“Excuse me. Coming through. Hey! That’s my ass!” Jun yelled, squeezing past the small crowd of disciples.
It was early morning, and he was positively glowing in the sunlight. All natural, no makeup. Choosing a spot where the sun shone particularly bright, he stretched and lay on the ground, getting warm and comfortable. Here, he would be at his best in case someone tried anything suspicious. Jun waited until more and more people funnelled in, smugly gloating about his front-row view until he saw that most disciples were on flying artifacts. Then, he jealously gnashed his teeth.
“Welcome to the grand finals of the yearly Abyssal Depths Tournament! We just finished the first to third stage finals, and what an exciting battle that was. This year’s disciples are very promising! Now, let’s move on to the next tier!”
Mild applause followed the passionate speech coming from the Immortal Platform—a stage made from sparkling diamond and shiny sapphire, forming an image of an Azure Dragon locked in battle with the White Tiger. A thick, almost transparent dome of energy surrounded the platform, preventing anyone outside from intervening. Inside was a young woman in an extremely luxurious red and white dress, excitedly gesturing with her hands as she continued to shout.
“On the left side, we have one of the most talented disciples I’ve seen in a long time. A prodigy rivalling any of the inner disciples. Despite arriving here less than a year ago, he’s already reached the fifth stage of Qi Refining! His ability to battle a stage above his own is nothing short of miraculous, and the elegant yet vicious way he fights has left many ladies swooning over him! Please welcome Chen Hao!”
“Wooo! Yeah! Let’s go!” Jun shouted, whooping and hollering at the grandiose introduction.
On the Azure Dragon’s head was an elegant but cold man, standing at an impressive 6’4 stature. His long, black and white hair, split perfectly in the middle, draped over his broad shoulders, running along his slender and thin arms. His face was perfectly symmetrical, and the slight, devilish grin he had sent many disciples straight into a coma. His eyes were like the sparkling dark onyxes, and many who looked inside them found themselves to be lost for seemingly an eternity.
‘Grandpa Wei would get a heart attack and die on the spot if he saw his grandson. And that’s only if he recognized him.’
Good looks weren’t always a blessing in the cultivation world. The ground was a scene of carnage as an older-looking disciple held back his anger, fuming at how his Dao Partner was looking at Chen Hao. Somehow, of course, it was the boy’s fault.
‘You’re safe from Chen Hao, but check your girl when Wang Lei comes recruiting her for the formation business. They’ll be ‘making formations’ behind your back all day.’
“On the right side is the “Righteous Dragon,” who has apprehended numerous evil disciples, subduing them with the wrath of his three blades. Quick and merciless, he keeps his opponents on the back foot, never giving them time to breathe. Give it up for Wu Qiang!”
“Boo! You suck! Get off the stage!” Jun heckled him amidst the mild cheers, nowhere as loud as they were for Chen Hao. Even his introduction was shorter than the boy’s.
Standing before them was a similarly tall disciple, his hair cut so short that he might as well join the army of baldies. A lean yet squarish face glared at the crowd, his eyebrows raised high. On Earth, he would’ve been a premiere bodybuilder the way his muscles popped out of the white robe emblazoned with the “Hall of Justice” characters. Frankly, he looked more like a gang member than a proper disciple—it probably served him well for his work. If Jun ran into this guy in the dead of night, he would immediately hand over all of his hard earned spirit stones.
“Ready your weapons,” a voice announced as the woman levitated above ground, taking in an overhead view of the arena. The dragon and the tiger began to glow brighter and brighter as dense qi filled the Immortal Stage. Here, they would be fighting at their best.
Chen Hao pulled out two long and slightly curved knives, sending qi into them without hesitation. One lit up like the sun, and the other cast the ground in shadow. Dark Moon and Bright Sun—the butcher’s own weapons. Jun saw a faint edge of purple on them, which had to be the paralytic poison he had recently applied. On the other side, the man tossed up three long and slender swords. Immediately, they began to circle around him, building up a charge of qi in the air.
Here came the reason why Jun loved these fights so much. It wasn’t just the mindless violence combined with flashy techniques. No. It was something much, much better.
“Fight!”
Qi already circulating through a familiar pathway, the two cast their techniques simultaneously.
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“Flowing Water Dance!”
“Tri-Sword Formation: Swallow’s Dance.”
Yes, that’s right. They had to yell their moves. How exciting!
The air around Chen Hao turned to mist, covering the entire Immortal Platform, which adjusted itself to let the spectators see better. A hundred thousand raindrops began to hover in the air, reflecting the battlefield wherever they went. At the same time, they served as the boy’s eyes as his Water Mirror Technique reflected his opponent from every angle. Had the boy any honour, and had he been doing everything by the rules, he would’ve announced this too, but there was no harm in what others couldn’t see.
