Supreme of the Heavenly Realm
Chapter 262 - 259 Sword Qi Thunder Sound

Chapter 262: Chapter 259 Sword Qi Thunder Sound

Swoosh!

Just as Li Ziting was about to continue his move, a hunched grey figure suddenly landed in front of him, exuding a powerful and oppressive aura.

"Elder Ning!"

Li Ziting, Gu Feiyang, and the others were all startled and, without daring to neglect, quickly bowed to the stooped figure before them.

"What are you doing? Not properly cultivating, instead spending all day thinking about fighting and competing, injuring each other?" Granny Ning glanced at Li Ziting and the others with cold eyes, her hoarse voice carrying across.

"Elder Ning is being too harsh. Brother Li was only hearing about Brother Ye Xuan’s extraordinary strength and especially came to exchange a few moves, nothing more." Gu Feiyang quickly replied with a forced smile. Although his face was full of smiles, he cursed his bad luck inwardly, wondering why every time they targeted Ye Xuan, an ally would appear. The kid was just too lucky.

With Elder Ning stepping in, it seemed impossible to teach Ye Xuan a lesson today.

"Unless you hide away in Ice Moon Hall every day, I will always find an opportunity."

Before leaving, Li Ziting’s gaze was fixed dead on Ye Xuan, clearly not willing to let the matter rest.

Hearing this, Ye Xuan knew that if he were to have a head-to-head duel with Li Ziting, his future would be anything but peaceful.

"Since you so want to fight me, I will give you the chance," Ye Xuan’s gaze followed Li Ziting’s retreating figure, "In a little over twenty days, it will be the contest between Yaoer and Zhuo Yanyun, our duel can take place after that."

As his words spread, the figures of Li Ziting and the others stiffened slightly, then he turned around, his eyes showing a trace of surprise, but it quickly faded away, "You said it yourself. When the time comes, we will see who is better. The loser must never approach Junior Sister Nangong again. I hope you don’t chicken out when the day comes!"

"No problem," Ye Xuan nodded.

Seeing Ye Xuan nod, Gu Feiyang and the others also revealed smiles on their faces. They had thought that Ye Xuan would choose to hide, leaving them no way to proceed, but to their surprise, he took the initiative to propose a decisive battle with Li Ziting. This undoubtedly saved them a lot of effort.

With an attitude of looking forward to a good show, Li Ziting and Gu Feiyang quickly dispersed, waiting for the duel in a little over twenty days.

"Ye Xuan, are you certain you’ve thought this through? Don’t make an irrational decision just for a moment of pride," Granny Ning frowned. She knew Li Ziting’s strength very well. As one of the four top talented disciples of the inner sect, even Nangong Yao might not be able to defeat him, and although Ye Xuan had made rapid progress, there was likely still a significant gap compared to Li Ziting.

If Ye Xuan were to truly lose, and from then on avoid Nangong Yao, it would also be a considerable blow to her, potentially affecting her cultivation’s progress.

"Some things can’t be avoided," Ye Xuan shook his head, "this battle is inevitable. Why not go with the flow and silence the many discussions once and for all?"

"Since you are determined, I will not say more."

Granny Ning did not say anything more; she, too, wanted to take the opportunity of the duel with Li Ziting to see just what level Ye Xuan’s strength was.

...

Returning to Ice Moon Hall, Ye Xuan began to concentrate on his cultivation.

Now it was not only Nangong Yao facing a challenge, but he himself also had a formidable opponent in Li Ziting. The most important thing was to defeat him in the duel in a little over twenty days.

This Li Ziting was originally of Fourth Grade Martial Sect Realm and had cultivated the top-notch cultivation techniques and martial arts of Xuanbing Mansion. His strength was not something ordinary people could compare to, and given the title of one of the four genius disciples of the inner sect, he was certainly no common fighter.

Their previous exchange was likely just the tip of the iceberg of his power, and if they were to fully engage in battle, the scene would probably be very different. However, he must win this fight, and not just by a hair’s breadth, but with a high assurance of victory.

The first thing Ye Xuan considered was his realm’s advancement. He still had a Fourth Grade Martial Arts Golden Core, which he obtained after killing the Netherworld Corpse King. It would definitely be useful if he aimed for a breakthrough in his realm.

However, after some thought, Ye Xuan decided not to advance just yet. Especially since he had recently taken the Star Body Pill and the Emperor Extreme Pill, advancing too quickly might not be beneficial. Even more so in a place like Chaotic Sea Domain, where one must be steady and precise, with no room for carelessness.

"If I can integrate the Great Sword Scripture and the Nine Heavens Thunder Scripture, these two Miracle Scriptures, the power of my swordsmanship is sure to increase significantly. Maybe defeating Li Ziting will also not be too difficult."

With this thought, Ye Xuan closed his eyes, recalling the content of the two scriptures in his mind, with every move and style swiftly passing through his thoughts.

Half a month later, at a plaza near Ice Moon Hall.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Two figures flashed across the sky and then the sharp sword light intertwined, emitting a clear and crisp "ding ding dang dang" sound. The fierce aura spread outward, hitting the floor of the plaza, leaving pits behind.

