Chapter 46: The Person I Chose

Martial Arts Field

Lin Yuchu, dressed in white, and Ruan Mingzhao, dressed in a sky-blue robe, stood opposite each other on the arena platform.

Each of them held a sword.

The sword in Lin Yuchu’s hand was light, thin, and long. Its blade was silver-white, flashing with a cold gleam. It was a cold sword that excelled in lightness and speed.

The sword in Ruan Mingzhao’s hand, however, was reddish gold. Compared with the sword in Lin Yuchu’s hand, its blade was six inches wider and three parts heavier.

His hand was broad and powerful, gripping the sword tightly.

Ruan Mingzhao was steady by nature, with a lean and powerful build. His strength far surpassed that of ordinary people. Therefore, his sword was wider and heavier.

As the saying went, the sword was like the person.

The sword’s style resembled its wielder’s nature.

Below the arena.

Everyone, whether it was Zhengyang Sword Immortal, Gu Daozi, Bai Xiao, or the Dao Academy senior and junior brothers who had suffered crushing defeats at the hands of the two of them, including that group of drama kings who had just been crouching in the corner, silently shedding tears and secretly grieving over their tragic deaths at Lin Yuchu’s hands, had stopped acting now. One after another, they stood up, held their breath, and raised their heads. Their gazes were fixed on the two people fighting on the arena ahead, curious and excited.

This time—

Would Ruan Mingzhao successfully overturn the hierarchy from below and kill off that Lin Yuchu?

Or would King Lin Yuchu once again successfully defend the arena, killing for the countless-th time that Ruan Mingzhao who had dared to challenge his superior and covet the throne?

Let us wait and see!

And at this moment—

On the arena platform.

The people did not move.

The wind moved.

After the wind passed, the people moved!

It was impossible to see who acted first. Almost at the same time, in the same instant...

The two of them moved together!

In the eyes of the Dao Academy disciples below the arena, Lin Yuchu and Ruan Mingzhao, this pair of old enemies, old rivals who had been entangled for five whole years, exchanged glances for one instant—

There was killing intent!

Then, at the same time, they held up their swords and swung them out.

Their figures were extremely fast, their sword-light swift as lightning. Sword shadows layered upon sword shadows as they quickly exchanged blows, tangling together in fierce combat.

“Clang—”

“Clang, clang—”

“Clang, clang, clang!”

On the arena platform.

Lin Yuchu and Ruan Mingzhao fought intensely. One had a figure as nimble as a swallow, and the sword in his hand seemed light as a swallow’s feather, yet it was an icy, razor-sharp sword feather—

Drifting and scattering. Drifting and scattering.

One sword transformed into three thousand, as if countless sword feathers were fluttering down in profusion, all at once—

In an instant—

They stabbed toward Ruan Mingzhao ahead.

His entire body was surrounded by countless sword feathers.

There was nowhere to escape.

Yet there was not the slightest hint of fear on Ruan Mingzhao’s face.

He gripped the sword in his hand tightly, pouring all his spiritual energy, vitality, and strength into it.

Then he raised the sword.

As if raising a giant sword of immense weight.

He swung it forward!

The giant sword swept across, unstoppable even by thousands upon thousands of troops!

That sword stirred up countless sword forces, rolling into waves, into a storm.

Ahead, the three thousand streams of sword qi had transformed into sword feathers, the three thousand swords stabbing toward him in unison. In an instant, they were swallowed by the waves, scattered and withered by the storm.

“These two...”

Below, everyone watched without blinking, their hearts moving with the swords.

The Sword Path of these two had already far surpassed others their age.

They had already faintly touched the threshold of the Sword Path.

Zhengyang Sword Immortal, standing below the arena, lifted his eyes. His dark, deep gaze stared at the two on the platform.

That boy’s three thousand swords were not truly three thousand swords.

He had not yet comprehended the true essence of the three thousand swords, and the true three thousand swords were by no means limited to this level of power.

That move he had just used, one sword transforming into three thousand, had only the form without the substance. With sword speed that was extremely fast, so fast it surpassed the speed of wind and light, he had created illusory shadows of three thousand swords. Because the sword qi in that boy’s hand was piercingly cold and his killing intent terrifying, it gave the sword shadows an exceptionally powerful momentum.

