Myriad Dragon Divine Sovereign

The immense Saber Qi raged forth. Even though Wen Qingye’s Spiritual Snake had transformed into a Flood Dragon, he wasn’t using his full strength and his body was restrained. The Saber Qi mercilessly tore through, slicing the Flood Dragon in two.

Wen Qingye swung his sword, and a nimble stream of Sword Qi instantly dispersed the remaining Saber Qi.

Just then, Luo Zuo keenly sensed an opening. With a flick of the saber in his hand, a cold glint of light shot out.

”Fierce Blade Slash!”

Luo Zuo leaped into the air, his saber unleashing a towering wave of fire. The air around the blade blurred from the scorching heat as the fiery red saber slashed directly toward Wen Qingye.

Wen Qingye hastily drew back his sword and blocked with a reverse grip.

CLANG!

A scorching shockwave pressed down heavily on Wen Qingye. But that wasn’t the worst of it. The true agony came from the impact of the saber on his sword. Wen Qingye was only using one hand, his stance was unstable, and his cultivation was lower than Luo Zuo’s. The force slammed his own sword’s blade deep into his arm, the edge cutting right through skin and muscle. Blood started to drip onto the ground.

Wen Qingye gritted his teeth. With the sword in his hand—or rather, his arm, since the blade was now embedded in it—he shoved forward violently.

Luo Zuo stumbled back four or five paces.

DRIP.

DRIP.

Blood flowed endlessly from Wen Qingye’s right arm, dripping onto the earth and staining it red.

Seeing the wound on Wen Qingye’s arm, Luo Zuo and Luo Youx couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. Even for hardened bandits like them, the sight of such an injury made their hearts tremble. ’This kid’s got guts,’ they thought. ’He didn’t even flinch at a wound like that.’

Wen Qingye’s expression darkened. He knew that if he didn’t end this fight quickly, he would bleed to death.

’I have to risk it all,’ Wen Qingye thought, gritting his teeth.

Wen Qingye knew that people often unleashed shocking potential when faced with immense pressure. Now, facing such a dire situation, his only choice was to meet the challenge head-on and unlock his own.

Suddenly, the Primordial Qi throughout Wen Qingye’s body began to surge violently, like a dam whose floodgates had been thrown open. A massive amount of Primordial Qi flooded into his limbs and meridians and began to assault the barrier holding back his cultivation.

Watching Wen Qingye’s aura climb steadily, Luo Zuo frowned. ”What is this kid doing?”

Luo Youx’s expression changed drastically. He raised his saber and shouted, ”Quick, stop him! He’s breaking through! He’s attempting a breakthrough mid-battle!”

”What?” Luo Zuo was stunned.

Only a madman or someone with absolute confidence would attempt a breakthrough mid-battle. Judging by Wen Qingye’s condition, he was clearly a madman making a final, desperate gamble.

”Mad Saber Triple Slash!”

Luo Zuo stamped forward, bringing his saber down in a smooth arc. Three gray arcs of Saber Qi mercilessly locked onto Wen Qingye from all sides.

”Clear Wind Chasing Moon!”

Wen Qingye’s body flickered, becoming as nimble as a breeze. In an instant, he vanished from before Luo Zuo, evading the Saber Qi. His sword, seeming to hold the cold light of the moon, shot directly toward Luo Youx.

Luo Youx hadn’t expected Wen Qingye to take the offensive. Gritting his teeth, the red glow on his saber erupted once more. A blood-colored light suffused the blade, and its sinister, bloody aura radiated a chill that even Wen Qingye felt.

CLANG!

The saber and sword collided violently in mid-air, producing a sharp ring of metal on metal.

Wen Qingye felt a surge of heat course through his body. ’Just a little more... just one last push.’ At this thought, he took out a Purple Cloud Pill and swallowed it. Immediately, the surrounding Primordial Qi surged toward him, replenishing his depleted reserves.

Naturally, Luo Zuo wouldn’t let Wen Qingye break through so easily. His saber sliced through the air, aimed straight for Wen Qingye’s neck. Still holding Little Yunshan, Wen Qingye tilted his body and, with a swift, nimble movement that seemed to push his physical limits, he dodged the slash.

BOOM!

A sudden heat erupted within Wen Qingye’s body as the surging Primordial Qi shattered his cultivation barrier. Instantly, his senses sharpened, the world around him becoming several times clearer as Primordial Qi flooded his limbs and meridians.

Breakthrough! Refining Essence Second Layer Heaven!

