Chapter 612 - 608: Can the Dark Horse Go All the Way?
Chapter 612: Chapter 608: Can the Dark Horse Go All the Way?
Deep within the Imperial Palace, three figures sat inside a grand hall.
The Third Prince, Chu Yuanchen, stood before a window with his hands clasped behind his back. He gazed out at the overlapping silhouettes of the palace walls, silent.
Beside him, the Fifth Prince, Chu Yuanhao, sat in a zitan wood chair, his fingers tapping a light, rhythmic beat on the armrest.
On a soft couch by the window, the Seventh Princess, Chu Qingyi—one of the Ten Beauties of the Imperial Capital—held a scroll, but her gaze wasn’t on the pages. Her thoughts were clearly elsewhere.
A soft knock came from the hall doors.
A eunuch bowed and entered, carrying a zitan wood tray. On the tray rested a dossier.
"Your Highnesses," he announced, "the intelligence report on Fang Han of Qingyang County has been retrieved."
Chu Yuanchen turned around, a barely perceptible ripple passing through his gentle eyes.
"Read it."
The eunuch unfurled the dossier, his voice clear and steady.
"Fang Han, a disciple from a side branch of the Fang Family in Liangshui City, Qingyang County. Age: twenty-one. After joining the Qingxuan Sect, he took just over three years to advance his Cultivation from the Early Stage of Ninth Grade to the Late Stage of Second Grade."
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Chu Yuanhao’s tapping fingers paused. An irrepressible flicker of surprise appeared in his narrow eyes.
"Three years? From Ninth Grade to Second Grade?"
Chu Qingyi’s gaze fell upon the dossier in the eunuch’s hands, her clear eyes glinting.
Chu Yuanchen slowly exhaled, his voice laced with an indescribable shock.
"Three years, from Ninth Grade to the Late Stage of Second Grade... And with a Late Stage Second Grade Cultivation, he unleashed the combat power of a Second Breakthrough Martial Artist."
He paused, a trace of awe surfacing in his gentle eyes.
"There’s a gap of five full Minor Realms between his combat power and his Cultivation. Three of those Minor Realms even cross a Great Realm."
"This ability to fight so far above his level is exceedingly rare, even looking back at all previous Martial Arts Assemblies," Chu Qingyi said softly.
"If the Martial Arts Assembly had been postponed for two years—no, even just one—with Fang Han’s Talent, the champion’s title would likely have nothing to do with Qin Yuan, Lin Qingyin, or Chu Jinghong," Chu Yuanhao said in a low voice.
Chu Yuanchen stared out the window, silent for a long time. When he finally spoke, his voice was so soft it was as if he were talking to himself.
’This Martial Arts Assembly has truly unearthed an incredible genius. If he doesn’t fall prematurely, his future might be...’
He didn’t finish his sentence, but the other two in the room understood exactly what he meant.
...
「On the eighth day」, as the morning light broke through the clouds, the entire arena was already packed with a dense crowd.
Not one of the hundred thousand seats was empty. Even the aisles were crammed with people. The cacophony of voices was a tangible wave, crashing over the arena again and again.
When Fang Han stepped into the arena, his eyes were immediately drawn to three particularly eye-catching figures seated in the best vantage point on the high platform.
The one in the center was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a handsome, jade-like face. He wore a dark gold python-embroidered robe and a purple-gold crown.
His expression was gentle, but his eyes held a bottomless gravity. It was the Third Prince, Chu Yuanchen.
To his left was a man a few years younger, whose features somewhat resembled Chu Yuanchen’s. He wore a scarlet python-embroidered robe, sat casually, and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile played on his lips. It was the Fifth Prince, Chu Yuanhao.
To the right sat a woman in her early twenties. She was dressed in a moon-white palace gown, her beauty exquisite and otherworldly even without a trace of makeup.
Her features were as perfect as a painting, and the fine jewelry she wore was opulent without being gaudy, gleaming softly in the morning light.
She sat upright, her gaze calmly sweeping over the stage below. Her noble and composed bearing unconsciously drew the eyes of many in the audience.
