Looking at Grandblade Ancestor, Lin Ruhu’s surroundings roared with the cries of tigers, endless might flowing all over his body.
He stepped into the air, directly charging toward Grandblade Ancestor.
From afar, he looked as if he had turned into a primordial beast, savage and overwhelming, drinking blood and eating flesh.
Grandblade Ancestor took a deep breath, sharp sword radiance condensing between his hands.
This time, he did not use sword intent, but the Sword Dao itself.
With the sword as the path, he would cut down everything.
With a booming sound, as Lin Ruhu closed in on him, it felt as if he had been banished into another void.
It was the void of the sword.
Endless sword intent, even all sorts of different sword attributes, filled the space.
There was the domineering might of the heavy sword, the unpredictable movements of paired blades, and the fleeting speed of the swift sword.
All of these swords rushed at him, as though they would drown him in their fury.
Even though Lin Ruhu defended with all his strength, several sword intents still cut into his body.
He roared loudly, the black-and-white hair on his head growing deeper and darker.
The muscles on the surface of his body swelled high.
His eyes carried a soul-devouring madness.
Boom, boom, boom, the heavy sound of footsteps echoed in the void as he walked forward.
Then he lifted his hands and struck violently at the surrounding void.
Once, twice, and with him at the center, a vacuum appeared around him.
All the sword intents were obliterated, and even the void itself could not withstand his power, it shattered open completely.
His massive fist tore through the void, smashing straight into Grandblade Ancestor’s face.
The old man’s body flew backwards again.
Lin Ruhu charged forward, chasing after the falling body. Before it even touched the ground, he grabbed it with one hand and struck again with his fist.
“This old man… cough, cough… concedes,” came Grandblade Ancestor’s voice.
The wild look on Lin Ruhu’s face instantly calmed down.
Panting heavily, he threw the elder’s body aside.
“Ancestor!” The people of the Sword Spirit Kingdom hurriedly supported Grandblade Ancestor.
Lin Ruhu drew a long breath. Though he had defeated his opponent, his injuries were not light.
His entire body ached as if it had been torn apart by swords.
“This honored Black Asura is victorious. Would you like to rest or continue fighting?” Baili Chengfeng walked up from the side, smiling as he asked.
Lin Ruhu fixed him with a hard stare.
Then he said flatly, “Naturally, continue fighting. I did not come for the position of Alliance Master, only to test my own strength.”
“Good, a true hero,” Baili Chengfeng laughed. “Then who will step forward to challenge this Black Asura?”
“Young brother, under normal circumstances, since you are injured, it would be bullying if I fought you,” a voice called from below. “But this is a contest, such rules do not apply.”
Lin Ruhu raised his head and looked. From the direction of the Vast Sea, a middle-aged man had stepped forward.
The man wore a scholar’s robe, his features refined and scholarly. The robe was white, his brows also white.
“It’s Qi Tianhai,” the crowd whispered in excitement.
It seemed that for every person who appeared, the murmurs of the spectators could unravel their identity and deeds.
“The ruler of the Vast Sea Kingdom, rare indeed.”
Qi Tianhai walked up onto the stage. On him there was no kingly oppression, none of the pressure of one above ten thousand.
Instead, he carried a vastness, boundless and immeasurable, like a deep sea without end, step by step approaching.
“Young brother, concede,” Qi Tianhai said with a gentle smile. “I don’t wish to win unfairly. Though even at your peak, you likely could not defeat me.”
“Why waste words?” Lin Ruhu snorted coldly.
He threw both fists directly at him.
Qi Tianhai shook his head with a smile. With a wave of his hand, everyone felt the air grow moist.
Waves surged in the void, cascading down like a waterfall from the heavens.
“Ruhu is about to lose,” Xu Zimo murmured as he watched.
The waves surrounded Lin Ruhu, engulfing him.
This water could be soft or hard, nurturing all things, sustaining all life.
To Lin Ruhu’s shock, his fists could not exert their strength.
It was as if the water carried a strange power, perfectly absorbing and dispersing his force.
Even if he smashed through the water with a punch, it was meaningless.
For water itself has no form.
“Raging Waves,” Qi Tianhai lifted his right hand, endless currents circling his body.
At the forefront of the surge, the waves took the shape of a tiger’s head, lunging at Lin Ruhu.
Lin Ruhu smashed the wave apart with one fist, but water splattered all over him.
Qi Tianhai’s gaze sharpened, and he gave a low shout.
“Water may be soft, embracing all rivers, But it may also be hard, freezing ten thousand miles.”
As his words fell, the temperature clearly dropped.
The water wrapping Lin Ruhu solidified into ice, freezing his whole body.
Then, with the crashing force of the waves, he was hurled away.
Below the stage, the ice shattered and melted. Lin Ruhu stared darkly at his opponent.
Fighting this man, he felt as if all his strength had nowhere to go.
“We concede,” Xu Zimo said from the side.
Lin Ruhu walked back gloomily.
“What’s wrong? Not happy?” Xu Zimo asked with a smile.
“Not exactly… just feels humiliating to lose like that,” Lin Ruhu muttered.
“This isn’t the time for frustration, but for realization,” Xu Zimo said.
“From the beginning, you cultivated the Tyrant Emperor’s Strength Scripture, using the Celestial Tiger Tyrant Physique. From the start, you walked the path of violence. But you don’t understand, violence is not brute strength. Power can be soft or hard. To control it, to know when to release and when to restrain, that is how you become stronger.”
“I will work hard,” Lin Ruhu nodded.
As Qi Tianhai won, he looked around and laughed warmly. “Who else is willing to fight me?”
The crowd quieted down. There were still some imperial sects present, but they no longer wished to take the stage.
Most of them cared little for the position of Alliance Master.
They were mainly here regarding the matter of the Ancient Demon Race, and only joined the contest for form’s sake.
After all, even the Alliance Master could only command them in name. Privately, their sects would still follow their own rules.
Just as everyone was deep in thought, a sudden sound of rushing wind came from afar.
“Who?” Qi Tianhai thought someone was ambushing him, quickly dodging aside.
But when he looked again, he saw it was nothing more than some ordinary silk ribbons.
Ribbons of many colors, red, blue, green, yellow, purple, fluttered toward the stage.
They circled half the arena before settling gently over the platform.
The five-colored ribbons draped like decorations, covering the space above the stage.
Then, from the far end of the ribbons, a graceful woman slowly walked forward along them.
She wore a crimson robe embroidered with several blue-cloud flowers.
The edges of the red robe trailed behind her, her black hair tied high into an elegant bun.