Chapter 530: Cross-Border Battle: Gu Yang Jian (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

"This aura…"

Lin Qi frowned; the aura emanating from Gu Yang Jian was terrifyingly powerful.

He seemed like a deep-sea shark that devoured all living things.

This was the overwhelming pressure possessed by an eighth-realm cultivator—a profound transformation of life's level.

Liu Yuanzhang, Mu Hong, Pei Pei Hongfeng—they were all eighth-realm warriors, each radiating this same aura.

In the spectator seats, Liu Yuanzhang and Mu Hong also furrowed their brows.

"So Lin Qi noticed it too?"

"I didn't expect to return and witness a battle like this!"

A voice came from beside him—a middle-aged man in a blue robe, exuding a graceful aura; he was Xue Zhou, dean of the Sixth Academy of Cangqiong Martial University.

Xue Zhou leaned back in his smart chair, frowning at the blue-armored Gu Yang Jian on the arena:

"Gu Yang Jian has already broken through to the eighth realm; judging by his aura, it's been less than ten days."

"Even so, he's eighth-realm now—his body has undergone another transformation!"

"It's completely different from seventh-realm!"

"Lin Qi isn't his match!"

His rational mind swiftly reached a judgment.

Liu Yuanzhang and Mu Hong fell silent after hearing this.

On the arena, the blue-armored Gu Yang Jian looked up at Lin Qi, slowly raising his blue heavy sword, its tip gleaming with cold light as it pointed at Lin Qi:

"I thought you wouldn't dare show up?"

Lin Qi's expression grew serious—he hadn't expected Gu Yang Jian to break through to the eighth realm.

A genius of his caliber, once breaking through to the eighth realm, undergoes bodily transformation and sees his combat power surge dramatically.

For a seventh-realm cultivator to defeat an eighth-realm genius is as difficult as climbing to heaven.

Especially since Gu Yang Jian already possessed the ability to fight beyond his realm.

What an exhilarating opponent!

Lin Qi's gaze remained calm; he slowly raised his black-gold great spear toward Gu Yang Jian and said:

"I don't dare?"

"Because of you?"

"After I defeat you, will your Gu family send an even stronger genius to challenge me?"

"I welcome them anytime!"

Gu Yang Jian replied with pride:

"This is the final match!"

"There won't be any after this!"

"And I'll end you with the fastest speed possible!"

As he spoke, Gu Yang Jian's aura intensified further; the air grew damp, as if Lin Qi were submerged in the ocean.

Lin Qi gripped his great spear, and at Gu Yang Jian's words, a smirk curled his lips:

"Then let's settle this with our weapons!"

【One minute until battle commencement—both combatants, prepare!】

In the spectator seats, three powerful figures sat in the center.

Among them, the Sword Emperor, clad in blue robes, with deep eyes and sharply defined, handsome features, spoke slowly:

"Old Huo, your granddisciple is impressive!"

"He knows Gu Yang Jian has broken through to the eighth realm—and still isn't afraid!"

"His mental fortitude is remarkable!"

"Even if he loses, his future is boundless—he can shoulder the future of Xia Guo!"

Shanhe Wang laughed heartily: "Naturally!"

"But whether he'll lose or not still depends on the battle—who knows, maybe Lin Qi will win by luck?"

The blue-robed Sword Emperor burst into laughter:

"Old Huo, you've gotten humorous—you're joking now!"

Shanhe Wang smiled but said nothing, waiting for the battle to begin.

On the arena, as the one-minute countdown began, invisible auras already clashed.

【Countdown: …3, 2, 1】

【Arena battle begins!】

The arena's intelligent voice immediately announced:

The atmosphere instantly turned deadly.

In the spectator seats, Gu Ming and Gu Cheng had also tuned in.

Gu Ming's eyes gleamed with excitement:

"Finally, it's starting!"

"Brother Yang Jian is an eighth-realm powerhouse—he could kill Lin Qi with a single strike!"

Gu Cheng gritted his teeth and nodded:

"Killing him outright is too boring—we should torture him first, just to vent our anger."

"Exactly! Lin Qi is too arrogant—he must be beaten senseless by Elder Gu Yang Jian!" his followers chimed in.

…

On the arena,

Gu Yang Jian instantly erupted in blue light, his skin revealing dual layers of blue patterns.

Countless deep-blue streams surged from his body, swirling around him.

His Golden Gangjin flowed like water, yet carried far greater destructive power.

His aura resembled a abyssal great shark opening its bloodied maw, capable of swallowing all things!

His aura surged higher; Gu Yang Jian fixed his gaze on Lin Qi and said:

"You strike first—I'll let you have one move."

