Chapter 425: Sword Dao New World, Explosive Confrontation

“Xu Xiaoshou, you’re too arrogant.”

“Jian Dao isn’t as simple as you think!”

Gu Qing San shouted angrily, clasping his hands together. In an instant, his body began to fade.

It was as if his existence had been erased from this space. Everyone looking at him could vaguely see through his form to the objects behind.

“Wujian Shu, Wuyou Jian Liu, Jiandao Zhenyan!”

As the words fell, the atmosphere in the arena grew tense. A gust of cold wind blew by, and suddenly the night brightened.

It was like a sword light flashing across the sky like lightning. Everyone looked up in shock and saw a massive eye emerging from a rift in the heavens.

Yes!

It was an eye!

Like the pupil of some ancient primordial beast, this eye, as large as half a platform, carried an overwhelming aura that suppressed the heavens, emerging from the void.

As this eye appeared, the sword intent on Gu Qing San surged toward the sky once more.

This was completely different from before.

The sword intent seemed to have shifted from a condensed, tangible state to an extremely formless one.

The solid barrier couldn’t withstand this aura at all. The terrifying sword energy tore through it as if it were nothing, spreading across the entire banquet hall.

The wind howled fiercely.

No one could stand steady.

“What kind of sword technique is this? Oh my god, that eye…”

Even without sensing the well-contained killing intent from Gu Qing San, the frightening power faintly emanating from the eye made everyone tremble and retreat.

Not just near the platform.

Under the gaze of that terrifying eye in the sky, no one could stay on the arena and quickly fled back to the banquet area.

“What the heck is that?”

Fu Xing was also stunned.

This swordsman from Dongyu’s Zangjianzong was truly extraordinary. Even the auxiliary barrier of the city lord’s mansion couldn’t block his aura?

“Feng Lao!”

He instinctively reached behind him, wanting to call out Feng Lao.

In this situation, to protect the banquet hall, he might have to summon the domain of the throne.

But his hand grasped at empty air.

Fu Xing turned back in confusion, expanding his spiritual sense, only to find that Feng Lao, who was usually semi-transparent and always present, had vanished at this critical moment!

“This…”

A sense of foreboding rose in Fu Xing’s heart.

One Xu Xiaoshou was already trouble enough, and now there was Gu Qing San.

At this key moment, where the hell did you go, old man?

I’m about to explode!

No…

This place is about to explode!

“Crack!”

“Boom, boom, boom!”

The bluestone slabs couldn’t hold up for long. The dense sword marks on them exploded.

The entire platform, within the barrier, shattered completely under Gu Qing San’s “Jiandao Zhenyan,” turning into dust in the void.

In the next instant, even these minuscule stone particles revealed surging sword intent.

“What a powerful move!”

Xu Xiaoshou exclaimed, looking up in awe. Even as a grandmaster, under the gaze of this giant pupil, his whole body ached.

It felt like countless blades were slicing across him, but under the effect of “Shengsheng Buyi,” his skin quickly healed.

“Under attack, passive value +1.”

“Under attack, passive value +1.”

“Under attack, passive value +1.”

The information panel refreshed rapidly.

Nearly every second, Xu Xiaoshou could clearly see hundreds of damage values.

This attack frequency reminded him of the spiritual technique Hong Gou used before dying.

Such rapid damage had become increasingly rare as he grew stronger.

And looking at this attack…

If it were an ordinary person standing in the barrier, even a grandmaster without a protective shield activated in advance, they would likely be shredded to pieces under “Jiandao Zhenyan” in an instant!

“Terrifying!”

Xu Xiaoshou’s blood boiled.

This was a true battle of pure sword intent, without any other elements mixed in.

He loved this kind of fight!

The giant pupil in the sky showed no spiritual energy fluctuations at all.

While others couldn’t see its structure, Xu Xiaoshou, with his “Perception,” saw it clearly!

“This eye is actually outlined entirely by high-speed cutting sword energy?”

Xu Xiaoshou marveled, hardly daring to believe it.

Even he couldn’t achieve this right now.

He could do high-speed cutting, but this eye was so lifelike!

“Not bad.”

Gu Qing San said from a distance, his momentum still building. “This style, ‘Jiandao Zhenyan,’ is not only a manifestation of ‘Wuyou Jian Liu,’ but also incorporates techniques from ‘Huanjian Shu.’”

