Chaotic World Book
Chapter 210 - 205: Saber Madness Sword Laughter’s Life’s Desire

Chapter 210: Chapter 205: Saber Madness Sword Laughter’s Life’s Desire

"Clang!"

The broadsword and heavy sword collided head-on, signaling the end of the warm-up, and the official bout between Hidden Dragon Eighteen and the second challenger began.

Everyone, including Wang Zhaoqing, watched intently.

Though it was called official, it wasn’t entirely so, since both parties had no intention of "overwhelming with force," but were mainly exchanging pointers on techniques.

Situ Xiao, being of noble lineage, could hardly conceal his cultivational progress, which was the center of worldwide attention, and his Mystical Gate Eighth Layer was known by all.

While the world didn’t know that Zhao Changhe had broken through the Sixth Layer just two days ago, believing that he had been at the Fifth Layer when he had recently killed Maitreya Sect’s Fa Sheng.

Eighth Layer versus Fifth Layer, if one were truly to press with force, it would be meaningless. The appeal of martial contests lies not only in the demonstration of strength, but also in the broad range of techniques one can witness from others, enhancing the understanding of martial arts and confirming one’s own gains. Martial artists grow step by step through such practical fights.

Hence, one said, "I hope you can give me some insight," and the other said, "I want to see how your swordsmanship achieves great ingenuity without fancy tricks."

Therefore, Situ Xiao consciously held his power to the Mystical Gate Five Layer standard, and Zhao Changhe, happy not to reveal his freshly achieved Sixth Layer prowess, also combatted with the power of the Five Layer.

With Five Layer against Five Layer, victory really depended on the understanding and application of one’s learning, combat intelligence, and instincts.

"Whoosh!" The heavy sword swung at Zhao Changhe’s shoulder in an utterly ordinary fashion, looking just like chopping firewood, not fast at all.

Dragon Sparrow cut through the air, leveraging its longer blade length compared to the heavy sword, and aimed directly at Situ Xiao’s wrist.

The speed seemed similarly slow.

As if both were suppressing their power to the Five Layer, they seemed to have lost their aura and didn’t appear as impressive as others might have imagined.

However, just as some began to think "is that all there is to it?" they were shocked to discover that the sound of the weapons clashing seemed to ring out prematurely when Situ Xiao’s sword showed no signs of defensive movement; on closer inspection, the hilt had already gently tapped the tip of Dragon Sparrow, deflecting the blow.

"What’s going on?" The young master from the Dai Family of the Northwest exclaimed in astonishment.

Wang Zhaoqing, without shifting his gaze from the rapid exchanges in the arena, casually explained, "Situ’s sword is fundamentally unblockable... Don’t fall into the trap of thinking ’both are Mystical Gate Five Layer.’ Even within the same level, there are differences in strength, and furthermore, each family’s methods of force application are different."

"Divine Brilliance Sect emphasizes physical strength, with explosive techniques surpassing all other sects. Situ’s seemingly slow sword was actually gathering power all along, and if you think it’s easy to block and casually attempt to do so, the burst of power upon contact would be enough to send your blade flying. The so-called ’ingenuity without elaborate workmanship’ is, in essence, still about overwhelming with force."

"And Zhao Changhe’s response was the best one I could think of, taking advantage of the different lengths of their weapons to initiate an attack that dictates defense, dispersing the accumulated power in Situ’s slow sword. What’s interesting is that there are few moves in saber technique that target the wrist like this; this is f***ing swordsmanship..."

"What’s more interesting is that Zhao Changhe’s strike carried the essence of Tang family’s ’Rippling Reflection,’ seeming slower to impact Situ’s wrist, but in reality it was slightly faster. This was also a trap he set for Situ; had Situ been complacent, thinking he could suddenly speed up his attack without defending, his wrist would have been injured first."

"The fact proves that both parties saw through each other’s intentions and responded flawlessly."

The crowd fell silent.

Let alone finding the best response in an instant, just the misconception of ’both being at Five Layer’—it’s likely that few could clearly see through that.

