Strongest War Emperor

Ye Xiao Zheng was a man who excelled at scheming, so he was quite precise in his calculations of gains and losses.

For him to say something like "win him over at all costs" was practically impossible.

In all of Celestial Phoenix City, besides Chu Qingcheng, there was no one else who could make him act this way.

But that fellow Chu Qingcheng was completely unyielding. Never mind the City Lord’s Mansion, it was said he even ignored overtures from the Imperial Dragon Sect.

’Could it be that this Ghost-faced Man’s value is truly on par with Chu Qingcheng’s?’

Feng Hai’s eyes darted back and forth; he already understood Ye Xiao Zheng’s meaning.

"Listen carefully, Old Feng. Success or failure hinges on this. Go down later and make him a great promise. Even if it means having Xue’Er marry him, so be it!"

Ye Xiao Zheng said, his eyes glinting with excitement.

"Have the young miss marry him? But... what if he already has a wife?"

"Then she’ll be a concubine! As long as he’s willing! As long as he agrees to become one of us and serve our cause!"

Ye Xiao Zheng’s voice was like the suppressed roar of a beast. "Go find him in a moment. As for Xue’Er, I’ll talk to her myself! If he wants money, we’ll give him money. If he wants women, I’ll give him women! We will satisfy him to the greatest extent possible!"

At this time, the four Martial Artists on the two battle stages had all taken their positions.

Standing opposite Shen Lang was none other than Chu Qingcheng’s cousin, Chu Xiuxiu.

The gazes of everyone in the audience were fixed upon the two battle stages.

"That fellow Xiao Buyuan is so unlucky, drawing Ye Xue in his very first match. He just broke through to the Qi Martial Realm Fourth Heaven; dealing with Ye Xue is going to be a real stretch for him."

"I wonder why Xiao Bufan, the so-called number one genius of the Xiao Family, isn’t in the Xiao Family’s section. Could it be he’s not participating in this tournament?"

"You haven’t heard? There was some kind of incident during the trials held by Tayun Academy and Celestial God Academy, so the disciples from these families who attend those academies haven’t returned yet. Who knew the Xu Family would suddenly move up the tournament date... Say, who in the world is that Mo Ge wearing the Evil Ghost Mask? Does he think he can scare people just by wearing a mask?"

"Never seen him before. But it doesn’t matter. Chu Xiuxiu is a rose with thorns. I heard she just advanced to the Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven and has received a lot of guidance from Chu Qingcheng. That masked kid is out of luck, and it serves him right."

The battle had not yet begun, but many had already decided the outcome.

After all, aside from a strange character like Shen Lang, the disciples of the various families here were all very familiar with one another and understood the differences in their strengths.

Although Shen Lang’s masked appearance seemed rather bizarre, in the eyes of the crowd, it was generally difficult for a true expert to emerge from outside the great Noble Families.

On the path of Martial Arts, in addition to talent, one needed cultivation resources to make significant progress.

Disciples from great families could eat the flesh and blood of powerful Demon Beasts from a young age, absorbing their essence and forging sinews of bronze and bones of iron.

Moreover, they had Spirit Stones to aid their cultivation and Elixir Pills for the Purification of Essence and Marrow.

They also had access to Cultivation Techniques passed down through their families for generations and could attend places like Tayun Academy to study...

Comparatively, they were countless times stronger than Martial Artists who were not affiliated with a major power.

Therefore, almost no one believed that this Ghost-faced Man, who had appeared out of nowhere, could possess any real strength.

If he truly had strength, wouldn’t he have been recruited by one of Celestial Phoenix City’s factions long ago?

But earlier, Chu Xicheng hadn’t announced any faction for him, which meant he was still a lone wolf.

"CLANG!"

On the battle stage, Chu Xiuxiu drew her longsword, pointed it at Shen Lang, and said in an icy voice, "Draw your blade!"

That simple, icy command instantly drew the gazes of many from the other battle stage.

Chu Xiuxiu had an exceptionally beautiful face. She wore a brightly colored, form-fitting martial artist’s uniform, and the sharp Soft Sword in her hand shimmered with a dazzling Spirit Light. Her long black hair was casually draped over her shoulders, giving her a dashing and heroic air.

Her aura blended the grace of a Princess with the tenacity of a Martial Artist. Her eyes were confident and resolute, full of charm.

Although Shen Lang hadn’t interacted much with Chu Xiuxiu, he knew that this girl, who was just over a month younger than him, had a cold exterior but a warm heart.

That day at the Celestial Phoenix Tavern, when Shen Lang was being humiliated by Tang Chaotian and the other Noble Family disciples, no one else had spoken up for him.

Only Chu Xiuxiu couldn’t stand it. She spoke up for him and then tried to pull him away.

That was, in fact, the first time Chu Xiuxiu had ever held a man’s hand.

Thinking of this, Shen Lang grinned. "My weapon isn’t just my blade. My fists, my elbows, my knees—they can all be weapons."

"Arrogant! This is a life-and-death duel, not a friendly spar!" Chu Xiuxiu cried out.

Of course, she wanted to win, but she didn’t want this Ghost-faced Man to die by her sword due to his own carelessness.

"Are you sure your sword can even harm me?" Shen Lang stood with his hands clasped behind his back, still refusing to draw his blade.

"Can."

Boundless Battle Intent surged in Chu Xiuxiu’s eyes as she confidently spat out a single word.

"The Chu Family’s ’Four Swift Swords’ is as fast as lightning and as fierce as a thunderclap. I hear you’ve already cultivated it to the fourth level?" Shen Lang said with a faint smile.

Chu Xiuxiu raised an eyebrow. "I have."

