Looking at Bai Jinghong standing in the hall, discussions erupted around him like a bag of popcorn exploding in the microwave.
Those who hadn’t made it to the Observation Realm were well aware of their own talents and quickly decided not to embarrass themselves. As for the young geniuses with a bit of strength, they were more interested in watching someone else test their skills against Bai Jinghong rather than stepping up to the plate themselves.
The atmosphere turned dreary, with whispers filling the room as everyone looked around for an escape route.
“Is there not a single genius from the Eastern Wilderness willing to spar with me?”
“If no one steps up, the bl**d Phoenix Secret Realm belongs to my Hengyun Sword City.”
Bai Jinghong casually leaned back, arms crossed behind his head like he was simply waiting for his coffee.
“Come on, that’s a bit tyrannical, don’t you think? This secret realm is just floating around like a spare sock!”
“And why should we follow your arbitrary rules?”
The hall buzzed with chatter, complaints echoing off the walls.
Bai Jinghong scanned the crowd, lips curving into a smirk:
“In the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, might makes right.”
“So, my rules are the rules. Got it?”
His words hung in the air, suddenly deflating the crowd’s excitement.
Silence reigned.
Except…
“Let’s eat some watermelon first! We wouldn’t want to finish it off and then have nothing left for ice pops!”
“Watermelon flavor?”
“Yep! I’m going to carve it into the shape of a starfish!”
Li Mo announced, pulling out a freshly picked watermelon from the field, then brandishing his Crimson Sky Sword as if it were some kind of fruit-cutting katana before stabbing it right in.
Noticing the looks from the side, he saw it was Luo Yu and Luo Yao, with the former looking a bit lost and the latter unable to tear her eyes away from the watermelon.
“You two want some?”
Little Li was suddenly the epitome of hospitality.
Everyone: “?”
Bai Jinghong: “?”
I’m here challenging everyone, and you’re casually slicing a watermelon?
What about my dignity?!
He was about to speak up when…
“Hey, if you think your sword is sharp, my spear from the Gangduo Sect isn’t any duller!”
Tie Qi banged his hand on the table, a long spear in tow, glinting ominously.
“Perfect timing!”
Bai Jinghong had no choice but to retract his gaze.
The two exchanged blows, their energies clashing, and fists flew like a schoolyard brawl.
First strike, Tie Qi stumbled back, overwhelmed by the sword’s might. Second strike, a wave of sword energy swept at his lower half, yet he didn’t dodge…
Before anyone could say “spear”, his upper half suddenly separated from his lower half, and he smashed down with the spear, forcing Bai Jinghong to defend.
Clearly, Bai Jinghong hadn’t anticipated this “half-body separation technique” from someone with a disability.
Just as he was about to attack, Tie Qi chuckled:
“That was three strikes.”
Bai Jinghong: “…..”
With a dark expression, he sheathed his sword.
Although Tie Qi had taken three hits, everyone in the room was shocked. In their eyes, the impressive Tie Qi of the Observation Realm had been completely forced to defend himself.
The talents on the Qianlong List were indeed formidable.
“Hiss…”
Everyone collectively gasped.
“Hiss…”
Little Li took a bite of watermelon, so good he gasped again.
Then he passed the watermelon over to Ying Bing and the Luo siblings.
Truly, these are the audience members eating melons.
“You…”
Bai Jinghong squinted, preparing to speak.
“I’m here to learn from you too!”
Luo Yu took a bite of watermelon and stepped forward.
Didn’t he check to see if the host was okay with him putting on a show in front of him?
With a flick of his wrist, his sword gleamed, and as he recited:
“Swiftly flows the water like three thousand rivers, suspected to be the Milky Way descending from the Ninth Heaven!”
As his words fell, a river of sword light surged toward Bai Jinghong.
This was the unique skill of the Fen Yu Lin, the Poem-Sword Technique, which amplified each verse like a battle art.
“Boring and showy.”
Bai Jinghong sneered.
Though Luo Yu was new to the Observation Realm, Bai Jinghong put away his dismissive attitude and unleashed his sword like a shooting star.
In an instant, he shattered the poetic essence to pieces.
Just as he was about to strike down Luo Yu’s sword…
“Nice!”
“Awesome, Luo Brother!”
The watermelon munchers clapped for him.
Whether this technique was effective or not, at least he looked flashy doing it. Clearly, the disciples of Fen Yu Lin were masters of showmanship.
I want to learn!
But before he knew it, Luo Yu had reassembled the poetic essence again.
As a result, he could only withstand two strikes before ultimately landing three.
“Those three strikes weren’t bad.”
“But you still need more practice.”
Luo Yu was drenched in sweat but beamed with pride.
He hoisted the struck-down sword back up and nonchalantly flicked his sleeves as if to say he was done here, making a grand exit without shedding a single cloud.
“Congratulations, Luo Brother, you managed to take three hits!”
Li Mo beamed.
The disciples of Fen Yu Lin also cheered, showering him with compliments.
The heroes in the hall weren’t fond of Bai Jinghong’s high-handed attitude; it was refreshing to see someone stand up to him. Plus, Luo Yu was the host here, so praising him was obviously the safe bet.
Thus, everyone burst into cheers for Luo Yu.
This was the power of having home-field advantage.
“?”
