Chapter 88 - 88 87 Each Other's Trump Cards

88: Chapter 87: Each Other’s Trump Cards 88: Chapter 87: Each Other’s Trump Cards Zhang Qian’s laughter thundered through the sky, his longsword dazzlingly bright. “Lin Xuan…” Ye Qing and the others were extremely nervous. If things were as Zhang Qian had said, Lin Xuan’s situation might be very dangerous. “Sister Ye, don’t worry. Brother Lin hasn’t drawn his sword yet,” Luo Qingshan said, not forgetting the scene they had witnessed at Wind Control Cliff. He had an inexplicable trust in Lin Xuan. “Protective Defense?” Lin Xuan murmured to himself, then lightly flicked his Storage Ring, and the Red Flame Greatsword appeared in his hand. “Gale Sword Technique!” Lin Xuan struck with his strongest swordsmanship as soon as he took action, with blue energy streams slicing through the air in all directions. “Mad Blade Chaotic World!” Zhang Qian’s saber technique changed again, the Sword Light gleaming, conjuring an intense heat in the air as if a sea of fire had descended upon the world. Lin Xuan seemed to be engulfed by an ocean of fire, an overwhelming blaze threatening to devour him. He felt a burning pain as the Fire Power ruthlessly destroyed his body. “Protective Sword Energy!” Lin Xuan snorted coldly, a dark cyan Sword Qi covering his body and repelling the surrounding sea of fire. “Illusion Thunder Step!” His figure flashed again, closing the distance to Zhang Qian. “Useless, you cannot break through my defense!” Zhang Qian sneered venomously, reinforcing his Protective Defense, while his longsword slashed mercilessly towards Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan’s body shone with brilliant blue light, he didn’t dodge, and struck back fiercely. Seeing this, the crowd below erupted in shocked gasps. “What an idiot, to clash head-on with Brother Zhang. Doesn’t he know the gap between them?” “He’s far too arrogant!” “He will probably be cleaved in two!” A group of people all shook their heads and sighed, not believing Lin Xuan could break through Zhang Qian’s defense. Murong Qianling also frowned, dissatisfied with Lin Xuan’s overconfidence, but even more surprised at Lin Xuan’s abnormal comprehension. In just two days, Lin Xuan had managed to bring the Vitality-cutting Body Protection Sword Technique to Great Success on the First Level. To know that she herself had spent half a month to reach the First Level, and her talent was ranked among the top ten within the Xuantian Sect! “A talent like this must not die in a place like this!” Murong Qianling’s eyes glinted. At this moment, the clash on the Life and Death Platform also yielded a result. Boom, boom, boom! Blue and red glows mixed together, the impact throbbing through the heavens. Zhang Qian’s longsword hit Lin Xuan, sizzling upon impact. The Protective Sword Energy a foot behind was sliced in half by the longsword, which then became stuck, unable to move. Lin Xuan rejoiced inwardly. When he fully exerted himself, the Protective Sword Energy proved to be potent indeed, even Zhang Qian couldn’t break through. However, Zhang Qian would never fully deploy his defense because Lin Xuan’s cultivation was not worth that measure. “Thunder!” Lin Xuan quickly activated golden arcs of electricity, and his body shook as he launched his attack. The golden electricity suddenly appeared, enveloping a three-foot radius around it, Zhang Qian bearing the brunt of the assault as the electric current coursed into his body. Immediately, a numbing sensation emerged, and the flow of Spiritual Power and physical movement within his body slowed by a third. On any ordinary day, this would not affect him much, but now, facing Lin Xuan, this brief pause was fatal. In conjunction with the force of the small success sword energy, Lin Xuan’s longsword easily breached the Protective Defense, leaving behind a Sword Mark on Zhang Qian’s body. This process happened in an instant, and Lin Xuan’s Sword Force was concentrated solely on the sword body without being released. Moreover, as soon as he landed a hit, he immediately retreated far away. