222: Chapter 225, the thirtieth floor, after one move

Lin Yi stood straight.

The pitch-black saber was still vibrating.

He had blocked that previous strike.

But that was all he had done—blocked it.

The black-clad swordsman of the thirtieth floor stood in the center of the battle platform, his long saber hanging diagonally, his expression unchanged.

He was not as pure as the Man in Plain Clothes on the twenty-ninth floor.

Nor was he like the white-clad swordsman on the twentieth floor who exerted continuous pressure.

He simply stood there.

Strength, speed, blade technique, True Intent, and Divine Ability all seemed to have been kneaded into one.

There were no obvious strengths.

There were also no obvious weaknesses.

Lin Yi's hand gripping the saber slowly tightened.

"So this is the thirtieth floor."

Before his voice had even faded, the black-clad swordsman had already struck again.

It wasn't an abrupt disappearance.

Nor was it some flashy movement technique.

He simply took a step forward.

After that one step, the blade light had already reached in front of Lin Yi.

Lin Yi blocked horizontally with his saber.

Clang!

As the blades collided, Lin Yi retreated once more.

This time, he only retreated seven zhang.

It was a bit less than before.

But the black-clad swordsman's third strike followed closely behind.

Water ripples spread out beneath Lin Yi's feet, and the fourth stage of the True Intent of Water circulated, attempting to dissipate part of the force of this strike.

However, when the blade light descended, the water ripples were directly severed.

It wasn't shattered by brute force.

Rather, the black-clad swordsman's blade happened to strike the weakest position of the flowing water momentum.

Lin Yi's gaze sharpened.

What he knew, the opponent also knew.

Perhaps even more completely.

The fourth strike descended.

Lin Yi no longer only defended.

The Saber Intent of 《 One Blade Slashes One World 》 condensed into a black line, slashing into the gap of the thirtieth-floor swordsman's blade momentum.

This was a method he had continuously refined since the twentieth floor.

If there was no flaw, he would slash one out.

But just as the black line cut in, the black-clad swordsman's blade momentum sank slightly.

It wasn't a retreat.

It was following the momentum to press down.

The gap that Lin Yi had slashed out had not yet fully opened before it was smoothed over by the opponent using even stronger technique.

Boom!

Two streaks of blade light exploded simultaneously.

Lin Yi's sleeve shattered, and a bloodstain appeared on his arm.

The recovery power of his Top-grade Divine Body operated rapidly, and the bloodstain closed in the blink of an eye.

But that momentary stinging pain made Lin Yi even more clear-headed.

The thirtieth floor wasn't just purely a bit stronger.

It was telling the tower challenger: All previous methods must be re-examined here.

Lin Yi stepped out.

This time, he took the initiative to attack.

The fourth stage of the True Intent of Water was no longer released as water momentum, but was entirely pressed into the saber.

The pitch-black saber descended, like a deep ocean compressed into a single line.

The black-clad swordsman raised his saber.

Clang!

He blocked it.

Immediately, he slashed backhand.

Lin Yi dodged to the side, his second strike following the momentum to cut horizontally.

The black-clad swordsman pressed his blade edge down, forcefully locking Lin Yi's second strike in mid-air.

Before the third strike could even be released, the black-clad swordsman already stomped over with a foot.

Bang!

Lin Yi's chest shook, and his figure retreated.

This kick was not heavy.

What truly made him retreat was the blade momentum attached to the foot.

The opponent's entire being was no longer just holding a saber in his hand.

His steps, breath, limbs, and gaze were all blades.

Outside the Hunyuan Tower.

In front of the light screen, all the discussions died down.

Lin Yi's name remained on the thirtieth floor.

A considerable amount of time had already passed.

"He still hasn't come out."

"He wasn't eliminated in one move?"

"A Divine Body Realm First Stage, holding on at the thirtieth floor?"

"This is already very terrifying."

"Don't forget, this is his first time challenging the tower."

On the high platform, several faction deacons all stood up.

Previously, they had only been passing briefings.

Now, they had begun to stare at the light screen themselves.

A Divine Body Realm First Stage cultivator from an unknown Small World, challenging the Divine Body Realm Hunyuan Tower for the first time, breaking into the thirtieth floor, and not being immediately defeated.

They knew very well what this represented.

If Lin Yi were a Divine Body Realm Triple Stage, reaching the thirtieth floor wouldn't be too outrageous.

But he was only a Divine Body Realm First Stage.

His cultivation still had huge room for improvement.

The Purple-Clothed Woman said in a low voice: "How long can he hold out?"

The Grey-robed Elder did not answer immediately.

After a moment, he said: "Let's see if he can force out a bit more of the thirtieth floor's capabilities before failing."

...

Inside the Hunyuan Tower.