Bai Jinghong’s face twitched, his cheeks turning a delightful shade of crimson.
But wait, he barely held on to three strikes; why was he so pleased?
Why did winning feel worse than losing?
“Hmph!”
A cold snort sliced through the hall like a sharpened blade.
Though he hadn’t yet broken into the Internal Breathing Realm, he could exude sword energy that made him seem like a walking sword himself.
This was inspired by observing divine swords from his sect, and the atmosphere felt like they were all at the brink of a duel.
“You, come receive my three strikes!”
He pointed straight at Ke Mo’s table.
Right then…
Ying Bing had just finished a slice of watermelon and raised her head.
The girl frowned slightly:
“Me?”
Everyone exchanged glances.
An Observation Realm master was calling out a challenger from the Internal Breathing Realm? Wasn’t that a bit unfair?
Ying Bing hesitated, dipping her jade finger in her teacup again.
“What I meant to say was…”
Bai Jinghong was about to elaborate.
Before he could finish, a drop of water suddenly shot out.
It was an elegance many people had never experienced.
Though it was just a droplet, it carried an unmatched sword energy, propelled by two levels of Internal Breathing, it soared straight through the air.
Bai Jinghong’s heart raced; he gathered all his sword energy like a river in flood.
In terms of power, the two were like an ocean and a single droplet.
Yet this droplet pierced clean through the river, breaking it apart effortlessly.
Smack—
The droplet collided with the sword point.
In contrast, Bai Jinghong’s sword flew backward, embedding itself into a pillar.
Now the hall was genuinely quiet.
Those who witnessed that strike felt as if they were in a dream; that kind of swordsmanship seemed utterly surreal.
Moreover, Ying Bing hadn’t even drawn her sword; a single drop of water defeated the prodigy from the Qianlong List.
Bai Jinghong stood frozen, utterly forgetting to retrieve his sword.
He was questioning his entire existence.
Behind him, the elder’s eyes sparkled with intensity.
“If you hadn’t used sword energy, you might have lost slower.”
Ying Bing spoke nonchalantly.
Many in the hall didn’t quite grasp the meaning of her words.
“Ahem, that’s true.”
Ke Mo nodded and cleared his throat.
If Bai Jinghong had engaged with proper techniques, he wouldn’t have lost so embarrassingly.
Sword energy stems from intent.
It’s not like you can test your guts against the future Phoenix Sky Empress, can you?
That would be like Elder Xue eating a pill and facing the toilet!
By the way, wasn’t it strange that Ice Chunk didn’t aim to show off? When she said that, it sent a shiver up my spine!
And yet, it was all too spot on.
“The next Qianlong List is bound to shake things up.”
“Wow, a sixteen-year-old prodigy from the Qianlong List, has there ever been one like this in the Eastern Wilderness?”
“If this one stays on the list, Bai Jinghong is ranked 89th, and not even a single move against her—she is at least top ten!”
“Had Bai Jinghong not relied on sword energy, he might not have lost so badly; Yolanda used all her skills yet couldn’t match her.”
“If she were to stumble across the bl**d Phoenix Secret Realm’s opportunities next…”
The crowd that had been quiet suddenly erupted, like someone had knocked over a pot of boiling oil.
The geniuses on the Qianlong List were known for being able to fight above their rank, yet one had just been defeated.
How fierce was this girl standing before them?
At mere sixteen years of age, not only in the Eastern Wilderness, but she was also a rare find even across the vast lands.
Bai Jinghong had boasted that nobody from the Eastern Wilderness would dare to challenge him. In the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, strength reigns supreme, and he ended up eating dirt.
The so-called rules of Hengyun Sword City were as good as toilet paper.
Many felt compelled to step up and greet Ying Bing.
However, her chilling presence was so overwhelming that nobody dared approach.
“That boy next to her is…”
“That’s Ke Mo! He’s also a master of the mysterious weapon; he and Ying Bing are known as the double prodigies from the Qingyuan Sect!”
“This… the Qingyuan Sect can’t possibly produce two such swordsmanship monsters, can they?”
“I heard he’s the kind-hearted Ke Mo; the biggest charitable hall in Ziyang Mansion was established by him, and he’s said to be very approachable.”
“I know! It’s said that this true disciple is particularly easygoing, even inviting outer disciples to play at the Fanghua Building.”
“Wow, this guy is pretty likable.”
Surprisingly, many recognized our kind-hearted Ke Mo.
There’s no way around it; more and more people had received help from Ke Mo, and word of mouth spread like wildfire.
Leading to an exceptionally strong reputation for Little Ke.
“It seems his good character is the reason he’s matched with Ying Bing.”
“What are they doing over there?”
“They’re doodling on the table with tea water; are they communing over sword techniques this way?”
…
“Starfish is drawn like this.”
Ke Mo looked at the sea star on the table, then drew a square with holes in it:
“This is SpongeBob.”
“…..”
Ying Bing watched the boy’s earnest expression and found him utterly juvenile.
But she gently nodded.
“Sure, let’s do it that way.”
After all, she still had a favor to return.
And she didn’t doubt her cooking skills.
Crunch—
Just then, thunder suddenly erupted from outside.
A disciple from Fen Yu Lin stumbled in.
“Big trouble!”
“Yin Huacheng has been killed!”
