It all happened so quickly that no one even had time to blink. Liu Wuxie’s blade sliced through the air, leaving a vacuum in its wake. His attack shattered Du Mingze’s sword aura, and before Du Mingze could react, Liu Wuxie’s blade was at his throat. It all took place in the space of half a breath.

Master Mao had wanted to intervene before things got out of hand, but the battle was already over.

“Don’t force me to kill you!” Liu Wuxie warned, his blade pressed against Du Mingze’s neck.

Du Mingze’s hair stood on the end as blood trickled down his neck. When Liu Wuxie’s blade had grazed his skin, his pores had exploded. He was stunned and at a loss for words—he had thought he was going to die.

There had been no discernible trajectory to Liu Wuxie’s sword—it had seemed to move naturally. If he had pushed the blade just a little further, Du Mingze would have been decapitated.

A foul liquid seeped down Du Mingze’s legs, unnoticed by him. This was a natural physiological reaction, and it was normal for him to lose control of his bowels after experiencing such intense fear. As the blade pressed against his neck, Du Mingze forgot to breathe, and fear shone in his eyes.

Everyone around them gasped in shock at the unexpected turn of events. They had anticipated a fierce battle between Liu Wuxie and Du Mingze, with the two exchanging hundreds of blows. But instead, Du Mingze had been brought to his knees with a single strike from Liu Wuxie’s blade.

Xiao Mingyi trembled, unable to move. His legs felt numb as he turned to look at Yun Lan for help. He didn’t want to die, and he certainly didn’t want to kneel on the ground.

“D-Don’t kill me!” Du Mingze pleaded, his mind shattered by fear. Many in the crowd sighed and shook their heads in disappointment. Just last year, Du Mingze had represented Ning City and made it into the top six. But now, this once-promising genius had fallen so far. Everyone knew they were witnessing the downfall of a once-great talent.

“Kill you? That would only dirty my hands,” Liu Wuxie sneered as he withdrew his blade. The mocking tone of his voice filled Du Mingze with shame and rage. He clenched his fists, hatred boiling in his chest, but he didn’t dare to step forward. He gritted his teeth so hard that his lips began to bleed, but he felt no pain.

After suffering such a public humiliation in front of alchemists from thirty-five cities, it would be difficult for Du Mingze to hold his head high in the future. He seemed to be in a daze, still reeling from the shock of Liu Wuxie’s blade at his throat.

“Am I dreaming?” Nangong Qi rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he had just witnessed. After all, Du Mingze wasn’t only a talented alchemist, but he also had exceptional martial cultivation skills. He could be considered a genius to reach the fifth level of the Xiantian Realm at such a young age.

For such a genius to have a blade placed at his throat... Even an expert in the Marrow Cleansing Realm would have lost control of their bowels in such a situation.

“That unpredictable blade... I’m afraid only an expert in the Spirit Cleansing Realm could withstand it,” many of the experts present murmured as they analyzed Liu Wuxie’s earlier attack. They wondered if they would have been able to withstand it themselves. But after much consideration, they concluded that only someone in the Spirit Cleansing Realm, relying on their powerful aura to suppress Liu Wuxie, would have stood a chance.

There was another possibility: geniuses who practiced high-leveled martial techniques like those from the Imperial Academy. Those geniuses also possessed the ability to fight enemies with higher cultivation.

“It looks like Azure Billow City picked up a treasure this time.” Everyone turned to look at Bi Gongyu with envy on their faces. After all, this year’s competition had become a one-man show for Azure Billow City.

Shangguan Cai glanced at Li An, and they both had a hint of helplessness in their eyes. The other pavilion masters also wore different expressions. Yun Lan was gritting his teeth with hatred because he didn’t expect Liu Wuxie to be so strong.

“This young man is quite intriguing,” Kuang Qiu remarked with a smile on his face. His trip here had been well worth it—not only had he witnessed an exciting identification round, but he had also seen a truly breathtaking display of swordsmanship.

“Patriarch, there’s something weird about that brat.” Kuang Zhan couldn’t describe his feelings because it felt like a misperception. Liu Wuxie seemed to be enveloped in a mysterious halo in his eyes.

A few people from the Kuang Clan nodded in acknowledgment. They also had that feeling but couldn’t tell where it came from. After all, it was rare for someone to remain so composed in the face of ridicule and to calmly counterattack.

It seemed as though nothing could ruffle Liu Wuxie’s feathers—not Yun Lan’s threats, Du Mingze’s taunts, or Xiao Mingyi’s bet. He had remained calm and collected throughout, which was not a typical reaction for someone who was only eighteen years old.

“He’er, how confident are you that you could withstand that blade strike?” Kuang Qiu asked the white-clothed youth beside him.

“I’m not confident about it. If I gave it my all, perhaps I might have a 30% chance,” Kuang He replied honestly. He might stand a chance against that blade if he was prepared for it right from the beginning. The main reason why Du Mingze lost was that he underestimated his opponent and allowed Liu Wuxie to catch the opportunity.

Liu Wuxie turned and began to approach Xiao Mingyi. He didn’t release any overwhelming aura or say anything—he simply took firm, measured steps towards Xiao Mingyi, each footfall sounding like the approach of death in his ears. As Liu Wuxie drew closer, Xiao Mingyi began to tremble. His cultivation was also at the fifth level of the Xiantian Realm, but his fighting prowess was far inferior to Du Mingze’s.

