With every clash, the decline in Su Yang's physical prowess became harder to conceal.
His movements were no longer as fluid as they had been at the beginning of the battle, and the once-thunderous Qi-Blood surging through his body had begun to weaken, his breathing growing heavier as the poison coursed deeper through his muscles and organs. Even so, his sword remained steady, each strike carrying the sharpness of the Four Seasons Sword Intent as he continuously forced Liu Ruyan backward.
Clang!
The two swords collided again, sparks scattering across the arena as Liu Ruyan's Jade Butterfly Sword trembled violently beneath the impact.
Su Yang's eyes narrowed.
The sword his master had given him was extraordinary.
Every time the two weapons clashed, a faint crack appeared upon the surface of the Jade Butterfly Sword, and although the damage was extremely subtle, Su Yang could clearly sense that the weapon's spiritual connection was weakening.
At this rate, I'll eventually destroy her sword.
That realization gave him another opportunity.
He only needed to endure long enough.
But the poison was becoming increasingly troublesome.
His fingers were beginning to feel numb, his vision occasionally blurred, and every time he circulated his Qi-Blood, the poison seemed to spread another step through his body. His Arhat Body was desperately suppressing it, but even his powerful physique had limits.
Su Yang clenched his teeth.
I need to finish this quickly.
His gaze hardened.
Looks like I'll have to use that move.
---
On the viewing platform, Han Yu's expression had completely changed.
The pride that had been present on his face earlier had vanished.
He had expected Liu Ruyan to defeat Su Yang.
Even with Su Yang's remarkable Four Seasons Sword Intent and powerful physique, he was still suffering from poison, and Han Yu had believed that the outcome was already decided.
Yet the battle had developed in an entirely different direction.
Even while poisoned, Su Yang's combat strength had already suppressed Liu Ruyan.
In fact, there were several moments when his swordsmanship had even surpassed Han Yu's own.
Han Yu's fingers slowly tightened.
"This..."
His eyes became cold.
"This potential cannot be allowed to mature."
A murderous glint flashed through his eyes.
A genius capable of reaching this level in only five years was already frightening enough, but Su Yang had demonstrated something even more troublesome, his foundation was astonishingly solid.
If he were allowed another decade...
Han Yu didn't dare imagine it.
He slowly turned his head toward the side.
He gave a barely noticeable nod.
The space beside him rippled.
For the briefest moment, the surrounding air distorted as though an invisible figure had moved through it, then everything returned to normal.
No one in the crowd noticed.
Or perhaps they noticed but pretended not to.
---
Shen Bing stood among the spectators, her hands tightly clasped together.
At the beginning of the battle, worry had filled her eyes.
Now, however, that worry had gradually turned into relief.
Su Yang was winning.
Even with the poison weakening him, he was still forcing Liu Ruyan into a desperate position.
She quietly touched the talisman beneath her clothing.
The Golden Cover Talisman remained completely silent.
It seemed that she wouldn't need to use it after all.
Shen Bing finally released the breath she had been holding.
"Thank heavens..."
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
---
Meanwhile, the battle continued.
Liu Ruyan suddenly retreated.
Instead of continuing to exchange blows on the ground, she stepped onto the air.
Her body rose gracefully, her long hair dancing behind her as her Jade Butterfly Sword emitted a cold brilliance.
She had taken to the sky.
The spectators immediately understood.
A Marrow Cleansing martial artist could only truly achieve flight after reaching Major Accomplishment, and Su Yang hadn't clearly reached that threshold.
Su Yang raised his head.
His eyes narrowed.
"You think the sky will save you?"
Liu Ruyan didn't answer.
She simply raised her sword.
The cold Gang Qi surrounding her erupted.
BOOM!
She descended from above like a falling icy star.
Su Yang's body moved.
His Summer Sword Intent suddenly erupted.
Then—
It disappeared.
The aggressive heat of Summer vanished from his body, replaced by an eerie silence.
Winter.
The sword intent became cold, restrained, and murderous.
Su Yang's figure flashed forward.
He didn't meet Liu Ruyan head-on.
Instead, his body seemed to melt into the surroundings, moving like an assassin waiting for the perfect opening.
Liu Ruyan's pupils contracted.
"Where—"
A cold flash appeared behind her.
PCH!
Su Yang's sword pierced through her right chest.
Liu Ruyan's eyes widened.
"Ah—!"
Blood sprayed from her mouth as her body violently convulsed, her sword nearly slipping from her hand.
Su Yang withdrew his sword.
Liu Ruyan fell.
BOOM!
Her body crashed into the arena, the stone beneath her cracking outward in a spiderweb of fractures.
The crowd erupted.
"Ruyan!"
Su Yang didn't hesitate.
His body shot forward.
He intended to end the battle before the poison could worsen.
But before he could reach Liu Ruyan—
BOOM!
A sword strike descended from the side.
Su Yang barely raised his sword before the terrifying force struck.
The impact exploded outward.
"ARGHH!"
Su Yang was blasted backward, his feet dragging across the arena as blood leaked from the corner of his mouth.
The entire audience fell silent.
Then the uproar erupted.
"Han Yu!"
"He interfered!"
"That's cheating!"
"The Jade Sword Palace actually interfered in the Appointment!"
Han Yu calmly lowered his sword.
His expression was completely composed.
The constable's face darkened.
He looked directly at Han Yu.
"Young Master Han, why did you interfere?"
Han Yu cleared his throat.
Then he spoke in a calm, almost proud voice.
