Chapter 9: The Invincible Hero’s Triumph (8)

The assault on the stage continued relentlessly. Seeing Su Bai flawlessly parry the first form of the Shadowless Blade, Liu Zongyu concentrated his spiritual energy and moved swiftly with the wind. He adjusted his grip, angling his blade to the left, and unleashed the second form of the Shadowless Blade—“Sudden Rain.”

If the first form of the Shadowless Blade was like a gale force wind striking directly at one’s face, the second form was like rain descending from all directions, overwhelming one’s defenses.

Just as Su Bai blocked the attack coming from the left, Liu Zongyu’s Thousand Ren Blade shifted its edge, following through with a downward strike. Su Bai parried again, only for the blade to pivot and attack from the right.

After several exchanges like this, with a clang of weapons colliding, Su Bai once more used her sword sheath to block a fully charged strike from the Thousand Ren Blade.

At that moment, Su Bai and Liu Zongyu were less than an inch apart.

Liu Zongyu reversed his hand, infusing spiritual energy, but the girl’s eyes remained calm and steady; her wrist gripping the sword was as immovable as a mountain. No matter what he did, he could not close the distance by even a fraction.

Realizing he couldn’t break through a cultivator at the early stage of the Heart-Movement realm, Liu Zongyu tapped his toes lightly, leapt back, and couldn’t help but taunt, “A proud Sword Cultivator who can’t even draw her sword—truly laughable!”

Su Bai remained unmoved. “The moment the sword leaves the sheath is the moment you are defeated.”

Liu Zongyu laughed bitterly, anger rising. “Such arrogant words!”

He unleashed the Thousand Ren Blade again, initiating the third form of the Shadowless Blade—“Rain from Eight Directions.” This strike was faster, like a violent storm, attacking first from above and then unexpectedly from behind.

But the girl’s movements were even quicker.

She first swept her hand to block the downward strike, then spun a sword flourish so fast it was almost invisible, using the back of her sword to block the attack from behind.

The Shadowless Blade’s strength lay in speed. To counter it required utmost vigilance—responding to Liu Zongyu’s fleeting strikes. Yet, although named “Shadowless,” Liu Zongyu hadn’t fully grasped its essence; his movements were predictable and methodical, sacrificing surprise for speed.

Initially, Su Bai only intended to test the legendary, invincible Shadowless Blade to uncover its subtle secrets.

The Thousand Ren Blade cut through the air, stirring slight ripples in the surrounding spiritual energy. Su Bai’s eyes flickered as thousands of possible attack patterns flashed through her mind.

But judging from the flow of energy, Liu Zongyu’s next strike was definitely aimed at her left side.

The Supreme Elder was astonished, “Liu Zongyu is at the mid-stage of Heart-Movement, his divine awareness surpasses hers, and the Shadowless Blade is adept at concealing its movements. How did she sense his next move?”

In a corner unnoticed by others, the Carefree Swordmaster sat upright, eyes sharp, watching the duel through the All-Seeing Mirror.

This disciple’s sensitivity to spiritual energy bordered on the terrifying.

She was clearly simulating the entire Shadowless Blade technique in her mind with each strike.

“Though she was brash that day, she truly has the right to be arrogant,” the Realm Master frowned.

Qin Yang, watching anxiously from below, asked, “Master, why do you say that?”

“Every move seems defensive, yet do you know why she never falters?”

Qin Yang pondered briefly. As the sword and blade clashed back and forth, he suddenly understood, “She’s not passively defending—she’s actively defending!”

“Exactly,” the Realm Master commended. “The Shadowless Blade’s essence is speed, forcing the opponent into its rhythm. Liu Zongyu swings one strike to force his opponent into the path of his next. But look closely—this girl has already anticipated where Liu Zongyu’s next strike will land.”

“This cat-and-mouse game... Liu Zongyu thinks he’s the cat, but he’s long been toyed with by her!”

