This life-and-death challenge had a certain element of gambling for Fu Yan as well. After all, she didn’t truly know how strong Zhou Zhenlie was. She didn’t have much confidence either way. She might not win easily—but if he wanted to defeat her, that wouldn’t be simple, either.
As her words fell, the entire dueling platform fell silent.
Fu Yan gripped the Linglong Broken Sword tightly.
The next instant, her figure shot into motion.
After ten days of bitter training, her Wind Shadow Step had reached minor success. Her speed now was dozens of times faster than the last time she’d stood on this very platform. In just a single breath, her figure appeared at Zhou Zhenlie’s side.
The sharp sword edge hissed past his ear, but Zhou Zhenlie dodged it with ease.
“Since Junior Sister Fu is so eager to spar with me,”
Zhou Zhenlie smiled faintly at her,
“then this senior brother won’t be holding back.”
This time he didn’t bother to hide anything. The cold in his eyes was plain.
At first, he had only planned to toy with her a little. But now it was clear the other side truly intended to kill him. On top of that, Fu Yan had already cost him this month’s spirit stones and Qi Pills. At this moment, Zhou Zhenlie was naturally furious.
The strength she’d shown in her last bout with Qin Xinrui had surprised him a bit, but in his eyes, it still wasn’t worth mentioning. As her figure brushed past his, he thought:
What a waste of a pretty face.
With that, Zhou Zhenlie also exploded into motion, sword flashing as he charged.
On the wide dueling platform, true essence surged. Two powerful streams of force collided violently. In the time it took for a few breaths, the two of them had already exchanged more than a dozen blows.
The spectators below the platform were staring, mouths half open.
“Looks like this junior sister really isn’t simple. She’s actually holding her own against Zhou Zhenlie. Are all the new disciples this heaven‑defying now? Zhou Zhenlie is at least around rank one hundred.”
“I thought this life-and-death challenge would be boring, but it’s finally getting interesting.”
“Holding her own so what? It’s not like she’s got the upper hand.”
“Come on, her rank is only in the six hundreds, and she’s fighting Zhou Zhenlie to a standstill. That’s not impressive enough for you?”
“…”
They stared at the two figures on the stage, chattering nonstop as they watched.
Fu Yan, meanwhile, was completely tense, not daring to relax in the slightest. There was a whole minor realm of difference between her cultivation and Zhou Zhenlie’s, and it was indeed far from easy to bridge.
“It seems I really underestimated Junior Sister Fu.”
Zhou Zhenlie’s gaze grew darker and harder. The strength Fu Yan was displaying was beyond his expectations.
Dozens of exchanges had passed, and with his mid–Opening Light stage cultivation, he hadn’t gained any real advantage. Instead, he was the one being forced back step by step.
If this went on, wouldn’t he just be waiting for everyone to laugh at him?
Thinking of this, Zhou Zhenlie’s expression soured. If he wanted to end this quickly, he could no longer afford to hold anything back.
In the very next second, the true essence in his body began to surge wildly. He gripped his sword hilt with all his strength, his gaze icy as it locked onto Fu Yan.
“Junior Sister Fu is still far too full of herself. Today, this senior brother will teach you a lesson.”
He suddenly leapt into the air. As his body hung there, he released his grip on the sword. The currents of air between heaven and earth roared like floodgates thrown open, violent and turbulent.
“Ten Thousand Swords to One!”
The instant they saw this move, the crowd below erupted.
“Senior Brother Zhou actually learned the second form of the Myriad Sect Sword Art, Ten Thousand Swords to One. If I remember right, he’s only been practicing that sword art for half a year!”
“What? A human‑grade mid‑tier sword art, and he mastered the second form in under half a year? Zhou Zhenlie’s talent really can’t be underestimated.”
“Junior Sister Fu is in trouble now. If she doesn’t have a sword art on the same level, the outcome of this life‑and‑death challenge is pretty much decided.”
Fu Yan’s brows furrowed as she stared at his sword move. It was indeed terrifying. For a moment, she felt as if she were back in the Crimson‑Black Mountains, crossing blades with that disciple from the Zi Lan Sect—that suffocating aura of death rushed straight toward her once more.
If it were the her from ten days ago, she’d probably die under this sword.
But now, Fu Yan finally had a bit of strength to stake everything on the line.
She tightened her grip on the Linglong Broken Sword. The true essence in her body began to churn violently as well. She raised the sword upright before her.
Illusionless Sword, First Form—Phantom.
Yes. After more than ten days of harsh cultivation, Fu Yan had finally comprehended the first form of the Illusionless Sword. Phantom was both false and real, reality within illusion, illusion within reality—ethereal and traceless. That was the true mystery of the Illusionless Sword.
The next second, countless eyes saw Fu Yan’s figure sweep forward with her sword.
In an instant, all they could see on the platform were flickering, indistinct afterimages. Zhou Zhenlie, at the very center, seemed completely surrounded, with not a single obvious opening to be found.
“What sword art is that? Why does it feel just as terrifying as Zhou Zhenlie’s Ten Thousand Swords to One?”
Someone cried out in shock.
“T‑That’s the Illusionless Sword!”
“I’ve heard of it. The Illusionless Sword is said to be at the very peak among human‑grade mid‑tier sword arts. It’s extremely difficult to cultivate. I once heard of a senior brother who practiced it for over half a year and still couldn’t grasp even the basics.”
“Ah, I know. My master said the Illusionless Sword isn’t actually hard to practice. It’s that most people just can’t comprehend its essence at all. It demands unbelievably high comprehension from the cultivator.”
“This Junior Sister Fu’s natural talent might be average, but who would’ve thought her comprehension would be so high!”
While the crowd was still frozen in astonishment, the two on the platform finally collided head‑on.
Zhou Zhenlie felt terrifying sword intent roaring in from all directions, enclosing him tightly from every side.
But he believed he would not lose.
So what if it was the Illusionless Sword? Before absolute strength, it was nothing worth mentioning. Fu Yan was only at the early Opening Light stage. In his eyes, she still didn’t amount to much at all!
In an instant, everyone saw Ten Thousand Swords to One clash directly with the Illusionless Sword.
A massive explosion tore across the dueling platform. If not for the formation barrier around it, the spectator stands would have suffered serious damage.
“Break for me!” Zhou Zhenlie roared with every ounce of his strength.
“Pff—”
A mouthful of blood sprayed from Fu Yan’s lips.
The force of that collision was too great for her current cultivation to withstand. She could feel the true essence in her body rioting out of control.
But at this point, Fu Yan was like an arrow already nocked on the string—there was no turning back.
She poured every last trace of her protective true essence into her sword. The Linglong Broken Sword, locked in stalemate before her, suddenly flared with power, surging forward. It shattered Zhou Zhenlie’s protective true essence and, unstoppable as a falling meteor, pierced straight through his abdomen.
There was a sharp crack.
The sound of a dantian shattering.
The next moment, Zhou Zhenlie’s body crashed down from midair. A torrent of blood spewed from his mouth.
For a long heartbeat, everyone held their breath.
No one knew how much time passed before someone finally shouted in disbelief:
“S‑She… she… she actually shattered Zhou Zhenlie’s dantian!”
The dantian was the foundation of a cultivator. Once shattered, a person’s cultivation was destroyed. From then on, they would be less than an ordinary mortal—a cripple.
And to any cultivator, they would rather die than become a cripple.
