Surviving in a world of demons and monsters to achieve martial arts sainthood

A ruthless glint flashed in Zhang Kui's eyes, and he met Shen Lian's longsword with his broadsword as if it were a mountain of iron.

clang!

The two blades clashed fiercely, and the sound of metal striking metal echoed throughout the air.

Shen Lian's arm went numb from the shock, and he was secretly alarmed: "Zhang Kui's strength is indeed amazing. In terms of explosive power alone, he is probably no less than a fourth-level Body Tempering Realm martial artist."

"Take another blow!"

Zhang Kui roared, stepped onto the bluestone of the arena, and charged towards Shen Lian like a raging bull, slashing his broadsword at Shen Lian, creating waves of air.

"Senior Brother Zhang has already mastered the 'Mountain-Breaking Style,' which is impossible for ordinary third-level martial artists to withstand."

"Although Shen Lian's sword technique is exquisite, his strength is far inferior to Senior Brother Zhang's."

The people from Xihe County watching the match below the stage all smiled.

Zhang Kui was using the "Mountain-Breaking Strike" from the "Breaking Army Saber Technique," and he brought its power to its limit.

Faced with this powerful and heavy blow, Shen Lian showed no panic. He then pushed the "Tiger-Taming Stance" footwork to its limit, sliding out along the ground like a nimble snake. Zhang Kui's broadsword grazed past Shen Lian's back.

"Good for you!"

The crowd watching from below the stage gasped in surprise.

Shen Lian flicked his wrist, and the longsword slashed diagonally upwards from below, using the "Wave-Slaying Style" from the "Demon-Subduing Sword Technique," unleashing a series of strikes at Zhang Kui.

Zhang Kui's pupils constricted upon seeing this. He hadn't expected Shen Lian's counterattack to be so swift. He quickly pressed down on the hilt of his knife, forcefully blocking the attack.

Zhang Kui felt an extremely strong force coming from him, and was secretly shocked. He then put away his contempt for Shen Lian.

"Senior Brother Zhang was actually forced to retreat?"

"The force of that slash just now was quite strange."

"This Shen Lian is indeed quite skilled."

The smiles on the faces of the people of Xihe County gradually froze when they saw this scene.

In the front row of the spectator stands, Wei Tong, the deputy commander of the Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division, nodded slightly: "Shen Lian from Qinghe County is indeed a promising talent."

Wang Qianshi, standing beside him, chuckled and asked, "Has Your Excellency taken a liking to talent?"

"Let's see how he performs afterward." Wei Tong's gaze was deep. "If he can break into the top sixteen, perhaps we can consider transferring him to the prefectural government for further training."

On the arena, Shen Lian moved like a dragon as he approached Zhang Kui, his longsword transforming into several blade shadows that enveloped Zhang Kui.

Zhang Kui felt the continuous force in Shen Lian's sword technique. He gripped the hilt tightly with both hands, his blood and qi surging within him, and he swept the broadsword forward.

The wind howled like a raging torrent crashing against the shore.

clang!clang!clang!

On the arena, the two swords clashed repeatedly, and the battle was extremely fierce.

Zhang Kui's swordplay was powerful and sweeping, with each strike imbued with the full force of his body.

After twenty moves, the two figures crossed paths, each taking a few steps back.

Zhang Kui was breathing heavily. He stared intently at Shen Lian. In the previous exchange, his attacks had been easily neutralized by Shen Lian. Instead, the force from Shen Lian's blade grew stronger with each strike, causing his arm to ache slightly.

"Shen Lian's control over internal energy has reached such a level!" Zhang Kui was secretly shocked. "It seems I can no longer hold back."

He took a deep breath, the martial arts mark between his eyebrows lit up, his blood and qi surged, and the sword energy was released from his broadsword.

"Shen Lian, I'll see how you block this strike!"

Zhang Kui charged forward with a powerful leap, shooting out like an arrow released from a bow. He swept his broadsword horizontally, concentrating his power to the extreme, and slashed at Shen Lian.

This was Zhang Kui's all-out attack.

The audience in the stands below held their breath.

"Brother Lian, be careful!" Li Hu couldn't help but shout.

Chen Yun clenched her hands tightly and said, "The power of Zhang Kui's strike is already close to that of a fourth-level martial artist..."

Wang Lin said with a solemn expression, "The outcome will depend on this one move."

Lin Feng stared coldly at the arena.

On the arena, facing this thunderous strike, Shen Lian not only did not retreat, but instead took a step forward.

With that step, the bluestone slab beneath his feet shattered.

