Chapter 48 - Yi Shuihan

“Water Dragon Technique!”

As Leng Yan moved his hand, the water dragon technique took shape, forming a dragon over thirty meters long. With white scales, pure white horns, and black eyes, every detail displayed the extraordinary nature of Leng Yan’s water dragon technique.

At that moment, the water dragon seemed like a real dragon, hovering in the air and exuding a formidable aura. Its mouth opened wide, letting out a dragon’s roar that resonated across the heavens and earth.

“This! Such powerful magical power. Even a senior brother in the primordial qi realm couldn’t achieve this level of might!”

“Who is this person? How come I’ve never heard of him before? It seems this year’s champion is going to be him!”

As the wind moved with the dragon, the water dragon flew swiftly, generating a tremendous sound. Prince Bao, who had not anticipated the prowess of Leng Yan’s magical technique, hastily summoned the mystic ice shield to defend himself. Unfortunately for him, Leng Yan’s water dragon, formed from the primordial source of water, rendered Prince Bao’s technique ineffective. Before he could even form it, it had already become part of the water dragon.

“Explode!” Prince Bao, regaining his composure in shock, quickly retreated, throwing his folding fan to detonate it, trying to hold back the water dragon’s power.

“Boom!”

The explosion of a low-grade treasure tool had significant force, just barely stopping the water dragon. Water droplets filled the sky, showering down like a heavy rain and washing over the entire arena.

“What? Still not ready to concede?” Leng Yan flicked his sleeve, dispersing the water droplets, and said with a faint smile.

Leng Yan hadn’t expected Prince Bao to sacrifice a low-grade treasure tool to block his attack!

If this were a personal duel, Leng Yan wouldn’t waste time with words and would have seized the opportunity to attack, leaving no chance for a counterattack.

However, since they were in the arena, Leng Yan aimed to conserve his strength for upcoming challenges, so he tried to force Prince Bao to submit. It would break his confidence and compel him to admit defeat.

Prince Bao’s face was filled with reluctance and anger, yet he had no choice. After a long pause, he gritted his teeth and said fiercely, “I concede, but one day, I will repay you for everything that happened today!”

“Good! I’ve been waiting for this day! But before that, you must leave your eyes behind! That’s our wager!” Leng Yan watched the dark clouds in the sky, waved his hand to enlarge the netherworld ghost banner, collecting all the ghost souls into it, then put it away, and coldly said to Prince Bao, who was filled with reluctance.

“You must not push people too far!” Prince Bao clenched his fists, trembling as he spoke.

“Pushing too far? I don’t think so! If it were you who lost today, would you spare my legs? This is the wager. Are you thinking of welching?” Leng Yan’s eyes gleamed like those of a wild beast, emitting a chilling light as he coldly stated.

“That’s too cruel! Isn’t this a blatant insult?” A disciple stepped back and whispered.

“Exactly! Forcing someone to gouge out their own eyes, how cruel. This man is ruthless, we must never provoke him in the future,” another disciple whispered.

“So, will you do it yourself, or shall I help you?” Leng Yan, hearing the murmurs of the outsiders, sneered. Cruel? Hmph! That’s exactly the effect I want-to let everyone know I’m ruthless and not someone to be trifled with. In this world where only the strong survive, if you don’t want to die, you must be prepared to battle to the death.

At this moment, Prince Bao’s mind was in utter chaos. If he didn’t concede, it would only be a matter of time before Leng Yan found an opportunity to kill him. He raised his right hand, looked at his fingers, but no matter what, he couldn’t bring himself to gouge out his own eyes. Such an act of cruelty.

However, upon hearing Leng Yan’s words, Prince Bao found unexpected courage, his fingers shooting out two icicles as fast as lightning.

“Ah!”

Blood spurted as Prince Bao’s eyes were destroyed. Although he was still conscious and could see the surroundings, the humiliation of being forced to gouge out his own eyes weighed on him like a mountain.

With his fists clenched and enduring the pain, he walked step by step towards the arena, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

Watching Prince Bao leave, Leng Yan’s heart was filled with murderous intent. A defeated foe, if disheartened, is no trouble, but someone like Prince Bao, who endures humiliation to survive, would surely be a major threat later. This reminded Leng Yan of Fang Rui, another person of great ambition.

