Chapter 232: His Silver-White Pupils Gleam with Disdain

Chapter 232: His Silver-White Pupils Gleam with Disdain

"What do you think, Song?"

In the spectator zone, a lazy, slightly cynical young man turned to the calm young man standing beside him, his arms folded across his chest.

Song Nanxing gazed at him, his expression unaltered. "What are you referring to? Don't address me so informally, Wei Junwu. We're not that familiar."

Wei Junwu waved his hand dismissively. "Look who's talking. I'm talking about Xue Jing's move just now."

He added uncertainly, "Well, I suppose you could call it a 'sword' technique."

"What do you think?"

Instead of answering immediately, Song Nanxing remained silent for a moment before replying calmly, "Incompatible."

Wei Junwu smiled and asked, "Oh? How so? Care to explain?"

Song Nanxing looked at him and said flatly, "That killing move and the weapon—they're completely mismatched."

"They're like two extremes, north and south, yet also terrifying because of that."

Wei Junwu sighed in agreement. "Yes, it's quite frightening."

Standing beside them were a few other competitors, but due to their inferior skills, they couldn't understand the cryptic conversation between these two powerhouses.

Song Nanxing's eyes fell on the scattered fragments of the alloy stick that lay all over the stage, deep in thought.

In his opinion, the Dragon Subduing Stream's ultimate move, Point-Piercing, was clearly a technique that aimed for concentrated, unparalleled penetrating power.

This move was best suited for sharp weapons like spears or swords, followed by straight and rigid weapons like sticks.

As for the door panel in Xue Jing's hand—it was far from being one with the move, at least in his opinion.

However, it was precisely because of this apparent mismatch that people like them, who knew their stuff, could see how terrifying Xue Jing truly was.

To forcibly convert an incompatible ultimate move within one's body and adapt it to the weapon at hand was something a normal person couldn't achieve.

For a martial artist to attempt such a maneuver would, at best, result in severe injuries and, at worst, paralysis or death.

Yet, Xue Jing had maintained his calm and collected demeanor throughout, seemingly unfazed by the terrifying strain such an action should have inflicted on his body.

"Could it be that he's undergone a super surgery to modify his physical structure?"

"No, all participants have to undergo body scans before the competition. Anyone with an alteration rate of over 1% wouldn't be allowed to compete."

"Could a natural-born body achieve this before breaking limits?"

As they pondered, Wei Junwu, with a mischievous expression, asked, "So, what do you think? Can he beat Zhou Yinglin?"

Song Nanxing's tone remained unwavering. "Are you joking?"

"This level of skill can't break through 'Flawless.' Although Xue Jing didn't use his full strength, from what we've seen so far, there's still a gap between him and Zhou Yinglin."

Wei Junwu shrugged. "That's a shame."

"Zhou Yinglin's participation in the U19 tournament is quite suspicious. I have a little insider information, but I'm not sure if it's true. Song, do you have any intel on this? We can compare notes."

Song Nanxing's expression didn't change. "I don't have any information. It's up to you whether you want to share or not."

Wei Junwu grinned. "No problem. We're practically brothers. I'll tell you this for free."

He paused, then raised his voice dramatically. "I heard that Zhou Yinglin joined the competition to pretend to accidentally kill Xue Jing on the battlefield!!"

His loud voice drew the attention of not only Song Nanxing but also all the other competitors nearby, and even some of the spectators sitting close by.

Everyone who heard him immediately turned their gazes toward Wei Junwu.

Song Nanxing's eyebrows twitched, his face full of disbelief.

"You fearless man, what are you up to?"

"Hehehehe..." Wei Junwu just laughed and didn't answer.

The people around them were in an uproar.

"Damn, this is big news!"

"How could this be... But it makes sense! Zhou Yinglin's participation in the U19 tournament across urban circles is already suspicious!"

"Is this true or false?"

"Never mind if it's true or not, let's spread the word first!"

...

In the competitor's resting area, Xue Jing sat cross-legged on the ground with the Forgotten Giant Sword across his knees.

He reached out and gently stroked the ancient and rustic sword body, feeling the 'dong' 'dong' sound it made, like a heartbeat.

The last time he had a similar experience was with the Rabbit-Slaying Blade.

