"Bang!"

With the resounding of a gong, the sword competition officially began.

A royal officiant walked directly onto the sword-testing platform and shouted, "The triennial Great Feng Imperial City Sword Test is officially beginning. All swordsmen, please prepare yourselves."

He then took out a list and glanced at it.

"The first match is between Ren Piaomiao and Guo Dong. Please come to the stage."

Shen Zhao opened his eyes, put away his feather fan, and calmly walked onto the sword-testing platform.

"Hmph, Ren Piaomiao, you won't leave the capital city alive today!"

"Dare to oppose my Western Liang Royal Palace? Let's see how many lives you have left!"

"My Xu family suffered such humiliation yesterday, and today you will pay the price!"

Dong Chao, Dong Wen, and Xu Shuyu looked at Shen Zhao, who remained calm and collected on the stage, and all revealed a cold smile, as if they were looking at a dead man.

"Swords have no eyes; life and death are irrelevant."

"The competition shall officially begin!"

With a single sentence from the host, the sword test officially began.

Just as Shen Zhao was about to bow to his opponent, Yu Guodong didn't waste any words and directly drew his sword to stab Shen Zhao.

bite--

With a soft sound, Yu Guodong's pupils contracted involuntarily.

When his sword was still seven inches away from Shen Zhaomen's face, the spine of the sword was locked tightly by two fingers, preventing it from advancing even an inch.

"You abandon even the most basic etiquette and can't wait to win. How can someone so cunning be worthy of wielding a sword?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he twisted the fingers holding the sword, and the Xuan-grade spirit sword instantly broke in two.

"ah?"

Yu Guodong was shocked for a moment, and Shen Zhao threw the broken sword directly into his chest.

"ah!"

With a mournful cry, Yu Guodong was shattered and fell off the sword-testing platform.

A single, decisive move; clean and efficient.

Everyone stared in disbelief at Shen Zhao, who was gently waving a feather fan on the stage.

He won the first match easily without even drawing his sword.

"Hmm, this person's cultivation is not bad, no less than mine when I was six years old."

Feng Baixue revealed a subtle smile, indicating her approval and appreciation for the other party.

At the same time, he did not forget to take this opportunity to subtly boast about his past achievements and what he considered to be his great strength.

He tilted his head slightly, his eyes gleaming with confidence, his voice not loud but carrying an undeniable air of authority: "Back in the day, when I roamed the martial world..."

Then, he began to tell the judges around him about the experiences that had made him famous and renowned.

For example, his unparalleled skills such as the Imperial Palace Sword Technique, the Finger-Entwining Bean Technique, and the Yin-Observing Technique were used to fight against groups of abalone and seafood and achieve a complete victory.

It was as if he wanted to prove to everyone that his prowess was unparalleled.

Although these stories are unverifiable due to their antiquity, everyone listened to his detailed and detailed explanations, making it difficult to verify their authenticity.

"It's unbelievable! Leaving aside his swordsmanship for now..."

His skill in catching a blade bare-handed alone had reached a pinnacle of mastery, a level of unparalleled perfection.

Seeing this, Ao Shuyu frowned, thinking to himself: It seems I underestimated Ren Piaomiao's true strength.

"Our Holy Domain has finally gained a worthy successor, and the path of swordsmanship will surely be brilliant."

Xuan Yuan Wujin looked at Ren Piaomiao with eyes full of approval.

Immediately, the judges' panel erupted in discussion, with each person expressing their opinion on Shen Zhao (Ren Piaomiao).

Yuan Suiyun's expression turned solemn, and he began to feel a little curious about Shen Zhao's identity.

As for Xu Shuyu and her group, their faces were gloomy, and they responded with cold smiles.

"You flatter me."

After bowing respectfully, Shen Zhao turned and prepared to step down from the sword-testing platform.

"Wait!"

Suddenly, the emcee called out to him.

"What, is there something you need to explain?"

"Mr. Ren, according to the rules of the sword-fighting arena, if the winner remains on the stage..."

"Winning ten consecutive matches will grant you direct advancement. Would you be willing to continue with the upcoming matches, sir?"

"Ten rounds?" Shen Zhao closed his eyes and pondered for a moment. "Fine, the competition just now didn't bring me any joy, so let me continue to enjoy myself to the fullest."

After speaking, he walked back to the center of the sword-testing platform.

"Next up, Sun Wenhai!"

At the emcee's shout, the second swordsman decisively stepped onto the stage, bowed to Shen Zhao and the emcee, and then drew his sword.

"Draw your sword, I will not lay a hand on the unarmed."

Sun Wenhai was arrogant and pretentious, behaving like a grandmaster of swordsmanship.

"You do have a bit of arrogance, but unfortunately, arrogance doesn't always mean confidence; it's more often a sign of ignorance."

As soon as he finished speaking, the feather fan in Shen Zhao's hand instantly transformed into a spirit sword.

"Come on, I hope you can surprise me a little and make me happy again."

"Take this!"

Sun Wen roared and, with lightning speed, thrust his sword straight at Shen Zhao's throat.

This is his signature move: a single, fatal blow to the throat.

Bang!

Just as the sword tip approached Shen Zhao's throat by only three inches, Shen Zhao used his spirit sword to block it horizontally, instantly deflecting the opponent's attack.

"How...how is this possible? How could you possibly withstand that sword strike?"

Sun Wenhai could hardly believe it. He had practiced this move diligently for thirty years and had already perfected it, yet his opponent had blocked it so easily.

"ha."

Shen Zhao simply smiled nonchalantly at this.

"Your sword is indeed fast, but the look in your eyes betrays the true purpose of this strike."

"What a pity. Your temperament isn't suited to handle such a perfect, deadly strike. You should go down."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!