First Primordial Dragon: I summoned The Strongest From The Start!-Chapter 34: The Final Challenger: Aetherion

On the left, Mei Anrong’s sharp eyes looked at Li Jian with anger. On the right, Varric Greymark rested his sword across a shoulder, the weapon’s silver surface gleaming under the sunlight.

Li Jian stood at Xue Ying’s previous position, his Radiant Severance Sword still sheathed at his waist.

Then, he moved.

In the blink of an eye, the morning field was filled with streaks of light, his form splitting into half a dozen glowing afterimages.

They charged between the opponents like phantom swordsmen, each one carrying the faint shimmer of a delayed slash.

Mei Anrong instantly reacted by releasing his (Ebonmist Shroud) skill. A thick, shadow-infused poison mist billowed outwards, darkening the sunlight and swallowing half of Li Jian’s afterimages.

He then lashed his Silken Ghostwire forward, seeking Li Jian’s real body.

The wire caught one afterimage, and it exploded into blinding motes of light, scorching Mei Anrong’s eyes for a fraction of a second.

But that was enough for Li Jian.

Li Jian stepped out of the mist behind him, the edge of his sword brushing the man’s hair as he passed.

A thin line of blood could be seen on Mei Anrong’s cheek, and only then did he realize that Li Jian didn’t strike with the intention to kill.

"Too slow," Li Jian’s voice echoed softly from the mist.

Varric moved in, his Moonveil Greatsword swept in a broad arc as he used his (Moonfang Arc) skill, sending a crescent of silver light cutting through two of Li Jian’s afterimages at once.

But Li Jian’s figure was already gone as he used his (Flashstep Severance) skill, dissolving into a streak of brilliance.

Li Jian reappeared behind Varric mid-swing, his blade slicing a shallow line across the man’s backplate before vanishing again.

The speed was so abrupt that Varric’s defensive instincts kicked in a heartbeat too late as he used his (Silver Eclipse Guard) in the wrong direction.

"Your defense is good," Li Jian said casually as he passed, "but it’s predictable."

Mei Anrong snarled, unleashing his (Ninefold Needlefall) skill. Nine poisoned needles whistled out of the mist, coming toward Li Jian’s vital points.

Without even looking, Li Jian shifted his stance. The afterimages mirrored his motion, with each performing a phantom slash. The needles split mid-air, their trajectory severed cleanly in a shower of faint sparks.

Mei Anrong’s eyes widened. ’He cut them without even touching them?’

Li Jian’s expression didn’t change, and in the next instant, he was gone.

As he reappeared, his sword was already halfway through its swing as he used his (Radiant Severance) skill. A thin, blinding line of light tore through the mist, severing both the air and the silence.

Mei Anrong didn’t even have time to scream as his body was split in two neat halves, the cut so clean that a single bead of poison rolled off the edge of his severed hand and sizzled on the grass. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Varric exhaled heavily, his grip tightening on the Moonveil Greatsword. "So be it."

His stance shifted as he used his (Iron Sun Stance) skill, making golden light and metallic aura fuse into his weapon. The pressure of his Sword Intent – Dawnbreaker spread out like a crushing wave.

Li Jian’s afterimages flickered again, weaving around that pressure without being touched.

Varric’s eyes tracked one of the brighter afterimages, waiting for the killing thrust, and that’s when the real Li Jian stepped in from his blind spot.

He then instantly used his (Radiant Severance) skill again, aiming at the exposed neck.

The moment Li Jian unleashed his skill, Varric sensed the extreme danger that he had never experienced.

Unfortunately for him, before he could respond, Li Jian had already cut his sword and beheaded his head, spinning it in the air and allowing him to glimpse his own body before quickly losing consciousness.

[Ding! Xue Ying has killed the High-level Saint Rank Awakener, Mei Anrong.]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining 6k Gold points]

[Ding! Xue Ying has killed the High-level Saint Rank Awakener, Varric Greymark .]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining 6k Gold points]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining 1x Lottery Chance]

Li Jian exhaled lightly and sheathed his sword in a single smooth motion. The soft click of the blade locking in place was the only sound for several seconds.

He looked at Ash with a calm smile on his face. "How’s it?"

"Not bad." Ash smirked, his eyes flashing with the twin colors of nebula blue and twilight violet.

The reason why Ash could see the fight clearly was because of Aetherion’s help. Ash didn’t know how, but he suddenly could see the fight clearly after Aetherion helped him in awakening his eyes momentarily.

The crowd remained silent once again because they hadn’t expected that someone at the Peak-level Half Saint Rank could do such a feat.

Now, they even had a doubt if Aetherion would be able to do the same feat with his Peak-level Sovereign Rank.

"Does anyone want to try again?" Aetherion chuckled as his gaze swept across the crowd.

The headmaster of the Evergreen Academy finally spoke with a bitter smile after a few seconds of silence. "I don’t think there will be anyone who wants to participate after witnessing such a terrifying strength, sir."

Aetherion clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Tch, it’s my turn now?"

He then continued while waving his hand casually as he walked slowly toward the position. "Decide on who will go for the last round in less than a minute, and let’s finish this quickly before starting the real event right away after this."

When Aetherion said this, a lot of strong saints raised their eyebrows, mistakenly thinking that he would surrender because there was no way that he would be able to achieve such a feat that the previous two had done.

After Aetherion declared that, people immediately went forward quickly, starting from half saints to saints, to the point that they argued about who would go for this round.

Naturally, Aetherion understood what they were thinking about but decided to ignore them, as he continued walking forward with a faint smile while looking at the idiots who argued for something they didn’t know would become their worst decision in their entire life to argue stupidly like this.

Ash shook his head helplessly. ’Greed... truly one of the most dangerous flaws humans possess.’

A few moments later, only two people were left who were still arguing against each other.

"Old Su, you’re already so old, why bother with this competition? Have some shame and let the younger generation enjoy it." A middle-aged man from the Golden Lion Empire snapped.

"Darius, I haven’t seen you in years, yet you’re still this unruly toward your elders." Old Su snorted.

"You two talk so much you didn’t even notice the time limit’s over." Aetherion shook his head, glancing skyward for a moment before smiling at them both. "How about this? I’ll make an exception for you two so that both of you can come at me at once."

The Golden Lion Empire’s strongest ancestor frowned and interjected before Darius could answer. "Golden Lion Empire won’t participate in this competition, just like the Evergreen Academy, sir."

Darius froze at the sudden declaration. "What do you mean?"

"Return. Now." The old man’s tone was sharp and commanding, his eyes leaving no room for argument.