Mystic Eyes: My Eyes Steal the Laws of Cultivation Chapter 320: Final Phase (10)

A profound silence blanketed the plateau, thick enough that the wind's rustle through the great ancestral tree's leaves could be heard clearly.

Kyrian advanced to the arena's center. His footsteps were feather-light, his gaze steady. The black robe from the Verdant Sword billowed softly.

Opposite him, Mu Qing moved ahead with resolute steps. The Ancient Forest disciple seemed composed, yet his eyes burned with a fierce green glow. His hands were already sheathed in a slender layer of living wood.

The Leader of the Ancient Forest Sect stationed himself between the pair.

"Second semifinal match. Kyrian of the Verdant Sword versus Mu Qing of the Ancient Forest."

He lifted his hand high.

"You may begin!"

Mu Qing struck first.

He slammed his foot down on the arena floor, instantly causing a wall of sturdy wood to erupt before him, enveloping his whole form. This wasn't mere shielding; it formed a gigantic dome of shadowy wood, pulsing with luminous green Qi.

"Ancestral Forest Technique. Living Wood Dome!"

The dome sealed shut around Mu Qing, with tiny slits allowing him to peer out. The wood's density suggested it could endure any assault.

Kyrian arched an eyebrow.

"Interesting."

His sword eyes gleamed briefly.

The initial unseen slash raced toward the dome, swift as a thunderbolt. The Qi blade fused with sword intent collided against the wood with a muffled thud.

The dome quivered. A slender fissure emerged on its exterior.

Yet the wood mended itself right away, like time flowing backward.

"Living wood," Kyrian whispered.

"So as long as he has Qi, it recovers..."

He struck once more. The second slash packed more power, focused on one spot of the dome.

The collision hit harder. The fissure widened, and briefly, the barrier seemed on the verge of collapse.

But Mu Qing proved no pushover.

Within the dome, he clasped his hands and poured extra Qi into the wood. The fissure sealed up, and the dome grew even denser than earlier.

The third slash followed without pause. Kyrian offered no mercy.

The dome shuddered fiercely, yet held firm.

The crowd buzzed with whispers.

"Three glances! And the defense still stands!"

"Mu Qing is incredibly strong!"

"But Kyrian hasn’t even moved yet..."

As Kyrian pressed his assault, Mu Qing stayed active.

Under Kyrian’s feet, the arena's wooden surface stirred. Thick roots, thick as arms, burst forth from everywhere, snaking toward him like ravenous serpents.

Kyrian evaded the first batch with a effortless bound. The roots grazed his legs, but he was airborne already.

The instant he landed, fresh roots surged up. They moved swiftly, in sync, without mercy.

Kyrian flowed like liquid around rocks. His movements precise, efficient, akin to a graceful dance. Whenever a root neared too much, his sword eyes flashed, sending an invisible slash to cleave it apart.

The wooden chunks dropped... and got soaked up by the arena.

Kyrian spotted this.

"The arena is absorbing the fragments?"

From within the dome, Mu Qing's voice rang out, muffled by the wood.

"The great ancestral tree is connected to all living wood. As long as I stand upon it, my defenses regenerate. And so do my roots."

Additional roots sprang up. Now not just from below, but from the arena's flanks too. Massive gnarled trunks erupted from the surrounding wooden barriers, charging at Kyrian with alarming speed.

He continued evading. Slicing. Leaping.

Even for Kyrian, the onslaught of roots was overwhelming. Each severed root was replaced by two. The arena reclaimed the debris, feeding Qi back to Mu Qing.

It formed a near-flawless loop.

Kyrian vaulted back, dodging a trunk that whistled past his face by mere inches. He eyed the wooden dome sheltering Mu Qing.

"You are strong," Kyrian declared openly, conceding the fact.

"Much stronger than I imagined."

Mu Qing responded from inside the dome.

"You too. But you still haven’t used your sword. Why?"

Kyrian replied, face unchanging.

"Because I didn’t need to. Until now."

His eyes transformed. The atmosphere grew taut. Kyrian tapped the spatial ring on his finger. A brilliant white gleam, and a sword materialized in his grasp.

As his fingers gripped the hilt, the world shifted.

Sword intent from Kyrian burst forth like a formless tsunami. No longer confined to his eyes' aura. This was a genuine swordmaster's might, fused inseparably with his weapon.

The keen Qi, once scattered in the air, now gathered on the blade, radiating pristine white brilliance. The ancestral sword intent, stolen from the Verdant Sword's founder by Kyrian, cloaked the blade like a holy shroud.

The spectators gasped, frozen.

"He finally drew his sword..."

"First time facing a foe!"

"That pressure... utterly horrifying!"

Even the Ancient Forest Sect Leader squinted his eyes.

Kyrian hoisted the sword high over his head.

No fancy maneuvers. No complex skill. Simply a straightforward, pure, devastating chop.

Down came the sword.

Unlike the earlier invisible cuts, the slash from the blade was plainly seen—a vivid green energy arc slicing the air with a piercing whine.

Tree trunks between Kyrian and the dome parted like tissue paper. Zero resistance. Just timber cleaving into neat halves.

Forward the slash surged.

It slammed into the huge wooden dome.

For an instant, all stayed still. The dome held firm, shining with green Qi.

Then, a fine crack formed right in the middle.

The crack expanded. The dome divided into two pieces, like a ripe fruit pried apart.

Undeterred, the slash kept going.

Inside the dome, Mu Qing's eyes bulged wide. In frantic defense, he threw up his arms, summoning a wooden barrier before him.

The barrier exploded like brittle glass.

The blow struck Mu Qing square in the chest.

Like a parched leaf in the wind, his body got flung from the arena. He soared over ten meters, smashed into the plateau ground, tumbled multiple times, and finally stopped. Blood seeped from his mouth. His robe hung shredded from chest to stomach.

Yet he lived. Kyrian had restrained the attack's power.

A heavy silence gripped the plateau for a drawn-out moment.

Then, the Ancient Forest Sect Leader lifted his hand.

"Kyrian wins! Advances to the final!"

The plateau burst into uproar.

"One strike! Only one strike!"

"He shattered the defense that resisted three glances!"

"Mu Qing is incredibly strong! If it were against Huo Ling, it might have been an even fight..."

"But Kyrian is on a completely different level!"

In the VIP seats, envoys from the fourth-tier forces traded knowing looks.

"He finally showed a bit more of what he knows," one of them said.

"Just a bit," another replied.

Kyrian tucked the sword into his spatial ring and descended from the arena. His expression stayed serene.

He walked past Huo Ling, who gazed at him with a grave look.

"The final will be between the two of us," Huo Ling said.

The Gathering of Domains final was decided.

Kyrian versus Huo Ling.