The Heavens: Man Covers the Heavens, Refines Treasures to Become an Emperor

“Mother-in-law, that may be true... but if it weren’t for my ancient musical instrument, Jiang Xuan wouldn’t have been caught up in the vortex of the capital’s powerful families, and he wouldn’t have attracted Xie Yutang’s schemes.”

This duel started because of me… I only hope he doesn't lose too badly, otherwise… I won't be able to rest easy.”

She paused, then lowered her voice.

"I'd rather not see him crippled..."

Grandma Wind moved her lips, but ultimately said nothing more.

She knew that her young mistress, though seemingly aloof, was actually thoughtful and loyal.

Although Jiang Xuan was cunning, he did indeed help a lot.

As time went on, the atmosphere in the arena grew increasingly heated.

More and more VIPs, like sharks smelling blood, arrived one after another and entered their respective private boxes.

Dean Wei Lingzhen of Yanxia Academy, dressed in an elegant blue robe, appeared with several academy instructors, his gaze calmly sweeping across the entire room.

Du Dongtu, the commander of the Purple Feather Army, was dressed in military uniform with a cold and iron-like face. He exuded the unique murderous aura of a soldier. Surrounded by his personal guards, he entered the private room with a sharp gaze like an eagle.

Mu Wansu, the manager of Shidingzhai, still looked like a shrewd and capable businessman, with a professional smile on his face, but his eyes gleamed with the calculating light unique to businessmen.

Grand Commander Liu Wujun's mortal enemy, the great cultivator Yao Tuohai, also arrived. His aura was as deep as an abyss, and his eyes seemed to gleam with a sharp light as he looked at the arena with a scrutinizing gaze.

Chu Feng, the head of the Spirit Pattern Masters' Commune, hurriedly entered the private room with undisguised anxiety on his face. His eyes immediately locked onto the direction of the arena, and his fists clenched unconsciously.

The most eye-catching room was undoubtedly the one where Xie Yutang, nicknamed "Little Swordsman".

Dressed in pure white, holding a jade fan, he was handsome and refined, chatting and laughing with several young men of similar distinguished bearing, clearly from prominent families within the Forbidden City.

Their gazes were fixed on the ring, filled with a relaxed and carefree attitude and a superior, playful air, as if they were watching a meticulously choreographed drama.

The Purple Obsidian Empire is steeped in martial spirit, and its people hold an almost fanatical adoration for duels between the strong. Especially today's duel, which involves the feuds of the capital's powerful clans and is further amplified by the personal endorsement of the Little Sword Lord, has garnered unprecedented attention in Yanxia City for decades! The air itself seems to be ignited, with countless people eagerly anticipating that breathtaking moment.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three deep, powerful war drumbeats, seemingly capable of shaking the very soul, suddenly boomed through the arena! Like an invisible command, they instantly drowned out the clamor of the entire arena!

hum!
Around the central arena, a huge spiritual light screen suddenly lit up, emitting a soft yet resilient halo that completely enveloped the arena, protecting the audience and preventing the aftershocks of the battle from leaking out.

A figure calmly stepped onto the arena under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

Clad in a simple blue robe, his posture was as upright as a pine tree. His face wasn't particularly handsome, but it possessed sharp features and carried a steadfast and resolute air, like a mountain rock. It was Jiang Xuan!
"Jiang Xuan! It's Jiang Xuan!"

"he came!"

"She seems quite calm..."

"He's just putting on an act! He'll be crying soon enough!"

"The betting is open! Bet on him lasting ten moves to 3x odds! Bet on him lasting five moves to 2x odds! Bet on him losing within three moves to 1x odds!"

Jiang Xuan's appearance was like a spark thrown into boiling oil, instantly igniting the entire venue! Discussions, exclamations, and betting erupted once again! Eyes were focused on him like countless searchlights.

In the regular stands, people are mostly curious and interested in watching the spectacle, while in the VIP boxes, a mix of complex and difficult-to-understand emotions mingles together.

Inside the private room where Qi Yunxiao and Yuan Shu were, their eyes revealed undisguised schadenfreude and malicious anticipation.

"It's finally here! Just wait and see!"

Qi Yunxiao grinned maliciously.

Let's see how long he can keep up this act!

Yuan Shu echoed this.

Chu Feng's palms were sweating as he nervously stared at Jiang Xuan's figure in the private room.

Liu Qingyan's heart also jumped, her clear eyes unblinking.

Xie Yutang had a faint smile on his lips, gently waving his jade fan, looking calm and composed.

The bigwigs, including Wei Lingzhen, Du Dongtu, Mu Wansu, and Yao Tuohai, all looked at Jiang Xuan with scrutiny, as if trying to find something special about this young man.