"The Seventh Princess, Chu Qingyi, one of the Ten Beauties of the Imperial Capital..."
A fellow contestant who had also advanced whispered beside Fang Han, his voice filled with unconcealable awe.
’One of the Ten Beauties of the Imperial Capital?’
Fang Han’s gaze lingered on the moon-white figure for only a moment before he looked away.
He didn’t recognize the two Princes, Chu Yuanchen and Chu Yuanhao, but for them to be seated with Chu Qingyi, their statuses were self-evident.
’To think that three royal highnesses—a Princess and two Princes—would come to watch in person... Today’s matches carry more weight than I expected.’
Down below, the number of contestants had been sharply reduced from yesterday’s sixteen to just eight.
Aside from Fang Han, the other seven all possessed First Grade Cultivation.
Qin Yuan stood on the left side of the contestants, his dark gold martial attire glinting with a subdued luster in the morning light.
His arms were crossed, his expression as calm as still water, as if today’s battles were no different from yesterday’s.
Lin Qingyin stood on the other side of the contestants, her cyan martial attire accentuating her slender and upright figure.
Her head was slightly tilted, her thoughts elsewhere. Her elegant eyes were fixed on a distant point, as if she were lost in a daze.
Chu Jinghong stood with his hands behind his back, his moon-white robes perfectly still, a longsword hanging at his waist.
He himself was like a peerless sword sheathed in its scabbard—his edge was contained, yet no one dared to look at him directly.
Zhen Feixuan was still in her white martial attire, with tightly bound cuffs and her jet-black hair gathered at the back of her head with a simple silver clasp.
She stood at the edge of the contestant group, her gaze fixed on Fang Han, a probing look in her limpid, autumn-water eyes.
The time had come. An old man in a scarlet robe walked slowly to the center of the high platform. His gaze swept over the eight figures below, and though his voice wasn’t loud, it cut through the din of the hundred thousand spectators, reaching every ear with perfect clarity.
"Round eight, the battle for the top four. The rules are the same as before: winners advance, losers are eliminated."
He took a scroll from his sleeve and slowly unfurled it.
"First match: Qin Yuan of Longxing County versus Yan Bei of Cangwu County."
The moment his voice fell, the audience’s roar quieted somewhat.
Qin Yuan stepped forward in response. His gait was unhurried, each step landing with the rhythm of an unshakeable mountain.
Opposite him, a young man in dark gray martial attire strode onto the stage. His face was stern, a broad-bladed longsword hung at his waist, and his aura was heavy and condensed.
The red-robed elder glanced at the two, then retreated to the edge of the platform. "Begin."
Yan Bei moved first.
He took a single step, and his Early First Grade Inner Qi erupted without reservation, along with a considerably well-comprehended Sword Intent.
The longsword at his waist left its sheath, wrapped in a Sword Gang so condensed it seemed solid. It tore through the air, carrying the terrifying power to heavily injure an ordinary First-Breakthrough Martial Artist in a single strike as it slashed straight for Qin Yuan’s head.
A sharp hiss echoed through the air where the Sword Gang passed, leaving a clear white scar on the stage floor.
The several First Grade contestants watching from below looked on with tense expressions—the power of Yan Bei’s strike was already comparable to a Second Breakthrough Martial Artist.
Yet Qin Yuan merely raised his right hand, brought his index and middle fingers together, and lightly flicked the side of the longsword wreathed in Sword Gang.
TING—
A crisp sound, like the striking of a Jade Chime, reverberated through the arena.
The sound wasn’t loud, but it pierced through the howl of the Sword Gang and entered every person’s ears with perfect clarity.
The Sword Gang, powerful enough to heavily wound an ordinary First-Breakthrough Martial Artist, crumbled and dissipated like paper under Qin Yuan’s casual flick.
Yan Bei felt an irresistible, immense force travel up the blade, instantly numbing his entire right arm.
The broad-bladed longsword flew from his grasp, clattering onto the stage several dozen feet away.
