Free Web NovelChapter 49: Chapter 49: The One Who Truly Strikes
Shen Daoxing held his sword in one hand, his expression as tranquil as an abyss.
Jiang Chen looked at Shen Daoxing, his eyes gleaming with battle lust. "Very good. You’re much stronger than those so-called geniuses from Divine Wind Academy and the Royal Academy."
After speaking, Jiang Chen gripped his saber with both hands. He seemed to root himself to the spot, and the ground began to tremble violently.
’He has another Sword Intent!?’
Seeing this, Ling Shuanghua’s eyelid twitched.
The Primordial Energy around Jiang Chen’s saber flowed with abnormal ferocity. It condensed, coalesced, and formed a colossal scimitar of pure Primordial Energy, a hundred feet long, pointing toward the heavens.
At the same time, three auras of different colors appeared.
"Heavens! Three Sword Intents!"
"So Jiang Chen was holding back during the Three-Academy Tournament!"
"He’s unbelievably strong!"
...
The spectators paled when they saw the three Sword Intents manifest.
After all, Jiang Chen had only revealed two Sword Intents during the Three-Academy Tournament.
The moment the three Sword Intents appeared, the young Martial Artists in the crowd felt their scalps tingle and a chill run down their spines.
Fang Rong, the genius from Divine Wind Academy, sighed at the sight. "It seems my loss wasn’t unfair after all."
He had been the one defeated by Jiang Chen, and he had never been able to accept the loss.
After all, Fang Rong had always measured himself against the Four Heroes of Celestial City Academy. To be defeated by Jiang Chen was a bitter pill to swallow.
But now, seeing Jiang Chen’s third Sword Intent, he could finally let it go.
After all, there was no shame in losing to a genius who had comprehended three Sword Intents.
With a sharp cry, Jiang Chen swung the colossal saber down toward Shen Daoxing.
WHOOSH—!
As the saber swung past, a scorching heatwave radiated outward, parting the air like the sea.
Shen Daoxing tightened his grip on his sword, and in that instant, the very clouds above were blasted away.
The sky was wiped clean, not a single cloud in sight.
The entire Desolate Mountain erupted with noise. Shen Daoxing stared forward, and the sword in his hand began to hum.
*Four Symbols Sword Technique! Electric Flash!*
The longsword transformed into a bolt of lightning, streaking through the air.
In that instant, the mountain shook violently. The shriek of saber on sword bleached the very color from the sky.
Shen Daoxing stood tall before a newly-formed trench, Primordial Energy roiling around him.
Meanwhile, Jiang Chen charged at Shen Daoxing with his scimitar, his body streaking across the ground like a bolt of lightning.
Someone whispered, "A high-grade Profound Tier Body Technique Martial Art... Celestial City Academy truly lives up to its name as the number one academy. Their foundation is incredibly deep!"
CRACKLE!
The crackle of lightning followed in Jiang Chen’s wake.
Before the astonished and horrified eyes of the crowd, Jiang Chen, like a Furious Thunder Vajra, charged Shen Daoxing with an air of absolute dominance.
CLANG!
Shen Daoxing stood as still as a mountain. His sword shot out with blinding speed, intercepting the cyan-glowing scimitar.
’He blocked it?’
Jiang Chen hadn’t expected Shen Daoxing to block that attack. As far as he knew, among his peers, only the Four Heroes of Celestial City Academy could parry his swift saber.
"This all ends now!"
Shen Daoxing’s eyes were cold, devoid of any emotion.
Jiang Chen frowned. He saw Shen Daoxing’s sword slashing toward him—a flash of light faster than almost any he had ever witnessed.
CLANG!
A jolt shot up Jiang Chen’s arm, and a sharp pain flared in the webbing of his hand. He stumbled back, retreating a full thirty feet.
But just then, Shen Daoxing closed the distance with predatory strides. He swung his sword in a single-handed slash.
One sword: Wind, Moon, Thunder, and Lightning!
Shen Daoxing had unleashed his Sword Intent.
Four Symbols in Place. The auras of wind, moon, thunder, and lightning intertwined, four brilliant lights flashing before the crowd’s eyes.
"That’s four Sword Intents!?"
"My God! Shen Daoxing actually managed to comprehend four Sword Intents!"
...
Seeing the Four Sword Intentions of Wind, Moon, Thunder, and Lightning, the expressions of everyone in the crowd changed dramatically.
After all, no one had expected a genius like Shen Daoxing to have comprehended four Sword Intents.
「On the mountainside.」
Ren Changfeng remarked, "This Shen Daoxing is quite the genius, being able to comprehend four Sword Intents. Even at our Celestial City Academy, he would be considered a rare talent."
Lin Haitao scoffed, "A genius your Celestial City Academy cast aside, you mean."
"So what if he’s a genius? We have plenty of those at Celestial City Academy!"
Ren Changfeng said coldly, "Shen Daoxing broke the rules of Celestial City Academy. Therefore, he must die."
Celestial City Academy was the number one academy in the Martial Kingdom, and it had produced countless powerful experts. For hundreds of years, no power in the Martial Kingdom had dared to offend them.
Not even the current Royal Family.
Such was the power of Celestial City Academy.
Lin Haitao’s expression darkened. He was well aware of Celestial City Academy’s tyranny, having even experienced it firsthand. In this dog-eat-dog world, might made right.
Since Celestial City Academy was currently at its zenith, Ren Changfeng’s words were law.
...
「Back on the mountain, the great battle raged on.」
Shen Daoxing slashed down, his sword empowered by the Four Sword Intentions of Wind, Moon, Thunder, and Lightning. A chill shot through Jiang Chen’s heart.
Jiang Chen gripped his saber hilt with both hands, mustering every ounce of his strength to meet the blow.
PFFT—!
A Blood Arrow sprayed from Jiang Chen’s mouth as his body was flung back hundreds of feet, stopping just at the edge of the cliff. He had barely raised his head when a cold glint of light shot toward him.
In the nick of time, another cold light streaked in from the distance, striking Shen Daoxing’s longsword directly.
CLANG!
Shen Daoxing felt a tremendous force travel up his longsword, nearly wrenching it from his grasp.
’Who is that!?’
Before the crowd could even register what had happened, the newcomer let out a cold cry. With a flick of their sword, a five-colored aura burst forth.
Five Sword Intent!
A bone-chilling Sword Intent swept out, and the surrounding grass and trees were pulverized by the Sword Qi.
"Shen Daoxing is finished!"
In that fleeting instant, the same thought crossed everyone’s mind.
Against the full-force attack of a Swordsman who had comprehended Five Sword Intent, how could Shen Daoxing possibly survive?
On the mountainside, Lin Haitao’s face changed abruptly when he saw the person who had suddenly attacked. He glared at Ren Changfeng. "You old fox, you cheated!"
Who would have guessed that Jiang Chen wasn’t the true challenger? The real opponent was the Swordsman who had just made his move.
After all, Jiang Chen was the champion of the Three-Academy Tournament, the most prominent genius of late.
To think there was another such genius hiding in his shadow.
Ren Changfeng sneered. "Since you were unwilling to hand over Shen Daoxing, I’ll just have to take his corpse with me instead."
With that, he started walking up the mountain.
At the same time, the mysterious Swordsman on the mountain channeled his Sword Intent, his sword tip aimed directly at the center of Shen Daoxing’s brow.
The Five Sword Intent radiated a frigid, piercing chill.
In the next instant, a similarly bone-piercing cold emanated from Shen Daoxing’s own sword.
All eyes focused on him, only to discover, in utter shock, that he too was wielding Five Sword Intent.
