"My name is Bai Cheng. You're strong—very strong. I admit I'm not your opponent."
The young man lifted his hand, revealing a silver spear inlaid with a magic core, and pointed it straight at Xiao Se.
"Perhaps only you are worthy of Junior Sister Zhuqing. But as a man, I will never concede."
"Today, even if it's an unfair victory, I will defeat you in front of Zhuqing."
The remaining three all drew their weapons as well, faces heavy with tension as they locked onto Xiao Se.
"Then come," Xiao Se shrugged casually, utterly unconcerned.
During the month he had spent in Jia Nan Academy, Zhu Zhuqing, Xun'er, and the others had rapidly accumulated countless admirers thanks to their terrifying talent and breathtaking beauty.
Because Zhu Zhuqing possessed a figure far too mature for her age, her fanbase was especially overwhelming.
Confessions came frequently.
Some even refused to give up after being rejected and tried to pester her repeatedly.
As a result, Xiao Se had beaten up more people than he could remember.
The Bai Cheng standing before him—
Might very well have been one of those he'd already taught a lesson to.
Perhaps he was even the future leader of the Inner Academy's White Gang, just like in the original storyline.
"Attack!" Bai Cheng shouted sharply.
Light green Dou Qi erupted from his body and surged into his spear.
His foot slammed into the ground, and his body shot into the air like a cannonball.
The silver spear trembled violently.
Silver Dou Qi flickered across the shaft like writhing serpents.
With a fierce thrust, dozens of raindrop-like spear lights exploded forth, stabbing viciously toward Xiao Se's chest.
At the same time, two of the other young men swung their weapons—a long saber and a heavy iron hammer—charging from opposite sides.
The final opponent was a silver-haired young woman.
She possessed a classic beauty's face and a slender figure.
Wearing a silver gown, her skin was snow-white, her brows and eyes delicate as inked art.
Her waist-length silver hair, paired with the flowing silver dress, gave her an aloof elegance—like a snow lotus blooming atop the Heavenly Mountains.
Beautiful to behold from afar, but impossible to approach.
Watching Bai Cheng and the others surround Xiao Se, the girl hesitated.
After a light tap of her toes, she retreated instead.
In the end, she chose not to make a move.
Her sudden withdrawal caused a flicker of surprise to pass through Xiao Se's eyes.
But he didn't dwell on it.
The Dou Qi within his body erupted without warning.
His sword trembled—
And he swung three times.
Three sword strikes, each aimed in a different direction.
Empowered by sword intent, three terrifying sword energies—four to five meters long—burst forth and slashed straight toward Bai Cheng and the others.
Under the might of sword intent, Bai Cheng's spear lights were shredded instantly.
The other two attacks collapsed just as easily.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sword energies continued forward, crashing into their weapons.
Fierce sparks erupted.
The spear bent.
The blade cracked.
The heavy hammer split with deep sword scars.
Unable to withstand the force any longer, the three poured all their strength into redirecting the sword energies and barely managed to dodge aside.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The sword energies slammed down behind them, carving three massive gashes into the arena floor—each half a meter deep and dozens of meters long.
The platform was torn apart.
Even the stone pillars along the edges were cleanly severed.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
Most spectators hadn't even seen Xiao Se move.
It was terrifyingly fast.
"So this is the enhancement brought by sword intent…"
Staring at the horrifying crisscrossing scars on the stage, Xiao Se couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
What he had just used were merely the most basic moves of the Ghost Valley Vertical and Horizontal Sword Art.
In the original Qin's Moon setting, these techniques couldn't even produce sword energy.
Before integrating sword intent, Xiao Se could only unleash power like this by relying on the demonic sword itself.
Now—
Without the demonic sword, he could still produce such devastation.
How could he not be shocked?
"Han Yue! Why didn't you attack?!"
Bai Cheng spat blood, his tiger's mouth torn open, crimson staining the spear shaft.
He knelt on one knee and roared angrily toward the silver-haired girl.
Their injuries were not superficial.
Xiao Se's sword energy had not only shattered their techniques—it had transmitted force through their weapons and damaged their internal organs.
At this moment, a fine, unfamiliar energy rampaged within their bodies, leaving them in unbearable agony.
For an instant, all three had truly felt death looming.
Hearing his shout, the silver-haired girl—Han Yue—glanced at the terrifying sword marks not far away.
With lingering fear in her heart, she replied coolly,
"I don't like winning through such despicable means."
"Besides…"
She paused, her beautiful eyes fixed solemnly on Xiao Se.
"Even if we joined forces, we wouldn't last a single exchange against him."
Her words silenced Bai Cheng completely.
After that strike, the three of them had already lost nearly all fighting capability.
—
On the high platform, Hu Qian observed Xiao Se with growing interest.
What had just occurred could hardly escape the perception of a peak Dou Huang.
Originally, he had expected that as a mid-stage Dou Ling, Xiao Se would surely defeat four high-level Da Dou Shi—but not so effortlessly.
At the very least, there should have been a fierce battle.
Yet Xiao Se had used merely three sword moves—not even comparable to mid-level Yellow Rank techniques—to utterly suppress three elite Da Dou Shi.
"This kid seemed to attach something else to his sword just now…" Hu Qian muttered.
"Not simple at all."
"Vice Principal," an elder beside him added,
"When Xiao Se struck, many swords in the audience were trembling. Some even flew out of their sheaths."
Hu Qian nodded slowly.
"I saw it too. It was as if some force was drawing them in—like subjects paying homage to a king."
"Very similar to the phenomenon of 'when a Heavenly Flame appears, all flames submit.'"
Behind him, Hu Jia couldn't help blurting out,
"Making swords submit? What—so that guy's the king of swords now?"
"Perhaps he truly is."
Hu Qian's aged face broke into a meaningful smile.
He had clearly seen Xiao Se gift Ruo Lin a Three-Pattern Qingling Pill earlier.
Someone who could casually give away such a treasure—
At the very least, a fifth-rank alchemist.
And yet his combat power was equally terrifying.
The more Hu Qian watched, the more interested he became in this young man capable of suppressing an Evil Poison Body.
—
"Still want to fight?"
Xiao Se looked calmly at Bai Cheng and the others, who were writhing in pain.
Bai Cheng clenched his teeth.
"I… concede."
"I concede too!"
"I concede as well. There's strange energy rampaging inside my body—please help remove it."
The other two raised their hands in surrender.
"And you?" Xiao Se turned to Han Yue.
"I'm not your opponent. I concede."
Han Yue did not force herself.
She was a smart woman.
From the moment Xiao Se drew his sword, she could sense the drastic change in his presence.
When unarmed, he was like an ancient well—calm and still.
With a sword in hand—
He became a raging ocean, sharp, violent, and brimming with killing intent.
With all four opponents surrendering, Xiao Se claimed first place without dispute.
After dispersing the residual sword intent within Bai Cheng and the others, he leapt down from the arena.
Because the three were injured, Han Yue naturally secured second place.
And with that—
The Inner Academy Selection Tournament came to a complete end.
(End of Chapter)
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