Chapter 256: Get Past Me First!

That blade—fast! Fierce! Precise!

The momentum of the saber was fierce and sharp to the extreme, as if it could split every obstacle before it in two.

The sharp saber Qi sliced through the air, emitting a piercing whistle, even leaving a clear, air-warping saber trail in everyone's field of vision!

The smile on the white-robed young man's face instantly froze, replaced by utter horror.

He had never expected Su Donglai to strike so decisively, so swiftly!

In his haste, his right hand hurriedly grabbed the sword hilt, trying to draw the blade to block, but the instant his fingers touched the guard, that terrifying saber Qi had already rushed before his eyes.

In his panic, he could only barely hold the sheathed longsword horizontally before him, as the Innate true Qi within his body surged out madly, attempting to construct a defense.

"Boom!"

A muffled crash rang out.

The saber Qi, imbued with Su Donglai's pure true Qi, struck solidly against the scabbard.

The white-robed youth felt an irresistible force surge forth like a mountain flood; his blocking posture instantly warped, and his whole person was as if struck by a charging wild ox—his feet left the ground, and he uncontrollably flew backward.

Mid-air, his Qi and blood churned, and a mouthful of pent-up clotted blood spurted out, tracing a bleak, beautiful arc through the air.

"Plop!"

The white-robed youth crashed heavily onto the ground outside the arena, tumbling several more times before stopping; the sheathed longsword in his hand also slipped free and clattered to the ground.

He struggled to rise, but coughed several more times, spitting up bits of bloody foam; his face was deathly pale, clearly having suffered no light internal injury.

One move!

Just one saber strike!

Su Donglai, with an absolutely crushing bearing, had easily defeated a Sixth Stage Innate challenger—clean and crisp, without the slightest hesitation.

The entire square first fell deathly silent for an instant, then erupted into even more fervent exclamations and discussions.

"Damn it! Isn't this way too strong?"

"You said it—they're simply existences on two different levels."

"Why else would they be a Hidden Dragon prodigy? Defeating a Sixth Stage Innate in one move is just too easy for Su Donglai!"

"Um, what if Su Donglai fails to hold back and kills someone in one slash—wouldn't that cost him his qualification for the next round?"

"……"

The square was in an uproar.

The eagerness on the faces of the bald youth and the curly-haired youth had, at this moment, completely frozen—replaced by Deep Solemnity and a trace of imperceptible fear.

Only after personally witnessing Su Donglai strike did they truly appreciate what an enormous chasm existed between the top prodigies of the Hidden Dragon Ranking and ordinary Innate martial artists like themselves!

Su Donglai sheathed his saber and stood, his gaze sweeping calmly over the bald youth and the curly-haired youth, and he spoke indifferently.

"Next."

"……"

Despite fear already taking root in his heart, the bald youth still braced himself and, at the referee's signal, leapt back onto the arena.

He forced a strained smile onto his face, cupped his fists toward Su Donglai, and spoke in an earnest tone.

"S-Su… Brother Su, I sincerely wish to exchange a few moves with you; I hope… I hope you'll show mercy, hold… hold back a little…"

Su Donglai still wore that same indifferent expression, as if he hadn't heard the other's "kind words."

Once the referee announced the start, the long saber in his hand once again became a startled swan, tearing through the air, carrying a saber momentum several degrees more condensed and fierce than before, and slashed ferociously toward the bald youth.

The saber light was like a bolt of silk, instantly enveloping the bald youth's entire body.

The bald youth let out a strange cry, his seasoned copper staff dancing with vigorous wind, attempting to build a defense and counterattack.

His staff technique was indeed fierce, stirring up gusts of wind, but before Su Donglai's concise, efficient, killing-intent-filled saber art, it appeared riddled with openings—utterly futile.

"Boom!"

Another muffled, thunderous crash.

Accompanied by the faint "crack" of bones unable to bear the strain, the seasoned copper staff in the bald youth's hands was split aside by a single slash, his guard wide open.

The surging saber Qi slammed viciously into his chest.

"Puh—"

The bald youth followed in the white-robed youth's footsteps, blood spraying from his mouth, his whole person flying backward like a kite with its string cut; he crashed heavily outside the arena, struggled twice, and failed to get up.

The watching crowd erupted once more in fervent cheers, acclaiming the absolute strength Su Donglai had displayed.

"Good!"

"Amazing~"

"……"

Seeing this, the last curly-haired youth's face went from white to whiter—where was even half the courage left to take the stage?

He hurriedly cupped his hands toward the referee and Su Donglai's direction and loudly declared his stance.

"Brother Su's strength is outstanding, his bearing truly admirable!"

"I willingly concede defeat, completely convinced!"

The moment these words came out, they immediately drew a wave of contemptuous jeers from all around.

The curly-haired youth, however, acted as if deaf, brazenly shrinking back to the edge of the crowd—clearly still wanting to stay and watch the excitement that followed.

As expected, several more Innate martial artists subsequently took the stage to challenge, including even a man whose age just barely met the thirty-year threshold and whose cultivation had reached the Ninth Stage of Heaven.

Yet, before Su Donglai's seemingly flawless saber art, none could last ten exchanges before being defeated.

The cheers in the square rose wave after wave; Su Donglai's momentum reached its peak at this moment.

Many had already concluded that the Hua family's ideal son-in-law could be none other than Su Donglai.

Just as the ninth challenger was easily defeated and the referee was about to ask if anyone else wished to take the stage, a sudden stir rippled through the crowd at the edge of the square, which spontaneously parted to open a path.

Chen Mu followed the sound with his gaze and saw a rather handsome, dashing white-robed young man, led by a squad of fierce-auraed guards, walking slowly toward the arena.

The young man was dressed in splendid clothes, his steps unhurried, but the slightly hooked bridge of his nose lent him a few extra shades of a sinister sharpness and arrogance.

Someone beside Chen Mu lowered their voice in a startled cry, "It's He Zaiyun! How did he get here too?"

Someone at the edge immediately answered in a knowing tone, "Heh, you don't know about this one, do you? I heard this Young Master He once openly declared his feelings to the eldest Young Lady Hua, but… it seems he was politely turned down."

Another person cut in, their tone teasing, "Hasn't this always been going around as a rumor?"

The previous person gave a contemptuous snort and jutted their chin toward the arena, "Hah, a rumor? Now that Young Master He has come in person, you still think it's a rumor?"

Listening to the surrounding chatter, Chen Mu quickly understood.

So it turned out that the one stepping onto the stage was actually the biological nephew of He Yan, another vice city master of White Cloud City and likewise a Celestial Palace realm expert.

He Zaiyun!

His realm was the same as Su Donglai's — also Ninth Stage Innate.

He had also comprehended the Storm Intent, and once on an overseas island, he had slain a sea bandit at the Earth Altar realm's Divine Bridge cultivation.

The reason he never appeared on the Hidden Dragon Ranking was because He Zaiyun had deliberately had people conceal it.

It only spread within the last month.

'Only spread recently?'

Hearing this, Chen Mu could not help but grumble inwardly.

Does it have to be that much of a coincidence?

……

On the arena.

He Zaiyun held an iron fan in his hand, looked at Su Donglai, and began speaking with a light laugh.

"Want to get close to Baobao?"

"Sorry, you'll have to get past me first!"