Sword Pellet

A purple robe, a white gown. At this moment, they became the focus of the entire arena. A sea of spectators roared and cheered. Yet none of this affected the two men on the platform in the slightest. "I've always heard that you Dahe Market cultivators are best at fighting, but seeing you today has left Bai quite disappointed!" Bai Qi toyed with a scarlet sphere in his hand, a playful smirk on his face. "In the previous seven bouts, other than that Sick Tiger Zeng Wen, not a single one was worth looking at. You wouldn't happen to be even more useless than him, would you?" Tall and imposing, Qin Liangchen tilted his nose into the air with utter disdain. "Zeng Wen? He's not fit to be compared to me. Back when he tried to fight me over a woman, I beat him until he scurried away like a rat with its head between its paws." Bai Qi's eyes brightened. "In that case, you must have some real skill!" It was the gaze of a hunter who had spotted prize game. Qin Liangchen hated that look. All along, it had always been him treating demonic beasts and rogue cultivators as prey. A large golden mace abruptly flew forth. "If you want to fight, then fight! What's with all the drivel!" Heavy and powerful, the golden mace smashed downward with immense force, its majestic momentum suffocating the spirit. Bai Qi did not panic in the least, casually tossing the scarlet sphere upward. Instantly! Sword light filled the sky, bursting with killing intent. In a single exchange, the sword light crisscrossed like silk threads, tightly enveloping the golden mace. An extreme cutting force erupted, and the golden mace instantly shattered, spraying into countless fragments in all directions. "A sword pellet!" Qin Liangchen's expression changed drastically! *** "Oh? That's actually our sect's sword pellet." At the most luxurious grandstand, Luo Tianhong uttered a sound of surprise. Pang Renxiong, the Golden Core Master who had been resting with closed eyes, could not help but open them. With just a single glance, he shook his head and closed his eyes once more. From beginning to end, he offered no evaluation whatsoever. Luo Tianhong thought nothing of it; a Qi Refinement cultivator wielding a sword pellet naturally could not catch the elder's eye. He, on the other hand, watched with great interest. However, after observing closely for two exchanges, his brow furrowed as well. "Crooked ways and evil arts. Unworthy of being called a sword cultivator!" *** The instant the sword pellet appeared, nearly everyone with a modicum of discernment turned their gaze toward the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect's grandstand. Yet not a single Jade Cauldron sword cultivator spoke. Even some of the Qi Refinement disciples who had come to assist showed shock on their faces, followed immediately by rising fury. Unaware of the details, the onlookers had no choice but to turn their attention back to the Dao Discussion Platform. Beneath that sky full of sword threads, the Mountain Breaker Gang cultivator struggled to hold on, his purple robe covered in slashes. "That purple robe must be a superior-grade defensive robe. The Mountain Breaker Gang certainly spared no expense, bringing out such a fine treasure." "Still, before a weapon as lethal as a sword pellet, I doubt it can last more than a few exchanges." "This man is in grave peril!" Anyone could clearly see Qin Liangchen's predicament. No matter what artifact he brought out, under that rain of thread-like sword light, it would reduce to fragments in just two or three breaths. On the Mountain Breaker Gang's grandstand, Murong Qinglian had long since stood up in distress. Biting her lip, her delicate frame trembled slightly. "Uncle Mi, can Liangchen win?" Mi Shuhua's expression was grave. "His opponent is using a sword pellet, whose offensive power is virtually peerless among artifacts. But with the Purple River Daoist Robe I gave him, Liangchen is safe for the moment. Still, prolonged defense invites defeat; Liangchen must launch a counterattack!" Could he counterattack? Beneath that sky of scarlet sword light, how many Qi Refinement cultivators could possibly break through the encirclement? Luo Chen's heart pounded wildly. To think such an artifact existed in this world! No, rather, a sword pellet could hardly be called a mere artifact anymore. Strictly speaking, every sword pellet from the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect could be considered the embryonic core of a magic treasure. As long as a cultivator nurtured it daily with spiritual sense and spiritual power, upon advancing to the Golden Core stage, they could refine it with true fire and elevate it into a magic treasure. Against such a lethal weapon, even with a superior-grade defensive robe, holding out indefinitely was impossible. How could Brother Qin break through this impasse? If I encounter such an enemy in the future, how could I withstand it? *** Break the impasse? Qin Liangchen's beard and hair bristled as he took out another artifact. Across from him, Bai Qi laughed arrogantly at the sight. "Such low-grade artifacts are utterly useless against my sword pellet!" Qin Liangchen remained unmoved. The moment he unleashed the artifact, he used his vast spiritual power to shatter the formation etched upon it. *Boom!