Desolate Era

by RWX

  “They are here.”

  “The Xiantian lifeforms have come.”

  The tens of thousands of spectators gathered here all became very excited. The Ceremony of the Golden Sword had proceeded for so long now, and usually, there weren’t so many spectators. But today was special! Because today was the final day of the Ceremony of the Golden Sword, and the final eight competitors would, in the final contest, determine who was the most powerful and who would seize the golden sword.

  On the last day of the Ceremony of the Golden Sword, many legendary Xiantian lifeforms would also come and watch!

  “That person riding the long-necked monstrous beast, that’s the Heavenly Firehammer.”

  “The one riding that white tiger is the number one archer of our Ji clan of the West Prefecture!”

  “That…that’s the Fire God, Ji Lee!”

  “Look, Raindrop sword! Over there, the one with a big, snow-white dog next to him is the Raindrop Sword, Ji Yichuan! The big snow-white dog next to him is a Xiantian lifeform, the ‘Whitewater Hound’!”

  “Prefecture Lord!”

  “The Prefecture Lord, Ji Young, has appeared as well!”

  “Why are there so many Xiantian lifeforms present? There’s too many of them!”

  “So many Xiantian lifeforms!”

  …..

  Utter insanity. Utter pandemonium.

  The Ceremony of the Golden Sword was only held once every four years, after all. Generally speaking, only a few Xiantian lifeforms would come watch, but today, many legendary figures had come, such as the mysterious, rarely seen number one expert of the Ji clan of the West Prefecture, the Raindrop Sword, Ji Yichuan. Or the man as wild and as arrogant as a Fire God, Ji Lee!

  The ten overseers had all come, not a single one of them missing.

  This was because this wasn’t just a Ceremony of the Golden Sword. More importantly…this was a test and skirmish which would determine who the next Prefecture Lord would be! As long as Ning was able to seize the golden sword, then he would be the next Prefecture Lord. Since this event involved something as important as who the next Prefecture Lord would be, almost all of the Xiantian lifeforms in the Ji clan of the West Prefecture naturally came to witness it.

  “Today is the final day of the Ceremony of the Golden Sword.” A cold voice rang out from a woman with long hair that gleamed with blue light who stood on the dueling platform. “Now, let the eight youths ascend the platform.”

  Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua!

  Eight shadows leapt onto the dueling platform in succession.

  Ning glanced at them and found that virtually all the seven other opponents were staring at him. Clearly, all seven of them felt disdain for him being allowed to directly be placed amongst the final eight without having to advance through the many tiers of battle like they had.

  “Do you think I wanted it to be like this?” Ning pursed his lips. It had totally been the decision of Prefecture Lord Young for him to be designated as one of the eight. “However, these seven fellows really are tall. Even the shortest of them, a woman, is at least 1.7 meters, slightly taller than me…ugh, and this big, stupid fellow is probably 2.3 meters tall.”

  Although they were ‘youths’, all of them were very accomplished in their training, and most were almost sixteen. Only Ning was just ten years old. Naturally, he was the shortest of them.

  “The eight of you will fight each other, one at a time. The loser will leave, and the winner will remain, until four remain. And then, you will duel until only two remain, then finally, the strongest will be chosen.” The long haired woman said.

  Ning and the other seven youths were listening.

  Suddenly…

  “Halt!” A cold voice rang out.

  The spectating tribal youths and citizens of Ji clan of the West Prefecture all turned towards the sound of the voice. Even the long haired woman turned and frowned. She was a Xiantian level expert of the Ji clan of the West Prefecture, and she had only come to officiate today because it was the final day. Who was causing such a ruckus at a time like this? She turned her head and saw…that the speaker was a callous-looking man dressed in white fur.

  The long haired woman trembled.

  “The Raindrop Sword, Ji Yichuan.”

  “Raindrop Sword.”

