Chapter 11: One Against Four
Half an incense stick's time passed swiftly, and the ten who had persevered through the "Raindrop" challenge stepped forward once more.
“The second round is a one-on-one elimination battle. You ten will first come to me to draw lots to determine the order of combat,” Su Baihu loudly announced the rules of the second round.
But before he finished speaking—
“No need to make it so complicated.”
A somewhat defiant voice rang out as Zhao Ling stepped forward.
“What does Zhao Ling want?” Everyone in the training ground, including the nine who advanced to the second round, turned their gaze toward him.
“Third Elder, the purpose of this clan competition is simply to select the strongest among the younger generation of the Su family to wield the Sword Order. The rankings of the others are insignificant. Therefore, there’s no need to make the second round so complicated,” Zhao Ling said.
“Zhao Ling, what exactly are you trying to say?” Su Baihu asked coldly.
“It’s simple. I am determined to claim the Su family Sword Order! Among the young disciples of the Su family, no one is qualified to be my opponent. One-on-one battles are too boring. It’s better to be straightforward: those who wish to contest the Sword Order can all attack me together, and I will take them all on alone.”
Zhao Ling’s voice was cold as it echoed across the training ground.
At first, there was silence, then a storm erupted.
“This Zhao Ling actually wants to fight all of them alone!”
“Arrogant, utterly arrogant!”
“Who does he think he is? Does he regard the talented disciples of the Su family as mere trash?”
The core disciples of the Su family were furious.
Even the senior powerhouses of the Su family in the Huahai realm wore dark expressions.
He wanted everyone to attack together while he stood alone? This was blatant disdain, completely ignoring the talents of the Su family!
Su Baihu frowned, glanced at Su Baichen, and upon seeing his nod, he announced, “Since you insist, we shall follow your terms. The second round will be a challenge arena. You will be the defender, and the other nine who advanced may join forces to challenge you. If you can defeat them all, the Su family Sword Order will be yours!”
A trace of coldness curled Zhao Ling’s lips.
“Haha, we have no hope for that Sword Order, so we won’t contest with Young Master Zhao.”
As soon as the rule was announced, four people immediately withdrew.
These four came from the retainer faction and naturally had no intention of competing against Zhao Ling.
Excluding Zhao Ling and those who withdrew, five contenders remained, four of whom stepped forward.
Su Qinghong, Su Yuning, and two other Su family disciples who had reached the peak of the True Martial Tenth Layer.
They had previously been summoned by two elders to the stands and were the four most highly regarded.
“Zhao Ling, you are far too arrogant!”
Amid the angry roar, Su Qinghong, standing at the center, seemed ready to unleash a boundless flame from his eyes as he fixed his gaze on Zhao Ling. A violent and overwhelming spiritual force surged from him.
This spiritual force had clearly reached the pinnacle of the True Martial Tenth Layer!
Su Yuning and the other two also unleashed powerful spiritual auras.
“Su Qinghong?” Zhao Ling glanced at him with a contemptuous smile. “Your cultivation has indeed reached the pinnacle of the tenth layer, but unfortunately, you’re the only one. If the others in the Su family had your level of strength, perhaps I might take you more seriously.”
“Arrogant!”
Su Qinghong roared, staring at Su Yuning and the other three, “Brothers, the glory of our clan rests on us. As the Second Elder instructed, even if it costs our lives, we must defeat him!”
“One-on-one, none of us may be his match, but four against one... with us all at the True Martial Tenth Layer and similar in age, if we can’t win together, we might as well slit our throats,” Su Yuning said gruffly.
The other two nodded heavily.
“Attack!”
The four moved swiftly, and the battle ignited instantly.
Su Qinghong and Su Yuning each wielded a long sword. Su Qinghong, being the strongest, charged forward first, releasing an overwhelming spiritual force to unleash a fierce slash, aiming to engage Zhao Ling head-on.
Su Yuning appeared to Zhao Ling’s side, her sword cold as a winter’s snowflake, executing the fiercest technique of the Snowfall Sword Art—Slash of the Falling Snow.
The other two charged from different directions.
