Chapter 214: Thirteen Swords
Lu Yin’s curiosity was piqued by this matchup as he looked at the battlefield. He turned to Feng Shang and asked, “What’s Astral-1’s leader’s name?”
Feng Shang’s lips bent upwards into a weird smile as he replied, “Starsibyl.”
Lu Yin’s pupils shrank to pinpoints. “Say what?”
Feng Shang’s strange smile deepened as he repeated, “She’s Starsibyl.”
“That’s impossible.” Lu Yin immediately rejected Feng Shang’s answer even though he had no proof to the contrary. Starsibyl was definitely a space-exploring powerhouse no weaker than one of the Ten Arbiters. How could she possibly just be a Limiteer?
Feng Shang smiled as he replied, “I knew that you would be shocked. Let me explain. Sometimes, the title ‘Starsibyl’ does not refer to just a single person. Of course, any given generation will only ever have one Starsibyl. However, before the final selection is made, there can be a few Starsibyls, and she’s one of them.”
Lu Yin was stunned by Feng Shang’s words. Did this mean that the final Starsibyl had not been selected yet? So, it turns out that the Starsibyl who Jeraldine had seen in the Great Yu Empire was just one of several and might not have even been a space-exploring powerhouse.
While the two were speaking, Starsibyl and Liu Tang’s battle had begun.
Liu Tang was the first to attack, and he started by forming a sword of star energy and activating a powerful sword technique of the Sword Sect. Endless sword qi swept out and covered the entire arena plains. Many of the onlookers retreated even though there was a wind barrier covering the arena plains; after all, it still felt like they would be sliced to bits at any time.
Each strand of sword qi tore through the void as the scope of the attack continuously expanded until it finally enveloped Astral-1’s leader, Starsibyl. However, the attack never touched Starsibyl. Instead, Liu Tang suddenly turned around and stabbed out with his sword. In front of his sword, the void rippled, revealing a pure, white finger stretching out towards him. The finger and sword clashed with a loud bang, hurting the crowd’s eardrums. An instant later, the ground rapidly dried up. The endless sword qi had permeated the ground below, forcing Starsibyl to step out from the void. Finally, at this time, the figure of Starsibyl standing in the distance gradually dissipated.
Many were dazed by what they saw. When did Starsibyl merge into the void?
On the high peak overlooking the field, Lu Yin reached out, touched the sword qi, and felt a light sensation of pain shoot up his fingertips. He frowned; this domain had been combined with a sword technique that gave off a sense of desolation, which was a concept of autumn.
Liu Xiaoyun was also amazed; she had underestimated this junior from her own Sword Sect. His power was not much weaker than her own.
“I would like to know the name of your sword technique,” Starsibyl suddenly said while easily dodging the sword qi.
Liu Tang imposingly stared down at her as he answered, “Tang’s Sword of Autumn.”
Starsibyl marvelled, “A very strong sword technique, domain, and battle technique. It has even incorporated your personal emotions to display the technique wonderfully. Your power rivals that of previous Realm Masters, but it’s a pity that this generation is somewhat different.” She then tapped out with a finger.
Liu Tang’s eyes remained unchanged as he firmly thrust his sword out in response. But right after he did so, his body gradually vanished into the air. He had not even sensed when he had been severely injured or even died.
The crowd watched on blankly, not comprehending what their eyes had just seen.
Lu Yin was shocked, as he also could not understand it. Starsibyl’s attack was beyond his understanding, not because the power level was too strong, but rather because it belonged to another battle style altogether. It was something very mysterious and amazing.
The other student leaders were already accustomed to such scenes; this was Starsibyl.
Soon after Liu Tang disappeared, Starsibyl returned to her seat on the high peak. Lu Yin gave her a serious glance while Starsibyl smiled back at him.
While the crowd was still immersed in shock over Starsibyl’s mysterious display, three consecutive battles passed, with Grandini Mavis, Xia Luo, and Dao Bo achieving victories. This fifth round of battles was about to have its eighth match when a person appeared in the arena—Liu Shaoqiu.
At the same time, on the high peak, a number appeared before Kuang Wang.
Everyone felt a shiver of excitement as a Realm Master had finally been pitted against the Sword Sect’s monster. Liu Xiaoyun’s grip on her sword hilt unconsciously tightened again, and the rest of the student leaders also looked at Kuang Wang.
