Leng Xin pressed on a few acupoints around his wounds to prevent his injuries from worsening. After that, he took a deep breath and started to circulate all the Law Energy in his body.
“This Sword Technique is called One Million Mighty Ice Soldiers. It is a Sword Technique that I created myself, and it is not perfected yet. I can’t even control its might. So, Brother Xiao, please be careful.”
“One Million Mighty Ice Soldiers? That’s a very tyrannical name. This means that your comprehension of the will of ice has reached an extraordinary level. I look forward to trying it out!”
“Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!”
Leng Xin’s expression turned solemn as the sword in his hand started humming. This hum was no ordinary sword hum.
This sword hum sounded like a very powerful army with horses galloping from all directions. Leng Xin continuously released a vast, hot-blooded killing Qi.
This killing Qi was very berserk. It was very difficult to believe that such Qi came from a person like Leng Xin, who did not look the slightest bit hot-blooded at all.
Leng Xin spat out a mouthful of blood on his sword blade. The humming sword spontaneously stilled.
Suddenly, all the aura coming from his body amassed, and he stabbed the sword deep into the platform.
After that, Leng Xin quickly performed a sword dance where he was. Flashes of sword light appeared, dazzling the eyes. Within one breath, he performed more than one hundred different sword stances.
The moment the sword strikes, one million mighty ice soldiers move unhindered through the four seas!
A cold light flickered and shadows appeared. This move condensed and froze all the water molecules in the air.
Then, the cold light turned into many realistic figures. Each of these figures held a sharp sword as their long hair fluttered in the wind. The sword lights that Leng Xin sent out from where he stood glittered on these figures, making it even harder to tell they were fakes.
Furthermore, the stances that the figures took were all different—as if the sword lights that Leng Xin sent out became these numerous figures.
Sword images filled the arena.
One Million Mighty Ice Soldiers. Although the name sounded exaggerated, its vast and boundless aura truly gave the feeling of one million horses galloping and sweeping through the place, displaying a tyrannical air.
Xiao Chen narrowed his eyes. When the boundless sword images charged forward, they projected grandeur as if they would sweep up everything in the world, causing one to feel very small and insignificant.
No wonder Leng Xin pinned all his hopes on this Sword Technique. It was indeed a very horrifying attack.
Xiao Chen experienced a nervousness that he never felt before. He pushed off the ground and started spinning as he moved back.
With each turn, a mysterious phenomenon came out of his body.
On the first spin, a scarlet moon flew out. The red moonlight radiated a misery that penetrated deep into the heart.
On the second, many scarlet multiflora roses came out of Xiao Chen’s body. The flowers were the color of blood, spreading grief.
On the third, a vast and endless snowland appeared under his feet, so vast that it extended over the horizon.
On the fourth, many azure-colored dragon images flew out. A white-robed bladesman accompanied each of the dragon images. As the dragons roared, they displayed the absolute tyranny of the bladesman.
During the fifth, Xiao Chen’s feet stopped. He turned around and launched a saber strike.
Before coming here, Xiao Chen had comprehended that the mysterious phenomena that the Instant of Glory required were a precise combination rather than a mishmash thrown together blindly.
Activating as one desired and forming various paintings of glory to deal with different types of Martial Techniques—this was the true Instant of Glory that Xiao Chen comprehended after he found the trick to this Martial Technique.
Scarlet moon, multiflora roses, a snowland, dragon images, bladesmen, and in close pursuit those one million mighty ice soldiers sweeping through everything in the world.
As Xiao Chen executed his final saber strike, everything instantly froze, forming an incomparably glorious painting.
Such a painting appeared before everyone’s eyes. The scarlet moon hung high in the sky, the ground was covered in boundless snow, multiflora roses drifted in the air, and a powerful bladesman danced in the air amid soaring dragons, facing one million mighty soldiers by himself.
Such an incredible Martial Technique deeply shocked all the watching cultivators the moment it was completed.
Magnificent, glorious, tyrannical, and profound. This saber strike was the Instant of Glory!
With such a saber strike, what can the One Million Mighty Ice Soldiers do to me?!
Leng Xin’s Sword Technique was already a great eye-opener. Unexpectedly, the will of ice could be used in such a manner. However, Xiao Chen’s Saber Technique completely upset everyone’s worldview. It turned out that the saber could be used this way as well.
“State of space? That’s not right. It is only touching on the edge of it but is still very far from it. I still have a chance.”
This sight shocked Leng Xin, who stopped dancing. Determination flared in his eyes as he held out two fingers and slid them along the flat of his sword blade. As his fingers swept upwards, they shot out a scarlet blood pearl.
Instantly, the drop of blood stained the glorious painting. The bleak painting appeared even more desolate.
The One Million Mighty Ice Soldiers, suppressed inside the painting, pulsated when they got stained with the blood, like they were trying to struggle out.
“Still not giving up? In that case, I will force back your One Million Mighty Ice Soldiers!”
The domineering look of a king flashed in Xiao Chen’s eyes. The painting suddenly ripped. Countless figures wielding swords were torn apart by the power of space and turned dim and lightless.
However, with Leng Xin’s blood supporting them, these swordsmen did not shatter. Even though these mighty soldiers’ might decreased significantly, they still charged over in vast numbers.
A lofty sentiment swelled in Xiao Chen’s heart. He held his saber with one hand and planted his feet on the floor, not moving back a single step as he chopped down.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
Xiao Chen used his seventy-percent-comprehended lightning saber soul without holding back at all. He also materialized the Azure Dragon Battle Armor as he chopped repeatedly.
