"Ding! Congratulations, Host. You defeated 2,222 Dragon and Snake bodies. Your sign-in reward is the Myriad Thunder Talisman!"
Hearing the system prompt in his mind, Qin Wudao looked at the dozen or so Martial Artists who had fallen to the ground and subconsciously swallowed. Was the power of the Five-Character True Words a bit too strong?
However, a lot of Spiritual Energy in my body has been consumed!
Soon, Qin Wudao discovered that the Spiritual Energy in his Dantian had become much thinner, reduced by about one-fifth.
This meant that with his current cultivation, he could at most use the ’Five-Character True Words’ five times before losing his combat strength and falling into a state of exhaustion.
On the battlefield, losing one’s combat strength had only one outcome: death!
Looking at the opponents who were eyeing him like tigers, Qin Wudao subconsciously circulated the "Chaos Heavenly Scripture" to recover the consumed Spiritual Energy and prepare for the upcoming battle.
An Immortal Technique?
At the other end of the arena, Shen Youlin’s brow furrowed slightly as he regarded Qin Wudao with even greater importance.
If before he had only considered Qin Wudao a potential opponent, now, Qin Wudao had risen to the level of a true adversary.
What a powerful attack!
Not far away, Song Yufeng also looked at Qin Wudao, a trace of apprehension flickering in his profound gaze.
The world knew that martial skills were divided into Yellow, Profound, Earth, and Heaven levels. However, they did not know that above these four levels, there were even stronger martial skills known as Immortal Techniques!
Across the Primordial Continent, Immortal Techniques were exceedingly rare. Only Sacred Lands possessed a few, provided exclusively for Core Disciples to cultivate, making them extremely precious.
Beyond these, not even Ancient Court-level factions were qualified to possess one.
Even if they did, it would not be a blessing to the faction but a curse. Possessing such a treasure beyond one’s means would invite disaster, making it impossible to escape the peril of annihilation.
A single Immortal Technique could stir up a bloody storm across the Primordial Continent!
「In the following half-hour」
Martial Artists below the Saint Realm were successively eliminated. On the vast arena, only six prodigies remained, each occupying a different section.
These six individuals were Shen Youlin from the Kylin Sacred Land, Song Yufeng from the Purple Cloud Sect, Wei Wuyang from the Overbearing Blade Ancient Court, Bear Longing from the Ice Emperor Bear Tribe, Jade Snow Gentleman from the Qionghua Sect, and Qin Wudao from the Great Qin Divine Court.
With the exception of Qin Wudao, all the others hailed from factions at or above the King-rank.
"Huh, I didn’t expect Qin Wudao to actually make it into the top ten. Not bad at all!"
"So what if he made it to the top ten? He’s still going to be eliminated. In my opinion, he’ll probably stop at sixth place!"
"Sixth place isn’t bad either. To make it into the top ten among the billions of prodigies in the East Border, his future achievements will be limitless!"
In the spectator stands, everyone’s gaze fell upon Qin Wudao, tinged with surprise. Among them were those filled with envy and jealousy.
This time, Wang Lingling did not argue with anyone. She watched the arena anxiously, praying silently.
"There are six of us now. How about we each choose an opponent?" Shen Youlin suggested with a smile.
"Fine!" Song Yufeng replied coldly.
"Then I choose Qin Wudao!" Bear Longing immediately declared, his eyes glinting with murderous intent. He decided it was best to eliminate this dire threat from another race as soon as possible.
"Then I choose Jade Snow Gentleman!" Shen Youlin quickly followed, a peculiar light flashing in his eyes as he looked at the beautiful, fairy-like figure.
"It seems my only remaining opponent is Wei Wuyang," Song Yufeng said with a smile, looking at Wei Wuyang, who wielded a blade. A flicker of killing intent flashed through Song Yufeng’s eyes and vanished.
After they had chosen their opponents, the six faced off.
A faint battle intent permeated the air. Among the six, apart from Jade Snow Gentleman, the other five were all convinced of their victory.
