Chapter 50: The Sword's Domain—The Ice Lotus Emerges!

At this moment, countless eyes from the audience watched as Lu Han slowly rose from the ground.

“Cough, cough. Zhang Mang, it seems you’re celebrating a bit too soon, aren’t you?” Lu Han wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

Just now, that palm strike from Zhang Mang had nearly left Lu Han unable to stand. He touched his chest; the gauze robe on his body had already been shattered.

“If not for the ‘Heavenly Garment’ forming this protective layer around me, I’d probably be lying on the ground, unable to get up,” Lu Han muttered.

The ‘Heavenly Garment’ truly lived up to its name as a high-level Xuan-grade defensive martial art. In fact, Lu Han’s injuries weren’t serious at all. It was just that Zhang Mang’s punch had been so ferocious, the sheer force nearly made Lu Han lose consciousness. Fortunately, his physical body was strong enough to withstand it.

“How is this possible!”

A look of disbelief flashed across Zhang Mang’s eyes. Even with his cultivation of the Rocksolid Technique, that palm strike would have left most men severely injured. Yet Lu Han, though blood had appeared at the corner of his mouth, seemed to have only suffered minor wounds judging by his aura.

Zhang Mang’s full-force blow had left Lu Han merely lightly injured. This was something he found hard to accept.

The crowd began to stir, the quiet broken by a sudden uproar.

“Father, what do you think…” Zhang Ren asked, cold sweat beading on his brow. If Zhang Mang failed, the Zhang family would have to leave Tianlan City and never return. Worse, it was he himself who had declared this before the entire city.

“You’ve been city lord for decades, and this is all the composure you have? Relax. That boy Lu Han is indeed a genius, but it’s a pity—he will still lose to Mang’er.”

Hearing Zhang Yuanqin say this, Zhang Ren’s face finally eased.

Lu Han slowly walked toward the Biluo Sword.

With a ringing sound, he drew the sword and said, “I believe I said from the beginning—did you really think victory was yours?”

With a metallic note, the Biluo Sword aimed straight at Zhang Mang.

All eyes were on Zhang Mang, whose massive form now looked somewhat battered. Still, he straightened his back, and that domineering presence reappeared.

Lu Han’s gaze sharpened; he suddenly sensed a dangerous aura.

Zhang Mang’s presence was much weaker than before, but Lu Han found him even more dangerous now.

Their eyes met—both could see the gravity in the other’s gaze.

At last, Zhang Mang slowly raised his cold, black saber and pointed it at Lu Han. “I know that winning like this isn’t exactly honorable, but I have no choice. The City Lord’s Mansion belongs to the Zhang family, and no one else.”

“What is Zhang Mang planning?”

“His aura is so weak—could he have another trump card?”

On the dueling stage, sword and saber pointed at one another.

For a moment, the audience fell silent, watching the two men face off.

Lu Han eyed the black saber in Zhang Mang’s hand. “Master warned me to be wary of that blade. Is this the source of that dangerous aura?”

“Father, do you think Han’er can win?” Meng Lei asked anxiously, glancing at the Zhang father and son, who both wore expressions of utter confidence.

“I cannot say. But I sense a trace of Xuan energy from Zhang Mang’s saber,” Old Master Meng replied, his eyes serious.

“Xuan energy? Then that means—”

Old Master Meng lifted his hand to interrupt Meng Lei. “If things go awry, I’ll intervene. Family rules are important, but so is my grandson.”

“Han’er, everything depends on you now!”

“Lu Han, if you can withstand this strike, I’ll admit defeat!” Zhang Mang suddenly declared from the center of the arena.

Watching Zhang Mang’s aura dwindle with every passing moment, Lu Han’s brow furrowed.

“Why is his presence growing weaker?”

“I don’t want to win in such an underhanded manner, but I must. You cannot win!”

Everyone heard the words and gazed curiously at Zhang Mang. By his tone, it seemed Lu Han’s defeat was inevitable.

Seeing Zhang Mang’s absolute confidence, Lu Han tightened his grip on the Biluo Sword.

He knew this strike would decide the outcome.

Lu Han dared not be careless; cold energy gathered in his palm, internal force surged wildly within.

Zhang Mang swung his black saber, and a thick, earthen Xuan energy began to swirl atop the blade. Sensing the danger, the surrounding crowd instinctively took a step back.

