Over generations, parts of the technique were lost and added to. In the new era, it was continuously refined by multiple Martial Saint-level Sword Cultivators, eventually giving birth to the Void Wind Shadow Sword. It’s claimed that reaching mastery in this Swordsmanship guarantees the comprehension of Phantom Sword Intent.

At the peak of mastery, a single body can split into nine, creating infinite sword variations—a Sword Dao manual of boundless killing power.

Zhang Xunyi had already cultivated to the Great Success Realm. He could now split his body into four, his sword striking from all directions.

To put it simply, Zhang Xunyi could split into four figures. Each illusion wielded six streams of Sword Qi, for a total of twenty-four, assailing his opponent from all sides like a downpour.

If that wasn’t enough, the real kicker was that Zhang Xunyi’s true body could be any one of the four illusions. It was a devious tactic; his opponent couldn’t even risk a one-for-one trade on a one-in-four gamble.

Yu Fei, how could he counter this move? Would he surprise everyone?

Wu Yi found himself holding his breath. Although he thought it was unlikely, prodigies often delivered unexpected performances. It happened every year, which was precisely why these positioning matches were so important.

Luo Mengfei pursed her small lips. She had to admit she had underestimated the reckless Zhang Xunyi.

If she were in Yu Fei’s place, caught in Zhang Xunyi’s storm of Sword Qi, she would undoubtedly lose.

The expert was deep in thought. Noticing his expression, Ren Feng asked curiously, "What is it? Is there a way to counter it?"

The expert shook his head. "If I were caught in that storm of swords, surrounded on all sides, it would be hopeless. But if Zhang Xunyi doesn’t have an ace up his sleeve for his Body Technique, he wouldn’t be able to catch me. I could take him out from a distance. His sword isn’t as fast as Yu Fei’s."

The crowd mentally came to a conclusion. Many of the prodigies present came from families with deep martial heritages and had, of course, heard of the renowned Void Wind Shadow Sword. In fact, tutorials on how to fight with this Swordsmanship were widely circulated. It was too classic and too powerful, and with the allure of guaranteeing Sword Intent, countless people had surely practiced it in secret.

Two popular countermeasures were circulated online.

One: kill the Sword Cultivator before they can get close, or simply be faster than them.

Two: master an Iron Body Skill and endure the attack. The ultimate move of the Void Wind Shadow Sword consumed a great deal of energy, leaving the user weakened for a few moments afterward. As long as you survived the sword storm, you just had to get up, grab the physically frail Sword Cultivator, and beat them to a pulp.

Everyone looked at Yu Fei, now caught in the storm of swords. He might be handsome, but his fair and delicate appearance certainly didn’t suggest he’d ever practiced an Iron Body Skill. Besides, what kind of Iron Body Skill could possibly let a Second Realm Martial Artist withstand an attack infused with Inner Qi and Sword Intent?

’He’s definitely lost!’

His seven-fold neural reaction speed remained stable. Yu Fei had been contemplating his strategy even before the match began.

’Zhang Xunyi is different from my usual opponents. The man is incredibly proud, very conscious of his image, and exceptionally powerful.’

’I don’t want to lose. I have to win. But how?’

’Analyzing him from the sidelines, Zhang Xunyi is a guy who’s powerful and proud, yet also insecure. I can just imagine "little Zhang" before he started his martial arts training, getting teased relentlessly for those ridiculous eyebrows of his, probably getting saddled with nicknames like "Caterpillar Brows." It’s a rite of passage for any kid with a distinctive feature.’

’But Zhang Xunyi is a prodigiously talented Martial Artist. He achieved Inner Qi and grasped Sword Intent in less than two years. He has every right to be proud. Martial prowess can shut everyone up, but it can’t erase the scars.’

’So, when the insecure boy suddenly shot to prominence, his pride was inevitably mixed with arrogance. He’s desperate to prove himself at every opportunity.’

’When I stepped into the arena today, I was surprised to see that Zhang Xunyi had actually groomed his eyebrows. That was odd; not many guys do that. But he did. So, on a whim, I decided to try and provoke him. And just as I expected, he flew off the handle.’

’When two Sword Cultivators clash, unless there’s a massive gap in their strength, the one who reveals their trump card first is always in greater danger.’

’I can’t afford to get dragged into a war of attrition; I don’t have the reserves to trade blows with him. Zhang Xunyi just has to stay mobile, swift as the wind, and keep chipping away at me with Sword Qi. I’d be completely drained in less than three minutes.’

’Maybe my Illusory Sword Intent could turn the tables, but there’s a chance it could fail. Against another Sword Cultivator, I’m not sure I can fool him. And in this brightly lit arena, my Silent Night Hunter passive is useless.’