“What you see is the true ‘Eye of the Sword.’ This is the pure essence of Jian Dao!”

Xu Xiaoshou listened to those completely unfamiliar terms and couldn’t help but smile.

“The essence of Jian Dao?”

“I can see that this is your Jian Dao, but if you say this broken eye has reached the level of ‘essence’…”

“You’re overestimating yourself!”

With that, Xu Xiaoshou bent his body in a flash, gripping the hilt of “Zang Ku.”

“Iai Style.”

A brilliant sword light, accompanied by a resonant hum, instantly pierced the sky.

Only after the strike, as the white ring-shaped sword energy approached the void giant pupil, did the shockwave finally spread from Xu Xiaoshou’s sheath, cascading like a tsunami.

“So fast!”

There were many sword cultivators present, but few could truly see Xu Xiaoshou’s Iai Style.

Gu Qing Yi straightened up, watching his junior brother’s “Jiandao Zhenyan.” He had a fleeting thought that he might need to act as a referee and save someone at the last moment.

But Xu Xiaoshou’s Iai Style…

It was too fast!

Just this one move suggested that this guy’s Jian Dao attainment was probably not inferior to Gu Qing San’s!

“What a strong sword technique.”

Gu Qing Er’s eyes showed regret.

“What a shame for this guy…”

“If he could learn the true ancient sword techniques, this move might evolve into the ‘Transparent Dao’ among the three thousand Jian Dao paths. Then it would truly be terrifying.”

Under everyone’s gaze, Xu Xiaoshou’s lightning-fast sword energy approached the giant pupil and struck without hesitation.

It seemed that even if the sword energy inside the pupil was incredibly complex, it would still be split in two.

But to everyone’s astonishment, the sword energy from “Iai Style” passed straight through the pupil’s form and slammed into the barrier enclosing the two.

“Sizzle.”

With a soft sound, the barrier wall crumbled like tofu, and the sword energy shot toward the sky.

The terrifying sword energy finally exploded at its peak, the surging white energy blooming like a ephemeral flower in the night.

Dazzling, yet vanishing in an instant.

Everyone was stunned.

“One sword, and the barrier is gone?”

“This Xu Xiaoshou is terrifying!”

“But…”

As the crystalline barrier shattered, everyone swallowed hard.

“But even though Xu Xiaoshou is this strong, that eye is completely unharmed?”

“How powerful must Gu Qing San be?”

Gu Qing San smiled at Xu Xiaoshou, whose face showed shock after his sword passed through the giant pupil.

He had expected this.

“I told you, Wujian Shu—nothing is something, and something is nothing.”

“When you understand that, perhaps you can break my ‘Jiandao Zhenyan.’”

“But now, it’s my turn.”

As he spoke, he flicked his finger.

It was like gently tossing a stone into the vast ocean. In this space filled with violent sword energy, Gu Qing San’s flick rippled out a white sword wave in the void.

This sword wave was incredibly gentle, like the nurturing hand of Mother Earth, soothing all the turmoil under the night sky.

The entire scene fell silent.

“What sword technique is this?”

Clearly, with the barrier shattered, everyone was struggling against the sword energy dust in the space.

Yet, as the sword wave passed, the void quieted down.

Was Gu Qing San giving up all attacks?

“Impossible!”

Xu Xiaoshou sensed something was off immediately.

But even with his keen awareness, he couldn’t see through Gu Qing San’s move.

The mastery of pure sword intent was too refined for him.

Before it manifested, no one could predict how the attack would take shape.

The sword wave swept over everything without discrimination. Xu Xiaoshou couldn’t dodge and crouched down, watching the white ripple pass over his head.

“Three-dimensional attack!”

In the instant it passed, Xu Xiaoshou realized something was wrong.

This ripple was just a surface disguise.

It was an indiscriminate three-dimensional attack.

As long as you were in the banquet hall, even if you hid underground, you’d be swept by this sword wave!

Suddenly, a thread of sword energy appeared inside his body.

Though the sword energy was tiny, Xu Xiaoshou’s body, transformed by the “Breathing Method,” was extremely sensitive.

He instinctively detected the anomaly within.

“Restrained, passive value +1.”

