Young Noble Be Monster Slaying-Chapter 827: The Stopping Point

One, two, three, sword riders?[1]

Seeing the rules of this trial, Chu Liang suddenly recalled a game he used to play as a child. But this was no child’s game. It was harsher, deadlier, and the time limit was brutally short.

"Move now!"

Green smoke drifted upward, and a wave of anxious cries swept through the crowd. Most had assumed the trial would involve powerful enemies blocking their path and that teaming up would be enough to pass this trial. No one had expected this. It had clearly caught many off guard.

At the mention of sword manipulation, Chu Liang’s focus sharpened immediately.

As the champion of the Mount Shu Sect’s Flying-Sword Race, his exceptional technique made his sword-riding speed unmatched among peers of the same cultivation realm.

But just as he summoned his flying sword and prepared to take off, a streak of white light shot forward at meteoric speed, almost too fast to see with the naked eye.

So fast!

While the others were frozen in disbelief, they heard the Whale-Riding Immortal call out loudly, "Keep up, all of you!"

It was Chu Liang’s first time being left so far behind right at the start of a sword-riding challenge. All he could say was that the Sword God from Falling Waterfowl Peak truly lived up to his name.

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Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Refusing to accept defeat just yet, Chu Liang transformed into a streak of rainbow light and flew out of the corridor.

While the Sword Emperor used to be the Dao Master of the Cloud of Determination, his current cultivation at the seventh-and-a-half realm placed him significantly above Chu Liang, but not enough to completely overpower him, and at this moment, Chu Liang was managing to keep pace.

The Sword Emperor couldn’t help but exclaim, “Why are all of you from Mount Shu Sect so skilled at sword riding?”

Chu Liang gave a modest laugh and replied, “Esteemed Senior, you flatter me.”

As Chu Liang quietly accelerated, wind curling under his feet, he couldn’t help but think, You really don’t know how big a deal it is to be the Flying-Sword Race champion, do you?

Behind him, Jiang Yuebai moved at lightning speed as well. Though her cultivation had yet to reach the seventh realm, her honed control of the sword kept her from falling too far back.

Elder Yin’s cultivation was only at the pinnacle of the sixth realm, so he was last. He looked toward the speeding figures ahead with a weary, helpless gaze, clearly showing how much he wanted to keep up but lacked the strength to do so.

And yet, despite his slower pace, he was still ahead of the others from Heavenly Palace City.

Perhaps it was because the hidden realm lacked sufficient natural treasures. The challengers here generally had low cultivation levels. The younger ones were at the third or fourth realm, while the more experienced had reached the fifth. Those at the sixth realm were few and far between.

However, sword cultivators made up the majority in Heavenly Palace City. Their sword manipulation techniques weren’t lacking either, so completing the trial within the time limit of one incense stick likely wouldn’t be an issue.

While everyone surged ahead at full speed, a white streak of light suddenly burst into view.

The trial’s swordlight had flared to life!

With the rules echoing in his mind, Chu Liang halted his flying sword at once, held his breath, and locked his body in place. Since he wasn’t sure how the swordlight judged movement, he refused to take any chances.

The challengers from the Heavenly Palace City behind him weren’t so lucky.

Several sword riders couldn’t stop in time as they sped forward, their momentum causing them to stumble. One of them didn’t bother trying to stop at all, choosing to rush forward instead. Maybe he thought he could dodge the swordlight, but what happened next proved him terribly wrong.

Screech! Screech! Skkkrrrk!

Brilliant white beams erupted from both sides of the corridor, striking down the sword riders who hadn’t come to a full stop. There was no time to dodge and no chance to defend.

They weren’t the only ones. There were two other sword riders who had stopped and were also struck down for making tiny movements, like raising a finger or blinking. The sword gleam was so terrifyingly sharp that it was at the level of a Great Dao of the Sword. Not even the Whale-Riding Immortal could block it easily.

Screech! Screech!

The corpses, almost cleaved in two, fell soundlessly into the endless void beneath them.

A chill ran through everyone’s hearts, and more than a few foreheads broke out in sweat. They had stopped in time this round but what about the next?

When the swordlight faded and everyone began moving again, their speed had noticeably slowed. The previous scene had shaken them, and no one dared to charge at full speed, fearing they wouldn’t be able to stop in time.

Because of that, the time allowed by one incense stick didn’t seem generous at all.

