29: Gun and Sword Showdown

Arena No. 7 became the focus of the entire audience at this moment.

On one side was the recently famous black horse, Ye Chen, whose swordplay was unpredictable and mysterious; on the other was a veteran top Genius of the Outer Court, Situ Nan, renowned for his fierce and overbearing "Split Soul Spear"!

The two stood at opposite ends of the arena, their Auras colliding. Even before they moved, invisible sparks already filled the air.

Situ Nan stood tall and straight, his black clothes fluttering. The long spear he had been carrying was already in his hand. The spear was nine feet long and pitch black, with only a cold gleam at the tip that emitted a heart-palpitating sharpness. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, locked tightly onto Ye Chen, his Battle Intent burning like tangible flames.

"Ye Chen, your sword is fast," Situ Nan spoke, his voice low and magnetic, "but I wonder if it can be faster than my spear?"

Ye Chen held the qingfeng sword, his expression calm and rippleless: "Try and find out."

"Good!" Situ Nan said no more as the dark red spiritual power around him suddenly exploded like burning flames! He stomped hard on the arena, causing the hard Black Granite to instantly crack, and he shot toward Ye Chen like a shell from a cannon!

Before he even arrived, that peerless and sharp Spear Intent swept through like a storm, as if it wanted to tear apart one's Soul! This was the terrifying part of the "Split Soul Spear"; it not only attacked the Physical Body but could also impact the Divine Soul!

"Split Soul Spear Strike!"

Situ Nan bellowed, the long spear in his hand like a black poisonous Dragon emerging from its cave. The spear tip vibrated, manifesting dozens of spear shadows that were hard to distinguish between real and false. Each one carried a Soul-tearing shriek, completely enveloping Ye Chen's vital points!

Fast! Ruthless! Accurate! His Aura pressed forward with indomitable will!

The audience below held their breath. Some with weaker cultivation even felt a stinging pain in their Divine Soul and did not dare to look directly at this spear strike.

Facing this unparalleled spear strike, Ye Chen's eyes finally became serious. Situ Nan's strength was far beyond that of his previous opponents!

He did not choose to match speed with "Flowing Wind Fleeting Shadow," nor did he immediately use "Immovable Rock Guarding Heart" for defense.

Instead, he held the qingfeng sword vertically in front of him. The blade trembled slightly, and an invisible yet incredibly tough Sword Intent spread out with him as the center—the "Immovable Rock Guarding Heart" Sword Intent was activated with full force!

At the same time, his footwork changed. His figure was like a rock in the wind; he seemed not to Move, but in fact, he was oscillating at high speed with an extremely small amplitude, faintly connecting his own Aura with the entire arena.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang...!"

A series of crisp sounds, as dense as rain hitting banana leaves, suddenly erupted!

Situ Nan's sky-filling spear shadows all stabbed into the Sword Intent barrier in front of Ye Chen! Every spear strike contained the power to split monuments and crack stones along with the intent to tear the Divine Soul. However, when they hit Ye Chen's defense, they seemed like a clay ox entering the sea; most of the force was guided, dispersed, and neutralized by that tough and soft Sword Intent! Only the intent impacting the Divine Soul made Ye Chen's brow furrow slightly, but the "Immovable Rock Guarding Heart" Sword Intent firmly guarded his spiritual platform, keeping it at bay.

Situ Nan's expression changed slightly. He felt as if his spear had stabbed into a mass of incredibly tough cotton; his power was constantly being drained, making it impossible to exert even seventy percent of its might! The opponent's defense was actually so bizarre!

"I'll see how long you can hold out!" A fierce look flashed in Situ Nan's eyes as his spear technique changed again! It shifted from extreme speed to extreme weight!

"Army Breaker!"

The muscles on his arms bulged, and dark red spiritual power poured frantically into the long spear. The entire spear seemed to instantly become several times heavier, carrying a fierce Aura that crushed everything and destroyed ten thousand armies. Like a giant pillar supporting the sky, it smashed down toward Ye Chen's head! The wind from the spear pressed down so hard that the arena's light shield fluctuated violently!

This strike abandoned all variations, leaving only pure strength and destruction to the extreme!

