Chapter 49: You Call This... Even Worthy of Being Called a Sword?

Chapter 49: You Call This... a Sword?

The faces of Qin Tian, Hong Ming, and the others, which had just been filled with excitement, instantly froze.

A single punch.

Xue An had defeated Yu Qing with just one punch?

Tan Dong was utterly dumbfounded.

Although he believed Xue An could win, he had expected at least a fierce and bitter struggle.

He never imagined it would be resolved with such effortless ease.

However, the most shocked among them all was Tan Xiaoyu.

She had gone abroad to study Taekwondo since childhood, and at one point, she considered her skills to be of world-class caliber.

Returning to the country this time, she had come with a heart full of eagerness, believing she would surely carve out a notable name for herself.

Yet, facing Yu Qing, she had not even managed to withstand a single move.

That blow to Tan Xiaoyu's pride was already massive.

Unexpectedly, Xue An subsequently solved Yu Qing with a single punch.

One had to remember that right from the start, Tan Xiaoyu had not thought much of Xue An at all.

Now, this reality struck like a resounding slap across her face.

Tan Xiaoyu's gaze toward Xue An grew extremely complex.

Especially when recalling her own initial behavior, she felt a burning sensation wash over her cheeks time and time again.

Just as Tan Dong and the others assumed the overall situation was settled, a fierce and peerless aura surged from the fishpond, enveloping the entire courtyard.

What is this...?

Tan Xiaoyu and the others were still lingering in shock and doubt.

A disheveled Yu Qing slowly stepped out from the fishpond, then glared at Xue An with eyes full of murderous intent.

"I originally wanted to grant you a swift death, but now I've changed my mind. I'm going to hack you to pieces, inch by inch!" Yu Qing said with a sinister voice.

Along with his words, the momentum radiating from his body grew increasingly formidable.

"You should feel honored for this, because very few people are worthy of making me draw it!" Yu Qing said, slowly pulling a long sword from his waist.

This long sword possessed a flexible texture. Normally, Yu Qing wrapped it around his waist like a belt, but once drawn, it instantly transformed into a blade as clear as autumn water.

The sword qi was as cold as frost, forcing Tan Dong and the others to instinctively take several steps back.

Hong Ming and Qin Tian were overjoyed.

"Master Yu's might is peerless!"

"Master Yu is truly formidable!"

Yu Qing caressed the spine of the sword with an arrogant expression. "This sword is named Qiu Shui. It remains un sheathed, but once drawn, it must taste blood. No fewer than twenty True Adepts have perished beneath this blade, and even three masters of the unfettered realm have died by it!"

"Today, I shall use this sword to sever your head!" Yu Qing declared, pronouncing each word with deliberate force.

Xue An raised an eyebrow slightly and said indifferently, "Are you finished with your nonsense?"

With an angry shout, the sword in Yu Qing's hand suddenly transformed into a flood of sword light, charging straight toward Xue An.

Fast!

In that instant, heaven and earth seemed to hold nothing left except this single sword strike.

Wherever the sword light passed, all the vegetation in the courtyard was cleanly severed.

Yet Xue An did not even move, appearing as though he had been frightened out of his wits by the sheer momentum of the blow.

A grim smile crept up the corner of Yu Qing's mouth.

He had built his reputation on his fists, but very few people knew that his true mastery actually lay in swordsmanship!

This particular strike was the most powerful sword technique Yu Qing had ever unleashed since his debut.

It even faintly carried the essence of the Dao.

Yu Qing could already envision the scene moments later, where Xue An would be decapitated and die a miserable death.

This thought made Yu Qing tremble with excitement.

However, in the very next instant, all that excitement vanished into thin air.

Because his sword... had been caught by Xue An with a single hand!

That's right!

Xue An had used a single bare hand to intercept this seemingly unstoppable sword strike.

Yu Qing was struck by profound shock, just as he was about to speak.

Xue An said faintly, "You call this... a sword?"

With that, he applied a slight force with his hand.

Crack!

The Qiu Shui long sword was snapped into pieces right in his grip.

Yu Qing's eyes nearly popped out of his skull.

Is this bastard even human?

Not only did he block a sword strike bare-handed, but he shattered it as well?

At the same time, Yu Qing felt a sudden surge of intense crisis.

As a master who had already entered the unfettered realm, Yu Qing possessed extremely quick situational awareness. Knowing that the situation was irretrievable, he turned around and attempted to flee.

Xue An smiled faintly. "Do you think you can still leave?"

Following his words, the momentum around Xue An began to climb sharply, and in an instant, a terrifying aura locked onto Yu Qing.

Unfettered!

He was also in the unfettered realm!

Everyone present was filled with shock.

Yu Qing, on the other hand, was scared out of his wits.

That earth-shaking aura from last night—it had been him all along!

At this moment, Yu Qing's heart was filled with endless regret.

Had he known Xue An was this powerful, nothing could have persuaded him to accept this duel so rashly.

But now, it was too late for regrets.

Yu Qing ran toward the exit with a near-mad frenzy.

Seeing that leaping over the wall right in front of him would take him out of the Hong family estate, a glimmer of joy flashed in Yu Qing's eyes.

As long as he could escape this place and return to report to his mentor, he could ask his mentor to descend the mountain in person, which would surely deal with this Xue An once and for all.

However, his wishful thinking was swiftly dashed.

For Xue An said indifferently, "Watch my punch... to shake heaven and earth!"

He had used this very punch once before at the auction to instantly execute Liu Hu.

Yet unleashed once again now, its power was more than ten times greater.

Xue An's punch appeared to strike empty air, but the entire space seemed to be overturned by the force of it.

Everyone tumbled to the ground, while Yu Qing was blasted off his feet, rolling violently across the floor.

Puff.

A mouthful of blood mixed with internal organ fragments spewed from his mouth.

This single punch had shattered Yu Qing's spine.

Xue An withdrew his fist and slowly walked over to Yu Qing.

"What... what kind of fist technique is this?" Yu Qing asked persistently, coughing up large mouthfuls of blood.

"This punch is called Shaking Heaven and Earth," Xue An replied.

"Shaking Heaven and Earth... Good, a magnificent fist technique! I... have lost!" With those words, the light in Yu Qing's eyes rapidly dimmed.

Yu Qing was dead!

Slain by two punches from Xue An!

Xue An raised his head and looked at Hong Ming and Qin Tian, who stood frozen like wooden chickens.

"It seems we truly have a bond of fate!" Xue An said indifferently.

Hong Ming's legs went weak with terror, and he dropped straight to his knees, crying out, "Xue An—no, no, no, Master Xue, I was wrong! I shouldn't have gone against you! Please spare my life this once!"

As for Qin Tian, his face turned pale, his eyes staring blankly and lifelessly at Xue An, before he finally spoke with defeated resignation, "I have lost. Do with me as you please!"

Xue An glanced at the two of them for a moment, then turned and walked away.

He couldn't be bothered to kill these clowns; he would leave the remaining trouble for Qin Yu to puzzle over!

Presumably, from now on, Beijiang would no longer have a Hong family!

Watching Xue An's receding figure, Tan Xiaoyu experienced a chaotic mix of emotions, unable to pinpoint what she was feeling.

From her initial disdain to her subsequent shock, this man had brought her an overwhelming number of incredulous moments.

And now, Tan Xiaoyu realized an even more cruel truth.

That was the fact that Xue An had never cared about her at all.

Regardless of whether her initial attitude was one of contempt or scorn, he simply hadn't cared in the slightest.

This realization suddenly made Tan Xiaoyu understand that she was truly a nobody!

This discovery plunged her into a state of extreme depression.