That was why they resembled the three thousand swords in form.

But even so, this was already exceedingly frightening.

At such a young age, after studying the sword for only a few short years, he could already injure others with sword qi and divide it into three thousand swords. Even if it was only form without substance, on this move alone, he could already rank among geniuses.

He deserved to be called a Sword Path prodigy rarely seen once in a thousand years.

And the boy fighting him was equally terrifying.

His sword contained heavenly might, borrowing the power of heaven and earth to strike back.

Though it could not compare to the terrifying impact Lin Yuchu gave the senses, it was astonishingly steady, transforming no move into a move.

No matter your thousands of troops and horses, I will block them all with one move!

Seeing this, Zhengyang Sword Immortal already knew the outcome of today’s fight.

His gaze rested on the two people still fighting fiercely on the arena ahead. In his heart, he had already seen the final result.

Of these two youths, one sword was too fierce, while the other was too steady.

The other Dao Academy disciples had not seen it clearly due to the limits of their age, cultivation, and eyesight. But Zhengyang Sword Immortal saw it distinctly. It was the boy surnamed Lin who had moved one instant first. Only after he acted did the other boy draw his sword to resist.

From the very beginning, Ruan Mingzhao had been passive, half a step behind.

He was too familiar with Lin Yuchu. After every failure, he must have gone back silently and studied Lin Yuchu’s sword countless times. How did he draw his sword? How terrifying was his sword? How should I defend against it...

It was precisely because of this kind of countless private, bitter practice that he could make the fastest and most accurate response to every one of Lin Yuchu’s swords, blocking every strike.

This had made him, yet it had also shackled him.

The sword was dead. The person was alive.

Every move Lin Yuchu had made in the past had been defended against, but his sword now, and his sword in the future, could not be blocked!

Zhengyang Sword Immortal sighed inwardly, his gaze fixed on the two fighting on the arena. To Ruan Mingzhao, this was fortune, and also misfortune.

The person he regarded as his opponent was a young Sword Path genius, rare in all the world, who grew and broke through swiftly in battle. Having such an opponent and chasing after such a person would cause his Sword Path to rise at flying speed, leaving all others far behind him.

But over time, there would be only this person in his eyes.

The person he regarded as his opponent would forever be only that person.

He would only be able to see that person.

Perhaps he could defeat everyone under heaven, yet only never defeat that person.

Alas!

Zhengyang Sword Immortal sighed inwardly and looked toward Ruan Mingzhao on the platform with a trace of pity in his eyes.

Perhaps one day, you will be able to surpass the person in your eyes.

But that day...

You will never know when it will come.

This person will be the greatest formidable enemy in your life. He will make you, and he may also destroy you.

And just as Zhengyang Sword Immortal was sighing inwardly like this.

On the arena platform—

The outcome was decided.

Lin Yuchu flew over with one sword. His body and sword were as one, charging straight forward.

One sword stabbed toward Ruan Mingzhao’s vital point.

His speed was too fast, too fast, so fast no one could react.

By the time Ruan Mingzhao came back to himself.

Lin Yuchu’s sword was already pointed at the center of his brow.

“...I lost.”

Ruan Mingzhao looked at him and spoke in a flat tone.

On his handsome, heroic face, his expression was abnormally calm, as calm as still water.

It could not bear the slightest ripple.

The hand gripping his sword loosened, and the sword dropped down at his side.

“I lost.”

He said it again.

Lin Yuchu looked at him, withdrew his sword, and said in a cool voice, “Work harder next time.”

“...”

Ruan Mingzhao pursed his lips and stared at him for a long time.

After a long time.

He said in a deep voice to Lin Yuchu’s back, “Next time. Next time, I definitely won’t lose to you again!”

“I’ll definitely, definitely, definitely beat you!”

“Oh. Then I’ll be waiting.”

With his back to him, Lin Yuchu walked toward the edge of the arena platform and spoke in a cool voice.

—

The third assessment had ended, and victory and defeat had been decided.

The final champion of the arena was, without a doubt and entirely as expected, our Sword Path Great Demon King, Lin Yuchu.

