As Lucian lowered his sword, Teng Xiao stood up again, his posture ready for battle—every muscle in his body tightened as if he were facing a life-or-death enemy.
"As a fellow general, come with the intent of cutting me—!"
Before Teng Xiao could finish his words—
*Pa!*
Another loud smack echoed.
Once again, Teng Xiao dropped to his knees, hands pressed together, catching the ice blade hovering above his head.
He froze for a few seconds before forcing out a smile.
"Haha, not bad, you actually made me use ten percent of my strength—there are only a few in the Alliance who can match you. Next, I'll use twenty percent, so be careful."
Teng Xiao rose again, and Lucian helplessly swung his sword once more.
*Pa!*
Teng Xiao was on his knees again.
"Not bad, not bad." Teng Xiao grinned as he stood up again. "Next, I'll use sixty percent of my strength. Let's see where your limits lie."
"You still want to keep going?" Lucian asked, looking speechless.
"Don't worry, I'll control my strength, so I won't hurt you." Teng Xiao feigned confidence.
Little did he know, as he spoke, the onlookers, already knowing who was on the winning side, were struggling to hold back their laughter.
Apparently, they wanted to laugh but didn't dare to, afraid of embarrassing Teng Xiao.
Lucian could only swing his sword again.
*Pa!*
"Very good, very good. To make me use sixty percent strength for defense, worthy indeed of being a sword immortal. Next, I'll use seventy percent."
*Pa!*
"Ninety percent."
*Pa!*
Sweat began to drip down Teng Xiao's forehead.
'I'm already defending with everything I have, yet I still can't resist at all...'
Teng Xiao thought frustratedly, not knowing what he should do to confront Lucian's weird swordsmanship.
'In the first place, what kind of swordsmanship is this? If I go all out and even summon the Lightning-Lord, and still end up kneeling... I'll lose all dignity...'
Having thought it through, Teng Xiao ultimately stood once more, smiling broadly.
"Well, the swordsmanship of a sword immortal is truly extraordinary. It's been an honor to witness such skill today, but it's getting late. Let's call it here, shall we?"
Seeing the great general himself offering a way out, Lucian naturally wouldn't refuse.
Honestly, seeing the man already kneeling to him several times, Lucian even felt a bit embarrassed.
"Yes, I was thinking the same." Lucian nodded. "Using that move takes quite a bit of focus, so I'm a little tired myself. Especially when using it on a strong general like General Teng Xiao—it drains my mind. I can't swing again."
Lucian's words firmly restored Teng Xiao's pride as he grinned from ear to ear.
"Guhahaha, not at all, not at all. General Lucian's future achievements will surely be remarkable."
Teng Xiao truly wanted to befriend Lucian now—someone willing to save his face like this was clearly worth befriending.
Meanwhile, while the two generals were exchanging compliments, the onlookers eventually understood.
"Ah, so it was just the two generals sparring, with General Teng Xiao defending against the other's attacks?"
"Not gonna lie, the two generals are incredible. After such a clash, they didn't even damage the grounds."
"Seems like General Teng Xiao has the upper hand. I mean, he hasn't even gone all out, and the Azure Sword Immortal already stopped attacking."
Hearing these murmurs, Jing Yuan remained silent.
He could clearly see that Lucian wasn't using any strength at all—in fact, Lucian was just casually swinging his sword, not even executing real moves.
'Why? I can't feel any energy fluctuation, not even a ripple...' Jing Yuan pondered inwardly. 'Could it be some kind of law or conceptually-based power? Just one swing, and the opponent has no choice but to kneel...'
He couldn't help but speculate on a theory, which was surprisingly close to the truth.
Yingxing, on the other hand, had his admiration for Lucian deepen, as evidenced by how his slightly aged face revealed a look of longing and respect as he gazed at Lucian's figure.
Meanwhile, after Teng Xiao and Lucian complimented each other for a while, Teng Xiao suddenly pulled Lucian aside.
"Brother, can I discuss something with you?" Teng Xiao glanced around sneakily, then leaned close to Lucian's ear. "Your disciple Jingliu is definitely taking the championship, so what I want to say is... when she faces Jing Yuan, could you make the fight last a bit longer?"
Upon hearing this, Lucian understood immediately—this general wanted to save some face for the Xianzhou Luofu.
It was honestly understandable.