* The artifact instantly self-destructed! Its immense power swept aside the sky of sword light for a fleeting instant. This move of his was clearly learned from Yang Rusheng's tactics in the previous match. An opening! Seizing the opportunity, Qin Liangchen surged forward. Bai Qi sneered, looking as though he had long anticipated such a weakness. Dispersed sword light lacked concentrated power. Yet he was prepared! His ten fingers flicked in rapid succession, spraying blood from his fingertips. The sword light in midair abruptly condensed into a singular entity, turning into a massive blood-colored greatsword that cleaved straight down at his head. A blood refinement method! When he unleashed this technique, many people came to understand. No wonder a Qi Refinement cultivator could wield a sword pellet that only Foundation Establishment cultivators could barely control. A blood refinement method could indeed achieve this. However, doing so injured oneself and damaged the sword pellet even more. An embryonic core that could have been upgraded into a magic treasure would henceforth never advance for the rest of its existence, reduced to nothing more than a superior-grade offensive artifact. No wonder the people of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect showed disdain, and even anger. Using such a degraded technique was an insult to the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect's sword pellets. They might have understood, but what Qin Liangchen faced was a genuine life-or-death crisis. Facing the massive blood-colored greatsword cleaving down at his head, Qin Liangchen's eyes widened in a glare, and he charged forward heedless of everything. This was his only chance. Even if it cost him his life, he had to seize it! A jade-like palm reached up and grasped that blade of sword light. "Ahhh..." A wretched scream tore from his throat. In his palm, the sword pellet trembled violently. The purple Daoist robe continuously flared with purple radiance, striving to repel the bursting sword light, but how could it withstand the might of a magic treasure's embryonic core? In less than three breaths, the purple light dissipated. Immediately following was a barrage of explosive blasts. *Bang! Bang! Bang!* Starting from his palm, Qin Liangchen's flesh and blood began to disintegrate inch by inch. Across from him, Bai Qi sneered continuously. To dare face a sword pellet's killing strike with bare flesh and blood—he had never seen anyone so foolish. Suddenly, his expression changed drastically. In those three breaths, his opponent had already drawn perilously close. *Bang!* Yet another explosive blast rang out. What he saw was not an expression of despair and agony, but a savage, terrifying face. "Hah!" His only remaining left hand, glowing with pure white jade, swung high into the air. And then cleaved down. Bai Qi collapsed dumbfoundedly to the ground. Tumbling down alongside him was the scarlet sword pellet, entwined with countless threads. Gasping for breath in heavy heaves, Qin Liangchen grinned ferociously. "Why the hell did you think they call me the Jade-Snapping Tiger?!" Upon his left hand, a white glove had appeared at some point. It was precisely with this artifact that, from a zhang away, he had cleaved Bai Qi's body in two. The price Qin Liangchen paid for this was his entire right arm, from palm to shoulder, shredded into bloody pieces. Everyone stared at the one-armed man standing alone on the platform. At his feet lay Bai Qi, cleaved into two halves. Who would have thought a battle between Qi Refinement cultivators could be so gruesome! At some point, Miao Zhen had landed on the platform. Shaking his head, he reached out and took the sword pellet into his hand. "In this bout, Qin Liangchen of the Mountain Breaker Gang is victorious." After announcing the result, he said indifferently, "This sword pellet and all the spoils on this man belong to my Jade Cauldron Sword Sect." Qin Liangchen's mind was somewhat groggy now. Hearing that someone wanted to seize his spoils, he could not help but look up. "Your arm is ruined. We will help you replace it with a suitable one." "In addition, we will compensate you with ten thousand spirit stones." "Very well, step down!" "Oh." Hearing that he could have a new arm attached, Qin Liangchen, whose consciousness was barely holding together, gave a dazed response and exited the Dao Discussion Platform. When he reached the gate, Murong Qinglian was already waiting there. Grinning, he squeezed out a few words: "I'm back."