Chapter 92: The Autumn Rain Has Ceased

What a handsome blade! a Chinese merchant exclaimed in amazement, hurrying forward to stroke the blade with gentle fingers.

He shook his head in admiration. This Tang-style straight saber must be a peerless treasure forged in the age of war. The lingering scent of blood alone proves that it has slain countless enemies!

As soon as the Chinese crowd heard this, they broke into thunderous cheers.

In resisting the Eastern invaders, most Chinese stood on the same side; even if this was only a contest of pride, none of them wished to be defeated.

And the straight saber Ye Tian had brought out had unquestionably given everyone a surge of morale!

Even Ye Tian could not help but be surprised.

This man was clearly an expert collector of blades and swords; at a single glance, he had almost unraveled the blade’s origins.

“My friend, I truly adore it. I am willing to pay any price for it. Name your figure!” the wealthy merchant said, his excitement plain.

“Sorry. This blade is an heirloom. I cannot sell it.” Ye Tian waved a hand.

Hearing this, the man withdrew with obvious disappointment.

“This sword... truly dazzling!” Tang Wan Yue gazed at the treasure blade in Ye Tian’s hand, its cold brilliance laid bare, and even she, proud beyond measure, could not help her beautiful eyes from lighting up.

The hum of the blade seemed like the howling of countless lost souls amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood, as though merely taking it in hand would be enough to suppress endless fiends!

With such a divine weapon, even if it meant fighting above her level, she would not panic in the least!

“Hubby Brother, can you lend it to me for a little fun?” Tang Wan Yue asked excitedly.

“Not lending it, and please don’t call me that. It sounds awful!” Ye Tian quickly took the straight saber back into his own hand, afraid the woman might snatch it away.

Their exchange quickly reached the Easterners’ ears.

At that moment, Ito Makoto spoke up.

“Why be in such a hurry to put it away?”

He stepped forward carrying Autumn Rain, then, amid the crowd’s cries of alarm, swung the blade down hard!

A flash of bright steel cut through the air. Nothing happened.

Then he lightly pressed a finger against a teacup on the tea table and gave it a push.

In an instant, the ceramic cup split cleanly into two halves, the cut surface smooth as a mirror.

The onlookers gasped sharply.

The blade’s sharpness was beyond description. It was not merely capable of severing iron as if it were mud; they had not even heard the sound of the blade slicing through the cup!

“Well?” Ito Makoto turned back, his eyes sweeping the crowd with smug satisfaction. “Real craftsmanship is not won by boasting. You say his blade is better than mine, so why not bring it out and clash it against my Autumn Rain?”

“Clash it? Is there something wrong with your brain?!” Tang Wan Yue could no longer tolerate such an outrageous demand and looked at Ito Makoto as though he were a fool. “Do you not understand that striking blades against one another will inflict irreparable damage to the metal? If one blade is ruined, how would you even settle the matter?”

One must know that whether it was Ye Tian’s straight saber or the Autumn Rain in Ito Makoto’s hand, both belonged among renowned blades!

Such treasures ought to be carefully maintained, not smashed together in reckless combat. It was a wanton waste of heaven’s gifts!

“So what!” Ito Makoto’s eyes blazed.

“I have no intention of listening to your rabble boast any longer. If you have the nerve to talk, why not prove it with real blades and real steel?”

“Relax. If you can damage Autumn Rain, I will not say another word!”

“On the contrary, I will acknowledge that your Chinese blade-forging surpasses that of our Eastern sword saints!”

“Truly a fool!” Ye Tian said with a shake of the head and a cold laugh.

“You do not dare?”

“There is nothing I dare not do. Since you insist on a clash, then so be it.” With a sweeping motion of his hand, the long blade he had just hidden appeared once more before the spectators.

With a clear metallic ring, the blade left its sheath!

“Ye Tian, don’t fall for it!” Tang Wan Yue’s expression turned solemn in an instant. “That is your family heirloom. If it truly gets damaged, the one who will regret it will be you!”

“It’s fine. I’m confident.” Ye Tian waved her off, his expression calm.

Seeing that he would not be dissuaded, Tang Wan Yue said no more, only reminding him, “If it really doesn’t work, stop in time.”

“Deal!” Seeing that the other side had accepted the challenge, Ito Makoto immediately broke into a vicious laugh. “For the sake of your courage, I will show mercy later and not cut your blade in two!”

You are the truly foolish one!

Though he said this, inwardly Ito Makoto was exultant. The sword-forging immortal had once told him that Autumn Rain was invincible, unable to be broken by any metal in the world!

This young man’s blade was fine, but it could never compare to his Autumn Rain!

While these thoughts raced through his mind, the two men had already taken their positions with blades raised.

Ito Makoto fixed Ye Tian with a deathly stare. The next second, he lunged forward, using both hands to grip his sword and bringing it down with overwhelming force in a mighty vertical strike.

Ye Tian’s face did not change. He answered with a single-handed grip, flicking his straight saber upward in a countercut.

“Unfair!”

Anyone with the slightest knowledge could see just how disadvantageous Ye Tian’s position was in this clash!

At this angle, he could not even bring out seventy percent of his strength, whereas Ito Makoto’s leaping strike not only allowed him to exert full power but also borrow momentum from his own body!

With one side weakened and the other strengthened, the difference in force between them exceeded a full rank.

There was no fairness in this at all!

Seeing this, the Eastern crowd could not help but grin with malicious delight.

This young fellow was simply too foolish, not even knowing how to seize the advantageous position in a clash, effectively wasting a precious blade for nothing.

“It’s over. Brother Ye was overconfident!” Even Gu Tianzhen could not help shaking his head again and again.

By the principles of swordplay, Ye Tian had made a catastrophic mistake. He was utterly foolish.

That was beyond dispute.

Clang!

Then came the crisp ringing of blades colliding. Everyone clenched their teeth and stared fixedly at the two figures locked in opposition at the center of the field.

Bang! Bang!

Two more sharp sounds rang out!

Yet those two sounds were not from blades striking one another. They were the sounds of a blade hitting the ground and smashing against the tiled floor!

The fierce clash ended, and only then did the crowd make out the two blurred afterimages.

At that very moment, Ito Makoto stood motionless, staring down at the broken half of his sword lying on the floor, still emitting a continuous hum.

His Autumn Rain had snapped.

Wow!

Once the truth was clear, the crowd erupted in a storm of cries, every pair of eyes widening to the limit.

It was unbelievable!

This Chinese youth had actually, with a single strike, cut his opponent cleanly in two despite being at a disadvantage in the opening of the draw!

Decisive and swift, without the slightest delay!

Was he even human?

The crowd stared in utter disbelief and rushed forward one after another, eager to see what kind of figure this young man truly was.

But when they reached him, they discovered that he was none other than the famously fierce Young Master Ye of Central Capital, Ye Tian!

“It’s Ye Tian, it’s Ye Tian. Then that makes sense!”

The long-term residents of Central Capital let out admiring sighs.

“He is Ye Tian of the Big Dipper realm!”