Chapter 14: Unstoppable Force

Du Dahai sneered, “Good, you know. Rest assured, now that you’ve come up, there’s no way you’re walking back down. The price for daring to lay hands on the Third Young Master… is death!”

The word ‘death’ was squeezed out between Du Dahai’s clenched teeth.

In his left hand, he held a short gun, and in his right, a battle axe—a versatile combination suitable for both close and ranged combat, a standard setup for many arena fights. Du Dahai raised his battle axe, twirling it menacingly around his wrist, then took a sudden lunge forward, charging with a murderous aura.

But just as he was ten meters from Qian Ye, Du Dahai suddenly collided with an invisible barrier, halting abruptly, his gaze fixed ahead, his cheeks quivering.

Qian Ye, meanwhile, stood motionless, his gun and sword still sheathed. He simply adopted a fighting stance, raising his right hand, palm flat like a blade, high into the air.

In that instant, Du Dahai’s world seemed to vanish, leaving only a sharp, hovering blade. As Qian Ye raised his palm-blade, an unseen force pulled Du Dahai, causing him to take an involuntary step forward.

This single step shattered the fragile standoff.

Qian Ye moved, and in the next moment, he was before Du Dahai. A thunderous clap echoed in the air, and Qian Ye’s palm-blade descended toward Du Dahai’s head!

Du Dahai was filled with terror, his hair standing on end. In a moment of life and death, he unleashed all his potential. With a wild cry, he discarded all his weapons, crossing his arms and raising them to block the strike that felt like the weight of the entire world.

A dull thud, like the beat of a war drum, resounded. Qian Ye’s palm-blade paused mid-air, having been blocked.

However, in the next instant, Du Dahai’s knees buckled, and he fell to the ground with a thud. The ground beneath his knees sank, cracking and spreading in all directions. He continued to sink, until he was half a meter deep in the ground.

Qian Ye withdrew his hand, stepping back. Dongyue remained firmly in his left hand, never having been drawn.

Du Dahai’s eyes were glazed, and he slowly collapsed forward, unable even to spit blood. The arena was left with a shallow pit several meters wide, with Du Dahai lying in the center, his fate unknown.

“…This match, An Renyi wins!” The elder responsible for refereeing, after a long pause, finally remembered to announce the result.

The other two matches had just begun, and one pair of fighters was still in a standoff. Yet this match had already ended?

On the high platform, the Duchess of An State was still dozing off. However, this unexpected outcome stirred the elders, and as Qian Ye turned to leave the arena, several of them began to murmur.

“His strike harnessed the primordial power of heaven and earth? That’s a technique only a Battle General can use!”

“If my old eyes haven’t deceived me, I saw only eight nodes glowing on him.”

“To be able to use a Battle General’s technique at the eighth level—this young man has an unlimited future, indeed!”

“Xiao Qi has a good eye.”

Amidst the praise and amazement, there were other voices.

“Hmph! It’s just because the opponent was too weak and overconfident!” This was Elder Song Xiuwen, Song Ziqi’s great-uncle, naturally feeling slighted.

Another elder, who had always been at odds with Song Xiuwen, sneered, “I wonder if Brother Xiuwen, when he was at the eighth level, could have knocked a ninth-level opponent half to death with a single slap?”

Song Xiuwen’s face turned crimson, and he let out a heavy humph, but could say nothing more.

When Qian Ye returned to his seat, Gao Junyi looked at him with shock and admiration, while Song Zining’s personal guards were even more impressed.

In another viewing area, Song Zicheng, after casting a glance at Qian Ye, let out a sigh. He suddenly understood the strange smile his seventh brother had given him when he left, and felt grateful he hadn’t tried to take advantage of a small benefit.

He also knew that the match order was likely manipulated by his third brother. Du Dahai was a key lieutenant under Song Ziqi. Sending Du Dahai to face Qian Ye first, perhaps thinking it would be an easy win and a chance to regain lost honor, had backfired, resulting in the loss of a significant asset.

Qian Ye paid no mind to the attention and walked back to Song Zining, sitting down calmly.

Song Zining scrutinized Qian Ye with an incredulous gaze, saying, “I suddenly have a very unpleasant premonition. I might not be able to beat you anymore.”

Qian Ye smiled faintly, replying, “You couldn’t beat me even before, not just now.”

Song Zining gave a light humph, leaning closer to Qian Ye and lowering his voice, “You don’t think you can beat me just with this, do you?”

Qian Ye replied in a low voice, “And you don’t think I’m limited to just this, do you?”

“Do you, then? Show me your other tricks next.”

“You worry about yourself. Don’t get beaten down by someone else.”

After exchanging a few jabs, neither gained the upper hand, so they both fell silent. The first round of battles finally concluded, and including those who advanced by default, thirty-two guest warriors remained.

According to the match schedule, the second round began, with half to be eliminated again. The remaining sixteen guest warriors would face off against sixteen Song Clan descendants.

In this round, Gao Junyi faced a formidable opponent. Two equally skilled fighters fought a perilous, blood-soaked match, with Gao Junyi narrowly winning by a single move. Though this was a worthy achievement, Gao Junyi walked off the stage without a trace of pride.

