Cyclebreaker: Rise of the Martial Emperor

Chapter 28 – Monster-level genius

"Did Luo Xiu actually defeat Zhao Qishuang with just a Grade-Two martial art?"

"I must be blind! Since when did Grade-Two martial arts become so powerful? Zhao Qishuang's Seven Star Blade Technique has already reached Minor Achievement. Even if a Grade-Two martial art reaches Mastery, it shouldn't be this formidable."

"What do you know? I just heard a teacher say that Luo Xiu's Dragon-Tiger Fist and Inch Step have surpassed Mastery and reached the Perfection Realm!"

Amidst the exclamations, Luo Xiu suddenly became the hot favorite to break into the top three.

"Training a Grade-Two martial art to the Perfection Realm is indeed rare, but if he encounters those in the Advanced Elite Class, he might suffer a crushing defeat. After all, a Grade-Two martial art is still just Grade-Two."

Elder Li, having calmed down from the excitement, analyzed rationally.

"Elder Li is right. Grade-Two martial arts have their limitations. A Grade-Three martial art at Mastery can easily suppress a Grade-Two martial art at Perfection," another elder agreed.

"It's just a Grade-Two martial art at Perfection. If he meets me, I'll make him understand there's always someone better!"

A young man in an embroidered robe sneered loudly, his voice carrying clearly to those nearby.

Many turned their gaze toward him, curious about who dared to speak so arrogantly.

But when they saw him, their eyes narrowed in recognition.

"It's Feng Xuanzhu, ranked third in the Advanced Elite Class. It's said he's trained his Grade-Three Sword Technique to the Mastery Realm!"

"So it's him. A Grade-Three Sword Technique at Mastery indeed qualifies him to look down on a Grade-Two martial art at Perfection."

The tournament continued, and soon only a dozen participants remained, ready for the final showdown.

Luo Xiu observed some of the other matches, realizing that many were not weaker than him.

After all, Qingyun City, with its hundreds of thousands of residents, plus the surrounding towns and villages, sends many new students to the Martial Hall each year. Among the eight classes of students aged ten to eighteen, there are quite a few with exceptionally high martial talent.

Compared to those who showed high talent from the start and advanced rapidly, Luo Xiu knew his own rise was relatively short. Catching up to them in less than half a year was no small feat.

Among them was someone also practicing the Thunderstorm Sword Art, named Feng Xuanzhu, who, like him, had reached the Mastery Realm in swordsmanship.

There was also the top-ranked Xu Qiusheng, whose spear technique was extraordinary, having trained his Grade-Three Spear Technique to Perfection!

And the second-ranked Han Shan, born with immense strength, whose casual strikes could rival Grade-Three martial techniques. He also practiced a Grade-Three defensive martial technique, Hard Qi Technique, covering his body with Inner Qi, making ordinary attacks negligible.

After another round of eliminations, the final results were unsurprising. Xu Qiusheng, Han Shan, and Feng Xuanzhu all won easily, almost predetermined as the top three.

After all, the most important rewards of the Grand Martial Tournament were mainly for the top three.

Compared to these three, although Luo Xiu also advanced, few expected much from him. However, reaching this stage at the age of fourteen made him a highlight of this year's tournament.

With four competitors vying for the top three, according to the rules, each would face the others, and rankings would be determined by the number of victories.

At this moment, Feng Xuanzhu suddenly approached Luo Xiu, sneering, "Kid, you've been quite the show-off. When you face me, I'll make sure you lose miserably!"

Luo Xiu frowned. He hadn't offended Feng Xuanzhu, so why such hostility?

But Luo Xiu also understood that some people always think the world revolves around them and get annoyed when others steal the spotlight. Feng Xuanzhu was probably one of those people.

"Is reaching Mastery in swordsmanship that impressive? Who will lose miserably is yet to be seen!" Luo Xiu's fighting spirit soared, eager to challenge the top experts of the Advanced Elite Class.

The first match was between Xu Qiusheng and Han Shan, one with extraordinary spear skills and power, the other with innate strength, combining offense and defense.

Han Shan wielded a Mountain-Splitting Blade, his moves wide and powerful, the wind whistling and dust flying.

Though his attacks were strong, they couldn't touch Xu Qiusheng. His Silver Spear moved like a dragon, targeting Han Shan's vital points.

Han Shan could only rely on Hard Qi Technique to withstand the attacks, but after being struck multiple times in the same spot, he eventually spat blood and retreated, conceding defeat.

The two then left the stage to rest and recover from the battle's toll.

Feng Xuanzhu leaped onto the dueling platform, one hand behind his back, the other pointing arrogantly at Luo Xiu below, declaring, "Within three moves, I'll defeat you!"

Seeing Feng Xuanzhu's blatant provocation, many in the audience looked at Luo Xiu with schadenfreude.

Feng Xuanzhu was a solid top-three expert, on a completely different level from Luo Xiu's previous opponents.

"Defeat me in three moves? Such arrogance! Does he think he's a Qi Sea Martial Artist?" Luo Xiu jumped onto the platform, sneering, "Let's see how you plan to defeat me in three moves."

"Watch closely!" Feng Xuanzhu's eyes flashed coldly.

"Whoosh!"

As he spoke, his figure flickered, appearing before Luo Xiu in an instant, his speed ghostly, drawing gasps from the audience.

"So fast!"

"A Grade-Three Movement Technique, Lateral Shift, is far superior to Luo Xiu's Grade-Two Inch Step!"

