Chapter Ten: The Second Divine Martial Tournament Section Eleven: One Sword Seals the Throat (Part One)

"If the Junior Sister is tired from fighting, let the Senior Sister take over."

The Feixian Sect disciple on the stage looked extremely displeased. She muttered a few words, though the crowd below could not hear them clearly. Immediately after, they began to spar on the stage without any mercy.

Bu Hexian could not help but chuckle to himself and shake his head.

Such a staged fight would surely incite jealousy among the experts of the Feixian Sect; someone would jump out sooner or later, either to punish the behavior on stage or to compete for the reward. Everyone understood the logic that the earlier one got on stage, the easier it was to make money.

King Zheng was deeply displeased. "Sect Leader Zheng, why is this? The Feixian Sect should be working together, so why are your own people fighting each other on the stage?"

Zheng Linran knew that King Zheng understood the reason perfectly well; his words were merely a veiled rebuke for her poor oversight, though he did not wish to state it explicitly. She hurriedly replied, "My sect has failed to discipline them well. I did not expect their fighting spirit to be so high."

"No wonder, no wonder. With such a significant event for the world, those who practice martial arts naturally want to show off what they have learned on stage."

The two on the stage were evenly matched, and after a long exchange, neither had gained the upper hand. Just as Zheng Linran felt increasingly embarrassed, Qiu Ye stood up, walked to the railing, and shouted to the two in the arena, "Well done! Both Junior Sisters truly possess exquisite martial arts!"

Though it sounded like praise, both women on the stage stopped at once. Upon seeing it was Qiu Ye, they both knew they had overstepped. The one who had ascended the stage first quickly cupped her hands and said, "Senior Sister’s skills are a cut above; this Junior Sister is ashamed to be inferior," before leaping off the stage.

"The Junior Sister is simply tired."

The one remaining on the stage then invited the heroes of the world to come up and compete.

Just as the crowd was watching the matches, news suddenly arrived that Crown Prince Chu Gaoge of Chu had arrived. King Zheng hurriedly invited him up to watch the proceedings.

A moment later, Chu Gaoge arrived alone. After paying his respects to the Emperor, King Zheng, and the Northern Lord, he took a seat beside Ling Luo.

"Junior Brother, you are beaming with joy. It seems you have set your sights on the title of Martial Venerable?"

Chu Gaoge laughed, waved his hands, and said repeatedly, "Not at all, not at all! This Martial Venerable title has always belonged to Zheng; my Chu Kingdom dare not harbor such extravagant hopes. I would be content if I could simply secure the title of second in the world."

"Crown Prince Chu is too modest. I wonder which experts you have brought with you this time?" King Zheng asked with interest.

Chu Gaoge gestured toward a few people seated on the left side of the Divine Martial Arena. "There is the Senior Blue Ghost, a master from Zheng who was once feared by all; the former Mistress Bai Ling of the White Palace, who once held great prestige; and that is Sect Leader Mo, the Palm Master of Zhuishan, who shook the world twenty years ago..."

The introduction filled King Zheng with anxiety. He still remembered these names—they were all martial arts experts who had once assisted the enemies of Zheng and were bitter foes whose sects had been annihilated by Zheng Feixian and the Feixian Sect. King Zheng immediately realized that the Chu Kingdom had come specifically to snatch the Martial Venerable title. Aside from their past defeats at the hands of Zheng Feixian, these individuals were all formidable figures who had never known defeat.

King Zheng could not help but worry even more about Qiu Ye’s reckless decision. If Qiu Ye were to face these people, King Zheng felt she might not necessarily lose, but leaving it to a young, junior descendant was truly impossible to feel at ease about.

The rules of the Divine Martial Arena stated that the Martial Venerable only fought the victors, but in truth, experts usually waited until the Martial Venerable had already won before issuing their challenges. They would not fight and injure one another, all for the sake of the title of the world’s number one expert. If they were all defeated by the Martial Venerable, the other experts would, depending on the situation, tacitly agree on the remaining rankings; very few would risk life and limb for the titles of second or third place.