A sharp glint flashed in Wen Qingye’s eyes as his sword moved with incredible speed.

”Silver Moon Wushang!”

”Dammit, the kid broke through!” Luo Youx cried out in horror.

As the words left his mouth, Wen Qingye had already spun around, his sword held close to his body, and was now right in front of him. Wen Qingye’s sword was a merciless weapon, its edge carrying a cold glint and trailing wisps of moon-white Sword Qi.

His speed was now immeasurably faster than before, and his sword was even more ruthless.

GURGLE~

A thin line of blood appeared on Luo Youx’s throat. His eyes wide with disbelief, he collapsed to the ground.

Luo Zuo watched from the side, stunned. After his breakthrough, Wen Qingye’s sword was faster—so fast it chilled him to the bone and filled him with terror.

”Mad Saber Triple Slash!”

Luo Zuo took a step back. His saber erupted with a blindingly brilliant light, and a multi-colored, silk-like ribbon of Saber Qi formed along the blade. With both hands, he swung with all his might.

”Bright Moon Lament!”

Wen Qingye held his sword horizontally before his chest, an unrivaled white light dancing upon the Sword Body. With a wave of his hand, he sent a massive white arc of Sword Qi surging forward.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Sword Qi swept out! Saber Qi lashed about!

The massive aftershock of Primordial Qi spread out in concentric rings. Wen Qingye’s eyes narrowed. He gripped his sword’s hilt with his right hand, brought it to his left chest, and hurled it forward with all his might.

SWISH!

The crisp whistle of the sword was followed by the thud of a body hitting the ground.

A wave of exhaustion washed over Wen Qingye, and a tearing pain shot through his chest. The flesh on his arm was peeled back. He finally let out a sigh of relief, gently set Yunshan down, and slowly sat.

”Benefactor, are you okay?” Little Yunshan asked, looking at Wen Qingye nervously.

Wen Qingye shook his head. ”It’s nothing. I’ll be fine after a little rest.”

Little Yunshan breathed a sigh of relief, then said anxiously, ”My grandpa still isn’t back. I have to go look for him.”

Wen Qingye knew there were probably no more bandits in the village—otherwise, they would have shown up by now—so he didn’t stop Yunshan.

Wen Qingye took a healing pill from his robes and swallowed it, then used a strip of cloth to bind his wounded arm tightly.

Suddenly, a clamor of voices came from outside. Wen Qingye listened carefully and realized that quite a few people had arrived. Their cultivation levels were high; they were all stronger than Luo Zuo and Luo Youx had been.

Wen Qingye immediately got to his feet, grabbed his sword, and walked cautiously toward the door. When he reached it, he saw two young women and one young man gathered around Little Yunshan. They were all young, around his own age.

The woman in the lead frowned and asked, ”Who are you?”

Yunshan quickly ran to Wen Qingye’s side. ”He’s my benefactor! He’s the one who saved me! He’s a good person!”

Wen Qingye glanced at them. Their clothing looked familiar, and something suddenly clicked in his mind. ’Celestial Academy!’

The woman smiled faintly. ”We are students of the Celestial Academy. My name is Zhao Xia. This is my younger sister, Zhao Mei, and my younger brother, Zhao Hao.”

Although Wen Qingye couldn’t discern their cultivation levels, he knew they were definitely strong. He nodded and replied, ”My name is Wen Qingye, a student of Qig Mountain Academy.”

”What? You’re Wen Qingye?” Zhao Mei exclaimed, looking at him with a stunned expression.

Wen Qingye was puzzled. ”Is there a problem?”

Zhao Mei stared at Wen Qingye. ”You’re the student that rumor says Elder Situ and Elder Wu specifically refused to accept! They said your aptitude is exceptionally poor, that you’re arrogant and conceited, and that even at nineteen, you barely scraped through the assessment. So...”

”Little Mei!” Zhao Xia scolded, then turned to Wen Qingye. ”Young Master Wen, please don’t take it to heart.”

Wen Qingye shrugged, glancing down at his wound. ”It’s fine. I don’t mind.”

Zhao Hao glanced at the bodies of Luo Zuo and Luo Youx on the ground, then frowned and said, ”True strength is what you possess yourself. What other people say is useless. Your Swordsmanship is excellent, nothing like the rumors claim.”

Wen Qingye looked at Zhao Hao. He noticed that although Zhao Hao was young, probably only seventeen or eighteen, his strength was the highest among the three siblings. ’Looks like this Zhao Hao is one of the chosen geniuses of Celestial Academy,’ he thought.