I Stepped on a Bug, and the System Says I Slayed a Dragon?-Chapter 66: Against Your Thousand Swords, I Will Win With One Sword
Jianghai Martial Arts Academy, below the Martial Arts Arena.
Colorful flags fluttered over the spectator stands. The temporary seating, rising like high walls, was packed to capacity with an audience craning their necks in eager anticipation.
They roared as one, the sound of their chatter swelling like thunder as wave after wave of cheers washed over the arena!
CLANG!
On the Martial Arts Arena, two distinct figures in black and white blurred together. The cold glint of their blades flashed like lightning as a powerful gust of air erupted, accompanied by the ear-piercing shriek of metal on metal!
Li Zixuan and Huyan Sword, swords in hand, pitted their Sword Intents against one another.
Blades collided.
It was like a symphony of chimes.
In a flash, they exchanged a dozen blows, their footwork a blur. They were perfectly matched.
The next moment, they broke apart and stood facing each other on the Martial Arts Arena.
Huyan Sword stared at Li Zixuan’s calm and composed expression, his own eyes burning with a feverish light.
"Excellent! Simply excellent! I have to admit, you’re full of surprises!"
Huyan Sword roared with laughter, stretching his corded muscles. The veins on his neck bulged and writhed like angry serpents.
"I never expected to find such a prize on this trip to Jianghai!"
The stronger Li Zixuan proved to be, the more thrilled he became.
After all, the thrill of conquering a powerful opponent was addictive!
’Madman.’
Li Zixuan watched Huyan Sword’s savage expression, her brow furrowed. She recalled something Elder Li had told her.
Huyan Sword was a man who lived and breathed the sword.
For him, to not be obsessed was to not be alive.
Even as a young child, he had displayed extraordinary talent for Swordsmanship.
He had fought off a pack of wolves in the wilderness with nothing but a stick, and he had single-handedly wiped out a den of exiled bandits on the Grassland.
Later, after meeting his master, the Grassland Sword Saint, he had cast aside his birth name and severed all ties to his past, taking the single name "Sword" as a testament to his Sword Dao.
’I have to be extremely careful when dealing with a madman like him.’
With this in mind, Li Zixuan slowly took a step back, holding her sword at the ready as she cautiously observed Huyan Sword’s every move.
Although she was confident in her ability to win, she wasn’t so arrogant as to underestimate Huyan Sword.
Huyan Sword had roamed the Great Prairie for years. He was wild and ferocious, and his specialty was Killing Swordsmanship.
Their last exchange, in particular, had been fraught with danger.
In the span of a few short breaths, Huyan Sword had struck fifty-three times, each a killing blow aimed at one of Li Zixuan’s vital points.
If her skills weren’t a cut above his, she would have already been run clean through!
At this thought, Li Zixuan took a few more steps to her left, circling Huyan Sword in a smooth arc as they remained locked in their standoff.
Sometimes, victory and defeat were decided in a single instant. Seizing the perfect moment was everything.
The battle fell into a tense stalemate...
The crowd held its breath, all eyes fixed upon the Martial Arts Arena.
BOOM!
Huyan Sword’s toes touched the ground, instantly blasting a deep crater as he charged forward once more, lunging like a tiger pouncing on a lamb.
Li Zixuan, equally fearless, seized the moment and met his charge.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
A rapid series of clashes rang out!
The intense waves of sound rolled out as their longswords clashed again and again, creating a grating hum that damaged the eardrums of many in the audience!
But even so, the two remained locked in a heated, inseparable battle, reaching a complete impasse!
Li Zixuan’s face remained calm as she continuously parried his attacks. In contrast, Huyan Sword’s expression grew more and more savage, twisting with an excitement he could no longer suppress.
"Yes! That’s it! The more you struggle, the more I love it!"
Huyan Sword laughed maniacally, his eyes bloodshot, the very picture of a man possessed.
BOOM!
