Chapter 39: Broken Gold Saber Technique (Please keep reading)

【Match Starting!】

This promotion match took even longer to find than Lin Qi had imagined.

Lin Qi guessed that because his win rate was so high, it wouldn't be easy to find a sufficiently powerful opponent.

Fifteen minutes later, just as Lin Qi was getting so bored that he had practiced his marksmanship several times over, the match was finally successful.

【Match Successful!】

On the vast, empty arena, two tall figures emerged one after another, facing each other.

Through his black mask, Lin Qi’s eyes locked onto his opponent for this promotion match.

The man was burly and towering, with broad shoulders and a thick waist, possessing a pair of heavy, powerful arms and rugged facial features. He wore red combat gear and brandished a sharp, large saber.

【Nickname: Great Blade】

Lin Qi froze for a moment when he saw him; he knew this person, or rather, he had recently met him.

This person was Wu Feng, the friend of the curly-haired man, Lyu Xiang.

He hadn't expected his opponent for this promotion match to be him. To be chosen as a challenger for a promotion match, Wu Feng's strength was self-evident.

Upon seeing Lin Qi, Wu Feng gave a disdainful smirk. "You certainly look intimidating."

"And you're the one called Yang Jian?!"

"It seems my luck is good; I actually ran into you in a promotion match."

"I'm going to hack you to pieces with my great blade, climb to the Star Rank, and avenge that kid Lyu Xiang all in one go. It's killing two birds with one stone."

"Clown!"

Lin Qi spoke slowly.

"What did you say?"

"Clown!" Lin Qi repeated.

"You're looking for death!" Wu Feng flew into a rage.

【3, 2, 1...】

【The competition officially begins!】

In the air, an emotionless female electronic voice announced the start of the match.

"Watch me shatter you!!"

Wu Feng let out a roar, spreading his arms and charging forward with heavy strides. Standing over 1.95 meters tall with a massive build, his full-power burst made him look like a charging giant bear.

The great blade in his hand swung like a howling gale, sending a wave of lethal intent rushing forward.

Lin Qi brandished his black spear and flashed forward, sprinting out like a frantic leopard.

The long spear sliced through the air, bringing with it a whistling wind as the aura of battle permeated the arena.

In an instant, the two collided in the center of the arena, the great blade and the long spear clashing violently.

Wu Feng swung his blade; his weapon was a resistance-style great saber, with a blade over 1.2 meters long and wide, even broader than an ordinary great blade.

His arms, looking as if they were carved from granite, swung the saber with a sudden downward strike, as if intending to cleave all things in two.

*Broken Gold Saber Technique*, Second Form—Golden Swirl Slash!

Lin Qi thrust his spear, his arms exerting force until the veins bulged like steel wires. With a burst of power, the spear pierced through the air.

*Mountain-Crushing Spear Technique*, Second Form—Crushing Thrust!

*Clang! Clang!*

The two fought like generals charging on a battlefield, colliding head-on with fierce, domineering, and unstoppable force.

As the weapons collided violently in mid-air, both men's expressions shifted slightly. Lin Qi's expression was hidden behind his mask.

However, he could feel a powerful force transmitting through the spear into his arms.

Wu Feng focused, secretly startled: "Damn, this strength isn't small either."

*Clang!*

The massive force sent both men retreating several steps simultaneously.

Lin Qi brandished his spear, forcing his arms to work to suppress the numbness. This Wu Feng followed a path of pure strength, just like him.

His saber technique was called the *Broken Gold Saber Technique*, a method that was fierce and rigid; a single swing carried the weight of a thousand catties, capable of cutting through steel.

Regarding strength, due to the restrictions of the Crimson Realm, their blood qi was capped at 6.0.

The two were evenly matched, but Lin Qi could sense that the other's technical mastery was slightly higher than his own.

Defeating this opponent would not be easy.

"Refreshing! Again!"

Wu Feng grinned and swung his blade once more. His moves were not complex—they were direct, wide, and sweeping, characterized by overwhelming offensive pressure.

He charged again like a wild beast.

Seeing this, Lin Qi's blood qi was stimulated, his strength surging along with the flow of his blood.

He swung his spear violently, dancing a brilliant array of spear flowers in the air, the tip slicing through the air and pulling gusts of wind in its wake.

*Mountain-Crushing Spear Technique*, Fifth Form—Sky Leap!

In an instant, the two met at a single point, one striking from above and one from below, as the saber and spear collided violently.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Fierce, domineering, and powerful, the terrifying force collided between their weapons. Light from the blades and shadows from the spear flashed, accompanied by piercing glints and flying sparks.

