Chapter 608 - 608: A Heart for the Blade

After a moment of shock, Pei Yongqing suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

"Hahaha, excellent! An eighth-level Martial Spirit dares to challenge me without fear!"

"Chu Qingyun, for that courage alone, I will only take the Martial King Essence Pill today and spare your life!"

After speaking, Pei Yongqing hefted his battle saber and strode toward Chu Qingyun. A formidable aura began to awaken from his body, slowly emanating outward.

"Junior Brother Chu, you're on your own."

"This… We're sorry, we can't help you…"

The two ninth-level Martial Spirits from the Saint Extreme Sect hesitated for a moment before darting to the side, not daring to obstruct Pei Yongqing.

The two of them were just average ninth-level Martial Spirits.

The Outer Sect Seed Disciples of the Saint Extreme Sect naturally had to go all out to fight for a spot among the top three hundred who would pass.

Elder Zhu was aware of Chu Qingyun's strength and had only sent two people to assist him as an extra layer of insurance. That was why he hadn't forced any of the Outer Sect Seed Disciples to come, instead just casually calling over two ninth-level Martial Spirits.

"Chu Qingyun, take a blow from my saber!"

Pei Yongqing shouted, suddenly accelerating. His tyrannical Primordial Power flared into a dazzling saber aura as he brought his weapon down on Chu Qingyun's head.

At that moment, the twenty-odd disciples from the Celestial Sword Sect all wore expressions of excitement and anticipation. In their eyes, a mere eighth-level Martial Spirit daring to challenge Pei was simply courting death!

Even many of the ninth-level Martial Spirits from the Celestial Sword Sect's Outer Sect probably couldn't withstand a single blow from Pei!

Meanwhile, the members of the other sects all shook their heads and sighed. Now that Pei Yongqing had made his move, the Martial King Essence Pill was likely going to fall into the hands of the Celestial Sword Sect.

However, facing this incredibly powerful strike, Chu Qingyun's expression remained calm and indifferent.

Pei Yongqing had only used Primordial Power in that strike; he hadn't used his Saber Technique or the power of his Martial Soul at all. It must have been just a probing attack.

As the saber aura fell, Chu Qingyun instantly struck out with his sword.

BOOM!

The clash of saber and sword, the collision of Primordial Power, produced a deafening roar.

In the next moment, however, everyone's eyes widened in disbelief, unable to accept what they were seeing.

After this exchange, Chu Qingyun stood firm, sword in hand, completely unmoved. Pei Yongqing, on the other hand, had his battle saber thrown upward, and he was forced back more than ten meters before he could barely stabilize himself!

And of everyone present, the most shocked was none other than Pei Yongqing himself.

He was the closest and had personally clashed with Chu Qingyun, so he had seen it clearly.

When their weapons had met, their Primordial Powers had clashed first. The Primordial Power and the resulting sword aura from Chu Qingyun's eighth-level Martial Spirit were no match for his ninth-level Martial Spirit's Primordial Power. They had dissipated instantly upon contact.

But when the blades themselves had actually collided…

Pei Yongqing had immediately felt a terrifying power pour from Chu Qingyun's sword into his battle saber.

His powerful ninth-level Martial Spirit's Primordial Power was utterly unable to withstand that force. It was torn apart in an instant, and even he himself was sent staggering backward by the force of that single sword strike!

'An eighth-level Martial Spirit actually possesses such immense power!'

Chu Qingyun, too, was slightly surprised. His previous strike had seemed like a casual block, but in reality, his sword had carried power comparable to a Human King Realm expert.

An ordinary ninth-level Martial Spirit would likely have been severely injured by the impact alone.

'But Pei Yongqing was only knocked back,' Chu Qingyun thought. 'He must be exceptionally talented and possess some real strength. Otherwise, it'd be impossible for him to have made such a name for himself in the Outer Sect of the Celestial Sword Sect, a place where geniuses gather.'

After steadying himself, a burning battle lust erupted in Pei Yongqing's eyes.

"An eighth-level Martial Spirit with enough power to knock me back… Chu Qingyun, you're not bad at all!"

"But from now on, I'm getting serious!"

Pei Yongqing bellowed and closed the distance again, his saber cutting through the air with a fierce gale as he slashed viciously at Chu Qingyun.

This time, however, he employed his Saber Technique. As he struck, his battle saber vibrated continuously, making it look as if three sabers were slashing at Chu Qingyun simultaneously.

'What a refined Saber Technique!'

Chu Qingyun's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately unleashed his Thunder Light Sword Qi, meeting the attack with his own sword.

But just after he thrust his sword, Chu Qingyun's expression changed drastically. He twisted awkwardly in mid-air, barely dodging the sudden slash, which still left a bloody gash on his arm.

'I was certain I'd aimed for the real saber, but upon impact, I suddenly realized something was wrong!'

"Hahaha, my Saber Technique isn't some trash that ordinary people practice!"

"Take another one!"

Pei Yongqing laughed and chopped down at Chu Qingyun once more.

At the same time, the blade of his saber vibrated, making the entire massive weapon, along with its Saber Qi and saber aura, appear to split into three, making it impossible to tell the real from the fake.

This time, however, Chu Qingyun ducked low and thrust his sword toward Pei Yongqing's ribs, forcing him onto the defensive.

The two went back and forth, quickly exchanging dozens of blows.

The fierce Sword Qi and Saber Qi forced the onlookers to retreat again and again, not daring to get any closer.

And in this duel of Sword Technique versus Saber Technique, Chu Qingyun was actually at a slight disadvantage.

The way Pei Yongqing wielded his saber couldn't help but remind Chu Qingyun of one of his former subordinates in Great Xia, Chen Yu.

Just like Chen Yu with his spear, Chu Qingyun felt that Pei Yongqing was born to wield a saber. In his hands, the weapon felt completely different from when anyone else held it.

It was an innate talent, one that had nothing to do with one's Martial Soul or even their cultivation aptitude.

After more than a hundred moves, the two were still locked in a stalemate.

What Chu Qingyun didn't know was that, compared to him, Pei Yongqing was even more shocked.

He was very clear about the power of his Saber Technique. Among the nearly ten thousand ninth-level Martial Spirits in the Celestial Sword Sect's Outer Sect, there were absolutely no more than twenty who could last ten moves against his saber!

Yet Chu Qingyun, an eighth-level Martial Spirit from the Saint Extreme Sect, had actually managed to fight him for over a hundred moves using only his Sword Technique. It was simply unbelievable!

This could only mean one thing: Chu Qingyun's actual Sword Technique far surpassed his own.

If it weren't for what the Celestial Sword Sect Elders called a "heart for the saber," he probably wouldn't have even lasted ten moves against Chu Qingyun's sword!

After a hundred moves, Chu Qingyun had only just begun to adapt to Pei Yongqing's Saber Technique.

'However, I'm not going to let this continue,' he thought. 'I can't possibly defeat Pei Yongqing with Sword Technique alone, and the advantages of my Thunder Light Sword Qi are no longer enough to play a decisive role in a battle of this caliber.'

'Looks like I have no choice but to use the power of the Human King Realm…'