Divine King of Honour

He was, after all, fifth on the rankings, just one place below you, Dugu Jingcheng.

You claim to defeat me with a single sword stroke; isn't that a bit too arrogant?

"With one sword stroke, I'd love to see how you could defeat me with one sword stroke," Zhao Yan angrily said to Dugu Jingcheng, his heart filled with strong unwillingness.

Dugu Jingcheng wasted no words, gesturing with his hand, a Xuan Iron Sword flew out from his Storage Bag and appeared in his hand.

Seeing this, Zhao Yan also drew his Battle Saber, readying himself with solemnity.

Regardless, since Dugu Jingcheng dared to make such a bold statement, the power of this sword stroke must be extraordinary, so he dared not underestimate it, for fear of capsizing in the gutter.

"Buzz!"

The long sword in Dugu Jingcheng's hand started to tremble, emitting a proud Sword Intent from his body, the powerful Sword Intent like a sharp lethal sword, instilling fear in people.

"Man and Sword as One, is this Dugu Jingcheng's Man and Sword as One?" Everyone in the audience showed a look of surprise.

To say nothing else, just this move alone was enough to make him a dazzling star.

Zhao Yan's expression also turned solemn, Spiritual Energy surged within his body, preparing to face this sword stroke from Dugu Jingcheng.

"Buzz!"

Dugu Jingcheng swung his sword, and a terrifying sword light instantly transformed into a crescent arc slashing towards Zhao Yan.

The aura on the crescent arc was fiercely terrifying, and its speed was extraordinarily fast, reaching Zhao Yan's face in the blink of an eye.

Zhao Yan was startled and immediately swung his saber in defense.

"Clang!"

There was a loud noise, and Zhao Yan's Battle Saber immediately flew out of his hand, his figure was also thrown forward by the terrifying rebound force, eventually falling outside the Battle Platform, with a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.

Defeated!

Truly defeated by a single sword stroke!

The audience was stunned, followed by a burst of frenzied exclamations, their eyes filled with admiration as they looked at Dugu Jingcheng.

Zhao Yan, down below, looked at Dugu Jingcheng with astonishment, the unwillingness in his eyes also disappearing.

The gap was too big!

This sword stroke said it all; the Dugu Jingcheng before him was far more formidable than he had imagined.

"Qinglin Academy, Dugu Jingcheng wins!" Elder Song Heng announced.

The crowd cheered even louder, the women gazing at Dugu Jingcheng's figure began to look admiringly.

Dugu Jingcheng, however, remained as cold as ever, swiftly returning to the ready area.

…

"Dugu Jingcheng is not weak; he should be able to compete with Ji Yun and Zhao Yan," Chen Yao said to Chen Wudi beside her.

"That's for sure, Dugu Jingcheng is the third talent of our Qinglin Academy, naturally very powerful," Chen Wudi proudly said.

"Only third? Then who are the first and second?" Chen Yao curiously asked.

Considering Dugu Jingcheng's strength, he would be one of the top talents at Tianhen Academy, so why is he only ranked third at Qinglin Academy?

"The second is, of course, me. Do you think I would be inferior to Dugu Jingcheng, sis? As for the first, it's naturally my brother-in-law Xu Nian!" Chen Wudi blurted out.

Chen Yao immediately glared at Chen Wudi in anger, but her curiosity about Xu Nian, whom Chen Wudi had mentioned, also piqued.

She was aware of Chen Wudi's talent; his potential had not yet been fully tapped, but the person who could make him admit defeat was unheard of before.

Chen Wudi was now content to rank himself behind him, sufficient to indicate there was something extraordinary about Xu Nian.

"Sister, don't disbelieve me, once you meet your brother-in-law, you'll definitely like him," Chen Wudi laughed.

"If you spout nonsense again, I'll tear your mouth apart," Chen Yao huffed.

Chen Wudi grinned foolishly, yet he was not afraid at all.

…

As the siblings bantered, the fourth group of the competition had already begun on the stage.

This group featured a duel between women, with Chengfeng Academy's Feng Rain battling Heavenly Dragon Academy's Zhao Si.

The outcome was predictable; possessing the Innate Sword Spirit Body, Feng Rain didn't even draw her sword but defeated Zhao Si of Heavenly Dragon Academy with a single palm strike.

At the end of the match, she boldly claimed that only Dugu Jingcheng was worthy of making her draw her sword, stirring up a furor among the crowd.

The fifth match was Heavenly Dragon Academy's Wang Dong against Donglin Major Luo Yu.

Originally, everyone thought that the strengths of these two were quite comparable.

However, Wang Dong suddenly unleashed a formidable strength, overwhelming Luo Yu and becoming the dark horse of this match, winning the fifth group.

The sixth group saw Lin Ruolan against City West College's Li Yun.

Xu Nian had always been very interested in Lin Ruolan, sensing something unusual about her.

Indeed, during the match, the result shocked Xu Nian.

The Nine-star Peak Level Li Yun couldn't even touch the hem of Lin Ruolan's robe before being flung out by a single palm strike from her, ending up unconscious.

Meanwhile, Xu Nian also noticed that the Spiritual Energy Lin Ruolan used was blood-red, suffused with a repulsive, bloody stench.

A woman with a celestial demeanor possessing such repulsive Spiritual Energy was definitely not normal.

However, Xu Nian couldn't probe too much. To truly investigate Lin Ruolan, it would likely require the intervention of Emperor Ye Tian.

Yet, Emperor Ye Tian was usually asleep during the day, and Xu Nian felt it improper to disturb him, so he could only suppress his curiosity.

Now six groups had finished their matches, leaving only the last two groups. This meant that besides him and Chen Xifeng, only Chengfeng Academy's Chen Han and Tianhen Academy's Qin Tian had not competed.

Xu Nian couldn't possibly fight Chen Xifeng, leaving only Chen Han and Qin Tian as possible opponents.

"The seventh group, Chengfeng Academy's Chen Han against Qinglin Academy's Chen Xifeng!" the Prefectural Governor declared loudly.

Chen Xifeng looked at Xu Nian with a slight smile and said, "It seems our fates are quite similar! Both battling against our own brothers!"

Xu Nian smiled helplessly, "Good luck!"

Chen Xifeng nodded, then darted out.

Chen Han was Chen Xifeng's nominal older cousin, while Qin Tian was Xu Nian's half-brother. With Chen Han battling Chen Xifeng, the remaining match would naturally be Qin Tian against Xu Nian.

Sometimes fate loved to play tricks on people! Read new chapters at empire

Suddenly, Xu Nian felt a gaze directed at him, coming from the preparation area of Tianhen Academy where Qin Tian was stationed.

Qin Tian's gaze was icy cold, with a hint of disdain deep within, just as it had always been back at the Qin Family—aloof, condescending, with not a hint of brotherly affection.

Although he had never actively bullied Xu Nian in the past, he had never had any liking for him, and his restraint was solely out of disdain.

Now as opponents, he would certainly show no mercy.

Whoever dared obstruct him, he would kill without hesitation.

Separated by the battle zone, Xu Nian met Qin Tian's gaze, understanding all too well the meaning behind it.

"I originally had a sliver of reluctance about pushing you out of the top eight. But now seeing this look in your eyes, I am reassured, Qin Family, don't blame me," Xu Nian's fists clenched behind his back, and his eyes hardened in an instant.