"I'll let you see the strength of an eighth-realm warrior!"

Lin Qi did not refuse—he was curious about the power of an eighth-realm warrior.

"Boom!!"

In an instant, he unleashed a brilliant golden light; dual layers of golden patterns appeared on his skin as he raised his black-gold great spear.

Jin Di's Golden Gangjin instantly coalesced, surging from his body and coating the spear, forming spear Gang.

"Bang!"

Lin Qi slammed his foot hard against the ground and shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, leaving trails of afterimages in the air.

He thrust his spear; the Mountain-River realm manifested, swirling at the spear tip, amplifying its power as the point ripped through space.

Mountain-Shan He Qiang Fa Art—Flowing Thrust!

The spear shot forth like a dragon—sharp, ruthless, capable of piercing and slicing through anything?

Seeing this, Gu Yang Jian calmly lifted his heavy sword; blue flowing streams coated the blade, forming sword Gang.

Simultaneously, they slid like ribbons, coalescing into a barrier.

The spear tip struck the water curtain barrier—like mud sinking into the sea, its force dissipated layer by layer.

Lin Qi's expression grew grave; he felt his power being steadily drained.

"Clang!"

Finally, the spear tip struck the heavy sword—but with little force remaining.

Is this the power of the eighth realm?

With realm advancement and bodily transformation, even the effectiveness of Golden Gangjin is greatly enhanced.

If Gu Yang Jian were still seventh-realm, this spear thrust alone would have severely wounded him.

Gu Yang Jian smirked:

"Too weak!"

"My turn!"

He surged forward with force, his blue sword Gang vibrating and sending Lin Qi reeling back.

He swung his heavy sword, unleashing a torrent of blue sword Gang that plummeted like a celestial river crashing down upon Lin Qi.

Celestial River Sword Art—Heavenly River Falls!

"Whoosh! Whoosh!!"

Lin Qi saw the incoming sword Gang and swung his great spear hard, unleashing a golden spear Gang that sliced through the air like a blade.

"Bang!!"

The water sword Gang and golden blade collided in midair, exploding with a thunderous crash.

They canceled each other out, sending shockwaves of energy rippling outward.

After the water sword Gang shattered, it transformed into countless raindrops that immediately coalesced into a storm of water blades aimed at Lin Qi.

At the same time, Gu Yang Jian charged forward, swinging his heavy sword like a cascading waterfall, descending with brutal force.

Around his body, the Celestial River realm coalesced.

Lin Qi was enveloped in protective aura, ignoring the water blades as he shot forward like lightning.

He sensed intense danger.

Power surged endlessly from within him as he swung his great spear upward with force.

A phantom image of mountains and rivers appeared, enhancing the spear technique.

The Mountain-Shan He Qiang Fa Art—Mountain Crush!

"Boom!"

The heavy sword and great spear collided in midair, their aura clashing violently like invisible blades, even as the Milky Way and Mountain-River forces struck each other.

The clash of their spiritual intentions stirred violent gusts of wind through the surrounding air.

Countless water blades slammed into Lin Qi, but were blocked by the ruthless Jin Di aura.

Even the outer layer failed to shatter his protective aura!

In the instant of impact, Lin Qi felt the opponent's terrifying force.

Gu Yang Jian stood nearly two meters tall, broad-shouldered and powerfully built, his arms thick with muscle; he wielded his heavy sword with effortless grace, as if it were an extension of his limbs.

But Lin Qi suspected the sword weighed over three thousand kilograms!

The heavy sword slashed down like a torrential Milky Way crashing from the heavens.

The terrifying force traveled up the spear shaft into his body, forcing Lin Qi to stagger backward involuntarily!

"Tap-tap-tap!!"

Lin Qi retreated over a dozen steps, leaving cracks in the ground before finally stabilizing his stance.

Such immense power!

Lin Qi's expression turned grim; his arms went numb, his aura trembled, and his blood churned.

Through this first clash, he could already sense the opponent's strength.

An eighth-realm expert was truly no joke.

The opponent had awakened two abilities, achieving a threefold combat boost.

He also cultivated a Level Twelve beast technique!

His combat multiplier was at least 3.5, if not close to four.

That was still formidable even among eighth-realm warriors.

Director Liu and his master Mu Hong were unlikely to match Gu Yang Jian.

"Boom!!"

"Tap-tap~"

Gu Yang Jian also retreated five steps before stopping.

His expression shifted from confidence to stunned disbelief.

"This power… so strong!!"

He had expected this strike to severely wound Lin Qi.

