Chapter 64 Unworthy to Pursue Wang Yuyan

"Oh? You are that bookworm who spent a whole year reading in the Scripture Pavilion?"

The Sword Obsessive looked at Qin Changsheng with some surprise, never expecting that a youth merely at the Core Formation realm would dare to step onto the stage and challenge him.

"Indeed."

Qin Changsheng nodded, his expression calm.

"Very well, I will not take advantage of you. I shall suppress my cultivation to the Core Formation realm."

Without wasting words, the Sword Obsessive swung the iron sword in his hand and charged at Qin Changsheng. His swordsmanship was incomparably fierce, seemingly capable of piercing through everything, leaving one with nowhere to hide.

However, facing the Sword Obsessive's attack, Qin Changsheng's expression remained unchanged. With a flash of his figure, he easily dodged the attack while simultaneously thrusting his sword toward the Sword Obsessive's chest.

At this sight, the Sword Obsessive's expression shifted slightly. He had not anticipated Qin Changsheng's speed to be so astonishingly fast, nor his attack to be so fierce. Yet, he felt no fear; flicking his iron sword, he blocked Qin Changsheng's blade and countered with a backhanded slash aiming for Qin Changsheng's neck.

Seeing this, Qin Changsheng rapidly retreated, flicking his finger to unleash a beam of sword qi that collided with the Sword Obsessive's sword light, producing a sound like clashing metal.

"Interesting."

A trace of appreciation flashed in the Sword Obsessive's eyes. He had not imagined that a youth merely at the Core Formation realm could block a blow from him; this truly caught him off guard.

Even so, he did not stop. Moving his body, he charged at Qin Changsheng once more.

His swordsmanship grew faster and faster, blurring into afterimages that made it impossible to discern his true whereabouts.

What astonished the onlookers was that, in the face of such an offensive, Qin Changsheng's expression remained completely composed. His figure flickered across the arena like a ghost, effortlessly dodging every single attack from the Sword Obsessive.

At the same time, his hands continuously waved, shooting out beams of sword qi that relentlessly clashed with the Sword Obsessive's sword light, creating deafening reverberations.

"What on earth? How is he able to anticipate the Sword Obsessive's moves?"

The surrounding crowd cried out in astonishment. They never expected that a youth only at the Core Formation realm could fight the Sword Obsessive to a standstill—it was simply unbelievable.

Moreover, judging by their demeanor, neither seemed to be exerting their full strength. They appeared relaxed and unhurried, as if dancing. It was downright monstrous!

"Such blinding speed!" The Sword Obsessive inwardly marveled in disbelief. He had not anticipated that this youth's speed would be so incredible, capable of accurately evading every assault and immediately launching a counter-attack.

Such speed and reflexes indeed proved rather troublesome for him. Yet, as the Sword Son of the Sword Tomb, he naturally could not concede defeat just like that.

Abandoning any further holding back, the iron sword in his hand transformed into a cold flash of light as he slashed toward Qin Changsheng.

"Well-aimed!" Qin Changsheng shouted loudly, then brought his sword down in a heavy strike against the Sword Obsessive's iron sword. With a resounding "Clang!" the heavy sword of Qin Changsheng collided with the iron sword of the Sword Obsessive, sending forth a burst of sparks and metallic rings.

This collision made the Sword Obsessive truly feel the weight of Qin Changsheng's strength, and a flicker of astonishment crossed his eyes.

"You are quite good, but if you wish to defeat me, it is still not enough!"

The Sword Obsessive spoke coldly, then shifted his stance and rushed at Qin Changsheng once again. His swordsmanship became even more ferocious, as though attempting to tear the entire arena apart.

Yet, Qin Changsheng remained utterly serene. His speed and reflexes had reached their absolute peak, allowing him to effortlessly sidestep the Sword Obsessive's attacks time and again while counter-attacking.

The two fought to a standstill on the stage, leaving everyone around them staring in utter bewilderment. They could hardly believe that a youth at the mere Core Formation realm could trade blows so intensely with the Sword Obsessive, who was at the peak of the Soul Formation realm.

Even though the Sword Obsessive had suppressed his cultivation.

"Just what kind of monster is this bookworm?"