Some silently realized that although everyone talks about the Five and Six Layers, if any of them were in the arena facing either of the two fighters, they would have been laid out after just that one round...

Experts see the nuances, and nuances can’t be fully explained in a few words. Just in this single exchange, the time Wang Zhaoqing spent explaining was sufficient for the two in the arena to go through another two or three dozen bouts, rendering a layman’s commentary utterly pointless.

Luckily, everyone present was on the Hidden Dragon List, and there weren’t many who couldn’t understand what was happening. Virtually everyone could make sense of it, and even if they didn’t catch on right away, they would later on reflection. They all watched, spellbound and silent.

The fight in the arena was no longer that slow, probing pace of the first bout; it had become exceedingly fast-paced, with one employing ’Drunk Immortal Watching the Moon’ in a leisurely and unpredictable manner, and the other ’Crossing Water and Waves’ with an elegant and graceful air. Yet, ironically, both wielded heavy weapons of tens of pounds, the stark contrast between agility and weight making the spectacle uncomfortable to watch, baffling as to how they managed it, yet so seamlessly harmonious on the fighters themselves.

"Whoosh!" Dragon Sparrow whistled past as Situ Xiao’s steps shifted strangely, slipping by at an angle that seemed impossible and twisting a sword stroke aimed at Zhao Changhe’s ribs.

The whooshing sound of the sword stroke was as if one were in a mountain cave when a storm rages outside, no longer pretending, truly displaying what it meant to cut with the power of the Five Layer that even the Six Layer wouldn’t be able to withstand—an attack that exceeded levels.

Divine Brilliance Sect’s explosive ultimate technique had a simple name, "Divine Presence!"

To put it bluntly, Situ Xiao wasn’t about tricky plays either. He and Zhao Changhe were very similar types. If this sword strike was deployed with full force, there would certainly be an external scenery change to highlight the might of a Heavenly God’s Descent.

At the same time, Zhao Changhe, seemingly having missed with his broadsword, skillfully transformed the horizontal slash into a downward chop, colliding heavily with Situ Xiao’s sweeping slash.

"Clang!" A loud sound echoed throughout the hall, resonating for a long time.

The spectators, amazed, found that Zhao Changhe’s broadsword was equally matched in power with Situ Xiao’s, not inferior at all!

Because on that strike was an Evil Qi tinged with bloodthirstiness, including Zhao Changhe’s eyes, which turned completely red—it was as if God and Buddha had scattered.

He had integrated the essence of the move into a base technique, no longer confined to the original method of movement. Evil Qi, bloodthirstiness, True Qi, body—all were fused and unleashed without restraint, resulting in a cut that was by no means inferior to Divine Brilliance Sect’s ultimate technique.

If you came as Divine Power Descending...

Then it would be God and Buddha scattering!

"Boom!" The residual force of the Qi exploded violently, causing nearby cups and bowls to tremble and shake, giving one the impression of an earthquake.

The fight was getting a bit too heated...

The two in the midst of the sword and saber exchange looked at each other, then suddenly burst into laughter: "Thrilling!"

"Strong indeed..."

"This motherfucker is at the Mystical Gate Five Layer?"

"I’d believe seven layers, or even higher..."

"If it were me up there, I’d be done for... The previous rounds were okay, but this one, I really can’t handle. I mean, even if I go all out, I can’t handle it."

"Situ Xiao having this level of understanding in martial arts is normal, he isn’t really just Mystical Gate Five Layer, he’s been famous for so many years... But Zhao Changhe is genuinely at the Mystical Gate Five Layer, and his comprehension of martial arts has actually reached Situ Xiao’s level, plus he has a broad array of techniques, with no apparent weaknesses..."

"Is this really a clash between the second and the eighteenth on the Hidden Dragon List, and not a fight between the second and third?"

Wang Zhaoqing: "..."

The third of the Hidden Dragons is right here...

But in the fight, both competitors took three steps back. Zhao Changhe vibrated his Dragon Sparrow and said with a loud laugh, "Brother Situ, I presume you have many ultimate skills that you find difficult to use, not fully satisfying... I’ll make the first move, please try this on for size!"