Lin Yi no longer knew how many moves he had exchanged with the black-clad swordsman.

He only knew that the wounds on his body were becoming more numerous.

Although none were serious.

But every wound was cut by the opponent's blade momentum.

Lin Yi had tried to suppress it with his Top-grade Divine Body.

It didn't work.

The black-clad swordsman would avoid the direct front, deflect the power, and then cut in from the side.

He had tried to resolve it with the fourth stage of the True Intent of Water.

That also didn't work.

The black-clad swordsman had an extremely deep grasp of the circulation of True Intent, always able to slash where the water momentum had not yet formed.

He had tried to compete with pure Blade Dao.

Still no.

The twenty-ninth floor had made his saber purer.

But the black-clad swordsman's saber on the thirtieth floor was not just pure.

It was also more complete.

Strength, True Intent, Divine Body, technique, and Divine Ability were all combined into one.

Lin Yi suddenly understood why the thirtieth floor was a major hurdle.

Before the twenty-ninth floor, every floor seemed to be testing one specific aspect.

Blade technique.

Water momentum.

Defense.

Speed.

Flaws.

But the thirtieth floor tested the whole.

As long as one area was insufficient, he would be suppressed.

The black-clad swordsman killed again.

The long saber slashed down silently.

The Battle Intent in Lin Yi's eyes sank.

He no longer thought about winning.

Instead, he thought about seeing clearly.

Seeing clearly the gap between himself and the thirtieth floor.

Clang!

He blocked the first strike.

The second strike, he slashed out a flaw.

The third strike, he used water momentum to dissipate the force.

The fourth strike, he forcibly held on with his Top-grade Divine Body.

The fifth strike, he counter-slashed with pure Saber Intent.

Five methods, changing continuously in an instant.

For the first time, the black-clad swordsman was forced to retreat one step by him.

Only one step.

But this was the first time since Lin Yi entered the thirtieth floor that he had truly made the opponent retreat.

Lin Yi's eyes lit up.

But the next instant, the black-clad swordsman raised his head.

His aura changed.

The previously complete and flawless blade momentum climbed another notch at this moment.

Lin Yi's pupils shrank slightly.

It hadn't reached its limit yet?

The black-clad swordsman slashed out with his saber.

When this strike descended, Lin Yi felt as if the entire battle platform had been pressed into the blade's edge.

He blocked horizontally with his saber.

Boom!

The pitch-black saber shook violently.

The water momentum collapsed.

The Saber Intent snapped.

Lin Yi's whole body flew backward, crashing heavily against the edge of the battle platform.

Before he could land, the second strike had already arrived.

Lin Yi barely raised his saber.

Clang!

The long saber slipped from his hand by half an inch.

The third strike descended.

The black blade light pierced through his chest.

Lin Yi's body stiffened.

The Top-grade Divine Body rapidly repaired the wound, but the Hunyuan Tower's judgment had already fallen.

The world before his eyes began to disintegrate.

The black-clad swordsman withdrew his saber and stood still.

His voice was calm.

"Challenge failed."

The light and shadows dispersed.

Lin Yi reappeared outside the Hunyuan Tower.

The plaza was quiet for an instant.

Then, a roar of voices exploded.

"He's out!"

"Stopped at the thirtieth floor!"

"Divine Body Realm First Stage, first time challenging the tower, stopped at the thirtieth floor!"

"He didn't lose as soon as he entered the thirtieth floor; he held on inside for a long time!"

"Lin Yi of the Nine Provinces..."

"This name will truly spread today."

On the high platform, several deacons immediately took out communication talismans.

"Report it."

"Report it immediately."

"Divine Body Realm First Stage, Top-grade Divine Body, reached the thirtieth floor on the first attempt, and exchanged blows on the thirtieth floor for a long time."

"This person has at least the potential to be a seed of the World Realm."

The Purple-Clothed Woman looked at Lin Yi, her gaze already completely different from the beginning.

The Grey-robed Elder also stood up and nodded slightly at Lin Yi.

Lin Yi did not care about the surrounding gazes.

He looked down at his own hand.

The thirtieth floor, he had lost.

But he had lost very clearly.

He knew where he was lacking.

His cultivation was too low.

The divine body chapter of 《 One Blade Slashes One World 》 was not yet perfect.

The fourth stage of the True Intent of Water was not yet deep enough.

The overall application at the Divine Body Realm level was also not yet complete.

This was good.

If one can see the gap, one can catch up.

Yuan Yi's voice sounded in his mind.

"First time challenging the tower, Divine Body Realm First Stage, thirtieth floor."

"That's enough."

Lin Yi looked up, gazing at the Hunyuan Tower that towered into the Void Realm.

"It's not enough yet."

Yuan Yi was silent for a moment, then laughed.

"Then Cultivate."

"Next time, break through it completely."