Chapter 173: Chapter 171: Sword Intent Tier Two

"Not good!"

Jiang Chen’s expression flickered, and a look of horror flashed in his eyes.

Leng Feng was too fast!

He was completely silent.

Jiang Chen had only just begun to react when Leng Feng appeared behind him, already launching a powerful killing strike.

In a rush, Jiang Chen whipped his arm around, sweeping his longsword back to shield the spot over his heart.

CLANG—

A crisp ring echoed.

A sharp pain shot through Jiang Chen’s back. He used the immense force of the impact to propel himself forward, flying a full hundred meters before he could absorb the terrifying momentum and regain his footing.

A searing pain flared across his back, making Jiang Chen grimace. ’This guy is ridiculously fast! Looks like I’ll need to find a suitable Body Technique to increase my own speed when I get the chance!’

Leng Feng was slightly stunned that he hadn’t killed Jiang Chen in one blow. He licked his lips with a crimson tongue and murmured, "Quick reflexes. You actually managed to dodge that attack."

"You’re fast, too," Jiang Chen said.

Leng Feng grinned, a pitch-black, poison-coated dagger in each hand. They gleamed with a dark, oily light.

He twirled the daggers with nimble skill and sneered, "That was only half my speed. Now, I’ll use seventy percent. Let’s see if you can block my attacks then. Oh, and I forgot to mention," he added, "these daggers are coated with a deadly poison. It kills on contact with blood. Even an expert at the True Martial Realm Ninth Stage would have no choice but to die if I so much as scratch them. You’d better be careful!"

"Seventy percent? I’d like to see that for myself." Jiang Chen’s eyes narrowed.

Suddenly, Jiang Chen’s expression changed. The figure of Leng Feng was still standing there sneering, but a piercing, cold gust of wind was already whistling past his ear.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a dark dagger about to press against his neck.

’So fast!’

Jiang Chen’s heart pounded.

Only then did the "Leng Feng" standing before him blur and slowly fade away. It was another afterimage!

Leng Feng’s real body, meanwhile, was already at Jiang Chen’s side, poised to decapitate him!

A cold, bored smile curved Leng Feng’s lips. "Your power is decent," he said flatly, "but your speed is just too slow. This time, there’s nowhere left to run. Goodbye, Jiang Chen!"

SWISH—

The black dagger swung in a dark arc, slicing straight through Jiang Chen’s neck and severing his head.

Leng Feng smiled triumphantly.

But the smile quickly froze on his face. The "Jiang Chen" he had just decapitated didn’t bleed. Before his eyes, the figure blurred and dissipated. Leng Feng was stunned, his expression changing abruptly. "An afterimage? Dammit..."

Leng Feng hastily activated his Body Technique and shot off to the side.

Almost at the same time...

BOOM!

A peerlessly sharp Sword Aura slammed into the spot where he had just been standing. The platform trembled violently as dust and debris flew into the air.

A dark crater, a full ten meters deep, was left in the platform!

Leng Feng gasped, a cold fear gripping him. If he hadn’t dodged in time, he would have been obliterated by that single strike!

The swirling dust settled.

Holding his Cyan Blade Sword, his black hair drifting as if in a phantom wind, Jiang Chen stood at the edge of the crater, his face alight with a fervent battle lust. "If I’m not mistaken, you’ve comprehended a True Martial Dao—specifically, one with the Wind Attribute!"

"That’s right!"

Leng Feng froze. Recalling the speed Jiang Chen had displayed while dodging his fatal blow, he asked, "You’ve also comprehended the True Meaning of Wind?"

Jiang Chen nodded, the battle lust in his eyes blazing even hotter. "Then today, let’s have a duel of wind! I’m eager to see which is superior: your speed, or my sword!"

"Then bring it on!"

Leng Feng gave a sinister smile, his own powerful battle lust ignited.

In scholarship, there is no first; in martial arts, there is no second.

Both were geniuses who had comprehended True Martial Dao.

Both had their pride. Now that they had met another expert who had comprehended the True Meaning of Wind, they were naturally determined to prove who was superior.

"Jiang Chen, I’ll admit your strength has exceeded my expectations. Therefore, you’ve earned the right to witness my true speed! I won’t be holding back anymore. When you get to Hell, don’t forget the name of the man who sent you there—Leng Feng!" he said, enunciating each word as he slowly walked forward.

It looked like he was taking a leisurely, lazy stroll.

In reality, Leng Feng’s speed was pushed to its absolute limit.

In the time it took him to take three seemingly lazy steps, he had already shifted his position no less than thirty times, probing for an opening to deliver the fatal strike.

"Dark Night Assault!"

Leng Feng’s gaze suddenly turned cold.

