With countless experts from the Martial Saint Hall watching, Xiao Wuchen and Su Mubai stood facing each other.
This decisive battle was the ultimate contest among martial artists of their generation, pitting the "Way of Harmonious Vitality" against the "Way of Righteous Qi."
Su Mubai struck first. The longsword in his hand emitted a dazzling white light formed from the condensation of ultimate righteous qi, carrying the conviction to cleanse all evil.
"Brother Xiao, receive my supremely powerful sword!"
Su Mubai's aura erupted suddenly; his true qi was like a rising sun—vast and blazing. His expansive and powerful swordsmanship contained the grand concept that "righteous qi endures and evil cannot invade."
Even the top-ranked experts watching felt their minds waver in the face of this fierce power. This swordplay was more than twice as powerful as when Su Mubai last fought Xiao Wuchen.
Xiao Wuchen felt immense pressure. Su Mubai's sword strike pushed the path of raw power to the pinnacle of mortal martial arts. An ordinary swordsman would have been instantly overwhelmed by this pure, masculine energy.
However, Xiao Wuchen's swordsmanship had achieved a level of purification.
He didn't choose a direct confrontation. Just as Su Mubai's overwhelming sword energy was about to touch him, Xiao Wuchen activated his "Wind Shadow Without Form" footwork. He weaved through the gaps in the powerful energy like a fish.
Simultaneously, he unleashed his "Life-Giving Sword Intent."
His sword energy was no longer the "annihilation" killing intent, but rather the ultimate life-giving force. It was gentle and warm, not attempting to destroy Su Mubai's masculine energy but rather skillfully surrounding, embracing, and guiding it.
While Su Mubai's sword energy was formidable, its excessive force and directness resulted in an unchanging, fixed trajectory.
Although Su Mubai's sword energy was powerful, its excessive force and directness resulted in an unchanging, fixed trajectory of his true energy.
In contrast, Xiao Wuchen's "Life-Giving Sword Intent" was like an all-pervasive stream. It used a touch of "forcefulness" within its fierce power to deflect Su Mubai's boundless, righteous energy and dissipate most of its force.
After dozens of rounds, Su Mubai was increasingly astonished. Though his sword energy was clearly striking Xiao Wuchen, it seemed to hit a wad of cotton. Its power was invisibly dissolved and ultimately absorbed by the Life-Giving Sword Intent, becoming nourishment for his opponent.
"My Life-Giving Sword Intent has suppressed your righteous energy!"
Xiao Wuchen realized. Su Mubai's sword energy repelled all evil, yet it couldn't repel this "ultimate vitality within gentleness." The strongest righteous energy is still a form of true energy, while the Life-Giving Sword Intent possesses the characteristic of "conversion and absorption."
Su Mubai saw this. He knew that if he continued to tangle himself up, his righteous energy would be worn down and absorbed by Xiao Wuchen's sword intent. He decided to take a risk, gathering all his righteous energy to unleash his strongest attack.
"Righteous Energy Technique—Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Origin!"
Su Mubai's sword energy soared into the sky and transformed into countless pure white rays of light that swept toward Xiao Wuchen.
Faced with this all-destroying attack, Xiao Wuchen no longer held back. He stopped moving, slightly closing his eyes, and the longsword in his hand instantly radiated an intense light.
This time, the light was not just feminine but a harmonious blend of black and white, yin and yang.
He condensed the concepts of "life and destruction" into a single point in the most harmonious way.
"The Flower Blooms to Reveal the Buddha!"
The sword technique took the form of a rapidly rotating yin-yang tai chi diagram rather than a blooming lotus. The instant the Tai Chi diagram came into contact with the Myriad Swords Returning to One, its righteous energy vanished, absorbed and transformed by the swirling yin-yang power.
"Your sword is too 'rigid,' intolerant of change," Xiao Wuchen said.
After the Tai Chi diagram absorbed all the sword energy, Xiao Wuchen's figure pierced the weak spot at the diagram's center with incredible speed. His longsword lightly touched Su Mubai's throat.
