Chapter 169: Cao Youqian – It’s Time for a Real Man’s Duel

Words : 1505 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

Clang! The moment Song Zhaoyi heard that voice, her sword slipped from her hand and clattered to the ground. She turned toward the source of the voice and shouted: "Brother Qian!" Everyone present turned their attention to Cao Youqian. For a brief moment, the previously noisy crowd fell completely silent. As they stared at the domineering man who carried himself as if above all others, a strange feeling welled up in their hearts. Even the City Lord of Yunlan, standing beside him, was dumbfounded. He never imagined Young Master Cao would be this bold. This was what countless Yunlan Sect disciples dreamed of doing. And yet, Young Master Cao did it without hesitation. As expected of a genius from a sacred land. On the platform, Long Yan’s face was extremely unsightly. He hadn’t expected the prize in his grasp to be snatched away just like that. He shouted harshly, "Who are you to interfere in the marriage between the Long and Song Clans? Aren’t you afraid your own ancestor will be held accountable?" Cao Youqian looked utterly arrogant and declared loudly, "The Long and Song Clans are nothing. If I, Cao Youqian, want to take someone away, not even the Heavenly King himself could stop me!" Hiss— The surrounding crowd gasped sharply. Just who was this guy? Did he have to drag the Song Clan into it too? That was over the line. "Cao Youqian?" Long Yan’s expression shifted. "You’re that Cao Youqian from Wendao Academy?" "Now that you know who I am," Cao Youqian said with a wide grin, "you should know what to do next, right?" "Hmph!" Long Yan snorted coldly. "So this is the kind of scum Wendao Academy raises—someone who steals another man’s fiancée." "Heh." Cao Youqian chuckled. "You say Xiao Yi is your fiancée, and that makes her yours? Try calling her and see if she responds." Long Yan: "..." Song Zhaoyi spoke up as well. "That’s right. I never agreed to marry you, and the Song Clan never said I had to. There are many legitimate daughters in the Song Clan. Since you won, why not let them send you one of the others?" "You—!" Long Yan was rendered speechless by the two of them. Watching from behind Cao Youqian, Ye Beixuan was stunned. ‘Why do I feel like Second Senior Brother is the one who was reborn? I’m the one who feels fake now...’ At that moment, a Song Clan elder stepped forward at the perfect time and said, "That’s right. Young man from the Long Clan, we of the Song Clan keep our word. Since Xiao Yi already has a Dao companion, just choose someone else. We never said we wouldn’t fulfill the marriage agreement—it’s just that your Long Clan aimed too high." With those words, Long Yan, who had just held the moral high ground, instantly became the target of criticism. The disciples of Yunlan Sect began shouting: "That’s right! Take a look at yourself—how could you be worthy of Senior Sister Zhaoyi?" "Exactly! What makes you think you can compete with Senior Brother Cao?" "The Song Clan gave you face, and you still think you’re something? Dream on." None of those present were fools. Someone like Song Zhaoyi, a top genius of Yunlan, should naturally marry someone like Cao Youqian, a sacred land genius. That would bring honor to Yunlan Sect. Long Yan clenched his teeth, his expression twisted with fury. He tightened his fists and screamed in his heart: Elder Sword, I want to kill that bastard Cao! "You may," Elder Sword replied coldly. "If you can’t even settle your heart, how can you cultivate the supreme sword arts? Besides, you’ll face these kinds of geniuses eventually. Use him as your stepping stone to rise to fame." Hearing this, Long Yan’s face lit up with excitement. He suddenly pointed at Cao Youqian and shouted: "Cao, do you dare fight me?" Cao Youqian smiled. "Why wouldn’t I?" Ye Beixuan leaned in and whispered, "Second Senior Brother, be careful. That guy’s probably being protected by some old monster. If that elder makes a move, you might—" But before he could finish, Cao Youqian raised his hand to stop him and smirked. "Junior Brother, you probably haven’t seen our master’s sword intent yet, have you? If that old monster dares to act, I’ll make sure he’s obliterated. After all, it’s not like I don’t have a powerful master too." With that, Cao Youqian leapt from the tiger’s back and flew onto the arena. He approached Song Zhaoyi and said softly, "Step down and treat your injuries. Brew me a pot of tea. By the time it’s ready, I’ll have his head." Arrogant. Utterly