CHAPTER 115: OPEN CHALLENGE

A flicker passed through Yu Xuan’s eyes.

’Time to end this.’ he simply thought, not wanting to spare more time in this fight.

He leapt backward, just enough distance.

Then, with a single fluid motion, he slashed forward through the air.

A radiant red arc surged from his sword — clean, curved, and terrifyingly precise.

His opponent’s expression froze as the energy slash ripped through the space between them and struck him square in the chest. His robes split open from shoulder to hip, a shallow cut forming beneath. Blood trickled down.

The sheer force threw him off balance, and he collapsed to one knee, gasping.

"Stop!" the referee shouted, stepping in.

"Winner Yu Xuan!"

The crowd held its breath for a moment, then chaos.

"He won, he won!!!"

"Was that just sword Qi? No... that was something more!"

"What the hell is that sword style!?"

"I swear I saw him strike a pose mid-air—"

That day, the cultivation world bore witness to the dazzling and utterly theatrical might of—

[Magic Swordsmanship of the Avalon Imperial Family]

And one anxious disciple in the shadows fainted, clutching his medallion with the words.

"Ancestors... bless this madman forever."

He suddenly began to pray regularly to his ancestors, hoping for good fortune, and in-turn his ancestors in the immortal realm were suddenly confused by the strange surge of confidence they felt.

***

A few disciples immediately stepped in, lifting Yu Xuan’s fallen opponent off the stage to treat his injuries.

The crowd was still buzzing with excitement when Yu Xuan turned to face them. With a grin tugging at the corner of his lips, he raised his voice and declared, loud enough for all to hear.

"I declare an open challenge!"

For a moment, silence hung in the air.

Then—

"Hahaha! This guy’s crazy!"

"He still looks like he’s in perfect condition!"

"A genius, battling above his realm."

"He needs to be taught a lesson."

The reactions were divided. Some called him bold, others arrogant. Applause mingled with murmurs of disapproval. Either way, Yu Xuan had seized the spotlight.

Among the challengers, a few disciples fumed. Who did this newbie think he was? Was he mocking everyone here?

In a corner of the challenger’s area sat a young woman, arms crossed, a sour expression on her face. Someone leaned toward her and said with a sly smile, "Why don’t you teach this brat a lesson?"

She slowly turned to face him, her voice cold as winter steel. "I’ll cripple you if you speak to me again."

The disciple flinched and backed away quickly, thinking, ’She’s still not over her last loss...’

She was the former number one after all.

Finally, someone took the bait.

A young man with green skin and a small, jagged horn protruding from his forehead stepped forward. His movements were confident, even cocky. He was from a powerful lineage in the Immortal Realm and had been staying in this arena for some time, well acquainted with the crowd.

From the information he had gathered, Yu Xuan was a fresh face and in his mind, that only meant one thing.

"A brat from the lower realms," he sneered, voice laced with disdain. "Do you think you’re strong? Let’s fight. I’ll just break a few bones so you remember your place."

Whispers stirred in the stands. The crowd didn’t question his authenticity as he was a known figure here.

"Lower realm? Seriously?"

"Maybe they’re not as backward as we thought..."

"Or maybe this kid just got lucky."

Yu Xuan didn’t feel insulted. In the cultivation world, arrogance was a language of its own.

Instead of anger, he felt excitement brewing. Looking at the green skin, the slitted yellow pupils, and the horizontally blinking eyelids, Yu Xuan couldn’t even identify the guy’s race. So he decided to call him Fake Goblin.

But he knew one thing.

He wanted to beat the shit out of him.

’In the cultivation the strong prey on the weak, unfortunately for you goblin, I am the strong here.’ he laughed internally.

Then adopting a classic young master stance, Yu Xuan raised his chin and said with mock grandeur, "Inferior species, are you seeking death?"

A hush fell, and then the green skinned cultivator let out a laugh, low and menacing.

"Oh, I’ll enjoy this."

Without another word, he stepped onto the platform and nodded toward the referee.

The challenge was accepted.

***

Yu Xuan and the one he named the goblin cultivator stood across from one another on the raised platform, the crowd holding its breath in anticipation.

"Just make sure not to kill each other," the referee warned, glancing at both with narrowed eyes. "This is not a life-and-death match."

Then, raising his hand, he shouted, "Begin!"

In an instant, Yu Xuan’s familiar sword appeared in his hand. As he took a steady breath, a red aura began to coil around the blade — not fierce, but deep and ominously elegant, like a phoenix dancing in slow motion.

The crowd immediately erupted into hushed murmurs.

"There it is again... that red glow!"

"Damn, it actually looks more cooler in this time."

Even the green skinned opponent raised an eyebrow, unable to fully hide his surprise.

But whatever awe he had quickly morphed into arrogance.

With a sneer, he reached into his spatial ring, and in a flash of green light, a heavy club materialized in his hand — thick, brutal, and forged of a lustrous dark gray metal laced with faint runic lines. It pulsed faintly.

’A perfect goblin weapon for a goblin’, Yu Xuan mused internally.

Then both Yu Xuan and the Goblin moved at once.

Yu Xuan dashed forward in a graceful blur, his blade angled low and to the side. The goblin lunged with brute force, swinging the club like a falling meteor.

Red sword and the club clashed in the center of the platform — clang!

Sparks flew in all directions, and the platform’s runes flared slightly to absorb the shock.

Yu Xuan’s brows furrowed mid strike. Something was off.