Chapter 325
Chapter 325: Wang Jie vs Yuan Mu
Hou Qing Ge’s blood turned into a crimson sword, thrusting swiftly toward Qin Xiao Shu. Qin Xiao Shu pointed out once more, piercing through Hou Qing Ge’s body yet again. However, amid the scattered blood, one drop landed softly upon Qin Xiao Shu’s shoulder. Instantly, his shoulder shattered, forcing him to stumble backward step by step. Everyone could see clearly that Qin Xiao Shu was indeed wounded.
“The Hou Family’s Bridge Method—using blood as a sword—is truly extraordinary.”
Hou Qing Ge’s face was ghostly pale, clearly suffering from severe blood loss.
Clutching his injured shoulder, Qin Xiao Shu asked, “But how many times can you perform it again?” As he spoke, he once again executed Miao You’s Void Step. His entire figure transformed into a swirling vortex. No matter how powerful the opponent’s Star Force or sword qi, it would inevitably be drawn into the void. Indeed, the entire arena was now filled with the power of emptiness.
Everyone knew this was pointless.
As they watched Hou Qing Ge’s blood-stained body, they knew that even a few more strikes from her Bridge Method would only severely injure Qin Xiao Shu at best. Once this battle ended, Qin Xiao Shu would fully recover, unaffected in his next fight.
The audience sighed in regret.
Hou Qing Ge had shown extraordinary talent, but still, she could not surpass the threshold of the void.
At the Sword Pool, Hou Xiao’s gaze dimmed. [Sister Qing Ge, you did all you could. Had the family been willing to provide you resources, perhaps victory could have been yours. This defeat isn’t yours alone—it belongs to the entire Hou Family.]
Just as Qin Xiao Shu prepared to deliver his final attack, an indescribable chill suddenly descended.
Instinctively, he performed Miao You’s Void Step to dodge.
Yet a flash of icy sword-light crossed before his eyes. His vision began retreating swiftly until he saw his own back. [Have I been beheaded?]
[How could this happen?]
Ahead, Hou Qing Ge lowered her sword and calmly closed her eyes.
At this moment, no one else had reacted yet.
What just occurred? Wasn’t Hou Qing Ge being suppressed and forced onto the defensive? How had she suddenly turned the tables, ending the fight with just one strike?
When did Qin Xiao Shu become so weak that someone could kill him with one single sword strike, even severing his head?
The entire Sword Pool stood frozen, dumbstruck.
“What kind of sword technique was that?”
“I’ve never seen it before. The crucial point is, I have no idea what just happened.”
“That sword skill could slay Qin Xiao Shu even when he had entered the void state—why didn’t she use it earlier?”
“That wretch must have secretly learned a sword art from the outside! She must be interrogated!” a woman shouted venomously, filled not only with rage but with fear. If Qin Xiao Shu could be killed with one sword, didn’t that mean she could slay anyone else in the same way?
That was Qin Xiao Shu from the Wandering Watch Tower, famed for merging with the void. Could there be anyone harder to kill than him? If Hou Qing Ge could slay him, she could slay anyone—including herself or her own child.
[No, absolutely not.]
The Sword Pool sank into an oppressive silence.
Even those who supported Hou Qing Ge said nothing. After all, who wouldn’t desire such an incredible sword art?
“When she returns, we must force her to surrender this sword technique,” declared a voice with absolute finality. No one dared contradict him, for it was none other than the future Sword Master himself, master of the Sword Pool.
Wang Jie stared at Hou Qing Ge in astonishment.
That single sword strike was stunningly beautiful, perhaps the strongest he had ever witnessed. [Where did this girl learn such a technique?]
Truly, no one in the cultivation world could be underestimated.
He himself had relied upon his wristguard and farming to reach his current height, yet clearly, others had their own fortunes as well.
The wristguard was merely one artifact among countless extraordinary treasures. The Sacred Star-Linked Bridge must surely offer even more astonishing methods of increasing power, as would the four bridge pillars.
Thinking carefully, Si Yao had spoken truly: had he been back at the Yin-Yang Battlefield, he wouldn’t even make it into the top twenty. Back then, he’d confidently believed his Star-Breaking Realm cultivation could defeat Wandering Star Realm cultivators, but in truth, his vision had been far too narrow.