The spectators were dumbfounded.

By now, the battle on the arena had reached a white-hot stage. The Sword Obsessive's swordsmanship grew increasingly rapid, turning into a blur of overlapping afterimages, while Qin Changsheng's speed and reaction time scaled higher and higher, as though he could perceive through everything.

Finally, during an exchange of blows, Qin Changsheng found an opening and thrust his sword straight toward the Sword Obsessive's chest.

The Sword Obsessive's expression changed dramatically, but it was already too late to dodge. He had no choice but to take the blow head-on, while simultaneously unleashing his peak Soul Formation cultivation to instinctively raise his defenses.

"Bang!"

A thunderous explosion echoed out. The Sword Obsessive was sent hurtling backward at high speed, coughing up a mouthful of blood as he landed.

"I have lost."

Taking a deep breath, the Sword Obsessive slowly uttered those words. His face was somewhat pale, but his gaze remained remarkably steadfast. As a sword cultivator, he possessed his own pride and persistence; since he was defeated, he would acknowledge it.

Upon witnessing this, the surrounding crowd erupted into cries of shock. They never imagined that a youth only at the Core Formation realm would genuinely defeat the Sword Obsessive—this was nothing short of a miracle!

"I yield the prize," Qin Changsheng cupped his fists in courtesy, then leaped down from the arena. By this point, he had already disqualified this person from pursuing Yuyan.

"Wait a moment. There is something I do not understand. Why were my sword moves always predicted by you? Even though I only used swordsmanship without employing any spells, it has truly troubled me."

"Because you are too slow; you cannot escape my eyes." Qin Changsheng shrugged, then continued, "Go back and practice more. Furthermore, let me give you a piece of advice: if you cannot even surpass me, you are unworthy of pursuing Wang Yuyan."

At these words, the Sword Obsessive froze.

Soon, his expression turned deeply silent.

He had not expected Qin Changsheng to issue such a blunt assertion.

"I will become fast enough to surpass you in the same realm!!"

Hearing this, Qin Changsheng shook his head. "You probably won't ever have that chance. If you had been willing to stimulate your Sword Physique and truly duel with me earlier, you might have had a sliver of a chance of winning. It's just that you are incompetent yet fond of putting on airs."

Qin Changsheng held back none of his punches. Earlier, the Sword Obsessive had maintained his dignity by only competing in sword techniques.

Yet, without the reinforcement of Soul Formation power, his sword possessed no dao laws; how could it possibly block Qin Changsheng's penetrating vision?

"Since Daoist Bookworm is so confident, I, Jian, shall await the day you reach the Soul Formation realm to spar once more. A battle from swordsmanship to the Sword Dao—in that, I shall not lose."

"Let's go!"

Lacking the face to linger any longer, the Sword Obsessive led his people from the Sword Tomb and departed in a hurry.

Quietly watching the Sword Tomb faction fade into the distance, Qin Changsheng couldn't help but sigh. Yuyan was an affinity in his life that he could never truly sever, which was why he had helplessly chosen to stand out and act high-profile today.

Just like how Wang Yuyan had kept a low profile for so many years, only to draw her sword and slaughter her way into the backing mountain sect for his sake—they were cut from the exact same cloth.

Always intending to keep a low profile, yet time and again, for the sake of certain matters and certain people, they could not help but lose all restraint.

"..."

"Brother Bookworm, congratulations! To think you actually defeated the Sword Obsessive."

Gu Tao and the others walked over with beaming smiles. Yet, a trace of gloom lurked beneath their grins, as if they were taking pleasure in someone else's misfortune.

Giving them a cool, indifferent glance, Qin Changsheng replied placidly, "I must thank Young Master Gu for pushing me, his teammate, out onto the stage. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to defeat the Sword Obsessive. If congratulations are in order, Young Master Gu should congratulate himself."

With that, Qin Changsheng turned and walked away, leaving several disciples of the academy staring blankly at Gu Tao. Knowing that Qin Changsheng was mocking him for selling out a teammate, Gu Tao's expression turned decidedly unsightly.

"Hahaha... I simply felt that Brother Bookworm possessed hidden depths, so I recommended you. I never expected it to actually be true."

"..."