Chapter 268: The Blade That Never Dulls Obtained, The Troubled Seeker?
"Kissed... kissed?"
"Damn, for real? Could this day have been staged on purpose?"
"This was intentional! With the level of Martial Artist he is, how could such a rookie mistake like falling flat happen!"
"Hilarious, Demon King Xue's face turned green... As expected of Otogirusu, effortlessly achieving what Zhou Yinglin couldn't in his lifetime."
"Damn it, the pre-match interview already showed this guy had designs on Xue Jing, but he seemed normal during the fight. I overlooked it and didn't expect him to be waiting for this moment!"
"Being good-looking is a curse, even men are after him... but with Otogirusu, although I'm straight, I really think it's acceptable."
"This guy looks so flirty... could he really be a woman in men's clothing?"
"Aaaaah!! A cool and abstinent receiver with a sickly teasing attacker, and both are off-the-charts handsome, can I really handle this much goodness?"
"My God, can you really watch this for free?"
The audience was stunned.
In the competitors' viewing area, Yin Muhu was stunned for a long while before patting Wei Junwu on the shoulder who was standing next to her.
"You were really right..."
Wei Junwu scratched his head.
Although before the match he indeed cheekily said that winning or losing wasn't the key, but that something enjoyable might happen... he hadn't expected it to really happen.
He turned his head to look at Song Nanxing next to him.
"Old Song, what do you think?"
Song Nanxing's eyes twitched, "...Don't ask me, I know nothing, I don't want to say anything."
Wei Junwu stroked his chin:
"Otogirusu really is terrifying, with what happened to Old Xue... could it be he's been opened to a new world?"
On the stage.
Xue Jing reached up to wipe his collarbone.
He looked down at the crimson lipstick mark on his palm, feeling like the sky was falling, his martial heart on the verge of breaking.
The hand holding the blade trembled slightly.
Damn it... kissed by a man.
No, there's still a chance.
Xue Jing's lips twitched, turning to look at Otogirusu standing beside him.
For some reason, unlike his previous composed teasing demeanor, Otogirusu now looked tense and a bit shy. When he saw Xue Jing looking, he averted his gaze, his cheeks flushing, entirely like a shy girl who had done something embarrassing.
Seeing this, Xue Jing's eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
Not bros.
You couldn't be serious, right?
"Lu Sang."
Xue Jing slowly began, his voice strained.
"Tell me, you're actually a woman who's disguised as a man, truly a woman."
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Otogirusu, with a face full of regret, responded softly:
"ごめんなさい (I'm sorry), Xue Jun."
Hearing this apology, Xue Jing sighed as he covered his forehead with his hand.
After a while, he lowered his hand, his expression returning to normal, and said:
"Alright then, that's that, I'm off."
Having said that, Xue Jing turned to leave.
But immediately, Otogirusu reached out and grabbed his arm, whispering:
"Wait a minute, Xue Jun, you've won the championship, there's still the trophy ceremony and the post-match speech, you can't leave yet."
Xue Jing unceremoniously shifted his energy, shaking off the hand Otogirusu had on his arm.
Otogirusu was momentarily taken aback, a hint of loss flashing across his face, but quickly collected himself, a smile appearing:
"No need to be so scared, I won't do anything to you again, Xue Jun, it was just an accident."
"I'll be leaving now... all the glory that follows belongs only to you."
After saying this, Otogirusu chuckled softly, turning around and walking elegantly back towards his side's competitors' passageway.
Xue Jing watched his retreating figure, frowning slightly, sensing that something was off.
But before he could think further about it, a host in a suit, holding a microphone, had already made his way up to the stage, followed by several staff members who were carrying a black pedestal with a golden trophy on it.
Since the stage had been wrecked during their fight, the floor was uneven, and the host almost stumbled, barely avoiding a fall.
He reached Xue Jing's side, raised the microphone, and announced loudly with a smile:
"I hereby declare the winner of the 37th U19 Unlimited Elite Fighting Championship—Xue Jing!"
"Please take the trophy, competitor Xue Jing!"
Upon hearing this, Xue Jing reached out and lifted the gold trophy in front of him.
The trophy was adorned with several elongated, finely crafted dragons chasing a Dragon Ball at the top, each in a distinct pose. The base was made of a black crystal material, slightly transparent, with many names engraved upon it, those of past U19 champions.
Xue Jing's name would also be eternally inscribed there.
He lifted the trophy high, and immediately, the venue erupted in thunderous applause that went on and on.
Everyone watched the spirited young man on the stage.
"A peak career from the very beginning... winning the U19 championship on his first competition, how far can he go from here?"
"U19, what peak? 'True Dragon' Wan Yulai just started his career not long ago, isn't he under twenty-five? He rapidly swept all the minor title matches and secured the entry tickets for the seven major title battles. Demon King Xue has a long way to go yet."
"Xue Jing is only seventeen, he might not necessarily lose to Wan Yulai at the same age."