In such a grand tournament, if the ringmaster were defeated in a single strike, it would be too humiliating.
"Alright, I can do that." Lucian smiled faintly. "How much are you prepared to pay, though?"
"How much for each move?"
"Hmm… How about this? Just one price—give me ten percent of the Luofu's revenue for the next three years, and Jing Yuan gets three hundred moves."
"Hiss..." Teng Xiao took a sharp breath. "Ten percent is a bit steep..."
"How is that steep?" Lucian responded calmly. "Heavenly Ascendant's rates have always been like this."
In the end, after some thought, Teng Xiao ultimately agreed.
Honestly, compared to a bit of wealth, the reputation of the Xianzhou Luofu was far more important.
At worst, he could conquer a few more planets later to make up for the loss.
And so, once they had their agreement, Teng Xiao arranged for the other Xianzhou delegations to head to the Skysplitter's viewing platform.
Right after taking his VIP seat, Lucian called Jingliu over and whispered in her ear.
"When you face Jing Yuan, hold back and fight him for three hundred moves—no, make it four hundred, an extra hundred on the house."
"How much did you take?" Jingliu instantly understood the situation and asked directly.
"Ten percent of the Luofu's revenue for three years." Lucian answered calmly. "I mean, you're just holding back, nothing serious, so I didn't ask for too much."
"Alright, I'll follow your lead, Master." Jingliu nodded with a faint smile.
Truthfully, she didn't really care about holding back—as long as her master was happy, she would comply.
===
One hour later, after a grand and fancy speech, the Luminary Wardance Ceremony finally began.
Jingliu's first opponent was a man from an unknown planet.
Outside the arena, because the IPC always broadcast the Luminary Wardance Ceremony live, cameras floated everywhere, capturing and transmitting every match without exception.
"If heaven had not birthed me, the sword path would be endless night."
As Jingliu walked into the arena, her eyes covered by a black blindfold with a silver crescent moon detailed in the center, her cold words fell upon the audience's ears, instantly stirring waves.
All they saw was an icy, beautiful sword immortal stepping on frost crystals, each step bringing a chill.
Her very entrance alone crushed her opponent's aura.
"Damn, what a strong aura! Is that really the legendary Moonlight Sword Immortal?"
"If heaven hadn't birthed me… damn, I don't even get it, but that's so badass!"
"What an entrance! If she doesn't win, I swear I'll eat my own shoe!"
Countless people were ignited by Jingliu's speech, their blood boiling with excitement—even her opponent shivered slightly.
As expected, the result was obvious—one slash, overwhelming victory.
===
Second match.
"I, Jingliu, with a single sword, can move mountains, sever rivers, overturn seas, subdue demons, suppress spirits, command gods, pluck stars, topple cities, and split the heavens!"
One slash, instant victory.
===
Third match.
"My blade, honed for a thousand years, can cut down the stars themselves."
One slash, instant victory.
===
Fourth match.
"Below an Emanator, I am invincible. Above an Emanator, it is one for one."
One slash, instant victory.
===
In every match, Jingliu's entrance radiated dominance and an overwhelming aura that completely crushed her opponents.
Because people from other planets had never witnessed such brazen displays, many were awed by Jingliu's performance and became her fans, convinced she would claim the championship.
"Moonlight Sword Immortal is unstoppable!"
"Whoever she faces, it's one slash!"
"Too strong! Is this the power of the Heavenly Ascendant?"
"She's beautiful, aloof, and powerful! I love her!"
"I'm Jingliu's loyal dog!"
"..."
Seeing Jingliu's imposing aura and somewhat audacious words, Teng Xiao couldn't help but ask Lucian.
"Brother, isn't your disciple a bit too arrogant?"
"If the young aren't arrogant, what's the point of being young?" Lucian replied with a calm smile.
Honestly, he truly hadn't expected that his casual teaching would turn Jingliu into this—he felt a little sinful.
Teng Xiao was speechless upon hearing Lucian's reply.
'Your disciple is over a thousand years old, and you still call her young?'
Truthfully, Teng Xiao was also curious about this.
It was common knowledge that most of the Xianzhou natives would be mara-struck once they reached around eight hundred years of age.
At most, only a few remained sane even at nine hundred.
Yet Lucian and Jingliu, both over a thousand years old, were still lively and showed no signs of mara at all.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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