A Blind Swordsman's Sword Coffin

Lu Chengyan slashed his fan blade at Li Guanqi’s neck. To his horror, no matter how he swung, his blade always stayed three inches short of Li Guanqi.

This lasted no more than a breath before the realization struck—Li Guanqi was retreating at precisely the same speed he was advancing.

Li Chengyan furrowed his brow and twisted his wrist, angling his blade to slash at Li Guanqi’s shoulder instead.

Li Guanqi, however, showed no concern. To him, Lu Chengyan was moving as slowly as an old lady back at Prosperity Village.

He shifted his feet, slipping to Lu Chengyan’s flank. With a casual shrug, he let the sword box slide from his back, then slammed it into Lu Chengyan’s shoulder.

Boom!

To the audience, it seemed as if both men had been moving in unison at the same speed. Then, all at once, Lu Chengyan was sent hurtling backward like a cannonball, flying a dozen zhang through the air.

Blood sprayed from his mouth before he even hit the ground. As he tumbled back, it felt as if every bone in his body were about to dislocate. Struggling mid-spin, he finally managed to plant his feet, leaving two long gouges on the stage as he skidded to a halt.

His left shoulder was dislocated, and the forearm bone he’d used to block the sword box was fractured.

Only now did Lu Chengyan grasp just how heavy the sword box was.

“Hmph!”

He widened the gap between them once more, surging with vital force as he roared, “Fourth Sun! Knife Qi!”

Buzz!

Azure-colored knife rays, each one inch long, shot out continuously from his fan blade. Li Guanqi smiled and muttered, “No wonder he’s so fast. He has the rare Wind Spirit Root. He’s able to release knife rays at just the Foundation Building Realm... Impressive!”

But when Lu Chengyan saw Li Guanqi still standing there, unmoved, a flicker of panic crossed his face. He decisively swallowed a special azure-colored pill. At once, a thick vein bulged at his neck, his face flushed red, and the glowing book in his hand snapped open again.

“Fifth Sun! Strength Boost!”

A fierce aura erupted from Lu Chengyan’s body. Beneath his robes, his muscles swelled, and blood vessels crawled across his eyes.

Crack crack!

The stone tiles beneath him exploded as soon as his foot touched the martial stage. In a flash, he was in front of Li Guanqi.

Clang!

Li Guanqi instinctively raised his sword in a horizontal block. He felt a huge force slam into his blade, knocking him back a dozen zhang.

The spectators watching could not help but shake their heads.

“Sigh... That’s the ignorance of youth for you... He was too arrogant.”

“The True Speech Magical Treasures from the Six Suns Scholar Academy are just too powerful.”

“Yeah! They provide an even greater boost than spirit talismans.”

Onstage, Lu Chengyan turned into a blur of shadows as he charged at Li Guanqi once again.

Clang, clang, clang!

Metal clashed, echoing as the two figures spun and flashed across the stage. In Lu Chengyan’s hands, the folding fan became a deadly weapon, spinning and slicing from every angle.

Clang, clang!

Lu Changyan’s every strike was empowered by the Strength Boost spell.

However, he soon realized something was amiss. When he caught Li Guanqi’s disappointed gaze from the corner of his eye, his blood ran cold.

Frozen in place, he could only watch as a blade’s deadly gleam flashed before his eyes.

Whoosh!

Clang!

Li Guanqi had slipped past him, his Emerald Wolf Sword already sheathed. The belt of Lu Chengyan’s outer robes fell away, exposing his white inner robes to the crowd.

The bloodshot haze in Lu Chengyan’s eyes slowly faded, his gaze turning vacant. He did not understand how Li Guanqi had done that. All he knew was that Li Guanqi could have easily killed him.

Disbelief filled Lu Chengyan’s eyes. His chest heaved.

Then, he suddenly whipped around, his fan blade arcing toward Li Guanqi’s back.

“Eight Heavenly Fan Shadows!”

A one-chi-long knife ray shot from the fan as Lu Chengyan roared, “Die!”

Lu Chengyan had gone mad with rage and had a crazed look in his eyes. He couldn’t accept such a crushing defeat. He couldn’t bear the thought that Li Guanqi had never once taken him seriously.

I’m the chosen one! The one destined to lead the academy to glory! Die, die, die... die!

Li Guanqi had been ready to leave. But now, his eyes went cold, killing intent flashing within them.

Whoosh!

With a single thrust, his ink-green sword pierced through the layers of fan shadows and pierced Lu Chengyan’s throat.

Lu Chengyan’s arms fell limply to his sides. Blood spurted three chi from the gash.

Even in death, Lu Chengyan couldn’t comprehend how Li Guanqi’s blade had been so fast. He’d always taken pride in his speed, but before Li Guanqi, he was no better than a tortoise.

Crash!

Lu Chengyan died, blood still gushing from his throat.

Clang!

Li Guanqi gave his sword a light shake, flicking off the blood before sliding it back into its sheath. Glancing around at the nearby stages, he saw that he was the only one who had already finished his match among his sect.

An elderly voice rang out from within the barrier.

“Daxia Sword Sect, Li Guanqi wins! Three points!”

Li Guanqi frowned at Lu Chengyan, puzzled by his persistence despite the clear gap between them. He’d responded to mercy with a cowardly sneak attack.

Crash!

A scream tore through the air. “Ah! I admit—”

The barriers around Li Guanqi had vanished, revealing the chaotic battles beyond. He saw a Daxia Sword Sect disciple at the early Foundation Building Realm being relentlessly pursued by a Six Suns Scholar Academy disciple. Li Guanqi’s frown deepened.

Only after two sword cuts to the back did the disciple finally manage to shout, “I admit defeat!”

Buzz!

A flash of light whisked the Daxia Sword Sect disciple out of the arena.

“Six Suns Scholar Academy, Geng Luosheng wins! One point!”

Then, two more Daxia Sword Sect disciples cried out to admit defeat. But as one female disciple conceded, her opponent cruelly smiled, throwing his sword at her and killing her on the spot.

Fury surged through Li Guanqi.

Above, Qin Xian appeared before the barrier and smashed it with a single punch.

Boom!

Ge Qing sprang forward, blocking Qin Xian’s path. His voice was low. “Old Qin! Don’t be impulsive! Let me handle these situations! Don’t act on your own!”

Qin Xian said darkly, “Can’t you see that they are trying to target us?”