"I’ll let you make the first move. If you complete your entire sword form and fail to even touch the corner of my clothes, then you will concede defeat. How about it?"

Chu Xiuxiu’s expression tightened, but she said nothing.

The surrounding spectator stands, however, immediately erupted in an uproar.

"Damn, who the hell is this Ghost-faced Man? How dare he make such a boast!"

"The speed of the Chu Family’s ’Four Swift Swords’ is unmatched by any other swordsmanship or blade technique in Celestial Phoenix City! When facing a member of the Chu Family, if you let them attack first, you’ll be met with a torrential storm of attacks. Even someone with higher cultivation might not be able to withstand it and would collapse! Not only is this guy not seizing the initiative, he’s actually letting Chu Xiuxiu attack first?"

"It’s not just that! Chu Xiuxiu has a rare Sword Martial Soul! With the power of that Martial Soul, the speed and power of the ’Four Swift Swords’ are more than doubled! And he still claims she won’t be able to touch the corner of his clothes! That’s just too arrogant!"

"It’s not that I’m looking down on him, but among all the disciples of the major families, you can count the number of people who can defeat Chu Xiuxiu on one hand! And even those few wouldn’t dare be so arrogant as to let her attack first! Especially not without using a Spiritual Artifact!"

On the battle stage, Shen Lang seemed completely oblivious to the surrounding discussions. He said nonchalantly, "Well? Have you decided?"

Chu Xiuxiu stared at Shen Lang for a while. Even her Divine Thought couldn’t probe anything; she only felt that the aura of the Ghost-faced Man before her was restrained and as unfathomably deep as the ocean.

After taking a couple of shallow breaths, Chu Xiuxiu gave a slight nod. "As you wish."

As soon as Chu Xiuxiu’s voice fell, a phantom image slowly rose behind her, gradually coalescing into the shape of a Giant Sword.

"The Sword Martial Soul! Was Chu Xiuxiu actually intimidated by that Ghost-faced Man? She’s planning to use her Sword Martial Soul right from the start!"

"Her approach isn’t wrong. It’s the safer bet, at least. The situation with this tournament is special; everyone has to show their full strength, especially in the first few matches. If you save your ultimate moves for later and carelessly lose and get knocked off the stage, you won’t get another chance."

"Yeah, that makes sense. I refuse to believe that Ghost-faced Man can withstand Chu Xiuxiu’s attack! The Sword Martial Soul is one of the most powerful types of Martial Souls!"

Shen Lang watched impassively as the Sword Martial Soul behind Chu Xiuxiu formed into the shape of a sword and then began to solidify. He couldn’t help but shake his head slightly.

Then, he gave a wry smile and said, "Xiuxiu, your Sword Martial Soul is very powerful, but in your past cultivation, you’ve focused too much on Attack Power. You might be treating your Martial Soul as an external, auxiliary tool. A true Martial Soul should be one with the Martial Artist, moving as the heart wills. A single thought should be enough to form the Martial Soul. Your speed is simply too slow. In a moment of crisis, no one would give you all day to manifest your Martial Soul."

Struggling to control her Martial Soul, Chu Xiuxiu’s face flushed red. She cried out, "Anyone can talk big, but doing it is another matter entirely! It’s not too late for you to regret this. If I attack with my full power, no Martial Artist below the Qi Martial Realm Seventh Heaven can stop me!"

"Go ahead," Shen Lang said, shaking his head.

"Hmph!"

Seeing that Shen Lang was still obstinate, a trace of annoyance flashed in Chu Xiuxiu’s eyes.

The massive Sword Martial Soul behind her immediately shrank, then enveloped her longsword!

At that moment, the longsword burst forth with a blinding light, as if it had completely fused with her arm, becoming a single entity!

"First Sword, ’One Sword’s Chill Across Nineteen Prefectures’!"

Chu Xiuxiu swung her longsword, and a sky full of glittering sword images appeared, all pointing at Shen Lang!

The five-hundred-foot-square battle stage was more than halfway covered by the sword images. Even if Shen Lang wanted to dodge, there was hardly any room left to maneuver!

A cold, nocturnal Sword Qi enveloped the entire battle stage. In the glow of the Moonlight Stones, the shadow of death seemed even more chilling and bleak.

"So strong! The first sword covered more than half the stage. That Ghost-faced Man has nowhere to run!"

"Faced with a sword strike like that, he has to draw his blade and block it head-on, or else..."

"Chu Xiuxiu wasn’t boasting at all. With her Sword Martial Soul’s enhancement, even a master at the Qi Martial Realm Seventh Heaven would have to retreat in the face of this strike! To be honest, among all the family disciples participating in the tournament, there really aren’t many at the Qi Martial Realm Seventh Heaven..."

Just as the crowd was marveling at the power of Chu Xiuxiu’s "Four Swift Swords," Shen Lang, who was almost completely engulfed by the sword images, finally moved.

His body swayed slightly as he lifted his foot, taking a step forward as if he were strolling leisurely through a courtyard!

The crowd’s vision blurred, and in the next moment, they were all stunned—Shen Lang had passed through the sword images completely unscathed and was now walking toward Chu Xiuxiu!

"That’s impossible!"

In the Chu Family’s section, several elders shot to their feet, their faces filled with disbelief as they watched.

No one could easily find a flaw in the Four Swift Swords. No one, ever!

Never before had anyone been able to pass through those sword images without dodging or blocking!

You have to understand, the sword images from this first strike covered practically every blind spot!

So what was going on with that Ghost-faced Man?

At that moment, Shen Lang, who was walking step-by-step toward Chu Xiuxiu, spoke. "Flashy, but without substance. All for show."