Chapter 52

Zhang Ruochen and the Ninth Princess had just arrived at the entrance of the Yellow Rank Martial Arena when they heard deafening shouts coming from inside.

Immediately after, a decapitated corpse was carried out from the arena.

Zhang Ruochen glanced at the decapitated corpse and asked the steward of the Yellow Rank Martial Arena, "Steward, what’s going on?"

The steward of the Yellow Rank Martial Arena looked to be in his thirties, quite thin, and sighed, "Today, a deadly swordsman came to the Yellow Rank Martial Arena. Every martial artist who fought him had their head severed by a single sword strike, without exception. This is already the eighth one!"

The Ninth Princess’s expression changed slightly, "Just one sword strike?"

The steward nodded, "Too powerful! I’ve been at the Yellow Rank Martial Arena for ten years, and I’ve never seen a young man who could cultivate his sword technique to be so ruthless, merciless, and cold. His sword strikes are as fast as lightning. It’s simply terrifying! Do you guess how old he is?"

The Ninth Princess said, "To be able to kill a martial artist at the peak of the Yellow Rank with one sword strike, he must be at least eighteen or nineteen years old!"

The steward shook his head, "His name is A Le, and he is fifteen years old."

The Ninth Princess was stunned for a moment.

"A fifteen-year-old deadly swordsman, interesting. Let’s go and take a look." Zhang Ruochen, with his hands behind his back, walked into the Yellow Rank Martial Arena.

At that moment, a pale and thin young man stood on the stage.

He looked to be around fourteen or fifteen years old, wearing tattered clothes, and holding a rusty iron sword. The iron sword was stained red, dripping with fresh blood.

His body stood straight, like a statue, yet he exuded a terrifying killing aura.

After killing eight martial artists, his aura had reached its peak.

Under the impact of that powerful killing aura, no one dared to step onto the stage.

Zhang Ruochen glanced at the young man standing in the center of the stage. As a young swordsman himself, he could clearly sense the sword intent and killing aura emanating from A Le.

Zhang Ruochen nodded slightly, "Talented, his sword qi follows his heart. His sword intent realm has already reached the intermediate stage, and it also contains killing intent."

The Ninth Princess was also observing the young man with the blood-stained sword, "He doesn’t seem to be a pure human, but rather a half-human of the Wolf Demon race."

Zhang Ruochen said, "That’s right! He is indeed a Wolf Demon half-human! Look at his eyes; they are like a wolf’s, a faint blood-red color."

At that moment, a cold laugh came from a distance, "Cousin, it’s been three years, and I’ve really missed you!"

Zhang Ruochen looked in the direction of the laughter and saw a pale, handsome man standing on the viewing platform, smiling at him.

Moreover, there was a familiar face, Lin Nishan.

Lin Nishan wore a white chiffon blouse, with a sachet and jade pendants hanging from her waist. She seemed to have grown taller, with a graceful figure, skin as white as snow, and long black hair that reached her waist.

It had to be said that Lin Nishan was indeed extremely beautiful, with eyebrows like a painting, eyes like stars, lips as clear as gems, a slender neck, slightly protruding breasts, a slim waist, and straight legs, giving a feeling of perfect flawlessness, like a beauty stepping out of a painting.

"Cousin, don’t you recognize your cousin anymore?" Lin Chenyu stared at Zhang Ruochen, his smile soft and somewhat sinister.

Seeing Lin Nishan, Zhang Ruochen roughly guessed Lin Chenyu’s identity.

Since the other party had called him, Zhang Ruochen, being a polite person, walked over and said, "It’s been a long time, I didn’t expect to meet you here at the Yellow Rank Martial Arena."

The Ninth Princess whispered in Zhang Ruochen’s ear, "Ninth Brother, don’t get too close to Lin Chenyu. This person has poor character, a twisted mind, and is treacherous and cunning, not someone to befriend!"

The Ninth Princess’s voice was very low, but Lin Chenyu still heard it.

Lin Chenyu’s ears twitched, his eyes turned cold, and he let out a cold snort, "Ninth Princess, speaking ill of me in front of me, that’s not very nice! Is this the upbringing of a royal princess?"

As Lin Chenyu let out a cold snort, the Ninth Princess’s face changed drastically, and she let out a muffled sound, retreating three steps.

When she stopped, a trace of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, indicating internal injuries.

Zhang Ruochen thought to himself, "What a powerful cultivation, at least at the late stage of the Profound Rank, or even stronger."

The Profound Rank was divided into seven minor realms: early, middle, late, minor peak, middle peak, major peak, and great perfection.

Any martial artist who reached the Profound Rank was considered a powerful martial artist, and in the military, they would be at least a general.

Of course, in the Profound Rank, advancing to each minor realm became increasingly difficult.

Lin Chenyu, being the first genius of the Lin family, had reached such an unfathomable realm at just twenty years old.