The next moment, the Sword Intent around him exploded. It multiplied exponentially, instantly generating hundreds, then thousands of strands of Sword Qi, a dense and terrifying swarm!
’This is bad!’
Sensing the immense danger, Li Zixuan was struck by a powerful sense of crisis.
’This has to be some kind of trump card to cause such a frenzied state.’
At this thought, Li Zixuan faltered for a second before immediately disengaging, putting several meters between herself and Huyan Sword.
But even after she retreated, the Sword Qi around Huyan Sword showed no signs of dissipating, continuing to surge with frantic intensity.
The Sword Intent proliferated, seemingly without end, forming a massive pillar that connected heaven and earth and shredded the clouds above!
Innumerable, distinct strands of Sword Qi converged within it, transforming endlessly before merging into one.
"Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Sect?!"
Seeing this from the audience, Elder Li was instantly struck speechless.
"The Sword Saint even taught him this?!"
He turned to Yu Wenxuan beside him, and his heart sank to the depths.
This was Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Sect, the signature technique that had made the Grassland Sword Saint famous!
One who cultivated it to the realm of Great Success could manifest tens of thousands of strands of Sword Qi, enough to shatter the heavens and sunder the earth!
Even if Huyan Sword’s current power was still weak and he hadn’t reached the same level of mastery as the Sword Saint, he had still managed to condense over a thousand strands of Sword Qi.
With this, he could easily slay an Innate Realm expert while being at a lower realm!
And Li Zixuan was only in the Postnatal Realm, how could she possibly block this attack?
The crowd looked up at the colossal, heaven-piercing pillar of Sword Qi. Countless strands of Sword Intent swirled within, so dense that there seemed to be no space to penetrate it at all.
Even from the stands, they could feel an immense pressure that made them tremble uncontrollably.
"It’s over. It’s all over. Senior Sister Li’s defeat is sealed."
"That’s just cheating! How is anyone supposed to fight that!"
"This is insane. So this is what a battle between geniuses looks like?"
The roar of the crowd filled Li Zixuan’s ears. For the first time, her impassive face revealed a grave expression, her mind racing.
’One wrong move, and the entire game is lost!’
’What do I do?’
’What’s my next move?’
In that instant, a thousand conflicting thoughts assailed her, and she felt utterly lost.
However, just as Li Zixuan was lost in her confusion, a familiar voice suddenly echoed in her mind.
"A Swordsman must press ever forward, fearless and undaunted. Disciple, you must trust the sword in your hand. Believe that it can sweep away all obstacles."
The calm, steady voice echoed, speaking the ultimate truth of the Sword Dao.
Like an unshakable pillar, it instantly quelled all her chaotic thoughts.
"Master?!"
Joy blossomed in Li Zixuan’s heart. Her mind and body instantly calmed, and her previous panic vanished.
’So Master is here. He’s been watching me this whole time.’
’In that case...’
’What is there to worry about?’
’He is my beacon, a man of supreme strength. All I need to do is press forward without hesitation!’
’I will not let you down, Master!’
The wind howled. With newfound resolve, Li Zixuan walked toward Huyan Sword, her hair streaming behind her. An even more formidable Sword Intent erupted from her body.
The Sword Qi of her One Sword Opens the Celestial Gate technique surged around her.
Li Zixuan’s expression was icy. She calmly raised her sword, staring down the thousands of strands of Sword Qi swirling around Huyan Sword.
One sword against a thousand swords.
Though I face a million, I go forth.
"What does it matter if you have a thousand swords? I need only one to break them all!"
The next moment, she swung her sword. The strike, powerful enough to cleave the Celestial Gate, tore through every obstructing strand of Sword Qi as if nothing were there, heading straight for Huyan Sword’s head.
In that instant, Huyan Sword’s expression, from within the eye of the Sword Qi storm, changed drastically!
Li Zixuan’s blade was a clear, shining mirror.
In its reflection were the shocked faces of everyone present, as if it contained all the myriad expressions of the human world!
