Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

Chapter 350: Chapter 269: Toying with the Sword Sect

The onlookers were anxious, but Zhao Jingzhi was even more so! No one knew better than him what kind of power this young man before him possessed.

’Damn it, this bastard!’ Zhao Jingzhi cursed inwardly. When he first attacked, he had been careless. He’d thought, ’How powerful could a teenager’s cultivation possibly be? At best, his sword skills are a bit advanced. But even if you have a Divine Sword Skill... faced with my immense power, you won’t even have a chance to use it, right?’

But he never expected his spiritual pressure to fail first. The opponent’s Spiritual Power, as vast as a boundless sea, had momentarily made Zhao Jingzhi want to drop his sword and flee! It was a testament to how formidable Ling Xiao’s Spiritual Power was—that he could, without even trying, throw an opponent’s mind into chaos and extinguish their will to resist.

In truth, this was Ling Xiao intentionally holding back. If he were to fully unleash his Golden Core Peak Spiritual Power, Zhao Jingzhi wouldn’t even muster the courage to attack. The people on this ship were not like those in his own territory of Penzes City, where he could act without hesitation. These people represented major families and sects. He was already in enough trouble, and until he had sufficient strength, Ling Xiao had no desire to reveal too much.

At the very least, trash like this Zhao Family father and son were not worthy.

Since he couldn’t use his Spiritual Power to pressure his opponent into surrendering, Zhao Jingzhi had imbued his thousand-plus sword strikes with potent Sword Qi. Though the blades of Sword Qi weren’t long and didn’t look particularly powerful, anyone who truly knew their stuff would understand. With Sword Qi of this intensity, if it so much as grazed an arm or a leg, the limb would fall off before you even felt the pain.

Yet, unexpectedly, Ling Xiao—whose strength and presence were clearly not inferior to his own—didn’t use a single shred of Sword Qi. Instead, he employed a powerful and unheard-of sword skill to deftly evade every single strike.

It made Zhao Jingzhi feel like he was trying to crush an ant with a massive, sharp-edged boulder.

Every one of his own strikes carried immense force, yet not a single one could kill that ant!

Not only that, but the ant would even counterattack from time to time. The bites didn’t hurt, but the feeling of utter exasperation was driving Zhao Jingzhi to the brink of madness!

"A Divine Sword Skill!"

Someone in the crowd of onlookers couldn’t help but shout, their eyes fixed on Ling Xiao’s every move, burning with fervent light.

No one denied his assessment. That was right—if it weren’t a divine-level sword skill, how could that young man have lasted so many moves against a Sword Sect master? Not only was he undefeated, but he seemed to be fighting with great vigor! He might look a bit disheveled, but the expression on his face was more one of mockery.

Many people couldn’t help but shift their gazes from Ling Xiao to Song Mingyue, who was watching from the side. ’This perfect couple,’ they thought, ’is already stealing the show before the conference has even begun. I wonder which family raised them. If it’s one of those legendary super-families... haha, then the East Sea Zhao Family is in for some real trouble!’

Ling Xiao’s Nine Swords of Dugu, wielded with his Fine Willow Sword, flowed with perfect mastery, as if he were merely practicing by himself. Seeing Zhao Jingzhi’s expression grow increasingly ugly, Ling Xiao thought, ’That’s about enough. I’ve made a big enough splash. From now on, anyone who wants to cause trouble for me will have to think twice.’

’Want to plot against me for my sword skill? Fine by me. Just be careful not to get yourself killed in one of my Arrays!’

For those single-mindedly bent on harming him, Ling Xiao never hesitated to show his killing intent. Acting as he pleased was, in its own way, a form of following the Celestial Dao.

With this in mind, a flush appeared on Ling Xiao’s face, and sweat began to bead on his forehead. Then, his footwork faltered slightly, making it seem as if he had stumbled right into Zhao Jingzhi’s sword.

By now, Zhao Jingzhi was fuming with rage. Seeing Ling Xiao finally reveal an opening, he couldn’t be bothered to analyze his opponent’s thoughts. Gritting his teeth, his face dark, he suddenly unleashed a half-meter-long, tangible blade of gray Sword Qi from his longsword, stabbing viciously toward Ling Xiao’s heart!

Ling Xiao’s eyes went cold. He shifted his body just slightly, and the Sword Qi grazed past his shoulder, slicing off a large piece of his clothing and revealing the fair but firm muscle beneath.

Killing intent for Zhao Jingzhi rose in Ling Xiao’s heart. ’I’ll have to get rid of this man sooner or later!’ he thought. ’He’s probably thinking the same thing, trying to use this chance to kill me. Hmph, we’ll see about that!’

With that thought, Ling Xiao leaped aside, panting heavily. He then said to Zhao Jingzhi, "Your Excellency is powerful indeed; I am no match. I injured your son because he was insolent and tried to kill me. You, in turn, have injured my..." He glanced at his own shoulder. "...clothes. Now we’re even. Neither of us owes the other anything! After this fight, I’ve vented most of my anger, so I can’t be bothered to stoop to your son’s level. From now on, you should teach him some manners."

Ling Xiao’s words left the onlookers speechless. ’This guy is unbelievable!’ they thought. ’He’s clearly the one who’s outmatched, yet he phrases it so beautifully. The thickness of his skin is truly something else. I have no idea what family could produce such a character! A true master, indeed!’

To their great surprise, after hearing Ling Xiao’s words, Zhao Jingzhi—though his eyes burned with fury, his face was ashen, and his jaw was clenched tight—made no move. He shot Ling Xiao a cold glance, then turned and walked away, not even bothering to say a word to Qin Feng.

The moment Zhao Jingzhi turned, cold sweat was already drenching his back. His opponent’s words had been galling, but that was just a facade. In reality, while Ling Xiao was speaking, an overwhelming tide of immense Spiritual Power had locked down tightly on Zhao Jingzhi. The feeling was like the Death God’s chains wrapping around his neck, suffocating him.

’This man... I must investigate his background. If I can’t eliminate him in secret, I’ll have to go to his door and apologize!’ In that instant, Zhao Jingzhi had already calculated the consequences. Of course, this man had made him lose all face. If there was a chance to get rid of him secretly, Zhao Jingzhi would certainly not choose the second option.

Ling Xiao wiped away the sweat he had forced out with his True Essence, then slowly walked toward Song Mingyue. Song Mingyue smiled serenely, not even glancing at Qin Feng, and asked softly, "Are you alright?"

Ling Xiao smiled faintly. "I’m fine. Let’s go."

Watching the pair’s departing figures, the twenty or thirty representatives from the various second-rate and higher families and sects who had gathered all wore varied expressions as they fell into deep thought.

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