90: One-Sword Man 2

Qin Jiuge walked forward slowly. Where he passed, the black blade-light, like the Grim Reaper's scythe, harvested life after life.

He did not actively attack anyone, but as long as someone made a move against him, the outcome had only one word: death.

Gradually, a death zone formed around him.

Everyone avoided him in terror, preferring to face other brutal opponents than to get close to this blind, one-strike killing god.

On the high platform, the Heavenly Lord of the First Heaven narrowed his eyes.

"That blind man is a bit interesting."

He said to the guard behind him,

"Investigate his background."

"Yes."

A guard responded and left.

The chaotic battle lasted for a full three hours.

When the last scream died down, fewer than a thousand people remained standing on the Life and Death Stage.

Thick piles of corpses covered the ground, and blood pooled into small streams, flowing through the cracks in the stone slabs.

A heavy stench of blood permeated the air; even some spectators outside the barrier couldn't help but vomit.

"The first round is over."

The Heavenly Lord of the First Heaven's announcement rang out,

"Survivors: nine hundred and eighty-seven."

"Tomorrow, we will proceed with the second round: the Life and Death Stage arena battles."

The barrier opened, and the survivors dragged their exhausted bodies out of the field.

Most of them were injured, their eyes filled with both the relief of having survived and fear for the future.

Qin Jiuge was the only one whose body was not stained with a single drop of blood.

His broken blade was already sheathed, and with his bamboo staff tapping against the ground, he walked slowly out of the field.

Countless gazes focused on him: shock, wariness, curiosity, fear...

"Who is he? That blind man!"

"I don't know, but he's definitely a ruthless character. I saw with my own eyes that he killed at least twenty people, all with a single strike!"

"one-sword superman... someone called him that."

"one-sword superman?"

"Ha, what an arrogant title. I wonder what will happen when he meets a real expert in the arena."

Discussions rose and fell, but Qin Jiuge seemed not to hear them, walking straight toward the city exit.

"Qin Jiuge!"

A voice called out to stop him.

Lin Xiaoyue squeezed out from the crowd. Her arm was injured and simply bandaged with a strip of cloth, but it didn't look serious.

"You... you really did it."

Her eyes flashed with complex emotions,

"Everyone saw it, that strike of yours..."

"Just luck."

Qin Jiuge said indifferently.

"No, it wasn't luck."

Lin Xiaoyue shook her head,

"That was absolute strength. You hid yourself too deeply before."

Qin Jiuge didn't commit, continuing to walk forward.

Lin Xiaoyue bit her lip and followed:

"Wait, I have something I want to tell you. About those Alliance matters..."

...

In a room at a dilapidated inn in Dustlight City, Qin Jiuge listened quietly to Lin Xiaoyue's account.

"The Alliance of Zhao Gang and Liu Sanniang has already expanded to over thirty people, all experts who passed the first round of screening."

Lin Xiaoyue whispered:

"They plan to, in the upcoming arena battles, if their own people are drawn into the same group, they will fake a fight to conserve their strength,"

"If they are drawn against outsiders, they will kill them with full force to ensure all ten final spots remain in their hands."

"Oh."

Qin Jiuge's reaction was very flat.

Lin Xiaoyue was a bit anxious:

"Don't you understand? This means the upcoming matches will be even more brutal!"

"And I heard they have taken special notice of you, thinking you are a threat, and they might target you in the matches."

"Let them come."

Qin Jiuge said calmly.

Lin Xiaoyue was stunned. She looked at Qin Jiuge's calm, unruffled face and suddenly asked:

"Are you... really Qin Jiuge?"

"Why do you ask?"

"The Qin Jiuge I know, while determined, wouldn't be this... indifferent."

Lin Xiaoyue weighed her words,

"And your sword skills, I have seen them before. Although they were good, they were definitely not as terrifying as today."

"In just a few months, how could you have improved so fast?"

Qin Jiuge was silent for a moment, then said:

"When a person is in a desperate situation, they will always unleash unexpected potential."

This explanation clearly didn't completely convince Lin Xiaoyue, but she didn't pursue it further.

Everyone has secrets, especially in this cruel world.

"In any case, you must be careful."

Lin Xiaoyue stood up,

"I should go back to treat my wounds too; there's still a match tomorrow."

She walked to the door, hesitated, and looked back:

"If we both survive to the end... perhaps we can cooperate."

Qin Jiuge didn't answer.

Lin Xiaoyue left.

The room quieted down.

Qin Jiuge sat cross-legged on the bed, his Divine Sense spreading out, covering the entire Dustlight City.

He could "see" the undercurrents surging everywhere in the city, the conspiracies, transactions, betrayals, and fears of the Martial Artists...

"An interesting Small World."

He whispered,

"The Ten Heavens, rigid class structures, using false hope to control the bottom layer... The person who designed this rule actually has some brains."

In his perception, at least seven different factions were preparing for tomorrow's competition.

The strongest one, located in a courtyard in the north of the city, should be the Alliance of Zhao Gang and Liu Sanniang that Lin Xiaoyue mentioned.

"Two Peak First Heaven experts?"

Qin Jiuge's Divine Sense swept over that courtyard. He withdrew his Divine Sense and began to regulate his breathing.

...

Meanwhile, in the northern courtyard.

"Blood Hand" Zhao Gang was a burly man eight feet tall, his bare upper body covered in hideous scars,

His right hand wore a claw made of refined steel; this was the origin of his "Blood Hand" moniker.

