Chapter 62: First Place in the Hunt

The Three Volumes of NorthCang Swordsmanship.

The Thunder-Fire Volume focuses on offensive killing, while the Mountain-Sea Volume focuses on defense.

However, among these three volumes, the truly most terrifying and fearsome one was the Phantom Volume.

The Phantom Volume consists of a total of five sword techniques, representing five major fatal moves.

Among these five sword techniques, the first form, Shadowy Gleam, and the second form, Tracing Shadows, are relatively easy to comprehend.

However, upon reaching the third form of swordsmanship, one encounters a massive threshold.

Not only does it require an exceptionally high comprehension of sword intent, but more importantly, it demands extraordinary innate talent in the Dao of the Sword to truly understand it.

The two palace masters of Tianyan Palace previously believed that, given Su Xin’s comprehension of sword intent, it was impossible for him to master the third-tier Thunder-Fire Profound Technique. In reality, however, the third form of the Phantom Volume was even harder to master than the third-tier Thunder-Fire Profound Technique, to the extent that the two of them never even dared to think in that direction.

And yet...

"A Thousand Miles in a Single Line... The third form of the Phantom Volume is just like its name; with a single sword stroke, the sword qi instantly spans a distance of nearly a thousand miles, with unimaginable speed."

"For Su Xin to execute this move with his level of strength means almost no one in the Sea-Transforming Realm can possibly block it. Xia Mang's defeat under this sword is not unjust."

Palace Master Diyue sighed softly.

"A peak Sea-Transforming Realm cultivator has mastered both the Thunder-Fire Volume and the Mountain-Sea Volume to perfection, and can even execute the third form, A Thousand Miles in a Single Line, of the Phantom Volume. This Su Xin’s talent in the Dao of the Sword..." Palace Master Qingyang furrowed his brows tightly as he stared at Su Xin.

He had originally thought he already held Su Xin in high enough regard.

Yet he never expected that Su Xin's talent in the Dao of the Sword would be far more terrifying than he had ever imagined.

Palace Master Diyue had previously stated that Su Xin's talent in the Dao of the Sword could rank in the top three among all the sword geniuses in the history of Tianyan Palace. Now, seeing Su Xin execute A Thousand Miles in a Single Line, Palace Master Qingyang even believed that Su Xin's talent in the Dao of the Sword deserved to be called the absolute number one in the history of Tianyan Palace.

"With such talent, if he is allowed to grow unchecked, the threat to His Highness Prince Qi in the future..." Palace Master Qingyang's gaze grew cold and gloomy.

The two palace masters of Tianyan Palace were both top-tier powerhouses in the Nirvana Realm with vast experience, enabling them to perceive the true mystery behind Su Xin's sword strike just now.

Yet within the arena, the dense crowd of hundreds of thousands of spectators could mostly perceive nothing of the sort.

They only saw Su Xin make his move; in just a fleeting instant, before they could even clearly see how Su Xin swung his sword, Xia Mang had already been defeated.

"Aaaaaah!!!"

A roar of cheers, akin to an avalanche and roaring seas, echoed throughout the grand arena.

"Su Xin!!"

"Su Xin!!"

Hundreds of thousands of spectators shouted Su Xin's name in unison.

At this moment, Su Xin was undoubtedly the most dazzling presence in the entire arena.

He was the undisputed champion of this Tianyan Dynasty Imperial Hunt!

And he was the most dazzling, astonishing super genius of this generation in the Tianyan Dynasty!!

"This kid truly didn't let me down."

In an inconspicuous corner, the gray-robed man wore a smile on his face at this moment.

"With the cultivation of a peak Sea-Transforming Realm, he swept through all geniuses and claimed the undisputed championship of this hunt. With such talent and strength, hmph, who would still dare to question my judgment?"

"That Tianyan Palace actually refused to grant him a special recruitment quota previously. They must be truly blind."

The gray-robed man smiled, occasionally glancing in the direction of Palace Master Diyue and Palace Master Qingyang. His gaze carried a hint of exhilaration; even when Palace Master Qingyang looked over, he raised his chin in a triumphant and slightly provocative posture.

