The Shadow of Death remained unmoving, yet the air seemed to tighten around him. His fierce gaze was colder than the sword's tip, and his overwhelming aura caused Valentina's breath to catch.

Valentina could only trust in the Sword King's guidance, believing that her mentor was the strongest. The trembling of her sweat-drenched palm ceased, and her breathing became calm like a lake.

Just like the training on the Sword Platform before, she blindfolded herself, listened to the wind to determine positions, quickly slicing the stones flicked from her mentor's fingers.

"I'll cut you into a man-pig!"

The Shadow of Death kicked up a cloud of dust, with Qi surging, and the hurricane was fierce.

The sword's momentum roared fiercely!

Stabbing towards the heart, splitting down the head, slashing at the face, the sword glows intertwined in a blur, clothes flying wildly in the night of the Stargazing Festival under a brilliant sky, the reflected sword light was swift and dazzling to the eyes.

The swords in the night were like instantaneously bursting silver threads, blooming flower by flower, spinning like a silver kaleidoscope in a hellish turn.

Humans...

No.

Can only be said of the mind.

And mostly cling to the strong.

In terms of current performance, even the Divine Sword Xiaolong falls short of this.

Astonishing everyone, it was breathtaking, with some even unable to sit still, and those in the front row stood up to see clearer, standing up so their view wouldn't be obstructed.

The Shadow of Death could feel it!

At that moment, this woman had an immense, transcendental breakthrough, in the eyes of the Shadow of Death, it was similar to a New Adventurer suddenly leaping to Hall-level, a world apart! It was entirely impossible! Now, as she faced him, there was another person! The Sword King had intervened somehow to prevent his leading disciple from being slaughtered to death.

Retreating, pulling back the sword to neutralize force, stepping to counter, ferocious counterattacks came. Valentina felt as if she was in training, slicing stones, all the overwhelming suppression was lifted, revealing her true qualities.

She actually blocked the legendary assassin, the Shadow of Death, in a mad frenzy attack.

The Shadow of Death was not angry but laughed, not finding such behavior shameless.

The desire to kill blossomed fiercely in his heart.

He came to cleanse the Western Continent of its masters.

The top sixteen... were all marked for slaughter.

This trip, he also came to claim... the Sword King's head.

The Shadow of Death remained calm, standing firm like a pillar.

Meanwhile, the Sword King was forcibly guiding Valentina to perform these extreme maneuvers that were overloading her body, with subcutaneous bleeding around her joints, sweat pouring like rain.

In an instant.

The terrifying violence spread to the extreme.

The Shadow of Death's power was awe-inspiring, the killing intent chilled the blood! Even some spectators with weaker mental fortitude stood frozen in fear, teeth chattering, let alone Valentina who faced him directly?

The Shadow of Death's half-open robe exposed wiry arms with muscles knotted like steel, and his entire body's Qi blood surged like thunder, with Qi gathered into clusters in his palms, atmospheric energy swelling, his shoulders and back drawn like a full bow, breath falling silent as an abyss.

"Die!"

Sword!

Flash!

Before the sword's wind arrived, in the heat of September midsummer, the chilling intent had seeped into the collar.

The heatwave in the air toasted the tips of his hair to a slight curl.

Returning to the roots, a single sword strike, a gentle arc of air around his feet as it rose.

On the special seat for contestants, Xiaolong's expression turned grave, the Sword King's disciple... is about to die.

The clash of metal.

With a sound, there was a strange noise.

But...

Valentina blocked it.

Yet, by the extreme hidden force she was pushed several meters away, with her legs dragging two deep grooves into the ground.

Valentina felt a slight sweetness rise in her throat, then vomited blood, and a fingertip-wide blood streak appeared on her upper body clothes, quickly soaking and staining much of the white garment, making it conspicuous.

No matter the Sword King's guidance, she was not the Sword King himself.

All those extreme maneuvers caused subcutaneous bleeding in her joints to turn into bruises, her muscles and tendons severely strained, and her chest and abdomen wounds bled heavily.

