The opponent had no intention of launching a sneak attack, nor did they even make a conscious effort to conceal their aura.
Without hesitation, Han Xuanji shifted his body and flew toward the direction of that aura.
A distance of dozens of miles was a matter of mere breaths at his speed.
By the time he landed in a clearing within the stone forest, the other party's figure had already appeared dozens of yards away.
The newcomer wore pale-white, tight-fitting attire and carried a simple, ancient sword casket on his back. Dao patterns flowed across the surface of the casket, with every line exuding a sharp intent capable of tearing through space.
It was none other than one of the top favorites of this tournament, Ling Cang of Jiuxuan City.
His face was handsome and cold, with a straight nose and a pair of calm, unruffled phoenix eyes. He was quietly sizing up Han Xuanji.
"Jiuxuan City, Ling Cang."
His voice was not as icy as his appearance, and he was in no hurry to make a move.
Seeing this, Han Xuanji nodded slightly and replied politely,
"Qianhun City, Han Xuanji."
Then, he recalled the intelligence provided by Hun Qianxue.
This man was known as a once-in-a-millennium sword dao prodigy. He had entered the Dao through the sword, fusing spatial Laws to create the "Void-Slicing" Sword Intent. Despite being only an Eternal Dao Lord, he had made many Eternal True Lord-level Sword Cultivators admit defeat.
Most Sword Cultivators on the Eternal Continent chose the path of physical Body Refining, using their powerful Physical Bodies to channel spiritual energy for slaughter. With high offense and strong defense, this was the choice of the vast majority of Cultivators.
Those like Ling Cang who walked the path of Law-based sword dao were one in ten thousand. Their attacks were more erratic and unpredictable, and their potential upper limit was much higher.
Naturally, it was difficult to say which of the two paths of sword cultivation was superior.
It ultimately depended on the individual.
Han Xuanji's fingertips twitched slightly, and a hint of nostalgia welled up in his heart.
It had been a very long time since he last encountered a Sword Cultivator.
Speaking of which, back when he was in the Grand Void Spirit Realm, he too was a sword dao master. Several of his Disciples were also Sword Cultivators, so it would not be an exaggeration to call him a sword dao grandmaster.
It was just that after arriving on the Eternal Continent, he had not invested much energy into the sword dao. However, his foundation was still there. Among his Sign In rewards, there was no shortage of sword dao Cultivation Techniques, and he had even condensed his own unique sword dao principles.
Ling Cang was also sizing up Han Xuanji.
He muttered the name under his breath, a look of contemplation flashing in his eyes.
Han Xuanji, Qianhun City... he seemed to be an Earth-grade Seed.
His younger brother, Ling Xuan, seemed to have mentioned him before. How did an Earth-grade Seed manage to reach the quarter-finals? Ling Cang had not paid much attention to Han Xuanji's information. His focus had always been on those Heaven-grade Seeds, while he merely glanced over the Earth-grade Seeds.
Only now did he realize that he did not know much about this opponent.
However, anyone who could make it to this stage was by no means weak.
Ling Cang would not underestimate anyone.
...
The confrontation between the two quickly sparked discussions in the outside world.
The quarter-finals were already the center of attention, and this match between Han Xuanji and Ling Cang was the absolute focal point.
One was the biggest dark horse of this tournament, crushing his way up from being an Earth-grade Seed, with even the Heaven-grade Seed Zhou Yunhe unable to withstand a single punch from him.
The other was a top favorite to win the championship, the number one sword dao expert of Jiuxuan City and even this entire great domain, a once-in-a-millennium sword dao prodigy whom powerhouses from the Eternal Sword Pavilion were said to have their eyes on.
Just thinking about such a clash made people's blood boil.
On the high platform, the representatives of the major forces sat up straight, setting their teacups aside as their gazes collectively locked onto the largest light screen.
Han Xuanji's previous performance was plain for all to see; that was not the level of an Earth-grade Seed, nor was it even the level of an ordinary Heaven-grade Seed.
In terms of raw strength, he could rank in the top three of this tournament.
And Ling Cang was also no ordinary Heaven-grade Seed.
The clash between them was a true showdown of giants.
Hun Qianxue sat behind the blue jade desk, looking calm on the surface, but his mind was already racing with calculations.
Ling Cang had fought Zhou Yunhe before, and the latter had barely managed to hold his ground without being defeated. Comparing them like this, it seemed Han Xuanji had an extremely high chance of winning!
But that was in the past; who knew if Ling Cang had made massive progress since then?
Elder Meng still sat as still as a clock, his face devoid of any expression, but his gaze was firmly locked onto the light screen.
Meanwhile, in the spectator stands, Ling Xuan scratched the back of his head, the expression on his face looking worse than a crying face.
If anyone had told him before the quarter-finals that Ling Cang would face Han Xuanji in the top eight, he would have been absolutely thrilled and might have even offered to buy them a drink.
After all, in his eyes, a mere "Earth-Grade contestant" like Han Xuanji was still a notch below his brother. Encountering him would mean a guaranteed victory, practically gifting a spot in the semi-finals.
But now, he did not think that way at all.
Han Xuanji could even insta-kill Zhou Yunhe with a single punch. Although his brother was strong, could he really win?
Ling Xuan's gaze swept back and forth across the light screen as he prayed silently in his heart.
"Brother, please, whatever you do, don't mess up."
Beside him, Xie Qingqing and Qin Yong were also extremely focused, terrified of missing anything.
The other spectators in the stands were also paying close attention to this battle.
Ling Cang's movement techniques, sword dao, and level of Dao principles were all exceptional. Surely he wouldn't be defeated in a single move like Han Xuanji's previous opponents, right?
Almost everyone turned their gaze to the light screen showing Han Xuanji and Ling Cang.
It was at this moment.
Ling Cang focused his mind, and the fluctuations of Dao principles around his body gradually grew intense.
The sword casket on his back trembled slightly, and nine beams of light unsheathed simultaneously, drawing nine silver-white arcs in the void before floating around him.
The nine Flying Swords were each fifth-tier eternal dao artifacts. Different Dao patterns flowed across their blades—some sharp, some heavy, some ethereal, some profound. As the nine swords emerged together, a profound Sword Intent spread around him, its aura seeming capable of slicing through everything in heaven and earth.
Under the impact of the Sword Intent, stone dust rustled down from the cracks on the stone pillars, and fine sword marks appeared one after another on the ground.
Looking at the nine Flying Swords, Han Xuanji felt another wave of long-lost familiarity.
He had also comprehended similar moves in the past, but after coming to the Eternal Continent, he had mainly cultivated the Way of Laws, only occasionally dabbling in the sword dao.
"I am also a Sword Cultivator, you know."
Han Xuanji spoke these words out of nowhere, causing Ling Cang's heart to skip a beat.
...