Qin Yuan had already withdrawn his hand and now stood with his arms clasped behind him, his expression as calm as ever.
"Qin Yuan of Longxing County is victorious."
A roar of discussion erupted from the audience.
"He defeated his opponent with one finger again..."
"Qin Yuan’s strength is on a completely different level from the other First Grade contestants."
"He’s truly one of the three acknowledged as the strongest!"
"Second match: Lin Qingyin of Celestial Wave County versus Huo Qianshan of Yunzhou County," the red-robed elder announced.
Lin Qingyin walked slowly onto the stage, her cyan figure like a lotus rising from the water in the morning light—elegant and serene.
Her opponent was a burly, powerfully built man wielding a heavy Bronze Giant Hammer. The body of the hammer was covered in dark red patterns that radiated a scorching heat.
"Begin!"
The instant the red-robed elder’s voice fell, Huo Qianshan struck first.
He took a step, and the stage beneath him shook violently. The Bronze Giant Hammer, imbued with immeasurable force and carrying a searing heatwave that threatened to incinerate everything, hurtled toward Lin Qingyin like a burning meteor.
The power of this hammer strike was in no way inferior to Yan Bei’s earlier slash; it had reached the peak of the Breaking Two Gates level.
Lin Qingyin did not dodge.
She raised her right hand and gently pressed her pale palm forward.
There was no heaven-shaking Qi Force, no dazzling brilliance—just a simple press.
The giant hammer, wreathed in its all-consuming heatwave, came to an abrupt halt three inches from her palm as if it had struck an invisible wall.
In the next instant, Huo Qianshan, hammer and all, was sent flying backward like a paper kite struck by a tremendous force.
He traced a parabola through the air, crashed onto the stage dozens of yards away, and rolled several times before coming to a stop.
He struggled to get up but let out a muffled groan, his hand gripping the giant hammer trembling uncontrollably.
"Lin Qingyin of Celestial Wave County is victorious."
The discussions in the audience grew even louder.
"She’s on a completely different level from the other First Grade contestants!"
"Third match: Chu Jinghong of Cangwu County versus Jiang Lan of Canglan County," the red-robed elder announced.
Chu Jinghong stepped onto the stage, his moon-white robe fluttering gently in the wind.
Jiang Lan stepped onto the stage. He was dressed in a deep blue robe and held a deep blue longsword.
Knowing the terrifying extent of Chu Jinghong’s power, he struck with his strongest attack from the outset.
An incredibly condensed stream of Sword Qi, carrying the terrifying might of a Second Breakthrough Martial Artist and enhanced by Sword Intent, slashed toward Chu Jinghong like a sea dragon emerging from the ocean.
Chu Jinghong drew his sword.
A flash of sword light, and it was over.
Jiang Lan’s Sword Qi was split down the middle. The longsword’s momentum didn’t falter, continuing forward until it stopped less than three inches from Jiang Lan.
Jiang Lan looked at the longsword less than three inches from him, his face deathly pale.
"Chu Jinghong of Cangwu County is victorious," the red-robed elder announced at the opportune moment.
After three matches, the spectators in the audience had come to fully understand one thing—
There was an insurmountable gulf between Qin Yuan, Lin Qingyin, Chu Jinghong, and the other First Grade contestants.
"Fourth match: Zhen Feixuan of Brahma Heaven County versus Fang Han of Qingyang County."
As the red-robed elder’s voice rang out across the arena, the buzz of discussion from the audience suddenly surged.
"It’s finally Fang Han’s turn!"
"Fang Han defeated Lie Yang yesterday, winning against a First Grade with a Second Grade Cultivation. He’s the biggest dark horse of this assembly. I wonder if he can keep it up all the way."
"Fang Han already has a record of defeating a First Grade contestant. I’m betting on him to beat Zhen Feixuan."
"Don’t underestimate Zhen Feixuan. There’s more to that woman than meets the eye."
Most people favored Fang Han, since he already had a track record of defeating a First Grade contestant. However, a small minority, who seemed to have some inside information, were instead betting on Zhen Feixuan.