You Are the Foremost Today, and in My Time, So Was I!

With two simple sentences, both demonstrated the innate pride of sword cultivators. No matter who one was, anyone who walked the path of cultivation possessed the pride to vie for supremacy. Clearly, before Li Guanqi had issued his challenge, Nangong Xuandu was recognized as the foremost sword cultivator below the Tribulation Transcendence realm! Yet Li Guanqi, the latecomer, had gone on to challenge him right after defeating Chan Kongzi. As proud as Nangong Xuandu was, he would naturally do everything in his power to take this duel with utmost seriousness! That was why he had opened with such words to raise the curtain on this clash. By the same token, it meant Nangong Xuandu fully acknowledged Li Guanqi's strength! Above the massive Dao platform, winds stirred and clouds surged. Astral winds raged as lightning and tempestuous gales intertwined into a magnificent tableau. Clad in white robes, Li Guanqi was enveloped in purple lightning sword qi, his deep eyes flickering with solemnity. "I never imagined that one day I would measure myself against Senior Nangong either." Nangong Xuandu offered a faint smile. With a flick of Qingxiao, he flourished the blade into a display resembling a swimming dragon. "Nor did I." "Though... choosing Chan Kongzi as your first challenge wasn't because you thought he was weak, was it?" Nangong Xuandu narrowed his eyes and murmured softly toward Li Guanqi, who stood proud and upright before him. "Through your battle with Chan Kongzi, in just a few short days, you actually elevated your mastery over your physical body to another level..." "Such talent is truly terrifying." Hearing Nangong Xuandu's words, the onlookers finally understood where the change in Li Guanqi had come from! His remark immediately drew gasps of astonishment from many watching cultivators! Doubt flickered in the eyes of many experts, though disbelief was far more prevalent. For what Nangong Xuandu described sounded utterly impossible to them! A mere seven days—only seven days had passed between the two challenges. Li Guanqi also had to heal his injuries. Even if he could absorb insights from the prior battle, it should never have allowed his control over a form of power to leap up an entire tier! "Senior Nangong is universally recognized as the strongest sword cultivator below the Tribulation Transcendence realm! Since he said so himself, could this kid... really have planned it that way?" Among the crowd, an old man stroked his beard and sighed in awe. "Li Guanqi's cultivation is astonishing, but what is even rarer is his insight and strategic acumen. Challenging Chan Kongzi was clearly calculated to counter Nangong Xuandu." Another young cultivator spoke with reverence, his eyes brimming with envy. "If only I possessed such comprehension and fortune, why would I ever worry about going further on this path of cultivation?" Inwardly, Li Guanqi marveled at Nangong Xuandu's keen intellect. Indeed, the order in which he challenged each opponent had been planned well in advance! He had long observed Nangong Xuandu in action; his sword momentum was ferocious yet remarkably delicate. That was precisely why he had used the duel with Chan Kongzi to enhance his own physical control! Although such a change was subtle, to top-tier swordsmen, even the slightest difference in the angle of a strike could bring about immense variations. Li Guanqi curled his lips into a faint smile, offering no denial. Wearing a similar smile, Nangong Xuandu murmured, "What a terrifying little fellow..." The moment the words fell, the winds ceased, and the clouds stilled across heaven and earth! Buzz! Boom! Two figures transformed into streaks of light, instantly vanishing from their spots! The clash erupted with virtually no warning. And just when everyone assumed the two would first probe each other's depths... Boom! Boom! Two pillars of light shot straight into the firmament, instantly ripping through the astral winds and thunderclouds overhead! In an instant, violent thunder sword qi and sharp azure astral wind sword qi exploded outward! The dazzling sword light blurred the vision of every spectator. Standing merely three feet apart, the two clashed with frenzied intensity! How could their terrifying sword speed be limited to a mere hundred strikes per breath? Although Li Guanqi held a slight edge in raw