Chapter 354
On the other hand, Renn’s breath was steady but sharp. His brows were furrowed however, sweat trailing down his temples.
His exhaustion wasn’t physical.
It was mental.
Using Qi like he did wasn’t a matter of brute force.
If one had the mental resilience, the clarity of mind, they could keep drawing Qi from the world around them.
Because external Qi was infinite.
But only those with the awareness to channel it.
Exhaustion came when that awareness frayed.
When the mind started lagging behind the blade.
And Renn was nearing that edge.
He wasn’t drawing Qi from within himself—that was the domain of true cultivators
He was far from that.
Right now, he was simply grasping the energy around him with pure technique.
He could keep going… for a while.
But not forever.
Still, he stood.
Rui’s fingers flexed. The bloodline energy in him was unstable.
The two circled.
The destruction around them painted the aftermath of their clash. The arena’s floor was scarred and scorched.
Cracks crisscrossed the stone, restoration arrays humming louder as they struggled to keep up.
In the stands, no one spoke.
Even the commentator had fallen silent.
The sight before them was the grandest most had ever witnessed in their lives.
They didn’t need to understand what was happening to be awestruck.
To them, it felt like watching a clash between supreme beings.
And in a way… it was.
Rui’s jaw clenched. He couldn’t afford to keep this up. Not for long. His bloodline-enhanced form was potent but unstable—it drained him with every passing moment.
He had hoped to conserve strength for the finals, but this damn commoner had forced his hand.
He clicked his tongue.
A deep pulse of energy flared within him.
Rui lowered his stance.
For a moment, the ground around his feet fractured as if recoiling from what was about to come.
He didn’t know what Rui was about to do, but he could feel it. That surge of pressure—dense, coiled, waiting to explode.
Rui slammed his palm into the ground.
A shockwave burst out, black energy flooding the arena like ink spilled on stone.
Rui stood in the center, steam curling off his skin. Around him, shadows writhed like living serpents.
The technique was reckless.
Powerful.
And horribly taxing.
Rui knew he’d pay for it later. Even if he rested, his body wouldn’t recover its peak before the next match. But that was fine. He refused to let this commoner make it out.
There shouldn’t be anyone else this perverted in the next round, he reasoned.
This was one of the top four?
So what?
He didn’t believe there were others on their level. Even in the Empire, youths of this caliber were rare. That there were four in this kingdom?
Impossible.
He was just unlucky.
The wrong time.
The wrong place.
Rui’s figure vanished again, and this time, he didn’t hold back.
The domain twisted his movements, made him blur through shadows. He came from the left, then the right, then behind—a phantom of killing intent.
Renn’s eyes glowed faintly. He didn’t chase the flickers. He waited.
Then he moved.
His blade slashed upward—not where Rui was, but where he would be.
Clang!
The two collided.
A pulse of light and dark. Qi and bloodline. Wood and scale.
They bounced off each other, both staggering. Both breathing harder now.
Renn winced. Not from pain—from pressure.
His mind was fraying. His awareness faltering. Qi manipulation was slipping from his grasp.
Rui’s lips curled.
He saw it.
“You’re done.”
He raised his hand.
Dark mist spiraled, forming a writhing spear of shadows. It crackled with power.
One final move.
It would cost him.
But Renn would fall.
He hurled it.
Renn didn’t block. He moved.
His stance changed. His eyes sharpened.
And in that moment, he remembered something.
A sensation.
The time he had reclaimed his ability to use Q in the second trial yesterday.
The way he had cut through magic.
Cut.
That was the technique.
Renn raised his wooden sword.
The glow around it was soft, almost faint—but there.
He swung.
The air split.
A line of white light stretched from his blade.
It didn’t clash with the shadow spear. It sliced through it.
The spear wavered. Flickered. And then shattered into mist.
Rui’s eyes widened.
He hadn’t seen the attack. Not properly. Only felt the moment his technique crumbled like smoke.
Renn got into his stance again. His heart pounded.
He thought of his father. His family.
Of the wooden sword gifted to him on his birthday.
He thought of the village.
Of the reason he came here.
His grip tightened.
And then—it happened.
Renn’s eyes narrowed as something shifted within him.
His sword rose again. But this time, it wasn’t the previous move. Not the same cut that pierced illusions and spells.
Renn’s feet grounded. His Qi, though faint, pulsed with razor focus.
And in the space between moments, Renn comprehended something new. A path opened in his mind.
He slashed.
Rui felt it coming. Before it landed, before the blade even touched him, he felt the pressure.
“Break.”
The force struck Rui’s domain.And like glass under strain, it fractured.
Rui’s technique, his gathered mist, the serpent energy— All of it— Broke.
The shadow writhing around him scattered like ink in water. His enhanced senses dulled. His speed slowed.
And for the first time— Prince Rui stumbled.
Backward.
Then to one knee.
Silence fell.
Renn didn’t pause.
He moved forward again. Same stance. Same clarity. Another swing—another Break.
The second strike hit Rui square in the chest. The blow didn’t cut flesh, but the force of it hurled him backward across the stage. His back hit the ground. And this time, he didn’t rise.
The coliseum erupted.
“It’s over! It’s over!! Renn Noah has done it!” the commentator’s voice cracked as he screamed.
He wanted to add more but he didn’t dare mention anything about the prince.
Anyone with such a title had at least the lineage of a duke.
The fact the officials specifically included Prince made him alert.
He didn’t know the background of this mysterious Prince and to be honest, he found himself happy at the fact.
Cheers exploded like thunder.
Renn stood still. His body swayed. His eyes trembled. But he remained upright.
However, his heart raced.
Because defeating Prince Rui meant one this.
Now.
He was no longer a stage away from fulfilling the Noah’s dream.
He was now a match away..