Chapter 0092: Conquer, Then Kill

“Begin. Let us see whether your blade is sharper, or my sword.”

Zhang Xiaofan held his sword in one hand and stared at Kimura Ikkaku, his voice low.

Whoosh!

Kimura Ikkaku’s gaze turned icy as he shot forward, gripping his sword with both hands. He leaped into the air and brought it down in a single slash. On the surface it seemed plain enough, yet only Zhang Xiaofan could feel the overwhelming pressure it carried.

It was as though the space around him had been sealed. A razor-edge sword intent enveloped him. That strike appeared slow, but in truth it was astonishingly fast; the instant it was unleashed, it had already reached about a meter before Zhang Xiaofan.

A master of the North Star One-Sword School was indeed formidable.

And this strike from Kimura Ikkaku was no half-measure. By the standards of Chinese martial cultivation, it possessed the power of the middle Open-Spirit Realm.

Added to that was the sword intent of the North Star One-Sword School. Its destructive force was even more terrifying.

Zhang Xiaofan’s pupils fixed tightly on the blade thrusting toward him, and every pore in his body contracted at once.

He understood that he could no longer hide his true strength.

A faint, wicked smile touched the corner of his mouth, and then he moved.

Bang!

Stamping down with one foot, Zhang Xiaofan launched himself like a tiger pouncing on prey. Faced with such a fierce assault, he still chose not to evade, and the sight shocked many of those watching.

“Arrogant!”

Kimura Ikkaku barked furiously, and without the slightest pause his sword flashed down toward Zhang Xiaofan’s head like lightning.

Zhang Xiaofan gave a cold snort and said nothing. Then his body sprang upward. Only a streak of domineering sword light remained where the Clear Moon Sword had been, and in that instant, an aura as though he were cleaving open a mountain burst forth from him.

His robes shook violently, his momentum astonishing.

This sword had no flourish at all. It held only sheer power and an unstoppable advance.

Against Kimura Ikkaku, Zhang Xiaofan chose none of the clever tricks of combat.

He wanted a direct clash.

And just as countless eyes stared unblinking, faces filled with shock, and just as sword and blade were about to meet, the aura around Zhang Xiaofan suddenly changed.

An invisible force spread out in an instant, and within that moment it grew even more intense.

Middle Open-Spirit Realm! Zhang Xiaofan poured out his spiritual energy with all his might at that exact instant.

With Zhang Xiaofan’s sword movement, a chilling wave spread outward, causing hearts to tremble.

At that moment, Zhang Xiaofan’s eyes were like blades, and even his body exuded a fierce swordlike presence. With that aura alone, the pressure Kimura Ikkaku’s strike had brought upon him vanished in an instant.

Thunk!

Then the Clear Moon Sword smashed head-on against Kimura Ikkaku’s samurai sword.

Boom!

A violent surge of force swept outward, as if even the ground trembled.

Crack!

Then everyone heard a faint splintering sound. After that, their eyes widened little by little, because the samurai sword in Kimura Ikkaku’s hand was actually cracking open, slowly splitting apart.

“How is this possible!”

Kimura Ikkaku was shaken beyond measure.

“There is nothing impossible about it. The abilities of Chinese martial cultivators are not something Japanese swordsmen can compare to. In this world, there is something called spiritual energy.”

Zhang Xiaofan lowered his voice, his cold eyes locked on Kimura Ikkaku.

“Hahaha! So this is the famous North Star One-Sword School? Even the blade has been split in two. What do you have left to fight our martial artists with?”

“That’s right. What a load of nonsense. A samurai sword is nothing compared to our ancient Chinese swordsmanship.”

Outside the stadium, men and women, old and young alike, were all watching the scene on the screen and one after another began to mock him.

Inside the stadium, Han Ruming, Zhao De, Feng Qingyang, and other influential figures of Jinghai were also laughing.

Especially Feng Qingyang. He knew all too well how powerful a grandmaster of the North Star One-Sword School could be. Even within Dragon Soul, only those in the Heaven Division could reach such a level.

On the North Star dojo’s side, all their faces darkened. Their master had actually had his samurai sword split in two. To the warriors of the North Star One-Sword School, a samurai sword was like life itself.

A broken blade meant the warrior had lost half his life.

“You brat, I’ll make sure you regret this!”

Kimura Ikkaku’s face was gloomy, as though he could not accept the fact that his sword had been severed. A vast humiliation surged through his heart.

“Still acting like an idiot at your age...”

Zhang Xiaofan said coldly. Without a sword, what could you possibly use to fight me?

He had no interest in wasting words. He stepped forward and thrust his sword out like a bolt of thunder, a bitter killing intent spilling forth. Since this was a duel to the death, if you want my life, then naturally I will take yours.

Seeing that incomparably fierce strike, Kimura Ikkaku’s pupils shrank violently, sending a chill through his bones. In the blink of an eye, he shot backward, leaving behind several afterimages before landing several paces away.

“Ninja arts?” Zhang Xiaofan was slightly taken aback. He had not expected a grandmaster of the North Star One-Sword School to know ninja techniques as well.

“Interesting... but now that I know you can use ninja arts, do you really think you can still survive under my sword?”

Zhang Xiaofan sneered, and in the next instant he darted out again. His long sword danced, scattering blossoms of sword light that dazzled the eye.

It seemed as though sword blossoms were still blooming here, yet in the blink of an eye they were appearing elsewhere.