Clearly, Su Xin's performance in this hunt had won him tremendous prestige.

"Since they wouldn't grant a special recruitment quota, he enters Tianyan Palace directly in the capacity of the top genius of this hunt. This kid really suits my temperament." The gray-robed man glanced at Su Xin below, undisguised admiration filling his eyes.

...

amidst the thunderous cheers, the purple-haired elder announced the final match result.

Su Xin defeated Xia Mang, securing four wins out of four matches and becoming the champion of this hunt. Upon entering Tianyan Palace, he would also receive an initial resource reward of a full ten thousand fire points.

As for Xia Mang, he ranked second and would receive five thousand fire points upon entering Tianyan Palace.

With the results out, this year's hunt came to a close.

Countless spectators in the stands gradually left the venue amidst exclamations and discussions.

Su Xin and Xia Mang had already returned to the preparation area.

Duan Yunfeng, who had been waiting there for a long time, hurried forward instantly.

"Brother, brilliant!"

"I thought I had hidden enough of my strength, but I didn't expect you to be even more ruthless! The sword technique you used at the very end should be the third form of the Phantom Volume, right? I heard the third form of the Phantom Volume is extremely difficult to comprehend, with very high demands on sword intent comprehension."

Duan Yunfeng fired off several questions as soon as he arrived.

It was evident he was quite excited, as if it were he himself who had won the championship.

In truth, after Duan Yunfeng's strongest trump card was easily shattered by Xia Mang, he had felt that no one could stop Xia Mang in this hunt anymore.

Yet he never expected that Su Xin, the brother he acknowledged, would defeat Xia Mang head-on. Naturally, he was overjoyed.

Su Xin smiled and answered them one by one, feeling equally pleased.

"Su Xin."

Xia Mang walked up to Su Xin.

"What, Xia Mang, are you still unconvinced?" Duan Yunfeng looked at Xia Mang with a somewhat haughty expression.

"A loss is a loss; there's nothing to be unconvinced about. Your strength is indeed greater than mine." Xia Mang stared intently at Su Xin and said, "After this hunt, both of you and I will enter Tianyan Palace to cultivate. At the Sea-Transforming Realm level, I can no longer hope to catch up to you. Once both of us break through to the Void-Breaking Realm in the future, if there is an opportunity, we will spar again."

"Spar again after breaking through to the Void-Breaking Realm?" Su Xin smiled.

Xia Mang possessed this much self-awareness.

His cultivation had already reached the peak of the Sea-Transforming Realm, and his techniques and intent comprehension had also reached his absolute personal limit. It could be said that at the Sea-Transforming Realm level, he had completely exhausted any room for further progress.

Su Xin, however, was different. He had just broken through to the peak Sea-Transforming Realm, and he still possessed vast room for growth within this realm.

Therefore, knowing he could no longer be a match for Su Xin in the Sea-Transforming Realm, Xia Mang proposed to compare notes again after both had broken through to the Void-Breaking Realm.

"Very well." Su Xin agreed with a smile.

Su Xin held top-tier geniuses like Xia Mang in high regard.

In their recent battle, he had indeed given nearly everything.

The reason it was 'nearly' was because he still possessed his ultimate trump card, the God-Slaying Forbidden Technique, which he had not used. Furthermore, his bloodline power had only ever been stimulated to seventy percent.

As his cultivation improved, he could unearth more and more bloodline power within his body, and the enhancement of his overall strength by this bloodline power became even more astonishing. Merely stimulating seventy percent of his bloodline power had already caused his strength to skyrocket.

And at one hundred percent bloodline power... once unleashed, it would be entirely sufficient to elevate his strength to a whole new level.

However, he did not wish to draw too much attention to himself. After all, if anyone were to notice that his bloodline power tier was too high, it would invite endless trouble.

At that moment, Su Xin suddenly caught sight of someone in the crowd.

"Master Wuzhao." Su Xin walked over.

"Benefactor Su Xin, congratulations on winning the championship of this hunt." Wuzhao was still smiling warmly, giving off an immensely amiable feeling.

