89: One-Sword Man 1

This world is divided into 10 Heavens.

The higher the Heaven, the denser the Spiritual Qi and the more abundant the resources.

Each Heaven is ruled by a “Heavenly Lord,” who possesses the strongest power.

The social classes of Mortals also correspond to the 10 Heavens,

and upon birth, one is bound to the class of their residing Heaven.

The Original Owner, Qin Jiuge, was a blind Saber Cultivator born in the lowest, First Heaven.

Every ten years, the Heavenly Lords of the various Heavens hold a Martial Dao Tournament.

Millions of participants must fight to the death, and only the 10 strongest survivors gain the qualification for Ascension to the next Heaven.

Qin Jiuge Cultivated bitterly for many years and finally secured tenth place in the tournament, earning the chance to Ascend to the Second Heaven along with the other nine people.

However, only after the Ascension did they realize this was a complete and utter deception!

The so-called “Ascension” was merely a pretense for the Heavenly Lord of the First Heaven to select “Alchemy Consumables” to offer to the Heavenly Lord of the Second Heaven!

It turned out that the class system of this realm was predetermined from birth,

and no matter how desperately they struggled, it was all in vain.

In the end, Qin Jiuge and the other nine were refined alive into Alchemy Consumables in endless despair, Dying and having their Dao extinguished.

[Plot Introduction Complete]

[The Original Owner's Wish: Kill his way up to the 10 Heavens, rewrite the rules, merge the 10 Heavens into 1 Heaven, and achieve equality for all.]

Qin Jiuge was very interested after reading the plot.

"Breaking the class system, huh? That's interesting. Let's start quickly."

...In the northwest corner of the First Heaven, there was a wilderness perpetually shrouded in gray dust and fog.

The Spiritual Qi here was so scarce that even the most common weeds struggled to grow,

with only some tenacious, withered yellow shrubs dotting the barren land.

The Original Owner lived in a dilapidated wooden house on the edge of this wilderness.

He was blind.

A high fever at the age of seven stole his sight, but unexpectedly led to the Awakening of hearing and touch far exceeding that of a Mortal.

For survival, and even more so to escape this predetermined class fate, he chose the path of the Saber Cultivator.

In the First Heaven, where Spiritual Qi was scarce, Cultivating Saber Techniques barely required Spiritual Qi, making it the most suitable choice for the poor.

At this moment, there were still three days until the deadline for the Martial Dao Tournament registration.

Qin Jiuge in the original plot was repeatedly wiping the broken saber forged from scrap iron, his heart filled with anxiety and faint hope for the future.

But the "Qin Jiuge" sitting in the wooden house now was completely different.

"An interesting setup."

Devil King Qin Jiuge sensed the body, and the Original Owner's memories flooded his consciousness like a tide.

Seventeen years of struggle, seventeen years of bitter Cultivation,

those days and nights spent groping in the dark practicing Saber Techniques,

those mockeries and humiliations suffered due to his disability... "Rest assured, I will fulfill your wish a hundredfold."

Devil King Qin Jiuge whispered softly, as if speaking to the Original Owner's Lingering Soul.

He stood up. Although everything before him was dark, the Devil King's Divine Sense had long replaced the Mortal's perception.

Within a radius of ten zhang, every rustle of wind, every speck of dust, and even the crawling of insects three inches underground, was clearly visible in his "eyes."

"A blind Saber Master, that's a pretty cool setup."

Qin Jiuge chuckled and casually picked up the Broken Iron Saber.

The blade was covered in rust, and the edge was so blunt it could barely split wood.

Qin Jiuge simply flicked his finger, and a wisp of imperceptible Devilish Qi seeped into the blade.

The next moment, the Broken Iron Saber emitted a low hum. The rust on the blade peeled off, revealing a dark, ink-like body.

Although its appearance remained simple, its essence had been tempered by Devilish Qi, enough to cleave through everything in the Mortal world.

