As the great bell of the Eternal Clock Tower tolled, the sacred and solemn ring descended from the dome, echoing across every Gothic spire and flying rib of the Royal Capital, carrying the ancient majesty across time and space, pressing all the clamor into this magnificent sound.

Xiao Long still wanted to say something.

But Gedre, who had been accumulating power for a long time, pounced over, the kind of violent strength was too intense, the light-altering tiles beneath his feet collapsed with a roar, and in the instant he launched off the ground, the floating platform, weighing no less than a thousand tons, tilted over ten degrees to one side.

Suddenly staggering and losing balance, Xiao Long instinctively took a step back to stabilize himself, the ultimate dark horse, a god-blocking demon-slaying presence, had already closed in, a storm of blades swirling with immense force.

Xiao Long neither blocked nor parried, retreating lightly, his figure as if catkins in the wind, every inch of movement sidestepped half an inch from the sword blade, it seemed as though he hadn't moved, only his mirage rapidly split and merged in place.

Wherever Gedre's sword momentum reached, heaven and earth crumbled, the fan-shaped area of the Sky Arena in front was plowed to pieces by blade winds, a corner of the entire stage collapsed with a roar, crashing onto the sand and stone training ground below, thundering like exploding blazes.

Magic Energy Crystal Tubes snapped, showering waterfall-like sparks.

The variable light tiles across the entire platform short-circuited, locked into a checkerboard of intertwined black and white.

Seeing Xiao Long so agile, Gedre thrust his big hand forward abruptly, applying force in the same manner, aiming to grip the throat and drag him to death.

The omen of instant death suddenly manifested.

In Xiao Long's eyes, the formidable Qi sliced through all light and shadow, his survival whizzed past in thin lines, all around turned dark and blurred, only that big hand, blue veins bulging like steel, pressed down.

Xiao Long held his breath, focused, eyes cold as ice, for the first time his gaze had a chilling sharpness.

It was still that ghost-like elusive movement, appearing to only take two steps back, yet as if the world's frame rate had been withdrawn, in a flash, he retreated to the training ground wall, leaving the floating platform in an instant, hanging anti-gravity on the ninety-degree vertical high wall.

Moreover, his body crouched, sword suspended at his side, long hair fluttering without wind, eyes murderous, readying a Sword Drawing Technique,

How could Gedre let it go, standing at the edge of the floating platform he had slashed to ruins, stepped down within the platform, amidst all the broken and fragmented steel columns.

From the perspective of battle, it was a complete dimensional reduction strike!

Hard to imagine such terrifying monster power, as if the strength of a Mountain Giant was hidden in human flesh.

Gedre snapped a massive load-bearing column that two people couldn't even reach around with one hand, the sound of metal fatigue and steel breaking was like an explosion.

Picking up a corner of a rebar, the load-bearing column felt light as foam in his hand, flinging it like a cannonball, body leaning back as in a baseball pitch, all muscles ripped as he hurled it with inertia and forward momentum.

Like a meteor, it flew over.

Xiao Long's shoulder didn't move, elbow didn't lift, a snake-like cold light shot from his sleeve, returning to pure simplicity with ultimate Sword Intent.

No motion.

The flaming load-bearing column was cut into countless iron scraps by the Shadowless Sword Intent at the midpoint between the two, part of it even melted into iron liquid in mid-air, pouring down.

And only now did Xiao Long's Sword Drawing Technique begin.

From the wall, the upside-down Xiao Long's feet twisted in the air, the sound of the wind stopped suddenly, the unheld sword light surged out like a tide, a thousand swings and hundreds of slashes grew against the wind.

The moment Xiao Long leaned forward and flew, all the sword lights condensed instantly, across a hundred feet in a V-shaped area, countless intertwined gigantic sword shadows fell like the sky's curtain.

Not slashing along a straight line, instead unfolding like complex origami, chaotic silver lines without logic bursting forth, all sword shadows connected seamlessly,

He himself shot out like a ray of light in a momentary crack in the sky.

