Chapter 29: Sword of Judgment
The word had barely left her mouth when Zhou Ming exploded into motion, his sword trailing streams of water-attributed qi as he charged. The air itself seemed to thicken with spiritual pressure as he activated his Mountain Maker technique.
Wu Kangming hadn't moved. Hadn't even reached for his sword. He just stood there, watching Zhou's approach with an expression that might almost be called pity.
"He's dead," Wei Lin whispered. "There's no way he can—"
The rest of his sentence was lost in the gasps of the crowd as Wu Kangming finally moved. It was a simple step to the side, barely a handspan of movement, but somehow Zhou's perfect strike passed through empty air. Not blocked, not deflected – just... missed, as if Wu Kangming had never been there at all.
Zhou's momentum carried him forward another two steps before he managed to turn, his face twisted with fury. "Lucky dodge! Let's see you—"
Time seemed to slow as Wu Kangming's hand moved toward his sword. The entire arena held its breath, disciples leaning forward in their seats. Even the wind itself seemed to pause, waiting to see what would happen next.
The sword left its sheath with a whisper, a sound so soft it shouldn't have been audible across the arena. But somehow, everyone heard it. The blade was completely ordinary – plain steel without any obvious spiritual patterns or formation arrays. The kind of weapon you'd find in any mortal city's weapon shop.
That made it all the more terrifying when Wu Kangming vanished.
There was no technique activation, no gathering of qi, no warning at all. One moment he was standing there, sword just cleared from its sheath, and the next...