The gap between a true genius and an ordinary cultivator could indeed be vast, beyond any ordinary person’s imagination.
Star Dome Visage’s authority had been preserved.
Hou Qing Ge was victorious.
She had entered the top twenty.
The arena battles continued. Everyone’s gaze shifted, settling on the next match—Wang Jie versus Yuan Mu.
Wang Jie withdrew his gaze and looked forward.
At that very moment, Yuan Mu also turned, locking eyes with him.
Their gazes met.
Next would be their turn.
Yuan Mu appraised Wang Jie, inwardly surprised that he really had a chance to end this man’s life.
Before the Starry Martial Meet, someone had approached the Sword Court, passing down a message from its highest leaders: if Yuan Mu faced Wang Jie in the tournament, he must win at all costs.
It seemed like unnecessary advice; naturally, he wanted to win.
Yet the urgency behind that message had startled him deeply. It seemed even the Sword Court itself had come under pressure. Whatever the cost, Wang Jie had to lose.
And now, it was finally his turn.
“This man needs a beating.” Yuan Mu recalled Wang Jie’s arrogant attitude. [If he thinks himself arrogant, then I’ll crush that arrogance until he can’t lift his head again.]
Slowly, the barrier between them vanished.
Wang Jie gazed calmly at Yuan Mu, lifting his finger and sending forth a probing strike of air-severing qi force.
For Yuan Mu, the greatest humiliation of his life was the Enlightenment Tea Ceremony.
Seven cups of enlightenment tea had been served, yet not a single one had come to him—a slight he could never forgive.
Born to the Yuan Family of Sword Court, he had been recognized since childhood by the entire Sword Court—even by the Ancient Sword Pillar Keeper—as a rare genius in swordsmanship, equal or superior even to the prodigy Yuan Bai. The Yuan Family had always set their hopes on him becoming a Star Guardian. Thus, from an early age, he made Star Guardian his only goal. In his eyes, all other cultivators were worthless.
His marriage alliance with Cold Mist Ferry appeared as him marrying into their family, but in truth, he intended nothing less than taking over. Yuan Mu held absolute confidence: once inside Cold Mist Ferry, he could seize full control for Sword Court. Among his peers, none could surpass him.
The assignment of enlightenment tea was a great insult to him. Though he said nothing, his heart had long been boiling, eager to challenge anyone who had received enlightenment tea. Of all, Shao Gu Chen was his ideal opponent, for their paths mirrored each other so closely.
One was Yuan Clan from Sword Court; the other, Shao Clan from Sincere One Dao.
Why should Shao Gu Chen receive enlightenment tea, while he could not?
His resentment was shared by the entirety of Sword Court, who all held their breaths in indignation.
This opponent, Wang Jie, though clearly inferior in everyone’s eyes compared to Shao Gu Chen, would still suffice. After all, battles had to begin somewhere.
With a casual wave of his hand, star force condensed into sword qi from his fingertips, scattering Wang Jie’s air-severing qi force effortlessly. Yuan Mu’s words dripped with provocation and disdain: “I have no time to waste playing around. Show me all you have—isn’t beating me what you wanted?”
In Black White Heaven, countless disciples watched the projection. Though many disliked Wang Jie, at this moment he stood for Black White Heaven. They couldn’t help but curse Yuan Mu bitterly.
[What gives someone who wasn’t even granted enlightenment tea the right to look down on Wang Jie?]
Zhi Xing Xue’s expression was grave. Behind him, Little Blue frowned: “Master, does Wang Jie have a chance to win?”
“It’ll be difficult,” Zhi Xing Xue replied, staring intently at the screen. “Without enlightenment tea, nobody believes he can win. Right now, the outside world doesn’t see his chances depending on himself, but rather on Star Dome Visage’s recognition.”
Little Blue sighed: “A full-star realm matching a six-dao wanderer is unprecedented in our Fourth Star Cloud. I thought we’d sweep through the Starry Martial Meet, but each contestant is more terrifying than the last.”
“All four Bridge Pillars’ greatest prodigies are gathered here. Matching a six-dao wanderer is just the baseline. The question is, how far can Wang Jie surpass it?”