After listening to Chu Gaoge’s introduction, Ling Luo could not help but laugh. "The Crown Prince is not telling the truth. Clearly, the beautiful woman beside that Mistress Bai is the real powerhouse of Chu, yet the Prince is deliberately hiding it."

Chu Gaoge was secretly startled. Bai Ling’s daughter usually kept a low profile specifically to shock everyone at the Divine Martial Arena; she was meant to be the surprise weapon of this trip. Even if Ling Luo possessed a divine gaze, he shouldn't have been able to see her true power at this moment. How had he seen through the facade?

"Senior Brother is formidable! This Junior Brother is impressed, truly impressed. You have rendered all my painstaking efforts moot. But how did you know?"

Ling Luo chuckled. "Mistress Bai was hindered by past injuries; her internal energy has never fully recovered. Naturally, she cannot fight. Since that is the case, it must be this young woman."

"I admire you, I truly do."

Seeing that the girl was young, quiet, and appeared frail, King Zheng was greatly surprised. "Does Marquis Xin think this woman is so formidable?"

Chu Gaoge replied, "I dare not hide the truth from Your Majesty. Under the heavens, aside from my Senior Brother, I fear no one’s internal energy can match this woman's!"

King Zheng was astonished. He looked at Ling Luo happily and asked, "Marquis Xin’s internal energy is the best in the world? I was unaware of this!"

"Your Majesty, do not believe the flattery of the Chu Crown Prince."

"Your Majesty, do not believe the humble words of my Senior Brother. Master once said that when my Senior Brother’s Divine Art reaches perfection, his internal energy will surely be the greatest in the world."

"Hahaha... Good, good, good! My Zheng Kingdom has the Martial Venerable Qiu Ye, and now the world’s greatest master of internal energy. This is the Immortals blessing our Great Zheng. The words of Elder Beiling can never be wrong, never!"

Bu Jingxian noticed that the woman beside the White Princess was quiet and did not look like a martial artist at all. As if sensing his gaze, the woman turned her head slightly, glanced over, and then shyly averted her eyes.

"It has been a year since we last met. Congratulations to the Northern Lord on the perfection of your divine skills." Chu Gaoge then cupped his hands in a salute to Bu Jingxian.

"Crown Prince Chu is joking. In the face of the divine skills of Beiling Mountain and the Feixian Sect, my minor tricks are hardly worthy of being called divine skills."

"The Northern Lord is too modest. Actually, I have always been curious: under which great master did the Northern Lord study?"

"My master feared I would disgrace him, so he instructed me not to reveal his esteemed name until I had achieved success. I am afraid I must disappoint the Crown Prince."

"The Northern Lord is far too humble."

Chu Gaoge did not press further and focused on watching the matches on the stage. He had no interest in these nobodies; to him, the various "heroes" and martial sect experts were merely tools to add to the lively atmosphere of the Divine Martial Arena. He was only waiting for those renowned, world-famous experts to take the stage.

Many people had come just to join the fun, but upon seeing those with reputations comparable to their own suffer defeat, they decided not to go up and invite humiliation. By the time lunch arrived, those on stage were already city-level experts, each with the combat power to face a hundred men, which finally made the bouts worth watching.

King Zheng had food and wine set out on the balcony and invited everyone to eat together.

Just as they were eating and drinking, a soldier reported that a lone wanderer had broken in, looking quite disheveled, and asked if he should be let in. Ling Luo stood up to take a look. A moment later, he led in a dark-skinned man wearing a coarse, patched robe. The man had a resolute face and eyes that glinted with sharp light. Although he was dressed poorly, he walked onto the stage without caring at all about the discussions or stares of others.