Clearly, Feng Xuanzhu's display of speed impressed many.

Speed? Is speed all that matters?

Luo Xiu's lips curled into a disdainful smile. In Yaqi Mountain, he had encountered a Level-Two Demonic Beast, the Spotted Shadow Cat, whose speed was nearly invisible to the naked eye. Compared to that, Feng Xuanzhu's speed was nothing.

It was during that life-and-death battle with the Spotted Shadow Cat that Luo Xiu grasped the subtlety of precision, advancing his Inch Step Movement Technique beyond Mastery to the Perfection Realm.

He integrated his movement technique with his swordsmanship, achieving a seamless unity, allowing him to defeat the Spotted Shadow Cat.

Feng Xuanzhu, overconfident, didn't draw his sword but used the scabbard to strike at Luo Xiu's head.

Yet Luo Xiu, as he had with others, merely shifted his steps slightly, easily dodging without a scratch.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!..."

Feng Xuanzhu pushed his movement technique to the limit, attacking repeatedly, but couldn't even touch Luo Xiu's clothes.

"Wow! Is this really a Grade-Two Inch Step? It seems more formidable than a Grade-Three Movement Technique."

The audience gasped, staring in awe at the calm and composed Luo Xiu in black, their jaws nearly dropping.

In truth, Luo Xiu's movement technique had long surpassed the original Grade-Two Inch Step. After refining it with the Vital Meridians Diagram, it could rival Grade-Three martial arts.

This meant that Luo Xiu's fist and martial techniques were essentially at the Perfection Realm of Grade-Three martial arts!

This scene even moved the Master of the Martial Hall in the pavilion. His smile vanished, eyes narrowing as he focused on Luo Xiu.

As a strong figure nearing the Martial Grandmaster Realm, his insight and experience far exceeded that of other elders.

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Initially, he hadn't noticed anything because Luo Xiu's opponents were relatively weak. But Feng Xuanzhu had trained his Grade-Three Movement Technique to a profound level, and in comparison, the Master finally saw the anomaly.

"What a remarkable Luo Xiu, training Grade-Two martial arts to rival Grade-Three. This isn't just talent; it's monstrous!"

He couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. As the Master of the Martial Hall in Qingyun City, he held a high position, but within the entire Yunlong Prefecture, it wasn't much.

If Qingyun City could produce a peerless genius to join the Free Spirit Sect, he would have the merit of recommendation, possibly earning a reward from the sect, giving him a chance to break through to the Spirit Refining Realm!

In fact, the situation was similar for every Martial Hall Master in each city. Having reached half-step Spirit Refining, their potential was nearly exhausted, making further progress difficult.

Thus, the Free Spirit Sect offered them an opportunity, assigning them to manage the Martial Halls in various cities. If they could recommend a peerless genius to join the sect, they would be rewarded with a Spirit Refining Pill, allowing them to advance to the Spirit Refining Realm.

The leap from Innate to Spirit Refining is a significant threshold. Once crossed, one could live for eight hundred years, having more time to pursue higher realms.

But failing to reach the Spirit Refining Realm meant a lifespan of only a little over a hundred years. As the body aged and vital blood weakened, strength would decline, making breakthroughs even harder.

"Clang! Clang!"

Two sounds rang out as Luo Xiu and Feng Xuanzhu simultaneously drew their swords.

"Mastery Sword Technique?"

The Master of the Martial Hall was once again surprised, but quickly accepted it. A prodigy who could train Grade-Two martial arts to the level of Grade-Three, achieving Mastery in swordsmanship in two months seemed reasonable.

In the arena, Feng Xuanzhu's arrogance vanished. Though both wielded the Thunderstorm Sword Art at Mastery, Luo Xiu's swordsmanship was superior, faster, and completely overwhelmed him.

In terms of movement, he was inferior to Luo Xiu. In terms of swordsmanship, he was also inferior!

Recalling his earlier boast of defeating Luo Xiu in three moves, Feng Xuanzhu felt his face burn with shame. This would surely become a huge joke.

"Buzz!"

The sword light flashed, and Feng Xuanzhu's body froze, as Luo Xiu's black Battle Sword stopped just a hair's breadth from his throat.

"I... I concede!"

Feng Xuanzhu nearly ground his teeth to dust, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into.

He knew he was defeated, not just in the match, but also in face and spirit.

In the pavilion, the Master of the Martial Hall took a deep breath, fingers tapping lightly on the armrest of his chair.

Having mastered the top-tier Grade-Three Pure Yang Technique, advancing from the second to the ninth layer of the Body Refining Realm in five months, and achieving Mastery in the Thunderstorm Sword Art in two months, integrating it with his movement technique, he was unmatched below the Qi Sea Realm!

Any one of these feats would earn the title of genius, yet all these feats belonged to one person...

The third match continued, with Xu Qiusheng and Luo Xiu each having one victory, tying for first place. It was then Han Shan and Feng Xuanzhu's turn to duel; whoever won would temporarily rank higher.

"Haha, Little Bamboo, you look so glum, like a bitter melon. Did losing one match make you cry?" Han Shan laughed heartily as he stepped onto the platform.

"Big fool, I may not be a match for Luo Xiu, but you can only be my target!" Feng Xuanzhu snorted, drawing his Battle Sword.

"Haha, come on, just be careful not to get flattened by my Mountain-Splitting Blade!"

The two faced off, both at the peak of the ninth layer of the Body Refining Realm, Inner Qi glowing around them.