Chapter 51 The Strike of the Twin Swords

"Hahaha! Splendid! Splendid! Brat, you've successfully infuriated me!"

At this moment, Liang Heng suddenly burst into laughter, sounding utterly eerie.

"What? Are you going to kill me?"

Yun Yi wore a calm smile. He actually wanted to slaughter Liang Heng, but Liang Heng needed to try and kill him first so that his actions would strictly count as self-defense.

"So what if I kill you!"

"Within this academy, there is no one Liang Heng cannot kill!"

A fierce sneer tugged at the corner of Liang Heng's mouth. In an instant, his spiritual energy surged forth to its absolute limit, the might of the sixth level of the Foundation Establishment realm erupting as he lunged straight toward Yun Yi.

"Want to kill me?"

A smile surfaced on Yun Yi's lips; his objective had been achieved!

Watching Liang Heng close in on him, Yun Yi immediately sharpened his focus.

"Sky-Shattering Fist!"

Liang Heng roared, throwing a punch directly at Yun Yi.

Instantly, a colossal fist projection materialized over Liang Heng's hand, radiating a ferocious aura accompanied by oppressive shockwaves that shattered the air as it closed in on Yun Yi.

"Fierce Tiger Fist!"

Yun Yi shouted, taking a swift step forward to meet the attack head-on.

"Roar!"

A deafening tiger's roar reverberated across the entire hall, and a faint, majestic tiger phantom emerged behind Yun Yi, exuding a regal beastly pressure as it collided head-on with Liang Heng's massive fist projection.

"Boom!"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, their fists collided, unleashing a deafening explosion!

Fortunately, the grand hall of the Artifact Refining Pavilion was sufficiently spacious and equipped with soundproofing barriers; otherwise, this single clash would have easily alerted everyone inside the pavilion.

As their fists met and the swirling gales of spiritual energy finally subsided, the two figures instantly separated, widening the distance between them.

A grave expression settled on Liang Heng's face. He never expected that Yun Yi, mere cultivator at the third level of the Foundation Establishment realm, could actually trade blows with him on equal footing.

Yun Yi remained expressionless, though he knew deep down that every single battle across realms served as a valuable trial and accumulated experience for him.

Pausing for barely half a breath, the two men locked eyes and charged at each other once more, trading blow after blow in the center of the hall.

Every punch unleashed a gale; every impact sent ripples through the air.

By now, many patrons who had come to the Artifact Refining Pavilion to forge weapons were gathered around to watch the spectacle.

Recognizing Liang Heng, someone gasped in shock.

"How did someone manage to provoke that maniac!"

"Senior brother, who is he?"

Evidently, some of the newcomers were completely clueless about Liang Heng's background.

"Him? That's Liang Heng. Our academy has two grand deans and four pavilion masters—two for the inner sect and two for the outer sect. And Liang Heng is the third son of Liang Changsheng, the vice dean of the outer sect!"

"Backing by his old man, Liang Heng has been living like a fish in water, with every single trouble he causes neatly swept under the rug by his father!"

As soon as those words left the speaker's mouth, a sudden wave of realization dawned upon the onlookers. So he was a nepotism-dependent second-generation noble!

"That Yun Yi is in serious danger now!"

Clearly, Yun Yi had already gained a certain level of renown within the academy by this point.

---

In the arena, after trading hundreds of rapid-fire punches, the two combatants once again sprang apart.

"Brat, I'll admit you possess some skill!"

Liang Heng's expression remained grim as his tone abruptly shifted. "However, you must still die!"

Reaching out, Liang Heng summoned his spiritual sword. With wind swirling around his boots, he shot toward Yun Yi like a streak of light.

"Brother Yi! Catch!"

Lei Ling'er shouted at the top of her lungs, tossing the spiritual sword in her hand straight toward Yun Yi.

Catching the blade mid-air, Yun Yi smiled faintly and charged back toward Liang Heng.

"Sword Rain!"

Liang Heng bellowed. In a flash, his spiritual sword multiplied, and hundreds of long swords materialized behind him, hurtling toward Yun Yi in tandem with his advance.

"Hmph!"

Yun Yi let out a soft utterance before shouting, "Sword Shadows—Slash!"

In an instant, Yun Yi's figure vanished completely. Countless clones of Yun Yi split apart, transforming into blinding sword shadows as they charged at Liang Heng.

"Whoa!"

"Such an offensive technique! Yun Yi truly earns the title of a genius!"