But now it seemed the opponent wasn't injured at all?

Could he have awakened the special ability 【Golden Steel】?

He knew little about Lin Qi, only that he had awakened two metal-based abilities.

Now it seemed likely they were 【Golden Edge】 and 【Golden Steel】.

These granted him unparalleled strength and defense.

Like himself, both possessed special abilities centered on power and speed.

To defeat this opponent, he would need to unleash even greater force.

"You've managed to block my sword—impressive!"

Gu Yang Jian's body was wreathed in deep blue sword aura as he spoke, praising him.

Lin Qi smiled slightly and replied:

"But your strength is weaker than I imagined!"

Gu Yang Jian's temper flared, yet his expression remained haughty:

"You seek death!"

With that, he swung his heavy sword again, altering his stance; the deep blue sword aura swept sideways, converging like flowing water into a massive vortex.

The Milky Way spiritual intent emerged, the vortex expanding to engulf the entire arena.

The Milky Way Sword Art—Galaxy Reversal!

Lin Qi felt a powerful suction force.

Since reaching the eighth realm, his control over aura had become far more refined.

Whether in close combat or ranged attacks, he could unleash tremendous power.

But Lin Qi felt the power surging within himself—he was naturally gifted, with base stats far superior.

He was certain Gu Yang Jian had broken into the eighth realm after only seven blood refinements.

He himself was seventh-realm, yet his physical condition wouldn't be much weaker!

Thinking this, Lin Qi's eyes blazed with golden light as he activated 【Golden Eyes】.

The world before him became crystal clear.

The flow of energy revealed itself—blue sword aura coalescing into a vortex.

He could almost see its weak point!

Instantly, golden spear aura condensed and shot into the vortex.

The Mountain-Shan He Qiang Fa Art was unleashed!

All his strength surged into his arms, releasing terrifying might.

Now that he understood Gu Yang Jian's level, there was no need to hold back!

Golden spear aura shot forth like a golden arrow piercing through the vortex.

"Boom!"

Gu Yang Jian slashed down with his heavy sword, unleashing terrifying force.

The two clashed head-on, close-range, for this was where both excelled most.

Energy exploded across the arena!

The audience seats were filled with stunned faces.

Especially in the live comments—thousands of messages flooded the screen!

"Damn, Gu Yang Jian's got something fishy going on!"

"That's the aura and resonance of an eighth-realm expert—his control over sword aura has improved!"

"This proves he's broken into the eighth realm!"

"At his level, after breaking through, his physical strength should've surged, and his combat power should've skyrocketed."

"Against a seventh-realm Lin Qi, shouldn't he just crush him instantly with one blow?"

"Why is this fight so evenly matched?"

"Is he suppressing his power, just playing with Lin Qi?"

"That must be it—he's humiliating Lin Qi on purpose. Anyone can see Gu Yang Jian is stronger."

"An eighth-realm fighting a seventh-realm? How could he lose?"

"There's no way this is because Lin Qi is just that strong!"

All the comments said the same thing—no one believed in Lin Qi.

Once people realized Gu Yang Jian had broken into the eighth realm, Lin Qi was already defeated.

The Tianqiong Academy spectator zone.

Wan Ming also looked worried:

"It's over, it's over!"

"Gu Yang Jian has already broken into the eighth realm!"

"How can he possibly win?"

"If Ivan Petrov had awakened two abilities during the Global Martial Arts Tournament, Young Master might not have won."

"And now? Young Master is definitely going to lose!"

Chu Yu, clad in red robes, shook his head and sighed:

"Gu Yang Jian is among the top ten geniuses our Xia Guo has produced in decades."

"Winning against him at the same realm is hard enough—how much harder to overcome a level gap?"

Others heard this and their expressions darkened; all lost confidence.

Jiang Jiang Miaoyin spoke up then:

"You people just don't believe in Lin Qi's strength!"

"He's only eighth-realm—not even eighth-realm peak!"

"Gu Yang Jian's a genius, but so is Lin Qi—he's shattered countless records."

Jiang Tao spoke slowly: "There's no need to despair!"

"We've never seen Young Master truly outmatched before!"

"Keep watching—maybe the outcome will change again!"

Jiang Jiang Miaoyin muttered under her breath:

"I personally think Lin Lin Qi Ge will win!"

……

At the very front row, Sun Sheng, clad in a golden robe, watched the battle on the arena and asked with a smile:

"Do you think Gu Yang Jian is using his full strength?"

Next to him, Li Tian stood tall, arms crossed, watching the two fighters on the arena.

He then spoke seriously:

"Gu Yang Jian isn't holding back—this is his full strength!"

