Chapter 29: The Antelope Hangs Its Horns

The rampant saber intent that had been ravaging the entire arena suddenly retracted completely into the golden Ba Dao upon his words. Zhou Tiancan held it with both hands as if grasping the air, and the Ba Dao trembled, bursting forth with dazzling rays of light that stretched ten thousand feet.

Xu Xiaoshou's pupils contracted. This guy still had something up his sleeve?

He picked up his "Cang Ku," the originally unruly ninth-grade spirit sword, which let out a whimper, as if feeling deeply wronged.

Xu Xiaoshou's face darkened. He knew that with his current level of sword intent, he probably couldn't handle this move.

Without hesitation, he exchanged for three more skill points and added them to "Jian Shu Jing Tong."

"Jian Shu Jing Tong (Acquired Lv.6)."

In an instant, a flood of knowledge surged into his mind. As he looked at Zhou Tiancan's golden Ba Dao held in the air, it seemed he had grasped something new.

The next second, the sword intent swirling through the air also retracted. Xu Xiaoshou held "Cang Ku" virtually, drawing all the infinite sword intent into it.

Zhou Tiancan: ???

The audience stared at the two of them in their identical starting poses, completely baffled.

"What's going on? Can Xu Xiaoshou use Zhou Tiancan's saber techniques?"

"How is that possible? Zhou Tiancan's move is the starting form of the innate spirit skill 'Xian Ren Ba Shan Shi.' How could Xu Xiaoshou know it?"

"This guy must have learned it on the spot. My heavens, that's insane."

"Learning an innate spirit skill by observation? Are you kidding me?"

Xu Xiaoshou didn't know what Zhou Tiancan's saber style was called, and he couldn't shoot out that golden light either, but this move was indeed the latest one he had just comprehended...

"Bai Yun You You Er!"

"Xian Ren Ba Shan Shi!"

The two drew their weapons almost simultaneously. As Zhou Tiancan swung his Ba Dao, a massive golden saber aura, several yards high, surged toward Xu Xiaoshou, its killing intent overwhelming as it tore through the arena floor. There was no way to evade it.

Strangely, when Xu Xiaoshou drew his sword, it seemed to do nothing, as if he were merely toying with the air.

The audience members dropped their jaws in shock, and Xiao Qixiu felt his heart skip a beat.

What the hell? All that buildup, and it was just a sword draw?

That's deadly!

He instinctively moved to rush forward, but then he saw Xu Xiaoshou flick a sword flower at the golden saber aura and casually pull "Cang Ku" back.

A powerful suction force emerged, turning the void into a swirling vortex of clouds. Effortlessly, Xu Xiaoshou's sword deflected the heaven-rending golden light to the side.

But that wasn't the end. He spun his body around once and sent the golden light right back.

Zhou Tiancan was stunned. What kind of sorcery was this? It had actually redirected his innate spirit skill, "Xian Ren Ba Shan Shi"!

That move had already drained most of his spiritual energy, and now he was forced to unleash another slash, using the collision to completely neutralize the terrifying oncoming attack.

The two golden lights clashed with a thunderous boom, shattering into countless golden scales that rained down beautifully. Amid this stunning display, a figure wielding a sword danced gracefully through the air.

Zhou Tiancan had no time for that. Xu Xiaoshou's sword style was like a fleeting antelope's horns—traceless and elusive.

This single, immortal-like sword strike shocked him as much as when his grandfather had first taught him the way of the saber.

"Can a sword be used like that?"

"What about a saber?"

He fell into deep thought, completely forgetting he was in the middle of a battle.

Xu Xiaoshou had no choice but to halt his sword technique forcefully, pressing the black sword against Zhou Tiancan's forehead. Even so, the uncontrolled sword intent still drew a trickle of bright red blood from his brow.

Yet Zhou Tiancan still hadn't snapped out of it!

Xu Xiaoshou was shocked. This was a fight—come on, show some respect to your opponent?