"Master Wuzhao is too polite. If you hadn't chosen to forfeit and instead fought round by round like the others, come the final showdown, I might not have been your match." Su Xin looked at the Wuzhao before him.

He was not being modest.

From the very first time he met Wuzhao in the hunting grounds, Su Xin had harbored a persistent feeling that Wuzhao was... exceedingly strong!

He might even be stronger than Xia Mang.

It was just that Wuzhao had later forfeited voluntarily, leaving no opportunity to truly cross swords with him.

This had kept Su Xin curious about his true strength.

"Master Wuzhao, dare I ask, if you and I were to truly fight, what odds of victory would I have?" Su Xin inquired.

Wuzhao glanced at Su Xin, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke, "Benefactor's strength is astonishing, and at this Sea-Transforming Realm level, you still possess vast room for growth. If Benefactor can elevate your cultivation to the peak Sea-Transforming Realm, this poor monk would not be your match."

These words immediately startled Su Xin.

Only after breaking through to the peak Sea-Transforming Realm would Wuzhao admit he was no match.

In other words, while he was currently only at the peak Sea-Transforming Realm, Wuzhao was confident he could defeat him.

"Indeed, there is always someone better." Su Xin smiled faintly.

He did not harbor any arrogance or self-satisfaction simply because he had defeated Xia Mang and won the championship of this hunt.

He knew very well that the world was vast.

Even the Tianyan Dynasty was merely one of countless dynasties in the Eastern Wasteland. Winning the championship of a hunt within a single dynasty meant nothing; there were certainly those in the Sea-Transforming Realm across the world who were stronger than his current self.

Take Wuzhao, for instance; he had no certainty of victory against him.

...

Su Xin did not doubt Wuzhao's words, but Duan Yunfeng, standing beside him, was displeased.

"Hey, big monk, I can't tell, but you're quite arrogant, aren't you? You say you wouldn't be a match only after my brother's cultivation breaks through to the peak of the Sea-Transforming Realm—are you implying you're his match right now?" Duan Yunfeng said.

He was currently brimming with pride over Su Xin's defeat of Xia Mang, only to abruptly hear Wuzhao make such a remark...

Wuzhao smiled without offering a lengthy explanation, instead saying, "Benefactor Su Xin possesses extraordinary innate talent, and his future accomplishments will undoubtedly be extraordinary. If there is an opportunity another day, we shall meet again at the Nine Sacred Mountains."

"Nine Sacred Mountains?"

Duan Yunfeng, who had still been immensely dissatisfied with Wuzhao, instantly turned pale with shock upon hearing the three words 'Nine Sacred Mountains'. "Big monk, you actually come from the Nine Sacred Mountains?"

Even Xia Mang, standing behind them, revealed a look of shock upon hearing of the Nine Sacred Mountains.

"Nine Sacred Mountains? What Nine Sacred Mountains?" Su Xin wore a puzzled expression.

Although he was the young master of the Su family and came from a prestigious background, he had never heard of these Nine Sacred Mountains.

At that moment, the Emperor of Tianyan and the two palace masters of Tianyan Palace drifted down from the high platform and approached them.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

The numerous geniuses still lingering here hurriedly bowed in salute.

"Rise." The Emperor of Tianyan waved his hand, and everyone stood up.

"Xia Mang."

The Emperor of Tianyan first looked at Xia Mang, who belonged to the imperial clan, and said, "Your performance in this hunt was already very good. Once you enter Tianyan Palace, continue to work hard."

"Yes." Xia Mang nodded.

"Wuzhao." The Emperor of Tianyan then looked toward Wuzhao.

"This poor monk greets Your Majesty." Wuzhao bowed once more.

Looking at Wuzhao before him, the Emperor of Tianyan frowned. "Your origins, including the purpose of this trip, are already known to Us. We will not hold this against you this time, but if there is a next time, and you join that little girl in making trouble again, We will not be so lenient."

"This poor monk will remember." Wuzhao smiled, though the smile carried a hint of awkwardness.

"Su Xin."

Finally, the Emperor of Tianyan looked at Su Xin, a smile blossoming across his face.