Chapter 511 - 493: Astonishing the Audience

As more and more people placed their bets, the news of the impending duel between Su Yu and Tiemu Xiaoyun spread like wildfire.

The crowd was largely divided into two factions. The majority believed Tiemu Xiaoyun was guaranteed to win, considering his fearsome reputation had been forged in blood. A smaller minority felt that Su Yu’s astonishing talent and vast array of methods might allow him to secure a surprise victory. Yet, regardless of which side they supported, everyone agreed this would be a spectacular fight. Many Commanders and Captains who were scheduled to go on missions had rescheduled just to come back and watch the match.

Su Yu, on the other hand, acted as if nothing was happening. After lunch, he rested his head on his senior sister’s smooth thighs and took a comfortable nap, quietly waiting for the battle to begin.

By evening, the challenge between Su Yu and Tiemu Xiaoyun finally commenced.

At the Zhenwu Mansion’s drill ground, the wind howled as banners fluttered in the air. The perimeter was already packed with numerous Captains and Great Commanders. Gu Changfeng, Zhao Daoran, Li Jingfeng, and even the three Grand Masters—Mo Guhong, Liu Longyu, and Jiang Wen—had come to observe the battle.

"Today, Su Yu faces Tiemu Xiaoyun in a sparring match in accordance with the rules of the Zhenwu Mansion. This battle shall be fair and just; no outsiders may interfere. Neither combatant may use external aids; they must rely solely on their own strength," Grand Master Jin Fugui announced, personally hosting the match as his gaze swept over the two men. "Regardless of victory or defeat, all grudges shall be erased! The winner will receive a reward, and the loser will withdraw from this martial examination!

"Do either of you have any objections?"

Seeing both men nod, he continued, "Both sides, step back and prepare. Wait for my command.

"Let the battle begin!"

As Jin Fugui’s voice faded, enthusiastic cheers erupted across the drill ground.

"Great Commander Tie Mu, chop Su Yu to pieces! I bet three thousand silver on you!"

"Great Commander Su, cleave that guy in half! My drinking money for the brothel depends entirely on you!"

"Kill him! It’s been so long since we last saw a battle between Great Commanders, haha..."

The crowd’s fervent cheers made it clear just how fierce and prevalent the culture of Martial Arts was within the Zhenwu Mansion.

Tiemu Xiaoyun grasped the hilts of the twin sabers at his waist. His blood-red robe billowed without any wind, and an astonishing killing intent emanated from his body. The surrounding crowd immediately fell silent, their hearts pounding in fear.

"What dense killing intent! Great Commander Tie Mu doesn’t plan on holding back. This battle probably won’t be a simple sparring match; someone is going to be severely injured!"

"Commander Su is out of luck. Great Commander Tie Mu wouldn’t actually kill him, would he?"

Jin Fugui’s expression tightened. Although the Zhenwu Mansion supported battles between its members, Tiemu Xiaoyun was exuding an overwhelmingly fierce killing intent right from the start. He needed to keep a close eye on them; if he wasn’t careful and allowed Tiemu Xiaoyun to actually kill Su Yu, it would lead to a massive headache.

"Oh? Now this is getting interesting. Do you think Su Yu can withstand Tiemu Xiaoyun’s killing intent?" Liu Longyu asked. She sat with her jade-like, plump legs crossed, the dazzlingly pale skin on display as she looked at the two men on the field with great curiosity. Mo Guhong and Jiang Wen remained silent, merely watching the scene unfold quietly.

SHING!

The crisp, resonant sound of sabers being drawn echoed across the drill ground. With Evil Qi radiating from him, Tiemu Xiaoyun shot toward Su Yu like a blood-red arrow. Even before he reached his target, the twin sabers in his hands roared like two bloodthirsty flood dragons, shocking the minds of all who watched. This Saber Stance was clearly not something an ordinary person could condense; it could only be cultivated by carving a path through slaughter, strike by strike! Several Great Commanders standing nearby held their breath, visions of corpse-strewn battlefields flashing before their eyes.

The Hundred Battles Dual-Kill Saber—Twin Blades Claim Lives!

Tiemu Xiaoyun opened with one of his ultimate techniques. The twin sabers resembled wicked flood dragons emerging from the sea, harboring terrifying killing intent that an average person could never withstand! Just a few days ago, he had used this very move to wound that Black Lotus Sect Demon in the Profound Bone Realm! The left and right sabers struck high and low; the upper blade aimed to decapitate, while the lower blade sought to sever the waist, both slashing toward Su Yu simultaneously!

Su Yu naturally sensed the terror of this strike. As a fellow master of Saber Techniques, he instantly saw through the trajectory of the attack. The saber glints advanced one after the other, sealing off all his avenues of evasion. Moreover, at the precise moment they intersected, the blades were poised to unleash an explosive burst of power!

Ape Arm Star-Picking!

Having seen through the trajectory of the sabers, Su Yu didn’t bother dodging. Instead, he drew his own blade and countered with this wide-ranging sweeping move.

As his shoulders and back stretched, his Great Tendons—already tinged with a hint of jade—pulled taut. Dragon patterns faintly flickered beneath his skin, channeling an astonishing amount of power into his arm. Mo Yuan let out a joyful, thrumming hum and instantly drew out a supremely elegant, crescent-moon-shaped saber glint before detonating head-on.

BOOM!

This strike contained the fusion of three astonishing Saber Stances, granting it shockingly tyrannical power. Tiemu Xiaoyun felt a massive jolt travel up both his arms. Before his twin sabers could finish their slash or unleash their explosive force, they were blasted back with a resounding crash.

THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!

Tiemu Xiaoyun was forced back several steps. Every footfall shattered the bluestone pavement of the drill ground, kicking up clouds of dust.