A sound of crazed splitting flew straight at Gedre like a tidal surge, overwhelming everything, shattering all barriers without resistance, even the strongest dark horse was forced to retreat continuously to block and fall back.

Neither figure was any longer visible, the fierce battle swept into the floating platform's interior, where destructive sounds of destruction were ceaseless, only explosive blasts rolled like crashing thunder.

It was like a churning, abyss-like dark cloud with countless thunderstorms.

Thought the single-use Sky Arena could at least hold for a while longer.

The remnant might of the sword momentum hadn't dissipated, instead evolved ever more fervently, the sky's curtain covering the entire arena suddenly contracted, all the sword shadows swirled into a whirlpool, twisting into unity at the center.

The entire floating platform burst open like a kaleidoscope, Magic Energy Industry constructs instantly destroyed, the gigantic stage previously used for intermission performances shattered into countless iron-rock mirrors dropping onto the training ground smoothly.

The martial arena had turned into a hill and rock covered in steel, sparks still spurted from the cable break points.

The final duel.

No commentary.

But all the audiences were already lost in thought, this year was truly an extremely luxurious one, because these two competitors could definitely rank in the top five, or even higher, of the sixteen-sessions martial combat.

After the strongest and fiercest frontal collision.

Xiao Long landed gracefully, standing steadily on a broken load-bearing column, the hand holding the sword faintly trembling.

Gedre crashed down with a roar, spiderweb cracks spreading from where he hit the ground, only a few shallow cuts on his body leaked a bit of blood, but merely superficial injuries.

"You're the first one to survive under this move."

Xiao Long's sleeve fluttered, shaking off a few blood beads from the sword.

Gedre took a deep breath, emotions surging inside, unable to deplete all his strength here to the point of exhaustion.

Xiao Long's strength was unexpected.

But even in a championship match, a swift decision was needed.

Xiao Long moved first instead, his ghostly and marvelous steps fully performed, stepping forward, instantly spanning across the undulating iron hill, mirages pulled into countless overlapping afterimages, even his shadow struggled to keep pace, and already arrived in front of Gedre.

Drawing a sword light as if slow motion, yet containing unmatched force.

Gedre set his sword across desperately.

With a hiss, an odd yet deafening sound.

The sparking steel hill in the arena extinguished spontaneously under air pressure, all flames bowing, ground rippling outwards with a dust wave expanding rapidly.

Gedre was pushed dozens of meters away, his legs plowing terrifying furrows, the residual force of this sword power not yet fully spent.

One move not yet completed, yet another follows.

Xiao Long sidestepped diagonally, but appeared at Gedre's left side again, drawing the sword once more.

Bam!

Gedre was again sent flying, yet Xiao Long continued his strides, innumerable figures closed in from all directions, a relentless wind of dread sweeping repeatedly.

Gedre was completely suppressed, blocking east and west, overwhelmed.

The final strike.

Xiao Long's sword impaled into steel rocks, Qi cracking out a web, peerless force hidden in the fingers.

Killing intent choked at the sheath's mouth, even the wind dared not stretch,

Blade breaking wind as shadows cracked first.

Xiao Long kicked up dust, sprinting a step, from the training ground's one edge, he instantly traversed to the other edge, without a returning posture, the sword still in the upward pointing process.

Qi waves split mountains, seas cleaved, dividing the entire training ground floor into two, opening a profound chasm like a sky rift.

With a hiss, an odd sound.

The mixed-metal sword blade created for the championship duel by the Court Alchemist was also cleaved into two, dropping onto the ground.

Weapons on the rack were already buried under the steel hill created by the platform's destruction.

Gedre had no weapon left, empty-handed.

"Looks like... you've lost."

Xiao Long turned back with a calm smile, against an unarmed opponent, the outcome was already revealed.

Gedre just stared intensely at Xiao Long.

Far from over.

Not now.

"You still don't understand, from today onward, history will turn from here."

Gedre picked up a load-bearing column many times taller than a person from the ground, shouldering it, just the beginning.

The fire of hatred-fueled pyres had only just begun to burn.