Thunder boomed endlessly as lightning lashed out, forcing back the weakened One Million Mighty Ice Soldiers.
One person and one saber forcing back one million mighty soldiers single-handedly!
The backlash from the countless figures wielding swords overwhelmed Leng Xin. He vomited blood, and his sword fell to the ground together with his body.
“I lost!”
Leng Xin admitted his loss wholeheartedly. Smiling bitterly, he bowed politely. After declaring his defeat, he picked up his sword and silently left the arena.
If Xiao Chen had not found the trick to the Instant of Glory, enabling him to piece together paintings as he pleased, the previous Instant of Glory absolutely could not have blocked this Sword Technique. Even now, Xiao Chen had not won easily.
He nearly drained his Law Energy, and his body was covered in wounds.
“Whoa!”
The thousands of cultivators watching all stood up and cheered for Xiao Chen as well as the exiting Leng Xin for no reason other than the fabulousness of the final clash between saber and sword, which excited everyone and made them wish that they could experience it for themselves.
However, Xiao Chen still had to face one final fight in his current state, causing everyone to worry for him.
However, when the cheering died down, to everyone’s surprise, Xiao Chen’s final opponent, Sima Lingyuan, made a startling decision that shocked everyone.
Huang Yun, Mo Ran, and Leng Xin had fallen one after another. Xiao Chen, who arrived using the Forceful Charge Token, needed to face only one more opponent—Sima Lingxuan.
However, Xiao Chen used several killing moves in rapid succession, fighting consecutive battles without a break. Furthermore, he would be facing yet another outstanding talent of the same generation. He was currently nearly drained of Law Energy with a body riddled with wounds, mostly due to Leng Xin’s One Million Mighty Ice Soldiers. Since Xiao Chen forced back the one million mighty swordsmen alone, he was significantly injured.
A mist hovered over the bloody wounds. With the ice sword intent’s obstruction, Xiao Chen’s injuries could not heal easily.
If he wanted to recover quickly, he needed to stop and focus on eliminating the ice sword intent. After that, his physical body would require only a few breaths to heal.
However, according to the rules of the challenge, Xiao Chen simply did not have any time to stop. He needed to continue on to his next opponent in his current state.
Despite the advantageous situation, Sima Lingxuan said something very unexpected: “I admit defeat!”
Sima Lingxuan’s face had an extremely complicated expression. His eyes were dark with a pained emotion. The right hand that was gripping his sword trembled. No one knew why he ended up in such a state or why he said such a thing, admitting defeat when he was in such an advantageous position.
This forfeit triggered an uproar in the audience, catching several people off guard.
It also stunned the old man from the City Lord’s Residence for a while. It was only after some time that he asked, “Sima Lingxuan, are you sure? Do you really want to concede?”
“If I win in such situation, what is the point? What is the point?! Even after ten years, I am still not comparable to him. What is the point of all my efforts?!”
Sima Lingxuan seemed to enter into a deranged state. His eyes turned bloodshot, full of despair and pain.
“Ka!”
Suddenly, Sima Lingxuan drew his sword and struck it with one palm. This treasure sword that accompanied him for ten years broke with a ‘clang,’ shattering into countless pieces. The shards cut his palm, and blood dripped out.
Such a scene shocked everyone. The spectators did not know what kind of blow Sima Lingxuan suffered.
The empty-handed Sima Lingxuan looked at Xiao Chen with a complicated expression. Then, he fled this place without even a backwards look as he ran far away.
Aside from Xiao Chen, no one understood what happened.
As Xiao Chen watched Sima Lingxuan leave, he felt sorrowful in his heart. He clearly understood the other man’s helplessness, despair, rage, and pain.
Back then, in the Sky Dome Realm, when Xiao Chen just left Mohe City and Chu Chaoyun had defeated him with half a move, Xiao Chen also experienced the same kind of helpless despair.
However, Xiao Chen was fortunate. During the Five Nation Youth Competition, he managed to defeat Chu Chaoyun in the final match, eliminating his own heart demon and stepping into a more glorious future.
On the other hand, Sima Lingxuan put in a lot of effort and became famous in Dark City. Even so, he realized that he still could not defeat Xiao Chen, just like before. It was hard to avoid feeling like his heart shattered, falling into complete despair.
This world was cruel.
If what Sima Lingxuan waited for resulted in despair, then did despair await Xiao Chen as well?
If ten years later, Xiao Chen saw a Chu Chaoyun that he could not defeat, would he crumble like Sima Lingxuan did today?
Regardless, the Outstanding Talent Summit Meeting came to an end. Xiao Chen became the first to succeed by using the Forceful Charge Token since the beginning of the Outstanding Talent Summit Meeting, a history of more than ten thousand years.
He obtained all the prizes for the top four ranks—a total of five thousand Essence Stones and three Medial Grade Profound Martial Techniques.
This Outstanding Talent Summit Meeting had been full of surprises, each climax surpassing the one before it. Its many twists and turns dazzled everyone.
The white-robed bladesman forcefully charged in and defeated three people consecutively. Furthermore, the tales of how he beat the various outstanding talents in a drunken frenzy and how he chopped off the head of the metal puppet would spread Xiao Chen’s name everywhere.
This was especially so for Xiao Chen’s last battle with Leng Xin, a fantastic eye-opener for the spectators, which made them sigh endlessly. Those cultivators would probably never forget the painting of the Instant of Glory imprinted forever in their minds.