strength, Nangong Xuandu was, after all, in the half-step Tribulation Transcendence realm. His reserves of primal energy were terrifyingly vast. In the span of a single breath, the jade crowns atop their heads both shattered. Their long hair whipped wildly in the wind! Yet from beginning to end, their eyes remained locked on each other, without the slightest ripple of emotion. Their exchange was perilous beyond measure, every dodge and shift confined to mere inches! Boom! Clang, clang, clang, clang! Clang, clang! Clang, clang, clang! The dense barrage of clashes sounded like beads from a snapped string raining down upon a jade platter. The torrential, tempestuous assault drew the onlookers in so completely that they held their breath in suspense. Even though they were merely watching from the sidelines, the suffocating pressure bore down upon them relentlessly! At first, the spectators had assumed the atmospheric anomalies gathering high above the platform were caused by the clash of their auras. None had realized those phenomena held the power of their respective domains! When that truth was revealed, it prompted muttered curses from many in the crowd. "Tch, a little fox and an old fox!" "They disguised it so well I couldn't even tell... Turns out they were probing each other all along!" "If that were me, I'd still be foolishly locking horns..." With the battle only just beginning, Long Hou's gaze shifted repeatedly. Hong Zhi furrowed her brows, her expression solemn in the extreme. Xiang Huaizhi pulled his hands from his sleeves, stood up, and flickered away, appearing atop a high peak at the edge of the battlefield. Hands clasped behind his back, Xiang Huaizhi watched the battle with absolute focus! Gazing at the two locked in combat, he murmured, "So strong!" This praise was not just for Li Guanqi; it was equally an admiration of the strength Nangong Xuandu displayed. From the looks of it, Nangong Xuandu was truly going all out! Peak Mahayana realm! Half-step Tribulation Transcendence! The auras of both surged like turbulent tides. Yet immediately afterward, Nangong Xuandu's aura began to dip slightly, stabilizing at the peak Mahayana realm. Thud! Clang! Purple and azure sword lights erupted simultaneously, sending both hurtling back over a hundred zhang before arresting their momentum! A trail of blood appeared across Li Guanqi's cheek, his robe torn to ribbons, with several fresh wounds marring his body. A hint of confusion flashed in Li Guanqi's eyes as he looked up toward Nangong Xuandu in the distance. Nangong Xuandu's green robes were scorched and tattered by the lightning sword light. He, too, bore several new cuts. Though not severe, they ignited an unfamiliar thrill of excitement within him! "Why?" Nangong Xuandu let go of his sword and used both hands to tie up his loose hair, his voice tinged with suppressed exhilaration. Keeping his head down as he arranged his hair, he said softly, "You are the undisputed foremost youth of this era." "As it happens, in my time, so was I." Having tied up his hair, Nangong Xuandu slowly shrugged off his green robe. Across his fair skin lay countless hideous, twisted scars. When he reached out and took hold of Qingxiao once more, his entire aura transformed completely! The longsword hummed, as if echoing the surging passion in its master's heart. In this moment, Nangong Xuandu seemed to have returned to his own era— an era that belonged solely to him! Gripping his sword, Nangong Xuandu's muscles tightened, poised like a hunting leopard coiled to strike. He looked up at Li Guanqi and declared in a resounding voice, "I shall defeat you at the very same realm!" In the man's eyes, Li Guanqi saw the pride unique to the truly strong! For Nangong Xuandu disdained using the advantage of his half-step Tribulation Transcendence realm to suppress him. He insisted on standing within the exact same cultivation realm to prove who was supreme! The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved upward, and he drew a deep breath... The moment Red Lotus bloomed, the full power of the Sword Ruins was unleashed! Sword intent surged, and dragon scales materialized. The Divine Punishment cultivation method instantly circulated to the peak of the third layer! Boom! The vast Dao platform trembled slightly as Li Guanqi gripped his sword in his left hand. The moment their gazes collided, the battle erupted once more!