Chapter 152: Take Up Your Sword and Kill the Bandits!

The Confucian heart sword strikes the heart with the heart.

It is upright and open, with not the slightest concealment.

The Lord of Heaven's Palace, Gongyang Su Wang, radiates radiant light; using such a sword, he is invincible under heaven. And Xu Huiyang also possesses a sincere heart for the sword path — this heart is pure, untainted, like a polished, brilliant jade.

He once defeated warriors of higher cultivation realms using his heart sword.

But now he realizes that he is not the only one with such a heart — and his opponent before him has an even stronger, unshakable heart; there is no superiority or inferiority in such hearts, only steadfastness and cowardice.

In an instant, during the clash of heart realms, Xu Huiyang noticed cracks forming on his sword. He raised his hand, parried with his blade — the collision of two swords was the collision of two hearts.

He is, after all, a pure swordsmith who has been sincere with the sword since childhood.

Or is it the heart hardened by ten years of flight and witnessing the suffering of this world that is stronger?

Xu Huiyang's sword shattered.

He voluntarily withdrew from the heart sword clash.

On the external training ground, it seemed only an instant had passed — people saw the young Sword Saint step back half a pace, raise his left hand to cover his mouth and nose, blood streaming continuously, while Li Guanyi gripped his weapon as Xu Huiyang retreated.

The qi around Li Guanyi surged rapidly.

The roar of Bai Hu rose — he gripped his battle halberd and leapt high, abandoning all defense; the power of his body, unmatched in history at this realm, reached its absolute limit. With both hands gripping the halberd, he slashed down with ferocity.

Only dominance!

Pure force!

Pure courage!

Tu Shengyuan, guest minister of the Tianxia Diyi Lou Under Heaven, leapt to his feet, eyes flashing: "Is this Golden Musculature, Jade Bones, Dragon Tendons, Tiger Marrow?! Or the Buddha's Lustrous Vajra Body?! No wonder, no wonder…" He seemed to understand.

A warrior's physique requires over a decade of tempering.

"Is he a body cultivator?!"

But others lack the Tianxia Diyi Lou's insight.

They were merely stunned by this instant of clash — Xu Huiyang had injured his soul, yet unleashed his sword qi without restraint; his jade hairpin snapped, his black hair flew wildly, and in an instant, pure force and sword qi erupted in violent conflict, sending shockwaves sweeping outward.

Xu Huiyang held his sword with both hands, his gaze fixed intently on Li Guanyi.

"You!"

Li Guanyi said: "Are you sincere with the sword?"

He paused, then answered frankly:

"But isn't the reason you used the heart sword precisely because you felt your own blade could not defeat me, so you resorted to a soul technique as a trick?"

"You were not cornered at that time."

"Using the heart sword — was it a trick, or did you inherently believe that Gongyang Su Wang's heart sword was stronger than your own sword path?"

Xu Huiyang's face slowly paled.

His inner qi erupted — Li Guanyi's physique was overwhelmingly strong.

The two instantly pulled apart.

Li Guanyi's strength was heavily depleted, his blood surging violently; any ordinary person would have collapsed from such exertion — dizzy, arms aching, muscles torn — even dying outright from exceeding their limits.

But he felt none of this; instead, his blood surged like a dragon, growing fiercer with every battle.

Dragon Tendons, Tiger Marrow allowed every strike of his to reach the theoretical peak of explosive power only attainable by second-realm warriors in a breakthrough state.

And sustained this output continuously.

The Lustrous Body greatly weakened the damage from sword qi.

The Eternal Azure Moon Undying Body enabled his blood to surge rapidly, his heart to beat powerfully, eliminating all pressure and damage to his internal organs. His martial arts, unlike Xu Huiyang's peerless sword techniques capable of attacking the soul or killing the body, were not refined or exquisite.

But when fused together, they allowed Li Guanyi — despite having fought for a long time — to remain as if still at his peak.

Xu Huiyang gasped for breath.

Dust swirled — the young warrior in battle robes held his halberd diagonally.

He stepped forward slowly.

Raised his hand, swept his sleeve.

The dust cleared; though traces of sword qi remained on his body, he moved with calm composure, his halberd's tip scraping the ground with a grim, killing sound with each step.

Each step seemed to land directly on Xu Huiyang's heart.

An overwhelming pressure, felt even by those surrounding them.

Xu Huiyang closed his eyes, thinking of Li Guanyi's words.

He had indeed, unconsciously, believed the heart sword could resolve the battle, believed Gongyang Su Wang's heart sword was stronger. Recalling the vision he had seen within his soul, the young Sword Saint opened his eyes, sighed, raised his sword, then let go.

"I yield."

The training sword fell to the ground.

Boom!!

The entire training stage shattered and collapsed instantly.

Blue stone crumbled, fractured, turned into vast swaths of broken chunks — this massive training ground, shattered by the halberd's blow and torn by sword qi, was utterly destroyed. All looked at Li Guanyi — a second-realm warrior, capable of such destructive power?

And —

What did Xu Huiyang say?

Not that he lost.

But — 【Yield】?!

