The Dawn of the New World

The Qi swords rose above Stasa's head like a viper taking aim, and within the domed hall Xue Meng burst out laughing.

"Hahaha finally! I was bored to death in this dreaded place and now finally there is something worth watching! GO!!"

The swords shot forth two at a time, one from either side. Their movement was so fast that none of the local-born in the stands warriors could even keep up with them. To them they appeared as blue lights, twisting and turning.

Hao Xuan on the other hand was slower than even normal. He waited until the blades were less than a meter away before slowly side-stepping twice.

The blades went past him but before hitting the ground they spun around and continued chasing him.

At the same time, the next two blades hovering above Stasa quivered in their positions. Vapor cones appeared around their hilts as they disappeared without even leaving a trail.

Their speed was three times the speed of sound, and of the first two blades.

The first two blades aimed at Hao Xuan's legs while the next two were aiming for his upper body. The last blade that had yet to make a move suddenly shrunk and almost doubled in length.

Stasa's eyes were like camera lenses trying to lock in on Hao Xuan's position because when he could see him clearly, just for an instant, the last blade which was the fastest among them all would be sent out.

That was the actual killing blade. The others were only meant to distract his opponents and get them used to the speed and sound of the other blades. This one was not only smaller and longer, but its speed could reach 10 times the speed of sound.

Almost no one in the Spirit Realm could dodge it without knowing it was coming.

In the domed hall many people were seeing this technique for the first time, even the ones from the Hall. This was mostly because Stasa only ever used random swords (if even those) he had picked up along the way to fight under normal circumstances.

Almost no one outside the protectors even knew that he was actually a ranged sword fighter. Controlling Qi swords was his forte.

"Brother Stasa's control has gotten even better," Dima was the first one to comment.

Usually his comment would be directed towards Tian Zheng since he was a part of the same faction but Dai Zhi was the one who responded.

"It is but this technique of his is not enough to show by how much."

Tian Zheng smiled half-heartedly but kept silent. Instead, he glanced towards Princess Ceni who was now completely engrossed in the battle. Her fists were clenched so hard that they were turning white from all the pressure.

He smirked, 'So there really was something between them. Good.'

He leaned towards her a little while trying to be as natural as he could.

"Did you know what kind of Qi Stasa cultivates?"

Princess Ceni was brought out of her daze. Regaining her composure she looked back at him with a straight face. She didn't say a word but her eyes were expressive enough for him to understand.

"Sword Qi. You know about it right? He has only ever cultivated Sword Qi. Once all main meridians have the same type of Qi something really unique happens, they combine and meld together, thickening into a semi-liquid form. Both the quantity and quality are increased fivefold and the user becomes more efficient in utilizing it. It also recovers faster and sometimes, very rarely, can have other effects too."

At that point he stopped and leaned back in his chair with no intention to continue explaining any further. That was just the bait, a tidbit to make her curious enough so she would lower her guard and talk to him.

It was successful.

"What...effects?" Princess Ceni asked hesitantly.

He grinned inwardly but kept a straight face pretending to focus on the fight.

"Ice Poison. The color of his Qi comes from condensed ice poison. You wouldn't think of it looking at him but by the time you realize it, it's usually too late to do anything. The poison seeps into the body through the smallest graze or cut, slowing them down and making them easier to hit which only poisons them more."

"By the end they can't even move as the cold wrecks through their bodies. Parts of their bodies fall off just as madness takes them. It is a terrible end."

Princess Ceni's anxiousness was palpable. She looked back at the fight as a nervous wreck. Even after what Hao Xuan had said to her she couldn't just snuff out her feelings with a wave of her hand.

It wasn't that easy.

Tian Zheng's lips slowly arched in a vicious grin as he watched her squirm in her seat.

Back on the ground Hao Xuan had just jumped over the four swords, giving Stasa the perfect opportunity to strike the killing blow.

The needle-like sword shot forward in complete silence, appearing in front of Hao Xuan the very next moment.