Alex suddenly appeared on stage without warning, startling Liu Jinyuan and making him feel a wave of nervousness.
Following Alex to Southwater City had already left an unfathomable impression on Liu Jinyuan. If he were to take the stage now, could he really defeat his cousin in the martial arts competition?
"Back when we were in the capital, Master Alex knew my cousin's maiden name. Could it be that he has long admired her?"
Thinking back to when Alex had asked about Lin Yueru at his home, Liu Jinyuan grew even more uneasy. Could Alex have come all the way to Southwater City just for her?
The thought made his heart pound.
Indeed, Liu Jinyuan was a generous man—so generous that, in modern terms, some might call him saintly. Of course, saintly could be a compliment, but it could also sound like foolish selflessness.
Yet no matter how generous a man might be, he could never bring himself to hand over the woman he loved.
If Alex wanted anything else, Liu Jinyuan would gladly give it. But Lin Yueru was the one thing he could never surrender.
Still, this competition was about martial arts, and he knew nothing of them. That helplessness gnawed at him, making him restless and uneasy. For the first time, he felt the bitter frustration of wanting but being powerless.
"How great it would be if I knew martial arts too…"
While Liu Jinyuan wrestled with his anxiety, like an ant on a hot pan, Lin Tiannan stood at the edge of the ring. His body tensed reflexively the moment Alex stepped in. His eyes shone with sharpness and surprise as he fixed his gaze on Alex.
"This young man is incredibly skilled! I didn't even see how he got onto the ring just now…"
"Hey, who are you?" In front of the crowd, the self-proclaimed hero was kicked off the stage before he had even landed on it. Picking himself up from the ground, Li Xiaoyao glared angrily at Alex.
"Nothing much. I just wanted to spar with you—to see for myself how skilled the Drunken Sword Immortal's disciples really are." Alex's calm gaze fell on Li Xiaoyao, his words deliberately redirecting the young man's attention.
"Oh? And who exactly are you?"
The mention of the Drunken Sword Immortal made Li Xiaoyao's expression turn serious, shifting his focus away from Lin Yueru and onto Alex.
Alex didn't bother answering. After all, he had never actually met the Drunken Sword Immortal. His real goal was simply to disrupt the situation and prevent Li Xiaoyao from getting too close to Lin Yueru—and in that, he had already succeeded.
Seeing Alex's silence only stoked Li Xiaoyao's frustration. Being knocked aside so easily in front of Zhao Linger had left him humiliated. With a sharp motion, he drew his longsword.
"Fine then. Let's see just how strong you really are!"
In an instant, Li Xiaoyao lunged forward, his sword flashing with swift, precise strikes.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
But Alex didn't so much as move his feet. Instead, his fingers flicked lightly through the air.
Each flick sent out a burst of sharp energy, slicing through the air like invisible blades. Li Xiaoyao's face darkened—he was forced to bring up his sword again and again, deflecting the endless waves of sword energy.
The sheer ability to release sword energy with just his fingers shocked him. Until now, only the Drunken Sword Immortal himself had displayed such a skill.
This man's martial arts far surpassed anything Li Xiaoyao had expected.
"Whoa…" gasped the crowd, their eyes wide.
Li Xiaoyao was known as a capable fighter, but Alex's effortless stance—remaining unmoving while unleashing devastating sword energy—was on a completely different level. The audience was left in awe.
Even Lin Yueru, standing nearby, was stunned. She had previously suffered a minor defeat at Li Xiaoyao's hands, but now, seeing Alex completely overwhelm him, she couldn't help but feel pleased.
At the same time, his power genuinely amazed her.
Throughout the fight, Li Xiaoyao was leaping, darting, and striking with all his might, yet Alex had not even taken a single step. The gap between them was glaring, and Li Xiaoyao's frustration grew unbearable.
Grinding his teeth, he whispered under his breath: "Sword Control Technique!"
With a sharp swish, the sword in his hands seemed to spring to life, glowing faintly as it shot forward like a streak of light, slashing directly toward Alex.
"Armament Haki!"
Watching the nimble, fish-like flying sword dart through the air, Alex raised a finger wrapped in Armament Haki. Treating his finger as a blade, he unleashed the techniques of the Dugu Nine Swords, clashing directly with Li Xiaoyao's flying sword.
Ding, ding, ding!The crisp collision between finger and steel rang out like clashing blades, shocking the crowd. The sheer strength of Alex's body was terrifying.
After several exchanges, Alex quickly assessed the technique. The sword-controlling method was impressive—guided by Li Xiaoyao's mind and energy, the weapon was unbound by limbs, allowing for incredible speed and agility.
But Li Xiaoyao's mastery was still incomplete. Simply relying on sword control wasn't enough to defeat him.
When another strike came slicing through the air, Alex moved like lightning. His hand shot out, seizing the flying sword mid-flight. At the same time, he extended a single finger toward Li Xiaoyao.
Swish!A streak of azure lightning exploded outward, striking Li Xiaoyao squarely.
Months of training had honed Alex's control over the Thunder God's power, and the bolt hit with devastating precision. Li Xiaoyao staggered, his clothes charred, hair standing on end, and his entire body twitching under the paralysis. He looked utterly miserable.
"Brother Xiaoyao!" Zhao Linger cried out, her face paling. Quickly forming hand seals, she summoned a bolt of lightning from the heavens itself. With a thunderous crack, it came crashing down on Alex.
In a blur, Alex shifted, his body flickering out of the strike zone.
The bolt smashed into the stage, carving a crater the size of a washbasin into the arena floor. Alex narrowed his eyes—Zhao Linger, a descendant of Nuwa, truly wielded frightening power.
"Amazing! Are they both immortals?" gasped the onlookers, stunned by Alex's lightning-wreathed fingers and Zhao Linger's divine thunder.
Martial arts were one thing—but this was something far beyond.
Deciding the duel had gone far enough, Alex casually flipped the sword in his hand.
The blade spun gracefully through the air before sliding neatly back into the scabbard strapped across Li Xiaoyao's back.