When Lin Yuchu came down from the arena, what greeted him was the even more awed, reverent gazes of all the Dao Academy disciples. They sighed endlessly in their hearts. “Ruan Mingzhao lost again. How many times has this been already...?”

“I feel sorry for him.”

“Alas, I hope Ruan Mingzhao can be a little stronger. In life, there’s no hurdle you can’t get past, no opponent you can’t defeat... Pretend I didn’t say that last part.”

And when Ruan Mingzhao came down from the arena a few minutes later.

What greeted him was everyone’s worshipful gazes and fierce applause.

“Ruan Mingzhao, you were amazing!”

“You were incredible! What was that last move of yours? The one where you swung your sword down and a huge sword shadow appeared. That move was so cool!”

“Ruan Mingzhao, keep it up! Next time, kill off that Great Demon King!”

“...”

“...”

When Ruan Mingzhao heard this, he lifted his head.

His gaze fell on this group of Dao Academy senior and junior brothers and classmates standing before him, their faces full of smiles, their eyes looking at him with admiration.

He pursed his lips, then said in a deep voice, “Mm!”

“I’ll work hard. Even harder!”

“If you want to learn that move, I can teach you. It’s very simple.”

At these words, there was immediately a stretch of dead silence.

“...”

“...”

“...”

The smiles on the faces of all the Dao Academy disciples who had been clapping and speaking words of encouragement to Ruan Mingzhao turned somewhat stiff. They felt... they felt they could no longer keep the smiles on their faces.

Smile gradually disappearing dot jpg.

Very, very, very simple?

Student Ruan, do you have some misunderstanding about what simple means?!

Only now, with the smiles disappearing from their faces, did the Dao Academy disciples suddenly realize...

Although Ruan Mingzhao had lost to Lin Yuchu, he alone was more than enough to thrash every single one of them present!

This was also a Sword Path genius rarely seen once in a hundred years.

It was just that there were ranks even among geniuses.

—

After the third assessment ended.

All the Dao Academy disciples participating in Zhengyang Sword Immortal’s disciple-selection trial returned to the sword plaza.

This time, Jiang Yu also made up the numbers and slipped inside.

Standing among the group of Dao Academy disciples, Jiang Yu quietly gave Lin Yuchu a thumbs-up, his face full of admiration. As expected of my good brother! He really is that amazing.

Although Jiang Yu very much wanted to loudly praise Lin Yuchu a hundred times, praise him until the whole world knew that Lin Yuchu was that—amazing.

But out of consideration for the feelings of his other good brother, he did not say anything.

He only gave Lin Yuchu a thumbs-up to express how he felt.

After Lin Yuchu saw his gesture, he raised an eyebrow at him and gave a soft laugh. Likewise, he did not speak.

And when Jiang Yu saw him smile, he also smiled foolishly.

At that time, he felt incredibly happy and satisfied.

And at this moment, Zhengyang Sword Immortal, Gu Daozi, Bai Xiao, and the others also walked forward.

Seeing that they had come, everyone stopped whispering among themselves and raised their heads, looking toward them.

They knew in their hearts that the result of this trial was about to be announced.

Just as they expected—

Zhengyang Sword Immortal lifted his eyes, looked at the young people below, and said, “Thank you very much for coming to participate in this trial. All of you performed very well. You did your utmost, worked hard, and fought for it.”

“You did your best.”

“But I only need one disciple, so, regrettably, I can only choose one person from among you.”

“That person is...”

Zhengyang Sword Immortal spoke thus, then shifted his gaze toward Ruan Mingzhao in the crowd.

“...” Ruan Mingzhao.

The instant Zhengyang Sword Immortal’s gaze turned toward him, a certain bad premonition surfaced in his heart.

“Ruan Mingzhao.”

And when his name came from Zhengyang Sword Immortal’s mouth, the bad premonition became real.

Immediately, the instant his words fell—

A tremendous panic surged rapidly up from the bottom of his heart, then spread through his limbs and bones, making his entire body, his hands and feet, turn ice-cold.

Almost subconsciously, he turned his head to look at Lin Yuchu beside him.

What he saw was...

On Lin Yuchu’s face, which had originally carried a faint smile, that smile instantly vanished.

His face became expressionless.

His gaze also went cold.

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