It was then that Chu Liang realized this trial wasn’t just a test of speed in sword riding. More importantly, it tested absolute control—the ability to start and stop at will, at any given moment. This was a level only the most skilled in sword manipulation could reach.

It was the art of halting within a breath, the mastery of stopping within an inch.

…

By the time half the incense stick had burned, the swordlight had flashed twice. The intervals were regular, giving the group more confidence. They began surging forward at full speed as soon as the light faded. Otherwise, they likely wouldn’t make it through the corridor in time. As long as they slowed down early before the next light appeared, they figured they’d be safe.

But those who believed they had figured it out were swiftly punished. Only a few breaths had passed when a sudden gleam of swordlight lit up the corridor again.

It happened so fast!

The sword riders with lower cultivation levels failed to stop in time. Even Chu Liang barely managed to do it.

Screech! Screech! Screech!

Three more beams of swordlight shot out, instantly cutting down three sword riders. Their bodies dropped from the sky. Watching the brutal scene unfold, Chu Liang furrowed his brows.

Behind him, a challenger let out a trembling cry. “Ahhhhhhh…”

Even though they had mentally prepared themselves beforehand, seeing their companions die one after another in front of their eyes shook them to the core. Who could stay calm in the face of that?

However, the swordlight had yet to disappear when another white beam swept past. Swish!

The challenger who cried out was also struck down and fell to his death.

“The incense is almost burned out! Quick!” someone shouted from up ahead.

It turned out the Whale-Riding Immortal had returned. He had already reached the end to scout the path. However, he was unwilling to leave his daughter and the others behind, so he had come back to escort them.

For Chu Liang and the others, this trial shouldn’t be too difficult. Elder Yin, too, should be able to complete it. But for the remaining challengers in the back, not many were likely to reach safely.

Chu Liang glanced back, gritted his teeth, then suddenly raised his hand and scattered a handful of Puppet Pills into the air.

He used Army of Beans!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

That massive handful of Puppet Pills transformed into at least a hundred Chu Liangs, nearly clogging an entire stretch of the corridor.

“You want to save them?” Jiang Yuebai looked at him, already having a good idea of his intentions.

“That’s right,” Chu Liang replied.

He put on his red shrimp helmet, widened his stance, and launched forward on his sword. At the same time, all of his clones summoned swordlight and shot ahead at full speed.

It was a mighty and imposing force!

At first, the challengers in the back were confused. But when the swordlight lit up again, they finally understood Chu Liang’s intent.

Screech! Screech! Screech!

When the swordlight flared once more, Chu Liang himself froze in place again, perfectly still.

Meanwhile, his countless clones surged ahead. Sword gleams erupted, instantly cutting down the ones in front. Yet, the rest pushed forward without pause, wave after wave. The beams sliced through the clones, dozens falling in quick succession until the swordlight disappeared.

Chu Liang surged forward again, charging ahead like a general leading his army into battle.

Realization dawned on one of the challengers, who shouted, “The swordlight strikes starting from front to back!”

As it turned out, after several rounds of careful observation, Chu Liang had deciphered the pattern of the sword gleams. When targeting moving figures, the white beams always began at the front, and no more than three ever appeared at once.

In other words, as long as enough moving targets were positioned in the front, those in the back could survive the swordlight even if they moved.

Because those who had entered the trial could never return to the realm they came from, they had been unable to pass on crucial information to future challengers. As a result, every participant had to face the trial blindly. The fact that Chu Liang was able to quickly decipher the pattern and come up with a countermeasure left those behind him in awe of his sharp mind.

However, knowledge alone wasn’t enough. He needed the skill to simultaneously control hundreds of sword-riding clones while maintaining his lead at the front. The most difficult part was stopping himself with perfect precision while controlling the clones and having them fly forward all at once.

Just his level of divine sense was terrifying.

But to pull all of that off, Chu Liang relied on pattern-recognition and analytical thinking honed through countless drills, his naturally powerful soul, the sheer power of the Crimson Devil Helmet, and, of course, cold hard money.

These Puppet Pills were far from cheap. Most would consider a stash of ten or so to be more than enough. Yet, Chu Liang had hoarded several hundred, all for the sake of pulling off this so-called Army of Beans tactic, something no one had ever seen before.

Every one of these feats was something no ordinary person could achieve. Those behind could only watch Chu Liang’s back and think in awe. That shrimp-headed guy… is insanely strong!

1. It's China's version of Red Light, Green Light. Kids would usually scream "One, two, three, wooden men!" Refer to Link. ☜

GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts

Translator: GT