"Lin Qi... is very strong!"

After hearing this, Sun Sheng looked at the live comments and laughed:

"But many people would rather believe Gu Yang Jian is holding back than admit Lin Qi is simply too strong."

"Still, Gu Yang Jian probably only has seven blood transformations!"

"I could take him down right now—if Lin Qi can't win, I'll be deeply disappointed!"

The red-robed Li Tian shook his head:

"Don't brag—you can't beat him!"

Sun Sheng immediately frowned:

"After this match ends, I'll challenge Gu Yang Jian right away!"

"I want to see just how powerful an eighth-rank martial artist really is—I've beaten them before!"

Nearby, several ninth-rank martial artists overheard their conversation.

On the arena, Gu Yang Jian and Lin Qi clashed head-on, both locked in a stalemate!

A purple-robed man seated in the center of the crowd suddenly laughed:

"Who could have imagined it would come to this!"

"Gu Yang Jian cultivates the 'Tianhe Sword Art' you created, Master Qi—this sword art is fierce, dominant, and overwhelming!"

"He awakened the abilities 【Flowing Water】 and 【Calming Water】, granting him speed and power."

"He studied the Level Twelve beast on the Ten Beasts Blood Pillar—the Minghai Shark!"

"He's a genius the Xia Guo sees only once every ten years!"

"Now he's broken into the eighth rank—by every measure, he's at the absolute peak!"

"But right now, his situation doesn't look good."

The Sword Emperor frowned:

"Gu Yang Jian might still be hiding his true strength!"

"Maybe he's just playing around!"

The other ninth-rank martial artists smiled but said nothing—they were ninth-rank, their perception unmatched.

The Sword Emperor's words couldn't fool them.

The blue-robed Sword Emperor stared calmly at the arena, but his hands beneath the robe were clenched, veins bulging.

His gaze fixed on Gu Yang Jian—if the student lost, it wouldn't just be his disgrace.

His own reputation among ninth-rank martial artists would be shattered!

"Gu Yang Jian..."

……

On the arena,

"CLANG! CLANG!!"

On the arena, the two continued their fierce collision.

The deep-blue sword aura and golden spear aura exploded in sparks; water blades and golden blades in the air clashed violently.

But neither could inflict serious damage on the other.

They could only fight at close range, their speeds astonishing—dozens of clashes occurred within seconds.

Their speed and strength were both top-tier.

The arena's alloy floor bore deep cracks and marks from swords and spears.

"How is this possible..."

After clashing with Lin Qi, Gu Yang Jian was forced to retreat repeatedly, swinging his heavy sword.

He stared at the excited Lin Qi opposite him—his expression shifted from arrogance to grim seriousness.

After dozens of direct clashes, he was evenly matched with Lin Qi—and now, he was beginning to fall behind.

The terrifying force from their aura collisions transmitted through his body.

When he broke into the eighth rank, he tested his punch power—it reached 130 tons.

Combined with his two abilities, his sword technique, and his cultivation method's aura amplification, his combat power multiplier reached 3.7.

His punch power soared to a staggering 480 tons—yet he still couldn't defeat him.

And speed—Lin Qi awakened 【Steel Body】, didn't he?

How could his speed be even faster than mine?

How is this possible?

Lin Qi is only a seventh-rank martial artist?!

In that moment, Gu Yang Jian's mind began to unravel!

His prideful talents and combat power seemed worthless before Lin Qi.

Even with a full rank advantage, he still hadn't defeated him after so long.

Lin Qi felt his arms numb—he had to admit, Gu Yang Jian was indeed strong.

His physical condition was nearly identical to his own.

But still, he was inferior.

Therefore, the outcome of this battle was already decided!

As for martial arts skill—sorry, Lin Qi was even better!

Lin Qi smiled at Gu Yang Jian and said:

"Gu Yang Jian, activate your 【Minor Divine Art】."

"Otherwise, you have no chance of winning!"

Gu Yang Jian's face darkened: "I don't need a Minor Divine Art—I can still defeat you!"

As he spoke, his aura surged violently; the Tianhe realm manifested, drawing power from heaven and earth.

He began to unleash the killing technique of the 'Tianhe Sword Art'!

Lin Qi felt Gu Yang Jian's aura rising steadily—and he smiled.

Trying to settle this in one move?

He swung his black-gold great spear; Jin Di aura surged wildly; the Shanhe realm manifested, connecting with heaven and earth, drawing even more cosmic power.

When the killing technique was unleashed, its destructive power was immense.

But the aura energy cost was enormous.

……

(End of Chapter)