Kuang Wang had a relaxed appearance as he smiled and licked his lips. “How nice, I’ll be able to get a taste of the purported strongest of the Sword Sect.” He then tapped the number before him and appeared in the arena plains as well.
In the Innerverse, many fell silent as the true test of Liu Shaoqiu’s strength was about to begin. Could the godlike Thirteen Swords beat even an Astral Combat Academy’s Realm Master? This was the deciding moment.
In the dusky land, the old maid woke the small girl up. “Little princess, Young Master Liu’s battle is about to start.”
The girl rubbed her bleary eyes as she looked at the screen.
In the arena plains, Kuang Wang’s expression was grave. He had no intention of underestimating Liu Shaoqiu; this person gave him a great sense of danger. Liu Xiaoyun had been forced to join the Astral Combat Academy because of this person, which went to show how terrifying his strength was. Kuang Wang immediately released his Azure Dragon as soon as the battle started.
The Azure Dragon was not some foreign entity that had been sealed within Kuang Wang’s body. Instead, it was more like an exotic battle technique, which meant that Kuang Wang could use the beast within the Lifeseek Realm.
With a deafening roar, the Azure Dragon froze the void and cast a shadow over Liu Shaoqiu. The beast struck out with its sharp claws, causing the air to condense into a wind blade that sliced through the void and towards Liu Shaoqiu.
Liu Shaoqiu’s eyes remained calm as his star energy formed the familiar rusty iron sword. He slashed out with it, easily shattering the wind blade. This was just a normal sword slash, but the Azure Dragon had felt an unusual strength behind it.
The Azure Dragon pressed down with its sharp claws and tried to use its body to directly oppress the swordsman.
At the same time, three-lined battle force appeared around Kuang Wang’s body. When he had faced the combined forces of Big Pao and Little Pao, it was precisely this three-lined battle force that had easily repelled Little Pao. Most of the powerhouses from the Beast Tamers Flowzone focused on improving their tamed beasts, leaving themselves without much combat ability. Kuang Wang, however, was terrifying in his own right with his three-lined battle force.
Liu Shaoqiu rose into the air and easily avoided the Azure Dragon’s attack. The iron sword that he had simulated with star energy circled around his body once. He then grabbed the sword with his right hand and stabbed out towards the Azure Dragon, his body perfectly aligned with the blade in a straight line. the Azure Dragon’s movements froze and Kuang Wang spat out blood at the same time. His face paled, and he stared in disbelief at the sky, where Liu Shaoqiu slowly appeared. Liu Shaoqiu still seemed as indifferent and calm as ever while the Azure Dragon shockingly collapsed behind him.
One sword strike had destroyed the Azure Dragon, astounding everyone.
Kuang Wang was Astral-5’s leader and the Dao of Heaven’s Realm Master. When Big Pao and Little Pao had joined forces to fight him, they hadn’t even been able to retaliate against just the Azure Dragon. The dragon had the strength and defense of an Explorer realm cultivator, but it had just been routed by this Melder, Liu Shaoqiu. It wasn’t just Kuang Wang; the other student leaders and even the academy mentors were in disbelief at this development.
Liu Xiaoyun gripped her sword hilt even more tightly as she stared at Liu Shaoqiu. This was the first sword of the Thirteen Swords, the same move that had instantly killed Chilian Daynight. It was only the first sword, but it was already completely unfathomable to her.
Even Astral-1’s leader, Starsibyl, had a solemn expression. The overwhelming power of the Sword Sect was universally recognized, and Liu Shaoqiu was the most outstanding disciple of this generation. His current performance was befitting of his status.
Lu Yin slowly released a breath; this person would be rather troublesome to fight against.
Outside the arena, Big Pao and Little Pao were rendered speechless. This was the same dragon that had suppressed them with a single swipe of its tail and forced them to gasp for breath. This was an astral beast that would only yield to those monsters from the Divine Grade Hall in the Beast Tamers Flowzone, but Liu Shaoqiu had exterminated it so easily.
Those watching from the screens could not even imagine what they had just witnessed. That was a dragon that Liu Shaoqiu had just slain, and even fools knew of a dragon’s terror.
Liu Shaoqiu peacefully stared at Kuang Wang, slightly disappointed. “If this is the extent of an academy leader’s power level, then you aren’t fit to hold that seat.”
