Chapter 231: Using You as a Sword Dao Refining Furnace

Chapter 231: Chapter 231: Using You as a Sword Dao Refining Furnace

Each flash of Sword Aura was a swing of the long sword. For countless streams of Sword Aura and Sword Qi to form a colossal dragon, one could only imagine how many times the sword had been swung.

Just how fast were their swords?

It seemed as though their Sword Auras were just now touching, but in reality, the two had already exchanged over a hundred blows.

You shattered my Sword Qi, and I shattered your Sword Aura.

It all came down to who was half a beat slower, whose momentum weakened by the slightest degree.

Indeed, at that moment, the two men in mid-air were almost perfectly matched.

Previously, whenever Chu Fan had used his ever-victorious Walking Dragon Sword Shadow, his opponents had either dodged it or been grievously wounded.

But this was the first time its First Technique had ever been broken.

At the same time, Yan Chenghe was putting him under considerable pressure.

He was forced to give it his all, countering move for move.

In the eyes of the spectators, a great dragon in the sky was crashing through a vibrant tapestry of silk ribbons. As the dragon twisted and turned, the ribbons were torn to shreds, and its scales were flaking off, piece by piece.

Those with less experience couldn’t possibly comprehend just how perilous the battle between Chu Fan and Yan Chenghe truly was.

Gale Dragon Fighting in the Wild.

Though Chu Fan felt immense pressure, the battle intent blazing in his eyes had never been so intense.

He had unleashed two techniques, yet not only were they evenly matched, but he was also forced to maintain absolute concentration.

Before the old technique had lost its momentum, he switched to a new one.

The original Dragon Shadow suddenly opened its massive maw and, with a swipe of its front claws, soared into the sky.

It whipped up a furious gale, howling as it charged.

"Excellent Sword Technique!"

Yan Chenghe shouted his praise, raising his long sword as he also shot skyward, directly pursuing the dragon’s head.

He let the fierce winds tear his robes to shreds.

In truth, he couldn’t spare a thought for his tattered clothes.

The instant his silhouette drew level with the dragon’s head, he swung his sword forcefully. A beam of Sword Aura, like a rainbow piercing the sun, shot directly toward the dragon’s head.

After unleashing the slash, his body didn’t pause. His sword moved with an elegant flourish, thrusting straight toward Chu Fan, who was hidden inside the dragon’s head.

Chu Fan was aghast to see Yan Chenghe charge straight into the dragon’s head in such a way.

Before the Dragon Shadow could dissipate, he switched techniques again.

Wandering Veil Lamp and Boxed Sword.

’It seems I can’t defeat him with brilliant and overbearing Sword Techniques alone. Then I’ll have to defeat him through the Sword Dao itself.’

The Dragon Shadow dissipated. All that remained in mid-air were the brilliant Sword Auras from Yan Chenghe’s slash, running rampant across the sky.

Chu Fan, however, moved through the air as if on a leisurely stroll, the speed of his swinging sword now several beats slower than before.

Before Yan Chenghe could react, he watched in stunned silence as his own Sword Auras dissipated one by one.

"What is this Sword Technique?"

Although he couldn’t see any Sword Aura or feel any Sword Qi, Yan Chenghe felt the pressure mounting even higher.

Chu Fan didn’t answer him. At the last moment, his Sword Intent solidified—

"So that’s it!"

Yan Chenghe finally realized what was happening, but he was still a beat too slow. A sliver of Sword Intent left a bloody wound on his shoulder.

Although he was injured, the look in his eyes grew even more fervent.

’He had a feeling that if this fight continued, he might achieve a significant breakthrough in his Sword Dao.’

’He was even more astonished. This young man before him, only in his twenties, already possessed an understanding of the Sword Dao that far surpassed his own.’

’If my Realm wasn’t higher than his, wouldn’t I have been defeated long ago?’

He decisively switched his Sword Technique as well. Pressing forward, the sword in his hand left behind a blur of afterimages.

Sword and Shoes Ascending the Hall, Sword into Plowshare.

Chu Fan also switched to a new technique, his solidified Sword Intent weaving between the afterimages of the sword.

Even Chu Fan himself couldn’t say which of his three Sword Techniques—Walking Dragon Sword Shadow, Dream-Breaking Meteor Sword, or Yifeng Sword Technique—was the strongest.

