran also stopped his figure, standing atop the river, looking toward him with a calm gaze.

Qin Jianshen took a deep breath, staring into Chen Ran's eyes, and spoke with uncertainty:

"You are Shen Jixuan? You ran out of the heavenly prison?"