Scripture of Days Past

With Zhong Shan'e overseeing the proceedings, the trainees were able to go all-out without worry, and they pulled out all the stops in their attempts to secure victory.

The next match was between Jiang Longyu and Li Chu.

Li Chu and Huang Xiangyu came from the same hometown, and he was the son of the chief escort of the Long Wind Armed Escort Agency. He had been cultivating martial arts from a very young age, and he often helped out on armed escort assignments, accumulating a great deal of battle experience in the process.

Back in his hometown, he was considered an unmatched prodigy, but after coming to Jade Face Mountain, he came to realize just how large the gap was between himself and the truly top-tier prodigies of the world. Spurred on by this realization, he began working even harder in his cultivation, often refusing to sleep until he had completed his training regimen for the day.

In the short span of just a month, his physique had become much more impressive, and the thick calluses on his hands were a testament to the many hours he had spent honing his sword techniques.

However, Zhong Shan'e only needed to take one glance at him to know that the outcome of the battle was already a foregone conclusion.

After stepping onto the platform, Li Chu's aura began to ripple involuntarily at the sight of Jiang Longyu, and he had to take several deep breaths in a row to compose himself.

In contrast, Jiang Longyu appeared completely relaxed, with his hands hanging by his sides. It seemed like he was already looking past Li Chu toward his next match.

As Jiang Longyu's gaze settled on Li Chu, the latter felt a sharp pain, as if a blade were slicing into his skin.

This was a sign that Jiang Longyu's aura had already completely dominated his, to the point that it was even beginning to affect his senses.

As soon as the battle began, Li Chu immediately let loose a thunderous roar and launched himself at Jiang Longyu, pulverizing the ground beneath his feet.

His sword was racing through the air like a streak of silver light, piercing toward Jiang Longyu with incredible speed.

However, Jiang Longyu easily sidestepped the attack before chopping a hand down onto Li Chu's arm. The blow struck Li Chu's funny bone with unerring accuracy, instantly causing his arm to go numb.

As a result, Li Chu involuntarily let go of his sword, which Jiang Longyu casually kicked away. In the blink of an eye, Li Chu had already been disarmed, and the battle was over.

Throughout the entire match, Jiang Longyu's right hand had been resting gently on the hilt of his saber, but he showed no intention of drawing it.

Yang Ling was watching from afar, and he thought to himself, Jiang Longyu is accumulating saber intent. He's most likely not going to draw his saber until he faces Chu Qiguang.

Over the next few matches, Jiang Longyu continued to refrain from drawing his saber, but the saber intent emanating from his body only became more and more formidable, to the point that it was beginning to have a palpable effect on those around him.

Everyone knew that once Jiang Longyu finally drew his saber, the resulting attack would undoubtedly be a spectacle to behold.

Zhang Haizhu watched with tightly furrowed brows. Not only had he realized just how massive the gap was between Jiang Longyu and himself, he was even more concerned that Chu Qiguang would be defeated the moment Jiang Longyu drew his saber.

Finally, it was time for the main event.

"Jiang Longyu versus Chu Qiguang!"

Huang Xiangyu instantly perked up, as did Zhang Haizhu, Li Chu, and even the dejected Chi Shude.

All of the trainees were excited to finally witness this long-awaited match.

However, Chu Qiguang was nowhere to be seen.

"Chu Qiguang?"

Yang Ling called out Chu Qiguang's name a second time, and the other trainees began looking around for him in the crowd, but he was clearly absent.

According to the rules, if a combatant remained absent after three calls, then it would be treated as an automatic forfeit.

"He must've run away because he's scared," Chi Shude sneered.

Zhang Haizhu was looking around frantically. "Where the hell is he? Is he taking a shit?"

"Are you here, Chu Qiguang?" Yang Ling yelled once again. "If you don't come out now, you'll be forfeiting the match!"

Jiang Longyu had also begun scanning the crowd.

He had already adjusted himself into peak condition, and he would be terribly disappointed if all of his preparation went to waste.

Is he really forfeiting the match? he thought to himself with tightly furrowed brows. I did all this preparation, only for him to not even show up? What am I supposed to do with all this saber intent I've accumulated?

The more Jiang Longyu thought about it, the more enraged he became, and the saber strapped to his waist began to tremble and buzz in response to his fury.

Right as Yang Ling was about to declare Chu Qiguang's automatic forfeiture, a resounding boom suddenly rang out from outside the training ground.

Everyone turned in that direction, and they were greeted by an astonishing sight.

A giant black stone slab that was five meters in length and one and a half meters wide came crashing down toward Jiang Longyu from above, and directly beneath it was Chu Qiguang, who had already taken a Bloodbath Pill.

After consuming the Bloodbath Pill, Chu Qiguang's skin had turned bright red, and veins were bulging all over his body. In the face of the plummeting stone slab, even Jiang Longyu had no choice but to spring back in retreat.

The stone slab crashed down onto the platform where Jiang Longyu had been standing just a moment ago, completely shattering the ground and creating a massive crater.

The impact sent shockwaves sweeping through the air in all directions, causing Jiang Longyu's robes to flap audibly.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting," Chu Qiguang apologized as he emerged from the cloud of dust and debris. "I've been in the neighboring courtyard this entire time, but it took me some effort to carry this weapon here."

Chu Qiguang turned to Jiang Longyu, then patted the stone gate and said, "Alright, we can begin now. Do you want to fight with weapons, or do you prefer hand-to-hand combat?"

Jiang Longyu pulled out a Bloodbath Pill and swallowed it, then harrumphed coldly, "I was right about you, Chu Qiguang. You really are the most arrogant of all the trainees."

Veins began to bulge all over his body as he spoke, and he continued, "However, one of my favorite pastimes is stomping arrogant bastards beneath my feet, especially in front of an audience."

As soon as Yang Ling announced the commencement of the match, Jiang Longyu immediately sprang forward like a bolt of black lightning.