And the result was that the Rabbit-Slaying Blade had sacrificed itself, turning the tangible and perishable blade into an intangible and immortal sword intent, thus achieving his ultimate sword technique—'Sakura Full Moon.'

Was the Forgotten Giant Sword in the same situation?

Xue Jing carefully sensed it for a long time before shaking his head.

"No, this feeling... It's somehow different from last time."

He thought for a while, then stood up, holding the sword hilt with both hands, and raised the Forgotten Giant Sword horizontally.

Subsequently, he performed a diagonal slash through the air.

The massive sword sliced through the void, stirring up a powerful gust of wind that shifted the tables and chairs in the room by a good few centimeters.

Curled up on the sofa, Cat yawned, rolled over, and continued sleeping.

"Something feels odd." Xue Jing muttered to himself, deep in thought. After a while, he shook his head, too lazy to dwell on it further.

He took out the Green Rubik's Cube, twisted one of its sides with one hand, and tossed it into the air.

A swirling vortex of green light appeared, and Xue Jing placed the Forgotten Giant Sword inside before putting away the cube and leaving the resting area.

He first stopped by the medical room to check on Yin Mouhu.

She was still unconscious, but thanks to Xue Jing's precise attack, her injuries, though severe, were not life-threatening. She would just need some time to recuperate.

After inquiring about her condition from the doctors, Xue Jing didn't linger and soon exited the medical room.

Checking the time on his phone, he saw that the halftime break was almost over, so he headed toward the competitor spectator zone.

Along the way, he opened his WeChat app, which had quite a few unread messages from friends and family congratulating him on his match victory.

Most of the messages were brief, except for those from Xue Wan, which were mostly voice messages.

Seeing the messages, ranging from a few seconds to a full minute in length, Xue Jing scratched his head and randomly selected a few to listen to.

"Oh, dude, you did great! I, Uchiha Wan, declare you to be the strongest!"

"By the way, is Xiao Yin alright? She's so pretty, but I still prefer when she was all muscular... I felt so safe then..."

"Master, you're so cool!! Chu chu chu chu!!"

Interspersed among them were voice messages from his little disciple, Zong Shi Chan, whose simulated kissing sounds made Xue Jing cringe and hold his phone a little further away.

He only listened to a few before ignoring the rest, especially those that were several seconds or a minute long.

After some thought, he replied with a text message: "Makes sense, I think so too. What happened next?"

Then, he turned on the 'Do Not Disturb' mode and put his phone back in his pocket.

As he exited the passageway and entered the competitor spectator zone, Xue Jing looked around.

The other competitors were gathered in small groups, passionately discussing something.

His arrival seemed to interrupt their conversations, and everyone turned to look at him with varying expressions.

Unbothered, Xue Jing casually chose an empty spot and stood there.

The spectators above also noticed his appearance and burst into a round of applause, a lingering admiration for his impressive performance.

Just as the match was about to resume, a palm suddenly landed on Xue Jing's shoulder.

Not sensing any malicious intent, Xue Jing didn't dodge.

"Old Xue! You're amazing!"

The playful voice, mixed with an attempt at Cantonese, made Xue Jing turn to the youth with a lazy expression, confused. "Have we met? Who are you?"

Wei Junwu retracted his hand, stroking his chin. "As expected of you, you don't even recognize me. Looks like what you said in the interview was true—you really haven't paid attention to the other competitors..."

After a pause, he smiled and said, "I'm Wei Junwu, a disciple of Master Pei Yan from the Phoenix Tears School. Our styles are quite similar, aren't they? We're meant to be friends!"

Seeing Wei Junwu's overfamiliar attitude, Xue Jing smiled and said, "Brother Wei, your reputation precedes you."

Clearly, they had never met before... Wei Junwu was taken aback by the 'your reputation precedes you' remark and laughed. "Old Xue, you're an interesting guy... No need to be so distant. Just call me Old Wei."

He waved his hand dismissively.

Xue Jing didn't continue this line of conversation and simply asked, "Brother Wei, what can I do for you?"

Wei Junwu casually replied, "It's nothing in particular. I just wanted to introduce myself... and see what kind of person could make Zhou Yinglin personally travel far and wide across circles to find trouble with him."

