Chapter 402: An Incomparable Stroke

Tang Hong and Liu Wencai were both gritting their teeth as they tried to subtly shuffle closer to the ring. However, the examiners blocked them heartlessly.

Long Juxue also laughed coldly and shook her head. “Just a clodhopper rolling around in the mud in the end, nothing presentable. He can only rest in pieces when he meets a true opponent.”

It was obvious that Long Juxue had pronounced Jiang Chen’s death sentence in her heart.

Lei Gangyang leered, obviously feeling victory close at hand. His smile curled into one that brimmed with victory’s hubris.

However—

Jiang Chen’s figure stood alone and proud amidst the vortex formed by the lightning snakes. Firm and upright, his expression remained serene beneath the skies awash with lightning snakes. It seemed more like he was standing under a faint shower of rain.

His blade gently lifted as he pointed at the sky.

In the next instant, as if issued a strange yet urgent summons, the lightning snakes metamorphosed into arcs of purple current, coalescing on the tip of the blade.

As they continued to endlessly converge on the blade, the tip of the blade magically absorbed all of the lightning snakes with seemingly no limit.

In but a breath, the sea of vicious lightning snakes that had carpeted the sky had all been sucked in by Jiang Chen’s nameless saber.

Jiang Chen’s eyes were as bright as the stars as they shot out a cold, cutting light. The tip of his blade descended to point at Lei Gangyang, his tone as cool as always, “Any more final moves?”

Lightning snakes?

Jiang Chen had refined the Thundercloud Tree into his body. He was long since immune to thunder and lightning. More, his past life provided numerous methods to control either of them. Although the purple lightning seemed impressive and magnificent, in the end, it had only been produced by a seventh level spirit realm. Manipulating it was nothing more than a slight exertion for Jiang Chen.

What?

Lei Gangyang’s expression drastically changed. The lightning and thunder snakes that he was so proud of had been taken care of so easily, just like that!

This Jiang Chen…

Is he human?!

No matter how calm or confident Lei Gangyang was, he couldn’t help but panic at that moment.

The moves he’d held the most confidence in had been broken by his opponent, and in a most nonchalant and thorough manner at that.

“Lei Gangyang, I said I’d let you have ten moves. It’s been more than that. Now you take one of mine!”

The nameless treasured blade seemed to be a vicious beast from ancient times who had roused from its slumber. It immediately became one with Jiang Chen, and almost instantly formed an astonishingly powerful aura.

“Ultimate form of the Vast Ocean Current Splitter—Withering Ocean!”

This was a move in which the seas changed into mulberry trees and back again, a move in which oceans dried up and rocks disintegrated.

The mysteries of this strike had surpassed the cycle of reincarnation, surpassed eras, and was one that strode over dimensions to arrive from ancient times.

This blade seemed destined to cleave the river of time, becoming immortalized in eternity.

At that moment, all of the true meaning, essence, and inspiration behind the Vast Ocean Current Splitter appeared within his mind and transformed into this unparalleled strike. It was truly a strike that had never been seen before.

When the blade swung down, it seemed to be able to cleave through age, the secular world, through vast oceans, through everything.

Silence reigned beneath the ring.

Even the forefathers were caught in the mysteries of this strike.

They didn’t understand it, nor could they see through it. The profound mysteries of this stroke had completely surpassed their understanding of blade techniques and was indeed out of the comprehension of the sixteen kingdoms.

Pfft!

This was a technique that Jiang Chen had crafted from the essence of himself since he’d reincarnated, directly stripping away all of Lei Gangyan’s thoughts.

Lei Gangyang’s mental state had already crumbled even before the blade descended.

He stood there, as dumb as a block of wood, displaying no reaction whatsoever.

Pfft!

When the blade light entered his body, it was as if it’d disappeared into the air.

As the beam of light shot into Lei Gangyang, a thought raced through Jiang Chen’s mind. He slightly restrained his blade’s momentum. The blade light followed his will, dissipating just before it sheared away Lei Gangyang’s life.

Pfft!

The light broke through Lei Gangyang’s skin, and blood splattered everywhere.

Lei Gangyang trembled, the light of incredulous disbelief clear in his eyes. His thoughts had already begun to dwell on death at that moment. He’d thought that his death was an inescapable fact.

He hadn’t thought that Jiang Chen’s strike would suddenly halt, as if he’d yanked on the reins just before the horse had gone over the cliff, leaving him a breath of life. Jiang Chen had dragged Lei Gangyang back from the jaws of death.

Clearly, it wasn’t that Jiang Chen was incapable of killing him, but that he had shown mercy.

Lei Gangyang stood there insensate, a bitter taste suffusing his mouth. His eyes held nary a hint of courage or hatred.

Although he was domineering, even though he had a strong personality and was arrogant, he wasn’t an idiot. He was well aware that if Jiang Chen hadn’t had a passing kind thought, he would’ve long since been destroyed by the blade light.

That strike had been unfathomable, like an immortal from the heavens or ancient times. He’d neither been unable to understand nor defend against it.

Even if he could repeat that moment ten times, he would only reach the same conclusion—death!

“Why didn’t you kill me?” Ruefulness pooled within Lei Gangyang’s eyes.

“Cultivation is difficult. Go carefully and live the rest of your life.”

Jiang Chen responded indifferently. He had a clear understanding in his heart right now. The door to his martial dao had suddenly cracked open when he’d hauled back on the reins of his dominating strike.

