Chapter 277: Brilliant Sword Genius (1/2)

Tang Si shook his head. “No, he hadn’t even set foot in the crown prince’s palace, so he may not even have entered the capital.”

Ming Zhaoshu frowned at the unexpected news. “Did he die?”

“Your Highness, he’s just a commoner. There wasn’t much use even if he did make it into the crown prince’s household.”

“I know, but it’s precisely because he’s a commoner that he should be even safer. No one would ever expect me to send an ordinary person into the crown prince’s household. He’s a scapegoat that I meticulously arranged. Forget it. It’s alright even if he didn’t make it.”

Tang Si remained there, standing silently, as if he had something to say.

Ming Zhaoshu glanced at him. “What’s the matter?”

Tang Si half-kneeled as he said, “Your Highness, your subordinate wishes to challenge Li Zimo.”

“No, the gap between the two of you is too large.” Ming Zhaoshu explicitly rejected the request.

Tang Si’s face dimmed. “Even still, I wish to personally try my hand against the number two on the List of Tempering.”

Ming Zhaoshu looked at Tang Si. “Li Zimo has fascinating blade techniques, such as the killing technique, Silence, that he has honed from a young age. Also, Crown Prince Ming Hao does not allow the top ranker on the list to appear for two reasons: the first is to eliminate the hidden threats within the List of Tempering while the second is to have the top person avoid Li Zimo. He is very strong and can rank at the top of all Martial Kings.”

Tang Si raised his head with a firm look within his eyes. “Your Highness, I beg for your permission. I’ll die without any regrets.”

Ming Zhaoshu sighed and looked up. He then grimaced as he lamented, “Ming Hao, oh, Ming Hao. It looks like you made the correct decision when you created this List of Tempering. How many on this Shenwu Continent will sacrifice everything they have just to leave their name on the list, and how many experts have you found through it? You have my respect.” The king then looked at Tang Si before finally saying, “Very well, I’ll agree to your request. Go now and don’t have any regrets about challenging him. I’ll try to preserve your life.”

Tang Si was delighted. “Many thanks, Your Highness.”

The Reverent King’s palace in the capital was very large, and it even had a specialized training ground.

News of Tang Si’s challenge to Li Zimo quickly spread throughout the Reverent King's palace, and even outside the palace. It piqued the interest of many.

Ming Zhaoshu sensed that the time had arrived, and he looked up to look around in all directions before focusing on the battlefield. “A battle between ranked members of the List of Tempering is a battle of life and death.”

Outside the grounds, Lu Yin closely stared at the scene. He was very curious about Li Zimo who was ranked second on the List of Tempering. This person represented the standard of the Shenwu Continent’s entire younger generation. He stood above all the other Martial Kings, not only those of the younger generation.

Li Zimo had a completely indifferent expression on his face as he held his long sword and quietly stared at his opponent.

Tang Si, on the other hand, gripped his spear as his eyes widened with intense focus. He charged out at an extreme speed and stabbed straight at Li Zimo, the tip of his spear causing the void itself to tremble. A sharp aura streaked past Li Zimo and tore through the void while the shockwave rent the earth and caused sparks to fly out. This attack could not be blocked. Lu Yin was shocked, because he could see that this attack could rival three-lined battle force.

On the other side of the battlefield, Li Zimo’s eyes lit up and even held a hint of admiration within them. He gripped his blade and calmly lifted it before letting it fall downwards as his body vanished. The blade returned to its scabbard in one smooth motion, though there was no sound nor any abnormal movements.

Everyone was stunned as they could not understand what had just happened.

Ming Zhaoshu narrowed his eyes and looked apprehensively at Li Zimo’s figure.

Bang!

Tang Si’s spear broke. Half of it fell onto the ground with a crisp ringing sound. Tang Si seemed to be completely stunned as he remained rooted in place while a look of extreme unwillingness and also respect blossomed in his eyes.

Lu Yin was alarmed. In his mind, Li Zimo’s figure was superimposed over that of Liu Shaoqiu. That sword had been nearly identical in form the First Sword of the Thirteen Swords. The only difference was the First Sword did not require any movement and that it could travel through the void. Li Zimo’s body had followed behind his sword, and this technique required both of them to travel a certain distance, but the speed of this attack was about the same as that of the First Sword. This difference was probably a result of the space in the Shenwu Continent being more stable than the rest of the universe’s. If this attack had been launched in the greater universe, then it may not have required any movement either, and would be almost identical to the First Sword of the Thirteen Swords in every facet.

Li Zimo, a native of the Shenwu Continent, had created a technique that could rival the First Sword! If the Sword Sect were to discover this, they would trip over their heels to recruit him as a core disciple. This was an outstanding level of natural talent, and he was a brilliant genius in every sense of the word.

Liu Shaoqiu was a genius who had inherited the Thirteen Swords, but this Li Zimo was a genius who had created the First Sword. Who knew which was stronger, though Lu Yin was leaning towards Li Zimo, as this person’s talent for the sword was too terrifying; he only lacked a solid starting point. If he had been given the Thirteen Swords, then his speed of comprehension might have even surpassed Liu Shaoqiu’s.

Lu Yin had finally witnessed the true strength of the Shenwu Continent’s younger generation. Li Zimo could definitely match up to the top eight in the Astral Combat Tournament. If that just now was not his strongest attack, then he may even be equal to the top four and be a match for Lu Yin himself.

This was the second rank on the List of Tempering. Lu Yin wondered how strong the top person was.

The surrounding audience had not even recovered from their shock yet, but Li Zimo had already left.

Tang Si was ranked eight in the List of Tempering, but he could not even take one strike from the second rank. The difference was too staggering.

Tang Si was agonized and was still panting heavily. He looked at the broken half of his spear lying on the ground, and he closed his eyes. Before this battle, he had hoped to learn of the disparity between them so that he could chase after it. But now, he no longer entertained any such thoughts; the gap between them was just too great.

Ming Zhaoshu walked over to Tang Si. “This is why I didn’t want you to challenge him. Can you still use your spear?”