Suddenly, amid the flood of “under attack” messages, the information panel popped up this line.

Xu Xiaoshou knew he was in trouble.

But there was no time to react. Even as he tried to move, he felt completely immobilized.

That sword energy exploded gently, dealing no damage but freezing Xu Xiaoshou in that brief, insignificant moment he usually ignored.

“Wujian, Grant!”

Seizing this immobilization, Gu Qing San shouted lightly.

The giant pupil in the void suddenly opened wide, and a sword energy as thick as a water bucket descended like thunder from the nine heavens, piercing straight through Xu Xiaoshou.

“Boom!”

The white sword energy beam struck down like a massive sword from the sky, pinning Xu Xiaoshou to the ground.

Even “Countershock” couldn’t withstand this force!

“Boom!”

Another thunderous roar, and the ground erupted in blood. The sword energy tore through Xu Xiaoshou’s body, blasting flesh and blood away.

“Pfft!”

He spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Good one!”

For the first time in a battle among peers, Xu Xiaoshou suffered such severe injury. Just this strike made his vision darken.

When sword energy density reached a certain level, it could even pierce a grandmaster’s body?

He looked sharply at Gu Qing San.

The man smiled confidently, clearly judging that this strike wouldn’t kill Xu Xiaoshou.

“Don’t worry, I know your physical body is strong. I didn’t intend to finish you with this.”

“Besides, it’s impossible anyway.”

As he spoke, he slowly extended a finger.

“Dian Dao.”

Dian Dao?

Everyone watched as Gu Qing San extended his finger and stopped, all puzzled.

What did that mean?

Call it quits?

In the next second, a deafening boom exploded at Xu Xiaoshou’s position.

“Boom!”

The platform floor was already shattered, and now, under Gu Qing San’s finger and the unseen Jian Dao trajectory, even the real floor of the city lord’s mansion was blasted away!

A wave of energy surged backward, forming a dust mushroom cloud.

Everyone stared at the deep pit, dozens of feet deep but less than three feet wide, in utter shock.

“This…”

“Is this for real? Just from Gu Qing San’s finger?”

“This pit… is it bottomless? There’s no way this was dug in advance, right? Impossible!”

“Oh my god!”

Even the elders at the back of the banquet swallowed hard at the sight of this pit that seemed about to seep water.

One finger.

It sent Xu Xiaoshou straight into the abyss.

How was this “Dian Dao”?

This was more like the “Finger of the King of Hell”!

Mu Zixi at the back had her little face scrunched up in worry.

She looked at the foolish swordsman in the sky, her eyes filled with shock.

This was the first time she’d seen someone among peers beat Xu Xiaoshou this badly.

How terrifying was this Gu Qing San?

“Dian Dao?”

Fu Xing at the banquet side was equally astonished.

He turned to Shou Ye. “Senior, this Dian Dao, could it be…”

“Yes.”

Shou Ye nodded slightly, his eyes full of deep admiration. “It’s indeed the Dian Dao from the three thousand Jian Dao paths. This Gu Qing San is very impressive.”

“This sword technique concentrates all Jian Dao attacks into a single point, delivering the strongest single-target output. For him to comprehend it at such a young age, he’s crushed ninety-nine percent of sword cultivators in Dongyu!”

“Hiss!” Fu Xing inhaled sharply.

After getting this confirmation, he looked at the young man in the void, his eyes filled with undisguised shock.

“A genius even more talented than Xu Xiaoshou?”

“Is this the strength of someone from a true major power?”

“One finger to end the opponent?”

“Xu Xiaoshou, can you still get up…”

“Ugh.”

Xu Xiaoshou’s vision went black, and he groaned, blood overflowing from his lips.

He bit his tongue to clear his mind momentarily, then looked down.

A bloody hole in his chest, as if pierced by a pillar, with flesh missing.

If it had been off by a bit, his heart would have been gone…

“I was careless.”

Xu Xiaoshou smiled bitterly.

He had indeed wanted to experience true ancient sword cultivation and even relied on his solid foundation in “Jian Dao Mastery” to try copying Gu Qing San’s techniques.

After all, he’d succeeded before.

But this time, he’d overestimated himself.

This guy was too strong!

Strong enough that Xu Xiaoshou was controlled after just a moment’s wait.

