Chapter 483 - 465: Pang Xuan’s Regret
"Zhen’Er, what Realm are you in now? Have you broken through to the Ape Tendon Realm?" Su Yu had just heard the sound of her Great Tendons when she dodged, which seemed to indicate she had reached the Ape Tendon Realm.
"I’ve broken through, Brother Su!"
Hearing her confirmation, Su Yu couldn’t help but wince in amazement. This girl had been quietly keeping pace with him all along. While he had broken through to the Jiao Tendon Realm, she had reached the Ape Tendon Realm. Her speed of progression was not the slightest bit slower than his own. Moreover, the resources he consumed were far more than hers.
"Then I’ll use the Qi and Blood of the Ape Tendon Realm to fight you. Be careful!" As his words fell, Su Yu slowly restrained the surging Qi and Blood within his body, ultimately suppressing his power level to the Ape Tendon Realm.
Yang Zhen’s eyes shone as brightly as clear springs. With a flick of her jade-like wrist, her verdant short sword thrust forward in an instant.
SWISH!
The blade sliced through the air, and the Cyan Lotus Sword Stance was unleashed. The lotus pond nearby was affected by the Sword Stance; its emerald waters rippled, and the lotus leaves swayed continuously.
In an instant, it was as if thousands of cyan lotuses bloomed before Su Yu’s eyes, filling his vision. A single stroke giving rise to a cyan lotus!
Su Yu activated Shattering Illusion and Revealing Truth, instantly seeing through the overlapping lotus shadows. He slashed horizontally with his long saber, using the weapon’s superior reach to accurately block the tip of the Jade Sword. Even though Mo Yuan was not with him, empowered by the Demon-Vibrating Saber Stance, this Meteorite Iron long saber could still unleash an astonishing might.
CLANG!
The saber and sword clashed, producing a Qingyue sound like a clear spring striking rocks. Ripples spread across the pond, and several lotus leaves were pressed into the water by the escaping strong winds.
Using the recoil, Yang Zhen soared into the air. Her emerald green skirt fluttered in the wind as faint cyan Spiritual Qi blossomed beneath her feet. Moving like an egret skimming over snow, she thrust her sword down diagonally from above Su Yu’s head. Su Yu’s feet flickered with Thunder as he sidestepped to evade. At the same time, he twisted his long saber and unleashed a series of slashes.
The saber gleamed—at times as light as a swan’s feather, gliding along the Jade Sword, and at other times as heavy as a mountain, compressing the air until it produced low rumbles. Alternating between light and heavy, Subduing Demons was constantly changing.
Yang Zhen blocked several slashes in a row. Her wrist gradually grew numb, but she never panicked. She knew well that Brother Su possessed divine Saber Technique, far beyond what ordinary people could compare to. She immediately tapped her feet lightly, retreating to the edge of the lotus pond while thrusting her Jade Sword forward, bringing about a gust of Gang Wind. As the Gang Wind swept past, the Iron Locust Tree in the courtyard immediately rustled, and over a dozen leaves spiraled down.
Yang Zhen thought, "Now is the moment! Lotus Shadow Concealed Blade!" A glint of sharpness flashed through her emerald eyes. The Jade Sword in her hand suddenly sped up, stabbing out several times in rapid succession. The cyan sword gleams intertwined with the falling leaves filling the sky, instantly transforming into an indistinguishable barrage of cyan lotus sword shadows that attacked Su Yu from different directions.
Su Yu swept his Divine Sense across the attack and discovered that the aura of the Wood Element was flowing within every single sword shadow. Surprisingly, every strike was real!
SLASH!
The emerald Jade Sword suddenly pierced through the overlapping sword shadows, bypassing the Treasure Saber in Su Yu’s hand and tearing a corner of his sleeve.
Su Yu thought, "What excellent Swordsmanship!" A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he took two quick steps back to widen the distance.
Having landed a successful hit, the brilliance in Yang Zhen’s eyes grew even brighter. Several lotus shadows bloomed once more, and her sword edge enveloped him like drizzling rain.
Su Yu wondered, "Is this the fourth strike of the Cyan Lotus Swordsmanship?" His expression turned serious. Dark red Ape Demon Evil Qi swarmed out from his body and quickly coiled around his saber. The Demon-Slaying Saber Stance was as heavy as a mountain, while the Demon-Vibrating Saber Stance stimulated the weapon’s sharpness. Coupled with the might of the Ape Demon Evil Qi, the long saber in Su Yu’s hand exuded an astonishing power.
BOOM!
He took a step forward. His long saber moved like a roaming dragon, gracefully deflecting several sword shadows. Immediately after, the blade sank heavily, bearing down with an intimidating Evil Qi. The sheer might of such an astonishing strike visibly exceeded the Ape Tendon Realm by several tiers. Although Yang Zhen’s Lotus Shadow Concealed Blade Sword Technique was formidable, it was still broken.
