All Are Genuine

Quan Juehua perfunctorily raised his hand and slashed. The shockwave unleashed by this slash carried only a meager trace of energy, yet it effortlessly shattered Zhang Shou's saber beam before slicing through both the Grand Blaze Sky-Burning Saber and Zhang Shou himself. Fortunately, in the split second the Grand Blaze Sky-Burning Saber snapped, Zhang Shou shifted his body slightly sideways, so his head was not cleaved open—only his left side, shoulder included, was sheared clean off. The rules of life and death immediately circulated. In an instant, Zhang Shou's body pulled back together. He stared at the saber in his hand in disbelief, lost for words. He had truly believed this blade was the legendary Grand Blaze Sky-Burning Saber, going so far as to store it within his own heart to nourish it with the rules of the blade. And yet... it was actually a fake. "What?" Quan Juehua said with amusement. "Got any more sabers? If not, it's time for you to die." In his eyes, Zhang Shou posed no threat whatsoever—a minor figure he could slaughter at a whim. The only reason he had not rushed to kill him was that he was biding his time, watching. Indeed. Though Quan Juehua appeared to be toying with Zhang Shou, he was in fact probing. He needed to be certain that executing Zhang Shou would not provoke the entity who had beaten him earlier. He did not know who had attacked him twice before, but he was virtually certain they were tied to those aboard the Aska. And Zhang Shou was also from the Aska, which gave him at least some pause. That was also why he had arranged for Luo Jiu to fight Zhang Shou first. Even in death, Luo Jiu probably never realized that his dear master had quietly used him as a pawn. It was just that he was too weak to draw out any useful answers for Quan Juehua. Which only proved that so long as you were useless enough, even the cleverest schemer couldn't make use of you. "..." Zhang Shou had no better saber left. Gripping the broken Grand Blaze Sky-Burning Saber in silence, he slowly looked up at Quan Juehua. Countless memories flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern: his father carrying him on his back to chase dragonflies as a child; washing his feet by the stream with his mother, letting the cool, clear water ripple past. Under the dazzling sunlight, everyone was smiling... Walking to school with Yu Xian, watching a street vendor's hands dance until two sticks of cotton candy were spun in the blink of an eye, one for him and one for Yu Xian, eating as they walked to class. Deep in the night, snuggled beneath the blankets with Chen Ling, stroking her smooth back and whispering sweet nothings. In the Zhen Realm, cultivating in solitude, slaying monster after monster, until the saber in his hand seemed to take on a different meaning, no longer an ordinary tool. Aboard the Aska, everyone drinking and singing, caught sneaking cheats while playing cards with Chi Feihong, the whole crew laughing and chasing them down in mock outrage. While he strove in his cultivation, Niman would always prepare drinks and snacks for him, occasionally offering guidance from the side, her big-sisterly smile always sweeping away a whole day's exhaustion. He couldn't go back. Then he wouldn't go back. With a low roar, Zhang Shou poured his own energy into the Grand Blaze Sky-Burning Saber, bridging the broken section with raw power to make the blade whole once more. "Absolute Saber—Sacrifice!" Zhang Shou charged, slashing his saber straight at Quan Juehua's head. Alas, though he had grown stronger, the gulf between him and Quan Juehua had hardly shrunk. If his level had previously been 100, then right now it was at most 1,000, whereas Quan Juehua's level remained 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. The disparity was still infinitely vast; against a divide like that, his slight progress made virtually no difference at all. Faced with this strike, Quan Juehua casually raised a hand to block it before lashing out with a kick, sending Zhang Shou flying backward once more. *It seems... there is no issue!* Watching Zhang Shou violently cough up blood, Quan Juehua slowly reached a verdict. *Maybe I can kill this one!