Free Web NovelChapter 330: Chapter 168: Clash of Immortals, Stealing Sword Control
Others use Sword Control, but I’ll control crystals!
The moment the thought appeared, it took root in his mind.
’This could actually work!’
"A mere imitation."
Zhang Daoxuan’s voice rang out, laced with an unmistakable trace of displeasure.
He seemed offended by Lin Ye’s clumsy imitation.
Before his voice had faded, he brought his sword fingers together and swiped forward!
The three Flowing Firefly Sub-Swords flared with brilliant light. No longer dodging, they transformed into three streaks of silver lightning and charged through Lin Ye’s Crystal Blade Array with relentless force.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
A series of crisp shattering sounds rang out. In just a few seconds, the array of nearly one hundred crystal blades before Lin Ye was devastatingly reduced by a third.
Lin Ye frowned.
’They’re not strong enough. It doesn’t matter how many I make.’
’I was too greedy.’
’If I want to learn to control crystals like swords in such a short time, I have to start by observing and imitating.’
At this thought, Lin Ye willed it, and all the crystal blades hovering before him vanished.
Zhang Daoxuan froze, about to press his attack, only to see Lin Ye standing perfectly still.
He wasn’t attacking or forming more crystal blades for defense. He simply stared, motionless, at the three silver streams of light with a look of pure, intense scrutiny.
This thoroughly enraged Zhang Daoxuan.
’What is the meaning of this?’
’You won’t even deign to look at me?’
’Or do you think my attacks aren’t even worthy of a serious defense?’
Either way, it was a tremendous humiliation!
"You..."
Zhang Daoxuan’s chest heaved, an indescribable rage surging through him.
He let out a low shout, holding nothing back.
He bit the tip of his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood essence onto the Zhenyue Main Sword hovering before him.
HUMMM—!
The ancient iron sword let out a trembling hum, and dense, crimson patterns appeared across its blade.
At the same time, Zhang Daoxuan’s face grew visibly pale, and fine trickles of blood even began to seep from his eyes, ears, and nose.
He flicked the blood-stained main sword toward the sky.
SHING! SHING! SHING!
A rapid series of ringing sounds echoed as the main sword blossomed like a lotus, splitting into nine more identical sub-swords!
Three swords had become twelve!
Driven by his Secret Technique, the Sword Qi of the twelve Flying Swords surged. The silver Gang Sha surrounding them even took on a sinister, blood-red tinge.
Zhang Daoxuan roared, and the twelve Flying Swords instantly transformed into a frenzied storm of blades, kicking up a thousand air-rending afterimages that completely engulfed Lin Ye!
Almost instantly, dozens of wounds, both deep and shallow, appeared on Lin Ye’s body, staining his combat uniform red with blood.
But he still didn’t fight back. He didn’t even fully activate his crystal armor to defend himself.
On the contrary, his eyes were frighteningly bright.
’Yes, this is it!’
’This is what I wanted!’
In his vision, if he could master this technique, the crystal blades he formed from amethyst would far outnumber Zhang Daoxuan’s Flying Swords.
If every single crystal blade could have its own independent trajectory and target, just like these twelve Flying Swords, what a terrifying sight that would be!
Only then would he have truly developed his Crystalization skill into an ultimate, trump-card technique!
Lin Ye focused his mind, allowing the frenzied Sword Qi to cut into him. A thin layer of crystal armor flickered over his skin.
But his gaze remained locked onto a single Flying Sword, following its every drift, weave, and Slash.
He forced himself to memorize and internalize how Zhang Daoxuan controlled it, how he used it to attack.
This bizarre scene on the arena stage made Nie Cang, watching from the stands, laugh in exasperation.
"This kid... is he trying to steal his techniques?"
"If I were Zhang Daoxuan, I’d be seeing red too."
"His opponent is clearly in another league, yet he refuses to fight properly. He’s just single-mindedly focused on stealing his signature techniques."
Su Yunjin watched from the side, dumbfounded. She muttered, "This is... just plain bullying."
Dongfang Zhen also shook his head. Watching the figure on the stage, who stood firm and motionless despite being engulfed in the storm of blades, he actually felt a pang of pity for his old rival, Zhang Daoxuan.
At the same time, he secretly wondered.
’If it were me facing this berserk Zhang Daoxuan, who’s holding nothing back, could I withstand such a frenzied assault?’
’The answer was no—not without using some of my true abilities.’
And yet, Lin Ye just stood there and took it.
「A minute passed.」
The power of the blade storm hadn’t weakened in the slightest. If anything, fueled by Zhang Daoxuan’s fury, it had only grown more chaotic.
The wounds on Lin Ye’s body multiplied, but the light in his eyes only grew brighter.
Finally, he reacted.
Amidst the storm of sword afterimages, Lin Ye slowly raised his right hand.
A mass of purple crystal formed in his palm. This time, he didn’t try to make it identical to Zhang Daoxuan’s Flying Swords.
The crystal elongated, finally taking the shape of a spindle—sharp at both ends, thick in the middle, and covered in irregular facets.
Its edges were honed into sharp blades, and every corner was incredibly keen.
’With a sword, the only effective striking surfaces are the tip and the edge, which demands incredible skill from the wielder.’
Lin Ye knew perfectly well that the gap in his own technical skill was too vast to bridge in a short time.
So, he decided to compensate with a clever design, creating a weapon that could wound on contact, no matter which part of it struck an enemy.