And once controlled, this opponent, unlike those he’d faced before, wouldn’t miss the chance…

Or rather, he had the ability to seize that fleeting opportunity.

And that subsequent finger…

“‘Explosive Stance’ energy beads are nothing compared to this!”

Xu Xiaoshou struggled to his feet, watching the blood on his chest heal quickly, his eyes resolute.

Facing this guy, he couldn’t hold back.

He’d been beating weaker opponents too much; against someone of this level, he still couldn’t shake off his underestimation.

“Fight!”

With that word, the earth dozens of feet deep exploded instantly.

Before the banquet, everyone had worried if Xu Xiaoshou had been pulverized by that finger.

But after a brief silence, the ground under the entire arena erupted.

Like a beast surging from below, half the banquet hall’s floor was flipped up, carrying terrifying sword energy as stones and sand flew.

Xu Xiaoshou leaped out.

“Wujian, Grant!”

Gu Qing San had anticipated this and knew exactly where Xu Xiaoshou would emerge.

Reacting instantly, the giant pupil in the void opened again, and another water bucket-thick sword energy roared down, aiming straight for Xu Xiaoshou’s head.

“Watch out!”

Someone in the crowd shouted in worry.

But Xu Xiaoshou wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice.

He drew Zang Ku and gently thrust it into the Shura sword energy, then turned and slowly deflected it.

“White Cloud Leisurely Two: Deflect Sword Style.”

Using Taiji force to separate yin and yang, dawn and dusk, he redirected the Shura sword energy back at Gu Qing San!

“Good sword!”

This profound sword move made Gu Qing Yi, who had been sitting steadily at the banquet, stand up at once.

Gu Qing Er’s eyes burst with brilliance.

Only those who had practiced ancient sword techniques could see how exquisite Xu Xiaoshou’s sword was.

In such a tight spot, with no time to react, this casual thrust still hit the core of the water bucket-thick sword energy.

Four ounces deflecting a thousand pounds—completely rebounding it!

“Good sword!”

As expected, even Xu Xiaoshou’s self-proclaimed fully mastered “Sword Technique Mastery” elicited praise from Gu Qing San.

The guy seemed possessed, ignoring the incoming sword energy and closing his eyes, trying to grasp that fleeting Jian Dao essence.

“Bang!”

The sword energy slammed into his body, blasting Gu Qing San with blood and sending him flying.

Yet, in the next second, he opened his eyes, fiery with excitement. “Good sword, Xu Xiaoshou! That’s a great sword!”

“Holy crap, he’s a madman!”

“This guy’s got a steel head? Enlightening right on the spot?”

The watching crowd erupted.

They suddenly realized that reaching such heights in ancient sword cultivation wasn’t just due to backing from major powers.

Gu Qing San’s body hadn’t even stabilized before he lightly uttered another word.

“Grant!”

In an instant, another Shura sword energy descended from the sky!

Xu Xiaoshou deflected it again, sending it back toward Gu Qing San.

This time, even Gu Qing Yi and Gu Qing Er at the edge of the field observed carefully.

Xu Xiaoshou’s sword was too exquisite.

An eighth-grade spiritual sword should have shattered under such sword energy, yet it still maintained its form and successfully executed “Deflect Sword Style.”

What control!

“Grant!”

“Grant, grant!”

Gu Qing San was like a demon, completely disregarding his injuries, desperate to understand Xu Xiaoshou’s sword technique.

Deflect one, and another came; deflect that, and three more followed.

Xu Xiaoshou grew annoyed.

He saw through Gu Qing San’s intent.

“You haven’t stolen my ‘Wujian Shu’ or figured out ‘Dian Dao,’ and now you want to learn from me?”

In a flash, he sheathed Zang Ku.

“White Cloud Leisurely One: Net Sword Style!”

With one swing, a dense web of white sword energy formed a torrent, slashing toward the sky and neutralizing the Shura sword energy.

Bang, bang, bang!

Explosions echoed in the void as sword energy layers blasted upward.

No one dared blink; the battle had entered a fever pitch, and one blink could end it!

Sure enough, under everyone’s expectant gaze, after one sword from Xu Xiaoshou, another followed.

His hand and sword speed were so fast that even Shou Ye was astounded.

“Clang,” and then another sword was drawn.