Gazing at the rain of swords filling the air, the onlookers at the sidelines wore expressions of utter astonishment.

"To fight head-on against a sixth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator while being at the third level... a cross-realm battle like this is probably something only those in the top ten of the Heavenly Rankings could pull off!"

"Give him time, and the name Yun Yi will surely resound throughout the entire academy!"

Someone watching the battle offered this exceptionally high praise.

In the center of the hall, the torrential rain of swords flashed brilliantly. Observers outside could no longer distinguish the figures of Yun Yi and Liang Heng; only their crisscrossing sword qi remained visible in the air, accompanied by an endless chorus of ringing steel!

"Boom!"

A thunderous crash echoed out. The storm of sword rain gradually subsided, and the two figures finally reappeared before the crowd.

At this moment, Liang Heng's hair was completely disheveled, and his clothes were shredded to rags by the rampaging sword qi. Several bleeding gasps marred the skin of his arms and legs where the sword energy had grazed him.

"You... very good!"

Liang Heng's eyes locked onto Yun Yi with the ferocity of a hawk, his voice dropping several degrees into a chilling frost.

Right now, Liang Heng felt utterly helpless; he simply couldn't suppress Yun Yi.

He had a gut feeling that unless he unleashed his ultimate technique, his reputation would be utterly ruined today.

Yun Yi was in slightly better condition than Liang Heng, though his garments had likewise been torn apart by the sword qi, revealing a chest sculpted with aesthetic muscular lines.

Ever since Yun Yi embarked on the path of body refinement, his physique had been constantly evolving.

"I've always been good, but you're the one who's looking poorly!"

Yun Yi still managed a smile. He loved to smile because it distracted his enemies and made them underestimate him.

"This next sword will kill you!"

Having made up his mind, Liang Heng stopped hesitating. As his words faded, the entirety of his sword intent converged upon the spiritual sword in his grip.

"Clang!"

A sharp sword chime rang out. Liang Heng's spiritual power surged frantically, transforming into a torrential wave of sword qi as a massive long sword slowly formed behind his back.

Spotting this, several astute spectators among the crowd gasped in alarm.

---

"This... Yun Yi is in grave danger!"

"What is that?"

Someone asked in confusion.

"Liang Heng's ultimate technique—Heaven-Opening Sword!"

"Depending on this single strike, Liang Heng can be considered invincible among peers of the same realm!"

By now, the giant sword hovering behind Liang Heng had fully solidified.

"Die, Yun Yi!"

"One Sword—Opens the Heavens!"

Roaring fiercely, Liang Heng swept forward, driving the colossal sword manifestation behind him straight toward Yun Yi!

Sensing the immense power behind Liang Heng's attack, Yun Yi's expression finally turned grave. It was time for him to unleash his ultimate strike!

Raising his sword, Yun Yi let loose his beginner-stage sword intent in a frenzied surge. His sword intent rippled outward from his center like gentle water waves.

"This is!"

"Beginner-stage sword intent!"

Someone exclaimed in sheer disbelief, shouting out loud.

Regardless of the type of intent, as long as one could comprehend it to the beginner stage before reaching the Golden Core realm, such a person was fully worthy of being called a genius!

After all, forming sword intent was exceptionally difficult; it tested not only an individual's comprehension ability but also their absolute faith in the weapon they wielded.

Therefore, those capable of generating sword intent were truly one in ten thousand!

Fixating his gaze on Liang Heng, Yun Yi gripped his sword tightly and shot forward like a bolt of lightning!

"Die!"

A ferocious, distorted smile spread across Liang Heng's face.

"This sword—All Returns to One!"

Yun Yi whispered softly. Two swords merged into one, thrusting forward in a single, devastating strike toward Liang Heng.

In a fraction of a second, the two sword attacks collided.

"Bang!"

A deafening explosion reverberated through the air, compressing the surrounding atmosphere so intensely that even the air itself produced a sonic boom!

"Quickly, back away!"

Before anyone could voice their shock, an elder suddenly materialized, stepping through the void to arrive above the hall. With a single point of his finger, he cast a protective barrier that enveloped the terrifying energy shockwave erupting between Yun Yi and Liang Heng.

As the explosions finally died down, a dead silence fell over the entire audience.

"You're not good enough!"

At this moment, the tip of the spiritual sword in Yun Yi's hand was buried deep within Liang Heng's chest. With just the slightest application of force, Liang Heng would undoubtedly perish.

"Yun Yi, stay your hand!"