I became a Sword Emperor in the Martial Arts World

Chapter 146 You survived my sword strike, you're quite something.

Ye Qingzhou's sword, which carries the Dao, has finally had the opportunity to truly reveal its unparalleled sharpness to the world since it was forged.

The previous opponents were all too weak, so much so that I didn't even have a chance to play.

Now, having finally encountered a worthy target to test his sword skills, Ye Qingzhou could hardly contain his excitement. With a slight movement of his fingertips, the dantian qi sea, which had been locked by the dragon and tiger image, was completely released from its restraints.

His incredibly powerful martial arts aura instantly transformed into boundless sword energy, soaring straight into the sky. The buzzing and resonating sound overwhelmed the entire arena, ringing out incessantly.

As Ye Qingzhou unleashed the light of his soul, the dazzling sword light, like a blazing sun, hung high in the sky, illuminating all directions.

His sword intent soared to new heights, and the six elements of wind, fire, mountain, forest, yin, and thunder transformed into six giant dragons of primordial energy, which took flight behind Ye Qingzhou.

The six dragons all have horns like deer, heads like camels, eyes like rabbits, necks like snakes, bellies like clam shells, scales like fish, claws like eagles, paws like tigers, and ears like oxen. They soar above the nine heavens, stirring up clouds and rain, their might awe-inspiring throughout the four seas and eight wastelands.

"Spring brings forth life, autumn brings death; this is the way of Heaven."

"Observe the Way of Heaven, act in accordance with the Way of Heaven. This move of mine is the sword that carries the Way. Be careful."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Qingzhou used his spirit to control his qi and his qi to wield his sword. The famous sword at his waist was still sheathed, but its murderous intent already filled the world. The overwhelming sword force pressed heavily on Niu Taijie's body.

This was the first time Niu Taijie had felt such a chill down his spine and goosebumps since he had mastered the Undying Yuan Gong.

In all the battles he had experienced before, no matter how powerful the opponent, he had never felt any danger.

But right now, Ye Qingzhou's sword, which was about to be drawn, was pressing down on him so hard that he could hardly breathe. He instinctively sensed a fatal crisis—he was going to die!

Unfortunately, Niu Taijie's mind was suppressed by Ye Qingzhou's sword intent, making it difficult for him to move. Even with all his might, he couldn't move a single finger.

"Aaaaah! Get moving!"

Niu Taijie gritted his teeth, screaming wildly in his heart.

On his bulging muscles, veins bulged, and the fierce aura within him surged relentlessly, trying to break free from Ye Qingzhou's sword intent suppression.

Unfortunately, all the struggles were in vain.

In the Five Elements theory, Metal governs killing and warfare.

Ye Qingzhou wields the Xuanjian Sword, carrying the way of killing and conquest between heaven and earth.

"The universe is in your hands, and all creations originate from your body."

"Human nature is inherent."

"The human heart is a mechanism."

Ye Qingzhou's understanding of this deepened. He was using his own heart and the famous sword in his hand to carry the concept of "killing" and to gather the understanding of "killing" in the hearts of all living beings.

This is the power he gleaned from "literature as a vehicle for conveying the Way," and the so-called "Way" actually refers to the submission of people's hearts.

The sword that carries the Dao carries the collective power of thought of countless living beings, and in this way, the upper limit of the power of the moves can be greatly enhanced.

The power of thought is vast and incomparable, and the torrent of humanity is endless.

What we call nature is, in the end, nothing more than human nature.

The Dao embodied on Ye Qingzhou's sword at this moment is the Dao of slaughter within the torrent of humanity.

Heaven has unleashed its murderous intent, shifting stars and changing constellations!

A deadly aura erupts from the ground; dragons and snakes rise from the land!

When a person harbors murderous intent, the world is turned upside down!

When Heaven and Man unite, all things are established.

Clang~

The moment the Xuanjian Sword was drawn, all was silent except for the clanging of the sword. A chilling killing intent filled everyone's hearts, making them tremble.

When this sword is drawn, all things wither and die!

The dazzling sword energy transformed into a vast sword shadow that stretched across the heavens and earth.

The design of the sword shadow is clearly an enlarged version of the Xuanjian sword!

With a gentle wave of his hand, Ye Qingzhou unleashed his sword intent, which slashed down towards Niu Taijie with the force of a falling meteor.

At this moment, feeling a deadly threat, Niu Taijie unleashed the full power of his blood and qi.

His skin turned a scalding blackish-red, as he pushed the immortal power he inherited from the ancient war emperor Chi You to its limit.

