Supreme Sword Exalt

After witnessing Gu Han’s overwhelming strength, the fatty suddenly understood. “I never expected this bastard to achieve the Supreme Stage... No wonder he can stand toe-to-toe with me. Tsk tsk, to accomplish such a feat in this backwater place, he’s quite the talent!”

Pretending not to hear the fatty’s insults toward Gu Han, Jiang Feng asked curiously, “Brother Fatty, may I ask, what is the Supreme Stage?”

Beside him, Mei Yun also wore a look of eager curiosity. “Yeah, what is the Supreme Stage?”

The fatty stood with his hands behind his back, exuding an air of profound wisdom.

“Hehe. Actually, the Supreme Stage isn’t some great secret. However, given your limited insight, it’s understandable you wouldn’t know. Listen well. The so-called Supreme Stage...” At the same time, he couldn’t resist taking another jab at Gu Han. “Judging by the density of his spirit qi, he’s clearly achieved the Supreme Stage in the Qi Condensation realm. But, well, he can only show off in this small place. Still, it’s more than enough to deal with that half-baked Fire Spirit Physique.”

His explanation left the two men filled with admiration.

Mei Yun forced a bitter smile.

“Just the Supreme Stage in the Qi Condensation realm is so perilous. Then what about later... Huh? Wait a minute!” Mid-sentence, he suddenly realized something and stared suspiciously at the fatty. “I just checked your jade token. You’re He Zheng from Fan Ding City, right? How... how...”

He wanted to say, How do you know more than I do? Which one of us is the instructor, here?

The fatty spun a lie effortlessly. “No need to make a fuss. My family has an ancient text that records many strange tales. I learned it from there.”

Jiang Feng grew intrigued. “Brother Fatty, could you lend it to me?”

The fatty spread his hands. “It’s gone. A few years ago, I was bored and burned it...”

Jiang Feng was speechless.

At that moment, the battle in the arena had reached a feverish pitch.

***

The clash of spirit qi continued. Under the onslaught of the raging qi, the sturdy greenstone ground tore apart like paper. Endless clouds of dust obstructed the two combatants, leaving only the three instructors to be able to glimpse the fight.

Within the dust, Jiang Hong’s voice rang out. “I never expected that you’d have such strength.”

Gu Han’s tone was laced with mockery. “It seems like your Fire Spirit Physique isn’t all that impressive.”

With his power fully unleashed, Gu Han’s spirit qi pressed Jiang Hong’s fiery red qi into retreat, leaving the latter almost powerless to resist. However, he wasn’t unscathed. The scorching heat left numerous burns on him. Only now did Jiang Hong realize Gu Han’s true prowess, raising his estimation of the young man by several levels.

“Not impressive? You won’t be saying that soon anymore!”

As his words fell, a furious roar erupted from Jiang Hong. His fiery red spirit qi underwent a bizarre transformation, swiftly coiling around his spear as if gaining life. In the blink of an eye, a half-zhang-long, vaguely defined creature materialized before Gu Han.

It was a fire dragon!

“Go to hell!”

Empowered by the dragon, Jiang Hong’s aura surged dramatically. With a twist of his spear, he shattered Gu Han’s spirit qi suppression. The spear’s tip, now adorned with the fire dragon’s red eyes, radiated unbearable heat as the dragon’s maw lunged for Gu Han’s throat.

“That roar... what is it?”

“Why does it feel even hotter now?”

One spectator, seemingly privy to some inside information, exclaimed excitedly, “This is His Highness’s trump card! His Highness was born with the Fire Spirit Physique! A senior from the upper sect specially obtained a high-grade Earth-tier technique for him. It’s called the Fire Dragon Art! Who’d have thought that we’d witness it today!”

“Fire Dragon Art?”

“Damn, look at that momentum... Who could possibly block it?”

The crowd buzzed with discussion, their eyes glued to the battle. With the eldest prince revealing his trump card, Gu Han was surely doomed.

Elder Wu sensed Jiang Hong’s killing intent and grew anxious. “What should we do? That kid has achieved the Supreme Stage! He’s a rare genius! With him, Great Qi’s chances in the upcoming Ten Nations Martial Academy tournament would soar! We can’t let anything happen to him.”

Elder Feng also felt a surge of protectiveness. “Agreed. If he loses later, we’ll step in to save him... Hm? What’s that?”

Before he could finish, his expression changed drastically. His spirit sense that was honed over years, detected a sudden, razor-sharp aura erupting from the battlefield. Is that... sword qi?

Commander Zhou, who had remained calm, showed a flicker of alarm. “This is bad. His Highness is in danger!”

Without hesitation, he dashed forward.

***

Roar!!!

The fire dragon bellowed again, now a mere few chi away from Gu Han. Gu Han’s hair and clothes ignited.

Unfazed, Gu Han channeled his full power into his sword. “All flairs, with no substance! You’re still unimpressive.”

He swung his sword down toward the fire dragon, and five streaks of light flashed—the Great Evolution Sword Qi. The intertwined sword qi was incomparably sharp. It tore through the mighty fire dragon, shooting straight for Jiang Hong’s forehead.

Jiang Hong’s face paled in disbelief. “Impossible!”

A sense of danger gripped his heart. Am I going to die?

Just before the blow could reach him, a figure appeared before him, grabbing the streak of light before crushing it in his palm.

A commanding voice echoed in everyone’s ears. “Enough! The match ends here.”

It was Commander Zhou. With a sweep of his sleeve, the dust cleared, revealing Gu Han and Jiang Hong once more.

The crowd was bewildered.

“It’s over?”

“Then... who won?”

“Idiots, use your eyes! That guy’s hair and clothes are burned. He’s a mess. Does that look like a winner?”