But as the black sword’s afterimage passed, no one saw any movement.

“Did he miss?”

Anyone thinking that would be a fool.

In an instant, everyone realized it was like Xu Xiaoshou’s earlier “Iai Style.”

Just because they didn’t see it didn’t mean he stopped swinging.

“Whoosh!”

Almost simultaneously, a uniform light sound rang out from the banquet area.

Indeed, before Gu Qing San in his blood-soaked clothes, the white sword energy reappeared.

To everyone’s shock, this time, it wasn’t a single sword light but a dense array of sword energy.

“Thousand Leaves Flow, Iai Style, Black Fall Slash!”

That’s right.

This was the over ten thousand sword energies inherent in the Black Fall sheath.

And at this moment, each one was amplified by Xu Xiaoshou.

One draw.

Ten thousand times the Iai Style!

“Holy crap!”

Gu Qing San, who had endured Xu Xiaoshou’s previous “Iai Style,” had some mental preparation when he saw the motion.

But he never imagined his preparation couldn’t keep up with Xu Xiaoshou’s sword technique upgrades.

What a grudge!

This many sword lights?

I’m done for!

I shouldn’t have enlightened just now!

“‘Wu’ can’t block this anymore…”

Full of regret, Gu Qing San didn’t use his miraculous “Twisting Disappearance Technique.” Instead, amidst the tens of thousands of sword lights, he dodged and weaved.

Like a fish in water, he displayed a series of fluid movements in just a breath, showing countless poses that left the crowd mesmerized.

“This is impossible!”

“How can anyone dodge through such dense sword lights with body techniques?”

Some shouted in disbelief, while others retorted.

“No.”

“This isn’t body techniques; Gu Qing San’s control of sword intent has reached perfection. He can sense every sword energy!”

“Just knowing doesn’t mean you can avoid it, right?”

Someone immediately countered. “I know there are so many sword lights here—who doesn’t see them? But avoiding them?”

“This is beyond human limits…”

Everyone fell silent.

Even the sword cultivators were stunned by Gu Qing San’s series of flashy moves.

Something impossible was happening right before their eyes.

“Huff!”

Gu Qing San, having dodged the sword lights, was drenched in sweat mixed with blood.

Xu Xiaoshou, however, seemed to enter the same trance-like state Gu Qing San had earlier, completely dumbfounded and forgetting to follow up.

“Hmm?”

Gu Qing San noticed Xu Xiaoshou’s familiar state and felt a jolt in his heart.

He couldn’t be…

Enlightening too?

Xu Xiaoshou was indeed enlightening, and unlike others, with “Perception,” he clearly saw Gu Qing San’s every move.

Why, when he could become “Wu,” did he go through the extra step of dodging?

“Wujian Shu…”

“Wuyou Jian Liu…”

The terms Gu Qing San had casually shouted earlier echoed in Xu Xiaoshou’s mind again.

In that moment, his eyes lit up.

“Wujian Shu isn’t about nothing; it’s about ultimate something!”

“Your disappearance isn’t absence; it’s assimilation!”

“Assimilation with sword energy and sword intent!”

Assimilation?

The people below were baffled.

But Gu Qing Yi and Gu Qing Er at the banquet exchanged glances, seeing the shock in each other’s eyes.

This Xu Xiaoshou…

Hadn’t he said he’d never encountered “Wujian Shu”?

How could he grasp this level just from hearing the name once in battle?

“Under suspicion, passive value +2.”

“You…”

Gu Qing San stammered, his mouth agape, eyes full of disbelief.

Xu Xiaoshou saw his expression and understood everything.

He clenched his fist firmly.

“In other words, your Wujian isn’t true Wujian; it’s that you’ve cultivated into a true sword person—man is sword, sword is man!”

“So what if it is?”

Gu Qing San unusually didn’t refute. “Now that you’ve seen through it, can you break it?”

“Heh.”

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly laughed. He slowly sheathed Zang Ku.

“The match is over.”

Everyone was confused, and Gu Qing San was stunned. “Xu Xiaoshou, are you conceding?”

“No.”

Xu Xiaoshou smiled, brushing the dust off himself, then clasped his hands behind his back and lowered his head. “If you can be considered a sword, then in this fight, I shouldn’t use a sword.”

“I can kill you with just a look.”