System Possession, One Sword Shocks the Gods

33: Mad Blade vs. Green EdgeOn the day of the finals, there wasn’t a cloud for ten thousand miles, and the blazing sun was like fire.

The atmosphere at the Tianfeng Academy Outer Court square, however, was even hotter than the scorching sun. The area around the largest central arena was already packed to the brim, with countless gazes focused on the two figures on the stage.

Ye Chen, clad in green robes with a sword in hand, had a calm expression. His aura was harmonious and restrained, as if he had merged into one with the dark green qingfeng sword in his hand.

Nie Feng, bare-chested with knotted muscles, had bronze skin covered in crisscrossing scars, exuding a sense of wild power. In his hand, he gripped a dark red giant blade as wide as a door panel, its body wreathed in Evil Qi. This was his famous spirit weapon—the ”Bloody Battle Wild Saber”!

One was like a deep, still pool; the other was like a volcanic surge. Their styles were vastly different, yet both emitted a heart-palpitatingly powerful aura.

On the high platform, Elders like Liu Qingfeng and the Outer Court Steward of Tianfeng Academy were all present. Even a few Inner Court Elders, who were rarely seen on ordinary days, appeared in the observation seats, showing the importance placed on this Minor Competition’s final.

“Finals, begin!”

With the referee’s command, the entire field instantly fell silent, so quiet that a dropped needle could be heard.

Battle Intent burned in Nie Feng’s eyes like a physical flame. He licked his somewhat dry lips and let out a raspy laugh: “Ye Chen, you’ve got some skill to make it this far. However, your sword is too soft! Take a strike from my saber!”

Before he finished speaking, dark red Qi erupted from his body like blood flames soaring to the sky! He stamped his foot down hard!

“Boom!”

The arena shook violently as he shot out like a cannonball. The Bloody Battle Wild Saber carried a terrifying, ear-piercing shriek, turning into a dark red streak that spanned the sky, slashing towards Ye Chen’s waist in a simple, crude, and direct manner!

“Eight Styles of Bloody Battle—Severing Mountains and Rivers!”

Before the saber even arrived, that tragic and overbearing Saber Intent had already pressed down like a physical mountain! The air was pushed aside, forming visible shockwaves!

This strike had no flourishes; it interpreted power and speed to the extreme! It was the ultimate aesthetic of pure violence!

Below the stage, many Disciples turned pale. The mere dissipation of Saber Intent made it hard for them to breathe, as if they would be sliced in half in the next moment!

Facing this mountain-cleaving strike, Ye Chen’s gaze grew solemn. Nie Feng’s strength far exceeded Situ Nan’s and was even purer and more condensed than Hei Sha’s when he used the Blood Burning Art!

He didn’t choose to meet it head-on with “Immovable Rock Guarding Heart,” nor did he immediately use “Flowing Wind Fleeting Shadow” to dodge.

The moment the blade was about to reach him, Ye Chen moved! His footwork shifted subtly, his body floating like willow catkins in the wind, drifting backward and to the side along the airflow generated by the violent saber strike. Simultaneously, the qingfeng sword in his hand drew dense and flexible sword arcs, like a silkworm spinning silk, continuously entangling, cutting, and weakening the terrifying power within the saber strike!

Overcoming hardness with softness, using the opponent’s strength against them!

“Screech! Screech! Screech!”

The ear-piercing sound of metal clashing was continuous! The dark red saber glow and dark green sword arcs constantly collided and annihilated each other!

Ye Chen’s figure was pushed back over ten zhang by the massive force, his feet plowing two deep furrows into the hard stone surface of the arena! But he ultimately stood firm, having taken that peerlessly violent strike completely unharmed!

“Hmm?” A hint of surprise flashed in Nie Feng’s eyes. Few among his peers dared to take this strike head-on, let alone neutralize it so nonchalantly. “Interesting! Watch my blade again!”

He pressed his advantage, the Bloody Battle Wild Saber dancing wildly as dark red saber energy poured down on Ye Chen like a torrential storm!

“Bloody Battle in All Directions!”

“Raging Wave Slash!”

“Army Breaker Kill!”

Nie Feng’s saber techniques were wide and sweeping, each strike containing a tragic battlefield aura, as if honed from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, carrying a manic will of ’succeed or die’! Wherever the saber energy passed, deep marks were left on the arena, and gravel flew everywhere!

Ye Chen pushed his movement technique to the limit. The Sword Intent of “Flowing Wind Fleeting Shadow” gave him ghostly speed and variability, allowing him to weave through the sky-covering saber energy. The qingfeng sword in his hand sometimes struck like a spirit snake emerging from its hole, hitting the flaws in the saber technique’s transitions; sometimes it was like willow catkins in the wind, using soft force to deflect the saber’s momentum; and sometimes it stood like an immovable rock, using the Guarding Heart Sword Intent to clash head-on with the most violent attacks!

“Clang! Clang! Clang... Boom!”

The sounds of clashing metal and the explosions of Qi collisions were incessant! The two figures moved at high speed across the wide arena, entangling, separating, and colliding again! Sword light and saber energy intertwined into a heart-stopping scene!