  “The Raindrop Sword looks like a giant iceberg, just standing there. I feel my heart growing cold just looking at him.” The tens of thousands of spectators had excited looks in their eyes. All of the Xiantian experts present were like Fiendgods to them, but Ji Yichuan was the most dazzling expert in these lands, a legendary figure.

  Yichuan sat there and said coldly, “The final day of the Ceremony of the Golden Sword is for selecting the most powerful of the eight finalists to be the one to seize the golden sword. As I see it…let Ji Ning fight the other seven!”

  “One against seven?” The long haired woman was stunned. “But…but…”

  “What?!”

  “One against seven? The other seven are all highly talented youngsters.”

  “But!”

  A scene of utter shock.

  Even the Prefecture Lord, Ji Young, seated next to Yichuan, was amazed. As for the old man with the viper, Ji Lee, who sat on the other side of Ji Young, he immediately laughed loudly. “Wonderful. One against seven. Ji Ning is the most talented youngster in our Ji clan of the West Prefecture. Even if he loses, this would be a form of training for him. But Yichuan…if your son loses his battle against the seven of them, then what?”

  “If he loses, then he admits defeat, and has nothing to do with the golden sword!” Yichuan said calmly.

  “Good.” Lee nodded.

  Ji Young looked at Yichuan curiously, then spoke out. “Let it be as Yichuan has said.”

  “Yes, Prefecture Lord.” The long haired woman, seeing the situation, nodded. The two most powerful factions in the Ji clan of the West Prefecture had both agreed. Naturally, she had nothing to say about it. All she could do was inwardly sigh that the Raindrop Sword, Ji Yichuan, was perhaps too arrogant.

  “The eight of you.”

  The long haired woman looked at the eight youths. “Come here and select your weapons. After choosing your weapons…wait for my order. Once I give the order, it will be Ji Ning fighting against the seventh of you. If Ji Ning loses, or if the seven of you lose…then this combat will come to an end.”

  “Hua.” With a wave of her hand, the long haired woman made a large number of weapons appear out of nowhere onto the dueling platform. There were all types of weapons. Only, none of them were sharpened!

  “Choose.” The long haired woman said.

  Ning and the other seven youths all strode forward, quickly choosing their weapons. Ning chose a sturdy black longsword that weighed roughly fifty pounds.

  The tens of thousands of spectators below were all engaged in conversation. Many of them were only now seeing the ‘Raindrop Sword’, Ji Yichuan, for the first time. They felt as though Yichuan was like a piece of ancient, glacial ice, so cold that their hearts trembled. “Ji Yichuan is perhaps too arrogant and exacting, and he even treats his son the same way. One against seven? Even if Ji Ning’s true power is beyond that of the other seven, how can he possibly beat all seven of them at once?”

  “He’s truly insane.”

  “I hear that Ji Ning is only ten years old, but his father has already ordered him to come here and attend the Ceremony of the Golden Sword, and even wants him to fight one on seven. Poor fellow.”

  Many of the spectators now began to feel sympathy for Ning. After all, Ning was the smallest and shortest of the eight youths on the dueling platform, and the youngest one as well. In addition, Ning was so handsome…this slender, handsome youngster had a father who was so legendarily cold and severe. One could imagine how strictly this youngster’s father usually governed him.

  “Are you done choosing?” The long haired woman looked at the eight youths.

  Seven of the youths were sta
nding on one side of the dueling platform. They had their weapons ready, be it a sickle, a spear, a straight saber, or a sword. All of them stared at Ning.

  On the opposite side of the platform stood Ning, all by himself.

  Ning wielded a sword in his hands, staring calmly at them.

  “Since you’ve made your choices…” The long haired woman waved her hand, reclaiming the heap of blunt weapons that were on the side while saying, “Then you can begin.”

  Just as her words came out…

  Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! The seven figures on the other side of the platform moved over at high speed, simultaneously charging at Ning, who stood on the other side.

  * * *

  Book 2, Chapter 8 - Ji Nings Sword

  Seven figures attacked from seven different directions, pouncing towards Ji Ning en masse.

