Chapter 232: Cloud Empire (52)

The name echoed through the Coliseum like a stone thrown into a calm lake.

“Kyrian, from the Blood Court, against Rank 85, Li Shen!”

For a brief second, there was silence. Then, as if a spark had fallen onto dry gunpowder, the entire Coliseum reacted.

Many rose from their seats. Nobles leaned over the railings. Young cultivators pointed to the sky, where the names and cultivation levels shone in golden characters.

6° stage of the Qi Liberation realm. Against someone at the 1° stage of Core Formation.

The difference was brutal.

If it were any other name, the bets would be overwhelmingly one-sided. But it was not just any other name.

It was Kyrian.

The boy who, with a single glance, had defeated, no, gravely injured a cultivator at the peak of the Qi Liberation realm.

The rumor of his special physique had already spread throughout the Coliseum. Some called him an aberration. Others said he possessed an ancient bloodline. Some exaggerated, claiming he could kill anyone just by staring for a few more seconds.

The bets appeared in the skies above the arena.

This time, they were balanced. The odds still favored Li Shen, but not by an absurd margin.

“He can’t repeat that again… I highly doubt he’ll defeat the next one so easily.”

“But what if he does?”

“Against someone from Core Formation… it’s different!”

“I’m betting on Li Shen.”

“I’m betting on Kyrian.”

The noise grew.

Kyrian remained seated for a few more seconds. Then he rose calmly. Before descending, he did something simple. He once again placed his spirit stones on the bet. He bet a little more on himself.

He leapt lightly from the stands and landed on the stone floor of the Coliseum. He walked toward the arena under tens of thousands of gazes.

The anticipation was almost palpable. Some wanted to see him win again. Others wanted to see him fall.

Li Shen emerged from one of the side gates.

He carried only a simple blue sword, without extravagant ornamentation. His face was ordinary but firm. His posture was straight, shoulders relaxed, and center of gravity perfectly adjusted.

Kyrian observed. Even from a distance, the details were clear. Calluses on both hands. Symmetrical. Old. They were not recent marks. They marked years of training.

The way he held the sword indicated absolute familiarity. The grip was not tense. There was no showmanship. He was a true swordsman.

When he reached the center of the arena, Li Shen bowed slightly in greeting.

“I wish for a good fight.” he said, without arrogance or provocation.

Kyrian nodded back.

Silence fell once more.

Then, Kyrian suddenly closed his eyes.

For a moment, no one understood. Some frowned. Others whispered.

But when he opened his eyes again, the entire Coliseum felt it.

Something had definitely changed.

Kyrian was still there. But at the same time, he was no longer the same as before.

The energy around him became sharp.

If before he exuded deep, cold, heavy blood Qi… now he seemed like a blade about to be unsheathed.

The crimson in his eyes disappeared. In its place, a deep green, dense like an ancient forest, emerged. At the center, the previously vanished pupils took the shape of two thin, silver swords, perfectly aligned.

An intent arose. It was his sword intent. Kyrian did not hide it. But it did not explode arrogantly or in an overwhelming manner. It was precise.

Like the edge of a blade touching skin.

A shiver ran through the stands.

“His Qi… changed?”

“That’s impossible.”

“He was clearly a cultivator of the blood path!”

“Now he looks like a core disciple of some sword sect!”

In the challengers’ stands, expressions turned serious.

Nan Feng Yu narrowed his eyes.

“He… completely switched the type of Qi. Again…”

Lin Qiao murmured.

“It’s not a superficial switch. Absolutely all of his Qi changed again. I thought it was only blood and ice, but apparently there was more. He really is an aberration.”

Gu Tian frowned.

“Is that his special physique?”

Tian, who was close to Kyrian, had his gaze grow even deeper.

’The type of Qi changed completely.’ He thought, no longer sensing traces of the previous blood Qi.

’This is definitely the result of his Innate Talent. No one should be able to completely switch the path they are cultivating. And beyond that, this is another intent…’

’Definitely an aberration, as the books say about those mortals with such talents.’

In the arena, Li Shen also felt it. His eyes shone as he sensed the sharp Qi in Kyrian.

He smiled. Not arrogantly, a genuine smile.

“So that’s how it is…”

He did not think his fight would also be against a swordsman. But just by sensing Kyrian’s sword intent, he could already perceive that Kyrian was probably a better swordsman than he was, after all, even after so many years, he had still not comprehended his own sword intent.

Even so, he grew eager for the fight. He slightly adjusted his left foot, settling into his guard stance.

Kyrian then brought his hand to his spatial ring.

A sword appeared. It had been a long time since Kyrian had held his own sword. This was his sword, made of icy metal by old Wang.

The edge had a cold, subtle gleam. A low-grade spiritual treasure. Nothing extravagant, but sufficient for a fight.

Elder Tian then raised his arm.

“Begin.”

Li Shen did not hesitate.

The instant the word echoed, his right foot slid half a step forward, and his entire body surged like an arrow released from the string. The blue sword cut through the air in a clean arc, straight toward Kyrian’s shoulder.

Fast.

To ordinary spectators, almost invisible.

But to Kyrian’s green eyes, the world seemed to have slowed down. He saw the complete flow of the movement. The turn of the shoulder. The contraction of the wrist. The exact trajectory of the blade even before it finished descending.

The trajectory was exposed before him.

Kyrian advanced in a straight line, deciding to test.

The swords crossed with a dry metallic sound. Sparks flew. Both reinforced their bodies with Qi, the energy wrapping around muscles and bones.

The force collided.

The ground beneath their feet cracked slightly.

Kyrian slid three steps back… and stopped.

Nothing more. His eyes glinted faintly.

’Not that strong physically.’ Kyrian thought.

The pressure he felt while defending was solid but not overwhelming. It was not someone who would force him to fight only at a distance.

’Since I don’t need to distance myself…’

A forgotten sensation ran through his arm as he felt the weight of his own sword.

’I’ll take the opportunity to have a good fight. After all, I somewhat missed fighting with swords.’

Li Shen attacked again.

This time, it was not a single strike. Diagonal cuts, horizontal slashes, quick thrusts like rain. Each movement flowed into the next without pause, a sequence trained over years.

Kyrian blocked them all.

He was pushed back step by step, his feet carving grooves into the stone. His arm absorbed the impact, but his gaze remained calm.

An almost imperceptible smile appeared on his lip as Li Shen advanced for another sequence.

Then, suddenly, something changed.

Kyrian’s movements ceased to be purely defensive.

At the exact moment Li Shen twisted his wrist for a lateral thrust, Kyrian executed the same twist. At the same angle. At the same cadence.

The blades collided head-on.

The impact nullified both attacks, and the two leapt back almost simultaneously.

Li Shen frowned at the sight.

He analyzed the last movement in his mind.

’He attacked exactly like me…’

His breathing grew heavier.

’Or am I going crazy?’

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