The sword tip stopped, carrying boundless vitality yet also containing the power of instant destruction.
Su Mubai's entire body stiffened. He could feel the purity and power of the sword's intent. He knew that if the sword fell, he would be utterly defeated.
He sighed, sheathed his sword, and gave Xiao Wuchen a sincere smile. "Brother Xiao, your swordsmanship has truly reached perfection. I am completely convinced."
Su Mubai voluntarily conceded defeat.
Xiao Wuchen had definitively established himself as the top expert of his generation.
Thunderous applause erupted on the training ground. The elders of the Martial Saint Hall rose to their feet in tribute to this young genius.Su Mubai's surrender brought this ultimate duel to a close. Xiao Wuchen emerged as the most dazzling figure in the battle for the right to challenge the Heavenly Ranking. His "Vitality Sword Intent" was widely recognized as the pinnacle of martial arts among his generation of warriors.
Su Mubai sheathed his sword and stepped forward to pat Xiao Wuchen on the shoulder. "Your 'Life Force' transcends the realm of mortal martial arts. I wholeheartedly accept my defeat. Next time we meet, I will have broken through and will discuss the Dao of the Sword with you again."
Xiao Wuchen returned the gesture. "Brother Su's righteous spirit is also the highest martial art in the world. Let us strive together."
Qin Lie, ranked third on the Earth Ranking and the burly man who had initially doubted Xiao Wuchen the most, stepped forward and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xiao Wuchen. "Brother Xiao's swordsmanship is unfathomable. I, Qin Lie, realize today that there are heavens beyond heavens. If you successfully ascend to the Heaven Ranking, I, Qin Lie, will challenge you!"
Xiao Wuchen earned everyone's respect with his strength.
The Hall Master of the Martial Saint Hall stepped onto the stage again and announced the final results:
"After this round of competition, the two challengers for the Heavenly Ranking Masters have been decided: Xiao Wuchen and Su Mubai!"
Although Su Mubai was defeated, his performance and perseverance earned unanimous recognition from the elders, and he gained the right to challenge. However, everyone understood that the focus this time was entirely on Xiao Wuchen.
The Palace Master looked at Xiao Wuchen, his tone filled with anticipation. "Xiao Wuchen, you have earned the opportunity to compete, but there are numerous masters on the Heavenly Ranking. Which one will you choose to challenge?"
Challenging the Heavenly Ranking masters is not a random choice. Newcomers usually choose masters at the bottom of the ranking, those who haven't made any progress in years. However, each challenger only has one chance and must be careful.
Xiao Wuchen took the challenge list and scanned it quickly.
The last few on the Heavenly Ranking were veteran peak-stage Qi Establishment experts who had cultivated for decades, some for nearly a century. While their true qi was not as unpredictable as Elder Xuanji's nor as vast as Su Mubai's, they possessed profound martial arts expertise and extensive combat experience. Their true qi was enduring and far surpassed that of ordinary mid-stage Qi Establishment cultivators.
Xiao Wuchen finally pointed to the last person on the list:
Number one hundred on the Heavenly Ranking—"The Sea-Stabilizing Needle," Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan, a rogue cultivator nearly a hundred years old, was renowned for his powerful "Sea-Stabilizing Technique." His moves were simple and ancient, but his true qi reserves were astonishing—enough to exhaust any young expert who faced him.
"I choose Sea-Stabilizing Needle Gu Yuan!" Xiao Wuchen said in a deep voice.
He chose precisely to test the endurance of his newly formed "Life-Giving Sword Intent" and its ability to compensate for the difference in true qi levels. "If you can't defeat a veteran expert ranked at the bottom of the Heavenly Ranking, there's no way you can confront the Xuan Yin Sect Master and the Imperial Court in the future."
The Palace Master nodded slightly. "Gu Yuan's accumulation of true energy is extremely terrifying. Young man, this is your last chance to reach the peak. I hope you take good care of yourself."