There was a moment of silence. Most of the cultivators didn't have time to react. They didn't expect Shi Xuan to accept the challenge so readily. A small portion of them felt that the venue wasn't right. Although they wanted to have someone to witness their challenge and win in front of thousands of people, there was no such thing as an open and aboveboard challenge on the street. At the very least, they should invite the challenger to a place like the rehearsal hall.
Of course, there were also a few people with bad intentions who sighed inwardly. If only Shi Xuan didn't accept the challenge. Then they could brag to others, "I came to challenge you in an open and aboveboard manner, but Penglai, a grandmaster swordsman, didn't dare to accept. Sigh, being invincible is a kind of loneliness." When he said this, he had to be a little melancholy as he gently raised his head to look at the blue sky.
The silence continued to spread. Just as Shi Xuan was about to say something, a young man in a white robe walked out of the crowd. He was good-looking and had a good temperament. He cupped his hands and said with a bit of arrogance, "I am Huo Yining, and I am here to challenge Sect Fellow Shi. This challenge is only about swordsmanship, nothing else. Sect Fellow Shi, please make your move."
As soon as he finished speaking, the silent crowd burst into a buzzing sound.
"This is Huo Yining, the Dragon Sword?"
"It really is him. This is going to be a good show. I didn't expect to see such a fierce battle today!"
"Hmph, how can he compare to Senior Shi? Has he mastered the Thunderous Sword Qi?!" The person who spoke was someone Shi Xuan was familiar with. It was Bai Jinpeng, a servant at Sunset Tower. He had already entered the Qi Gatherer Stage. Today, he heard that Shi Xuan, whom he had admired for a long time, had come to Tianji Manor. Of course, he wouldn't miss the opportunity to see the strongest swordsmanship below the Golden Core stage.
"Although Huo Yining hasn't mastered the Thunderous Sword Qi, his swordsmanship is still extraordinary. He once encountered three Spirit Soul stage cultivators of the same level as him. In the end, he used his Dragon Sword to fight against three of them, killing one and forcing the other two to flee. How amazing. "
"That's right. Huo Yining doesn't come from a famous sect, and he doesn't have a Golden Core master. He reached the perfect Divine Soul stage by himself. He's the pride of us itinerant cultivators. I heard that his Natal Dharma Artifact, the Dragon Sword, is almost at the perfect Eighth Firmament."
Shi Shuan heard all these words. He did not expect this young man to be an expert, and his swordsmanship was also extraordinary. No wonder he had the confidence to challenge Shi Shuan. However, Shi Shuan did not care, because if the first challenger had such strength, it would be more in line with Shi Shuan's plan, and the deterrent effect would be stronger.
"Then, Fellow Huo please make your move." Shi Shuan said with a faint smile. He spread his hands and looked like he was inviting his opponent to make the first move. A Sword Arts Grandmaster had to have the bearing of a Sword Arts Grandmaster.
Huo Yining snorted softly. "Then I'll do as you say." Huo Yining snorted. "Then I'll do as you say." As soon as he finished speaking, a pale golden sword light cut through the air and slashed at Shi Xuan. The sword light expanded and contracted, trembling slightly as if it could change direction at any time.
Huo Yining's swordsmanship was indeed good, but Shi Xuan didn't want to spar with him. Shi Xuan didn't care about the pale golden sword light. He didn't even use his flying sword to meet it. Instead, a green sword light flew toward Huo Yining at an unbelievable speed. In the blink of an eye, it passed the Dragon Sword and arrived in front of Huo Yining.
This was the swordsmanship that Shi Xuan had chosen to use against Huo Yining. It was to use speed to defeat speed and strength to defeat technique. Even if his opponent had thousands of changes and tens of thousands of profound mysteries, he would only need one sword to finish him off before his flying sword could reach him. It was the simplest, crudest, and most effective way.
Shi Xuan's fighting style was beyond Huo Yining's expectations. This was because he had never met an expert who had mastered the Thunderous Sword Qi Swordsmanship before. Furthermore, he had suggested that they only discuss swordsmanship and nothing else. In other words, he couldn't use defensive artifacts to defend himself. He could only summon the Dragon Sword or use another flying sword.
However, Huo Yining didn't spend any time choosing which method to defend himself. This was because he didn't have time to react at all. The green sword light pierced through his True Qi with an unstoppable force and pierced through his right chest. He only heard the rumbling sound of thunder when he felt the intense pain. The Thunderous Sword Qi is indeed extraordinary. A thought appeared in his mind. Then, blood gushed out of his right chest, and he lost consciousness. At the same time, the light golden sword light also lost control. With a clang, it landed not far away from Shi Xuan.
In the eyes of the bystanders, Shi Xuan had defeated Huo Yining with a single sword strike. The green sword light was unbelievably fast. Some of the people who had blinked didn't even see it. The rumbling sound of thunder was even more deafening.
After a short moment of silence, a clamor of voices rang out again.
"What a fast sword! How can anyone block it? How can they react in time? "Many of the cultivators who had come to challenge blurted out.
"As expected of the Thunderous Sword Qi! As expected of the number one swordsmanship grandmaster below the Golden Core Stage! "Bai Zhanpeng's face was full of excitement.