Sensing the flow of fate, Chen Hao nimbly leapt through the air just as the three swords rushed past him. They split when they missed, each circling back like a hungry vulture, rapidly piercing through the raindrops, but never quite catching up to the boy.
“One Sword: Lightning.”
Suddenly, a sword flashed and disappeared, arriving before Chen Hao’s throat before he could even blink. Desperately, he twisted his palm, causing a torrent of soundless wind to knock the blade to his side.
“Quiet Palm,” he said after the fact, not slowing down one bit as he brandished his two knives.
“Typhoon Steps.”
The wind behind him picked up, whipping up a frenzy. The raindrops began rapidly spinning around, becoming blades of death in the whirlwind that followed Chen Hao. The three blades held the storm at bay, but that gave the boy enough time to catch up to the elusive Wu Qiang. One step carried him across half the arena. His knives viciously fell.
They harmlessly clanged against the sword cultivator’s skin.
“Divine Armament,” the man roared, beckoning for his swords, which were trapped in the raging wind. In the clash of wills and qi, he proved to be stronger as the typhoon collapsed.
“Seventh Formation: Rainfall.”
Using the boy’s momentum against him, the swords borrowed the raindrops, striking rapidly and with precision. It was like the swords had multiplied a hundred-fold. Every second, numerous sharp blows would grace Chen Hao’s body. The thin film of water on his skin was being cut through at a rapid pace, even with the boy’s uncanny dodging abilities.
“Eleventh Formation: The Emperor’s Crown.”
Suddenly, the rain of blades stopped. Instead, three swords hovered above Chen Hao’s head, each spelling out his doom. A purple aura linked the three together. No matter how much the boy moved, they always followed him, seemingly bound to him by spirit.
The moment he halted to catch his breath, three purple shadows in the shapes of swords pierced through his head, causing him to drop to his knees and yell out in pain. He clutched his head and banged it against the floor, desperately trying to get them out.
The physical swords were still above the boy’s head, and now, Wu Qiang smirked, confident of his victory. He lowered his hand, causing the swords to fall from the sky. But, at the exact same time, something beneath Chen Hao’s robes lit up, spilling forth a torrent of white light. The swords barely missed as the boy threw himself to the side, gasping for air.
“Flash of Lightning”
“Typhoon Steps.”
One retreated, caught off guard. The other advanced, capitalising on the swinging momentum. Caught in a beautiful dance, Chen Hao’s knives sent out waves of light and darkness, battering against Wu Qiang’s body. The jade-like skin began to show cracks. Anger flooded his eyes.
“First Formation: Heaven’s Gate.”
The three swords spread out to cover the man’s body in a triangle formation, surrounding him in harsh, burning light. Reality itself seemed to be replaced with a heavenly presence. Any moment now, something would break out from the gate.
Then, the entire thing fizzled, completely cut off from qi. All Wu Qiang could do was stare at Chen Hao’s bottomless eyes, drawn into the abyssal lake.
“Pig Butchering Knife.”
The burst of killing intent made everyone in the audience shudder, and a shrill sound pierced the air as the blades cut through the air with boundless might. Like tyrants that wouldn’t take no for an answer, they tore through Wu Qiang’s jade skin, meeting a barrier of blue light before shattering that too. Fortunately for the sword cultivator, the technique unleashed a burst of energy that threw him violently to the side. He impacted the Immortal Platform’s barrier with an unpleasant crunch.
A magical artifact had saved him from losing the duel, but once Wu Qiang snapped out of his daze, a panic overtook him. How could he not? There he was, the blade devil rapidly approaching him, wind at his back.
“Tri-Sword Formation: Ocean’s Jewel.”
The three swords flew back to him in haste, but his qi was moving sluggishly. The disciple turned his back to the devil and ran. His body was coursing with poison. A prismatic barrier shielded him from the back, but once he turned around, there was no one there.
“Nightfall.”
A blade, carrying no sound, no qi, and no intent, slashed through his throat. Gasping like a dead fish, Wu Qiang brought his hands to his neck, feeling the cut that was gushing blood.
Had this been anywhere else, his head would’ve been lopped off. Here, all he had was a shallow cut. Some mysterious force had stopped the killing blow. The barrier dissipated, and the fog rolled onto the speechless audience. A moment of silence passed. Then, wild cheers reverberated through the sect.
“Ladies and gentlemen. The winner is Chen Hao!”