“Exactly! His Highness is so strong. How could he lose?”

Listening to the chatter, Jiang Feng grew worried and hurried over. “Brother Gu, are you alright?”

The fatty sauntered over leisurely.

“There’s nothing to worry about! You should be asking if that redhead’s okay. That’s it? ‘Fire Spirit Physique’, ‘Peerless Genius’ my ass.” He then glanced at Gu Han. “Had it been me fighting him, I wouldn’t have looked so pathetic.”

The fatty stiffened. “Cough... That’s a nice sword you’ve got there. Let me take a look...”

Ignoring him, Gu Han turned to Jiang Hong, who wore a dazed expression. “Are you convinced now?”

The crowd’s hearts skipped a beat. What does that mean...? Wasn’t the eldest prince the winner?

Commander Zhou frowned. “Enough! This matter ends here! There’s no need for further matches!”

Gu Han wasn’t surprised. “No more? What about the promised reward...”

“Someone will take you to the armory to choose later!”

Gu han grinned. “Good!”

Although he had no use for a low-grade Earth-tier technique, selling it could still fetch him a good sum of essence crystals.

Then, he seemed to recall something. “Oh, right! What about the supreme-grade spirit artifact you promised? You aren’t going back on your word, are you?”

He understood that with so many eyes watching, he’d have no chance to kill Jiang Hong. As such, he didn’t dwell on Commander Zhou’s intervention. Still, when it came to his rightful rewards, he was meticulous.

Jiang Hong forced out the words through gritted teeth. “I won’t!”

It was over. The crowd needed no further explanation. Their invincible eldest prince had suffered an utter defeat. Even Commander Zhou had to step in to salvage his dignity.

For a moment, the spectators stood dejected, their hearts in turmoil. It was as if Gu Han’s sword hadn’t just defeated Jiang Hong, but also shattered their faith.

In the distance, Liu Tong murmured in disbelief, “Cousin... Junior Sister, you said he was nobody special. So why... why did my cousin lose to him...?”

Liu Ying remained silent. The bitterness in her heart was hers alone to bear. He must not be allowed to live!

Nearby, Yu Hua’s face was expressionless, but the killing intent in his eyes was unmistakable.

Seeing the crowd’s morale plummet, Commander Zhou frowned deeply. “Enough! This matter—Hm? Who dares trespass into our Martial Academy?”

Mid-sentence, his expression turned frosty as he stared into the distance. A figure approached rapidly, soon appearing before the crowd.

Commander Zhou demanded an answer. “Who are you? How dare you—”

“Manager Murong sent me!” The words cut Commander Zhou off abruptly.

Recognizing the newcomer, Gu Han’s heart sank. “Steward Qian? Why are you here?”

Qian Liu was in a hurry. “Young Friend, that girl, Ah Sha, she’s in trouble!”

The usually unfazed Gu Han turned ashen as his voice trembled. “What?! She—! Never mind! I’ll go see her!”

Without another word, he sprinted off. Qian Liu followed without sparing the others another glance.

The fatty clicked his tongue. “Tsk tsk. Who’s this guy, acting so high and mighty?”

Mei Yun panicked, pulling him aside to explain in a hushed tone, “Be careful with your words!”

The fatty scoffed. The Murong family? If it’s about backing, I fear no one!

Jiang Feng frowned deeply. What could have happened to Ah Sha...?

***

Commander Zhou turned to Jiang Hong, who seemed lost in thought. “Your Highness, you—”

Jiang Hong suddenly said, his eyes burning with resentment. “I need to find Uncle Du!”

Commander Zhou was shocked. “Elder Du?”

“This is a secret, but he arrived in the capital a few days ago.”

“What? Elder Du is here? Why? The capital is nothing to him...”

Jiang Hong shook his head. “It was Master’s arrangement. I can’t say more. After leaving the academy, I’ll ask him for pills to break through to the Essence Gathering realm. The academy trials are set in half a month. I’ll reclaim my lost pride.”

Losing to Gu Han had cost him dearly, both in reputation and pride. Regaining control of the Martial Academy would be far harder now. The only way to restore his dignity was to have a rematch with Gu Han in front of everyone, defeat, or even kill him.

Commander Zhou hesitated, choosing not to say anything. No one noticed that the hand he had used to block Gu Han’s sword qi had been reduced to a mangled, bloody mess. Only he knew how terrifying Gu Han’s true strength was with the Supreme Stage.

He didn’t hold much hope for Jiang Hong.

***

In the distance, Elders Wu and Feng exchanged glances, delighted by Jiang Hong’s defeat. Defeating the eldest prince, achieving the Supreme Stage, and possessing extraordinary sword skills were such an extraordinary talent! That young man wasn’t just Mei Yun’s treasure, but the whole Martial Academy’s treasure.

“This kid has a bright future!”

“Indeed! With him here, it’s a win for our academy!”

“Hehe, it won’t be a stretch to say he can even stand against that prodigy from Great Chu!”

“Absolutely! But is placing him under Mei Yun a bit reckless?”

Their hearts sank. In their desperation, they even considered breaking academy rules to take Gu Han from Mei Yun. After all, the man was notorious for being The Jinx. What if he dragged this once-in-a-generation genius down with him?

At the same time, in a corner of the academy, the old janitor picked up his broom and resumed sweeping leaves.

He chuckled. “Interesting kid. What a pity you’re not the one I need.”

***

In the heaven-class room, Murong Chuan stood with his hands behind his back, lost in thought.

This is strange... Too strange!

Just then, the barrier rippled. Gu Han had returned in record time. “Ah Sha!”

At the sight before him, his heart turned to ice.