At Feng Yu Xing, Qing Zheng spat angrily: “That pretty-faced pretender! Boss, pound him flat.”
Old Five, Hong Jian, and the others watched in solemn silence.
Zong Cheng Ping and his companions also gazed at the screen. Previously, those at Lock Path interval lacked even the qualifications to view the Starry Martial Meet. But now, thanks to Wang Jie, they could finally watch—and they hoped to see him go all the way.
On the stage opposite him, Wang Jie raised an eyebrow and nodded calmly: “I’m not in a hurry. You can start first.”
Yuan Mu stared at Wang Jie coolly, “Fine. Then I’ll end this quickly.” He lifted his arm, pointing his sword toward another direction, directly at Shao Gu Chen. Slowly turning his head, he said, “I hope my next opponent will be you.”
Shao Gu Chen rarely spoke, but responded this time: “The feeling is mutual.”
Yuan Mu’s figure abruptly vanished, rushing towards Wang Jie with incredible speed. Without a hint of elegance or flourish, he brought his sword down. This sword strike condensed star force to an extreme, and the moment it descended, space itself seemed torn apart, visibly splitting into two fierce blades cutting through in opposite directions.
Wang Jie felt surprised. [What a fierce sword.] He had assumed Yuan Mu’s swordsmanship would favor agility, not raw brutality like this.
The strike wasn’t aimed directly at him, but rather at the entire stage.
All sword qi that scattered instantly reformed high above, merging into yet another sword.
Yuan Mu’s gaze was cold. [Star Dome Visage, watch carefully. See just how miserable your favored contestant will look beneath my blade. Shao Gu Chen, this strike is for your eyes, too.]
Shao Gu Chen observed deeply. It was indeed an impressive strike. Throughout the entire Full-Star Martial Meet, fewer than ten could withstand this blow. Imagining himself beneath this sword, he immediately analyzed it. [Not a direct clash; discern it carefully. To the right—that’s where its weakness lies. Can Wang Jie find it?]
Yet as soon as the thought came, he froze in confusion. [What’s Wang Jie doing?]
This question wasn’t Shao Gu Chen’s alone, but everyone’s.
They saw Wang Jie standing perfectly still, motionless, as though unable to react.
[It’s over.]
The longer one hesitated against such an overwhelmingly fierce strike, the more terrifying its power became.
Could Wang Jie really not react in time?
Although Yuan Mu looked down upon Wang Jie, he never expected to end it with a single sword. He had only hoped to wound and humiliate him as an expression of discontent toward Star Dome Visage.
But had Wang Jie truly failed to respond at all?
Just as the thought crossed Yuan Mu’s mind, Wang Jie moved. His arm flexed, blending energy with force. His sword fell gracefully, slanting to meet Yuan Mu’s blade head-on.
Sword collided against sword.
With a sharp, crisp ring, a colossal force not only halted Yuan Mu’s sword but turned its momentum back against him. Yuan Mu was flung dozens of meters away, landing awkwardly and even forced into a step backward.
Shock filled Yuan Mu’s eyes. [Impossible! A direct clash?]
Countless spectators were equally stunned. Wang Jie had chosen to respond to Yuan Mu’s fierce swordsmanship head-on.
Wang Jie raised his gaze toward Yuan Mu and calmly echoed, “I have plenty of time to play around with you. Now, use all the tricks you have.”
The same words—but now spoken by another, with only one difference in wording.
Yuan Mu stared blankly at Wang Jie. The cool, indifferent gaze gradually shifted, filling with anticipation and excitement. “I underestimated you. Fine—I have plenty of moves. Let’s see how many you can withstand.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Yuan Mu leaped out, his sword cleaving down at the arena.
Wang Jie raised his sword likewise, accurately matching Yuan Mu’s move. Another clash rang out clearly, and instantly, sword shadows danced fiercely across the stage. Both fighters engaged at incredible speed, directly competing in sword techniques without resorting to special moves.
Yuan Mu was proud. He was Sword Court’s elite disciple, trained in swordsmanship since childhood. How could this outsider dare challenge his sword skills?
Wang Jie held no complicated thoughts. He simply thought, [Since I use a sword too, why not test myself against Sword Court’s prodigy?]
At that moment, countless eyes were held captive, entranced by the brilliance of the two swordsmen.