Situ Xiao looked intently at the Dragon Sparrow in Zhao Changhe’s hand, but then saw Zhao Changhe flick his wrist, and the Dragon Sparrow took a very strange arc, attacking like both a stab and a slice.

This was a modified swordsmanship, Situ Xiao made the judgment instantly.

It didn’t matter what it was modified from, Zhao Changhe was so serious about giving a warning, it meant this was an ultimate skill, and it was something that could be casually shown to the public without issue, meaning it’s not some cunning technique that’s hard to guess, but it lies in the energy transfer, where observers couldn’t figure out how to deal with it.

Indeed, when Situ Xiao seriously parried the strike, he found that the Dragon Sparrow seemed to retreat as soon as it touched, not giving a chance for a solid hit, and had already slashed out a second time, with incredible speed.

Situ Xiao blocked another strike, and the third was already on its way.

Then one slash followed another, getting faster and heavier, as if submerged in an endless river with wave upon wave surging ceaselessly, each new wave seemed to gather some of the power from the previous one before surging forward again. So, each slash was stronger than the last, and by the fourth or fifth strike, the power had already exceeded the dispersing force of gods and buddhas... No, that dispersing force of gods and buddhas was part of it.

Situ Xiao actually started to feel overwhelmed, both by speed and power, he could barely keep up.

What strange move was this that could break through his own limits of power and speed?

Such a tumultuous surge, becoming unstoppable!

Suddenly, Situ Xiao remembered a judgement from the Chaotic World Book: "A river flows, unstoppable by anyone..."

Wasn’t this situation a perfect embodiment of that?

But Situ Xiao was still feeling exhilarated, the more he blocked, the more exhilarated he became, and he actually started laughing: "Thrilling, good! Good! Hahaha, excellent swordplay!"

As the continuous sounds like beads falling onto a jade plate echoed, Wang Zhaoqing stood up, his expression grave.

Beside him, Lu Bingcheng asked, "Zhao Changhe’s Endless Blade Force is breathtaking even as a spectator, truly fearsome... What kind of ultimate skill is this, and how did he execute it..."

Wang Zhaoqing couldn’t answer.

He didn’t know how it was done either...

Because this wasn’t martial arts of this world, it was the Sword Emperor’s Ultimate Skill, selected specially by Zhao Changhe from among thousands because it matched his heart’s desire so well. How could anyone else in this world recognize it?

"Brother Zhao! Be careful!"

Amidst the battle, Situ Xiao’s shout rang out, and the onlookers only saw a dazzling burst of light explode where the sword and saber crossed, obscuring their vision for a moment.

An ultimate skill of the Divine Brilliance Sect, Divine Power Heavenly Brilliance!

As the light dissipated, Zhao Changhe stumbled back several steps, a clear line of blood visible on his right shoulder, but the injury seemed not too severe.

Situ Xiao stood quietly in his original spot, unscathed.

The winner decided?

Just as Wang Zhaoqing was about to speak, Situ Xiao let out a sigh, "I lost."

Wang Zhaoqing said, "But I clearly saw that Brother Situ wasn’t injured."

"But I just used the power of the Mystical Gate Seventh Layer, and I genuinely can’t think of how to counter that move with equal strength! A loss is a loss!" Situ Xiao laughed loudly, "Excellent saber technique, excellent swordplay, absolutely thrilling! This battle alone was worth the journey for Situ!"

Zhao Changhe, holding his wound, was also laughing, "I said it at the entrance, just seeing you bump your head on the door made the trip worth it for me."

Situ Xiao turned and grabbed a jug of wine from the table, "Can you drink?"

Zhao Changhe took off the gourd from his waist and gestured, "Please!"

Both men raised their jugs and gourds, tilting their heads back for a long swig, as if oblivious to those around them.

It was as if this was not a martial arts contest, but rather a meeting of soulmates.

Xia Chichi’s gaze flickered, looking at that incongruous, old gourd for a long time.

She suddenly remembered why Zhao Changhe had such an old gourd.