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Wen Ziran was as gentle as water as he stood on the lake surface. He withdrew his sharpness as if he became one with Nine Dragons Lake.
His movements looked natural like a treasured saber drifting with the waves and going with the flow.
“Bang!”
The space in front folded. Vague, hazy images of mountains and rivers appeared.
A white figure extremely far away took a step forward and stood on the lake surface just one kilometer away from Wen Ziran in the next moment.
Ying Qiong immediately looked over with glittering eyes.
“Xiao Chen is here!”
“He is finally here. If he still did not come, the sun would set already.”
“Haha! Now, our Profound Domain’s bladesmen are firmly suppressing the swordsmen. The battle between these two peak rising bladesmen will definitely be a feast for our eyes.”
Xiao Chen’s appearance made everyone sigh in relief. Otherwise, the battle they were anticipating would not take place, which everyone felt would be a pity.
“Sorry. Something delayed me, so I arrived late,” Xiao Chen said apologetically with a cupped-fist salute as he sized up Wen Ziran.
“You arrived before sunset; that is not considered late. Let’s compete with the saber first?”
Wen Ziran’s aura was like water. However, he possessed a decisive character, not dragging his feet. When Xiao Chen arrived, Wen Ziran immediately prepared for battle.
From a certain point of view, Wen Ziran was very similar to Xiao Chen. They were both people who did not like dealing with nonsense and pleasantries.
Xiao Chen nodded to indicate that he had no objections.
The right hands of the two quickly grasped their respective saber hilts at the same time.
At this instant, their auras suddenly changed. They both unleashed their own sharpness.
A myriad sabers clashed, resounding over the surface of the immense lake surface, clanging without end.
This collision raised thousands of water pillars containing boundless saber intent that surged up, soaring into the clouds and above.
Lights as resplendent as the sun appeared. Lunar Shadow and River Water both left the two’s right hands at the same time, shooting forward like meteors.
The atmosphere of a great battle suddenly descended upon the spectators just like that.
No one expected the two of them to be so decisive, starting the duel without saying anything more than necessary.
Compete with the saber. What was competing with the saber?
Bladesmen were no strangers to this concept. Simply put, it was tossing out one’s saber at each other. In the instant the two sabers clashed, the one that was knocked flying was the loser.
Competing with the saber looked like a simple action, but it actually involved many things—aura, cultivation, will, saber soul, the angle the saber was drawn, the grasp of the environment, and one’s comprehension of Saber Technique.
Any differences between the two would result in a disadvantage during the competition between sabers.
Aside from the above factors, there was still a very important factor—the saber itself.
In a clash between an ordinary saber and a famous peak saber, it was clear which would have an advantage.
When the talents and strength of both sides were on a par with each other, very frequently, it was the saber that decided the victory.
Seeing that Xiao Chen did not hesitate to agree to Wen Ziran’s request to compete with the saber, the spectators above the clouds were all astonished.
Within the Profound Domain, everyone knew that the Saber Sovereign Wu Xiaotian had personally forged Wen Ziran’s River Water Saber. The materials used for it, the effort put into it were all for it to break into the Divine Weapon Ranking.
Although the River Water Saber was currently a Sub-Divine Weapon, when it advanced to a Divine Weapon, it would definitely break into the Divine Weapon Ranking, becoming one of the ten great Divine Weapons. The Divine Might that it contained would rival that of an Emperor Grade Secret Treasure.
The name of this saber was River Water. Its fame had spread everywhere, having already chopped down countless older-generation cultivators and Secret Treasures in the past few years.
During the Saber School Ranking competition, Wen Ziran used this saber to fell eight great grandmaster-level Martial Sages, making it into the top ten of the Saber School Ranking and raising the reputation of this saber even higher.
“This Xiao Chen is too arrogant. Unexpectedly, he dares to compete with sabers with Wen Ziran.”
“How unfortunate! I originally still held some anticipation for this duel. Now, there will probably be nothing to watch.”
“If his own saber cannot make it, he should just be honest about it. Why the need to be stubborn? Given Wen Ziran’s character, he would definitely give up on competing with sabers. They would both fight using sabers of similar quality.”
“He still wants to participate in the King conferral ceremony? I think it is best that he not go, lest he embarrass himself.”
“Haha! Why care about him? In any case, I placed my bet on Wen Ziran.”
“That’s true.”
The many bladesmen in the crowd erupted in discussion, all expressing their pity.
However, these bladesmen could not be blamed for their partisanship, which was simply because the fame of the River Water Saber was too great in the Profound Domain.
Lord Jiu’s ears were very sensitive. When he heard the discussions around, he could not help but lose confidence. “Fatty, are you sure of what you said?!”
At this moment, Jin Dabao was not feeling very confident, either. He could not help but glance at Ying Qiong.
Ying Qiong’s expression turned grave. She muttered to herself, “This is somewhat strange. Given Wen Ziran’s character, he would not ask to compete with the saber when he knows that his saber is better. What’s going on?”
When Jin Dabao heard that, his face instantly turned bitter. “It’s over. This Fat Lord is done for this time.”
Back at the lake, the two did not care about what the others were saying.
The Lunar Shadow Saber lit up with fulgurous purple light. As electricity gathered around it, it spun in the air, leaving a trail of dazzling lightning that caused the sky to darken for no apparent reason.
When everyone looked, they saw thunderclouds massing in the sky, moving together with the Lunar Shadow Saber.
