Hai Tian brandished his longsword, unleashing a jet of Sword Qi. Although his strength had been stagnant at the level of a Tier Two Demon Swordsman for years, the mastery of his swordsmanship and Cultivation Technique was far beyond comparison to an ordinary Demon Swordsman of the sa rank. He sneered at Ling Xiao, his wrist vibrating with subtle, high-speed motions, and the longsword instantly ford a curtain of blades!
The fight was taking place right at the entrance of the Xiangxie Inn. The patrons who could afford to dine there were almost exclusively royalty and high nobility—all people of eminent status. When they saw the spectacular fight, they all stopped to watch. So recognized the Grand Imperial Prince, Li Tianlie, and hurried over to pay their respects. In stark contrast, the Southern King’s Crown Prince, Li Tianluo, was left looking desolate and alone. Almost no one recognized him, and the very few who did pretended not to in Li Tianlie’s presence.
Though Li Tianluo was mature, he could only sigh inwardly at the scene. His composure, however, remained steady. Having lived in the Crown Prince’s shadow for so many years, he had long grown accustod to it and wouldn’t let the slightest hint of dissatisfaction show on his face.
Li Tianlie had no intention of introducing his brother to these people either. The Southern King’s influence had grown quite strong recently, and he certainly had no desire to add to his glory.
Not many people recognized Ling Xiao either, since he was always studying at the Imperial Academy. Even fewer recognized Hai Tian. While many had heard his na, the number of royals and nobles who had actually t him was negligible.
But that didn’t diminish the crowd’s interest in the spectacular fight. So of the more gambling-inclined onlookers even started a betting pool on the side. One shouldn’t underestimate such a pool—a single bet was at least one thousand Gold Coins, and you couldn’t even join for less.
Ling Xiao was currently on the ropes. A group of nobles excitedly watched the fight, while the man who had started the betting pool—a refined-looking man of about thirty—was trying to eloquently persuade everyone to bet on Ling Xiao to win.
Unfortunately, almost everyone favored the veteran Hai Tian. His sword technique was immaculate, his Inner Strength vast and deep. He had the boy backing up constantly; it was obvious the youth was no match for him.
Soone jeered at the young man with a smirk, "Constanda, just give it up! Haha! Who asked you to start this pool anyway? You’ve only got yourself to bla!"
The young man nad Constanda gave a disdainful smile and pointed at the speaker. "Count Nalan, you’re quite mistaken. Why would that young man fight an opponent he couldn’t possibly beat if he wasn’t confident? That’s why I’m standing by him. The odds on the boy are five to one!"
Count Nalan’s eyes went wide. He jabbed a finger at Constanda. "You’re shaless! How could Chancellor Constant have a son as slippery as you? Trying to trick us? Not a chance! I’m betting on the old man to win. One thousand Gold Coins!" With that, he took out a pouch of coins, tossed it onto the pile for Hai Tian, and strutted smugly to the side to watch the show.
Constanda’s expression darkened as he cursed the shalessness of these nobles. In just a short ti, he’d taken in five to six thousand Gold Coins in bets, every last one of them for Hai Tian. While five or six thousand Gold Coins wasn’t a massive sum for his father, Chancellor Constant, the whole affair was deeply humiliating.
’For the dignified son of the Imperial Chancellor to have shot himself in the foot like this... How pathetic.’
Just as he was stewing in regret, soone approached and said softly, "I’ll bet on the boy to win. One thousand Gold Coins." The person then produced a jade pendant and offered it to Constanda. "This can serve as collateral."
’Finally, a sucker cos along, and he turns out to be a fraud.’ Constanda was about to fire back with a sarcastic comnt when his expression froze. His noble upbringing allowed him to recognize the carving on the pendant at a single glance: it was the imperial totem, the Blast Fla Lion King! Only mbers of the Royal Family were permitted to use pendants like this.
He swallowed the words that were halfway out of his mouth and took the pendant with a wide grin. "Yes, yes, of course! No problem at all!"
Yisha had wanted to bet one thousand Gold Coins on her "Brother Ling Xiao" to win, but she didn’t have that kind of money. Fortunately, Li Tianluo read her mind and told her with a smile, "Let’s just say this bet is from Brother Ling Xiao himself. I have a good feeling about him. If he wins, the money is his!"
Yisha gave a faint smile and said softly, "Thank you for supporting him."
"It’s only right. We’re friends!"
"Kaelin is still waiting inside, isn’t she?" Yisha asked, her voice a bit absentminded. Her eyes were glued to the increasingly fierce battle between the two n, her heart pounding with anxiety.