"Senior Shi defeated Huo Yining with a single sword strike. The gap between the two of them is actually so big! However, isn't Senior Shi a bit too ruthless? There's no need to injure Huo Yining to that extent, right? " This was the feeling of the bystanders. On one hand, they marveled at Shi Xuan's swordsmanship and strength. On the other hand, they expressed their sympathy for the bloody scene and frowned because of Shi Xuan's ruthlessness.
Huo Yining's companion, a middle-aged cultivator in a Daoist robe, rushed over and cast a spell to seal the wound on Huo Yining's right chest. Then, he took out a White Light Small Jade Bottle and poured out a light green medicinal pill. He fed it to Huo Yining and stabilized his injury. After doing all this, he supported Huo Yining with an ugly expression. He frowned and said to Shi Xuan, "Fellow Daoist Shi, you're also a dignified grandmaster of swordsmanship and a true disciple of Penglai. Why are you so merciless? Huo Yining was only challenging you fair and square. Why did you have to be so ruthless? "
Shi Xuan glanced at him. Then, he looked around at the cultivators who wanted to challenge him and said in a flat tone, "As long as I draw my sword, I'll never show mercy. If you want to challenge me, you can consider it yourselves." This was just empty talk. Shi Xuan wasn't a homicidal maniac. Otherwise, the Heavenly Thunder Subduing Devil Sword would've easily taken Huo Yining's life when the sword qi exploded in his body. However, the hideous wound on Huo Yining's right chest, the blood all over the ground, the fact that he fainted on the spot, and Shi Xuan's lightning-fast sword strike just now all made the cultivators who came to challenge him choose to believe him.
The reason why many people were enthusiastic about challenging famous experts was that most of the time, they didn't need to pay too much of a price. The difference between the reward of success and the punishment of failure was too big.
But now, after Shi Xuan's cold-blooded and heartless words came out, the majority of the cultivators who came to challenge him felt their hearts pounding. Even if they could take ten of his sword strikes, it wouldn't be worth it if they died under his last sword strike. Reputation and wealth were nothing. Dead people didn't need these things. Even if they didn't die, looking at Huo Yining's state, it would be a price they couldn't bear. He probably wouldn't be able to recover in eight to ten years. So, after struggling in their hearts, these cultivators all chose to give up. They also decided to spread Shi Xuan's reputation of being ruthless and cold-blooded. It was also revenge for him scaring them today and making them not dare to challenge him.
The middle-aged cultivator in the Daoist robe had a dark expression on his face. "Good, good! Fellow Daoist Shi, you're really a straightforward person. I only hope that one day, you'll also meet a senior cultivator who doesn't show mercy under his sword. " After saying that, he supported Huo Yining and walked to the other side of the street. Within a few steps, they disappeared without a trace.
Shi Xuan didn't care about his words at all. Looking at the reactions of the cultivators who came to challenge him, he knew that his goal had been achieved. So, he looked at them with a sharp gaze and said coldly, "Is there anyone else who wants to challenge I?"
The cultivators below lowered their heads and avoided Shi Xuan's gaze. At the same time, they looked at each other and didn't dare to step forward. After all, they were only here to learn from each other or to challenge each other, not to die.
"Since no one wants to challenge me, then I will take my leave. Please tell the other Daoists that before they want to challenge I, they should first consider whether they can take that sword strike just now." After saying that, Shi Xuan turned around and walked through the door. Today, he had solidified his reputation of being arrogant and ruthless. However, Shi Xuan didn't care too much. This reputation wasn't a bad thing. At least, it could avoid a lot of trouble. It could even make some cultivators who had the ability to deal with him misjudge his character. In the future, when they fought, he would have a lot of advantages.
"He's too arrogant! Too ruthless! "
"You don't understand. This is the demeanor of an expert."
"Sigh, I was scared. If that sword strike hit me, I'm afraid I would have died. In the future, if someone wants to challenge Shi Xuan, I will also advise them not to throw their lives away. "
"Yes, yes, it's just a challenge. He's too ruthless. If no one wants to learn from him in the future, let's see how his swordsmanship can improve."
As Shi Xuan entered, the cultivators who had gathered outside began to slowly leave. Then, they began to discuss the challenge. They all expressed that Shi Xuan's reputation was well-deserved. It was just that his methods were too ruthless. He didn't seem like a disciple of Penglai. Instead, he had the demeanor of a disciple of the Blood Demon Sect. Of course, there were some who objected. Back then, Sword of No Return, Yong Xiang, was also ruthless and even more ruthless than him.
Shi Xuan was within the range of his divine sense. Naturally, he could hear these words clearly. He knew that his goal had been achieved. In the future, those who wanted to challenge him should be those with sincere swordsmanship or profound magic power. In short, their strength should be similar to his. The number of such people would definitely be very small, so they wouldn't disturb Shi Xuan's cultivation.
…
In the quiet of the night, a gentle breeze blew in the courtyard. Shi Xuan was in the room refining his natal dharma artifact, the Tai Chi diagram.
Suddenly, a white sword beam came out of nowhere and attacked Shi Xuan aggressively. The sword beam soared into the sky and the sword Qi surged, enveloping Shi Xuan's body. However, the sword beam was not fast. It was clearly giving Shi Xuan time to react.
Shi Xuan didn't know the origin of the sword beam, nor did he feel the intention of attacking. Therefore, he didn't dare to be careless. The Heaven Thunder Demon Sword transformed into a blue lightning beam and met it. At the same time, the Tai Chi diagram in his dantian was ready to attack.