Unfortunately, before Ye Qingzhou's Sword of the Dao, his struggles were as insignificant as dust, utterly meaningless.

Rumble~

The arena was completely torn apart by the sword energy. After a thunderous roar, only a large crater several meters deep remained.

As for Niu Taijie, he was lying at the bottom of the pit, his body covered in countless wounds, blood gushing out, his eyes rolled back, clearly having completely lost consciousness.

Ye Qingzhou sheathed his sword, looked down at his fallen opponent with a calm expression, and unusually praised him, "You survived my sword strike and still have a breath left. You're quite good."

One sword!

Niu Taijie, who was previously considered a top contender for the championship along with Ye Qingzhou and Qin Haoyu, suddenly emerged as a dark horse in the competition, but he couldn't even block a single sword strike from Ye Qingzhou!

With just one sword strike, the outcome of this match was decided!

At that moment, even the referee was stunned and forgot to announce the result.

"Ye Qingzhou from the Linjiang team wins!"

The referee's hoarse announcement finally brought the audience back to reality, and then everyone erupted in cheers, the atmosphere almost frenzied.

"What just happened?"

"Niu Taijie actually lost!"

"Holy crap, Ye Qingzhou really only used one sword strike!"

"Controlling it at will, transforming vital energy into a sword—this must be a unique hallmark of martial arts true energy! Could it be that he has already advanced to the professional level?"

"No wonder he had such a bald head. I thought he was just messing around, but it turns out he's already mastered the skin-training technique!"

"A 17-year-old professional martial artist! His future is truly limitless!"

Some knowledgeable viewers couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, as they had just witnessed Ye Qingzhou shaping the vital energy into the form of the Suspended Scissors Sword using his sword intent.

This is something only a professional martial artist who has refined their inner energy and imprinted their martial will on their vital energy can do!

Professional level!

And it's ridiculously strong, a professional-level skill!

Based on that magnificent and imposing sword aura that seemed to stand between heaven and earth, if Ye Qingzhou hadn't failed to open the bridge between heaven and earth, everyone would probably have thought he had already become a martial arts master.

Ye Qingzhou, however, did not lose himself in the cheers of the audience.

He closed his eyes, immersing himself in contemplation, his mind constantly replaying the aftertaste of that sword strike, while also secretly summarizing his gains and losses: "A sword that carries the Dao, using the sword as a weapon to carry the torrent of humanity, capable of gathering the power of wandering and unclaimed thoughts for its own use, is truly incredible."

The immense power of this sword strike was not due to Ye Qingzhou expending a massive amount of vital energy to force it out. Rather, it was because he used a martial art that embodied the Dao through the sword, guiding the thoughts and energy of countless people within the Eastern Pole Kingdom, converging them on the sword's edge, thus creating such earth-shattering power.

Everyone's understanding of "killing and conquest" may differ, but there must be some commonalities among them.

Ye Qingzhou extracted this commonality from the concept of "killing" by using the technique of "literature as a vehicle for conveying the Way". He then used a vast network of thought energy to gather a massive amount of thought energy, and used his sword to guide it, transforming it into a "sword of killing" that fell upon the enemy.

Faced with such a raging torrent, Niu Taijie's defensive limits were naturally a joke, collapsing and breaking through the dam in an instant.

If it weren't for the "immortality" characteristic of the Undying Yuan Gong, Niu Taijie would probably have been reduced to ashes on the spot by that sword strike.

However, Ye Qingzhou also paid a heavy price. At this moment, the Mingfeng Xuanjian sword in his hand was covered with spiderweb-like cracks.

It is obvious that bearing the "way of killing" is no easy task.

The thought of having to spend money to repair the Xuanjian Sword made Ye Qingzhou feel a pang of heartache.

The battles after defeating Niu Taijie were rather unremarkable.

Facing Xu Manyi, Huang Wencong, Wang Rui, and Liu Zhuang, Ye Qingzhou didn't even bother to draw his sword. With a single sword strike to each of them, he sent them flying off the stage and secured victory.

The outcome of this battle was clearly unexpected by everyone.

I originally thought Niu Taijie had a clear advantage and a higher chance of winning.

Even if things don't go well, with Niu Taijie's strength, he should be able to threaten Ye Qingzhou's position as a potential leader. The two sides should be able to fight to a standstill.

Many people are secretly looking forward to this fierce battle.

But what about the end?

Facing the invulnerable Niu Taijie, Ye Qingzhou simply swung his sword, utterly shattering the hopes of the Lou Di team and plunging them into the abyss of defeat.

