Chapter 16: The Horizontal Sword Technique and Yue Guan's Frustration
"How is this possible?!" Yue Guan exclaimed, his voice sharp with disbelief.
He stared at the spiderweb of cracks that had formed on the Elder Palace floor, centered on where Qin Xuan's blade had lightly tapped. This wasn't just any floor.
"This ground is forged from special black metal, mixed with deep-sea sunken silver, and reinforced by a spirit tool array," Yue Guan hissed, more to himself than to anyone else. "It's incredibly hard! A common Spirit Emperor would find it difficult to even leave a scratch!"
But Qin Xuan, a mere Spirit King, had managed to do this. And he had done it without using a single Spirit Ability. It was a pure application of swordsmanship and power.
Yue Guan knew that he could also damage this floor, but that was expected. He was a powerful Spirit Douluo, standing at the very peak of Level 89, a quasi-Titled Douluo.
Qin Xuan was only a Level 54 Spirit King. The difference was more than 30 ranks; it was a chasm spanning three entire cultivation realms.
A cold sweat traced its way down Yue Guan's spine. If it hadn't been for Gui Mei's shouted warning just moments ago, if he hadn't instinctively dodged that first probing strike... he might have been severely injured in that one move.
He certainly didn't think his own body was any tougher than this deep-sea sunken silver floor.
It wasn't just Yue Guan and Gui Mei who were stunned.
Even the seven High Priests, standing silently before the towering Seraphim statue, were astonished. Their backs were to the battle, but their senses perceived everything.
"Hey, hey, Eldest Brother... that was sword qi, wasn't it?" Guang Ling Douluo, the Fifth High Priest, spoke. His eyes, usually full of mischief, narrowed slightly. His youthful face, which contrasted with his ancient status, had lost its frivolous edge, replaced by pure surprise and solemnity.
"An external release of 'qi' from the blade itself, without the aid of a spirit ring... how?"
According to Guang Ling's understanding, among all known Spirit Masters who used swords, those who could unleash pure sword qi without relying on Spirit Abilities were exceedingly rare. Besides his Eldest Brother, Qian Daoliu himself, there was perhaps only one other: Sword Douluo Chen Xin of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
Even the current Supreme Pontiff, Qian Xunji, couldn't perform such a feat of pure swordsmanship.
"That's right." Qian Daoliu, the High Priest, maintained his gentle, serene smile, his back still to the fight. He responded calmly, "It is indeed sword qi."
Although he said this, his deep golden eyes, when he briefly opened them, could not hide the flicker of admiration. It seemed this child, Qin Xuan, was even more outstanding than he had imagined.
Guang Ling Douluo didn't question Qian Daoliu further. Instead, he turned his gaze to the two figures standing as the Sixth and Seventh High Priests: Qian Jun and Jiangmo, the two men who held their identical Coiling Dragon Rods.
"Sixth Brother, Seventh Brother," Guang Ling's voice was laced with teasing, "was that kid's swordsmanship taught by the two of you? I didn't know you two old rod-wielders had such finesse."
Qian Jun and Jiangmo Douluo heard this, and their stoic old faces instantly flushed, burning with an intense, awkward heat. They exchanged bitter smiles and shook their heads in unison.
"Xuan'er's swordsmanship," Qian Jun replied gruffly, "was taught by several Cardinals in the Hall who possess sword Spirits. We merely... oversaw his training."
This statement was a clear admission. Normally, they only guided Qin Xuan on how to better utilize his Spirit Abilities and, by the way, how to integrate their skills for a potential Martial Soul Fusion Technique.
They were proficient in teaching rod techniques, spear techniques, and practically any long-weapon Spirit.
However, when it came to swordsmanship and saber techniques, they were completely out of their depth. Although all paths lead to the same destination, the techniques for a rod and a sword were completely different matters.
"Tsk tsk... Then you two, as his personal teachers, are really quite failures," Guang Ling Douluo reverted to his frivolous demeanor, pouting and clicking his tongue.
To the utter embarrassment of the two teachers, even the Fourth High Priest Xiongshi Douluo, the Third High Priest Qingluan Douluo, and the Second High Priest, Golden Crocodile Douluo, all nodded in deep, silent agreement.
At this, Qian Jun and Jiangmo Douluo's old faces turned even redder, wishing they could find a hole in the reinforced floor to crawl into. It was too embarrassing.
The battle between Qin Xuan and Yue Guan resumed, and this time, it was far more intense.
Qin Xuan's sword momentum was powerful, the golden-red blade of the Changming Sword a dazzling, fiery glow. The flames reflected in his dark eyes, as if fire danced within them.
[Inorin's Note: The Changming Sword is Qin Xuan's Martial Soul.]
With every move and stance, he was using the Horizontal Sword Technique. He left hideous, deep sword marks on the ground, kicking up dust and smoking stones.