"The Five-Year Appointment is not merely a battle between Su Yang and Liu Ruyan."
His gaze swept across the crowd.
"On that day, Su Yang also challenged me."
Silence.
Everyone turned toward Su Yang.
Su Yang slowly straightened his body.
His chest rose and fell heavily.
The poison continued eating away at his strength, yet his eyes remained frighteningly clear.
The constable looked at him.
"Is this true?"
Su Yang wiped the blood from his lips.
He took a deep breath.
Then he answered.
"I did challenge Han Yu."
The crowd erupted once again.
The constable's expression became complicated.
Since both parties had acknowledged the challenge, there was little he could do.
Han Yu smiled.
Su Yang merely tightened his grip around his sword.
The first battle had not ended.
It had merely changed opponents.
The moment Su Yang's aura changed, the entire arena seemed to fall silent.
He stood between the two opponents, his body still stained with blood, his breathing slightly ragged, yet the weakness that had plagued him moments ago suddenly disappeared, replaced by a deep and terrifying pressure that seemed to originate from within his very bones.
His eyes sharpened.
Enough was enough.
Su Yang took a deep breath, then circulated the True Essence he had painstakingly condensed over the past months.
BOOM!
A vast wave of energy erupted from within his body.
It did not rush outward like ordinary True Qi, instead the True Essence surged inward first, flooding his meridians, organs, muscles, bones, and every corner of his physique, suppressing the poison that had been spreading through his blood and restoring the strength that had been steadily declining.
The trembling of his hands stopped.
His breathing stabilized.
The pallor on his face disappeared.
The Arhat Body once again radiated the powerful brilliance of a Vajra, while his Qi-Blood surged like a great furnace that had suddenly been supplied with fresh fuel.
The transformation was immediate.
The crowd stared.
"What is that?"
"True Essence?"
"Impossible!"
"Wasn't Su Yang crippled in internal cultivation?"
The shock spread through the arena like a wave.
Even the martial hall experts who had been calmly observing the battle earlier were no longer able to remain completely composed.
Su Yang had been famous for his poor internal cultivation talent, yet now, standing before them, he had unleashed genuine True Essence.
And judging from its density, this wasn't merely a newly condensed trace.
This was the power of the Peak True Essence Realm.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then someone finally whispered,
"Could he have cured his condition?"
The question immediately caused another uproar.
Su Yang ignored all of it.
His gaze moved toward Han Yu.
The Jade Sword Sect's young master was staring at him with an expression that had completely lost its earlier arrogance.
Han Yu's fists tightened.
A cripple had become a Peak True Essence expert while simultaneously possessing a terrifying external cultivation foundation.
If Su Yang survived today and continued growing...
Han Yu's eyes became cold.
"He must be crippled here."
His figure suddenly moved.
Sword intent erupted.
The sword in his hand released a brilliant radiance as he charged forward, his movement carrying the fury of someone who had already decided that allowing his opponent to live was too dangerous.
Su Yang merely watched him approach.
Then his Wind Riding Boots activated.
WHOOSH!
His figure vanished.
Han Yu's pupils contracted.
"So fast!"
Su Yang appeared at his side, his sword already descending.
CLANG!
Han Yu hurriedly raised his weapon to block.
The collision produced a sharp metallic roar, the force behind Su Yang's strike traveling through Han Yu's arms and forcing his entire body downward.
His feet slid across the arena.
Su Yang didn't give him time to recover.
His sword turned.
Another slash descended.
Han Yu's sword was struck aside.
The third strike came immediately after.
Each movement was clean and decisive, without wasted motion, his Four Seasons Sword Intent flowing through his sword like the changing of heaven and earth, sometimes fierce like the blazing sun of summer, sometimes silent and cold like winter snow.
Han Yu was forced backward.
The crowd watched in disbelief.
Su Yang wasn't merely resisting him.
He was suppressing him.
With his internal cultivation restored and his Arhat Body fully awakened, Su Yang's physical strength had become frightening, even a late-stage Xuan Gang expert would struggle to withstand him in close combat.
Han Yu barely managed to parry another slash before Su Yang abruptly changed direction.
His Wind Riding Boots flashed.
He disappeared from Han Yu's vision.
Then—
BOOM!
A heavy impact erupted from behind.
Han Yu was struck by the residual force of Su Yang's movement and staggered forward.
Su Yang didn't pursue him.
His attention had already shifted.
Liu Ruyan.
She had been wounded earlier, her right chest stained with blood, yet she had recovered enough to maintain her stance.
Su Yang's eyes narrowed.
He stepped forward.
The ground beneath his foot cracked.
His body shot toward her.
Liu Ruyan raised her Jade Butterfly Sword, attempting to defend herself, but Su Yang was already in front of her.
His fist came forward.
There was no elaborate technique.
No unnecessary movement.
Just overwhelming physical strength concentrated into a single punch.
BOOM!
His fist struck Liu Ruyan directly in the abdomen.
Her eyes widened.
The impact bent her body around his fist before an enormous force erupted from within.
She was launched backward like a kite whose string had suddenly been severed, her body flying across the arena before crashing heavily against the ground.
CRACK!
The stone beneath her shattered.
Dust erupted into the air.
Su Yang stood where she had been, his fist slowly retracting, his Four Seasons Sword Intent still circulating around his body.
The arena fell completely silent.
Han Yu's expression became ugly.
For the first time since the appointment began, he understood something clearly.
The person standing before him was no longer the cripple everyone had once known.
He was a monster.