After this battle, all the online criticisms of Ye Qingzhou became a joke, and even many so-called big V accounts that had previously slandered Ye Qingzhou were slapped in the face and lost a lot of followers.

Ye Qingzhou proved with an indisputable sword strike that his name, Hidden Dragon, was truly well-deserved.

On the official forum of the Phoenix Cup, a bunch of enthusiastic fans appeared under Ye Qingzhou's account.

"Ye Shen, I've been your fan for ten years."

"Get lost! I saw you calling Ye Shen a noob yesterday."

"I was young and didn't know any better back then."

"..."

"Hmph, you fake fans, unlike me, I've supported Ye Shen from the very beginning. Back then, some people even called me Ye Shen's dog, but today I'll show you what's wrong with being a dog? Woof woof~"

"That sword strike was so cool! Could Ye Shen have already reached the professional level?"

"Professional level? I was there at the competition; the sheer pressure from that sword aura was so intense, I'd believe it if you told me it was master level!"

Subsequently, the entire comment section erupted into a heated discussion about whether Ye Qingzhou was a professional or a master.

In the live broadcast room, Jingyu exclaimed excitedly, "Let's congratulate the Linjiang team on their victory! Ye Qingzhou's sword strike just now was absolutely brilliant!"

"I never expected that Ye Qingzhou would already be a professional martial artist. That sword strike just now, with its energy materialized, is a technique that only a professional martial artist with true martial arts energy can possess."

Hong Sen glanced at the teleprompter and felt inexplicably disappointed. Although he had been a professional for many years, he knew he was no match for either Niu Taijie or Ye Qingzhou in the competition.

Jingyu looked curiously at Gu Minghui and the Divine General Qinglong: "The viewers in the live stream are very curious about the martial arts techniques you two used. Would you two be willing to share?"

Gu Minghui glanced at Qinglong, who didn't want to speak, and then said, "Let me explain."

"Thank you, Dr. Gu."

Jingyu smiled sweetly at Gu Minghui. If it weren't for her role as the female host of today's program, she probably wouldn't have had the chance to meet such an important figure as Gu Minghui.

If she could, she wouldn't mind spending a night with the refined and composed man in front of her.

Unfortunately, Gu Minghui had no interest in her and ignored her frequent flirtatious glances: "Niu Taijie must have practiced the martial arts manual 'Undying Yuan Gong,' which recently appeared in the Jiuli Cave Heaven."

"According to research, this technique was created by the ancient war emperor Chiyou. It is divided into two parts: 'Nine Lives' and 'Nine Deaths'. The 'Nine Lives' part involves condensing blood and qi into a powerful force, while the 'Nine Deaths' part involves refining evil spirits into the body. It is estimated that Niu Taijie has only practiced the 'Nine Deaths' part so far, to the point where the evil spirits have been refined into his skin. That is why he is invulnerable to swords and spears and has achieved a physical effect similar to a sixteen-foot-tall golden body."

"I see!"

Jingyu's expression suddenly dawned on her, and then she asked, "What about Ye Qingzhou? His sword energy seemed to pierce through the heavens and earth. Could he have already reached the master level?"

At this moment, the curiosity and surprise on Jingyu's face were genuine.

After all, Ye Qingzhou is only 17 years old and is still in his second year of high school.

In the Eastern Kingdom, there has never been a 17-year-old martial arts master!

Gu Minghui shook his head: "His cultivation level hasn't reached the master level, but his combat strength should have already reached it."

"???"

Upon hearing this, Jingyu turned pale, her face showing disbelief: "Dr. Gu, do you mean that Ye Qingzhou is capable of defeating a master?"

Gu Minghui shook his head and chuckled, "For martial artists, realm is realm, and strength is strength. The standards for ranking have been constantly revised by the country over the years. But in real combat, victory or defeat is never determined solely by rank. It's like solving math problems: is a 17-year-old high school student necessarily better than an elementary school student?"

Jingyu instinctively wanted to nod, since this kind of thing was more in line with most people's traditional understanding.

But then she remembered a fourteen-year-old prodigy who had appeared on a TV program not long ago.

He had mastered all the elementary school math courses by the age of three, and his IQ was as high as 230.

By the age of eight, he had already completed some university-level mathematics courses, and at the age of twelve, he became the youngest gold medalist in the history of the International Mathematics Competition.

Some even predicted that he would win the "Heavenly Calculation" award from the Eastern Kingdom before he turned twenty.

It should be noted that even someone as strong as Gu Minghui only earned the title of "Heavenly Calculator" at the age of twenty-five.