If one looked closely, they would see a hazy, faint layer of wind enveloping his body. This extremely thin layer of wind was what allowed his afterimage to linger, maintaining the illusion of a leisurely stroll. In reality, his true body was already rushing toward Jiang Chen for the kill.

Jiang Chen’s grip on his Qingfeng Sword tightened. His gaze flashed like lightning as he thrust his sword to the left. "Instant Sword!"

SWISH—

A sword strike pierced the air.

This strike left everyone on the Observation Platform completely bewildered. They looked at each other, unable to make heads or tails of it.

"What’s going on? Is Jiang Chen crazy? Isn’t Leng Feng on his right? Why is he attacking the left?"

"Is he attacking empty air?"

"Has he given up? Leaving his entire back exposed to Leng Feng, isn’t that just asking to die?"

But very quickly, the crowd understood why Jiang Chen did that!

The sword strike, which had been aimed at empty air and seemed destined to miss, suddenly produced a deafening CLANG. Out of the void, a figure staggered backward—it was none other than Leng Feng.

"Two Leng Fengs?"

"No, the one on the right is an afterimage..."

"Holy shit, how fast is Leng Feng? His afterimage can last that long?"

"What’s even more badass is Jiang Chen. How did he find Leng Feng’s real position?"

The crowd in the Martial Arts Arena was completely captivated by their spectacular duel, erupting in gasps and fervent discussion.

Leng Feng stared at Jiang Chen in astonishment. "How did you find me?"

"The wind!"

Jiang Chen said flatly, "The wind. No matter how fast you are, as long as you’re moving, you’ll always disturb the air. That gives you away."

"I see." Leng Feng nodded. "It seems I can’t kill you without using my Martial Soul Talent. In that case, you can die by my strongest technique! Jiang Chen, this is my Martial Soul Talent. Its name—is Shadowless!"

As soon as he finished speaking.

A cyan wind swirled around Leng Feng. His body turned transparent, then vanished completely.

Leng Feng’s cold voice echoed from all directions, though he was nowhere to be seen. "Jiang Chen, to force me to use Shadowless with your True Martial Realm Sixth Stage cultivation... you can be proud in death!"

While his voice was still echoing.

Suddenly...

Invisible gales began to whip through the air. Each gust concealed a razor-sharp attack.

Caught off guard, Jiang Chen’s arm was slashed open.

Jiang Chen’s expression changed drastically. He immediately circulated the Profound Yellow Undying Technique to force the black, poisoned blood from the wound. His eyes narrowed as he swung his Qingfeng Sword relentlessly. Arcs of Sword Aura swept out like a celestial canopy, blotting out the sky as he blocked the piercing attacks. An endless series of metallic clashes rang out.

’Dammit, this can’t go on. Sooner or later, I’ll slip up. The moment he finds an opening, I’m dead!’ Jiang Chen thought, his anxiety mounting.

This feeling of being unable to locate his opponent while attacks came from everywhere was infuriatingly suffocating.

’Wait a minute...’

As he parried another black dagger, a flash of insight struck Jiang Chen. ’Everywhere? That’s it! The wind... it’s formless, intangible, and omnipresent. It’s not just about speed; it’s also about being everywhere. I’ve been blindly pursuing the extreme of speed, but that’s a dead end. The true essence of Wind Sword Intent must be both speed *and* omnipresence. A speed that is everywhere is truly invincible! I get it. I finally get it!’

HUMMM—

Jiang Chen’s entire body trembled as a wave of profound enlightenment washed over him, from his soul to his very cells.

It was the sign that his Wind Sword Intent had been acknowledged by the Martial Dao and had advanced to Tier Two!

Jiang Chen flicked his sword and laughed. "Hahaha! Leng Feng, I have you to thank for this. You’ve finally helped me achieve this enlightenment. Take this next strike as my gift of gratitude!"

The moment he finished speaking.

Jiang Chen swung his sword. "Divine Wind Extreme!"

HUMMM—

A fierce wind swept forth.

But this was vastly different from his previous techniques. The mighty gust existed for but a single moment, then vanished without a trace.

A moment later...

"AARGH!"

A bloodcurdling scream tore through the void. Enveloped in a vortex of violent Sword Qi, Leng Feng crashed onto the platform. The terrifying Sword Qi ravaged his body, relentlessly slicing at him. His tendons in his wrists and ankles were severed, and he lay in a pool of his own blood, screaming in agony.

When the Sword Qi dissipated, Leng Feng was left with no strength to fight.

He stared blankly at Jiang Chen. "Was that... Tier Two Sword Intent?"

Jiang Chen nodded. "It was."

Leng Feng’s face fell, and he gave a weak, bitter smile. "I never thought you could achieve a breakthrough mid-battle and comprehend Tier Two Sword Intent. With your current strength, you’re powerful enough to rank in the top fifty of the Spirit List. To lose to you... I have no complaints."