Xu Huiyang ignored the surrounding clamor, looked at Li Guanyi, and said: "I admire your path, but —"

The young Sword Saint fell silent, then smiled: "Nor will I abandon mine."

He turned, waved to Li Guanyi.

Walked off the stage.

Li Guanyi exhaled a breath, his violently surging blood and Qi gradually calming; he spun his weapon backward and slammed it into the ground—this fine five-hundred-fold forged weapon shattered completely into dust with just that motion.

Li Guanyi sensed killing intent.

Not just one—one from Yuwen Lie, another from—

Chen Yuyun.

Chen Yuyun's facial expression twitched; he stared fixedly at Li Guanyi over there, fists clenched, a flame called jealousy burning in his heart—he was unwilling, he understood too well: as the final contender, his own battle's momentum could never surpass this one.

The son of the Sword Saint, the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace, and the imperial in-laws' struggle.

Gongyang Su Wang's ultimate technique: Heart Sword.

The young Sword Saint's surrender and submission.

To overcome the third realm with second-realm power, to shatter the entire training ground into dust, to snap weapons—this spectacle was evident in the surrounding spectators' approving cheers; Chen Yuyun clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking.

Why?

Why must you oppose me?!

Why must you steal my spotlight?!

Chen Yuyun knew in his heart: it was the opponent's strength, this battle was truly formidable—but reason meant nothing; it only intensified the nameless fire of envy within him.

He knew he shouldn't harbor resentment.

But the more he thought this, the more he tried to suppress it, like blocking a fire—it only made the nameless flame burn fiercer in his chest.

He gripped the jade disc tightly, furious in his heart: "Aren't you a treasure?"

"Why?! Why have you never been used once in ten years?!"

"Such inferior Bai Yu!"

"Worthless trash—what a filthy treasure!"

He clutched the jade disc so tightly he wanted to smash it to the ground and grind the shattered jade beneath his feet, crush it, crush it utterly—after this destructive thought flashed through his mind, his heart finally felt somewhat relieved.

Then he released the jade disc, his expression unchanged.

He clapped, smiling warmly and gently:

"Truly impressive."

"You have brought glory to our Chen state."

Li Guanyi did not respond to him; he walked past Chen Yuyun as if he weren't there, then reached out to fist-bump Zhou Liu and Ye Buyi, causing Chen Yuyun's gentle smile to freeze slightly, his malice thickening and surging.

Yuwen Lie watched Li Guanyi's back, his killing intent surging once more.

Common warriors admire one-on-one duels, but only generals like him know where a man like Li Guanyi truly belongs.

The battlefield.

Only the battlefield.

Such a man, clad in heavy armor, riding a strange beast—even if only fourth-realm—

As long as he isn't targeted and surrounded by experts, he can cut through entire armies.

Killing drains strength; a third-realm commander cannot fight endlessly without fatigue—wounds and combat inevitably degrade one's condition.

A warrior who never tires, who maintains peak physical strength and blood Qi, and excels with long, heavy weapons—on the battlefield, he represents the army's morale.

To sustain one's own morale, and to shatter the enemy's.

He ought to be killed.

But when Yuwen Lie entertained this thought, he saw the white-haired elder laughing loudly—Xue's elder raised his teacup to him, smiling, yet his gaze locked onto the two men behind Yuwen Lie like a tiger's.

So Yuwen Lie slowly withdrew his gaze.

"Hahaha, awesome, boss!" Zhou Liu, wrapped like a dumpling, waved his arms—his limbs bound like a tied-up chicken leg—saying: "I thought our Gold Guard would be wiped out this time, but who knew, who knew—you were the last one standing!"

"If you'd met Yuwen Hua or that Gushu Yin—"

"Get revenge for us brothers!"

Ye Buyi nodded: "Congratulations."

Someone had already swiftly repaired the combat platform, preparing for today's final match—as everyone had predicted, Chen Yuyun, though appearing last, even with his masterful dual sword-and-knife style and his dazzling victory—

The crowd still buzzed with heated discussion of today's first great battle.

Tu Shengyuan, guest advisor of the Tower of the World's First, held a carving knife, slicing off strips from a bamboo slip.

He crammed them into his mouth, crunching and swallowing the bamboo with loud smacks.

All the while, he thought.

The surrounding warriors stared, dumbfounded.

Tu Shengyuan rolled his eyes—he was a cultivated warrior, his mouth orifice and five viscera refined; eating a mere bamboo slip was no problem.

Just a bit stuck between his teeth.

"Li Guanyi defeated Xu Huiyang, but this single battle has made him famous—he'll make the list."

"Of course, his initial ranking won't be high, hmm."

"What title should we give him…?"

After the final match ended, the Chen Emperor summoned the four victors forward; after a grand speech, he bestowed rewards: a top-grade weapon and top-grade pills—quite generous.

This top-grade weapon could be used by fourth-realm warriors.

The musician's mechanical hand also used this material, capable of channeling internal Qi.

Li Guanyi chose a halberd.

