Five Thunder Divine Sound Sword — Ten Thousand Swords Torrent.
Jiang Chen had been comprehending this technique for several months, but this was actually the first time he'd truly unleashed it in a real battle. The process went far more smoothly than he had expected, and the effect was essentially exactly what he'd wanted.
Countless streams of sword qi seemed to move in perfect concert, all converging on Lord Liuxiang with unerring precision.
Since his debut, Lord Liuxiang had faced many powerful opponents and witnessed many devastating killing techniques, but never before had he felt so utterly, hopelessly outmatched.
In an instant, all the vitality around his body felt as though it had been sealed away. He was a fish on a chopping board — there was absolutely no hope of resistance.
A single thought blazed through his mind like lightning: *Run!*
If he didn't flee, this strike would kill him without question.
The moment that thought took hold, Lord Liuxiang abandoned every shred of dignity. His face drained of color as he flipped backward and scrambled off the stage in a desperate retreat.
BOOM!
The torrent of ten thousand swords crashed down almost the very instant Lord Liuxiang cleared the platform.
More than half of the arena was instantly obliterated.
This stage had been reinforced with layer upon layer of protective formations. Ordinarily, even powerful attacks would only leave minor scuffs and dents — nothing more. But Jiang Chen's single sword strike had destroyed more than half of it.
Such overwhelming force left everyone on the scene utterly dumbstruck. For a long, breathless moment the entire arena fell deathly silent — even the sound of breathing seemed to have stopped.
Lord Liuxiang staggered to his feet beneath the stage, staring at the half-ruined arena in a daze, unable to speak for a long while.
The next moment, a thunderous wave of applause swept through the crowd.
Even the Coiling Dragon Clan Lord couldn't help but clap and cheer. How could he fail to see that at the final instant between life and death, Jiang Chen had held back his sword's momentum just slightly, giving Lord Liuxiang a chance to escape with his life?
Fortunately, Lord Liuxiang hadn't been completely foolish — at the very least, he had seized that opportunity. Otherwise, the Coiling Dragon Clan Lord did not believe Lord Liuxiang could have survived that strike.
Jiang Chen stood tall with sword in hand, like a jade tree swaying in the wind. In that moment, his heart surged with emotion. This sword technique had finally achieved its first taste of true mastery.
"Emperor Cangqiong, I swear I will carry your Five Thunder Divine Sound Sword to even greater heights!" Jiang Chen's heart was awash with a hundred different feelings.
This was the sword technique of his idol, Emperor Cangqiong. Every time he cultivated it, every time he wielded it, it was to pay homage to that idol.
Lord Liuxiang's defeat essentially shattered the remaining confidence of the other great clan scions who had been considering their chances of challenging the Perfected Pill King.
After that, Jiang Chen swept through six more opponents in rapid succession.
In the seventh match, he faced the independent cultivator Sun Yuxiaosheng. Sun Yuxiaosheng proved to be quite the character — he simply forfeited on the spot.
Even Jiang Chen found this somewhat surprising. He had been genuinely intrigued by this dark horse, Sun Yuxiaosheng, and had expected a fierce battle between them. Yet Sun Yuxiaosheng had yielded without a fight, and he had done so with perfect courtesy.
Jiang Chen was thoroughly puzzled. He had no way of knowing whether Sun Yuxiaosheng had deliberately thrown the match or genuinely believed himself outmatched. Either way, Jiang Chen now had seven consecutive victories in the ranking tournament.
In the eighth match, Jiang Chen finally faced Young Master San Ji.
Young Master San Ji had thought long and hard before letting out a bitter smile. "That sword strike of yours — I've been turning it over in my mind, and I still can't find a way to counter it. So let's not waste time on this fight."
The eighth match was yet another voluntary forfeit. At that point, the protagonist's halo around Jiang Chen seemed to have reached its absolute peak.
After all, the ranking tournament was a grueling contest in every single match. Each victory or defeat directly determined one's final standing.