Chapter 61: The Blazing Sun Arrow
On the rooftop.
Qiu Yingying shook her head and whispered, “Junior’s combat strength is already formidable. If he could grasp Sword Intent, perhaps he could break through more than four petals of sword energy, but for now he’s destined to lose.”
Hong Jiu no longer underestimated Qingxi. Instead, he showed a solemn expression. “He’s truly a disciple taught by Ouyang Changfeng, quite capable indeed. If my precious pupil weren’t outstanding enough, tonight I might have ended up shooting myself in the foot.”
It was Hong Jiu’s idea for Qingxi to challenge Mu Yue.
His purpose was simple: to showcase Mu Yue’s formidable strength before everyone, letting the world know that, although Hong Jiu lost to Ouyang Changfeng, his disciple won.
In this way, he would remain on par with Ouyang Changfeng.
On the stage.
Qingxi did not continue his attack.
He had only eight opportunities left.
He cherished them greatly.
That last strike had been his all-out effort; even if he repeated it ten or a hundred times, he still could not instantly break through the defense.
Mu Yue’s speed at condensing new sword energy petals was swift; to truly break the defense, Qingxi needed to master a much greater power.
“Helper, come out and die for me!”
Qingxi roared inwardly, “I spent two hundred and fifty strands of Five Elements origin, and yet I still can’t break the defense. You dare claim you’re not a swindler?”
Helper replied, speechless, “I never said ‘Skyborne Sword Energy’ could break the defense. To deal with a Bronze-level ultimate skill, you usually need to use one of the same level. How could you succeed with an Iron-level skill?”
“You…”
Qingxi was at a loss for words. “But I don’t have any Bronze-level ultimate skills!”
Helper calmly answered, “No, you do! Have you forgotten? We currently have over a hundred ultimate skills that can be deduced, and quite a few of them are Bronze-level.”
“The problem is, after deducing them, I still have to learn them… Wait, you’re guiding me to spend origin to learn the ultimate skills again. How sly!” Qingxi felt like a bull being led by the nose.
“Spending brings strength. Rest assured, system products are always premium!”
Helper patiently promoted, adding, “Any ultimate skill deduced by the system is not only complete, but also top-tier among its grade. Owning it guarantees you can break through any defense.”
Qingxi thought for a moment and realized there was no other option. He could only agree. “Fine, deduce a Bronze-level ultimate skill, but make sure I have enough origin left to master it fully!”
“Please be assured. There’s a Bronze-level ultimate skill perfectly suited for you right now. Please check your panel.” Helper sent him the information.
[Ultimate Skill: Arrow of the Fiery Sun]
[Grade: Bronze-level (Top-tier offensive skill)]
[Note: Condense vital energy into a Fiery Sun Bow, shooting an indomitable Arrow of the Fiery Sun. It can pierce mountains, split earth, with astonishing power. Seven stages in total; at peak, vital energy power is increased sevenfold, capable of killing even a great demon of the Innate Realm in one shot.]
[Origin required for deduction: Metal origin 1500 strands, Wood origin 0 strands, Water origin 100 strands, Fire origin 800 strands, Earth origin 100 strands]
[Origin required for learning: 300 strands each of Five Elements origin. As a powerful offensive skill, an additional 200 strands of Metal origin are required.]
After reading the introduction, Qingxi felt a pang in his heart.
If he both deduced and learned it, his remaining Five Elements origin would be nearly exhausted.
He felt certain the system was doing this on purpose!
But to break through the defense, he had to go all in.
“Deduce the Bronze-level ultimate skill ‘Arrow of the Fiery Sun,’ then master it completely!”
Since he chose to spend, he would not hold back.
He spent it all!
With anticipation rising in his heart, the system’s deduction completed in less than a second.
A stream of information flooded his mind; Qingxi felt his entire body filled with scorching, razor-sharp energy, as if about to split apart.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
Fortunately, the process lasted only half a second before ending abruptly.
A mysterious sensation surged in Qingxi’s heart.
He suddenly discovered that a fully mastered ultimate skill had appeared in his memory, as if enlightenment had poured over him, with no side effects whatsoever.
“Hahaha, wonderful!”
Qingxi laughed ecstatically, gazing upward.
Yet he failed to notice the astonished gazes his actions attracted.
Some people dropped their roasted fish bites right out of their mouths.
Though none knew what Qingxi was doing, they saw clearly: he stood dazed, then suddenly trembled all over, then laughed skyward.
“He’s gone mad!”
“He must have realized he couldn’t break the defense, thought about it for a long time, and ended up driving himself insane.”
The disciples of the Scarlet Flame Sect were the first to react, loudly voicing their thoughts.
No one doubted it; instead, they all nodded in agreement.
“You’re the mad ones!”
“The entire Scarlet Flame Sect is mad!”
Qingxi snorted coldly, scolding the Scarlet Flame Sect disciples, before turning to look solemnly at Mu Yue.
“Are you ready to admit defeat?”
Mu Yue’s brows furrowed slightly.
“No, I just want to tell you—the next move will be extremely powerful. If you can withstand it, I will admit defeat before everyone.”
Qingxi’s expression was earnest, his focused demeanor making Mu Yue realize things were far from simple.
She sensed that Qingxi was not exaggerating.
Visibly, the nine sword energy petals overlapped under Mu Yue’s control, then slowly separated, each half a meter apart.
“What’s going on? He believes the madman’s words?”
The Scarlet Flame Sect disciples showed confusion.
Wang Shuiling suddenly stood up, the aura of the Innate Realm enveloping the hall and silencing the crowd.
“Eight opportunities remain. Let’s see what method he’ll use.”
Hearing Wang Shuiling speak, everyone stopped talking and watched intently, not daring to blink and risk missing a detail.
Qingxi recalled the process of performing the ultimate skill Arrow of the Fiery Sun and the necessary techniques, then stepped forward with a thud, making the stage tremble.
He took a bow stance, left hand reaching forward, condensing his vital energy into a semi-transparent curved bow etched with golden patterns. He hooked the golden bowstring with his index and ring fingers, then pulled hard.
Crack, crack, crack…
It was as if three shackles had been broken. The bow stretched halfway open, and a dark golden arrow appeared out of thin air, radiating a sharp aura.
“Pull further!”
Qingxi exerted all his strength, and with two more cracking sounds, the bow was drawn nearly to full, countless threads of light gathering on the arrow.
At this point, Qingxi could no longer bear the immense force pressing upon him, and abruptly released the arrow.
The golden arrow shot out, and the entire hall was engulfed by golden brilliance, dazzling the spectators so much they could barely keep their eyes open.
Mu Yue sensed the arrow approaching, carrying a terrifying aura. Her expression grew grave as she poured all her vital energy into the sword energy petals.
Craack!
A piercing sound exploded in everyone’s ears.
Under the shocked gazes of the crowd, the golden arrow smashed through seven petals of sword energy in rapid succession.
Then, like a mighty bell striking, it crashed into the eighth petal, unleashing waves of crimson-gold shock and a sharp, penetrating ringing.