The strength of the Dream-Breaking Meteor Sword lay in its speed and its dazzling, disorienting light; it took the utilization of speed and Sword Aura to the absolute extreme.

The Walking Dragon Sword Shadow was also deceptive, but it was the most overbearing of the three Sword Techniques.

Compared to the other two, the Yifeng Sword Technique was far more unpredictable.

It solidified Sword Intent, making it impossible for an opponent to perceive the true line of attack. Even the flying Sword Qi and Sword Aura it produced were mere feints.

It embodied the principle of feinting in one direction and attacking in another.

This was why Chu Fan had been able to wound Yan Chenghe with the first strike of the Yifeng Sword Technique.

For Yan Chenghe to be ranked in the top twenty of the Talent List, he was clearly not someone with an undeserved reputation; he possessed genuine skill.

After taking a hit, he had immediately adapted, and his swordsmanship became far more cautious.

For the crowd of spectators, the battle in mid-air was a true feast for the eyes.

This was especially true for the Cultivators with lower Cultivation. When had they ever witnessed a battle of this caliber?

Even some of the more powerful Cultivators couldn’t help but be struck speechless.

"Who do you think will win in the end?"

"The Talent List has been around for many years; it’s fairly reliable. There has to be a reason why Chu Fan is ranked eleventh. Is it possible he’s been hiding his true strength all this time? Remember, Su Mingguang was defeated by him in a single blow."

"I don’t think he’s hiding his strength. Yan Chenghe is ranked twenty-first, and he’s been fighting him to a standstill for ages. What if he were fighting the person ranked twelfth? Are you sure Chu Fan wouldn’t lose then?"

"Are you saying Heroic Journey made a mistake?"

"Not necessarily a mistake. Is it possible Heroic Journey did it intentionally?"

Regardless of the crowd’s discussion, for Chu Fan, Yan Chenghe was indeed the most troublesome opponent he had ever faced.

’He had already made a rough assessment in his mind. If his opponent’s Sword Dao was inferior to his own, the limit to which he could fight above his own rank was about four Tiers.’

’If he faced a cultivator at Divine Separation Realm Tier Nine, without using his Divine Techniques, his chances of victory were slim to none, even if his opponent hadn’t even begun to comprehend the Sword Dao.’

’As for Yan Chenghe, after exchanging more than a dozen techniques, he was undeniably strong, and his Sword Technique was formidable. But it was absolutely impossible for him to win.’

’Because from the very beginning, he hadn’t even been able to break through my True Qi defenses.’

’My trump cards aren’t limited to just this. My Dantian and the vast reserves of True Qi I’ve accumulated surpass those of most other Cultivators at my Realm.’

’As long as I’m not careless, I can win a battle of attrition and drain his True Qi completely.’

’Therefore, all I need is one all-out strike. If I disregard my own defense, Yan Chenghe will be defeated without a doubt.’

Having come to these realizations, Chu Fan formed a plan.

’Hone my Sword Techniques!’

’I’ll use Yan Chenghe as a furnace to temper my own Sword Dao.’

’An evenly matched opponent like this is hard to come by.’

With this new idea in mind, Chu Fan’s Sword Techniques changed once more.

He began with the First Technique of the Dream-Breaking Meteor Sword.

Yan Chenghe was stunned when he sensed Chu Fan change his Sword Technique yet again. He couldn’t fathom what Chu Fan was planning, but for the sake of his own reputation, he had no choice but to continue fighting with all his strength.

The two fought from the heavens to the earth, then back up to the heavens again.

The Sword Auras were blindingly brilliant.

The clash was incredibly spectacular.

But the plants and trees in the wilderness were not so fortunate.

As for the spectators, their confusion only deepened.

As time wore on, the crowd of onlookers below grew ever larger. People from Sects, Noble Families, Noble Youths, and more all gathered to watch.

After watching the spectacle for half an hour, regardless of whether they looked down on Chu Fan or not, they all had to admit one thing: for a twenty-seven-year-old to display the Combat Power he had today, his place in the top twenty of the Talent List was well and truly deserved.

After all, when wandering the Jianghu, who didn’t have a Killing Technique or a life-saving trump card up their sleeve?