The disciples below could no longer discern when Liu Zongyu struck; the interlacing blade shadows made it seem as if dozens of Liu Zongyus appeared. More astonishingly, dozens of his afterimages remained, each parried by the girl’s calm, measured movements.

Liu Zongyu was fast.

Su Bai was slow.

Yet, despite one being fast and the other slow, the sword and blade always met perfectly in each clash.

Liu Zongyu had reached the fifth form of the Shadowless Blade when suddenly a flash of bright white sword light appeared—the Solitary Wild Goose Sword was drawn. Fear flickered in Liu Zongyu’s eyes.

He stepped back, weapons clashing with a sharp clang.

Others might not have noticed, but Liu Zongyu saw clearly: the strike Su Bai made was exactly the next move he had intended to execute.

His heart seized in terror as the sword light descended like a fierce storm. Every move she made was the Shadowless Blade’s next strike!

No! That’s not right!

Cold sweat streamed down Liu Zongyu’s face.

Although her swordsmanship bore the spirit of the Shadowless Blade, subtle differences remained.

And it was precisely these slight differences that rendered Liu Zongyu unable to predict her technique any longer.

She flashed forward, initiating with her left hand, and the Solitary Wild Goose Sword followed her movements like a swimming dragon. Liu Zongyu panicked, hurriedly defending, but Su Bai was even faster—she leapt back and created a two-body-length distance.

The Thousand Ren Blade failed to block anything, and Liu Zongyu, drained of energy, staggered several steps back.

Seizing the moment, the Solitary Wild Goose Sword turned defense into offense.

In his distress, Liu Zongyu looked up just in time to see a sword intent strike down with overwhelming force.

Golden light shimmered and flowed in a line, stirring the surrounding spiritual energy into a turbulent vortex, like wind blowing away dead leaves—unstoppable.

The sword intent was like a rainbow piercing the sky—once unleashed, it was bound to hit its mark, a fatal blow.

The observing elder’s eyes widened in shock.

In such a brief moment, he hadn’t even sensed the spiritual energy fluctuation, yet the disciple had already condensed sword intent?

Could she truly have such profound control over spiritual energy and such deep understanding of sword intent?

In the silent hall, the Thousand Ren Blade clattered to the ground three feet away.

Liu Zongyu was drenched in sweat, the tip of the Solitary Wild Goose Sword only two inches from his throat.

Su Bai sheathed the sword, turned her back with hands behind her, exuding the aura of a transcendent master.

Liu Zongyu collapsed to the ground, utterly unable to believe his undefeated Shadowless Blade had been bested by a cultivator a whole minor realm below him.

“You… you…”

Though disheveled, his eyes sparkled with an undeniable gleam.

The disciples below were stunned by the reversal.

That was the invincible Liu Zongyu, so easily overcome by a female cultivator one realm lower?

But before Liu Zongyu could speak further, the girl standing calmly in the sunlight atop the stage, amidst the stunned silence below, slowly and deliberately spoke:

“I once gave many names to this sword strike, but ultimately rejected them all.”

Liu Zongyu: ?

The disciples below: ??

Even the inner sect elder, who had raised a hand to declare Su Bai the victor, hesitated and slowly lowered it: ???

“Later, by chance, I read countless books and absorbed endless knowledge…”

As her voice rose, the audience’s hearts were inexplicably drawn in.

Indeed, a single sword strike had defeated Liu Zongyu.

What kind of extraordinary name should such a strike bear?

“I finally found the perfect name for this sword strike!”

Su Bai’s tone shifted; she turned sideways.

Sunlight flooded the arena, making her eyes shine even brighter.

“This sword strike is called ‘One Strike, Soul Piercing!’”

The livestream chat fell silent for a moment, then a golden comment boldly floated across the center of the screen:

[Awaken! The streamer’s badass soul!]

The comment, paired with Su Bai’s arrogant stance, felt uncannily fitting.

[Hahahaha! Yes! I noticed too, the streamer really loves to show off!]

[Clearly handsome, but insists on being funny!]

