Sword radiance was different from sword light. It was like a single, stray spark that, in an instant, shone with immeasurable brilliance. Zhao Chun knew that Shen Youzhen was not a body cultivator.
This strike was aimed directly at his vital points. Moreover, in the path of a blade cultivator, he followed the way of swift attacks. The most crucial part of this battle was the two words: first move.
Therefore, Zhao Chun held nothing back, transforming all her strength into a single sword strike. Victory or defeat would be decided in a flash! Shen Youzhen felt he had been slighted, yet he did not underestimate her in the slightest.
He stood with his saber, then instantly dashed forward and swung it in a slash! How could a blade that had not entered a realm be faster than a sword of the second realm? Zhao Chun's sword strike produced no sound of tearing through the air; it was an explosive burst from utter stillness.
To the onlookers, it was as if a stellar spark had flashed for an instant. When they looked again, the tip of her sword was already pointed at Shen Youzhen's throat. Her opponent's long saber, however, was still in mid-air, yet to complete its downward slash.
Zhao Chun was a head shorter than Shen Youzhen, but as she looked up with cold eyes, it was as if she were looking down on him. Her breathing was uneven, her face slightly pale, a clear sign that the astonishing sword strike just now had nearly emptied her dantian.
Shen Youzhen had yet to unleash his saber strike; to cut down the current Zhao Chun would be a simple matter of lifting his hand. However, not only him, but every cultivator watching knew that in this battle, Zhao Chun was the clear victor! In a sect's martial combat, one stops once the point is made.
If the two were truly enemies, that sword strike would have already slit Shen Youzhen's throat.
"I have lost."
Defeated at the hands of Zhao Chun, who was far younger and had a lower cultivation base, Shen Youzhen felt only a momentary sense of loss. What rose in his heart was still more fighting spirit than anything else. The world was so vast, with geniuses emerging in every generation.
For those born in the same era, the despondent saw it as a tragedy, while the diligent considered it a great fortune. Zhao Chun sheathed her sword and let out a long breath, saying, "You let me win!" She also understood that fighting on a martial arts platform was entirely different from battling outside.
The former was restricted by the rules of the arena, while the latter had no such scruples. In defeating Shen Youzhen, seizing the initiative was half the victory. If her opponent had struck even half a breath sooner, the outcome would have been uncertain.
Even if she had won, it would most likely have been a miserable victory. The spectators might have understood this principle, but the shock of that one sword strike could not be erased.
A sword cultivator at the Sword Radiance Realm while only at the sixth layer of Qi Refining—such talent would be considered top-tier even in the leading sect of the Southern Region, the Perceptive Moon Sect. Du Fanzhi's breath hitched slightly. The next step up was the Sword Qi Realm.
Among all the cultivators in the True Spirit Sect, only Qiu Jianying had entered this realm.
"I began practicing the sword from the very start of my cultivation path. It has been over thirty years now, and only recently was I fortunate enough to enter the Sword Radiance Realm. Fellow Daoist Zhao is a young prodigy; truly, it makes me feel deeply ashamed."
The blue-robed disciple, Jiang Yun, was also in the Sword Radiance Realm. Among sword cultivators, one seldom judged others by cultivation base. Thus, he directly addressed Zhao Chun as Fellow Daoist.
He was also a renowned martial fanatic in the inner sect and was already plotting how he could visit Zhao Chun to spar with swords. Liu Xuan showed great appreciation, repeatedly voicing her praise. In terms of status, she was Zhao Chun's senior martial sister, so others could only echo her sentiments.
Among them, Jiang Yun and Meng Han were the most forthright. As for Xu Feng, he was not very good with words and just nodded in agreement from the side. The figures on the high platform were, after all, Foundation Establishment cultivators.
They spoke with moderation and restraint. They were unlike the disciples watching from the periphery, who were already cheering wildly, raising their arms and shouting Zhao Chun's name. Although a casual strike and an all-out strike were vastly different, to the onlookers, it was all just a single move.
A sixth-layer Qi Refining cultivator defeating an eighth-layer one with a single sword strike, crossing two minor stages—and this gap even included the difference between the middle and late stages. After today's battle, Zhao Chun's name was certain to be known among the tens of thousands of disciples in the inner and outer sects.
