Chapter 45

Among weapons, the whip is the nemesis of the sword.

Soft overcomes hard, long overcomes short.

Just like Hong Tao at this moment, standing more than ten meters away, he could still attack Zhang Ruochen.

His whip techniques were unpredictable, like holding a golden long snake. The golden snake coiled and twisted in the air, emitting a sharp, rapid whistling sound.

At the tip of the golden whip was a three-inch-long spike, sharper than a sword tip.

"Interesting!"

Zhang Ruochen finally moved!

He channeled his true qi into his legs, and all twenty-seven meridians in his body began to circulate. His steps turned him into a blur, weaving through the golden whip.

In just an instant, Zhang Ruochen crossed the distance of more than ten meters and stood in front of Hong Tao.

Hong Tao's expression changed, and he was about to retract his whip to attack Zhang Ruochen.

"Smack!"

Zhang Ruochen swung the scabbard in his hand, striking Hong Tao's neck.

Hong Tao lost his balance, fell sideways, and tumbled off the platform.

At the moment he fell off the platform, Hong Tao immediately flipped in mid-air, landed on his feet, and stood steadily on the ground, not as狼狈 as the previous six people.

Hong Tao stood below the platform, staring deeply at Zhang Ruochen, "I have lost!"

The steps Zhang Ruochen just used were truly too fast. Even if they fought again, he would definitely lose.

Another move!

"With Hong Tao's cultivation, he couldn't even block one move. Isn't that too abnormal?"

Xue Bingsheng gently waved his folding fan, a sly smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, "Interesting!"

"The eighth match, I will be the one to stop your winning streak." Xue Bingsheng transformed into a white shadow, lightly leaping, landing on the platform as lightly as a leaf.

"Xue Bingsheng!" Zhang Ruochen said.

Earlier, Zhang Ruochen had seen Xue Bingsheng's battle with Nie Heng. In just one move, Xue Bingsheng killed Nie Heng.

This person was extremely fast, definitely a formidable opponent.

Xue Bingsheng smiled slightly and said, "Among the geniuses I have seen, besides the Seventh Prince, the Ninth Prince has the highest talent. It's been less than two months since the year-end assessment, and the Ninth Prince has already broken through two realms, reaching the Great Ultimate of the Yellow Extreme Realm. I am truly impressed! Truly impressed!"

Zhang Ruochen asked, "Are you from the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion?"

"That's right," Xue Bingsheng said.

"Do you have the confidence to defeat me?" Zhang Ruochen asked.

Xue Bingsheng smiled and said, "The Ninth Prince's greatest advantage is that his sword technique has reached the advanced stage of Sword Following the Heart. His greatest disadvantage is the insufficiency of true qi in his body. The Ninth Prince just broke through to the Great Ultimate, right?"

Zhang Ruochen remained silent.

Xue Bingsheng continued, "The Ninth Prince's speed is very fast, but Xue's speed is not slow either. If the Ninth Prince wants to win by speed, it will be effective against others, but not against Xue. If we compare strength, with Xue's cultivation at the Great Ultimate of the Yellow Extreme Realm, I would have an edge over the Ninth Prince, wouldn't I?"

"Really?" Zhang Ruochen asked.

Xue Bingsheng nodded and said, "Ninth Prince, in front of Xue, you should draw your sword!"

"I will draw my sword if I feel your strength is strong enough," Zhang Ruochen said.

"Then the Ninth Prince should be careful! Xue's Iron Bone Fan is a third-grade True Martial Treasure. Nine Great Ultimate Yellow Extreme Realm martial artists have already died under the Iron Bone Fan."

Xue Bingsheng's eyelids narrowed, and the originally closed folding fan snapped open, with a three-inch-long sharp blade extending from each fan leaf.

"Swish!"

Xue Bingsheng's speed was indeed extremely fast, like a white ghostly shadow, instantly reaching Zhang Ruochen.

He cultivated a superior human-grade movement technique called "Eight Steps of Void Soaring," each step covering a distance of one zhang.

He took eight consecutive steps, creating eight afterimages on the platform.

It was as if eight Xue Bingshengs were simultaneously attacking Zhang Ruochen.

Zhang Ruochen stood like an immovable divine tree, rooted to the ground, his legs unmoving, continuously swinging the scabbard in his hand.

Each strike produced a metallic clanging sound, sparks flying in the air.

"Bang bang!"

In an instant, Zhang Ruochen and Xue Bingsheng exchanged more than twenty moves, like a blur of shadows on the platform. Martial artists with lower cultivation could not see how they moved, only seeing the shadows.

Liu Chengfeng stood on the highest viewing platform of the Yellow Extreme Martial Arena, staring at the platform below, and coldly snorted, "Xue Bingsheng can only fight him to a draw. The outcome is hard to predict!"

"Pay respects to Master Liu!" Han Fu knelt on the ground, respectfully bowing to Liu Chengfeng.