"If you consider the age of seventeen, Wan Yulai might not be able to defeat Demon King Xue, his current display of power is just too exaggerated... However, by the age of twenty-five, it might not be sure. Believe it or not, Wan Yulai is a damn late bloomer, the older he gets, the faster he progresses. Can you believe that?"
"The overall level of martial artists improves every year; it's been fiercely competitive. Anyone who can continuously win titles in this era and head towards 'eternity' is terrifying. I would even believe they have some system helping them... Although Demon King Xue is powerful, he has a long way to go to contend with these people, maybe even forever."
"Why think so much about it? After all, we now have another top genius competitor worth watching at all times, and his fights are thrilling to watch!"
On the stage.
The host smiled and began to speak:
"We all know that it's Xue Jing's first time competing in a martial arts contest, yet you have directly won your first championship. How do you feel right now?"
As he spoke, he handed the microphone to Xue Jing.
Xue Jing set the trophy on the podium, took the microphone, thought for a moment, and slowly began to speak:
"Being able to become a martial artist and stand on this award podium, the first person I must thank, who introduced me to this world, is my master, Li Qi..."
...
By the time Xue Jing had finished his speech, collected the trophy and prize money, and returned to the competitors' resting room amidst the cheers and applause of the audience, over half an hour had passed.
"Little Jing!!"
As soon as he entered, Jiang Siwei immediately rushed over excitedly, hugging Xue Jing tightly, her legs clad in black stockings and high heels bouncing uncontrollably as she vented her excitement.
"You were amazing, you really were, you won the championship!!"
Jiang Siwei was so happy that tears even welled up in the corners of her eyes.
Xue Jing smiled and hugged her back, then gently patted her back, saying:
"Wei, don't be so excited, this is just the beginning."
Jiang Siwei let go of Xue Jing, wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, and sighed with a smile:
"Yes, this is just a beginning..."
All of a sudden, Xue Jing's gaze shifted, noticing something in the resting room that hadn't been there before.
He turned his head and saw, in a corner of the room, a beautifully ancient long sword hanging on a hook on the wall.
The grey-brown hilt and scabbard were covered with faded, oxidized stains, exuding a sense of historical weight, and it looked very familiar; it was the Otogirusu's "GOD-519: The Blade That Never Dulls".
"Wei, did Otogirusu come by earlier?"
Xue Jing walked over to the wall and took the ancient long sword off the hook.
It was hanging there by the wrapped cords on the scabbard.
"[Divine Substance detected, absorbing Divinity...]"
"No, I've been here in the resting room the whole time, and no one has come in."
Jiang Siwei shook her head, and upon seeing Xue Jing taking down The Blade That Never Dulls, she asked in confusion:
"Huh? Was this sword always in this room? I've never seen it before."
Xue Jing did not respond, but clicked, drawing the long sword slightly out of the scabbard to reveal a bit of its shiny silver blade.
Unlike the hilt and scabbard, the blade bore no signs of age; it was as smooth as a mirror, flawless, and easily reflected Xue Jing's face.
It looked as if it had just been forged by a master craftsman, the whole blade appearing 'new'.
"The Blade That Never Dulls..."
Xue Jing fully drew the sword, gently stroking the blade which, including the handle, was nearly one meter three in length, his eyes shining with affection.
This sword-shaped Divine Relic, with an extremely simple ability, embodied the pure concept of Eternal Indestructibility...
No external force could alter even a single particle of it, a purely simple ability, yet one every sword-using martial artist dreams of.
Who could refuse a weapon that would never break, always remain sharp, and never dull?
Even though Xue Jing possessed the title of Army Master and could pick up anything off the ground as a divine weapon, The Blade That Never Dulls held significant meaning for him.
"This thing has the feature of 'Choosing a Master'; when its holder acknowledges defeat to another, it transfers to the victor..."
Xue Jing pondered.
According to Jiang Siwei, Otogirusu hadn't visited the resting room, suggesting he acknowledged his defeat and The Blade That Never Dulls had moved itself here, waiting for its new master, Xue Jing.
"Marvelous... From now on, you are my sword."
Xue Jing said to himself, holding the sword horizontally above his head.
"After so many years of wandering, it's hard on you. Rest assured, I will be your last master."
"No one will take you away."
As if responding to Xue Jing's words, or perhaps merely the reflection of the light, a cold gleam flickered on the blade of The Blade That Never Dulls.
"Click—"
Xue Jing sheathed the sword, picked up his phone.
As soon as he turned off do not disturb mode, the phone began vibrating non-stop, messages from various chatting apps popped up, along with numerous missed call notifications.
Just as he was about to start replying, a knock came from the door.
"Wei, open the door, see who it is."
Xue Jing instructed.
Jiang Siwei nodded, walked to the door, and opened it.
"Who are you?"
She asked in confusion, looking at the group standing outside, the leader a handsome young man.
The young man smiled slightly and said:
"Is Xue Jing, Xue here?"
Hearing the voice, Xue Jing turned to look, his expression unchanging, but his heart skipped a beat.
The visitor was—Xu Mude!
...