C10 Liucheng Large Competition

Qin Qinggang's face was a mask of iron as he gave a perfunctory bow, remaining silent. Internally, he was plotting his escape to allow Qin Baizhi to find a place to hide.

Qin Baizhi, having bested her opponent, did not leave the stage but stood confidently with her sword slung across her back, her gaze commanding the arena.

"Junior Sister Qin's inner strength is profound, surely at the peak of the Houtian level! She's not far behind our master in skill. I must admit, as her senior brother, I feel quite outclassed," the guard beside him remarked with a sigh.

This individual was one of Qin Qinggang's direct disciples, with no small measure of strength himself.

His comment was quickly echoed by another, "Senior Sister's prowess is undeniable. Advancing to the semi-finals after defeating three opponents should be a breeze for her."

Chiang Jin, overhearing the conversation, silently agreed. The Liucheng Tournament rules were simple: defeat your opponent and await the next challenger. Three consecutive victories guaranteed advancement to the semi-finals. If a contestant was formidable enough to deter challengers, they would automatically progress after the time it took an incense stick to burn.

For someone of Qin Baizhi's caliber, advancing would be effortless.

Indeed, it wasn't long before Qin Baizhi had dispatched two more challengers with ease, securing her advancement.

"Way to go, Senior Sister Qin!" erupted the cheers from the disciples of the Barbarian Essence Blade House.

Witnessing Qin Baizhi's success, Chiang Jin felt the urge to compete. He grabbed the iron sword beside him, leaped onto the stage, and with a flick of his wrist, the sword hummed, resonating through the arena.

At the Barbarian Essence Blade House, someone quickly pointed out Chiang Jin to a young man around fifteen or sixteen, "Brother Mann, that's Chiang Jin!"

Mann Jier, the son of Man Sanxiong, was a prodigy, particularly passionate about the art of the blade. Though not tall, especially next to his towering father, he had a delicate, almost sculpted appearance but possessed extraordinary strength. It was said that at six, without any martial training, he could lift a stone weighing a hundred kilograms!

"So, this is the kid who killed Mann Jier?" Mann Jier looked on with haughty disdain. "Doesn't seem like much. I'll take him down myself and avenge Qu Xiangfei!"

"Don't underestimate Chiang Jin, Junior Brother Mann," cautioned the disciple who had accompanied him on a previous provocation. "Senior Brother Qu didn't last a single round against him! We should wait, let Chiang Jin tire himself out a bit, then you can take him on."

Mann Jier, frustrated by the interruption and seeing another fighter step up first, slapped the advising disciple to the ground in annoyance, scolding, "This is your fault! Now someone else has beaten us to the punch! What if Chiang Jin gets taken out by someone else first?"

The disciple offered a sheepish smile, not daring to speak further.

"From Yunyue Martial Hall, Chen Song!"

The new challenger bowed briefly to Chiang Jin before producing two short sticks and launching an attack.

Chiang Jin met his opponent with sword in hand. After a brief exchange, he sensed that the man's inner strength was also at the Houtian level, but his stick technique was sloppy, riddled with openings.

The gap in their abilities was stark. With a few effortless strokes, Chiang Jin sent his opponent tumbling off the stage.

Mu Xiuzhi, observing from the stage, was impressed. "Excellent swordplay! City Lord Liu, this young man wields his sword well. It's uncommon to see such dedication to sword technique at the Houtian level in Liucheng, where inner strength is paramount. Whose disciple is he?"

Liu Zongzong peered intently, unable to place Chiang Jin.

"He appears to be from Wave Submitting Sword House," someone from the crowd called out.

Mu Xiuzhi, noticing Qin Qinggang's silence, smirked slightly and said, "Ah, another disciple from Wave Submitting Sword House!"

Mann Jier, having waited impatiently, sprang into action the moment Chiang Jin defeated Chen Song. He vaulted onto the stage, his massive blade thudding down with a thunderous crash.

"Chiang Jin, I've been waiting for this moment!" he bellowed.

"Mann Jier?" Recognizing the name, the crowd stirred with murmurs of recognition.

The onlookers began to whisper among themselves, "Which school does this kid belong to? To be targeted by Mann Jier, what bad luck."

"Tsk, he's in for it now. I thought he had a shot at the semi-finals, but facing Mann Jier? Leaving in one piece is now the question."