Han Fu's body was extremely tall, about 2.6 to 2.7 meters, with a fist larger than a human head, covered in yellow leopard spots.

He possessed the bloodline of the savage fire leopard, not a pure human, but from the Fire Leopard Half-Human Race.

In the Kunlun Realm, there were many half-humans, forming independent races, such as the powerful Savage Dragon Half-Human Race, Savage Elephant Half-Human Race, Demon Ape Half-Human Race, and the beautiful Jade Fox Half-Human Race and Moon Fish Half-Human Race.

The status of half-humans was very low, and many were captured as slaves.

Han Fu was a half-human slave, but because he had a record of winning nine consecutive matches in the Yellow Grade Martial Arena, Liu Chengfeng bought him at a high price.

Liu Chengfeng said, "Stand up! Do you see that young man on the platform?"

Han Fu stood up and stared at Zhang Ruochen on the platform, saying, "He is very strong!"

Liu Chengfeng said, "Of course, he is very strong. So, if Xue Bingsheng loses to him, you will step in and kill him in the next match."

"Han Fu will not disappoint Master. Even if it means dying together, I will kill him," Han Fu said firmly.

Liu Chengfeng nodded and said, "Xue Bingsheng has already tested his true strength. Watch his battle with Xue Bingsheng; it will be very helpful for your next match."

Han Fu nodded.

"Xue Bingsheng is too strong. What if something goes wrong?" the Ninth Princess was worried.

Xue Bingsheng definitely wouldn't dare to kill Zhang Ruochen, but what if something unexpected happened?

Xue Bingsheng was not just any Great Ultimate martial artist; he was a true strongman, and in every aspect, he comprehensively overpowered Zhang Ruochen. For Zhang Ruochen to win was almost impossible.

All the martial artists in the Yellow Grade Martial Arena were tense, all wondering if Zhang Ruochen could defeat Xue Bingsheng.

Could he win eight consecutive matches?

"It's time to end this!"

Zhang Ruochen's eyes became sharp, and he thrust the scabbard, saying, "Heavenly Heart Breaking Plum!"

The speed of his sword strike tripled, like a white rainbow piercing the sun. The sword qi transformed into a white glow, piercing through the void, aiming for Xue Bingsheng's brow.

Xue Bingsheng's face changed drastically, and he immediately retreated.

But it was too late!

"Bang!"

The tip of the scabbard struck Xue Bingsheng's brow.

Xue Bingsheng's head went black, feeling heavy and dizzy, and he fell unconscious on the platform.

Fortunately, it was just a scabbard. If it were the sword tip, Xue Bingsheng's brow would have been pierced.

An old servant from the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion immediately rushed onto the platform, bowing to Zhang Ruochen, "Thank you, Ninth Prince, for showing mercy!"

After saying this, the old servant carried the unconscious Xue Bingsheng off the platform and immediately left the Yellow Extreme Martial Arena.

Eight consecutive wins!

The entire Yellow Grade Martial Arena was in an uproar. At just sixteen years old, creating a record of eight consecutive wins was truly an extraordinary achievement.

Even Liu Chengfeng, a Yellow List martial artist, was not as strong at sixteen.

"The Ninth Brother is too strong! If Father knows about this, he will surely be delighted and invite all the ministers to a feast," the Ninth Princess let out a long breath, her heart finally at ease.

However, she noticed that after winning eight consecutive matches, Zhang Ruochen did not leave the platform. He wanted to continue with the ninth match?

At this moment, the towering Han Fu stepped onto the platform, holding a 1,200-pound war axe, his body covered in metal armor. The metal armor was not just on the surface but embedded in his bones and flesh, integrated with his body.

"It's... Han Fu. This is bad!" The Ninth Princess's face turned pale, and she immediately called out to the platform, "Ninth Brother, you must concede. Han Fu is a martial madman; no one who fights him survives."

Dan Xiangling's face also changed, saying, "Han Fu is Liu Chengfeng's slave. He will definitely kill you on the platform. Ninth Prince, concede quickly. Your status is noble; there's no need to fight a bloodthirsty madman."

Han Fu, standing on the platform, laughed loudly, "Boy, did you hear that? Those two women are telling you to concede. If you don't concede, Han Lord's war axe will split you in two."

Zhang Ruochen looked up to the highest viewing platform, just in time to see Liu Chengfeng standing there.

Liu Chengfeng also stared at Zhang Ruochen, a mocking smile on his face, and said loudly, "If the Ninth Prince is afraid of death, it's better to concede early. If you accidentally die on the platform, it will be hard for me to explain to the Duke."

Zhang Ruochen said, "Is that so? We haven't fought yet; who lives and who dies is still uncertain!"

"Arrogant and ignorant, Han Fu, show the Ninth Prince your strength. Don't let him underestimate you!" Liu Chengfeng said darkly.