Amidst the deafening roar, a figure appeared silently at the other end of the arena, like a ghost.

He wore plain black clothes that had been washed until they were almost white, his figure was rather thin, and his face was even more unremarkable; he would not have attracted any attention in a crowd.

His demeanor was somber, even somewhat wooden, like a lifeless stone. It was Huang Jianchen!

His appearance was far less eye-catching than Jiang Xuan's. Many ordinary viewers even murmured in confusion.

"That's Huang Jianchen? The person Xie Yutang invited? He looks... quite ordinary."

"Yeah, he doesn't even seem as energetic as my neighbor Wang Lao Er!"

"Could we have been fooled?"

However, inside the private room, those truly discerning and highly skilled figures suddenly narrowed their eyes the moment Huang Jianchen stepped onto the stage!
Liu Qingyan's heart sank! This was exactly the feeling! That suffocating feeling, like being watched by a ferocious beast, at the banquet in the capital that night!
She recognized the indifference and ferocity hidden deep within those eyes.

Yao Tuohai frowned slightly and said in a low voice.

"Such a heavy aura of malevolence... It's contained like still water, yet it harbors a raging storm!"

Du Dongtu, a veteran of many battles, had eyes as sharp as knives.

"This person... truly crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood! His aura is concealed, like a deadly blade returning to its sheath!"

Dean Wei Lingzhen stroked his beard gently, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes.

"This child... is extraordinary."

The power hidden beneath that silence is extraordinary.

Even Xie Yutang, who had been wearing a playful smile, became more serious.

The scions of powerful families around him even toned down their disrespectful attitudes.

On the stage.

Jiang Xuan's gaze fell on Huang Jianchen, and his pupils contracted slightly. Beneath his seemingly ordinary appearance, Jiang Xuan clearly sensed an extremely dangerous aura! It was a pure, cold, and ferocious aura, as if it had been refined through countless killings, like a dormant volcano, with magma capable of incinerating everything beneath its calm surface.

Jiang Xuan's "Storm Millstone" instantly accelerated its operation, and surging spiritual energy roared and surged through his meridians, causing his body to instinctively enter a state of high alert.

Huang Jianchen, on the other hand, was eerily calm.

He stood there, his gaze lowered, seemingly oblivious to the deafening roar of the surroundings, and also ignoring his opponent, Jiang Xuan.

There was no spiritual energy fluctuation on his body, nor did he exude any killing intent. He was like a real stubborn rock, lifeless and dull.

But in the next instant!
"Boom!!!"

The final war drum, signaling the start of the duel, boomed like thunder!

Huang Jianchen made a move!
No, it's not moving!
It's an explosion!
Like a dormant volcano that has been dormant for thousands of years suddenly erupting!

His downcast eyes suddenly snapped open!

His calm, still gaze instantly transformed into two chilling, menacing beams of light that seemed capable of freezing the soul! A terrifying killing intent, thick and icy as if it were tangible, carrying a strong stench of blood, erupted from his frail body like a black tide bursting its banks, sweeping across the entire arena!
"hiss!"

"what!"

"Oh my God!"

In the stands closer to the arena, countless spectators were horrified! They felt an icy chill instantly rise from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads, as if their hearts were being gripped tightly by an invisible, cold hand, almost suffocating them! Screams and gasps filled the air! Some of the weaker cultivators even turned deathly pale and nearly collapsed to the ground!

In the box.

"What terrifying malevolent energy!"

Du Dongtu suddenly stood up, his eyes sharp.

"It sure is him!"

Liu Qingyan's heart tightened, and her palms turned icy cold.

"Haha! Good! Good! Kill him! Cripple him!"

Qi Yunxiao, Yuan Shu, and the others were so excited that their faces turned red, as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

Chu Feng's face turned deathly pale instantly, and his heart leaped into his throat.

A glint flashed in Xie Yutang's eyes, and his jade fan paused slightly.

Amidst the terrifying atmosphere of utter shock and murderous intent, Jiang Xuan remained standing calmly in place.

However, only he knew that the "storm millstone" within his body had reached its limit! The surging spiritual energy roared and surged through his limbs and bones, like molten lava about to erupt, resisting the overwhelming ferocity that was rushing towards him!
Huang Jianchen didn't waste a single word.

He didn't even look Jiang Xuan in the eye.

At the same moment the murderous intent erupted, his seemingly frail arm had already been raised!

Spread your five fingers wide, reach towards the void, and suddenly grab!
hum!
The air was humming under the strain!
Five solidified black chains, radiating a dark and profound luster, seemingly capable of imprisoning the void and devouring light, instantly coalesced between his five fingers! Each chain was a full five zhang long, like five ferocious black pythons, coiled with an aura of destruction, tearing through the air and emitting sharp, piercing howls, lashing down on Jiang Xuan with overwhelming force and unstoppable momentum!