Comprehension had descended upon him when he held the decision of life and death over his opponent.

He had no blood feud or deep seated hatred with Lei Gangyang, nor a grudge that would not find satisfaction until one side died.

Killing him would only need one strike.

But not killing him meant that Lei Gangyang would never again be able to threaten Jiang Chen in this life.

Therefore, his blade had already surpassed the mere level of condemning his opponent to death.

After the silence, cheers and the applause crashed down on the stage like the tides.

It was obvious that the audience had been thoroughly conquered by Jiang Chen’s bearing at that moment. Even Sunchaser’s face was frozen. He was speechless even as emotion churned in his heart.

The other had already shown mercy and not killed his sect’s genius. What else could he say?

Thousandleaf’s tensed body immediately relaxed. Joy and delight blossomed on his face like a withered tree welcoming the spring.

“Genius, genius… this is the genius that our four sects have been searching long and hard for! To think that the true genius had been overlooked in the secular world. Dust covered the bright pearl, and true gold was buried in the sand. This was our fault!” Ninelion heaved quite a sigh.

“I actually couldn’t see through that strike. If this young man had been born in the sects to begin with, that really would’ve been…” Icemist didn’t know what words to use as she spoke. She’d realized that all words seemed meaningless in the face of Jiang Chen’s performance.

Astonishment danced in Long Juxue’s beautiful eyes. It was apparent that she too had been unable to see fully through Jiang Chen’s blade.

An uncontrollable palpitation suddenly seized her heart.

“Jiang Chen… it looks like I must thoroughly slaughter you in the final match. Otherwise, with your perverted momentum, you might actually be able to threaten me slightly in the future!”

A cold light flashed through Long Juxue’s eyes as her gaze finally held a true killing intent.

She’d truly felt a sliver of danger this time. It was the first time that she had grown conscious of the fact that someone she’d always looked down on might actually become a threat to her.

Beneath the stage, Tang Hong and Liu Wencai was dancing a jig of joy, shouting excitedly as they vented the emotions in their heart, sincerely happy for Jiang Chen.

“The next match is Long Juxue against Shi Yunyun.”

The examiner’s announcement suppressed all shock and disturbances from the audience.

When Jiang Chen walked down from the ring, all those who’d commented on him, looked unfavorably upon him, or dismissed him now gazed at him with respect. They parted automatically, afraid to even come in contact with his aura.

This unfathomable genius had used his strength to utterly silence all the hubbub. Respect, veneration, and even fear filled the void instead.

“Good going, boss!” Tang Hong laughed heartily and walked up, smashing a fist on Jiang Chen’s shoulder.

“That blow was simply too abstruse.” Liu Wencai also sighed with admiration. “I still wouldn’t know how to evade that strike even after a hundred tries.”

Jiang Chen smiled but didn’t explain anything.

This was an issue of martial dao realm. If one had yet to reach the appropriate realm, then it was a given that they would be unable to see through to the true meaning of the strike and evade it.

The second battle was between Shi Yunyun of the Flowing Wind Sect and Long Juxue of the Purple Sun Sect.

One had to say, Shi Yunyun was rather unlucky to meet an enraged Long Juxue. The latter seemed to want to vent all her hatred of Jiang Chen onto her opponent.

Even though Shi Yunyun employed certain measures at the very beginning, she couldn’t hold out before Long Juxue’s furious attacks. She couldn’t bear the azure phoenix freezing qi at all and quickly lost.

If she hadn’t forfeited in time, she likely would’ve been frozen to death.

When they saw Long Juxue’s frankly murderous momentum, the disciples of the four sects all quaked in their hearts, unwilling to even meet her eyes.

Long Juxue’s manner was simply too tyrannical.

The presence that emanated from an innate constitution seemed to brand the very heavens and earth with her mark.

“It looks like the final match is destined to be quite gruesome.”

“Indeed, fated rivals meeting in the ring. They won’t rest until one dies.”

“Long Juxue is indeed terrifying, can Jiang Chen’s blade techniques break through her azure phoenix freezing qi?”

“It’s going to be difficult! The azure phoenix freezing qi is exceptionally powerful and can freeze over a thousand li. It can even freeze souls! Even though Jiang Chen is a genius, he’d dead for sure.”

It was obvious that after seeing Long Juxue’s momentum, the candidates beneath the stage had all been unconsciously conquered by her. They felt that her potential was simply too strong, and it was impossible to best her in battle.

Even Icemist couldn’t help but sigh. “The Purple Sun Sect is truly lucky. How nice would it have been had such a good seedling landed in my sect?”

Ninelion had always been contemptuous of the Purple Sun Sect, but even he couldn’t find the notes to sing a different tune when it came to Long Juxue.

Thousandleaf flicked an anxious glance at Jiang Chen. He too was worried when he thought about Jiang Chen and Long Juxue’s grudges.

“Boss, is this damn woman displaying her strength to you?” Tang Hong was ticked off. He and Liu Wencai had both lost to this woman in the ranking battles. He’d even almost been killed by her. He was naturally greatly irritated when she came up.

Liu Wencai’s gaze was also dark as he glanced at Long Juxue. He too felt that this woman was too domineering and insufferably arrogant.

It was rather Jiang Chen who had an indifferent look in his eyes. That half smile yet hovered on the corners of his lips. “Demonstrating her strength? In my eyes, this is her last bout of madness.”

He seemed calm on the surface, but a furious typhoon of killing intent raged in his heart.