The two figures were none other than Ye Xuan and Nangong Yao.

Refining the pills had taken five days, and after Nangong Yao emerged from seclusion, Ye Xuan, in order to improve the efficiency of cultivation, had Nangong Yao spar with him—each seeking the other’s weaknesses and honing their swordsmanship and Martial Arts.

However, during this process, Ye Xuan corrected a multitude of Nangong Yao’s flaws and weaknesses, while Ye Xuan himself had virtually no openings. Having mastered the realms of Sword Heart Clarity and Human Sword Unity, it was extremely difficult for opponents of the same combat level to find any flaws in his swordsmanship.

But the two did not use their True Qi, they simply exchanged moves to spar.

Suddenly, the Spiritual Edge Sword in Ye Xuan’s hand emitted a sound like thunder, and sword light surged as if converging to a single point. With this strike, a lightning snake seemed to spontaneously form from the air and shot directly towards Nangong Yao.

The speed of the Thunder Snake was astoundingly fast, melding into the air as if it had become one with the surrounding environment.

Nangong Yao could hardly trace its trajectory and could only feel an undercurrent, a subtle attack swiftly approaching. In the next moment, surging True Qi burst out from her snow-white palm and transformed into a frigid blast of wind that dissipated the Thunder Snake.

"What was that move just now? Such a tricky sword strike."

Nangong Yao too was startled by Ye Xuan’s move. That sword strike didn’t seem like Sword Qi, yet it possessed immense penetration power. Essentially, it was Sword Qi, but it was more akin to a bolt of lightning—no, it was more like a sound of thunder because one could only hear it, and its speed was incredibly fast, making it elusive.

"I don’t know either. It was just a sudden flash of inspiration that led to that strike."

Ye Xuan’s face bore a hint of joy. The thought behind this sword strike differed somewhat from his previous ideas, but he hadn’t expected it to be the correct approach. He believed that if he continued to develop in this direction, that strike would soon take shape.

"Let’s call it Sword Qi Thunder Sound."

Ye Xuan named the sword technique, and the name was quite fitting, for opponents couldn’t grasp the essence of the move.

"Sword Qi Thunder Sound, Brother Ye Xuan, you’re amazing! You actually created a sword technique?"

Nangong Yao’s mouth hung open wide as if she had stumbled upon something incredible. Creating one’s Martial Arts techniques was a feat only grandmasters of extraordinary skill could achieve. And Ye Xuan’s strike was at least of the Heavenly Grade Martial Arts level, attainable only by someone of the Seventh Grade Martial Sect with profound martial understanding.

But there was Ye Xuan, right before her eyes, inventing a new sword technique—how could she not be shocked?

"It’s not exactly creating; it’s more about integrating and transforming."

Ye Xuan shook his head. He could certainly create new methods if necessary, but there was no need—the strength of the moves, rather than originality, was what he pursued.

"That’s still quite impressive."

Nangong Yao continued to look at Ye Xuan with admiration. "By the way, Brother Ye Xuan, I’ve noticed you have many secrets I don’t know about. Why do you know so much about the Xuanyin Body, and your Martial Arts knowledge seems so profound; it’s like there’s nothing you don’t understand..."

"Uh..."

Ye Xuan had intended to let the matter slide if possible, but Nangong Yao had noticed. He could only chuckle and then murmured softly, "That’s a secret."

"Okay, a secret. Then let’s continue practicing."

Nangong Yao’s curiosity wasn’t so strong that she needed to know everything about Ye Xuan. Moreover, when it came to his background, she already knew quite well, having come from the same place as he did. It was very likely that Ye Xuan had some miraculous encounter. Since he didn’t want to talk about it, she let it be—it wasn’t something she had to know.

"Alright."

Ye Xuan nodded. The Sword Qi Thunder Sound was only a nascent idea; there was still a significant distance from complete mastery, and further refinement was necessary.

Ten days passed.

In the subsequent sparring, Ye Xuan and Nangong Yao utilized their True Qi because moves could only unleash their full power when infused with True Qi. As the day of the challenge drew near, this was the time to sprint!

"Icy Snow Scatter!"

"Sword Overwhelming the World!"

On the training square, day turned to night, and the dueling silhouettes practiced from dawn to dusk, attacking, defending, crossing swords, and slashing as if they never tired. When they grew weary, they would stop to drink some water, replenish with some pills, and after they had rested, they would continue fighting.

One person had been watching the two spar from the beginning to the end—Granny Ning.

Initially, whether it was Nangong Yao’s match against Zhuo Yanyun or Ye Xuan’s against Li Ziting, Granny Ning wasn’t optimistic. But as a month nearly passed, her expectations had shifted in favor of Nangong Yao and Ye Xuan.

She had witnessed their progress firsthand and found it unbelievable. She felt that if Ye Xuan become Nangong Yao’s master, he might be even more suitable than her, as she could not have achieved such tremendous advancement for Nangong Yao within a month, but Ye Xuan had done it.

Next, it would be seen whether the two could emerge victorious in the upcoming challenge.