The surging thunderclouds seemed to contain a True Dragon accompanying the saber, breathing and spitting clouds. The wind, clouds, and lightning all around roiled.
As the saber flew, it caused heaven and earth to move with it. Xiao Chen completely grasped the essence of competing with sabers; his toss was simply flawless and perfect.
However, the more it was so, the more the observing cultivators felt it was a pity. Such exquisite skills with the saber proved that Xiao Chen lived up to his reputation. However, the saber in his hand was just not powerful enough. By competing with sabers, he would definitely lose.
Several people even sighed softly. The reason was none other than disappointment at having one less superb fight between bladesmen. Perhaps this fight might be the one that they would regret not being able to see for the rest of their lives.
On the other side, Wen Ziran’s saber was as gentle as water. Its gentle aura was like a trickle of flowing water.
However, after Wen Ziran drew the saber, the aura of his saber changed with every breath. The sound of mountains erupting echoed everywhere, competing with the thunder.
The saber spun endlessly. Rain clouds gathered in the sky above, and heavy rain poured down.
The raindrops were like sabers; tinkling sounds rang out as they landed on the water. They hummed, trembling like treasured sabers.
The rain that fell became thousands of sabers hidden at the bottom of the lake.
The sound of sabers sang through the water, moving with the undercurrent, roaring endlessly like a mighty dragon. The rain clouds in the sky resonated with it, resisting the fifty kilometers of thunderclouds baring claws and fangs.
The name of this saber was River Water, making the falling water like sabers.
Amid the cool breeze and rain, the blue-robed Wen Ziran looked extraordinary. As he stood on the lake surface, dragons roared.
It seemed like time stopped at this Nine Dragons Lake. Xiao Chen and Wen Ziran stood calmly on the water surface, the horrifying mysterious phenomena not affecting them at all.
The hearts of bladesmen were absolutely calm, absolutely rational. Nothing external could interrupt them.
When the cultivators watched the two spinning sabers narrowing the distance to each other, several of them could not help but close their eyes, unwilling to see the result.
This end was set from the very start. Without the appearance of a Divine Weapon, how could there be a saber that could beat the famous River Water Saber?
Ying Qiong’s heart could not help but thump loudly. Anxiety filled her face as she muttered to herself.
“This idiot. That is the famous River Water Saber, the treasured saber that the Saber Sovereign Wu Xiaotian made to break into the Divine Weapon Ranking.
“Wasn’t this fellow very smart? Why did he brainlessly agree to compete with the saber?”
Of course, time did not really stop. However, the combined power of the two sabers made everyone feel as if time slowed down. What would happen would happen. When the two sabers were about to come into contact, they suddenly accelerated.
Both sabers moved in a flash, surpassing what the eyes of many cultivators could capture as they clashed with each other.
Before the spectators could understand what was happening, they heard a crisp sound coming from the center of the lake. Light encased the two sabers, electricity flickered, and two dragons fought.
A waterspout soared into the clouds, instantly sweeping up the two sabers and making the chaotic scene even more confusing. For a while, no one could see the situation inside.
High in the sky, thunderclouds and rain clouds warred, giving off loud sounds that reverberated everywhere. Patches of clouds scattered, like the sky broke, scaring everyone.
The dragon roars coming from the undercurrents in the lake under Wen Ziran’s feet slowly turned into groans of defeat. Ripples spread on the water, and waves soared up. While Wen Ziran was moving up and down on the water, blood had started trickling out of a corner of his lips at some point in time.
“What’s going on?!”
When the spectators saw the blood from Wen Ziran’s mouth and the calm Xiao Chen, they all felt that something was off. However, at the place where the light shone, dragon roars resounded endlessly. The place was chaotic; no one could clearly see the result.
Someone said softly, “At the moment of contact, I seemed to have heard the sound of a saber breaking. Could it be that one of the sabers broke?”
“That should be Xiao Chen’s saber. No one can break the famed River Water without a Divine Weapon.”
“It looks like when Wen Ziran broke Xiao Chen’s saber, he was also significantly injured. That would explain it.”
“How unfortunate! This is truly unfortunate. Although I don’t want to say it, Xiao Chen’s loss was truly undeserved.”
No one believed that the River Water Saber would break. Since a saber broke, it had to be Xiao Chen’s.
Jin Dabao looked around and laughed rambunctiously. He fanned himself with his gold fan and said, “This…Sister Ying Qiong…This Fat Lord is going to go relieve himself. My stomach is not too strong.”
When the fatty saw that something was not right, he wanted to take the opportunity to slip out. However, when he took a step, several Ying Clan cultivators blocked his way with murderous intent written on their faces.
A ‘bang’ came from the deck. Someone caught Lord Jiu, who had tried to sneak out in advance, and tossed him back heavily. Now, he returned with an awkward smile.
When the fatty saw the situation, he immediately kept quiet. He knelt on the deck, frowning as he fanned himself. If one were not aware of the circumstances, one would really think that he was having stomach problems.
Ying Qiong did not care about the two. Her pretty face was clouded with doubt, some disappointment, and some worry.
“Bang!”
The chaos at the center of the lake slowly settled down. The waterspout shrank and collapsed into the lake. The clashing thunderclouds and rain clouds also gradually dispersed.
Sunlight poured over the land again. Then, it intensified. Under the blazing sun, the surface of the lake gleamed and dazzled, appearing clear and crystalline.
After everything calmed down, only one saber remained floating above the lake. As it welcomed the fierce sun, it stood proudly, flickering with light and dazzling people’s eyes.