Ye Chen's pupils contracted slightly. This spear strike could not be taken head-on, nor could he rely entirely on "Immovable Rock Guarding Heart" to neutralize the force!

In a flash of lightning, he made his Move!

The "Flowing Wind Fleeting Shadow" Sword Intent instantly replaced "Immovable Rock Guarding Heart." His figure seemed to turn into a wisp of insubstantial breeze, drifting backward along with that crushing and terrifying spear momentum! At the same time, the tip of the qingfeng sword in his hand vibrated, drawing countless fine and soft sword arcs like a silkworm spinning silk, constantly entangling, cutting, and weakening the violent power contained in the spear momentum!

Retreating to advance, overcoming hardness with softness!

"Boom!!!"

The huge black spear shadow smashed heavily onto the spot where Ye Chen had originally stood. The entire arena shook violently, leaving a deep pit with rubble flying everywhere!

Ye Chen's figure, however, had already landed gracefully ten zhang away, his clothes fluttering and himself unscathed. Only the ground beneath his feet showed two shallow scratches, indicating that he was not completely at ease.

"Good!" Someone in the audience couldn't help but cheer. Ye Chen's response was absolutely exquisite!

Situ Nan stood with his spear retracted, his expression grave. After two consecutive strong attacks, he hadn't even touched the corner of his opponent's clothes! This Ye Chen was more troublesome than imagined!

"Your defense and movement are indeed impressive," Situ Nan said deeply, "but if that's all, you still won't be able to beat me!"

He took a deep breath, and the dark red spiritual power around him surged as if boiling. His Aura actually rose again, faintly touching the edge of the Kaiyuan Realm Fifth Level! The cold gleam at the tip of his black spear suddenly brightened, as if it had turned into a miniature star!

"To force me to use this Move, you can be proud of yourself!" Situ Nan's eyes became incredibly sharp. He and the long spear seemed to merge into one as a fierce, resolute, and terrifying Spear Intent that seemed capable of piercing the firmament rose into the sky!

"Take my final spear—Soul-Severing Heavens!"

He moved! Man and spear combined, turning into a dark red meteor that tore through the sky! The speed was not fast, but it carried a desperate Concept that locked onto the Soul and was impossible to evade! That cold gleam at the spear tip seemed to become the only thing in the world, swallowing all light and sound!

This spear strike had already transcended the scope of mere Moves, embodying all of Situ Nan's understanding and will regarding the Dao of the spear! It was his life-risking strike!

On the high platform, the expressions of several Elders changed slightly. Liu Qingfeng even leaned forward slightly, ready to intervene at any moment to prevent casualties.

Everyone could feel the terror of this spear! The audience was silent, everyone watching Ye Chen tensely to see how he would handle this finishing blow!

Ye Chen felt the Spear Intent locking onto his Soul and the fatal threat coming from the spear tip. His heart pounded violently, and his blood seemed to be burning!

He couldn't retreat! There was no way to retreat!

This spear strike had to be broken head-on!

A flash of determination appeared in his eyes, and his previously restrained Aura exploded! The spiritual power of the Kaiyuan Realm Second Level poured out without reservation! The qingfeng sword let out an incredibly excited hum, and the dark gold patterns on the blade shone brightly!

He did not choose to defend, nor did he choose to evade.

Instead, he integrated the extreme speed of "Flowing Wind Fleeting Shadow," the toughness of "Immovable Rock Guarding Heart," and his superficial understanding of the "Nirvana" Concept into his next sword strike!

He would meet attack with attack! With an even stronger edge, he would tear apart this desperate spear strike!

Ye Chen took a step forward, and cracks spread across the arena beneath his feet! He gripped the sword with both hands, and the qingfeng sword moved from bottom to top, drawing a Heaven-Defying arc that seemed slow but was actually fast to the extreme, with a profound trajectory!

The sword light was dim at first, then became brighter and brighter, as if absorbing all the surrounding light, finally turning into a dark green sword gang that was concentrated to the extreme, as if it couldCut Karma and break through the Void Realm!

"Wind Shadow — Nirvana Slash!"

This was his first time attempting to truly integrate the "Nirvana" Concept into his own sword Move! Although he only had its form and not its spirit, its power already far exceeded anything from before!