Blood dripped down Kuang Wang’s lips, and strangely, he laughed maniacally. “I never thought that I, Kuang Wang, would one day be challenged by a Realmbreaker Melder! I’m not afraid of anyone in the same realm as me, even in the entire universe, but a Melder is actually looking down upon me, hahaha!” Beneath him, a dark-green grass field appeared within the sundered earth, gradually flourishing and spreading. One, two, three… ten meters. With each sway of the green grass, it expanded until it gradually formed a butterfly-like pattern. As it unfurled, a green light spread out in all directions, enveloping the entire arena and even intruding on the high peak above.
Everyone felt that something was not right. There was a strange, slightly monstrous, and yet also slightly awkward feeling that filled the air with a hint of danger.
The wind barrier surrounding the arena prevented any shock waves from reaching and harming the observing students, but it could not block these green lights, which were reminiscent of daytime fireflies drifting through the air. It was beautiful.
“Butterfly topgrass! That’s butterfly topgrass! Don’t touch those lights!” someone anxiously cried out. It was a person from the Beast Tamers Flowzone who had just remembered a terrifying legend.
But many lives had already been lost.
On the peak, Starsibyl’s expression changed. “No wonder it seemed so familiar. So that’s butterfly topgrass. It looks like Kuang Wang’s using his full strength.”
“What’s butterfly topgrass?” Han Chong was puzzled.
Starsibyl replied, “It’s a plant-type astral beast. It has a very beautiful appearance, like a butterfly, but the moment it forms, it disperses all the star energy within its range and forms a true star energy vacuum. It is a very special plant and is also very powerful. Who knew that Kuang Wang had this trick up his sleeve.”
Liu Xiaoyun replied, “That won’t be of any use. Although the Thirteen Swords technique is propelled by star energy, it uses very little. As long as an area has even a sliver of star energy, the Thirteen Swords can be displayed.”
Starsibyl smiled before saying, “The butterfly topgrass’s most terrifying aspect is its tyranny. Its existence is mutually exclusive with star energy, which means that any star energy released from an attack will be repelled as soon as it touches those green light points without exception. To put it more simply, Liu Shaoqiu’s sword qi will be reduced to a tenth of its power before it reaches Kuang Wang.”
Everyone was shocked, as this was truly a tyrannical effect. Kuang Wang had hidden such a large trump card! It was no wonder why he had raised his battle force to the realm of three lines; it was all so that he could ignore star energy and rely purely on his physical body to fight against Liu Shaoqiu.
Many gazed in astonishment at Kuang Wang as the butterfly topgrass continued to spread. He was truly a monster from the Divine Grade Hall of the Beast Tamers Flowzone since he had even tamed this butterfly topgrass.
“Is this your trump card?” Liu Shaoqiu’s tone was still as indifferent as ever, and he did not seem to be particularly shocked by the grass.
Kuang Wang stood atop the grass and quietly replied, “I know that you’re not powerless just because your star energy has been sealed. After all, the Sword Sect does not just rely only on star energy. However, I have enough confidence to battle you as long as your Thirteen Swords technique is sealed.”
Liu Shaoqiu slowly raised his iron sword. “The sword serves the soldier. Weapons are classified into long and short-ranged weapons. However, you seem to have forgotten that the sword was originally a melee weapon.”
When he finished speaking, Liu Shaoqiu rushed forward, his body right behind his sword. His speed was so fast that he almost pierced through the void. He immediately stabbed at Kuang Wang, whose eyes had opened wide. Kuang Wang had three-lined battle force and was thus not afraid of melee combat in the slightest.
Liu Shaoqiu streaked past Kuang Wang like a blur, causing droplets of fresh blood to scatter onto the ground. Liu Shaoqiu slowly turned around. “You’re strong since you forced me into close-ranged combat. Unfortunately for you, the Thirteen Swords technique has no weaknesses.”
The green lights of the butterfly topgrass slowly dissipated from the Lifeseek Realm, leaving Kuang Wang in agony. He was actually the first academy leader to fall, although he wholeheartedly accepted his defeat in this battle.
No one dared to believe that Liu Shaoqiu had only slashed out with his sword thrice from start to end to defeat Kuang Wang, Astral-5’s leader. This was a very thrilling battle!
On the high peak, the other academy leaders remained silent. Liu Shaoqiu was different from the other geniuses who had joined the academy recently; he was truly capable of seizing the crown.
Additionally, a seat on the high peak had become vacant. Defeat meant that that student leader was no longer qualified to return to the high peak.