This time Zhang Xiaofan had already locked onto Kimura Ikkaku’s aura, and his sword style was elusive and unpredictable. Even if Kimura Ikkaku used ninja arts again, he would not escape Zhang Xiaofan’s pursuit.

Without a samurai sword, a warrior of the North Star One-Sword School was like a tiger without fangs.

Kimura Ikkaku’s expression was grim beyond measure. He could feel the breath of death. Even now, he still found it impossible to believe that this young man from China could utterly overwhelm him.

And yet the truth lay before his eyes, whether he believed it or not.

“Master, catch the blade!”

At that moment, someone from the North Star school actually hurled a samurai sword down to Kimura Ikkaku. His eyes lit up, and he hurriedly reached out to catch it.

Inwardly, he thought: I just helped you find a weapon. Surely you can’t deny me a samurai sword now.

But Zhang Xiaofan simply would not let him have one. In a few flashes, his long sword had already pierced Kimura Ikkaku’s chest, though not yet fatally.

Because he knew Kimura Ikkaku would have something to say, and the people from the North Star dojo would certainly protest, asking why Kimura Ikkaku had not been allowed to catch the blade.

So Zhang Xiaofan did not kill him immediately.

“You’re despicable! My master gave you time to draw your sword, yet now you are trying to wipe him out completely!” Sure enough, someone from the North Star dojo immediately shouted.

Zhang Xiaofan merely smiled, then looked at the samurai sword on the platform, split cleanly in two, and said loudly, “Was that Kimura Ikkaku’s samurai sword? In a life-or-death duel, I already broke it. Are you saying that after I let him take another samurai sword and break that one too, I should still stand around waiting for him to fetch yet another? Tell me, are you idiots?”

His brazen words left the people from the North Star dojo speechless.

“Die!”

Having said that, Zhang Xiaofan no longer hesitated. The Clear Moon Sword shifted sideways at once, slicing through Kimura Ikkaku’s heart.

He yanked the sword free, drawing out a spray of scarlet blood. Kimura Ikkaku dropped to his knees helplessly and breathed his last.

“Good!”

At that very moment, in a room elsewhere, Du Yuefeng clapped and praised him loudly. This boy truly had not disappointed anyone, exterminating a grandmaster of Japan’s North Star One-Sword School.

With that level of strength, he was already more than qualified to enter Dragon Soul’s Heaven Division.

At that same moment, almost the entire city of Jinghai was shouting in unison, overwhelmed by a fierce sense of pride.

On the North Star dojo’s side, including the official representatives from Japan, their faces were all dark. They glared fixedly at Zhang Xiaofan on the platform, as though they meant to burn this man, who had brought them such humiliation, into their memories forever.

Very quickly, stadium staff came to remove the body, and the official representatives of Jinghai, China, announced Zhang Xiaofan’s victory.

At the same time, the television stations were vigorously publicizing his triumph. It could be said that Zhang Xiaofan had now become famous throughout Jinghai.

Of course, in one room, another man sat with a grim expression.

“His strength is advancing this quickly. He must be eliminated as soon as possible, to avenge my father!”

Having said that, he turned to the people beside him and said, “Arrange for some dead men.”

“Long Hao, are you certain you can kill him?” The speaker was a man around thirty. He was quite handsome, but between his brows lingered a faint air of gloom. His name was Cao Li. He was also a member of Dragon Soul, and a master of the Heaven Division.

“His strength is on par with mine, but I have a treasured artifact. How could he possibly be my match? If Brother Cao is willing to help, then it will be foolproof,” Long Hao said in a low voice. He was the son of Long San.

“That boy is a member of Dragon Soul. It would be inconvenient for me to act directly, but I can guarantee your safety. I also hope you can kill him, because he is one of the people Young Master Qin wants dead,” Cao Li said lightly, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

“Young Master Qin? Are you talking about the genius from Dragon Soul Hall, Qin Tianyu?” Long Hao looked somewhat shocked.

“Exactly, Qin Tianyu. To tell you the truth, the woman Young Master Qin has now once had an affair with this Zhang Xiaofan. It has long been a thorn in Young Master Qin’s heart, and he wants him dead, but cannot act openly. So if you can kill him, once you get to Dragon Soul’s side, Young Master Qin will certainly look after you,” Cao Li said.

“Very well.” Long Hao smiled. Qin Tianyu was a genius among the ranks of Dragon Soul Hall. With his help, once he entered Dragon Soul, he would surely rise with the wind.

Dragon Soul was divided into four divisions: Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow. As for Dragon Soul Hall, it stood at the very summit, possessing the highest honor and the highest authority, because anyone qualified to enter Dragon Soul Hall had to meet one hard requirement.

Their martial cultivation had to reach the Void-Breaking Realm.

“However, Brother Cao, your concern is unnecessary. How could this boy possibly threaten my safety? Just watch how I kill him.”

Long Hao was extremely arrogant. Since childhood, he had left home to cultivate in an secluded sect. Thanks to his talent, by his age he had already reached the middle Open-Spirit Realm, and the sect had even rewarded him with a treasured artifact.

He believed he could absolutely kill Zhang Xiaofan. In truth, he had held back all this time precisely to probe Zhang Xiaofan’s depth. Now that he had done so, the depth was clear enough. At the same time, he had also felt Zhang Xiaofan’s astonishing talent.

Which was why he had to kill him as quickly as possible.