Chapter 509: Needs One to Cripple Their Own Martial Arts to Practice...

Geniuses are heralded as such because they tower so far above the common herd, their stature built entirely upon superior strength and peerless talent.

Thus, geniuses would always remain the rarest of factions; how could they possibly emerge one after another?

Furthermore, the martial technique displayed by the warrior just now was powerful indeed—so profoundly potent that it had forced even the West Region folk, who prided themselves on their unmatched martial arts, to look upon him with newfound respect—yet its cost in energy was simply too high.

And judging by how heavily it had taxed Liang Shi merely to execute it, the difficulty of mastering such a move was absolute, rendering it an impossible feat for the common masses to replicate.

Hence, Gabriel did not believe for a moment that a second individual of that caliber would appear.

In truth, his conjecture was correct; aside from veteran patrons like Liang Shi—warriors who rarely touched new games, spending their days meticulously dissecting a single craft while possessing quite respectable talent—there were virtually none remaining who could execute the Ten Directions Invincible.

After all, no one was so gifted as to match Nie Feng, who could master the Ten Directions Invincible after a single glance.

Even if one spent their days immersed in the martial system of *Wind and Cloud* until the entire framework was engraved upon their heart, it still required the steady accumulation of time.

"Any one of you may step forward!"

As for Gabriel’s words, his peers could listen well enough, but the older generation of warriors would naturally not shame themselves by entering the fray, a certainty upon which Gabriel had securely gambled.

At the sixth tier of the Martial King realm, his cultivation alone was entirely sufficient to crush any contemporary.

In fact, when considering peers, the warriors of the Desolate Sea Territory fell drastically short compared to those of the West Region.

Unless they possessed terrifyingly supreme arts like the Ten Directions Invincible or Sword Twenty-Three, they truly stood no chance of victory.

After all, it was not merely a matter of cultivation; the martial techniques of the West Region were likewise superior to those of the Lingzhou warriors, and wishing to overcome a higher-realm adversary was not a feat accomplished by idly flaunting a few tricks of sword-control.

His gaze swept across the great gathering: "Well? Is there no one willing to step down and exchange a few blows with me?"

With a trace of provocation in his eyes, he looked toward the area where the Desolate Sea Territory warriors gathered: "From the moment we arrived at the Haotian Academy, we have heard tales of how formidable the warriors of the Desolate Sea Territory supposedly are. Just now, I observed that the previous warrior possessed some measure of skill, though it seems he would be no match for me."

A wave of jeers immediately erupted from the crowd.

Right at that moment, a figure could be seen leaping down from the high platform, floating through the air to land directly before Gabriel.

Gabriel measured the man from head to toe; he was not overly advanced in years, though compared to Gabriel, he possessed a far more mature air.

Judging by his age, he would be slightly older than Gabriel.

Yet his cultivation was contrary to expectations, sitting at a mere peak Great Martial Grandmaster, with at most one foot half-stepped into the Martial King realm.

Clad in tight-fitting black martial attire, he cut an exceedingly fierce and powerful figure, impeccable in demeanor, poise, and overall presence.

"Liang Heihu?!"

"It is Liang Heihu?!"

An immediate clamor of astonished cries broke out from the surrounding crowd.

Liang Heihu was precisely an instructor of the Shengjing Academy; back when Fang Qi first flew with his sword, passing by a Shengjing Academy instructor who was riding a great eagle with a passing female disciple in tow, causing even the great eagle to stare in utter bewilderwork—it had been this very man.

This man’s martial talent was extraordinarily high, which earned him a position in the Shengjing Academy second only to a few vice-principals; though he held the post of instructor, he had actually never taught any other students, save for reluctantly taking Xiao Lengyu as his sole disciple.

He was one of the initiators who led the Shengjing Academy disciples to the Jiuhua City shop; although his seniority could not match Liang Shi’s, he was considered among the second wave of veteran players right behind them.