"Poison Widow" Liu Sanniang was a woman of about thirty, beautiful in appearance, but her eyes were as cold and venomous as a snake.

She was wearing tight black leather, with a row of throwing knives hanging from her waist, the tips shimmering with a faint blue light, obviously coated in deadly poison.

"In today's chaotic battle, did you notice that blind man?"

Liu Sanniang toyed with a throwing knife and asked nonchalantly.

The thirty-plus Martial Artists in the room looked at each other. A tall, thin man spoke up:

"Saw him. His blade technique is very bizarre, all one-strike kills."

"It's not bizarre, it's fast."

Zhao Gang said in a deep voice:

"Fast to the point where you can't see him draw his blade."

"So what if he's fast?"

A burly man with a face full of flesh said disdainfully:

"A blind man, his perception is limited. We have strength in numbers; we can exhaust him to death with wheel battles."

Liu Sanniang glanced coldly at the big man:

"Idiot. Don't you understand yet? He can kill so many people with one strike, not because his blade is fast,"

"But because he can accurately find the weak point of every enemy, even though he is blind."

The room went quiet.

"Sanniang is right."

Zhao Gang nodded,

"This blind man is not simple. I have already sent someone to investigate his background,"

"Qin Jiuge, lived in the northwest wilderness, blind for ten years, always unknown, until he suddenly exploded today."

"There are two possibilities."

Liu Sanniang analyzed:

"Either he has been hiding his strength, or... he has had some kind of fortuitous encounter."

Greed flashed in the eyes of the Martial Artists.

In this resource-scarce First Heaven, any fortuitous encounter meant huge value.

"In tomorrow's arena battle, if our people are drawn against him..."

Zhao Gang's eyes flashed with murderous intent,

"Kill him at all costs. If you can't kill him, force him to use his full strength so we can see his true colors."

"Understood!"

The crowd responded in unison.

Similar conspiracies were playing out all over Dustlight City.

The "one-sword superman" who had suddenly appeared, Qin Jiuge, had already become a thorn in the side of many.

The night deepened, but no one slept.

Everyone was preparing for tomorrow's life and death battle,

Because they knew that the battle to narrow one thousand down to one hundred would only be more brutal.

...

The next morning, at the Life and Death Stage.

Nine hundred and eighty-seven survivors gathered again, but the atmosphere was heavier than yesterday.

After a night of rest and plotting, everyone knew that today's opponents were not just the enemies on the stage, but also the schemes off the stage.

On the high platform, the Heavenly Lord of the First Heaven still looked down on the living beings indifferently.

"The second round, Life and Death Stage arena battle."

He announced the rules,

"Draw lots to determine opponents, one-on-one combat, the winner advances, the loser dies."

"Until the final one hundred people are decided."

"Begin the draw!"

A huge wooden box was brought up, containing wooden plaques with numbers written on them.

The contestants stepped forward one by one to draw.

The one Qin Jiuge drew was "Number 73", meaning he will fight in the 73rd match.

After the draw, the competition began immediately.

The first match was extremely tragic.

Two evenly matched Martial Artists fought fiercely for half an hour, and in the end, one paid the price of losing an arm to behead his opponent.

When he held his blood-soaked weapon high, no one cheered under the stage; there was only a deathly silence.

This was the reality of the First Heaven, cruel, cold, desperate.

The matches proceeded one after another, and blood constantly splashed onto the arena.

Some defeated their enemies in one move, some won narrowly after a bitter fight, some died together...

Every battle tugged at the hearts of the spectators off-stage, because they knew that only a very small number would survive in the end.

Lin Xiaoyue fought in the 26th match.

Her opponent was a big man wielding dual hammers, with astonishing strength.

Relying on her flexible movement and precise sword skills, Lin Xiaoyue fought bitterly for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, finally finding an opportunity to pierce her opponent's throat with one sword.

When she panted and stepped off the stage, she had added a few new wounds, but her eyes were even more determined.

Qin Jiuge stood quietly, his bamboo staff tapping the ground, as if he were closing his eyes to rest.

Finally, the 72nd match ended, and it was his turn.

"The 73rd match, Number 73 Qin Jiuge, versus Number 69 Wang Meng!"

A commotion arose under the stage.

Everyone turned their gaze toward the blind swordsman,

Wanting to see if this "one-sword superman" could continue the myth in the arena battle.

Qin Jiuge walked slowly onto the stage, his broken blade hanging at his waist, his bamboo staff already placed under the stage.

His opponent, Wang Meng, was a giant nine feet tall, holding a ghost-head blade weighing a hundred pounds, his muscles knotted, his Aura astonishing.

"Hehe, blind man, your good luck has come to an end."

Wang Meng grinned:

"I am not like those trash from yesterday. I have participated in three tournaments and killed no fewer than a hundred people!"

Qin Jiuge didn't speak, just stood quietly.

The referee announced:

"The match begins!"

Wang Meng roared, and the ghost-head blade slashed down overhead with a wind-breaking sound!

This strike was incredibly powerful; even a giant rock could be split in two.

The audience off-stage held their breath, many closing their eyes in pity, thinking this blind swordsman was dead for sure.

Qin Jiuge moved.

His movement didn't look fast, just a half-step sideways, and the ghost-head blade slashed through the air, grazing his clothes and hacking heavily into the arena, sending gravel flying.