The audience below watched in a daze, their hearts pounding. This was a true duel between top geniuses! Every move and every style contained the ultimate application of power, extremely dangerous yet possessing a certain martial beauty.

“Ye Chen’s movement technique is too eerie! Most of Nie Feng’s fierce saber strikes actually missed!”

“His swordplay is even more tricky, always finding the most uncomfortable spots in Nie Feng’s saber techniques!”

“But Nie Feng’s strength is too great; defending for too long will inevitably lead to a mistake!”

On the high platform, Liu Qingfeng nodded slightly: “This boy Ye Chen has already integrated the principles of ’overcoming hardness with softness’ and ’restraining movement with stillness’ into his swordplay. He appears to be on the defensive, but in reality, he is as steady as an immovable rock, constantly wearing down his opponent.”

The Outer Court Steward of Tianfeng Academy added: “Nie Feng’s saber techniques are indeed peerlessly fierce, but they rely too much on a single surge of momentum. If he fails to win after a long attack, his momentum will surely decline.”

Sure enough, after nearly a hundred consecutive violent attacks, Nie Feng found that although his saber was powerful, it couldn’t truly break through Ye Chen’s iron-wall-like defense and eerie movement technique. The opponent’s sword was like an invisible giant net, neutralizing and dispersing his violent power bit by bit.

Irritation couldn’t help but rise in his heart. His attacks became more urgent, but his saber techniques began to show a faint, imperceptible disorder.

“Now!”

Ye Chen, who had been on the defensive, had a sharp glint in his eyes! Under the Luminous Sword Heart, his grasp of combat opportunities was keen to the extreme!

At the moment Nie Feng’s “Raging Wave Slash” was spent and his new strength had yet to be generated, Ye Chen moved!

He no longer dodged or parried! His figure was like a leopard that had been gathering strength for a long time, suddenly charging forward! The qingfeng sword let out a spirited hum, and the dark green sword light surged!

“Flowing Wind Fleeting Shadow—Thousand Illusions!”

In an instant, dozens of Ye Chen’s figures seemed to appear on the arena, each holding a qingfeng sword. From different angles, following the fleeting flaws in Nie Feng’s saber technique, they thrust out a lethal sword strike! Sword light fell like rain, covering all of Nie Feng’s vital points!

Fast! Eerie! Ruthless!

Nie Feng’s face changed drastically. He felt as if he were trapped in an ocean of swords! Lethal sword light was everywhere, and he couldn’t tell which was fake and which was real! He let out a mad roar, swinging the Bloody Battle Wild Saber so fast it was air-tight, attempting to use offense as defense to forcibly break through this sword net!

“Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang...!”

The dense sounds of collision rang out like popping beans!

Most of the sword shadows were shredded by the wild saber, but several condensed sword lights still slipped through the gaps in the saber net like venomous snakes!

“Pfft! Pfft!”

Two clouds of blood bloomed simultaneously on Nie Feng’s left shoulder and right leg! Intense pain hit him, and he let out a muffled groan, his saber momentum involuntarily stalling!

That one stall was all it took!

Ye Chen’s true body appeared beside him like a ghost! The qingfeng sword turned into a highly condensed dark green cold light, piercing directly towards his right wrist holding the saber! This strike contained the extreme speed of “Flowing Wind Fleeting Shadow” and the penetrating power of “Immovable Rock Guarding Heart”!

Nie Feng’s pupils constricted. It was too late to bring his saber back to parry! In his haste, he could only try his best to twist his wrist!

“Squelch!”

The sword light flashed by. Though it didn’t sever his wrist, it left a bone-deep bloody gash on his forearm. Blood instantly stained the saber hilt red!

“Ah!” Nie Feng cried out in pain, no longer able to hold the Bloody Battle Wild Saber. With a “clatter,” it fell from his hand to the ground!

He stumbled back, clutching his blood-drenched arm. Looking at Ye Chen, who stood with his sword and whose breath was only slightly hurried, his face was filled with unwillingness and disbelief.

He... had actually lost? Lost to a newcomer whose cultivation was lower than his own?

The entire field was dead silent.

Everyone looked at that green-robed figure on the arena and the bloodless qingfeng sword in his hand.

Won?

Ye Chen won?

He had defeated the Wild Saber Nie Feng, recognized as the strongest in the Outer Court, and seized the top spot of this Minor Competition?!

After a brief silence, deafening cheers swept across the entire square like a mountain tsunami!

“Ye Chen! The champion!”

“So strong! He really did it!”

“We are witnessing the birth of a legend!”

On the high platform, Elder Liu Qingfeng slowly stood up, a gratified smile on his face, his voice spreading throughout the field:

“The champion of this Outer Court Minor Competition—Ye Chen!”

The waves of sound rose even higher!

Ye Chen slowly sheathed his sword and bowed slightly towards the referee and the Elders’ seats. His face was calm, without much excitement, as if winning the top spot was only natural.

His gaze crossed the cheering crowd, as if seeing certain figures hidden in the shadows, seeing the Inner Court further away, and seeing that Flowing Cloud Main Peak that pierced the clouds like a sharp sword.

This was only the beginning.

His path was still very long.

Next would be claiming the reward and entering the legendary—Sword Pool!