*Physique 90, Internal Energy 90, Spirit 80, Mind 70. Combat Power 4,400. Absolute Combat Power 8,000.* Bu Jingxian was secretly surprised. No wonder Ling Luo had brought him in; this person’s combat power was quite extraordinary. He was only limited by his Spirit, which prevented him from sustained combat.

When the person on the stage finished, a soldier signaled for the man to go up. The winner on the stage was an expert from the Beiwu Sect; seeing the man enter, he began to announce his name.

The man also cupped his hands and said, "No sect, no school. My surname is Li, and my name is Yijian."

Seeing the long sword on his back, others found the name amusingly fitting.

"Please!" The Beiwu Sect expert set his sword stance.

The man said, "My swordsmanship is vicious; I may not be able to control it perfectly. You must be careful."

The Beiwu Sect expert nodded slightly, signaling him to proceed.

Suddenly, the man’s expression changed, as if he had become a different person. His previously confident and flamboyant gaze turned cold, and his face became devoid of any expression.

As he moved, his sword emerged. The midday sun reflected off the blade, creating a blinding flash of light. He was like a gale, his sword like lightning. Before the Beiwu Sect expert could even move, the sword light had already flashed across his neck.

Bu Jingxian and Ling Luo both stood up involuntarily, unable to believe the speed of that strike.

"To think there is someone in this world who can draw a sword so fast!" Chu Gaoge widened his eyes in astonishment. Coming from a sword expert, this was high praise, and it was no wonder the strike had left the entire arena in dead silence.

Qiu Ye stood up, staring at Li Yijian as he sheathed his sword.

"The Poison Dragon Sword. This man must have a connection to the Poison Dragon Assassin."

King Zheng’s eyes widened, moved by the name. The Poison Dragon Assassin was a world-renowned assassin from the past who had once served the Zheng Kingdom. He had never suffered a defeat in his life, and then, for unknown reasons, he suddenly vanished. King Zheng had a deep impression of the name; during the initial chaos of the world, many famous generals and commanders had been killed by that very assassin.

On the stage, a thin line of blood finally appeared on the neck of the Beiwu Sect expert, who was drenched in a cold sweat from the shock. Yet, maintaining the dignity of the Beiwu Sect, he sheathed his sword, cupped his hands, and said, "Thank you for showing mercy."

The judge of the arena declared Li Yijian the winner.

Li Yijian cupped his hands and looked around the arena. "I came here today, but I no longer wish to vie for the title of Martial Venerable. Originally, I had no invitation and missed the time for registration. Fortunately, the Marquis of Zheng was generous enough to overlook the formalities, allowing me to enter. I came today for one purpose: to demand justice from the Sword God of Northern Wei before all the heroes of the world!"

With that, he pointed his finger at the Sword God of Northern Wei, who was seated on the left side of the arena.

"It is him! A few months ago, when I first started my journey, I encountered this so-called expert of the Jianyue Sect, the fourth-ranked Sword God, Wei Wuquan! I had killed a few villains who were bullying the innocent, and he claimed they were Jianyue Sect disciples and ordered people to kill me. To protect myself, I killed four Jianyue disciples, and he stepped in himself, only to be defeated by me in one strike. He then stopped and asked why I was killing innocents. After I explained, he laughed and said, 'So that’s how it is.' He feigned a desire to befriend me; hateful of me to be so ignorant of the malice in human hearts, I truly thought he was a good man. He knew I wanted to participate in the Divine Martial Arena and swore he would take care of everything. In the end, he plotted against me in the shadows! Fortunately, my life was not meant to end there. While seeking revenge, I heard he had come to Zheng, so I traveled thousands of miles here just to let the heroes of the world know of this man’s shameless face and to demand justice from him! Wei Wuquan, today on this stage, I will take your wretched life, you shameless villain!"

"A pack of lies! Who is ordering you to slander my reputation here! If it were not for the fact that my internal energy has gone awry from recent training, preventing me from fighting, I would surely make you pay the price for this!" Wei Wuquan’s words were fierce, making it impossible for others to discern the truth.