Some outer sect disciples at the eighth or ninth layer of Qi Refining were also weighing whether they could have taken that sword strike. Invincible among one's peers, crossing realms as easily as drinking water—this was the might of a sword cultivator! Among the many disciples below the stage, a burning yearning to practice the sword was ignited.
Because of this one battle, the Way of the Sword flourished for a time in the outer sect. Regardless of their talent, many resolved to dedicate themselves to sword cultivation. But these are all matters for a later time...
Zhao Chun took Shen Youzhen's seventeenth seat. The remaining positions were shifted down accordingly. Xia Shende, who was in the twentieth position, was pushed out of the top twenty.
However, Zhao Chun had seized her spot with hard power, which made the lower-ranked cultivators even more hesitant to challenge her. Just as she had thought, in the subsequent challenges, no one chose her. Zhao Chun was thus able to enjoy some leisure.
As for the cultivators from the thirteenth to the sixteenth positions, their strengths were extremely close. Unconvinced of each other's superiority, they repeatedly fought for the seats, leading to several evenly matched battles that the spectating disciples watched with great relish! There were two other small climaxes.
One was when Zheng Chenqing, who had just entered the ninth layer of Qi Refining, brazenly challenged the first-ranked Zhuang Kun. After several hundred moves, he won by a narrow margin of a single move!
Zhuang Kun had been at the ninth layer of Qi Refining for a long time and was just one step away from Foundation Establishment, yet he was still defeated by this core disciple of the Sect Master. Everyone was deeply impressed. The final battle, however, saw another instance of a lower-level cultivator defeating a higher one.
Because Zhao Chun had taken a seat, Qu Zhanxing was pushed to the twenty-second position. He wished to challenge Gan Yuan, who was currently holding the twentieth seat. The coincidence was that both of these cultivators were wood-element spell cultivators, and the spell techniques they inherited from the sect were also somewhat similar.
In the eyes of others, Gan Yuan was, after all, at the eighth layer of Qi Refining. With similar spells, her higher cultivation base should have given her an oppressive advantage and a guaranteed victory. Unexpectedly, Qu Zhanxing had come prepared.
His Flying Leaf Spell had reached Major Achievement, and paired with a top-grade magical artifact that suited his Dao, he defeated Gan Yuan. Only then did Zhao Chun remember that one of Elder Wu Yunzhang's disciples was participating in the battle, and his name seemed to be Qu Zhanxing.
Among the four elders, Wu Yunzhang was obsessed with the path of artifact forging. It was no surprise, then, that his disciple wielded a top-grade magical artifact. Some who knew the inside story, like Zhao Chun, felt a bit of injustice, thinking he had won through an artifact, which was an unmartial victory.
The defeated Gan Yuan's expression changed several times, but she ultimately sat down in a lower seat. As for whether she was convinced of her defeat, that was another matter. After their battle, no one else came forward.
It seemed the top twenty were to be decided just like that. However, aside from the seven cultivators at the ninth layer of Qi Refining, the other thirteen dared not relax.
For no other reason than that in the third round, among those eliminated in the first, there was still a ninth-layer Qi Refining cultivator, Fang Cairan, who would make a move to seize a position. Among the many eliminated cultivators, Zhao Chun was also the most wary of this person.
Fang Cairan had only been eliminated because she ran into Zhuang Kun in the first round. In terms of strength, she could rank in the top three, second only to Zheng and Zhuang. To her, there were plenty of soft persimmons among the twenty people on the stage.
Fang Cairan stepped onto the martial arts platform, her smiling eyes sweeping over Zhao Chun, causing the latter to immediately raise her guard. However, her gaze only lingered for a moment, as if giving a slight signal, before she was heard saying, "The one who was just using a magical artifact, stand up.
With such strength, it is indeed a bit abrupt for you to remain on this stage." There were many people wielding magical artifacts, even Zhao Chun held the Red-Edged Dagger in her hand. But everyone present knew who Fang Cairan's words were aimed at.
For a moment, the atmosphere became strange, and all eyes focused on Qu Zhanxing.
(End of this chapter)