Supreme Sword Exalt

The man felt a faint stinging pain at the center of his brow. Dread and trepidation filled his heart.

“You... Just what are you—”

Gu Han slightly pressed his sword forward, and blood trickled down.

“I won’t repeat myself!”

The man’s face turned deathly pale. “I... I admit defeat!”

He didn’t waste any second to retreat to Instructor Yu’s side. The moment he faced Gu Han, all courage to fight drained from him.

The arena fell silent once more. Those who could enter the martial academy were no fools. They knew Gu Han was so fast, they couldn’t even track his movements. Moreover, he was so overwhelmingly strong that they had no confidence in defeating him.

The instructors’ gazes toward Mei Yun grew peculiar. The Jinx has actually stumbled upon a treasure! And not just one, but two!

Mei Yun felt both joy and worry. Joy, because these two troublemakers were indeed treasures. Worry, because it likely wouldn’t even take three days for these fearless two to poke a hole in the heavens of the martial academy.

The fatty stared at Gu Han’s sword, deep in thought. “Quite an interesting sword that is.”

Mei Yun nodded in agreement. “Indeed. Such a shabby sword, yet in his hands, it unleashes such power. If he had a divine weapon, his strength would surely reach even greater heights!”

The fatty rolled his eyes. Not only did this guy have an awful name, but his strength was also lacking. Weakness aside, his judgment was downright terrible!

In the arena, Gu Han swept his gaze across the crowd. “Well? Not a single person can fight?”

No one answered.

In the distance, Jiang Hong and his group wore expressions as dark as storm clouds. Liu Ying paled slightly when she saw Gu Han suppressed the elites. Gu Han is even more formidable and unfathomable than before!

The face of the young man beside Han Fu darkened. “I’ll go! He’s too arrogant!”

Not only was his cultivation level the highest among the martial academy’s students, he was also at the seventh stage of Acupoint Unsealing. It was understandable why Han Fu had taken a liking to him and kept him close.

Han Fu, who was supposed to have high hopes for him, shook his head. “There’s no need for that. You’re no match for him.”

The young man’s heart trembled. “What?! He’s really that strong...?”

A trace of regret flashed in Han Fu’s eyes. “Indeed. This boy has hidden depths. Earlier, I misjudged him...”

The young man refused to give up. “But I still want to try! In the path of cultivation, one must never harbor fear. Even if I lose to him, I’ll have no regrets!”

Han Fu studied him anew. “Good. With such courage, you’re commendable. Be careful!”

The young man bowed slightly before leaping into the arena, landing opposite Gu Han.

Hm? The crowd instantly perked up. Aside from the eldest prince, He Zhong had the highest cultivation level among them. If even he couldn’t defeat Gu Han, then no one could.

Gu Han frowned slightly. “You? You’re not the one I’m looking for. Besides, you’re no match for me.”

“You’re so cocky!” He Zhong roared in anger.

With a flick of his hand, he drew a steel blade over four-chi-long. As his spirit power surged, a layer of yellow light enveloped the blade, and he slashed directly at Gu Han.

Shaking his head, Gu Han raised his sword to meet the attack. “Why bother?”

In the blink of an eye, their figures crossed paths, the blade and sword clashing and parting.

He Zhong remained frozen in his stance with his blade still raised. A three-cun-long wound had opened on his chest. His gaze dimmed.

“I... lost.”

Gu Han bore no grudge against him and didn’t resort to harsh words. Instead, he offered a fair evaluation. “You’re not bad. It’s just that I’m stronger!”

He Zhong’s expression darkened further. He clasped his hands toward Gu Han and returned to Han Fu’s side.

Han Fu asked, “How was it?”

“Terrifyingly strong! One could say, invincible within the same realm.”

“He held back against you.”

He Zhong smiled bitterly. “I know. He is a man worthy of respect.”

The fatty rubbed his double chin with a face full of regret. “What a chance to show off... I should’ve gone myself...”

Mei Yun felt like crying. Fatty! Please, just behave! Don’t stir up any more trouble for me!

Witnessing He Zhong’s defeat, the last remnant of hope in the crowd’s hearts shattered. This guy is just too strong! Among the younger generation, is there anyone who could match him?

Instinctively, their gazes turned toward Jiang Hong. Perhaps... only the pride of Great Qi, the eldest prince with the Fire Spirit Physique, could crush his arrogance!

Nearby, Liu Tong suddenly pointed at someone. “You, go! Wear him down! No matter how strong he is, I refuse to believe he won’t exhaust himself eventually!”

That man was one of the students chosen by Yu Hua, with a cultivation at the fourth stage of Acupoint Unsealing.

“I...” He hesitated, but could only grit his teeth under Liu Tong’s venomous glare.

To everyone’s surprise, Gu Han fixed his gaze directly on Liu Tong. “No! My time is too precious to be wasted on useless people! Let’s do this. Come and fight me!”

Liu Tong’s face flushed red. In terms of actual strength, he couldn’t even match the woman who first challenged them. How could he dare face Gu Han?

Gu Han raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong? Are you scared? Seems like you’re useless too!”

Liu Tong burned with humiliation. It felt as though he had returned to that day when he had knelt before Gu Han. His dignity was in tatters. Life isn’t worth living!