The Sword King stopped guiding her, instructing Valentina to surrender, any way possible.

The Shadow of Death rested his sword lightly on his exposed arm.

Admiring this woman somewhat, she really did receive some guidance just now, as if someone was telling her how to fight, but now her eyes were open, the blood on her forehead flowed into her eyes, yet her fighting spirit was undiminished. What a terrifying gaze, little sister.

Unlike other wealthy aristocrats who stepped through the door with gifts, Valentina was adopted by the Sword King.

"If you think I won't kill you... you're gravely mistaken. The Sword King is nothing more than a fame-seeking opportunist. If I were him, I would have already stepped in, breaking the martial arts tournament rules wouldn't matter, just some empty fame, and having me dismembered limbs flying apart. Hmm... sounds strange phrased like that, continue your foolish loyalty in the underworld."

The Shadow of Death showed no mercy, Qi Sect Secret Power surged, turning his hands into fists.

Foolish loyalty... living like this is still living.

Valentina remained unaffected.

Boom... boom... boom...

The Shadow of Death trampled the ground with his fists several times, and the Heavenly Gang Strong Qi erupted. If it hit, one would be reduced to meat soup.

But Valentina advanced instead of retreating, even without the Sword King's guidance, she discerned the Qi Sect Secret Technique, and before those terrifying Qi could take form, she charged recklessly, her speed so swift she almost seemed to scrape the ground, dodging left and right, with her sword flashing like a practice beam.

Again, an extreme action, her already battered body frequently bursting with blood, bones cracking with crisp sounds, the blood trail stretching mercilessly across the ground.

A series of frightening explosive noises.

The protective barrier of the arena trembled as well, leaving huge terrifying fist imprints cracking open the rock on the walls, but Valentina completely evaded.

She tapped her feet, flew in, flipping in midair to slash down.

The Shadow of Death spun his hand and struck with the ultimate sword, the sword shadow shrouded Valentina's entire body like a fierce shriek.

But his assumption was completely wrong.

Valentina's sword paused slightly in midair, then suddenly her sharpness turned, the spine of the sword sliding along his blade, wrist trembling to make the sword shudder into a phantom, following the Shadow of Death's own ultimate sword force, she spun and thrust, the final fatal move, pushing herself to the brink of death.

Live and die with the world! Perish together with the Shadow of Death!

"Is it necessary to be so serious..."

A bit surprised, the Shadow of Death thought, wasn't this master-disciple stuff outdated? Such a foolish loyalty to this point indeed showed a high level of folly.

But never mind.

Ultimately, they weren't opponents at the same level, the Shadow of Death gathered his Qi fully, flicked his fingers several times to strike Valentina's meridian points from afar.

Before she could send herself to the guillotine, her whole body lost strength, collapsing prone, bleeding profusely, with her sword dropping to the ground.

"Hmm..."

The Shadow of Death came with a mission, the main purpose of the Suspended Sword was to disrupt the influence of these Far East rebels, naturally, his realm was higher than the Sword King's.

After all, understanding what a true expert means.

"I am different from the Sword King, not daring to step in and save you, hindered by the situation. I'll spare your life, let the world understand what the true essence of the Sword Dao is.

You are not my match."

The Shadow of Death turned his back and walked away, casually throwing his sword into the sky, finally it inserted steadily into the equipment rack he came from, the sword blade humming a few times before falling silent.

The outcome was already clear.

Valentina choked back a sob, not feeling ashamed for losing the fight, but feeling embarrassed by the sudden doubt that arose within.

The female host announced the match result.

Valentina was urgently taken back to the backstage by the organizers' staff, to the temporary medical room at the martial arts competition, which was filled with expert level personnel, but if her injuries weren't treated promptly, she would really die.

The expressions of everyone on the special seating for contestants varied.

Only Gedre remained with his eyes closed and meditating.

Next up is the final match of the first round, Ghost Eye Mad Blade versus Lady of Golden Land.

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