Its body was pale silver, its texture fine as starlight; its blade glowed with chilling sharpness, named 【Frostbite】; the halberd's crucial blade tip was forged from frost iron—during combat, it tore wounds and disrupted the opponent's blood and Qi, inflicting frost poison.

And it was quite heavy.

With such an ability, it already possessed some properties of a treasure-grade weapon.

Gushu Yin took a horse-chopping saber; Yuwen Hua casually picked up a sword.

Chen Yuyun picked up a crossbow.

The crossbow was equipped with three bolts, each infused with Lei Ting energy, capable of explosive speed and piercing power, and able to paralyze an opponent's body—a decent weapon.

After receiving their rewards, Emperor Chen summoned Chancellor DanTai Xianming to draw lots to determine the semifinal matchups. DanTai Xianming looked at Li Guanyi and, in a gentle tone befitting an elder older than Chen Chengbi and Zu Wenyuan, said: "Truly, the younger generation is formidable."

He shook the lot tube and received the result.

Just as Po Jun had predicted.

"First match: Chen Yuyun of the Great Chen Imperial Guard versus Yuwen Hua of the Yuwen State."

"Second match: Li Guanyi of the Great Chen Jinwu Guard versus Geshu Yin of the Turkic."

The Seventh Prince rose and laughed loudly: "Ahahaha, Geshu, this Jinwu Guard is your great rival—fight with all your strength, don't disgrace the name of our steppe warriors."

"Yes."

Geshu Yin stared at Li Guanyi, his eyes blazing like fire.

Li Guanyi returned the salute.

The day's matches ended thus. All of Li Guanyi's acquaintances came to congratulate him. Before returning to the palace with Consort Xue, the Young Lady specifically came over and solemnly praised his Wu Gong: "You're already very strong."

"Made it to the top four—worth it, worth it."

Li Guanyi laughed. "Didn't you tell me to win?"

"Huh?"

Xue Shuangtao blinked. "Well… yes, I did say that…"

"But that Turkic Tie Futu Captain seems powerful, anyway."

"Stay safe. Winning or losing doesn't matter—we've got time."

The girl laughed, rose onto her toes, reached out, and gently patted Li Guanyi's messy hair. "You've grown so much taller than me now."

Then she noticed the scars on his arms, torn by sword qi.

The Young Lady thought for a moment, removed the hairband from her forehead, and said:

"Extend your arm."

Li Guanyi extended his arm.

The girl tied her forehead hairband around the tear on his black battle robe. The red hairband fluttered slightly against the dark fabric. Xue Shuangtao nodded in satisfaction:

"There."

"I'm going back!" A servant from Consort Xue had come to call. The Young Lady waved, turned, and ran off in small steps. Her skirt fluttered in the sunlight, her black hair cascading down her back, jade and pearls tinkling, ends swaying like wind.

Li Guanyi reached out and touched the hairband tied to his left arm, his lips unconsciously curving upward.

Then, as if sensing a gaze, he slightly lifted Han Shuang Ji.

The battle halberd blocked the Young Lady's silhouette and that gaze.

In the reflection of the halberd's blade, Li Guanyi saw a pair of eyes filled with malice and fury. He raised his head slowly and met Chen Yuyun's gaze. Chen Yuyun walked over, his expression mild, lips parting to whisper: "You must defeat Geshu Yin, Li Guanyi."

"In the finals, I will defeat you before all under heaven!"

"Then, before the nations, I will ask Father… Your Majesty, to grant me Xue's Young Lady in marriage. You must come drink a cup at our wedding feast."

Li Guanyi looked at him, a faint smile returning to his lips, and softly said:

"What are you barking at?"

Chen Yuyun's expression froze.

He realized, suddenly, that this boy was no gentle, easy target.

He turned away—the young Jinwu Guard shouldered his halberd and laughed as he left with his friends. Only Chen Yuyun's eyes burned with murderous intent; his thumb squeezed the jade plate until it nearly shattered, his knuckles turning bone-white.

That day, Li Guanyi feasted with his friends, drank wine, then Bo Jun reminded him to prepare well for tomorrow's match before leaving. On his way back, a light drizzle began. Bo Jun and the Seventh Prince attended the banquet; the Diliu Sect Master, as a hero of the martial world, also attended.

Li Guanyi bathed and gazed at the darkening sky outside.

He stared at the paper Bo Jun had given him, which listed Chen Yuyun's residence, habits, and the patrol routes of the night watchmen—calculated precisely to reveal a single blank window of time.

Only one ke of opportunity.

Li Guanyi extended his hand; his Chi Long internal qi ignited into flame, burning the intelligence and map Bo Jun had provided to ash.

Then he changed into a black robe.

The boy exhaled, drew Murong Qiushui, the blade that kills without trace. With internal qi infused into it, the sword could alter its form, allowing him to inject Situ Deqing's qi into Chen Yuyun's body.

He paused, then pulled out a dark-golden face mask.

The boy gently stroked the mask with his palm.

He fastened it over his face—his breath vanished instantly—and stepped into the rain.

His figure gradually vanished into the wind and storm.

Moonless night, fierce wind, heavy rain.

Night of Killing the Bandits!