Surprise flickered in her beautiful eyes. She hastily executed Sword Movement Brushing Long Wind; her Jade Sword drew circular arcs in an attempt to defend and divert the force. However, the moment the saber and sword collided, an invisible Soul-Catching Saber Stance suddenly enveloped her. Yang Zhen’s mind instantly stagnated.
The long saber before her seemed to enlarge infinitely, firmly locking onto her aura. Even though she clearly saw the trajectory of the blade, her body’s reaction was a split second too slow.
CLANG!
The layers of sword arcs shattered upon impact. A violent gust of wind howled, pressing the surface of the lotus pond behind Yang Zhen to cave in with a crash, flipping over a dozen lotus leaves outwards simultaneously. The koi fish hiding under the leaves frantically dove to the bottom, leaving only the Little Crocodile Dragon bobbing in the rippling water like a piece of rotting wood.
By the time Yang Zhen recovered, the long saber wreathed in dark red Evil Qi was already resting steadily before her snow-white, jade-like neck.
"I lost. Brother Su is so amazing!"
Su Yu smiled and retracted his long saber. With a flick of his wrist, the saber flew toward the distant weapon rack and, with a CLANG, accurately slotted into place.
"Brother Su, you didn’t even use Mo Yuan. If you used Mo Yuan, your strength would be much greater. Is there really anyone in Black Stone City who can defeat you at the same Realm?" Yang Zhen stepped forward and hugged Su Yu’s arm with a grin, showing no signs of dejection. The stronger her Brother Su was, the happier she felt, and the more she could awaken her own strength without any reservations.
"There is always a higher mountain. Dominating this Black Stone City isn’t something worth showing off. Furthermore, there are monstrous geniuses in the Inner City as well. I have yet to truly see just how strong the core direct descendants of the three great families are." Su Yu shook his head without the slightest hint of arrogance. He knew that his dominance stemmed from the stacking of three Stances; his underlying foundation wasn’t actually incomparably profound. Spirit Tier roots and bones definitely existed in the Inner City, and perhaps even high-grade Spirit Tier talents could be found there. As for his Great Tendon Tempering, he hadn’t yet achieved Jiao Tendon Perfection, so he couldn’t even compare to those geniuses who had already begun transforming towards the Dragon Tendon Realm.
"Brother Su is as humble as always. Zhen’Er won’t fall behind either; I will definitely keep working hard to catch up to you." A glimmer of fighting spirit flashed through Yang Zhen’s emerald eyes, demonstrating her immense self-confidence. She had currently only comprehended the fourth Cyan Lotus Sword Technique, yet it allowed her to fight above her level—slaying Tiger Tendon experts and engaging Battle Flood Dragon Tendon experts. If her opponent wasn’t a monstrous genius like Brother Su, her victory would be absolutely guaranteed!
***
Outer City, Public Security Bureau, Conference Hall.
Pang Xuan had gathered Su Yu and several other Great Commanders to arrange various upcoming matters.
"Zhenwu Mansion is newly established, and the merger of the two bureaus comes with a multitude of tasks. You will all have to work extra hard; do not delay anything.
"In addition, regarding this Martial Examination, Su Yu and Zhao Sen, you two have already been registered. What happens next will depend on your performance. As the only two participants from our Public Security Bureau, I will do my best to support you. Do not let down the reputation of our Public Security Bureau."
"Thank you, Director!"
"Your subordinates will now take our leave!"
A complex look flashed through Pang Xuan’s eyes as he watched Su Yu’s retreating back.
Su Yu’s talent was indeed astonishing. Guarding the Hanging Mirror Gate, he had slain the Black Lotus Sect Incense Master who possessed a Middle Dragon Tendon, making another great contribution. His current strength likely placed him among the cream of the crop within the Muscle Forging Realm. In this Martial Examination, he might even be able to break into the top twenty. By then, with the blessing of Martial Arts Resources, he would have a chance to achieve a Great Dragon Tendon. A Great Dragon Tendon was even harder to achieve than breaking through to the Profound Bone Realm, and it represented boundless future potential.
Previously, Pang Xuan had only thought that Su Yu was capable of breaking through to the Profound Bone Realm and thus deserved to be taken seriously. But now, Su Yu was the kind of genius that demanded his full investment and active recruitment! A single lapse in judgment previously had caused him to miss the opportunity to pull him into the Pang family. And barely a month had passed, yet the situation was already drastically different! He had even harbored thoughts of abandoning the kid while he was guarding the Hanging Mirror Gate, and Su Yu had likely noticed it. It seemed he needed to mend his relationship with him. Numerous thoughts flashed through Pang Xuan’s mind as he pondered how to win Su Yu over once again.