"Time to go register."

Qin Jiuge pushed the door open and left... The registration site for the Martial Dao Tournament was located in the central square of the First Heaven's only town—Dustlight City.

Calling it a town, it was really just a settlement surrounded by a few hundred simple stone houses.

The streets were muddy, and the air was thick with the scent of poverty and despair.

In the square, a long queue stretched out before the registration booth.

Hundreds of Martial Artists, all with fierce eyes, carried scars and Killing Intent to varying degrees.

This was their only chance to change their fate,

and even if the hope was one in ten thousand, it was worth fighting for with their lives.

When the blind Qin Jiuge appeared at the end of the line, leaning on a bamboo staff and carrying a broken saber, he immediately drew a burst of laughter.

"Look, the blind guy is here to compete too!"

"Qin Jiuge? The blind Saber Master who lives in the wilderness?"

"Does he really think he can survive the tournament with those rudimentary skills?"

"He'll probably be torn apart by his opponent in the first round, haha!"

The mockery rose and fell, but Qin Jiuge acted as if he hadn't heard, standing silently at the end of the line.

The burly man in front of Qin Jiuge glanced back at him and sneered:

"Blind man, I advise you to go back. The tournament isn't for people like you."

"You'll die a horrible death, and there won't even be anyone to collect your body."

Qin Jiuge remained silent.

Seeing his lack of reaction, the burly man felt bored and turned back around.

The registration process was simple: register the name, press the Blood Seal, and receive an Iron Token.

Numbers were engraved on the token. Qin Jiuge received "9786," meaning he was the 9,786th registrant.

Based on the scale of previous years, the final number of participants would exceed thirty thousand.

After receiving the token, an official responsible for registration said without looking up:

"Gather at the Life and Death Stage east of the city three days from now, early in the morning."

"Remember, once the competition begins, there is only death or victory; there is no option to surrender or concede."

Qin Jiuge nodded and turned to leave.

Just as he was about to exit the square, a clear female voice called out to him.

"Qin Jiuge?"

He stopped and used his Divine Sense to "look" toward the source of the voice.

It was a girl of about eighteen or nineteen, dressed in faded cloth clothes, with a short sword hanging at her waist.

Her face was delicate, but her eyes held a determination that belied her age.

"Who are you?"

Qin Jiuge asked.

From the Original Owner's memories, he found information about this girl—Lin Xiaoyue,

lived in the west district of Dustlight City, was also a low-level Martial Artist, and had practiced saber and sword with the Original Owner in the wilderness a few times.

"It really is you."

Lin Xiaoyue walked up to him, her tone complex,

"You registered too?"

"Mm."

"You... be careful."

Lin Xiaoyue hesitated,

"I heard that in this tournament, several particularly strong opponents have already formed an Alliance in advance,"

"They plan to first join forces to eliminate the weak, and then decide the final spots among themselves."

"An Alliance?"

Qin Jiuge raised an eyebrow slightly.

In the original plot, this indeed happened, but the Original Owner only barely managed to survive until the Late Stage by constantly hiding and relying on luck.

"Yes, the leaders are 'Bloody Hand' Zhao Gang and 'Poison Widow' Liu Sanniang,"

"Both of them are veterans who participated in the previous tournament, and it's said their strength is already close to the Peak of the First Heaven."

Lin Xiaoyue lowered her voice,

"If you run into anyone from their group during the competition, you'd best flee immediately."

"Flee?"

Qin Jiuge shook his head gently,

"No need."

Lin Xiaoyue was stunned.

She looked at the calm expression of the blind young man before her,

and suddenly felt that he was completely different from the Qin Jiuge she used to know.

The old Qin Jiuge was determined, but always carried a hint of inferiority and caution,

but the man before her... seemed indifferent to everything, or rather, disdainful.

"You..."

Lin Xiaoyue wanted to say more, but Qin Jiuge had already turned and walked away.

