Kent stood facing his opponent, Liam.
Liam held two short swords, staring back at Kent with eyes filled with fury. He wanted to knock him out in the first exchange, but until the elder started the battle, he simply stood still.
“Death is not permanent, but the pain is real, so don’t worry,” the elder said, looking at Kent with eyes filled with pity.
Kent scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest, appearing as nonchalant as could be. He couldn’t care less how Liam would respond to his provocation.
In his eyes, which are literally enchanted, he could tell Liam was just a sheep at the slaughter. He could kill him with his eyes closed.
“Since you both are ready… fight!”
The moment the elder said that Liam moved and instantly appeared in front of Kent. His right sword stabbed toward Kent’s chest while his left swung toward his neck. It was quick and decisive; however, it was just that.
Kent subtly moved his body gracefully and evaded both attacks, still keeping his arms crossed.
In response, Liam attacked again, swinging his left sword while stabbing with the right. This time, Kent simply jumped back and walked to his right. It was a casual walk, but it was quick and effortless.
“You might want to put your back into it if you want to scratch me,” Kent said with a laugh, moving to appear two meters away from Liam.
Liam wasn’t offended, knowing Kent was merely taunting him, but his ego remained high. Determined, he moved in for close combat, stabbing, swinging, and jabbing at Kent, who effortlessly dodged every attack.
Fifty seconds later, Kent was still evading all of Liam’s attacks with his eyes closed. This sight infuriated almost everyone. Kent is too arrogant. But he had the strength to back it up.
Since Liam treated him like a nobody, believing he could win in close combat without even using his sword aura, Kent decided to end it.
“Here comes the pain,” Kent said.
He sidestepped a stabbing attack, then, as if kicking a ball, his right leg swung and landed a solid kick on Liam’s ribs, cracking a few and sending him flying out of the arena. Liam landed unconscious outside the boundary.
Kent hadn’t put much energy into the kick, but it was heavy enough to knock Liam out. Glancing at the unconscious opponent, who was bleeding from the corner of his lips, Kent smirked.
“Weak.”
His words reached the ears of most people, turning their shocked expressions into fury. This immediately enraged all the opponents he would be facing.
Without even being called, the next opponent stepped into the arena, ready to battle Kent. The elder didn’t say anything and simply chose to start the battle.
“Fight!”
Immediately after the elder spoke, the new opponent, a single longsword wielder just like Kent, moved, channeling his sword qi. He appeared two meters from Kent, and unlike Liam, this one went for the kill right off the bat.
“Twin Sword Strike!”
His sword aura formed into two sharp blades and stabbed at Kent with powerful strength supporting it. The two swords arrived immediately in front of Kent, but just as they were about to land on his body, Kent blinked away.
He appeared behind his opponent, named Cliff, and kicked out at his ribs. Just like what happened to Liam, Cliff was also sent flying out of the arena.
Luckily for him, he only cracked a few ribs but didn’t lose consciousness.
However, the shocked expression on his face said it all. The kick was heavy, and had it not been for Kent holding back, he would have been broken in half by now.
Thankfully, Kent wasn’t putting much effort into the battle, considering he was confident in his kicks and attacks.
Kent looked in the direction of the opponents, all seated in the same place except for the five disciples of the gate master, and made a “Come get me” gesture, further enraging them.
As expected, the third opponent, this time a lady, jumped into the arena, holding her thin sword while another hovered beside her.
She looked toward Kent and made a killing gesture, showing that she was a lady but wasn’t acting like one. Kent smiled and firmly planted his foot on the ground, silently telling her what was about to happen.
She frowned, but when the elder started the battle, she attacked with her flying sword and followed it up with a powerful strike.
“24 String Weaving Strike!”
Kent recognized the technique all too well. He can use it because he has mastered and upgraded it…
Twelve strings of sword qi attacked Kent, who used his blink skill to evade, leaving not even a trace of his presence behind. The attack was useless, but Kent was also disappointed.
Why?
Because the attack just now was simply too weak. According to his master, the [24 String Weaving Strike] was supposed to be a powerful skill that every sword disciple was allowed to learn.
Of course, when his master mentioned that many couldn’t master all 24 strings, he thought she was just exaggerating. It took him just a few seconds to learn and master it, so saying it can take others years was just stretching it.
But it seemed she was telling the truth…
…Kent, who had effortlessly evaded her attack, could have sent her flying, but for some reason, he wanted to show everyone what true sword genius looks like.
It was like he was feeling pathetic looking at the weak display he had faced already. They all don’t appear like how a swordsman should be.
So he finally spread his arms and held the sword sheath in the middle, demonstrating that he had no need to draw his sword, as he had promised.
At the same time, Erin, the lady he was facing, attacked with her flying sword, but Kent simply swatted it away with his sword still inside the sheath.
Strangely, when the sword landed, it broke in half. Of course, Kent had put some strength into it, considering the flying sword was packing some force.
Erin was taken aback, but before she could recover, she heard Kent speak.
“Because I am better than you all, why don’t I show you the true form of the [24 String Weaving Strike]?”
Kent smirked, still holding the sword at its center, and made a striking gesture. Suddenly, 24 thick strings made of Sword Qi flashed out from his sword, forming a deadly net.
Each string was razor-sharp and looked incredibly dangerous and deadly. Also, the strings are clean and beautiful to the eye.
The moment the attack appeared, Erin froze in place and even closed her eyes, certain she was about to be cut to pieces.
However, just before the attack could slice through her, Kent appeared beside her and landed a gentle kick on her back. It wasn’t enough to injure her severely, but it was heavy enough to send her flying out of harm’s way.
She landed outside the arena.
Kent’s intent flared, and when the attack landed on him, it created a powerful shockwave, but he was unharmed—not even a single cut.
At that very moment, everyone inside the arena finally woke from their trance and saw Kent for who he truly was.
The Gate Master was no exception. She had just witnessed Kent use the true form of the infamous [24 String Weaving Strike], and it was exactly as she remembered it when she first mastered it as a Sword Saint.
Now, as a Sword Sage, she could see it clearly—and it was perfect.
She turned toward Saintess Selene, who was smiling back at her. As if savoring the moment, Selene smirked and spoke words that sounded arrogant, but to all who heard them, they rang true.
“That is my disciple, Gate Master. He mastered this skill within seconds, and the very next day, he upgraded it to 36 strings.
Naturally, I think he has already surpassed 36—but who’s counting?”
Her words brought the Gate Master to a moment of clarity. In that instant, she understood one thing and one thing only:
None of the disciples would be able to defeat Kent—not even her own disciples.