Just as he was about to withdraw his sword, a surge of powerful spiritual energy erupted from Zhou Tiancan's body, flinging Xu Xiaoshou away.

Everyone stared in surprise at the void, where endless spiritual energy poured in, flooding into Zhou Tiancan's body. A faint, ethereal Dao sound echoed, like immortals whispering, bringing sudden enlightenment.

"Ha!"

Zhou Tiancan suddenly opened his eyes, his aura breaking through from the Refining Spirit tenth realm into the innate realm. With a roar, saber intent erupted everywhere, shattering the barrier completely.

Xu Xiaoshou lay on the ground, utterly confused. What the heck? They were fighting, and he just broke through to the innate realm?

Are you cheating or something?!

With no time to think, he quickly got up. Zhou Tiancan at the tenth acquired realm was already terrifying—what would he be like in the innate realm?

Unexpectedly, after his roar, Zhou Tiancan sheathed his saber and spoke respectfully,

"Thank you, Xu Shixiong, for holding back. I was reckless. From that sword retraction alone, I know you're truly a refined gentleman!"

Xiao Qixiu came to his senses and waved his hand immediately.

"The match is over. Xu Xiaoshou wins!"

He knew full well that if Xu Xiaoshou hadn't held back, Zhou Tiancan wouldn't have just broken through—he might have lost his life.

Of course, with Xiao Qixiu watching, the latter wouldn't happen.

But a victory was a victory. In a life-and-death battle, enemies don't give you time to break through. The fight had ended the moment Xu Xiaoshou retracted his sword.

Xu Xiaoshou held his black sword upside down and smiled, neither confirming nor denying Zhou Tiancan's assessment.

Zhou Tiancan's face turned red. Before the match, he had boasted that his opponent was ruthless, but now he had survived thanks to that "ruthless" Xu Xiaoshou—it was a huge irony.

"Good!" He shifted his gaze, his thoughts racing straight from his gut to his brain, and he nodded firmly at Xu Xiaoshou. "I've decided—you're a friend I'll make, Zhou Tiancan!"

Xu Xiaoshou waved him off and left the arena. He didn't want to say more to this straightforward guy.

This match was the most grueling one he'd had so far—even tougher than against Liu Zhen, but unlike that fight, here he had gained a lot.

Especially that final, inspired move, "Bai Yun You You Er," which Xu Xiaoshou hadn't even had time to name properly.

It had flashed into his mind like a bolt of inspiration, and he used it just like that. That state of complete unity with the sword, the technique, and the intent—indistinguishable from one another—was truly magical.

Everything felt so natural and fluid.

Even Xu Xiaoshou was startled by his own sword strike. He needed to hurry back and ponder it.

Zhou Tiancan's breakthrough to the innate realm had shattered the barrier, flooding the information panel with alerts, but Xu Xiaoshou couldn't care less right now. All he wanted was to sort out his sword techniques.

The audience erupted in thunderous applause—some in admiration, some in surprise, but mostly in regret.

Everyone in the arena was pondering the same possibility: if Zhou Tiancan had woken up a bit earlier, maybe the outcome would have been different.

Except for one person—Chief Judge Xiao Qixiu. He stared blankly at Xu Xiaoshou's retreating figure, speechless.

That delayed "match is over" wasn't because he was waiting for Zhou Tiancan to concede—it was because he was utterly captivated by Xu Xiaoshou's sword strike.

Like a fleeting antelope's horns, an immortal's sword!

Completely abandoning spirit skills, forgetting sword forms, and purely fighting with sword intent, reacting on instinct—that state was exactly what the Eighth Sword Immortal had described as the ultimate for sword cultivators.

He was filled with shock. Perhaps even Xu Xiaoshou himself hadn't realized yet how terrifying it was to fight purely with sword intent.

But Xiao Qixiu saw it—a rising shadow of the strongest sword cultivator!

He waved his hand to quell the crowd's excitement and activated the draw screen once more.

"The matches continue!"