Xue Jing looked at him, his expression filled with deep meaning. "Oh? I don't quite understand what you mean."

Wei Junwu sighed. "A friend's request, a duty to fulfill... Sigh, I've caused big trouble for myself now. Zhou Yinglin will probably come looking for me now."

"That's good, at least I have someone to watch my back now!"

As he spoke, his expression became animated and proud.

Xue Jing softly asked, "You didn't answer my question."

Wei Junwu sensed a hint of danger, but he still shook his head.

"The person involved has too high a status. I'm not qualified to discuss it with you. You'll know when the time comes."

"Anyway... I'm on your side, and so is the person behind me." Wei Junwu chuckled.

"How's the sword? Is it useful?"

Hearing this, Xue Jing confirmed his suspicions and nodded. "So that's how it is. It's quite handy."

Wei Junwu leaned in closer and whispered, "The sword itself is secondary. Its main purpose is to serve as a 'hint'."

Xue Jing's heart stirred, and he understood vaguely.

Considering that Wei Junwu had come because of Zhou Yinglin, and the person behind him was likely the same person who had sent the Forgotten Giant Sword, this hint was probably related to Zhou Yinglin as well.

Was this giant sword meant to deal with Zhou Yinglin? If the sword itself wasn't the key... then, what was the most prominent feature of this sword? Heavy, powerful, and overwhelming.

Could Zhou Yinglin's Flawless technique be broken by brute force?

Xue Jing shook his head. "Do you take me for a child?"

...

After the halftime break, the competition resumed.

Following Xue Jing's match was the showdown between Contestants 3 and 4. Due to the [Proof of Love] incident, Xue Jing hadn't even bothered to remember their names.

Reaching the finals meant these contestants had some skills, and Xue Jing gained some insights from watching their match.

The same was true for Contestants 5 and 6.

And now, it was time for the most anticipated match of the day.

Contestant 7, Fan Xuhui, versus Contestant 8—Zhou Yinglin.

"... Welcome back to the U19 Unlimited Elite Fighting Competition. I'm your commentator, Tao Xingxiu..."

"... After three exciting matches, I'm sure our audience friends have been thoroughly thrilled. But! "

"The best is yet to come!! "

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire arena erupted in cheers that seemed to shake the venue to its core.

"Zhou Yinglin—Zhou Yinglin—Zhou Yinglin—"

The spectators started chanting Zhou Yinglin's name in an orderly fashion, their enthusiasm staggering.

"Let's welcome Contestant Fan Xuhui first!"

Xue Jing watched the tense young man who walked out from the contestant passageway and shook his head.

This person's mentality had already crumbled.

Even if their strengths were similar, he wouldn't be able to win.

Zhou Yinglin's reputation was truly intimidating.

The commentator enthusiastically introduced Fan Xuhui and displayed his hexagonal data chart, which inevitably showed all 10s.

"A true hexagon, a fully-leveled young genius, with strength beyond what the data chart can contain!"

The commentator continued to hype up the audience with his praise, and they responded with enthusiastic cheers and applause.

Wei Junwu, standing next to Xue Jing, complained, "That's too much praise. When are they going to start? It's annoying."

As if he had heard Wei Junwu's complaint, the commentator finally finished this prolonged introduction.

"—So, without further ado, let the match begin! Let's witness this exciting showdown together!"

"Begin!"

As the referee signaled the start, Xue Jing's eyes narrowed, his pupils contracting as he channeled his energy. He activated Eye Piercing, turning his eyes into vertical pupils, and ignited the Sword Intent Realm, bathing his silver-white eyes with divinity.

In the next moment, the match ended.

It was a torrential downpour of spear strikes.

No, it should be described as a cascading waterfall or a raging flood.

In just an instant, Zhou Yinglin, holding the nine-foot-long spear with one hand, unleashed a flood of spear shadows so dense that the eye couldn't distinguish them.

His opponent, Fan Xuhui, didn't even have a chance to react. Countless blood holes appeared all over his body, and he slowly fell to the ground.

Zhou Yinglin, who usually didn't speak, turned and walked away, as if he had just accomplished a trivial task.

Amidst the enthusiastic applause, exclamations, and cheers, no one noticed a young man in the competitor spectator zone, his silver-white eyes calm and disdainful.

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end