"Golden Blade Horizontal Slash!"

"Golden Blade Consecutive Slashes!"

The two collided several times in rapid succession, meeting force with force and pushing their strength to the absolute limit.

Wu Feng swung his great blade continuously, attacking Lin Qi like a torrential rain, every strike possessing staggering destructive power.

"Strange!"

*What's going on with this guy?*

Wu Feng was inwardly alarmed. The opponent's spear technique seemed to be full of openings, yet he couldn't break through.

Although he held the upper hand, he wasn't dealing any substantial damage.

Lin Qi's arms were currently numb from the constant clashing, but his eyes were as bright as torches. He was frantically memorizing the opponent's saber patterns, searching for a flaw and an opportunity to kill him in a single move.

"In that case, I'll use a stronger move to kill you!"

"His spear mastery isn't as high as mine; he definitely hasn't mastered his first killing move yet."

With that thought, Wu Feng decided to use a finishing move. Even if he had only just mastered it and wasn't entirely proficient, it would be more than enough to defeat the "Yang Jian" before him.

The two were pushed back once more. Wu Feng gathered his strength and swung his blade with sudden, relentless ferocity, launching his killing move.

He swung the great blade without any unnecessary flourishes or hesitation, pouring his entire body's strength into the technique.

His momentum was aggressive and peerless, like a predator lunging forward. The blade's momentum felt like Mount Tai pressing down, as if it could sever mountains and shatter steel!

*Broken Gold Saber Technique* Killing Move—Broken Gold Slash!

"Die!"

Wu Feng's eyes widened as he unleashed the full power of his killing move.

*Whoosh—*

Lin Qi's expression tightened; every movement Wu Feng made was captured by his eyes.

"Now!"

In an instant, Wu Feng revealed an opening at the very moment of his swing.

Lin Qi was already prepared. His footsteps surged with power, and his spear danced in a flurry of movements, rapidly merging four forms together.

He was like a tiger descending a mountain, releasing a terrifying aura from his body.

A golden light seemed to flash in his eyes. In his vision, a single point on Wu Feng's body appeared to be moving constantly.

In a heartbeat, he lunged forward like an arrow released from a bow. His blood qi boiled, and he poured all his strength into the spear, thrusting with lightning speed, like a surging torrent in a raging sea.

*Mountain-Crushing Spear Technique* Killing Move—Raging Tide Crushing Thrust!

*Whoosh—*

*Puchi—*

Wherever the spear tip went, the air seemed to be torn apart, emitting a sharp, whistling sound.

"What?"

Wu Feng watched as the opponent executed a killing move with lightning speed; it felt as if their speeds were on entirely different planes.

"Faster!"

Wu Feng's eyes nearly burst from their sockets as he tried to swing his great blade down even faster.

But Lin Qi's spear was faster. It met no resistance, arriving in an instant, passing through the range of the great blade to strike directly at the single point of weakness in Wu Feng's defense.

*Puchi—*

*Clang—*

The spear pierced the air with a cold glint. At the moment the spear went through his chest, the great blade swung down.

The spear and the blade collided, but at that exact moment, Lin Qi loosened his grip. The spear flew out of his hands, knocked away by the impact.

The spear tip exited Wu Feng's heart, trailing blood, and as the spear hit the ground, blood splattered across the floor.

*Clang—*

Wu Feng's great blade also fell, its crisp sound ringing in both their ears.

*Puchi—*

"How... how can this be?"

Wu Feng fell to his knees, spitting blood, his eyes wide with disbelief that he had actually lost.

"You lost, clown!"

Lin Qi looked down at Wu Feng and spoke coldly.

"You..."

Wu Feng tried to say something, but he had already dissolved into nothingness, vanishing from the arena.

***

Wu Feng's Personal Space

"Aaargh!!"

Wu Feng clutched his head in agony; the pain of being killed was excruciating.

But what hurt most was losing to "Yang Jian."

"I actually lost..."

His saber mastery was clearly higher than the opponent's. He thought he would win easily and avenge his friend Lyu Xiang.

In the end, he lost, and he failed to promote to the Star Rank.

Especially that "clown" comment—every time he thought of it, he was consumed by fury.

"Right, I still need to reach the Star Rank."

"Yang Jian, just you wait. Next time, I will definitely slaughter you."

Suppressing his rage, Wu Feng immediately began searching for a new match.

If he didn't reach the Star Rank by 12:00, his losses would be too great.

...

(End of Chapter)