’I can’t catch him, and I can’t hit him. My sword is sharp, but what good is it?’

’So, from the very start, I had to find a way to bait him into using his ultimate move. I had to make him angry enough to lose his cool.’

’Anger breeds impulsiveness. It makes you stupid!’

’Just like this very moment.’

’Are these phantoms filling the sky strong? Very. But when they come at you so brazenly, they lose their edge.’

His extraordinary senses, seven-fold neural reaction speed, and his precognitive ability to foresee an attack’s impact point—all these combined to form a ridiculously powerful sensory net. Yu Fei locked onto every single stream of Sword Qi with pinpoint accuracy.

He didn’t know which one was Zhang Xunyi’s true body, and he didn’t need to.

He was no longer the rookie who could only muster a dozen streams of Formless Sword Qi. Thanks to reaching Five Viscera Tempering Perfection and the enhancement from his Xuanxiao Spirit Body, his Qi Blood was now more than ten times more abundant than before.

Four figures and twenty-four streams of Sword Qi descended as thick as rain. The closest was less than half a meter away, close enough for Yu Fei to see the smug smile on all four of Zhang Xunyi’s faces.

Zhong Xu’s expression was tense, and he looked ready to intervene at any moment. The entire scene unfolded in Yu Fei’s eyes as if in slow motion.

Yu Fei let out a slow sigh in his mind.

’Sigh... Poor kid. He held it in for so long. Too bad he still took the bait.’

His expression turned solemn. "Formless Sword Qi!"

In that instant, amidst the downpour of cyan-white swords, a blood-red lotus bloomed around Yu Fei. Countless streams of Qi Blood-infused Sword Qi, as nimble as darting fish, precisely devoured every single cyan-white blade. Like coiling dragons, they pierced through Zhang Xunyi’s illusions one by one, leaving only the figure on the far left untouched.

Sword in his right hand, Yu Fei raised his arm in a flash. The brilliant edge of his blade flickered as he pressed it against the neck of a panicked Zhang Xunyi.

Zhong Xu, who had already started to move, froze mid-stride. He had completely misjudged the situation.

Yu Fei tilted his head slightly, chin held high, and said softly, "I was lucky."

With that, he turned, sheathed his blade, and walked toward the stairs at a steady, unhurried pace. He also signaled to Zhong Xu that he would be exercising his right to a one-hour rest period after the match.

’Putting on a show is great in the moment, but you’re totally spent afterward.’

’But I have to hide my weakness. This bunch of prodigies doesn’t play by any code of honor. If they figure out that while my Qi Blood is powerful, I can’t match an Inner Qi user in a battle of attrition, my next fights will be much harder.’

’In that single instant, I unleashed at least a hundred streams of Formless Sword Qi, nearly draining myself completely.’

’There’s no other way. Qi Blood and Inner Qi just aren’t on the same level. It took almost four of my blood-colored streams of Sword Qi to cancel out a single one of his cyan-white blades. The gap between our realms is a persistent reality.’

Zhang Xunyi stood frozen in place. The ultimate move of his Void Wind Shadow Sword, his greatest trump card, had been crushed in a frontal assault. It had been effortlessly shattered by a Second Realm Martial Artist he had always looked down upon.

After cultivating Phantom Sword Intent and mastering such a devastating move, he had never imagined it could be broken in a direct confrontation by a Martial Artist of the same realm.

No, not the same realm. Yu Fei was two entire realms beneath him.

He suddenly felt the arena was deafeningly loud. The gaze of every person looking his way seemed to be filled with the sound of laughter.

Sword in hand, Zhang Xunyi dejectedly left the arena. He suddenly remembered how he’d even groomed his eyebrows that morning.

’How ridiculous.’

Wu Yi’s brow had furrowed the moment the crimson Sword Qi burst forth. He was trying to identify the Cultivation Technique. As an observer from Shenhan University, Wu Yi was worldly and knowledgeable, familiar with all kinds of Cultivation Techniques and martial skills. Yet, in that instant, he mentally reviewed every known technique of the first three realms and failed to find a match.

’This isn’t right.’

Wu Yi slowly shook his head, pondering for a long while.

’The only possibility is Formless Sword Qi!’

’But Formless Sword Qi isn’t supposed to be like this. I’ve seen Mr. Lanren’s disciple use it before. While the Sword Qi was also red, I recall that Formless Sword Qi wasn’t nearly so fluid to control. At most, you could only change its trajectory by a small angle, and it was incredibly mentally taxing.’

’And you couldn’t release so many streams at once—a dozen or two at most.’

’Yu Fei’s Sword Qi is far too agile, almost as if it’s sentient. Each stream can dart and weave in a full 360 degrees with no dead angles. And its power is immense.’