The attack came so directly, so violently, so deadly!
The duel had already entered a fierce life-or-death struggle the moment Huang Jianchen raised his hand!

"Woo!!!"

A mournful wail, seemingly emanating from the deepest hell, filled with endless resentment and chilling cold, suddenly tore through the air! The five-zhang-long whip in Huang Jianchen's hand, named "Yinling," appeared like a black phantom imbued with life, abruptly piercing the sky! Wherever the whip's shadow passed, light seemed to be swallowed up, leaving only twisted, blurry, dark trails. Its speed was extreme, and it carried a strange power that pierced straight to the soul, instantly making the spectators closer to the arena feel dizzy and their minds waver!

Although this "Yin Spirit Whip" is only a high-grade human-level spiritual weapon, its mysterious power far exceeds that of ordinary weapons!

At the same time, Huang Jianchen's dormant murderous aura erupted completely!
He seemed to have transformed into a god of death emerging from a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood. His black clothes fluttered in the wind, and his slender body exuded a terrifying aura that looked down upon the world like a ferocious beast from the primordial era! The icy killing intent was like a tangible tide, frantically crashing against the spiritual pattern light screen at the edge of the arena, emitting a sizzling sound of erosion!
"hiss!"

"very scary!"

"Is this... is this still a human?"

The entire audience gasped in shock, their faces paling! Just being swept by the aftershocks of that aura sent chills down their spines, as if they had fallen into an ice cave!
Faced with this unpredictable and ferocious whip, Jiang Xuan's pupils suddenly contracted to pinpoints! A strong sense of crisis instantly gripped him! His opponent was far more powerful than Huang Jianxiong!
"Buzz!"

A clear, resonant sound of a blade rang out! A dazzling, meteor-like blade of light suddenly tore through the darkness brought by the whip! In Jiang Xuan's hand, a battle blade, the Flowing Light Battle Blade, with a liquid-silver-like luster, had appeared without anyone noticing!

The blade flashed, not domineering, but with a precision and sharpness that pierced through illusion and tore everything apart!
"clang!!!"

A deafening clang of metal clashing against metal erupted! It was like a thunderclap exploding in everyone's ears!

The black, phantom-like Yin Spirit Whip and the flowing light blade that tore through the darkness collided fiercely!
In an instant, blinding energy turbulence exploded wildly like out-of-control fireworks! The violent energy formed a visible circular shockwave, slamming into the spirit pattern light screen around the arena, stirring up violent ripples! The entire arena floor seemed to tremble!
A fierce wind howled, causing Jiang Xuan's clothes to flutter wildly, and Huang Jianchen's black hair to dance wildly.

However, as the smoke and energy turbulence dissipated, the two remained firmly planted on the arena, completely unharmed!

This attack was surprisingly evenly matched!

"what?"

"blocked?!"

"What a quick knife!"

"That knife... is no ordinary weapon either!"

After a brief silence, even more frenzied shouts and discussions erupted from the stands!
"Roar!"

Instead of showing any sign of defeat, Huang Jianchen's eyes blazed with an even more intense, bloodthirsty light!
He let out a low, excited growl like a wild beast, and his figure instantly transformed into a blurry, ghostly afterimage, unleashing a ferocious and overwhelming aura as he attacked once again!

"woo woo woo woo!"

The Yin Spirit Whip came to life in his hands! The five-zhang-long black whip shadow was no longer a single trajectory, but instantly split and intertwined, like thousands of venomous pythons emerging from hell, weaving a dense, all-encompassing net of death! The wailing sounds merged into one, soul-stealing and terrifying, carrying a terrifying power that could tear everything apart and strangle all things, layer upon layer, like a black raging tide, frantically pressing down on and devouring Jiang Xuan!

At this moment, Huang Jianchen's aura reached its peak, truly like a ferocious beast king who commands thousands of evil spirits, looking down at his prey on the arena!

However, Jiang Xuan, who was at the center of this deadly storm, was like a reef standing in the raging waves!
His body didn't seem to move much, but his footwork was incredibly precise, and the shimmering sword in his hand transformed into the most accurate defensive barrier!
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang...!"

The sounds of collisions, as dense as a torrential downpour hitting banana leaves, rang out continuously!

Each collision was accompanied by blinding sparks and bursts of energy debris!

Jiang Xuan's movements were simple, direct, and even somewhat "simple".

There were no earth-shattering sword strikes, no dazzling and spectacular moves. (End of Chapter)