"You seem truly set on killing Us?" Qin Wudao asked indifferently, standing a hundred zhang away, looking at Bear Longing with his crimson eyes and imposing figure.
"Between the other races and the human race, is there anything besides slaughter?" Bear Longing’s voice was cold and laced with mockery. His gaze, when fixed on Qin Wudao, held nothing but killing intent.
Of course, the ’East Border Grand Ceremony’ prohibited killing, but crippling an opponent was still within acceptable limits.
"Perhaps there is, perhaps there isn’t," Qin Wudao shook his head. He didn’t have a clear answer either. He slowly raised the Emperor Sword, his eyes bright and resolute, and called out, "Make your move!"
"Domain of Ice and Snow!" Bear Longing’s eyes narrowed. He slammed his fists into the ground, and an icy energy erupted, instantly forming a thick layer of ice on the arena floor. It radiated a bone-chilling cold that made one shiver.
The Ice Emperor Bear Tribe was the top non-human race in the East Border not only due to their unparalleled brute strength but also because a few members with pure bloodlines would undergo a mutation, allowing their attacks to carry the power of ice.
Although such Ice Emperor Bears were rare, each one that appeared was destined to become a future Semi-Emperor powerhouse.
"Five Elements Emperor Sword!"
Qin Wudao’s expression remained unchanged. Five streams of Sword Qi materialized before him and slashed towards the ground. A deafening roar shook the heavens as ice shards flew everywhere.
Quickly, Bear Longing’s attack was completely shattered by the Sword Qi.
Seeing his attack broken, Bear Longing was not surprised; it seemed he had expected this. He stomped hard on the ground, the immense force creating two deep pits in the arena.
He swung his fists towards Qin Wudao.
The terrifying fist aura, carrying the force of wind and snow, seemed to pulverize the Void, intent on destroying everything.
With a light tap of his toes, a golden dragon materialized around Qin Wudao. Sword Qi filled the air, imbued with ultimate sharpness and supreme imperial might.
The two attacks collided with a sound like crashing thunder.
Both retreated several steps. However, Qin Wudao was unharmed, while a sword gash appeared on Bear Longing’s fist. Blood dripped to the ground, splattering like crimson flowers.
Bear Longing stared at his fists. The crimson blood felt like sharp needles piercing his heart.
In twenty years, this is the first time I’ve been injured! And by a human! A human who just broke through to the Saint Realm!
"You’re courting death!" Bear Longing roared, his eyes flaring with murderous rage. A white energy swept out from him in all directions, causing the temperature in the Void to plummet to freezing point.
The arena trembled violently. Water-attributed Spiritual Energy roaming in the Void converged, and in the blink of an eye, a snow mountain materialized. It was crystalline and translucent, beautiful to behold.
Ice Emperor Physique!
Divine Skill: Profound Ice Mountain!
To suppress all creation with the power of an ice mountain!
Bear Longing grabbed the ice mountain, veins bulging all over his body. Before the astonished eyes of countless onlookers, he lifted the massive ice mountain above his head and then hurled it forcefully at Qin Wudao, shattering a large swathe of the Void in its path.
"Sword Intent, sever!"
Qin Wudao’s expression turned slightly grave. A profound and mysterious power emanated from the Emperor Sword, causing many nearby sword cultivators to feel a chill in their hearts.
Strands of Sword Qi hovered around him, converging to form a river of swords that stretched across the sky.
"Fourth-Level Sword Intent!" one of the prodigies exclaimed, his face etched with disbelief.
He too was a swordsman, yet after cultivating for over twenty years, he hadn’t even managed to grasp Sword Qi. To him, Fourth-Level Sword Intent was an unattainable dream.
In my understanding, one must be at least middle-aged to comprehend Fourth-Level Sword Intent—to have gained insight into the workings of heaven and earth, experienced the vicissitudes of life, and thereby elevated one’s realm of the sword.
So how could Qin Wudao? How could he possibly comprehend Fourth-Level Sword Intent?
Above the river of swords, Qin Wudao’s robes fluttered. With a wave of his right hand, countless streams of Sword Qi tore through the air, majestic and imposing.