Shen Lian's martial arts mark between his eyebrows lit up, his blood and qi surged like a river, and the longsword in his hand trembled slightly.

"He actually dared to confront Senior Brother Zhang head-on!" someone in Xihe County exclaimed.

"Mountain-Slaying Style!"

Shen Lian's arm muscles bulged, and his longsword transformed into a silver streak, meeting Zhang Kui's broadsword head-on.

The moment the two swords clashed, a deafening roar erupted from the arena.

A visible shockwave emanated from the two individuals, causing the flags at the edge of the arena to flutter wildly.

The next moment, Zhang Kui's broadsword flew out of his hand and fell onto the arena. His arms trembled uncontrollably, and cold sweat seeped down his forehead.

Shen Lian stood firmly in place, his long sword pointing diagonally at the ground, his aura steady.

Zhang Kui looked at Shen Lian and said with a wry smile, "I lost. Brother Shen's swordsmanship is superb. I admire you."

Shen Lian clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, "Brother Zhang's strength is astonishing. If I hadn't used a trick, I would have had a hard time defeating him."

"Defeat is defeat, Brother Shen, there's no need to be so modest." Zhang Kui was quite magnanimous, turning around and jumping off the stage.

"Shen Lian from Qinghe County has won!"

"Zhang Kui is someone who can withstand a fourth-level martial artist, yet he was defeated?"

"Shen Lian's control over his internal energy is simply terrifying."

The spectators couldn't help but start discussing it.

Zhao Shan looked at Shen Lian as he stepped off the stage, a relieved smile on his face.

Shen Lian returned to his seat in Qinghe County, and Li Hu was the first to rush up to him: "Brother Lian, I was terrified watching Zhang Kui's strike, and you actually took it head-on!"

Shen Lian laughed and said, "Zhang Kui's strength is astonishing, but he concentrates all his power on his attacks, which makes him lack variety. I used the 'Mountain-Splitting Style' to intercept him, preventing him from unleashing his full power, and thus I was able to defeat him easily."

Lin Feng coldly said from the side, "If I were to face Zhang Kui, I would definitely be able to break his sword technique within three moves."

Li Hu curled his lip: "Anyone can brag."

Lin Feng glanced at him: "You want to give it a try?"

"you……"

Li Hu glared at Lin Feng, wishing he could fight him right now.

"Enough!" Zhao Shan said in a deep voice, "We came to Qingzhou Prefecture to get results, now is not the time for you to fight amongst yourselves."

"clear!"

The first round of competition lasted until evening before it was completely over.

After 64 intense battles among 128 participants, 64 winners were selected to advance to the second round.

Top geniuses such as Xiao Chen from Dongping County, Chu Chunqiu from Qingzhou Prefecture, Lin Qing'er, and Qin Lie all advanced easily, and no one could even force them to use their full strength.

Chu Wen from Baiyun County, Zhao Ling from Nanshan County, Chen Yuan from Beichuan County, and Tang Shu from Xihe County also demonstrated impressive strength, easily defeating their opponents and advancing to the next round.

Of the five from Qinghe County, Shen Lian, Chen Yun, and Lin Feng advanced, while Li Hu and Wang Lin were unfortunately eliminated and failed to enter the second round.

"Don't be discouraged." Zhao Shan looked at Li Hu and Wang Lin. "Watching the battle is also a form of self-cultivation. The more you observe and reflect, the more beneficial it will be for you in the future."

Li Hu nodded emphatically: "Don't worry, Commander, I won't be discouraged. We'll win next time if we lose this time!"

Wang Lin said, "I will watch the matches carefully, especially the duels between the top geniuses, and learn from them."

In the stands, Wei Tong stood up and announced: "The first round of the arena battles has come to a successful conclusion. The second round will be held tomorrow. All participants, please take good care of yourselves."

The crowd gradually dispersed to prepare for tomorrow's competition.

"Xiao Chen did not use his full strength at all, yet he defeated his enemy with a single palm strike. His strength is unfathomable."

"Chu Chunqiu is even more terrifying; his opponents couldn't even withstand three of his moves."

"Qin Lie is too violent; he almost crippled someone."

"Have you noticed Shen Lian from Qinghe County? He actually defeated Zhang Kui head-on. Zhang Kui is the number two figure in Xihe County."

"Shen Lian's swordsmanship is indeed exquisite, but it is probably not enough against the level of Xiao Chen and Chu Chunqiu."

"The second round tomorrow will be quite a show."

Today's matches revealed many outstanding talents, sparking much discussion among the crowd.