  Although they had not previously been prepared for a ‘seven against one’ battle, all of them were the most talented youths in the vast area under the control of the Ji clan of the West Prefecture. Even if they were somewhat unhappy towards this young master of the Ji clan, they didn’t dare to be the slightest bit contemptuous. As though by prior agreement, they all chosen to attack at full force!

  Ning stood there, not moving at all, waiting for the seven blurs to reach him. And when they did, he moved!

  Hu….

  As those weapons all flashed towards him, Ning moved like a gust of wind, demonstrating extreme accuracy and precision in terms of control, positioning, speed, and power…easily dodging and moving through the combined attacks of the seven talented youths.

  “What!”

  “He dodged?”

  “How is that possible?”

  The seven youths all halted, their eyes filled with disbelief. Just then, Ning actually hadn’t even used his weapons. Just relying on footwork alone, he was able to easily dodge past their combined attacks. This sort of terrifying footwork…demonstrated that so long as Ning was focused, the seven of them combined wouldn’t be able to even touch Ning’s clothes.

  “So fast.”

  “Just like a gust of wind.”

  “He lives up to being the son of the Raindrop Sword. Too formidable. So fast that I couldn’t even clearly see him; all I saw was a blur.” The tens of thousands of spectators all grew excited. In this area, all the people began to train in childhood, so they all were experienced, and yet even most of them were only able to see a blur. One could imagine how fast Ning had moved.

  ….

  Ning halted, standing on the other side of the dueling platform.

  “Seven opponents were unable to force me to use my sword. Their footwork is inferior to mine.” Ning swept the seven opponents with his gaze. Just now, during that brief moment of time, he had already assessed the footwork level these seven opponents were at. “Two of them are at the ‘advanced’ level. One is that scimitar wielding youth, while the other is the golden-furred beast. It seems the earlier reports were in error.”

  Although his father was arrogant, Ning himself had sent people to collect details regarding these seven opponents. He only knew that the scimitar wielding youth had reached the advanced level of footwork. He didn’t imagine that this golden-furred beast had also reached such a high level.

  “But their footwork is still a bit weaker than mine.” Ning revealed a small smile.

  He had, after all, already reached the ‘one with the world’ level of footwork. Even though on this dueling platform, he would only utilize ‘advanced’ level footwork, his footwork was clearly more perfected. In addition, he trained in an extremely advanced [Shadewind Steps] type of footwork, allowing him to naturally seize an advantage.

  “Tie him down.”

  “Don’t give him the chance to utilize his footwork.”

  “All together.”

  The seven youths once more charged forth.

  But Ning slowly walked towards them.

  In an instant, the seven youths and Ning once again collided. Swords and sabers flashed in the air, but Ning still moved as though he was taking a casual stroll. The longsword in his hands became like a whip, with all of his force being transmitted to the tip of the sword as he then viciously struck out. In order to reduce the amount of casualties as much as possible during the Ceremony of the Golden Sword, all of the weapons were blunt, and thus were more suited to chopping, sweeping, and whipping type attacks.

  Fast!

  Ning’s sword was so fast as to make one’s heart shudder.

  Ning gracefully walked out from the combined attacks of the seven, while at the same time, making seven lightning-fast whip-like attacks.

  Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

  Five figures were sent flying backwards by the whip-strikes, flying over thirty meters before falling down onto the ground. All of them struggled to their feet, covered with dust. A few couldn’t help but hold their chests, coughing out a hint of blood. Some had cuts on their faces, and their faces were filled with disbelief. This was because just then, they clearly had seen Ning attack with his sword, and they had tried to block it, but none of them had been able to touch Ning’s sword.

  They hadn’t even been able to touch it! Ning had sent them flying!

  “One with the sword!” The five talented youths instantly knew what sort of level this young master Ji had reached in swordplay, and understood how great the gap was between them.

  Only three youths were left on the dueling platform.