“What is that?”

“I feel like, under that blow, I would either die or be gravely injured!”

“That’s Xuan energy—a Xuan energy saber?”

“Isn’t that cheating? The City Lord’s Mansion is despicable!”

A Xuan energy saber!

A Xuan energy saber was a weapon in which a Xuan Lord had sealed a single strike of his own power.

Though it was only a single attack, even the average innate-level expert would likely be wounded by it.

“Zhang, you old scoundrel!” Old Master Meng slapped his chair and shot to his feet.

It was undoubtedly Zhang Yuanqin who had sealed his own strike inside that saber.

“This is against the rules, isn’t it?” Old Master Meng said, voice deep.

“Against the rules? I don’t recall such a rule in the City Lord’s competition. Besides, you could have sealed one of your own moves in your grandson’s sword—I wouldn’t have stopped you.” Zhang Yuanqin sneered.

“What, are you planning to interrupt the match? Remember, the duel only ends when one side admits defeat or falls from the stage.” At the same time, Zhang Yuanqin’s aura locked tightly onto Old Master Meng, ready to intervene at the slightest provocation.

“Han’er, you… admit defeat.” After saying this, Old Master Meng seemed to age ten years. For so many years, the Meng family had striven to produce a Xuan Lord and reclaim the city lordship—and now they were so close.

Lu Han glanced at Old Master Meng, Meng Lei, and the other Meng family members outside the arena.

As if he hadn’t heard Old Master Meng’s words, he looked at Zhang Mang and said, “Go ahead.”

“Very well. I admire your courage.” A glint of admiration flashed in Zhang Mang’s eyes; Lu Han knew this was a Xuan energy saber and still chose to fight on—Zhang Mang couldn’t help but respect that.

Zhang Mang spread his feet, raised the saber with both hands, and locked onto Lu Han.

Lu Han felt a chill across his skin, the pressure from the saber nearly suffocating.

“Heavenly Garment!”

With a hand seal, a faint gauze robe formed around his torso.

“Hahaha… So what if it’s a Xuan Lord’s power? I, Lu Han, refuse to believe a Xuan Lord’s casual strike can take my life!”

He flicked the Biluo Sword, which let out a piercing cry.

As Lu Han laughed, the cold energy from his sword grew increasingly ferocious.

“That aura…” Duan Jiang, standing beside Zhang Ren, suddenly turned pale.

“City Lord, this is the terrifying martial art I mentioned before.”

As the sword’s aura grew more fearsome, it felt as though the energy around the arena was being sucked dry.

Sensing this terrifying energy, both Zhang Yuanqin and Old Master Meng changed expressions.

“But he’s only at the eighth level of the acquired realm. Can he really withstand my move?” Zhang Yuanqin’s face gradually relaxed.

“Han’er, is this the martial art you used to injure Duan Jiang?”

“Haha… Since you won’t move, I’ll strike first.”

To the astonishment of all, Lu Han charged at Zhang Mang. Many young ladies from the noble families outside the arena gazed at Lu Han with admiration in their eyes.

Lu Han resembled his mother—delicate yet resolute—and at this moment, he looked especially heroic.

As Lu Han dashed toward Zhang Mang, the cold, white aura from his sword flared with terrifying intensity.

“Lu Han, in all my life, I’ve never admired anyone. For your courage alone, you have my respect,” Zhang Mang declared. As he spoke, his face turned pale, his internal energy all but exhausted.

Indeed, a terrifying, earthen yellow Xuan energy surged atop the black saber.

“Xuan energy saber!”

With a thunderous shout, Zhang Mang’s saber erupted like a mountain torrent, sending a massive, earthen yellow blade shadow slashing toward the charging Lu Han.

Wherever the blade shadow passed, the ground split open.

A Xuan Lord’s casual strike—this was its terrifying power!

Lu Han’s dark eyes stared at the approaching blade shadow. His expression did not change; instead, he kicked off the ground and rushed straight at it.

He leapt, body parallel to the earth, spinning wildly as he charged the blade shadow.

“Sword of the Frozen Lotus! Shatter!”

A massive sword aura, formed from white cold energy, burst from the tip of his blade, exploding forth as Lu Han advanced.

Boom!

The entire dueling stage erupted in a violent explosion!

Could this truly be a battle between mere acquired-level cultivators?

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