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"The title of the third dark horse is not bad. I also admit that you have potential in swordsmanship, but you still need time to compete with me." Zhong Liyang held his unsharpened sword and pointed it to the ground. He stared at Chu Mu and said in a condescending manner.
Chu Mu smiled and did not say anything. Zhong Liyang's swordsmanship was not bad, but it depended on who he was compared to. If he was compared to Chu Mu, Zhong Liyang was nothing.
In front of a swordsmanship grandmaster, anyone who had not reached the grandmaster level was just an ant. This was an unchangeable fact.
Zhong Liyang's eyes turned cold. Chu Mu's attitude had made him very unhappy.
"Since you don't want to admit defeat, don't blame me for being impolite." Zhong Liyang shouted and the audience started to discuss.
"This is bad. It seems that Chu Mu, the dark horse, is going to die here."
"Yes, Senior Zhong Liyang's swordsmanship was ranked tenth in our academy three years ago. After three years of cultivation, Senior Zhong's swordsmanship must be more profound than before."
"If he didn't meet Senior Zhong Liyang, Chu Mu, the dark horse, would be able to get into the top ten of this group and qualify for the King of Swordsmanship finals."
"There's no 'if'. Now that he meets Senior Zhong, his defeat is certain. I just hope that he can defeat his opponent in the next round and qualify for the competition again."
Before the battle started, the students were discussing and judging the result. They all agreed that Chu Mu was not Zhong Liyang's match.
"Zhong Liyang's swordsmanship is indeed profound. Even I am not 100% sure that I can defeat him." Lei Hao looked back and forth between Zhong Liyang and Chu Mu and said to himself, "But I have a feeling that you can defeat him. Show me your true swordsmanship. I am looking forward to fighting with you."
No one knew what Lei Hao was thinking. Otherwise, they would be shocked and think that he was crazy.
Jin Xia stared coldly at Chu Mu and Zhong Liyang. "Zhong Liyang's swordsmanship is above mine, but Chu Mu's swordsmanship is obviously not as good as mine. He is no match for Zhong Liyang."
"Did you hear that? Everyone has already said your final outcome. I advise you to admit defeat, so as to avoid making a fool of yourself," Zhong Liyang said with a smile.
"Since you are so confident in your swordsmanship, then make your move." Chu Mu said indifferently. He understood that when some people had some strength, they would uncontrollably have a sense of superiority in their hearts. Subconsciously, they would feel that they were superior to others. Therefore, whatever they said would be reflected, which would make others feel uncomfortable.
Zhong Liyang let out a cold snort. Without wasting any more words, he thrust out his sword.
Although he did not put Chu Mu in his eyes, Zhong Liyang did not go easy on him. This was the attitude of a swordsman. Strategically, one would look down on the enemy and constantly provoke them with words to weaken the enemy's fighting spirit. Tactically, one would not go easy on the enemy.
Zhong Liyang's sword was as fast as lightning. It was so fast that it made people's eyelids twitch. It seemed that he wanted to defeat Chu Mu with a single strike.
"How will you deal with this?" Lei Hao's eyes flashed as he thought to himself.
Chu Mu took a step forward, causing Zhong Liyang's sword to miss. Zhong Liyang was surprised. Zhong Liyang swung his sword horizontally and chased after Chu Mu. He did not give Chu Mu any chance.
Chu Mu's footsteps were messy. He was able to advance and retreat freely. Zhong Liyang's sword missed every time. The onlookers were all dumbfounded.
"This Chu Mu was indeed holding back." The referee of group ten stroked his beard and secretly smiled.
He felt that Chu Mu had held back a lot in the previous battle. That was why he purposely arranged for Chu Mu and Zhong Liyang to fight.
Zhong Liyang did not get angry even though his sword strikes had failed. Instead, he calmed down even more, showing the qualities of an excellent swordsman.
His sword strikes were faster and fiercer, with more variations. However, he still could not hit Chu Mu.
"What a high dodging ability." Lei Hao and Jin Xia's expressions changed. They were secretly shocked.
Zhong Liyang's sword paused. Just when people thought that he was going to stop, he thrust out another sword. This time, five Sword Light dazzled people's eyes.
However, the five Sword Light did not have any effect on Chu Mu.
"You have shocked me. Therefore, I will use my full strength." Zhong Liyang's expression changed. He slashed out again. Ten Sword Light dazzled people's eyes. It was hard to tell which was real and which was fake.
In the next moment, the ten Sword Light suddenly flashed and converged. This sword strike carried a dazzling light that made people close their eyes and cover their eyes with their palms.
At the same time, the same thought appeared in their minds: Chu Mu is going to lose.
Zhong Liyang also thought so.
"He actually reached the Light Realm. Chu Mu is in danger." Lei Hao narrowed his eyes and thought.
However, Zhong Liyang's sword strike missed again. Before he could react, he felt his chest being slashed. Under the explosion of power, he could not control his body and fell back. His chest felt tight and it was difficult to breathe.
Zhong Liyang fell to the ground on his butt. Before he could even breathe properly, he felt a cold sensation on his neck. He knew very well that it was the touch of a sword.
