Porcupinefish Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo withdrew their gazes and began to discuss official matters with Xue Qinghe.
"Young master, this year's new students at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy are extremely impressive."
"Yu Tianheng, who has the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul from two years ago has already become the captain of the Heaven Dou Imperial Battle Team."
"He has led his six team members to a record of twenty consecutive victories in the Heaven Dou Imperial City Great Spirit Arena."
"If you intend to control the Heaven Dou Empire in the future, it would be best to establish connections with these young prodigies."
Xue Qinghe nodded coldly, silent for a long moment before speaking:
"Inform the Academy's Board of Education."
"There's someone I want to enroll into the Imperial Academy."
Porcupinefish and Snake Lance exchanged a glance, each seeing helplessness in the other's eyes.
The young master was really that concerned about this youth named Li Zhexian?
The guy had turned him down more than once, yet he was still going out of his way?
Of course—
That wasn't something they could say aloud.
They both responded respectfully,
"Yes."
—
Moonlight spread like salt across the ground.
In the center of his courtyard, Li Zhexian stood, the Qinglian Sword in his hand carving out streak after streak of razor-sharp sword light.
His sword—
Was far too fast.
Far too sharp.
The blade, three fingers wide and three feet six inches long, was wielded with such fluidity that it became a curtain of steel.
The old locust tree in the courtyard rustled violently under the disturbance of sword qi, shedding leaves in cascades.
Swish—! Swish—!
Rays of chilling sword light flashed like a storm in the courtyard.
Every strike—
Unerringly pierced a falling leaf.
By the time Li Zhexian stopped moving and stood straight,
The Qinglian Sword in his hand was adorned with countless pierced leaves.
None of the leaves that had just been falling to the ground had actually landed.
If an outsider had seen this scene, they'd have been scared stiff.
But Li Zhexian frowned, dissatisfied.
He stared at the Qinglian Sword, starlight flowing along its edge, reflecting his slightly furrowed brow.
"Something's not right…"
"My sword grows sharper by the day, but it feels like it's missing something…"
Just as he fell into deep thought—
"Meow—!"
A sharp yowl echoed from beyond the courtyard wall.
Li Zhexian instinctively turned his head—and saw two wildcats, one chasing the other, leaping up onto the wall.
The one being chased suddenly turned around, bared its fangs, arched its back, and pounced with a swipe of its claws.
"Meow!"
The dominant cat's neck was instantly slashed open, blood beading out.
Seeing that moment—
Li Zhexian's gaze froze.
A flash of insight struck his mind.
He finally knew what his sword was lacking.
With his current comprehension, he already understood the three realms of the sword:
The lower sword cuts others. The middle sword cuts oneself. The upper sword cuts the night.
The creation of his Yaoguang Sword had let him steal a sliver of starlight—touching upon the realm of the upper sword.
But he had forgotten the foundation.
"The sword… is a weapon of slaughter."
Li Zhexian murmured,
"Maybe…"
"I need more actual combat, where blood is shed."
—
The next morning.
Li Zhexian arrived at a massive structure in the southeast corner of the Heaven Dou Imperial City.
The building resembled the Roman Colosseum from his past life—an oval-shaped arena constructed from blocks of yellow stone, its walls weathered and cracked by time, stained with the marks of blood and battle.
Dozens of enormous archways, like the ribs of a beast, were neatly aligned across the arena's four towering levels.
"So this is the Grand Spirit Arena of the Heaven Dou Imperial City…"
Li Zhexian stepped inside.
And instantly—
A tidal wave of noise rushed at him.
Dust swirled in the foul air, mingling with the stench of blood and sweat.
Shouts came from every direction—the roars of combatants, the screams of the crowd, and the explosions of Spirit Abilities colliding—all blending into a cacophonous frenzy.
Scanning the arena, all he saw was chaos.
A blood-stained dueling platform stood in the center, where Spirit Masters were locked in brutal combat.
In the stands, people waved their arms wildly, faces twisted in hysteria.
Li Zhexian let out a slow breath.
A flicker of excitement lit up in his dark eyes.
—
He squeezed his way to the registration desk.
"I want to sign up for a Spirit Duel."
The process went smoothly.
For his alias, he chose the name: "Sword Wine."
An iron badge was was pinned to his chest, representing his rank
In the Grand Spirit Arena, victory or defeat earned points, which allowed participants to rise through badge ranks.
The ranks, from low to high, were: Iron, Copper, Silver, Gold, and Purple-Gold.
The higher the rank, the stronger the opponents, and the greater the rewards.
Li Zhexian picked a faceless mask—one without any features—and donned it before heading straight to the betting area.
He laid out all his remaining wealth—three gold spirit coins—on the betting table in a neat line.
"Betting on the 8 PM and 9 PM matches—'Sword Wine' wins."
Having done all that,
Li Zhexian left the Grand Spirit Arena.
It was still early.
He had agreed to grill meat with Xue Qinghe later. There was no rush to return just yet.
—
Time passed, and night arrived.
Backstage at the Grand Spirit Arena.
Li Zhexian stood with his arms crossed, leaning lazily against the wall.
He coldly watched injured fighters walking past—some bleeding from the face, others limping, their bodies wrapped like mummies, black-red blood soaking through the coarse bandages.
They always said Spirit Masters held high status.
But in the Grand Spirit Arena, Spirit Masters were barely a step above beasts.
Blood and brutality ruled here.
—
Soon enough—
It was 8:00 PM.
Li Zhexian had little fame, so when the announcer called his match, his entrance earned no applause.
But his opponent was a different story.
The announcer shouted at the top of his lungs, voice shaking with excitement:
"Next, give your warmest welcome to… Fierce Wolf!"
The crowd erupted like thunder.
"Fierce Wolf has already won four consecutive one-on-one Spirit Duels!"
"If he wins tonight's match against 'Sword Wine,' it will mark his fifth straight victory—and a promotion to Copper Badge!"
Li Zhexian calmly watched his opponent step onto the stage.
A hulking, shirtless man, whose scarred face was tattooed with a snarling blood wolf—his presence was as vicious as his name.
Noticing the featureless mask staring at him,
The man grinned, revealing crimson-stained teeth, and made a throat-slitting gesture.
His taunt whipped the crowd into a frenzy.
They screamed, their voices crazed:
"Fierce Wolf! Tear him apart!"
"I bet one gold coin on Fierce Wolf—he damn well better win!"
"That 'Sword Wine' guy is obviously a rookie! I put everything I had on Fierce Wolf—plus borrowed three coins! He has to win!"
"Fierce Wolf, shred Sword Wine into pieces!"
The atmosphere burned hotter than a forge.
The announcer raised his voice and declared:
"Let the Spirit Duel… begin!"
He quickly stepped off the stage.
As the crowd roared louder and louder—
Fierce Wolf's Spirit Power surged. His already massive body swelled with muscle, arms sprouting coarse, gray-blue fur. Fangs protruded from a face twisted with bloodlust, and his eyes gleamed red.
Two Spirit Rings—one white, one yellow—rose beneath his feet.
With a savage roar, he lunged toward Li Zhexian.
Li Zhexian remained still, unmoving.
He looked like he was frozen in fear.
The audience, expecting to see blood and entrails fly in all directions, howled even more wildly.
But just as Fierce Wolf closed to within a meter of Li Zhexian—
A single arc of sword light flashed.
In that instant, even the dim oil lamps within the Grand Spirit Arena seemed to darken.
Fierce Wolf halted mid-step, his pupils contracting to needlepoints.
A thin red line—finer than a hair—quietly opened across his throat…
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin