—
In a second-floor VIP box, seven young men and women watched the stage intently.
At the center stood a long-haired youth in black. His face wasn't particularly handsome, and his simple blue combat uniform bore no adornments.
Yet despite that simplicity, his very presence exuded a sense of danger—
like the stillness before a thunderstorm.
"Boss, what do you think of this guy, Sword Wine?"
A handsome youth with short golden hair leaned against the wall with a grin.
"You think he'll let you fight at full strength?"
Another black-clad youth swirled the wine in his goblet and said calmly,
"Yu Feng, don't underestimate him. This Sword Wine isn't ordinary."
Gazing down at the white-robed figure on the stage,
the golden-haired Yu Feng clicked his tongue and scoffed:
"Not ordinary?"
"I don't see it."
"Osler, you're always hyping up others and undercutting our own team."
At that moment, a tall young woman with folded arms chuckled softly.
Her name was Dugu Yan. She idly tapped her green-painted nails. Her short purple hair and vivid green eyes gave her a charmingly fierce beauty.
"Lingling, what do you think of Sword & Wine?"
Her emerald eyes shifted toward the slender figure standing in the corner of the room.
The second of only two girls in the room was dressed head to toe in black, even her face veiled in a fine black mesh. Waterfall-like blue hair fell to her waist, and her eyes—same shade of deep blue—held a quiet, unfathomable loneliness.
She spoke softly, her voice ethereal and distant:
"He's strong."
"Haha! I told you!" Osler grinned, shooting a look at Yu Feng.
"Lingling hardly ever compliments anyone—this guy's the real deal."
Yu Feng didn't look convinced and was about to argue when—
"That's enough."
The long-haired youth at the center finally spoke.
"Can't the two of you learn from the Shi brothers and keep quiet?"
The "Shi brothers" he referred to stood nearby like two great stone towers, their presence calm and immovable.
Yu Feng raised his hands with a smirk.
"All right, boss. You tell us then."
"You're the one fighting Sword Wine tonight. What do you think of his strength?"
This long-haired youth was none other than Yu Tianheng, bearer of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul.
He was silent for a moment, then said coolly:
"He's strong."
"I can't read him."
"His opponent tonight is a Rank 33 Battle Spirit Master. Let's hope he can force out a second sword strike."
Hearing that—
The six other members of the Heaven Dou Imperial Battle Team were visibly stunned.
No wonder Yu Tianheng insisted on registering for this match.
So… Sword Wine was that powerful?
Originally, their plan had been to travel to the Soto City Grand Spirit Arena for a team match. Rumor had it a formidable seven-member team had emerged there.
But Sword Wine's sudden rise had caught Yu Tianheng's attention.
The trip to Soto would have to wait.
—
At the same time—
Third Floor, VIP Box
Staring at the white-robed figure onstage, Xue Qinghe pressed his lips together, silent for a long while.
"You're saying… he's the Sword Wine that's shaken the entire Grand Spirit Arena?"
Porcupinefish Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo were frozen stiff.
Even though he wore a faceless mask, that white robe, that tall, elegant figure—
for someone who saw him every day, it couldn't be more obvious.
"That country bumpkin… Li Zhexian is actually Sword Wine?!"
For two Title Douluo, it had been a long time since anything truly shocked them.
But this—this stunned them to their core.
The same drunken layabout who spent his days cooking, fishing, and drinking—
was also the masked swordsman who had killed eighteen opponents in twenty matches, always with a single strike?
"…Hah."
Xue Qinghe exhaled slowly.
He stared intently at the figure on the stage. Deep within his pupils, a faint golden light flickered.
"No wonder you refused to attend the Imperial Academy…"
Then as if recalling something, he suddenly asked:
"What do you think—between Li… Sword Wine, and Yu Tianheng, who's stronger?"
The two Douluo frowned, silently considering.
Porcupinefish Douluo finally said:
"If they had equal Spirit Power, there's no doubt—it would be Sword Wine."
"But Sword Wine's Spirit Power likely hasn't even reached Rank 30. Yu Tianheng's already at Rank 39."
Snake Lance Douluo said solemnly:
"I think the outcome is still uncertain."
"No one's ever seen Sword Wine use a second strike."
"He might be hiding his true strength."
"…Tonight's opponent is a Spirit Elder. We might finally get to see something more."
Xue Qinghe said nothing more.
He just kept silently watching the stage.
—
The audience's cheers rose to a deafening crescendo.
The announcer shouted, "Match, begin!" and immediately leapt off the stage.
He had no choice.
If he moved even a little slower, he'd be sprayed with blood—again.
There had already been several matches where he'd been caught in the splash from Sword Wine's duels.
"Sword Wine! I'll trample your name into the dirt and take that Silver Badge for myself!"
The burly challenger let out a crazed laugh as he tore off his shirt, revealing a scarred and muscular torso.
He wasn't a nobody, either.
Even with Sword Wine's meteoric rise, some in the crowd still shouted this man's name.
A legacy of his past victories.
"ROARRR—!"
The man bellowed like a wild beast and lunged forward.
Boom—!
The stage trembled underfoot.
A white, yellow, and purple Spirit Ring rose simultaneously beneath him—
a balanced and powerful combination.
Gray-brown fur exploded from his back. His spine arched like a drawn bow, amber pupils narrowed to slits, and his nails twisted into curved claws.
Lynx Martial Soul.
A fierce beast, cousin to the tiger—one of the stronger Beast-type Martial Souls.
The man crouched low, toes digging into the stage and cracking it beneath him like a spiderweb.
With a roar, he charged at Li Zhexian like a streak of lightning.
"First Spirit Ability — Luminous Predator Sight!"
"Third Spirit Ability — Lynx Pounce!"
"Second Spirit Ability — Rending Claw Strike!"
Three Spirit Abilities in one breath—
One of them even a thousand-year ability.
He was so fast, his figure nearly blurred into afterimages.
In that instant—
The entire arena fell silent.
Bloodshot eyes fixed on the platform, breath held tight in anticipation.
In the second-floor box, the seven members of the Heaven Dou Imperial Battle Team, led by Yu Tianheng, narrowed their eyes.
On the third floor, Xue Qinghe's face appeared calm, but the hand hidden within his sleeve had unknowingly clenched into a fist.
Under countless watching eyes—
Facing that charging blur of gray-brown fury—
Li Zhexian's eyes behind the mask were cold as frost.
Then—
Sword light burst forth.
Most of those present never even saw him draw.
All they saw were two purple Spirit Rings flaring around the three-foot-long Qinglian Sword.
"Second Spirit Ability — Three Swords of Elegance."
"First Spirit Ability — Greenblade Severance."
A cold, gleaming arc slashed through the haze of yellow lantern light—
So sharp, so intense, that many instinctively shut their eyes.
That sword light was too sharp to look at.
"Guh—…"
When the audience dared to open their eyes again—
The burly man's head had separated from his neck.
It rolled with a sickening bounce across the arena floor, as blood soaked the stage.