* Even as Quan Juehua pondered, Zhang Shou roared again and lunged forward. Blood constantly spilled from the corners of his mouth, and trickles were even seeping from his eyes, nostrils, and ears. Yet he had long cast life and death aside. "Since you're courting death, I'll oblige you!" Quan Juehua's eyes narrowed slightly, shifting his grip on the saber. "Fierce Saber, Severing Strike!" Watching Zhang Shou fly toward him, he slashed in an instant. The pitch-black blade beam was larger than Zhang Shou's entire body. If it struck home, Zhang Shou would surely be pulverized into nothingness. Yet just as the distance between the black saber beam and Zhang Shou narrowed to a mere 1.616255×10⁻³⁵ meters, billowing flames suddenly materialized from the Grand Blaze Sky-Burning Saber in his grip. The flames swirled across the length of the blade and ultimately enveloped Zhang Shou as well. Boom! The black blade beam collided with the swirling flames, instantly forming two V-shaped fronts of colliding energy. Seeing this, Quan Juehua frantically retreated, watching ahead with guarded caution. After a long time, the blade beam and the flames gradually dispersed. Draped in a trench coat woven of fire, Zhang Shou tightly gripped the Grand Blaze Sky-Burning Saber. By now, the broken blade had regrown entirely. Wisps of flame flowed along its length, and the crackle of its burning was like heavenly music, conveying its acceptance of him. *So... there are no fakes at all!* In that instant, Zhang Shou understood: every single Grand Blaze Sky-Burning Saber was genuine. Only a wielder acknowledged by the blade spirit could ever see the Grand Blaze Sky-Burning Saber's true form—and the saber spirit favored the brave! What was a brave person? Not fearing death was merely reckless audacity. A truly brave person was someone who, having clearly recognized the insurmountable divide, still dared to draw their blade for the conviction in their heart. Zhang Shou slowly raised the Grand Blaze Sky-Burning Saber, pointing the tip at Quan Juehua. Through gritted teeth, he said, "Looks like... luck is on my side." "Hmph! How could the gap between you and me be bridged just by gaining a saber?!" Quan Juehua's face twisted with jealousy as he spat in hatred. In his earlier years, he too had desperately yearned to acquire legendary divine weapons. He had once hunted for the Great Thunderbolt Lightning Flash Thunder Roar Saber, one of the legendary Ten Divine Sabers, only to find nothing but counterfeits, which enraged him so much that he crushed every single one to pieces. Later, his sights turned to the Great Ice Snow Frost Flower Chilling Intent Saber, yet after searching for countless ages, he failed to find even a counterfeit. Yet what about this brat? He had clearly been holding a fake, yet somehow it had turned into the real thing! Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it all! Quan Juehua moved in an instant. His figure flickered erratically as he swung a slash from an elusive distance, then circled around to Zhang Shou's other flank, bearing down with his full weight to cleave straight toward Zhang Shou's right arm. Since it had been delivered to his doorstep, he wouldn't stand on ceremony. Quan Juehua's objective was crystal clear: seize the Grand Blaze Sky-Burning Saber from Zhang Shou's grasp. "Desperation—Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill!" Glancing at the incoming blade beam on his left, Zhang Shou struck out with lightning speed. Waves of warmth flowed constantly through the hilt of the Grand Blaze Sky-Burning Saber into his body, and he could feel his strength surging beyond anything he had known before. If his Desperate Seven-Kill Saber had previously required pauses between strikes, he could now unleash them seamlessly without any gap. Rumble! With a single strike, the blade energy Quan Juehua had slashed evaporated instantly. Then Zhang Shou struck again at the incoming Quan Juehua. By now, Quan Juehua was inches away. The moment he laid eyes on the Grand Blaze Sky-Burning Saber, an all-incinerating heat washed over him. Every cell in his body swelled, and the energy within him rampaged uncontrollably. *Not good!* Quan Juehua cried out in alarm. Instantly abandoning his attack, he flashed a light-year away. Looking back, he saw a scarlet blade light that illuminated the heavens in the wake of Zhang Shou's slash. A surging wave of searing heat swept toward him faster than light. Quan Juehua's hair and clothes spontaneously ignited in an instant. He stared fixedly at the blade light, not uttering a single word.