"Who's going up next?"
The remaining three exchanged glances. Finally, Gu Zhiqiu raised his hand, about to speak when Su Yu interrupted:
"I'll go!"
Everyone thought for a moment, then nodded:
"Alright, the outcome hinges on this moment!"
Zhuang Zhuo, however, shook his head and said:
"Mr. Su might not necessarily lose."
Su Yu smiled slightly, stepped forward, cupped his hands in salute:
"Su Yu!"
Li Tianjie's expression grew serious, and he said:
"I remember you were in the second team."
"Just lucky to be a bit quicker."
Li Tianjie's face showed a fighting spirit, eager to test him:
"I just wanted to see what your second team's strength is like, please!"
With a thought, the Red Flame Flying Centipede circling around him scattered and rushed forward.
Su Yu opened his mouth and spat out a sword light, swiftly expanding into a ten-meter sword rainbow, sweeping through the flying centipedes.
The faint sound of wind and thunder could be heard. The onlookers on the Fire Spirit Ship were stunned, several jumping up in disbelief:
"Sword Qi Thunder Sound?"
"Is it real?"
The sword rainbow flew like a dragon into the swarm of centipedes, making two circles, and two Red Flame Flying Centipedes fell, cut in half.
Su Yu combined his sword fingers, directing the flying sword like a spirit, nimble and swift, weaving through the centipedes.
In just a few seconds, eight centipedes were down before they even got close, leaving Li Tianjie flustered, hurriedly urging the centipedes to disperse, then released a black thread from a black gourd.
Su Yu's protective aura expanded to block the incoming black thread. Ignoring other magic and treasures, he channeled his mana. The Ice Soul Sword emitted a chilling aura, slowing two nearby centipedes, the sword light circling around them. Five damage indicators appeared, and the centipedes fell in three pieces.
"Oh damn, this swordsmanship!"
Shi Ning, Meng Chen, and others were overjoyed, while Zhuang Zhuo looked proud and said:
"I've told you all, Mr. Su is amazing."
"More than amazing, it's Sword Qi Thunder Sound!"
"Wow, it's just been a month, and he's opened the swordsmanship realm. Mr. Su is going to soar."
A dozen Red Flame Flying Centipedes died soon after. Li Tianjie retrieved the remaining centipedes with a pained expression and shouted:
"I admit defeat!"
Su Yu reached out to retrieve the Ice Soul Sword, cupped his hands in salute:
"You let me win!"
Then he turned and bowed towards the Fire Spirit Ship, asking:
"Who's next?"
Li Hai finally came to his senses, smiled, and waved:
"No need to compete, you've won, this place is yours."
"Captain, we haven't..."
The other two newcomers got their mouths covered by experienced members before they finished their sentence. Li Hai smiled and said to Su Yu:
"It's fine. We're leaving now."
The group boarded their ship and quickly left.
"Boss, why didn't you let us go? We're both in the second team too. We just needed to beat him."
On the flying ship, one of the newcomers was dissatisfied.
Li Hai glanced at him, shook his head, and said:
"Don't be upset. You're definitely not his match."
"What's the big deal about high swordsmanship? At this stage, everyone's cultivation level is about the same, and our methods aren't much different. Why admit defeat?"
"Why? Heh heh."
Li Hai looked at the dissatisfied face of his younger brother and patiently explained:
"Do you know what it means to open the swordsmanship realm now?"
"What does it mean?"
"It's known as the foundation of the Sword Immortal, a ticket to the immortal gate, an entry pass to the master club, and a nomination ticket for senior positions in guilds."
"For newcomers who can reach the swordsmanship realm three years post-awakening, as long as they don't fall mid-course, they'll become renowned masters in the future, holding high positions in sects, or if they progress well, even have a chance to survive celestial tribulations and ascend to Loose Immortal, living for hundreds of years, becoming power holders."
"Right now, he's not yet risen. If we bond well, that's good. If we offend him, we'll regret it later."
"Really, is it that impressive?"
"It's more impressive than you think."
"Especially given that he awakened the swordsmanship realm in just a month, the probability of him becoming a Loose Immortal is quite high."
He didn't say the final sentence aloud, simply glanced back at his panel, seeing the friend request just accepted, and immediately sent a message:
"Mr. Su, it was my mistake this time. I owe you a favor. If you need help, just let me know."
Shortly after, there was a response:
"Mr. Li, you're too kind."
"No need to be so polite. You indeed discovered this place first. I was greedy."
"....."
Closing communication, Su Yu exhaled a breath.
The drastic change from before to now left him speechless.
However, it clearly showed just how extraordinary it was to open the swordsmanship realm early on.
With no one disturbing them, the five of them discussed briefly and started clearing the insects from the east side of the island.
There were no spirits on the island, only insects. Their levels were not high, between ten and thirty, but they were numerous, often appearing in large groups.
If Su Yu were alone, it might be troublesome. Although the flying sword was sharp, facing thousands of insects would still be tricky.
But with Zhuang Zhuo and others, who primarily studied Gu Skills, each wielding a Hundred Gu Banner, the four of them combined had several hundred various Gu insects, capable of holding off the monster swarms.
It took almost a whole day to clear from the east to the west of the island. Twice, they encountered others passing by, but seeing them at work, those quickly left.
On the second day, the five gathered before the spiritual node in the center of the island. Shi Ning circled around it in surprise:
"Hey, there should be a BOSS here."
The spiritual node lay in a large pit, the stones at the bottom polished smooth, with small scale fragments resembling snake scales.
"It must have been cleared earlier. It hasn't respawned yet."