arrogant! At that moment, Song Zhaoyi’s heart fluttered wildly. What woman could possibly resist such a moment? She nodded slightly. "Alright, Brother Qian." Long Yan watched the scene unfold, his anger already extinguished. All that remained was cold indifference. Just a dead man—not worth arguing with. After stepping down from the platform, Song Zhaoyi took out a tea set from her storage ring and began to brew tea. On the arena, Cao Youqian stood with both hands behind his back, gazing down at Long Yan. "Make your move." Long Yan didn’t respond. Instead, he shouted with divine sense: "Elder Sword, assist me!" In the next instant, his entire aura underwent a dramatic transformation. The crowd below turned pale at the sight, and even the Yunlan Sect elders frowned. There was something eerie about this young man. Ye Beixuan shouted, "Second Senior Brother, be careful!" But Cao Youqian remained calm, simply taking out a sword jade given to him by his master from his storage ring. "Die!" Long Yan roared, slashing his sword forward. Cao Youqian smirked. "Old has-been, is that all you’ve got? Slash!" As he spoke, he poured his spiritual power into the sword jade and aimed it at Long Yan. Clang! A crisp sword cry rang out. From the sword jade erupted a sword qi of world-shaking brilliance. That sword qi transformed into a silhouette holding a longsword, descending in a single stroke. With barely any effort, it shattered Long Yan’s Fire Fiend Sword Qi, and then slashed straight toward him. "The essence of swordsmanship! That’s a Semi-Saint’s strike!" A panicked voice—completely out of place for someone Long Yan’s age—escaped his mouth. The next second, Elder Sword fled from Long Yan’s body, retreating into the ring. But what Elder Sword never expected was that the sword strike didn’t stop at Long Yan—it followed and cleaved toward the ring itself. Bang! With a crisp shatter, the ring exploded, and a soul shadow shot out from it. "No!!!" Before the soul could even plead for mercy, the sword qi pierced through it. In full view of everyone, it disintegrated into nothingness. Silence. The area around the arena was dead silent. Cao Youqian saw that Long Yan’s aura had returned to normal. Without hesitation, he tossed the sword jade off the platform. It landed right in front of Song Zhaoyi. With unshakable arrogance, he declared, "Now that the irrelevant one’s been dealt with—it’s time for a real man’s duel!" Long Yan snapped out of his daze, murmuring, "Impossible... Elder Sword was a Sword Saint. How could someone at the Heaven Origin Realm like you destroy him?" Cao Youqian sneered. "A washed-up corpse who’s probably been dead for who knows how long? Someone like that could only trick trash like you. Even if he threw himself at me, I wouldn’t spare him a glance." "You... you..." Long Yan was completely deflated, his earlier arrogance replaced with panic and confusion. But Cao Youqian didn’t press the attack. "What? You afraid now? If you are, get on your knees and beg for mercy. Maybe I’ll consider sparing your life." Each word stabbed deep into Long Yan’s pride. The shame and resentment instantly overpowered his fear. "I’ll fight you with everything I’ve got! Soaring Dragon Nine Transformations!" Long Yan leapt high into the air. His cultivation surged beyond the True Fate Realm, reaching the Heaven Origin Realm. A faint aura of dragon might surrounded him. Cao Youqian laughed. "Now you finally look like a man. In that case, I’ll offer you the highest form of respect." As he spoke, his own aura transformed. A divine radiance enveloped his body. Just by standing there, he looked like a war god. The overwhelming divine presence made every single spectator’s heart tremble. "A divine body... Senior Brother Cao is getting serious." Ye Beixuan couldn’t help blurting it out. "Soaring Flood Dragon!" "Extreme Dao Divine Fist!" Everyone’s eyes turned toward the arena. A flood dragon descended from the heavens, and twin divine fists drove it forward in an unstoppable charge. Boom!!! With a deafening explosion, the battle came to an end. This duel had not only determined victory—it had also determined life and death. ==================================================================================== Get access to 20 chapters in advance and enjoy 2 daily updates by supporting the series. Available on Patreon: /Alex_Cruise or Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/anish_44

Chapter 169: Cao Youqian – It’s Time for a Real Man’s Duel

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