Under the gaze of countless shocked eyes, the dark red meteor and the dark green sword gang collided violently in the center of the arena!

There was no earth-shattering explosion as imagined.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

The dark red spear radiance, which condensed all of Situ Nan's power and will, actually seemed to meet its nemesis the moment it touched the dark green sword gang. Its front began to disintegrate, dissipate, and return to nothingness at a speed visible to the naked eye!

It was as if that wasn't a powerful attack, but a pencil drawing being rubbed away by an eraser!

"Impossible!!!" Situ Nan let out an unbelievable roar. He felt his power and his Spear Intent being forcibly "erased" by a higher level of power!

The dark green sword gang was like an irresistible force, moving against the flow and finally striking the tip of the black spear with absolute precision!

"Clang—!"

An incredibly crisp ring that seemed capable of piercing the Soul resounded through the entire square!

Situ Nan was as if struck by lightning. The web of his hand split, dripping with blood, and the black spear that was connected to his mind actually flew out of his hand, landing in the distance with a "clatter"! He himself was like a kite with a broken string, flying backward and spitting out blood. He smashed heavily against the protective light shield at the edge of the arena, slid down slowly, and fainted.

Ye Chen, meanwhile, maintained his upward sword-swinging posture, standing quietly in the center of the arena. The qingfeng sword pointed diagonally at the sky, its blade trembling slightly and letting out a joyful hum.

His face was slightly pale, and the spiritual power in his body was heavily consumed. In particular, using that sliver of "Nirvana" Concept was a heavy burden on his mind. But he still stood steadily, his eyes as bright as stars.

The entire field was dead silent.

So quiet a pin drop could be heard.

Everyone's eyes were wide and their mouths agape as they looked in disbelief at the green-robed figure standing with his sword on the arena.

Situ Nan... lost?

Situ Nan, the top Genius of the Outer Court who had used a life-risking ultimate technique, had actually... lost so completely?

That sword strike... what exactly was it? It could actually "erase" an opponent's attack?

After a brief silence, an uproar like a volcanic eruption swept through the entire square!

"He won! Ye Chen won!"

"My god! What kind of sword technique did he just use? It's too terrifying!"

"Even Situ Nan's 'Soul-Severing Heavens' couldn't stop one of his sword strikes!"

"A black horse! This is the true black horse!"

The referee was dazed for a good while before finally gulping with difficulty and announcing loudly: "The... the winner is Ye Chen!"

On the high platform, Elder Liu Qingfeng slowly sat up straight, his eyes flashing with brilliance as he murmured to himself: "That Concept... was actually the power of 'Nirvana' which involves the level of the Origin? This boy... is truly a Prodigy!"

Outer Court Steward of Tianfeng Academy was even so excited he almost stood up, his face flushed red.

Ye Chen sheathed his sword, nodded slightly to the referee, and then let his gaze sweep over the audience below who had not yet recovered from their shock. Finally, his gaze landed on the high platform, where the geniuses with the strongest Auras in the Outer Court were.

The white-robed sword-carrying youth had opened his eyes at some point. His clear eyes reflected Ye Chen's figure, carrying a hint of unprecedented gravity.

The girl in the primrose-yellow dress also retracted her smile, her jade hand gently tightening around her jade hairpin.

Ye Chen knew that after this battle, he had truly entered the sight of these top geniuses of the Outer Court and become an opponent they needed to treat seriously.

He slowly walked down the arena. Wherever he went, the crowd automatically parted to make a path, their gazes full of awe and respect.

Strength is always the fastest way to win respect.

He sat cross-legged in the rest area, took a Medicinal Pill, and began to adjust his breathing to recover. That last sword strike had consumed a lot, and he had to recover his state as quickly as possible for the upcoming battles.

The elimination rounds for the top twenty-five into thirteen were still continuing, but everyone's minds seemed to still be lingering on that earth-shattering sword strike from just now.

The name of Ye Chen, after this battle, completely resounded through the Outer Court!

No one dared to underestimate him in the slightest because of his status as a newcomer anymore.

A new storm was already quietly brewing in the hands of this youth in green robes.

And in the next round, who would his opponent be?