"This Chu Mu is the real dark horse in this group. No, he should be the biggest dark horse in this courtyard." The smile on the judge's face became even more obvious. He nodded inwardly and felt a little excited.
There were countless competitions in the Sword Mansion. The competition in the Ten Inner Courtyard was very intense. The Sword Art Is King Competition was one of them.
If there were more sword experts in their courtyard and they could obtain a higher ranking, the elders would also feel proud.
"Chu Mu wins!" The judge's voice was especially loud.
The students all put down their palms and opened their eyes to look, only to see Chu Mu's sword pressed against Zhong Liyang's neck, while Zhong Liyang's face was blank as he sat on the ground in astonishment. This scene was similar to what the students had imagined, but the roles had been switched, causing them to be unable to react for a moment.
"Are my eyes playing tricks on me?"
"Chu Mu actually won?"
"Senior Brother Zhong actually lost?"
"So Chu Mu is the biggest dark horse."
Chu Mu put away his sword. He looked at Zhong Liyang and did not say anything. He turned around and jumped off the arena. He placed his sword on the wooden rack.
Zhong Liyang's face turned green, then red, then white. He was so ashamed that he wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it.
"Victory and defeat are common for swordsmen. Don't be arrogant and complacent when you win and feel discouraged when you lose. If you can't even accept this little bit of victory and defeat, how can you go further on the path of swordsmanship?" The judge's face turned cold. His tone was very serious.
Zhong Liyang's face changed back and forth. He got up and walked down the arena. He saluted the judge and placed his sword on the wooden rack. Although he had calmed down after hearing the judge's words, there were still some knots in his heart that had not been untied. Therefore, he walked to the loser's side with a calm face and stood there without saying a word.
"Your swordsmanship is really beyond imagination. I'm looking forward to fighting you more and more." When Chu Mu walked over, Lei Hao's sword aura transmitted his voice.
"There will be a chance." Chu Mu replied.
Jin Xia also looked at Chu Mu with great interest. She was not interested in Chu Mu as a person, but in his swordsmanship.
The judge looked at Chu Mu a few more times, then picked up the list again and continued to announce the next match.
After some time, the fourth round of matches ended. The students were given another quarter of an hour to rest.
In this kind of pure swordsmanship battle, if one could easily defeat the opponent, it would not consume much energy. However, if two people's swordsmanship was at the same level, it would consume a lot of energy. If one did not rest well, it would affect the later matches.
The quarter of an hour passed quickly and the fifth round began.
The fifth round began with the losing side's forty people. Because Zhong Liyang was defeated by Chu Mu, he also belonged to the losing side.
However, with Zhong Liyang's swordsmanship level, even if he belonged to the losing side, he could still continue to fight and defeat his opponent again to obtain the right to continue.
The losing side's twenty matches ended in the fifth round, and it was now the turn of the winning side's twenty matches.
Perhaps the judge had done it on purpose, but Chu Mu, Lei Hao, and Jin Xia did not meet each other in these twenty matches. They also successfully defeated their opponents and advanced to the next round.
In the judge's eyes, Chu Mu, Lei Hao, and Jin Xia were all dark horses. Although there were differences in their strengths, if they could rank in the top ten of their group and enter the finals of Swordsmanship Is King, they would definitely be able to obtain a good ranking.
Another quarter of an hour to rest.
The sixth round of matches began.
The sixth round was between the winning side of the fifth round, which had been defeated by Chu Mu, and the losing side of the fifth round, which had been defeated by Zhong Liyang, and the winning side of the fifth round, which had a total of forty people.
As expected of Astral-9's tenth place, Zhong Liyang's swordsmanship was extraordinary, especially after he had been defeated by Chu Mu. Perhaps it was because he had calmed down, but Chu Mu had unexpectedly discovered that Zhong Liyang's swordsmanship had improved.
"It seems that Zhong Liyang isn't just arrogant," Chu Mu muttered to himself.
The tenth group's matches were in full swing, and the other nine groups' matches were also very intense.
Cheers could be heard from the third group, as one of the two competitors was Huang Buju, and the other was the number one dark horse of the third group, Qin Tian.
Both of their swordsmanship was extraordinary.
However, Huang Buju's swordsmanship was superior. His swordsmanship was as unpredictable as his name. A basic swordsmanship became incomparably flexible in his hands, as if he was a heavenly steed soaring through the skies, leaving no trace behind.
With one strike, it was impossible to predict where his next attack would come from. Without any judgement, one would fall into a passive position and be led by the nose by their opponent. In the end, one would only be left with one's defeat.
Thus, the number one dark horse of the third group, Qin Tian, was defeated by Huang Buju in the end. Huang Buju had a mysterious smile on his face throughout the match, which seemed to be his signature smile.
Other than Huang Buju from the third group, the top seven students from the first group, second group, and so on were all extremely powerful. They were not people that the dark horses could shake, as they were all ranked in the top 100 of the previous Academy's Sword King Rankings. (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to come to qidian.com to vote for me. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
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