"You... cough, cough..." Tiemu Xiaoyun’s face flushed red, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. He stared at Su Yu in shock, wondering, "Did he break through to the Little Dragon Tendon?"

During that last strike, he had naturally detected the changes in his opponent’s Great Tendons. Yet, could merely breaking through to the Little Dragon Tendon grant such immense strength?

"What a formidable enemy! Haha, just what I wanted!" Tiemu Xiaoyun thought.

"Again!" he roared. The Evil Qi within his body erupted fully, wrapping his blood-red robe in a swirling haze of malevolence. Taking another step forward, he charged at Su Yu. This time, his left saber sought to kill, while his right saber sealed off all escape routes!

SHING!

Su Yu blocked the attack with another strike, but Tiemu Xiaoyun’s twin sabers were unbelievably fast; the left blade instantly thrust toward him from a blind spot. His twin sabers seemed completely integrated with his arms, the saber glints crossing and weaving together in a ceaseless, flowing barrage.

Blood Battle in Eight Directions!

Many of the surrounding Great Commanders had seen Tiemu Xiaoyun fight before and recognized this move, their faces filling with shock. Tiemu Xiaoyun’s strength had grown once again; this strike was something an ordinary Profound Bone Realm expert likely couldn’t even block. However, in the face of such a powerful technique, Su Yu remained completely unfazed. Mo Yuan danced up and down, crossing left and right, steadily parrying every single blow. Su Yu stood as immovable as a towering mountain.

"Kill!" Tiemu Xiaoyun yelled, fully driven by his bloodlust. The two long sabers slashed increasingly fiercer and faster. In a mere quarter of an hour, he had rained down hundreds of blood-red saber glints upon Su Yu. It had to be said that this man was truly a genius of the Sword Dao and slaughter. Spurred on by his blood vitality in battle, he fought with growing courage. The power and ferocity of his moves now far exceeded what he had displayed at the start.

Yet, Su Yu’s current strength was such that he was outstanding not just among those with Great Dragon Tendons, but even among those with True Dragon Tendons. He hadn’t gone all out from the beginning because he didn’t want to expose too much of his true power, and because he wanted to farm more Skill Level for his Demon Ape Demon-Vibrating Saber to push it to the Realm of Perfection! Facing Tiemu Xiaoyun’s increasingly terrifying Saber Stance, he also feigned a state of growing courage. With a strike of the Demon Blade Crosses the River, his saber glint acted as a long dam spanning a river, directly intercepting the sky full of saber shadows.

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!

Sparks flew as the two figures darted back and forth with lightning speed. By this point, the ordinary Captains could no longer discern their specific movements; all they could see were two clusters of blood-red saber glints constantly clashing and dissipating. The sturdy ground of the drill ground was already crisscrossed with deep gouges. Several bluestones had shattered, sending fragments flying through the air. On the sidelines, the crowd watched without blinking, their eyes glued to the combatants.

"Brother Su’s strength has improved again. It’s only been a few days. Does this kid really have a Profound Tier Lower-Grade Root Bone?" Li Jingfeng marveled. His aloof silhouette remained the same, but his eyes were brimming with shock. It had only been a few days since their trip to Tiger Roar Mountain, and this guy had progressed again. What kind of monstrous genius was he?

"To firmly suppress Tiemu Xiaoyun... It seems Brother Su’s strength has already touched the edge of the True Dragon Tendon," Gu Changfeng muttered, his expression turning serious for the first time. He still remembered watching Su Yu’s fight by the river channel; back then, he hadn’t paid any attention to Su Yu’s strength whatsoever. In such a short period, Su Yu had managed to catch up right behind him. The most terrifying part was his Realm—he was only at the Little Dragon Tendon stage!

"This kind of comprehension is truly enviable. The three Saber Stances he’s comprehended create an astonishingly powerful Saber Technique when stacked together. If I were to face him at the same Realm, my only option would be to overcome all techniques with absolute brute force! Though whether I could actually overcome him or not, I have no idea!"

Hearing Gu Changfeng’s assessment, the crowd grew even more astonished. Did this mean that even Gu Changfeng wouldn’t dare claim he could defeat Su Yu at the same Realm? One had to realize that Gu Changfeng’s heaven-defying prowess back in the day was no less impressive than Su Yu’s current feats. He had once leaped across two Realms to severely injure an opponent with a single palm strike!

"Although Commander Su is formidable, I’m afraid he will ultimately lose. Have you all forgotten that Tiemu Xiaoyun still has one move he hasn’t used yet? It’s a pity. Commander Su’s Realm is still a bit too low. Accepting Tiemu Xiaoyun’s challenge was rather reckless of him," Zhao Daoran analyzed earnestly, feigning an air of impartiality. However, everyone listening clearly understood that he wasn’t favoring Su Yu.

"Zhao Daoran, you bet fifty thousand silver on Su Yu losing, didn’t you? Haha, analyze it all you want, but Tiemu Xiaoyun is the one who will lose!" Li Jingfeng mocked.

Zhao Daoran’s expression immediately darkened. Fanning himself coldly, he retorted, "Tiemu Xiaoyun will lose? Li Jingfeng, you have the Dragon-slaying Nine Swords, and Tiemu Xiaoyun has his Hundred Battles Dual-Kill Saber. Do you truly not know the power of his final strike?"

"Look! Tiemu Xiaoyun is about to use that move!"

"Haha, Su Yu is finally going to lose! I’m getting my silver back!"

"Here it comes! Keep your damn eyes peeled and watch. Let’s see how Su Yu tries to win this!"

Li Jingfeng’s face turned solemn as he watched the sudden shift on the battlefield. "Be careful, Brother Su! That move rivals my Dragon-slaying Nine Swords!" he thought.