With disdain reflected in his eyes, Liu Wuxie asked sarcastically, “Are you going down on your knees yourself, or do you want me to help you?”

Liu Wuxie’s voice was cold and emotionless, giving Xiao Mingyi two choices.

At that moment, Xiao Mingyi regretted ever provoking Liu Wuxie. The humiliation he had endured today and on the previous day was more than enough to make up for all the shame he had ever experienced in his life. He turned to look at Yun Lan, pleading for help. “Master...”

But this time, no one came forward to stop Liu Wuxie. Zuo Hong, Qin Letian, and even Ji Yang, were silent.

“Boy, if you make him kneel, I won’t let you get away with it. Even if you can hide behind Bi Gongyu for the rest of your life, your entire Xu Clan can’t possibly do the same. Killing them would be no different than crushing an ant,” Yun Lan threatened. He was being blocked by Bi Gongyu and couldn’t rescue Xiao Mingyi, but he knew that if he wanted to force Liu Wuxie to back down, he would have to target his weakness.

But when he said that, a torrential murderous intent erupted as Liu Wuxie’s headband snapped with his hair fluttering in the wind. This made Liu Wuxie look as though he had entered a state of madness. Even his facial expression became sinister, with veins popping on his forehead.

“Yun Lan, you dumb fuck!” Bi Gongyu knew better than anyone that the Xu Clan was Liu Wuxie’s weakness, and he would kill anyone who dared to cross the line. So Yun Lan was no different from courting death to using the Xu Clan to threaten Liu Wuxie.

Bi Gongyu was so anxious that he couldn’t help but curse. It was the first time he had ever done so, but no one mocked him for it. In fact, many felt that he had gone easy with his scolding. After all, it was considered taboo to involve each other’s families in a feud, and many people looked at Yun Lan with disdain when they heard what he had said.

The other pavilion masters shook their heads and sympathized with Yun Lan. Unless Yun Lan slaughtered all of Liu Wuxie’s family members and him, offending such a formidable foe would be a nightmare.

Liu Wuxie suppressed the murderous intent in his heart and took a deep breath. As his fluttering hair settled down, his expression also returned to normal. But his eyes were still red, and a powerful aura emanated from his golden soul sea. When he looked at Yun Lan, he even used Ghost Eye and said, “I will remember every word you said today. You will pay a heavy price for it. If even a single servant of the Xu Clan dies, I will hold you responsible. From this day forward, our feud is irreconcilable. It’s either you or me.”

With each word Liu Wuxie spoke, his aura grew stronger until he seemed like an Immortal Emperor issuing a decree. Everyone present felt the urge to kneel before him, unable to withstand the pressure he was exerting.

Yun Lan’s face twisted in anger as he was threatened by someone from the younger generation, and he released his own murderous intent.

“Boy, don’t say I didn’t give you a chance. If you give up on making Xiao Mingyi kneel, I can promise not to harm your family,” Yun Lan said, feeling uneasy after being looked at by the Ghost Eye. It felt like a mysterious power had locked onto him, and he couldn’t break free.

“You’re giving me a chance?” Liu Wuxie suddenly smiled. His smile contained a hint of madness as he continued, “Whoever pleads on Xiao Mingyi’s behalf will be my enemy from now on. So he must kneel and kowtow today, no matter what!”

As Liu Wuxie swept his gaze over the crowd, no one dared to look at him directly—it felt like he could see into their very souls.

“Very well. After this competition, I will head to Azure Billow City and butcher the Xu Clan,” Yun Lan declared. Since there was no chance of reconciling their feud, he might as well go all out.

“How cocky. If you dare to come to Azure Billow City, I’ll be the first person who won’t let you off,” Bi Gongyu sneered. Liu Wuxie had comprehended blade intent, and it was just a matter of time for him to become a grandmaster of the generation.

“I’ll wait for you,” Liu Wuxie declared, no longer paying any attention to Yun Lan.

Yun Lan was only at the first level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm and posed no threat to Liu Wuxie. Once Liu Wuxie won the competition and obtained the fourth-grade pill, he would be able to advance to the fourth level of the Xiantian Realm. With this new power, he would have access to even more means of an Immortal Emperor. If Yun Lan dared to set foot in Azure Billow City, Liu Wuxie would make sure he never left.

The atmosphere grew tense as everyone fell silent. Liu Wuxie had made it clear that anyone who spoke up for Xiao Mingyi would become his enemy. His piercing crimson eyes intimidated all those present.

No one dared to mock Liu Wuxie for his bold claims, despite his cultivation only being at the third level of the Xiantian Realm. The aura of a monarch that he exuded earlier was unmistakable and could not be faked. Only those who held the power of life and death over others could possess such an aura.

Xiao Mingyi took a step back as Liu Wuxie’s gaze fell upon him. He was terrified and couldn’t understand how he had managed to offend such a formidable opponent. Despite being at the fifth level of the Xiantian Realm, he didn’t even dare to meet Liu Wuxie’s eyes and kept his head lowered. He wanted to plead for mercy but didn’t have the courage.

Wen Song and Xiao Mingyi’s other friends had retreated to a safe distance, none daring to come forward.

“KNEEL!” Liu Wuxie’s stern voice boomed, imbued with powerful soul energy that struck Xiao Mingyi’s soul sea.

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