Under the scrutiny of so many, the words of surrender stuck in his throat. “Fine! I...”

Jiang Hong suddenly said, “Just admit defeat.”

“Cousin, I...”

Jiang Hong said emotionlessly, “Admit defeat! You stand no chance against him. Besides, he won’t let you off easily!”

He could see it clearly. Everything Gu Han did was to vent Jiang Feng’s grievances. If Liu Tong faced him, defeat would be the least of his worries.

“I... admit defeat.”

Liu Tong seemed to expend all his strength to utter those words. He understood that from this day onward, his pride, his dignity, all of it was gone.

Gu Han didn’t spare him another glance. Instead, he locked eyes with Jiang Hong and broke into a grin. “Useless. How about you? You want to fight me? Or are you scared as well?”

Jiang Hong stepped forward, his red hair billowing despite the absence of wind. “Fine.”

Wisps of mist-like spirit power swirled around him, and the arena’s temperature soared instantly.

“Tsk! He actually dares to fight the eldest prince!”

“The eldest prince is already a disciple candidate of the upper sect. Among Great Qi’s younger generation, no one is his match!”

“This kid’s arrogance knows no bounds!”

One person stared at the fiery spirit power around Jiang Hong. “Tell me, what’s the eldest prince’s cultivation level now?”

“I can’t tell.”

“Obviously. If you could, wouldn’t that make you stronger than the eldest prince?”

Everyone knew how powerful Gu Han was. Even someone as strong as He Zhong was no match for him. And yet, no one believed he could win. That was just how unique and peerless the Fire Spirit Physique was in all of Great Qi.

Even Jiang Feng grew worried. “Brother Gu...”

The fatty shot him a glance, wholly unfazed. “Don’t worry. If he can’t handle this redhead, he might as well drop dead!”

Meanwhile, the three deputy deans, Commander Zhou, Elder Feng, and Elder Wu, remained silent. Each of them were lost in their own thoughts, their eyes never leaving the two combatants.

Gu Han’s challenge played right into Jiang Hong’s hands. In fact, the stronger Gu Han was, the better. That way, his defeat would cement Jiang Hong’s invincible image in everyone’s minds, greatly helping him gain control over the martial academy.

He glared coldly at Gu Han. “I won’t hold back. Your life is your own responsibility.”

Gu Han leveled his sword at him. “Enough talk. Let me see what the so-called ‘top genius of Great Qi’ is made of!”

“As you wish!”

The moment Jiang Hong spoke, the fiery spirit power around him intensified several times over. The temperature in the arena rose to a level unbearable for ordinary people. At full power, Jiang Hong’s cultivation level became clear to everyone. He was at the ninth stage of Acupoint Unsealing.

“Go to hell!”

Swish!

The battle began. Without hesitation, Jiang Hong summoned a dark-red spear, lunging it straight at Gu Han. The mystical power derived from bloodlines amplified Jiang Hong’s strength by nearly double. This was Gu Han’s first time witnessing the peculiarities of a special technique. Even with a zhang between them, the scorching heat had already curled his hair.

No longer holding back, Gu Han unleashed his full spirit power. “Fire Spirit Physique? I’ll beat it out of you!”

A terrifying aura no weaker than Jiang Hong’s erupted from him. His spirit power had a sharpness hidden within. The next moment, their figures collided, sending out an invisible shockwave that forced nearby spectators back.

At the center of the arena, two colors of spirit power clashed relentlessly, each trying to overwhelm the other.

***

Meanwhile, outside the martial academy...

The crowd couldn’t see the battle inside, but the deafening explosions reached their ears clearly.

“What... what’s with that noise!”

“Could it be students sparring?”

“Nonsense! Which student could make such a ruckus? It must be the instructors!”

Discussions ran rampant. The onlookers itched to barge in and see for themselves. However, the expressionless guards at the gate forced them to keep their curiosity at bay.

Suddenly, an angry shout came from afar. “Move!”

A figure rushed through the crowd, scattering people left and right, and arrived at the martial academy’s entrance.

The guards moved to block him. “Halt! The martial academy is a restricted area. No unauthorized entry!”

“Scram!” The man wan was in a rush. With a wave of his hand, an overwhelming force sent the guards tumbling to the ground. “You dare to block the Murong family? You’ve got a death wish!”

Before his words faded, he charged into the martial academy.

***

Inside the martial academy, the collisions between Gu Han and Jiang Hong’s spirit power grew increasingly violent. Yet, it was obvious that even with the Fire Spirit Physique’s boost, Jiang Hong’s spirit power was gradually losing ground.

The crowd was stunned. Impossible!!! With the Fire Spirit Physique’s enhancement, Jiang Hong’s aura and spirit power rivaled the fifth or sixth stage of the Essence Gathering realm. How can he still be inferior?

Elder Wu’s eyes narrowed. “Something’s wrong! He’s only at the second stage of Acupoint Unsealing. How does he have so much spirit power?”

Elder Feng seemed to realize something. “Indeed. This boy has an ordinary physique. Such powerful spirit power shouldn’t be possible for him.”

“Unless...” Commander Zhou didn’t finish his sentence.

However, the three of them had already arrived at the same answer.

In a distant corner, the old janitor watched Gu Han’s figure, the wrinkles on his face deepening. “Hehe. Supreme Stage? What a formidable young man!”