Next, it was Qian Ye’s turn.

From the opposite viewing area, Song Ziqi watched Qian Ye’s back, his face dark as a leaden cloud. He clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking, clearly in a rage.

Du Dahai was not only one of his strongest warriors but also skilled in military matters. His defeat, teetering on the brink of death, threw all of Song Ziqi’s plans into disarray. Without such a capable assistant, his ranking in the martial exam was doomed, and his prospects in the upcoming military strategy test were also severely impacted. The chance of securing second place was virtually gone.

Qian Ye paid no heed to Song Ziqi, focusing solely on his current opponent.

Qian Ye’s opponent was not strong, and he was injured. If Du Dahai had won, this opponent would have been arranged for him to easily win two consecutive matches, then face a Song Clan descendant, clearing the path for Song Ziqi to eliminate his rivals.

Facing Qian Ye was a female warrior, her thigh bandaged, her gaze somewhat anxious. Though she hadn’t witnessed Qian Ye’s previous match, her companions had informed her.

Therefore, the female warrior eschewed using her origin gun, instead drawing twin blades, planning to rely on her agility and speed to evade Qian Ye’s terrifying strength.

As the elder announced the start of the match, the female warrior screamed and pounced at Qian Ye like a cheetah! Her twin blades were held tightly at her sides, ready to strike at any moment.

Like in his first match, Qian Ye stood still, waiting for her to approach. Once she was within a certain distance, he took a single step forward. The ground shook, and the female warrior let out a muffled groan, as if struck by an invisible hammer. Her steps faltered, and she stumbled toward Qian Ye.

Qian Ye raised his palm-blade, bringing it down with a thunderous clap!

The female warrior tried to dodge, but found her path inexorably drawn toward the palm-blade. Despair flashed in her eyes as she screamed and crossed her blades to block the descending strike, with the sharp edges facing upward.

She didn’t expect to stop Qian Ye’s attack, only hoping that he would shift his trajectory slightly to avoid the sharp edges, protecting her vital areas. The rest, she could only hope for the next strike to be less severe.

However, her hopes were dashed. Qian Ye ignored the gleaming blades, and his palm-blade struck straight down, unswerving.

The blades broke upon contact, and the female warrior was thrown backward, unable to rise. The cracks in the ground beneath her were far fewer than those from the previous match, and her limbs were still mobile, indicating she was far less injured than Du Dahai, who was still unconscious and under treatment.

This match was a foregone conclusion, and Qian Ye had clearly shown mercy. When he returned to Song Zining, the attention and discussion were much less intense.

After Qian Ye sat down, Song Zining said, “Let me see your hand.”

Qian Ye extended his right hand, showing two long, red marks along the edge of his palm, now turning a bit purple. Yet, a ninth-level warrior’s full-strength blade had failed to break his skin.

Though this was due to his origin defense, the fact that his flesh had withstood an origin weapon was truly astonishing.

Song Zining was speechless for a moment, tossing the prepared ointment back to his guard, and managed to say, “Are you even human?”

“No,” Qian Ye responded honestly.

After the sixteen strongest guest warriors were determined, the day’s exams came to a close. Both of Song Zining’s guest warriors had made it through, drawing the elders’ attention.

The next day, the Song Clan descendants would take the stage.

To everyone’s surprise, the Duchess of An State appeared again, invigorating the Song Clan participants. Even if they didn’t make the finals, they still had a chance to catch the eye of the family matriarch, potentially leading to favor and promotion. Thus, their spirits were greatly lifted.

The old lady, with a kind expression, looked around, her side adorned with fresh fruits and various small snacks, indicating her good mood. The elders also perked up, giving their heirs encouraging glances.

From this moment on, each match would be a matter of concern for some.

Qian Ye was among the first to appear, his opponent a young man in his late twenties, tall and refined. This was Song Zize, the fourth in line, ranked third in the succession, surpassing the third son, Song Ziqi, indicating his exceptional talent.

Song Zize looked at Qian Ye and smiled, “An eighth-level warrior, reaching this point is impressive. But this is where it ends. The stage should now belong to us, the Song Clan. Will you concede, or shall I send you down?”

Qian Ye regarded this self-important Fourth Young Master and replied coolly, “If you talked less, we’d be done by now.”

Song Zize’s expression froze, and he drew his long sword, smirking, “I was going to give Xiao Qi some face, but since you’re courting death, I’ll cripple you and teach you a lesson for Xiao Qi!”

Qian Ye found the other’s reasoning incomprehensible. Did Song Zize think a few words would make him back down?

In truth, Song Zize had reason to be confident, having surpassed the already Battle General-level Song Ziqi. He had spent considerable time refining his ninth-level skills, aiming for a breakthrough to astonish after becoming a Battle General.

Qian Ye glanced at Song Zining, who, understanding his fourth brother’s temperament, wanted to laugh at Qian Ye’s exasperated look. He shrugged, indicating Qian Ye could do as he pleased, with no need for restraint.

Qian Ye nodded, slowly drawing Dongyue, the unassuming long sword, which finally emerged after being sheathed for two matches.