In Zhu Xian, people start to rise from plundering entries

Before the sword light arrived, a wave of heat had already hit us.

Su Han's robes fluttered in the scorching air, and the ends of his hair even began to curl slightly. But his gaze did not waver in the slightest. Just as the crimson sword light was about to strike him, he took a half step forward with his right foot, and with a slant, the long sword in his hand, which had been drawn at some point, flashed out.

There was no earth-shattering collision.

There was only a soft "hiss" sound, like a red-hot iron block falling into water.

The fierce and intense sword light melted away by Su Han's seemingly effortless strike, much like ice and snow meeting the sun. The remaining heat wave grazed his side, leaving a scorched mark on the jade floor of the arena.

"Oh?" Lu Ming raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but it quickly turned into an even more intense fighting spirit. "No wonder you've gotten this far, you've got some tricks up your sleeve."

Su Han remained silent, only slowly adjusting her breathing.

The Star Seal on his chest was slightly warm, a reminder of its existence and its expiration date. But this temporary peace was enough for him to fully concentrate on the battle.

"The second sword!"

Lu Ming no longer acted arrogantly. He gripped his sword with both hands, and a raging flame erupted from the crimson longsword. The flame was no ordinary fire, but rather a golden-red color, with Dao patterns faintly visible flowing within it—this was the "Burning Heaven True Fire" cultivated from the Xuan Tian Sect's supreme cultivation technique, the "Burning Heaven Technique," which could burn gold and melt iron, possessing boundless power.

"Burning Heaven Sword Technique, Second Form - Fiery Phoenix Scorches the Sky!"

Lu Ming raised his longsword high and then slashed down fiercely.

"Wow—!"

A clear, melodious phoenix cry echoed across the plaza, and the golden-red flames transformed into a three-zhang-long (approximately 10 meters) fiery phoenix, flapping its wings and swooping towards Su Han. Wherever it passed, the air distorted, heat waves rolled in, and even the protective light barrier at the edge of the arena rippled.

"Such powerful force!"

"Is this the strength of the number one young talent in the Xuantian Sect?"

"Su Han is in danger!"

Gasps of surprise erupted from the audience.

In the Qingyun Sect area, Ye Qingxue clenched her hands tightly, her nails digging deeply into her palms. Lin Xuan, Wang Meng, and the others also wore solemn expressions. They could sense that the power of this sword strike far exceeded the full-force attack of an ordinary late-stage Star Sea Realm cultivator.

Faced with this devastating attack, which seemed to scorch the heavens and boil the seas, Su Han closed his eyes.

It wasn't giving up, but rather, as the fiery phoenix pounced within three zhang of him, a passage from the "Nameless Sword Manual" suddenly flashed through his mind:
"The way of the sword is not bound by form, nor confined by rules. The gentleness of water can overcome the intensity of fire; the ferocity of fire can break the hardness of metal. But the highest realm is to defeat form with no form, and to break all rules with no rules..."

"Water can extinguish fire... but if the fire is raging, what use is a drop in the ocean?"

"Only..."

Su Han suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of understanding appearing in them.

Instead of retreating, he took a step forward.

The longsword in his hand thrust out horizontally, the tip of the sword had no dazzling light, no overwhelming momentum, only a point of starlight condensed to the extreme.

The starlight was as small as a bean, so insignificant that it could be almost ignored in the face of the enormous fiery phoenix.

however--

"laugh!"

There was no earth-shattering explosion when the starlight collided with the fiery phoenix.

The phoenix's forward momentum abruptly halted. Then, centered on the starlight, the flames on the phoenix's body began to dim and dissipate rapidly, as if it had been disintegrated from within by some invisible force.

In just three breaths, the awe-inspiring fiery phoenix transformed into countless sparks that scattered into the air.

"This...how is this possible?!" Lu Ming's pupils shrank sharply, and for the first time, a solemn expression appeared on his face.

The audience erupted in uproar.

What did he do?

"Didn't see it clearly! Just one stab, and the fire phoenix was gone?" "What kind of swordsmanship is that?"

On the high platform, the elders and sect leaders of various sects were also deeply moved.

The Qingyun Sect Master Yunlan's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he murmured, "Good lad, you've actually refined your sword intent to such an extent... Breaking through the surface with a single point, overcoming the crude with the refined, this is a manifestation of your swordsmanship reaching the pinnacle!"

From the direction of the Xuantian Sect, a red-haired elder sneered: "It's nothing but a trick. In the face of absolute strength, these tricks are meaningless."

On the stage, Lu Ming took a deep breath and put away all his contempt.

"Su Han, I admit, I underestimated you." He said slowly, the flames on the crimson longsword in his hand beginning to subside, but the blade grew even redder, as if it had just been taken from a furnace. "But with this next strike, I will use my full strength. If you can withstand it, I, Lu Ming... will willingly admit defeat!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Ming's aura suddenly surged.

He unleashed his late-stage Star Sea Realm cultivation without reservation, and his violent fire-attribute spiritual power swept across the entire arena. The air was even filled with crackling sounds, the sound of moisture being instantly evaporated.

"Burning Heaven Sword Technique - Final Form!"

Lu Ming spoke slowly and deliberately, his aura rising with each word.

"Burn the sky! Boil the sea!"

As the last "sea" character fell, Lu Ming transformed into a streak of crimson light, merging with his sword and his will, becoming a fiery sword rainbow that pierced through heaven and earth, stabbing straight at Su Han!
This sword strike has transcended the realm of mere techniques.

This is the culmination of Lu Ming's lifelong sword cultivation, and the sublimation of his complete understanding of the "Burning Heaven Technique".

The sword is drawn, burning the heavens and boiling the seas, igniting everything in its path!

Faced with this earth-shattering sword strike, Su Han finally got serious.

He held back no longer, and the remaining Primordial Star Power within his dantian surged wildly into his limbs and bones. The Star Sealing Demon Seal on his chest trembled slightly, as if reminding him not to overuse his power, lest he break the seal.

But at this moment, Su Han couldn't care less about anything else.

"Good timing!"

Su Han let out a long roar, and instead of retreating, he advanced, meeting the sky-burning and sea-boiling sword rainbow with a thrust of his own.

This sword strike was simple and unadorned.

But the moment the sword was drawn, the space within three zhang around Su Han suddenly darkened.

No, it wasn't darkened, but rather countless tiny starlight illuminated around him, as if bringing a miniature version of the starry sky to the human world.

The Primordial Stars Technique – Starlight Illuminates the World!
"Ding--!"

The tips of the two swords clashed together with perfect precision.

There was no explosion as expected, no earth-shattering noise.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Crimson and starlight, flames and starlight, clashed, intertwined, and annihilated fiercely at the tips of the two longswords.

Lu Ming's sword is blazing, violent, and unstoppable, aiming to burn everything in the world.

Su Han's sword is concise, profound, and all-encompassing, as if an endless starry sky is hidden within it.

"Break!" Lu Ming roared, unleashing his spiritual power without reservation.

The fiery sword rainbow suddenly expanded, threatening to completely devour that bit of starlight.

However, the tiny spark of starlight at the tip of Su Han's sword, though small, was incredibly resilient. No matter how the flames attacked, it never dissipated; instead, it began to spread in reverse during the struggle.

A wisp of starlight, following the point where the two swords clashed, quietly seeped into the crimson sword rainbow. (End of Chapter)