And at this moment, several warriors of the Frost Dragon Clan sitting near Fang Qi were clearly growing restless.

One must understand that just moments ago, they had been entirely certain Liang Shi would lose, yet the experts of the West Region had been defeated in a single move twice in a row, which naturally left their pride severely bruised.

Not to mention they had been looked down upon by that little girl Jiang Xiaoyuan, who accused them of boasting.

How could this be endured?!

With Gabriel personally taking the field this time, their confidence swelled immensely.

It was well known that prior to this, Gabriel had defeated quite a few experts of the Haotian Academy.

"Just wait and see," a brown-haired youth nearby spoke in a chilling tone.

"This time, your Desolate Sea Territory warriors will have no opportunity."

"Gabriel is not as careless as the others," another chimed in.

They spoke as if the prior occurrences were merely due to those two West Region warriors being negligent, rather than a deficiency in skill.

Seeing that Owner Fang’s expression remained as unbothered as ever, their faces instantly darkened.

"Does Your Excellency still believe your Desolate Sea Territory warriors will emerge victorious?" Right then, the foreign woman named Xiya spoke up.

"My lady, what do you think?" Fang Qi let out a faint laugh.

"I have faith in the warriors of our West Region," Xiya’s tone carried a hint of innate coldness. "Likewise, I do not believe the supreme art of the warrior from just now is something everyone possesses."

She pointed toward Liang Heihu in the arena and said, "He does not know that martial technique from just now, correct?"

"Are you not going to bring out a technique like his?" In the martial arena, Gabriel curled his lip; the warrior before him was unexpectedly less than half a step into the Martial King realm!

Compared to his own sixth tier of the Martial King realm, this was a full major realm lower!

"Do you take me for a piece of trash like those two before?" Gabriel's expression gradually grew cold. "If you do not employ a technique like that one, you stand not a single ghost of a chance!"

"I shall grant you an opportunity right now to execute such a technique, to see if you can strike me down just as you struck them down."

"I do not know that one," Liang Heihu replied honestly.

Hearing this, Xiya offered a faint smile: "Then, on what grounds do you think he can win?"

Her analysis was exceptionally logical and highly structured; viewed in this light, Gabriel was indeed assured of victory.

In truth, Gabriel harbored the exact same thought.

Thus, Gabriel laughed and said, "Feel free to attack with all your might; I shall grant you three free moves, if only to allow you to showcase what sort of parlor tricks the martial arts of your Desolate Sea Territory possess."

The moment those words left his mouth, a burst of mockery and laughter erupted.

Parlor tricks—was that not synonymous with a side-show act?

Next, however, he heard Liang Heihu append another sentence: "What makes you all assume that the supreme arts known to the warriors of our Desolate Sea Territory consist of only that single variety?"

"!!??"

Gabriel suddenly froze.

Along with him, Xiya, Luo Piaoling, and the entire host of West Region warriors also stiffened slightly upon hearing those words.

Subsequently, they burst into uproarious laughter.

And at this time, the warriors from the Xiyi and Lingyun academies were engaged in whispered discussion: "Has Senior Liang not been at this realm since a very long time ago? How is it that his cultivation now... feels as though it has not only failed to progress, but has instead regressed?"

One had to consider that Elder Fu, a perpetual Martial King, had already reached the Martial Emperor realm by now.

Immediately afterward, they watched as Liang Heihu’s sword-finger moved, causing the long sword upon his back to unsheathe itself automatically, before slowly drifting into the air.

"What is there to fear from mere outer-domain martial arts?" Liang Heihu bellowed fiercely. "Do not look down upon the warriors of the Desolate Sea Territory! I, too, possess a single sword—the Myriad Swords Returning to Ancestry. Today, I shall let you witness it!"

"Pfft—!" Su Tianji, who was currently drinking iced black tea, nearly sprayed it all out, exclaiming in shock, "Has he crippled his own martial arts to cultivate anew?! Is he mad!"