But facing the simultaneous onslaught of four opponents, Zhao Ling merely smiled coldly, took a step forward, and with his right fist gathered immense power, smashing toward Su Qinghong’s sword strike.
“He didn’t even draw his blade?”
Spectators gasped around the arena.
To fight four against one was one thing, but to do so without even drawing his weapon? What blatant contempt!
Yet despite this...
Boom!
A deep collision rang out. Su Qinghong felt an overwhelming force crashing against his sword, causing his palm to tremble violently, nearly dropping his weapon. His body staggered back instantly.
“Impossible!”
“Though we are both at the pinnacle of the True Martial Tenth Layer, his strength is at least double mine!”
Su Qinghong’s face was filled with shock. After Zhao Ling’s brutal punch forced him back, Zhao Ling turned and swept his hand, clanging sounds echoing as he effortlessly shattered the assaults from Su Yuning and her two companions.
“Don’t hold back! Use your strongest moves!”
Su Qinghong shouted fiercely and charged again, his sword wielded with staggering force like an immovable mountain blocking Zhao Ling.
The Mixed Origins Sword Technique was primarily defensive, but Su Qinghong now used it to withstand Zhao Ling’s attacks and entangle him, creating opportunities for the others.
Indeed, while Su Qinghong engaged Zhao Ling, the other three unleashed their ultimate techniques.
Su Yuning leapt high, descending to execute her strongest move, the Phoenix Descends Sword.
Like a phoenix appearing in the mortal world, though less exquisite than before, its power was greater.
After half a month at the True Martial Pavilion, guided by Sword One, Su Yuning had reflected on and corrected her sword deficiencies. Her skills had greatly improved, having surpassed the ninth level of the pavilion.
The other two also unleashed their most formidable attacks.
But the result was...
“A joke!”
Zhao Ling’s body trembled as a fierce spiritual force swept out. He struck with lightning speed.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Four successive impacts sent the four attackers flying, with Su Qinghong slammed backward by a single punch. Their postures were all rather disheveled.
“Incredible strength?”
Su Qinghong, Su Yuning, and the others were filled with disbelief.
They had given their all—Su Qinghong engaging frontally to create openings, the other three coordinating their ultimate moves flawlessly—yet Zhao Ling easily repelled them, still wielding no drawn weapon!
“Is this your ultimate strength?”
Zhao Ling crossed his arms, looking disdainfully at the four. “I thought your combined efforts might pressure me a bit, but it seems you’re still no match. Even so, I have no time to waste with you.”
With that, Zhao Ling slowly drew the war blade strapped to his back.
The four trembled inwardly.
Without drawing his blade, he could easily repel them; now that he had drawn it!
Whoosh!
Despite the distance, Zhao Ling swung his blade, releasing a dazzling shadow with suffocating, overwhelming power directly before the four.
Their faces flickered with terror.
“Quick! Strike together to block this blade!”
Su Qinghong shouted, unleashing the strongest defensive slash of the Mixed Origins Sword Technique, with Su Yuning and the others coordinating to resist with all their might.
Yet the brilliant blade shadow seemed unstoppable, crushing their defenses as if they were fragile twigs.
“Pft! Pft! Pft! Pft!”
Each spat blood, flying several meters before falling to the ground.
As they struggled to rise, their faces were pale as death.
They knew this battle was lost—utterly and miserably, without a chance to struggle.
The Su family core disciples and elders watching around the arena fell silent.
“Not even able to withstand a single slash from me—a bunch of trash,” Zhao Ling’s scornful voice echoed.
He sheathed his blade again.
Those Su family disciples and elders felt a surge of anger, humiliation, and unwillingness—but more than anything, despair.
Su Qinghong and his three companions had been the last hope of the young Su family generation, yet even united, they could not withstand Zhao Ling’s single strike.
This time, the Su family—the Su clan—had truly lost, utterly and completely.
Zhao Ling stood in the center of the arena, his defiant gaze sweeping over the crowd.
“From today onward, the Su family Sword Order will be wielded by me, Zhao Ling!”
“The younger generation of the Su family shall bow to me!”
“Who dares oppose?”
His words pierced the hearts of the assembled Su clan membersI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.