[Inorin's Note: The Horizontal and Longitudinal Sword Techniques (纵横剑术) are concepts from another fiction, Qin's Moon (秦时明月). They represent two opposing but powerful styles of swordsmanship. This implies Qin Xuan possesses knowledge from that world.]
Having learned from the previous lesson, Yue Guan no longer dared to be arrogant. He couldn't afford to hold back against this "Spirit King."
His Level 89 spirit power was fully unleashed. His Martial Soul, the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum, manifested in his hand, not as a flower, but transforming into a long, thorny plant whip, which clashed directly with the Changming Sword.
Clang! Clang! Screeech!
As the two clashed, Qin Xuan, relying on his freely controlled sword qi and profound techniques, was surprisingly able to fight Yue Guan to a standstill. The sheer difference in spirit power was being bridged by pure skill, much to Yue Guan's horror.
However, as the battle continued, another, more damning factor became apparent: attribute suppression.
Although the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum was an Immortal Herb-grade Spirit of extremely high quality, it ultimately did not escape the category of plants.
And Qin Xuan's Changming Sword was not just a sharp weapon. It was the vessel of the Vermilion Bird, containing the potent, natural attributes of both divine lightning and fire.
Fire suppresses plants. It was one of the most fundamental laws of nature.
Without the additional attributes from Spirit Abilities, the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum was simply no match for the inherent power of the Changming Sword.
The golden-red flames licked at the plant whip, causing it to sizzle and recoil. The faint sparks of lightning that arched from the blade made Yue Guan's own spirit power feel sluggish and difficult to control.
Soon, Yue Guan was forced to retreat, step by step, his face growing darker with every blocked strike.
"How outrageous!"
Never in his life had Yue Guan fought such a frustrating, humiliating battle. As the fight continued, he was starting to get genuinely angry and couldn't help but roar.
If Qin Xuan had merely relied on his formidable sword qi and unpredictable moves, Yue Guan could have accepted the loss of face. But this... this was the opponent completely suppressing him in terms of Spirit attributes.
This changed the nature of things! If not for this, he wouldn't be beaten so miserably, almost without any ability to retaliate!
Boom—!
Under the relentless suppression, the plant whip in Yue Guan's hand could no longer hold on. With a final, explosive surge of power, Qin Xuan's Changming Sword, blazing with a fiery glow, cut the whip clean in half.
The fiery glow did not stop. It continued its momentum, the flat of the blade—not the edge—fiercely striking Yue Guan's chest.
Yue Guan flew backward like a cannonball, crashing heavily into one of the massive stone pillars of the Elder Palace. The impact kicked up a large cloud of dust that enveloped his entire body.
"This kid is impressive!" Seeing this, Guang Ling Douluo couldn't help but exclaim softly, his eyes openly showing admiration.
Most of the other High Priests felt the same, though they remained silent.
Even the Second High Priest, Golden Crocodile Douluo, who was usually taciturn and held himself in high regard, spoke, his voice a low rumble. "Indeed. The outcome is decided. Yue Guan is no match for Qin Xuan under these rules. It seems this kid proposing to go to Slaughter City for training... wasn't a rash decision after all."
"Cough, cough...!"
Violent coughing could be heard from within the dust. Today, he, Yue Guan, had truly lost all face.
A majestic Level 89 Spirit Douluo, a quasi-Titled Douluo existence, was beaten without any real resistance by a Spirit King, all because neither side could use their Spirit Abilities. If this matter were to spread, people would surely laugh their heads off.
Yue Guan stumbled out of the dust, his golden hair messy and disheveled. He was no longer the picture of perfect, arrogant beauty.
There was a five-centimeter gash in the golden armor on his chest, and through it, a wound on his skin could be seen. Although the wound was not deep, fresh blood continuously seeped out, staining his robes.
He clutched his chest with his left hand, injecting spirit power to finally stop the bleeding.
At this moment, his way of addressing Qin Xuan changed. He had dropped the condescending "Little Qin Xuan." This indicated that he now regarded Qin Xuan, despite the rank difference, as an existence of the same level.
That wound had been cut by Qin Xuan's sword qi just before the final blow.
It was one of the strongest moves in the Horizontal Sword Technique, named "Traverse the Four Directions." Its power was second only to the final technique, "Traverse the Eight Directions," and it served as its opening move.
Although it seemed like only one move, at the moment of its release, it had produced four blindingly fast variations.
Yue Guan, in his panic, had managed to block the first variation with his plant whip and the next two with his formidable protective spirit power, but the fourth, unexpected variation had landed accurately on his chest.
It broke through his golden armor and dealt him physical harm.
Now, breathing heavily, he stared at Qin Xuan with a new, dangerous light in his eyes.
"Damn it... Qin Xuan, I have to admit you are very powerful," he panted, "but I still have one move. My self-created skill—Chrysanthemum Breaking Spear!"
Yue Guan waved the remaining half of the plant whip in his right hand. The other half flew from the ground, the two pieces fusing into a sharp, deadly plant javelin. He was done playing.
[Inorin Note:
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