Clearly, in Gu Minghui and Qinglong's eyes, Ye Qingzhou was also an exceptional genius.

Gu Minghui said with burning eyes, "The strength of a master-level martial artist lies in opening the bridge between heaven and earth, and having inexhaustible vital energy. But if someone can unleash power in a short period of time that exceeds the vital energy that a master-level martial artist can mobilize, then he has a chance to defeat a master."

"Ghost Sword Sorrow Duan Ming, and Cloud Mountain Hidden Dragon Liu Yiming?"

Jingyu was clearly aware of the impressive achievements of these two masters of rebellion.

"Yes, they are both very talented, but Ye Qingzhou's talent surpasses theirs. That sword strike just now was a mental technique that Ye Qingzhou comprehended after passing the Yunlu Academy, a genuine super-level martial skill."

Gu Minghui's words were astonishing.

The moment the words "super-level martial arts" were uttered, the program was a hit.

Especially some graduates from Nanjing University, Xiangtan University, and Xiangtan Normal University were kicking themselves: "I know Yunlu Academy! Isn't that a part of the Yuelu Mountain Secret Realm? I've been there many times! Isn't it just about brushing paper figures every day to increase your spiritual power? The reward for clearing it is a super-level martial arts technique!"

"Damn, I feel like I missed out on a fortune back then!"

"One hundred million? This is a super-level martial skill of the mental type! You probably couldn't buy it even for ten billion!"

Clearly, everyone was kept in the dark, while some martial artists currently studying at the three universities mentioned above were overjoyed: "Good heavens, I've decided, starting tomorrow, I'll sleep right outside the gates of Yunlu Academy!"

"Tomorrow? I'm going to set up my tent at the entrance of Yunlu Academy right now!"

A super-level martial skill in the mental realm! Such a reward is simply too tempting. Even though the requirements for aptitude must be very high, what if I were to learn it?

This would take off right there!

At this moment, the players from the teams that had not yet played against the Linjiang team all had serious expressions on their faces.

powerful!

too strong!

The thought that Ye Qingzhou's sword strike that had just struck Niu Taijie might very well fall on them as well made it impossible for anyone to remain calm and composed.

Among them, Qin Haoyu was the most unsettled.

As the sixth-ranked member of the Hidden Dragon List, he is under immense pressure. He had always felt that Ye Qingzhou would become his formidable rival, and now he is so anxious that he is losing his hair in a frenzy.

No matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't come up with a way to counter Ye Qingzhou's Dao-carrying Sword.

Huang Jinlong seemed to sense Qin Haoyu's embarrassment and offered a suggestion: "Why don't you do what Ye Qingzhou did, shave your head, and get a strongman's hairstyle?"

As a representative of Mingde Middle School, Huang Jinlong's strength has improved significantly since the fencing tournament.

However, his personality remained as unreliable as before.

Qin Haoyu also expressed his utter disdain for Ye Qingzhou's "Soaring Dragon" technique: "Is Ye Qingzhou's skin-tightening training the same as voluntarily shaving his head?"

"You can train your skin too..."

"You think I don't want to?!"

Qin Haoyu was so angry he wanted to curse. He hadn't even completed the Tendon and Bone Strengthening Technique yet, and his foundation was still unstable. If he directly went straight for the Skin and No Leaks Technique, he could indeed advance to the professional level.

But what's the use of that?

A mediocre professional martial artist who can't even beat Ye Qingzhou and has to sacrifice his own growth potential—anyone who hasn't been kicked in the head by a donkey wouldn't make such a foolish choice.

"So, what do you suggest we do?"

Huang Jinlong had made up his mind never to confront Ye Qingzhou.

Qin Haoyu rubbed his temples and said weakly, "It seems we have no choice but to give up on winning first place in the arena battles. We can put our bets on the team battles and group battles instead."

His method was simple: to win the final victory by using the strategy of Tian Ji's horse racing.

Ye Qingzhou, this "top-class horse," couldn't win no matter what. So, in the arena battle and team battle, the Xingcheng team will do their best to compete for second place.

Finally, in the team battle, they used a strategy of alliances and coalitions to unite with other teams and eliminate the Linjiang team at lightning speed.

In this way, based on overall performance, Xingcheng team will definitely be able to surpass Linjiang team and win the championship.

Having found a solution, Qin Haoyu almost burst out laughing, his heart filled with smug satisfaction: 'If a direct assault fails, then outsmart them! This is what they call strategizing within the command tent and winning a decisive victory a thousand miles away. I'm such a clever little devil!'

(End of this chapter)