  Black sword in hand, Ning looked at the nearby scimitar wielding youth and the golden-furred beast. He nodded to himself. “I struck once against each of them, but these two were able to touch my sword. That scimitar wielding youth is very fast with his blade strikes, but he hasn’t reached the ‘advanced’ level yet. That golden-furred beast…has actually reached the advanced level of ‘one with the saber’.”

  “Young master Ji, remember…my name is Grizzly! Ji Grizzly!” The golden-furred bestial man stared at Ji Ning. “The one who is going to defeat you is me, Grizzly!”

  The scimitar wielding youth’s face changed slightly. “So I am not the strongest one after all in these many tribes. There are actually two who are stronger than me. Even this Grizzly has already reached the ‘one with the saber’ level.”

  He had been training painstakingly for many years in the martial pavilion.

  He knew that he was born into a low status and wouldn’t be able to obtain the ultimate saber techniques, and thus he gave up focusing on any complicated saber techniques, and instead focused on making his saber ‘fast’! His saber…had to be fast enough. The faster the better. He pursued the fastest possible attacks, combining them with his ‘advanced’ footwork…if he used his saber, he definitely would be able to defeat the other youths.

  But now he discovered to his amazement that it wasn’t just this son of the Raindrop Sword, Ji Yichuan, who was stronger than him. The virtually unknown golden-furred fellow next to him was stronger than him as well.

  “Ji Ning.” The scimitar wielding youth suddenly growled. “I know you are stronger than me, but I want you to take three saber blows from me! Just take these three saber blows of mine alone…as for you, Grizzly, don’t interfere.”

  Grizzly stood there disdainfully, a cold smile on his face. This scimitar wielding youth was far weaker than him, and what’s more, Ning’s footwork was simply too formidable, and there was no way to successfully do a combined attack on him anyhow. So he might as well let this scimitar wielding youth seek his own humiliation.

  Ning, as though thinking about something, glanced at the scimitar wielding youth. He had the feeling that this scimitar wielding youth’s words had some special belief hidden within.

  “Alright.” Ning nodded.

  “Hua!”

  The scimitar wielding youth charged forward like a blur, howling. His eyes were as vicious as that of a wolf’s, and as he drew near Ning, his scimitar came out! The scimitar gleamed brilliantly, and the very first saber-blow was directed towards Ning’s neck. Logi
cally speaking, since the scimitar was blunt, this sort of slashing technique wasn’t very suitable.

  But clearly, this scimitar wielding youth wanted to demonstrate his strongest, ultimate attacks.

  “Retreat.” Ning moved like the wind, taking a step back, allowing the scimitar to howl past his body.

  “Chi!”

  Suddenly, with the flip of his hand, the scimitar wielding youth launched another attack, and this saber-blow was even faster, slashing towards Ning’s neck from the opposite direction. With leap, Ning still managed to dodge, but he even he felt it was a bit difficult. If he continued to use ‘advanced’ level footwork and the opponent’s scimitar moved any faster, Ning would have to use his sword.

  “Swish!” The flashing blade suddenly left his hand, moving even faster, arriving close to Ning’s eyes in an instant.

  The third saber-blow – The flying saber!

  The flying saber was spinning in the air, and borrowed the speed from those two earlier attacks, allowing this final flying saber attack to reach an even more incredible speed. Not hesitating at all, Ning attacked with his sword.

  “Clang.” The scimitar and the sword intersected, and the scimitar immediately was sent flying away, landing back into the hands of the scimitar wielding youth.

  The scimitar wielding youth nodded. “I lose.”

  And then with a leap, he jumped down from the dueling platform. The scimitar wielding youth knew…that this Ji Ning and himself simply weren’t on the same level at all. Even aside from the fact that Ji Ning trained in the ultimate sword techniques of the Ji clan, the simple fact that he had reached the ‘one with the sword’ level made it impossible for the youth to do anything to Ji Ning. He was already very satisfied with being given the chance to show off his most powerful attacks on this dueling platform.