At that moment, a ninth challenger finally stepped onto the stage to challenge the fifteen-year-old deadly swordsman.

It was worth noting that the previous eight challengers had all been killed by the deadly swordsman with a single sword strike. Anyone who dared to challenge him must have extraordinary courage.

"Deadly swordsman? I, Han Fu, will test you!" Han Fu, holding a battle axe, stood opposite the deadly swordsman.

All the martial artists in the audience looked up at the stage.

This was the ninth match, and the challenger was Han Fu, who possessed the strength of a Yellow List martial artist.

Zhang Ruochen had also fought against Han Fu and knew his strength.

The Ninth Princess wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, slightly increasing the distance between herself and Lin Chenyu, and stared at the stage, "I wonder how many of his sword strikes Han Fu can withstand?"

Zhang Ruochen said, "If Han Fu can withstand his first sword strike, he can save his life. If he can’t withstand the first strike, he will likely die."

"Kill Han Fu with one sword strike? Impossible!" the Ninth Princess said.

Zhang Ruochen said no more, only staring at the stage.

"Thud!"

In just a moment, Han Fu’s head flew off the stage, landing on the ground like a ball.

Ninth match, victory!

After a brief silence, the entire martial arena erupted in deafening cheers and exclamations.

"Really... just one sword strike, I didn’t even see how he struck, only a flash of a sword shadow!"

"What level of sword technique is he using?"

"Too fast, can’t see his sword strikes at all."

"Even the genius Prince Nine, when he fought Han Fu last month, used over eighty moves to defeat him."

"Is a more talented young martial artist about to rise?"

The Ninth Princess was also stunned, "Ninth Brother, can you withstand his one sword strike?"

Zhang Ruochen smiled, "His sword is indeed fast, but it has a fatal flaw. Others can’t see it, but I can. Of course, in the world of martial arts, nothing is indestructible, and speed is the only thing that can’t be broken. With his speed, even if there is a flaw, he can make up for it. If it were a month ago, it would have been hard to say. As for now..."

Zhang Ruochen didn’t say more, continuing to watch the stage.

Finally, the fifteen-year-old deadly swordsman faced his tenth match.

His opponent was an old man ranked seventeenth on the Yellow List, Su Heng.

Unfortunately, it was still just one sword strike, and Su Heng died under his sword, becoming a headless corpse lying in a pool of blood.

Too invincible!

Ten consecutive victories, each with just one sword strike.

Even against Yellow List martial artists, it was no different.

Such a young swordsman was even more extraordinary than Prince Nine a month ago!

Soon, the head of the Yellow Rank Martial Arena evaluated his performance on the stage.

Sixth place on the Yellow List!

This was because no one had forced him to use his true strength, so he was ranked sixth on the Yellow List. If he had shown his true strength, his ranking might have been even higher.

The deadly swordsman A Le, still cold and ruthless, carried his blood-soaked iron sword and walked down from the stage.

Neither happy nor sad!

Only when his gaze fell on Lin Nishan did he finally show a hint of gentleness, feeling his heart beat faster, and immediately looked away, "Miss Lin, I have fulfilled my promise to you, winning ten consecutive matches without losing any!"

Lin Nishan smiled sweetly, gently touching A Le’s shoulder, "A Le, with your extraordinary talent, many major forces will want to recruit you. Why do you want to stay as a servant in the Lin family?"

A Le lightly bit his lip, staring at Lin Nishan’s beautiful face, "A Le only wishes to forever protect Miss Lin, nothing more."

To him, the woman before him was so perfect, so pure, and just being able to protect her was a happy thing.

Lin Nishan smiled and nodded, but a hint of disdain flashed in her eyes.

Lin Nishan’s gaze fell on Zhang Ruochen, with a hint of arrogance, "Cousin, you also cultivate the sword. If you fought A Le, how many of his sword strikes could you withstand?"

Zhang Ruochen glanced at A Le, thoughtful, and said indifferently, "If someone is willing to protect you, cherish it!"

After saying this, Zhang Ruochen didn’t even look at Lin Nishan and walked directly to the stage.

Seeing Zhang Ruochen step onto the stage, Lin Nishan’s beautiful eyes narrowed, "He has already become a Yellow List martial artist, why is he stepping onto the stage again? Could it be..."

"Hmm! Interesting!" Lin Chenyu smiled, a hint of killing intent flashing in his eyes.

Perhaps, killing Zhang Ruochen on the stage would be quite entertaining.

Lin Chenyu beckoned to A Le, "A Le, come here!"

"Master, what do you need?" A Le said.

Lin Chenyu smiled, "Watch carefully. The young man on the stage is one of Nishan’s suitors. You might have to kill him later! Are you confident?"

"In my eyes, there are only two kinds of people: the living and the dead. Either he dies, or I die."

A Le’s gaze fixed on the stage, his eyes becoming incredibly sharp, his entire body transforming into a sword.