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to attack, but he felt an immense danger. Swoosh! Lin Xuan turned into an afterimage, retreating rapidly. The next moment, a powerful force burst out from within Zhang Qian’s body, destroying everything within a ten-yard radius, causing the ground to cave in by three inches. “Bastard, how dare you injure me!” Zhang Qian roared like a wounded beast gone mad. “What? Zhang Qian is injured!” Most of the disciples present couldn’t see clearly what had happened, only a few of those at the Eighth Rank of Pulse Condensation or above, and the elders, could see everything that was happening on the field. Yu Long, Shangguan Liuyun, and others’ expressions changed drastically, while masters like Tang Yi frowned slightly. They had all clearly seen what had just happened; even though Zhang Qian had been careless, Lin Xuan’s attack could not be taken lightly. Especially that sword strike, which gave them all a sense of palpitations. However, people were even more shocked by Zhang Qian’s transformation than Lin Xuan’s performance. “This aura… could it be the Ninth Rank of Congealing Veins!” Many exclaimed, because this aura was too astonishing, like a huge mountain, suffocating. “Disciple Lin Xuan is indeed a rare Sword Dao genius, but Zhang Qian’s performance is even more incredible, having reached the Ninth Rank of Congealing Veins. It seems he has the ability to challenge the Core Disciples,” the Law Enforcement Elder’s eyes sparkled. “Hehe, after the competition is over, I’ll take Zhang Qian as a Registered Disciple,” Elder Xue said, stroking his beard with a smile. “If Lin Xuan were to fall here, it would be a loss for our sect. I hope the Law Enforcement Elder can make a decision!” Murong Qianling was very anxious on the side. If Zhang Qian had the Cultivation of the Eighth Rank, Lin Xuan might still have a chance to win, but now, the disparity between them was too great. “Hehe, Nephew Murong, the Life and Death Platform has its own rules; we should not intervene,” Elder Xue said leisurely. Lin Xuan looked at Zhang Qian across from him, took a deep breath—a Cultivation of the Ninth Rank of Congealing Veins was even more troublesome than he had imagined. However, giving up was not an option for him. He still had some techniques he had not used; there might still be a chance to turn things around. “Kid, you should feel at ease in death, knowing you’ve forced me to use all my strength!” After unleashing the power of the Ninth Rank of Congealing Veins, Zhang Qian was very confident. Feeling this power, Lin Xuan’s face turned somewhat pale. “Although this aura is powerful, it still falls short of a true Ninth Rank of Congealing Veins; it seems Zhang Qian has just entered the Ninth Rank and his Realm is not stable yet,” Lin Xuan analyzed calmly, his eyes flickering with a golden light, as if piercing through Zhang Qian. “Surprise attacks are no longer possible; he is on guard. The only plan now is to hit him head-on fiercely, shaking his confidence. Only then will I stand a chance,” Lin Xuan thought of a strategy in an instant. Only by breaking Zhang Qian’s confidence could he survive. With that thought, Lin Xuan fully communicated with his Sword Intent Seed, a fierce Sword Force surged out from within him, as if to pierce the heavens. At this moment, all the disciples’ longswords below the Life and Death Platform involuntarily gave off a slight hum, as if they were encountering the supreme king, paying their respects. “What’s happening?” Those disciples were shocked, trying hard to control their longswords. “This momentum…” The Law Enforcement Elder and others changed their expressions, staring intensely at Lin Xuan with disbelief in their eyes. “Sword, Sword Force! True Sword Force!” The Law Enforcement Elder couldn’t help but exclaim, and even Elder Xue’s face was solemn. The other disciples just gazed at Lin Xuan, stunned. Jiang Yulong trembled all over, looking at the figure on the platform, feeling a sense of powerlessness. This Sword Force was different from what they had used during the Outer Door competitions when the Martial Arts were practiced to Perfection creating a hint of an effect people called Sword Force, but it was not the true Sword Force. What Lin Xuan was emitting now was the actual Sword Force, every move filled with an invisible power, like a Supreme Divine Sword with its edge fully revealed. Feeling this Sword Force, Murong Qianling was shocked once again: “It’s only been a few days, and his Sword Force is even more powerful than last time, surpassing the small success sword energy!”