[‘One Strike, Soul Piercing’ really cracked me up… No, no—when will I ever have such a strike in Miracle Cold Cold?]

[Burn, streamer’s chuunibyou soul!]

[Strangely embarrassing, but oddly satisfying.]

The disciples of the Infinite Sect hadn’t heard of “One Strike, Soul Piercing,” but roughly understood its meaning.

Applause broke out.

“Good! Good! ‘One Strike, Soul Piercing’ is truly a fitting name!”

“Can someone explain why Liu Zongyu couldn’t block ‘One Strike, Soul Piercing’?”

“That’s sword intent! To condense sword intent with a single strike—no wonder it’s ‘One Strike, Soul Piercing’!”

Yue Nianxin, standing below, cupped her face, eyes sparkling as she shouted, “Junior Sister is so cool!”

Not at all like her usual elegant and composed self.

“Ah—seeing this, even if one seeks a sword-cultivator companion out of admiration, gender need not be strictly male…”

She murmured excitedly.

Shen Xing turned his head. “What?”

He repeated incredulously, “What did you say?”

Yue Nianxin turned innocently. “I meant, Junior Sister has extraordinary talent; it’s natural she’s admired by many.”

Shen Xing: “?”

So… maybe you should reconsider what you’re saying?

Just then, Liu Zongyu staggered to his feet on stage, ignoring his awkward posture, and urgently asked, “Junior Sister Su, may I ask why you struck that way just now?”

Her strike was not the Shadowless Blade, but it surpassed it!

Liu Zongyu’s blood boiled with excitement, completely forgetting his crushing defeat. He only wished to learn from Su Bai about the Shadowless Blade technique.

He had struggled with the sixth form of the Shadowless Blade for a long time, but seeing Su Bai’s sword strike—steeped in deadly sword intent and full of surprises—he felt he had faintly begun to comprehend that form.

Su Bai replied, “Senior Brother Liu, you are at mid-stage Heart-Movement, I am early stage Heart-Movement. How dare I presume to teach you?”

“No, no, no.”

Liu Zongyu’s face reddened. Knowing she still resented his earlier disrespect, he grew anxious. Lost in thought, he suddenly slapped himself ten times in public.

The disciples below were too shocked to breathe.

Even the order-keeping elder twitched his mouth.

“I, Liu, am narrow-minded and cunning. I only beg Junior Sister Su to be magnanimous and not hold this small-minded person’s faults against me.”

He carefully watched Su Bai’s expression, a hint of embarrassment in his eyes, yet he mustered the courage to continue shamelessly:

“In the future, I will come bearing a humble apology, only hoping to spar with Junior Sister Su!”

The crowd of disciples: “?”

What?

[Liu Zongyu truly is a martial arts fanatic.]

[This turnaround is too sudden; my mind can’t keep up!]

[Serves him right for talking big!]

[At least make him kneel with a humble apology for five days! Qin Yang’s always with Yun Zhu, so what if our streamer talks with Senior Brother Shen?]

[So arrogant before, now begging to spar with the streamer.]

Yet Su Bai ignored Liu Zongyu and walked down from the stage.

See? No matter how unruly a dog is, once it recognizes the absolute difference in strength, it can become as tame as a quail.

Liu Zongyu was clever.

Did men or women matter to him?

No. What mattered was who was useful, who was stronger, and who would wield greater power in the future.

In Liu Zongyu’s eyes, Qin Yang had limitless potential and deserved more privileges. He had spoken up for Qin Yang earlier on stage because he knew very well.

The only person he had offended was a gentle-tempered junior sister, but out of “brotherly loyalty,” he had openly sacrificed Qin Yang’s advantages.

Now, seeing Su Bai’s extraordinary strength and knowing she was backed by Lova City, Liu Zongyu chose to apologize outright and admit his mistake, recognizing that Su Bai was no longer someone he could easily provoke.

In this world ruled by Dragon’s Might, the law of strength truly reigned supreme.