My Martial Dao Has No Bottlenecks

On the tournament stage.

Chen Han attacked first. His Broadsword came crashing down from above, the wind from the blade howling as it descended with the force of a collapsing mountain.

It was the opening move of the Mountain-Suppressing Sword Technique: the Mountain-Suppressing Style!

Liu Qingyun’s figure was ephemeral, like a willow catkin in the wind. He dodged to the side, and at the same time, his longsword struck out like a venomous snake, stabbing straight toward the opening under Chen Han’s ribs.

Sword Qi clashed, and Qi Force scattered in all directions.

Chen Han immediately brought his Broadsword back to defend, blocking the strike. A soft, sinister Power traveled up the blade and drilled into his arm through his Meridians, causing his Qi Blood to stagnate for a moment.

"Cold Plum Force..."

Chen Han’s eyes narrowed. This was the same venomous Power that had injured him all those years ago.

He let out a furious roar as his True Qi erupted, scattering the intrusive Yin Force. He swept his Broadsword horizontally, his Sword Momentum wide and sweeping, and attacked Liu Qingyun like a raging tempest.

The Mountain-Suppressing Sword Technique was all about overwhelming opponents with raw power. With Chen Han’s solid foundation, he forced Liu Qingyun to retreat again and again.

"Senior Brother Chen, you really have improved quite a bit."

But Liu Qingyun just smiled as he retreated, his tone light. "A pity. The Mountain-Suppressing Sword Technique prioritizes momentum over form. You’re still far too clumsy."

Before his voice had even faded, his Sword Momentum abruptly changed.

His once-elusive Swordsmanship turned sharp and fierce. Flashes of his blade bloomed like cold plum blossoms, each one aimed at a vital point on Chen Han’s body.

Every strike was cunning and venomous, aimed exclusively at vulnerable spots like his eyes, throat, heart, and abdomen.

Chen Han wielded his Broadsword in an impenetrable defense, yet several gusts of sword wind still managed to slash through his clothes, leaving shallow cuts on his skin.

"Liu Qingyun! Can’t you fight me fair and square for once!"

Chen Han roared in anger.

"In a battle to decide a winner, how can any tactic be considered foul?"

Liu Qingyun chuckled, the momentum of his sword quickening by another degree.

Below the stage, Han Li clenched his fists. ’Senior Brother Chen is getting impatient. Liu Qingyun is obviously provoking him.’

Liang Cheng nodded slightly.

Liu Qingyun’s foundation was about equal to Chen Han’s, but he was using his tricky Swordsmanship to fight evasively, specifically targeting Chen Han’s composure. If Chen Han couldn’t keep his cool, he would inevitably reveal a flaw.

Sure enough, after thirty exchanges, Chen Han had failed to gain the upper hand. He recalled their battle seven years ago, which had been just like this, and he grew even more agitated.

At that moment, he put too much force into a Mountain-Cleaving Style, leaving his chest wide open—a fatal flaw.

’Now!’

A cold glint flashed in Liu Qingyun’s eyes. He closed the distance like a phantom, his longsword stabbing straight for Chen Han’s heart!

The strike was fast and vicious—he was actually going for a killing blow!

"Stop!"

On the high platform, Shen Jun roared in fury, but before he could move, Shi Meng blocked him. "City Lord Shen, you’re getting ahead of yourself."

Chen Han was horrified and desperately threw himself to the side to dodge.

"SHLICK—!"

The longsword pierced his left shoulder, striking bone. The icy Cold Plum Force erupted instantly, madly eroding his Meridians through the wound.

"AH—!"

Chen Han screamed. The Broadsword slipped from his grasp as he staggered backward, blood gushing from his left shoulder. Frost was actually forming around the wound.

"Senior Brother Chen!"

Below the stage, Han Li’s eyes were practically splitting with rage.

Liu Qingyun withdrew his sword, standing with a brilliant smile as blood dripped from the tip.

"Senior Brother Chen, thank you for the match. Consider this sword strike payback for those three moves seven years ago. Oh, wait, no... call it collecting a little interest."

He paused deliberately, his voice carrying across the entire arena. "After all, back then, you didn’t manage to stab me quite this deep."

A wave of derisive laughter instantly erupted from the Cyan Mist City contingent.

Chen Han’s face was ashen. His left arm hung limp at his side; he was clearly not lightly injured, and his Meridians were damaged.

He glared at Liu Qingyun, his eyes bloodshot and filled with humiliation. Finally, overwhelmed with despair, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and fell backward.

"First match: victory to Liu Qingyun of Cyan Mist City!"

The old Steward’s voice rang out at the same time.

A dead silence fell over the Lin Wu City side.

Han Li rushed onto the stage, lifted the unconscious Chen Han, and carried him back to the Lin Wu City section. After giving him an Elixir, he glared at Liu Qingyun with blood-red eyes. "You’re courting death!"

Liu Qingyun paid him no mind, flicking a drop of blood from his blade. His gaze swept over the Lin Wu City disciples, finally landing on Liang Cheng.

"Lin Wu City, is this all you’ve got? Next! Who’s coming up here to die?"

Arrogant!

Domineering!

The eyes of the entire crowd instantly focused on Lin Wu City, many with looks of amusement.

Shen Jun’s face was livid, and Bai Hong’s brows were tightly knit. Lu Mingyuan and the other representatives from Lin Wu City’s great clans all looked worried.

Over on the Rock Solid City side, Shi Meng burst out laughing. "City Lord Shen, your Disciple is no good! Crippled just like that? Why don’t you just forfeit the rest of the matches? Save yourself the embarrassment!"

As he spoke, he shot a glance at Liang Cheng. He hadn’t responded to Liang Cheng’s earlier verbal jabs due to his status, but he still held a deep grudge.

Cyan Mist City’s Fu Chenzhou stroked his beard and smiled, clearly very satisfied with Liu Qingyun’s performance.

The pressure on Lin Wu City was like a mountain.

Yun Jinghong took a step forward. "I’ll go!"

"No."

Liang Cheng stopped her.

"You only recently entered the True Qi Realm. You’re no match for him."

Han Li was about to speak, but Liang Cheng cut him off. "Senior Brother Han, focus on treating Senior Brother Chen’s injuries for now."

Wang Teng and Yun Jinghong looked frustrated, annoyed that their strength wasn’t greater. Liang Cheng smiled and said, "Since I am the first True Inheritor of the Martial Arts Academy, it’s only natural that I hold the line."

With that, he took a step forward. His figure drifted down onto the stage, landing opposite Liu Qingyun.

"I’ll go."

Two words, calm and steady.

Liu Qingyun’s eyes lit up. "So, Liang Zhenchuan is finally willing to step up? I thought you were going to wait until the very end, like a coward who—"

"Noisy. A barking dog never bites."

Hearing this, the last trace of Liu Qingyun’s false smile vanished, and his eyes turned venomous. "All talk, are we? Draw your blade."

Liang Cheng simply raised his right hand slowly, his fingers first splayed out naturally, then brought together to form a sword-finger. A faint wisp of grayish-black, ice-cold energy swirled around his fingertips.

"To fight you, why would I need a blade?"

"The absolute height of arrogance!"

Liu Qingyun laughed through his anger. "I injured Senior Brother Chen’s left shoulder, and now I’m going to take your..."

Liang Cheng cut him off, pointing his sword-finger at the right hand Liu Qingyun used to hold his sword. His voice was perfectly calm. "Then I will cripple your right arm. That’s fair."