"It’s fine, she can wait a little... Ah!" As Li Tianluo spoke, he suddenly saw the two combatants spring apart. At the sa instant, a collective gasp rose from the crowd.
Ling Xiao’s breathing was slightly ragged, but he watched Hai Tian with a sly, teasing look on his face.
Hai Tian, however, glared back at Ling Xiao with undisguised panic in his eyes. He was utterly terrified. ’It’s like this kid knows my every move before I make it! Every one of his sword strikes cos later but lands first. And his Inner Strength... it’s nearly as deep as my own!’ The frustration made Hai Tian feel like he was about to cough up blood.
Just a mont ago, Hai Tian had unleashed his proudest move, only to have his sword hand pierced by Ling Xiao’s Fine Willow Sword. The wound wasn’t deep, but it shattered Hai Tian’s confidence and left him shaken.
The crowd gasped because those with sharp eyes could see blood trickling down the blade of Hai Tian’s sword, dripping from the hilt he had pulled back into his sleeve.
Constanda stared at Ling Xiao, dumbfounded, as if he were seeing a ghost. His eyes darted to the ground where the jade pendant lay next to five or six bags of Gold Coins. He stomped his foot in frustration, muttering dejectedly, "Damn it! My nerve... No wonder Father always says I’m not bold enough..."
Hai Tian’s eyes blazed with boundless killing intent. "Boy," he snarled, "you forced my hand!" As he spoke, his longsword erupted with Sword Qi. The very air seed to be sucked dry, accompanied by a series of sharp cracking sounds.
WHOOSH!
With a violent roar, Hai Tian’s sword swept viciously toward Ling Xiao, carrying an unstoppable, ferocious montum. The dust on the ground was instantly whipped into several small whirlwinds, nearly sweeping away even the heavy pouches of Gold Coins!
Constanda quickly pinned the pouches with his foot and snatched up the jade pendant just before the wind could carry it away, his eyes wide with terror as he stared at the fight.
Several of Li Tianlie’s guards materialized like phantoms, moving to shield their master while watching the fight with grave expressions.
A solemn look also appeared on Ling Xiao’s face. He pointed the tip of his Fine Willow Sword at the ground and flicked it sharply upward... A shower of sparks erupted from the hard, flat bluestone pavers as the blade carved a long, thin, deep groove into them!
Once again, the sword struck Hai Tian’s wrist with perfect accuracy. The longsword flew from his grasp, still pulsing with imnse power.
THUNK!
The blade shot into the incredibly hard bluestone ground ahead, embedding itself so deeply that even the hilt disappeared. Everyone stared in horror. ’So this is the power of a Demon Swordsman!’
"ARGH!" Hai Tian roared. His left hand ford a claw and shot toward Ling Xiao’s head, his fingers whistling through the air. But just as his hand was about to connect, he felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his chest.
"Impossible!" Hai Tian’s eyes nearly bulged from their sockets as he looked down at the sword tip piercing his heart. There... through his torn clothes, a small, polished Heart-Protecting Mirror glinted.
With a flick of his wrist, Ling Xiao withdrew the Fine Willow Sword, and a torrent of blood gushed out.
"Have you never tried focusing all your power into the tip of the blade?" Ling Xiao asked, his face a mask of indifference. "Idiot."
A gurgle escaped Hai Tian’s throat. He tried to speak, but his vision was already fading to black. Finally, his body went limp, and he crumpled to the ground.
Thus, Hai Tian—a formidable Martial Artist of his generation and a Demon Swordsman who had been wanted by the Empire for over a decade yet remained free—had finally walked the last steps of his life. His eyes remained open, vacant, as if even in death he could not comprehend how Ling Xiao’s blade had pierced the Heart-Protecting Mirror he wore, one forged from cold iron.
Ling Xiao’s face was flushed, and his hair was soaked with sweat. He let out a long, slow breath, having finally expended all the Inner Strength in his Dantian. That final strike had focused the entirety of his power into the tip of his blade.
He flicked Hai Tian’s chest with his longsword, revealing the blood-stained, cold-iron Heart-Protecting Mirror.
"This thing was wasted on you." With a wave of his hand, Ling Xiao sent the cold-iron Heart-Protecting Mirror into his ring.
Then, under the dumbfounded stares of the entire crowd, he nonchalantly strolled over to the Grand Imperial Prince, Li Tianlie.
"You’ve been deceived, Prince. He is the wanted criminal, Hai Tian."
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