"Mann Jier is not one to hold back. If I were that young man, I'd be conceding right about now!"

Ming Wei, too, furrowed his brow and said, "Mann Jier's entrance is surely for the sake of avenging Qu Xiangfei. Chiang Jin doesn't stand a chance against him!"

Qin Baizhi's gaze sharpened, yet she remained silent, her hand resting on her sword hilt as she subtly edged closer to Chiang Jin's side of the arena.

"Chiang Jin, when you killed Qu Xiangfei of my Barbarian Essence Blade House a few days ago, did you ever contemplate facing a day like today?" Mann Jier nonchalantly hoisted the hefty blade onto his shoulder and taunted.

"I hadn't considered it," Chiang Jin responded coolly. "Qu Xiangfei surely didn't foresee dying by my sword when he challenged me. As his fellow disciple, you ought to take that as a lesson."

"Arrogant fool!" Mann Jier bellowed in rage, his legs coiling before he sprang up, the giant blade in his hands cleaving down with formidable force.

Chiang Jin merely arched an eyebrow and unfurled his Body Shadows technique.

"Boom!" Mann Jier's blade struck down, the impact resonating loudly as dust billowed on the platform. When the dust cleared, a massive, ten-meter-long gash was revealed in the stone stage, eliciting a collective gasp from the audience.

"Rumors of Mann Jier's herculean strength were no exaggeration!"

"Such power could well be on par with a martial artist at the Acquired Peak!"

After delivering the blow, Mann Jier spun around, only to find Chiang Jin standing calmly at the opposite corner of the arena. He sneered, "Quick on your feet. But how many slashes can you evade?"

"Pure brute force."

Chiang Jin, with his exceptional combat insight, immediately spotted Mann Jier's vulnerability, unlike the astonished onlookers.

Mann Jier possessed raw power that could kill or injure ordinary fighters with the slightest contact, rendering them incapable of mounting a defense.

Yet, defeating him was straightforward: master an adept movement technique, and you could easily counter him.

Chiang Jin lacked a superior movement technique, but he had perfected the Subduing Wave Movement Technique to its highest realm. With a mere flicker, three silhouettes materialized on the stage.

Simultaneously, the three figures lunged with swords drawn at Mann Jier.

Mann Jier, unable to discern the true from the false, didn't bother to try. He swung his massive blade in a broad arc, cutting through the figures, which vanished instantly.

"All illusions?" Mann Jier's face twisted in shock, and as a revelation struck him, he lunged forward, only to feel a sharp pain in his back. Chiang Jin had somehow maneuvered behind him.

Mann Jier, still just a teenager, panicked. Fearing another attack from Chiang Jin, he didn't dare to counter. Instead, he tumbled and scrambled off the stage in a hasty retreat!

"Senior Brother Jiang, have you won?" The disciples of the Subduing Wave, who had anticipated Chiang Jin's defeat, were stunned by the swift turn of events on the stage, struggling to grasp what had just happened.

The crowd erupted into a frenzy.

"Did you catch that? Chiang Jin can split into clones! Could that be some sort of sorcery?"

"What sorcery? You're clueless!" someone scoffed. "That was clearly a highly advanced movement technique, allowing him to leave afterimages in his wake to bewilder his opponent!"

"And you're the ignorant one!" The scoffer was immediately met with disdain from another, "That's the signature entry-level movement technique of the Wave Submitting Sword House, the Body-Scarring Steps. Chiang Jin has simply elevated it to its ultimate form, innovating a new maneuver!"

Qin Baizhi ignored the surrounding chatter, her gaze fixed on Chiang Jin, who now wore a smile as if reborn, lost in her thoughts about him.

"What a solid foundation in movement, and such profound swordsmanship." Mu Xiuzhi's face, previously relaxed, now bore a look of seriousness, tinged with deep-seated envy.

Meanwhile, outside the arena, a carriage came to a halt. Lin Juehai stepped down and, catching the buzz of conversation, his expression darkened as he muttered, "To think I've arrived just in time to witness Chiang Jin in action!"

"Father, mother, allow me to claim Chiang Jin's head and offer it to my brother's spirit in the heavens!"

With a determined stride, Lin Juehai leaped skyward, stepping through the air to traverse hundreds of meters before landing squarely in the center of the arena. With a cold smirk, he declared, "Chiang Jin, your end comes today!"