"See you in three days."

He left this sentence, tapped his bamboo staff on the ground, and his figure quickly disappeared at the end of the street.

Lin Xiaoyue gazed in the direction he disappeared and murmured:

"I hope you can survive..."

...Three days later, east of Dustlight City, the Life and Death Stage.

The so-called "Life and Death Stage" was actually a massive open space surrounded by high walls,

the ground paved with dark red stone slabs, a color formed by years of being soaked in blood.

Over thirty thousand participants gathered in the venue, the noise deafening and Killing Intent soaring to the sky.

Most people's eyes flashed with a crazy light, because they knew that,

after today, no more than a hundred people would leave this place alive.

On the high platform stood the Heavenly Lord of the First Heaven, a middle-aged man in Brocade Robes with a sinister expression.

At this moment, he looked down upon the participants, who were like ants below.

Behind the Heavenly Lord stood over a dozen powerful Guards, each having been a victor in at least three previous tournaments.

"Silence."

The Heavenly Lord spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly spread throughout the entire venue.

Everyone immediately fell silent.

"You all know the rules."

The Heavenly Lord's gaze was cold as ice,

"Out of millions of participants, only ten people will ultimately gain the qualification for Ascension."

"Now, the first round begins: The Great Melee!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a massive Light Barrier suddenly rose above the venue, enveloping the entire Life and Death Stage.

This was a Barrier to prevent participants from escaping.

"The melee continues until only one thousand people remain. Begin!"

Following the Heavenly Lord's command, more than thirty thousand Martial Artists moved almost simultaneously!

Shouts of killing, the clash of weapons, and screams instantly pierced the sky.

Blood splattered, severed limbs flew everywhere, and the entire Life and Death Stage instantly turned into Hell on Earth.

Qin Jiuge stood rooted in place, his bamboo staff tapping the ground gently.

A small Vacuum Zone had already formed around him,

not because his strength was intimidating, but because no one paid attention to a blind man,

They all wanted to deal with the more obvious threats first.

But this Vacuum Zone was quickly broken.

Three Martial Artists were forced into Qin Jiuge's vicinity by the fighting.

They glimpsed the blind young man, and a cruel light flashed in their eyes.

"Let's clear out this trash first!"

One of them grinned sinisterly and swung his saber down.

The saber wind howled, aiming directly for Qin Jiuge's neck.

Qin Jiuge remained standing calmly, moving only when the saber edge was three inches away from him.

No one saw clearly how he drew his saber.

A black light flashed, and the saber-wielding Martial Artist's movement suddenly froze. His saber hung mid-air, and his entire body seemed to be fixed in place.

The next second, a blood line as thin as a strand of hair appeared from his Glabella, extending straight down and running through his entire body.

"Pfft!"

The Martial Artist split into two halves and fell to the ground, his internal organs and blood spilling everywhere.

The other two Martial Artists were stunned; they hadn't even seen how their companion died.

"Attack together!"

The two roared and attacked simultaneously, one with a sword and one with a saber, blocking all of Qin Jiuge's retreat paths.

Qin Jiuge merely swung his saber lightly again.

The black Saber Light spread out like moonlight, tracing a perfect arc in the air.

The movements of the two Martial Artists stopped. Their weapons were still a chi away from Qin Jiuge, but they could not advance an inch further.

Immediately afterward, both their heads slid off their necks and rolled onto the ground, their faces still holding expressions of shock.

Three sabers, three deaths.

Qin Jiuge's movements were incredibly fast and appallingly concise.

Every strike was the most basic chop, devoid of any fancy Moves, yet it precisely severed the enemy's Life Force.

The Martial Artists who noticed this scene around him gasped in shock, instinctively moving away from this seemingly frail blind Saber Master.

But the chaotic battle continued, and soon, more people rushed toward Qin Jiuge, ignorant of their impending doom.

The result was, without exception, Death by a Single Saber Strike.