Xuan Yi sat on the stage, looking at Leng Yan with a smile on his lips, seemingly very pleased with Leng Yan’s performance.

“This man must be killed! We cannot let him live, or else there will be endless trouble!”

Just as Leng Yan harbored murderous intent, a man dressed in white robes with a streak of white hair and a completely expressionless face stepped onto the arena.

“My name is Yi Shuihan. I would like to challenge you to a contest of sword techniques. We will not use any magical techniques or magical treasures, just pure swordplay. How about it?” Yi Shuihan said evenly, devoid of any emotion.

“Wouldn’t that put me at a disadvantage!” Leng Yan also wiped the smile off his face, feeling deep inside that this man was very dangerous.

“A disadvantage! Not at all. No matter the outcome of our duel, you will be the victor,” Yi Shuihan continued, still unflustered.

“So, you’re saying you just want to battle me for the sake of battling, and not for any reward?”

“That’s one way to put it! How about it? Do you dare to battle?”

“Life never ceases, so why should battle?” Suddenly, Leng Yan felt his blood boiling, and a surge of battle intent rose within him.

Before the battle even started, an aura had already spread out, capturing the attention of everyone around.

The two tacitly dispersed their magical power, and the glow from their flying swords also faded. Now, a sword was just a sword!

A fallen leaf, stirred by the wind, drifted between them. As it obscured their view, both simultaneously unleashed a sword qi, slicing the leaf to shreds!

The destruction of the leaf also symbolized the beginning of their combat. The two moved at the same time, leaving only afterimages in their original places, while they clashed with sparks flying in the air.

Both moved incredibly fast, without any fancy tricks. Yi Shuihan’s swordplay was fluid like flowing water, each move seamlessly connecting to the next. Leng Yan’s swordplay, honed over more than a decade on the brink of life and death, was deadly with every strike.

There was no grandeur of magical techniques, no brilliance of magical treasures, just the constant flashing of crossing swords.

In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged a thousand blows, and both had accumulated several wounds. Leng Yan’s injuries were on his arms and waist, showing that Yi Shuihan’s strikes, unlike his cold demeanor, still left a sliver of a chance for survival.

Looking at Yi Shuihan’s wounds, they were all near fatal areas. If not for his quick reactions, he would likely have been severely injured or even dead.

“Your sword reflects who you are, cold as ice, yet your technique leaves room for life, preventing you from unleashing your full potential!” Leng Yan flicked his Azure Sky Sword, creating three sword flowers aimed at Yi Shuihan’s throat, heart, and Dantian.

Yi Shuihan’s eyes sharpened as his steps swiftly shifted, his long sword parrying and redirecting Leng Yan’s attack. “Well said. I’m using this duel to change myself. If I succeed, I owe you a debt of gratitude,” Yi Shuihan replied. His singular passion for the art of the sword drove him to challenge Leng Yan, hoping to use the pressure to push himself to a breakthrough.

“I don’t wish to lose a worthy opponent!” Leng Yan exclaimed, relishing a battle this exhilarating after so long. Facing a capable adversary, he was determined not to let the opportunity slip away.

With his heart aligned with his sword, and his movements following his intent, Leng Yan gradually reached his peak state where the world consisted only of him and Yi Shuihan. Sword clashed against sword, and though both were wounded, they remained silent, accelerating like lightning.

As the battle continued, Leng Yan sensed Yi Shuihan’s evolving swordsmanship starting to suppress him, leading to the possibility of defeat. Yet, without a hint of panic, Leng Yan’s strikes grew fiercer.

Their rapid exchanges amounted to hundreds, even thousands of blows in mere minutes. Despite the lack of flashy techniques, the intensity of the battle was enough to stir anyone’s spirit. Their silhouettes blurred, sparks flew, and occasionally droplets of blood splattered.

Growing stronger as he fought, Leng Yan felt his battle intent rising, generating heat between his brows. A golden character for “battle” slowly rotated, casting threads of golden light throughout his body.

Under this golden light, the essence blood of the Dragon Emperor also began to circulate, refining itself. What was once overpowering essence blood now behaved like a docile lamb, subtly and steadily strengthening Leng Yan’s physique.