[HSRGSS] Chapter 109: Lucian vs Teng Xiao

Xianzhou Luofu's current general was named Teng Xiao, and his lieutenant was a young man with white hair, Jing Yuan.

Inside the Seat of Divine Foresight, the two were waiting for the leaders of other Xianzhou delegations to arrive. Because they were part of the Xianzhou Alliance, the treatment of the other Xianzhou naturally differed from that of other civilizations' delegations.

However, among the Xianzhou, Lucian was the only Arbiter-General who attended the Luminary Wardance Ceremony in the Luofu.

"Yuan, have the people from the Cangcheng not arrived yet? It's been so long, they should be here by now, right?"

Teng Xiao paced back and forth, the heavy armor on his body clanking loudly.

He stood at least one meter ninety tall, extremely burly—though his build was intimidating, his face appeared kind, like the uncle next door.

"General, no need to rush. Haste makes waste."

Jing Yuan, standing nearby, replied calmly.

Even though his long hair covered one of his eyes, giving him a somewhat sickly appearance, he was the ringmaster for the Luminary Wardance Ceremony, the face of the Luofu.

"You know, back when I was still just a lieutenant, I already heard about the title of 'sword immortal.' I thought it was impressive back then."

Teng Xiao stopped, turned, and continued pacing, armor clattering.

"I heard the Moonlight Sword Immortal will be participating this time. I'm worried you'll be defeated instantly."

"Yuan, if you lose instantly, it'll be the face of our Luofu that's lost."

Teng Xiao was truly anxious right now.

He had never been this anxious, not even during battles, but the key issue was that since the previous Sword Champion had fallen, the title of Sword Champion of the Luofu now remained vacant.

If Jing Yuan could defend the stage successfully, he would become the Sword Champion of the Luofu. Even if he lost, he could not lose too quickly, or the Luofu's reputation would suffer.

"Hahh..." Jing Yuan let out a breath. "So, General, is that why you're so eager to meet the Cangcheng delegation—to discuss things in advance?"

"Of course, we can't just concede immediately—we have to try first."

Teng Xiao spoke seriously, a frown crossing his face.

"I'll test the waters for you. I'm an Arbiter-General, so I shouldn't be weaker than the Azure Sword Immortal. If I can hold my ground, then you shouldn't lose instantly to Jingliu. Even if you end up defeated after a hundred moves, it won't be disgraceful."

"Of course, that's what I think. Unlike him, I have a Spiritus, the Lightning-Lord, so it shouldn't be a problem."

Even though he was anxious, Teng Xiao remained confident.

Jing Yuan shook his head helplessly, feeling that the general truly worried himself sick for the Luofu.

Before long, the Helm Master led the other Xianzhou delegations into the Seat of Divine Foresight.

As soon as Lucian entered, he saw the towering Teng Xiao clad in full heavy armor that made him look like a tank, and beside him stood a young man he had once admired as a player—Jing Yuan.

Since Jingliu had been taken away by Lucian, Jing Yuan's master had become Teng Xiao. He had followed Teng Xiao to study martial arts, being groomed as the next Arbiter-General of the Luofu.

"You're finally here! I've been waiting forever!"

Teng Xiao greeted Lucian and the others warmly before stepping forward to meet them.

Clang! Clang!

As Teng Xiao walked, the sound of his footsteps alone revealed his strength.

"General Lucian, why haven't you become an official Arbiter-General yet?" Teng Xiao asked in wonder. "If you go to the Yuque for assessment, you'll receive the Reignbow Arbiter's blessing and become stronger. Why won't you?"

In fact, this was a question everyone was curious about.

After all, Lucian had served as an Acting Arbiter-General for over a thousand years without becoming official, and word had spread—it was no secret.

"Well, I just don't want to rely on an Aeon's blessing." Lucian waved his hand. "I only want to grow stronger through my own efforts and strength."

In the next moment, he suddenly took on an enlightened, detached look.

"Besides, the strength I have today comes from my own hard work—why should I depend on others if I can grow stronger on my own?"

"..."

At Lucian's words, Jing Yuan, Teng Xiao, Yingxing, and Baiheng all looked at him with admiration.

Teng Xiao suddenly felt uneasy.

Although he had trained hard and achieved much, he realized he took pride in relying on Lan's blessing.

Compared to Lucian's mindset, he was far behind!

No wonder Lucian was a sword immortal!

"Impressive!" Teng Xiao cupped his hands in respect. "General Lucian, your mindset is beyond me. In that case, I'd like to spar with you. I won't use my Spiritus—I just want to see how big the gap between us really is."

Originally, the spar was meant for another purpose, but now Teng Xiao was genuinely moved by Lucian's mindset and truly wanted to test the difference in their strength.

It was about his own martial path now.

"Better not." Lucian shook his head calmly. "If I swing my sword... you will die."

Everyone gasped at the calmness in his tone.

An Emanator of the Hunt would die just from him swinging his sword?

How strong was Lucian?

Even the ever-composed Jing Yuan tensed.

Yingxing's curiosity burned—just how powerful was his idol? Could he truly kill an Arbiter-General with a single sword swing?

"How about this, then: you strike me once, using fifty percent of your strength. I'll take the hit and see how much I need to use to match it."

Teng Xiao refused to believe Lucian could kill him in one move.

It was unrealistic.

Not only did he have high offense and high defense, with dual fire and lightning attributes, but after so many years of battle, his defenses had never been broken.

He had also suppressed the great heliobus Ignamar and even once encountered an Emanator of Abundance, Shuhu, a century ago, and cut him down a hundred times.

How could he possibly be killed in one strike?

Seeing Teng Xiao's insistence, Lucian could not refuse any longer.

"Very well, since you insist..." Lucian nodded helplessly. "But if you die, don't blame me."

"No blame, no blame!" Teng Xiao waved his hand, laughing heartily. "I trust you'll hold back."

Jing Yuan, however, suddenly had a bad feeling, sensing that his master might regret this.

Yingxing naturally supported Lucian, secretly cheering him on from the side.

Baiheng and Jingliu exchanged a glance, each catching the amusement in the other's eyes.

"Alright, let's head to the training grounds." Teng Xiao gave a thumbs-up, pointing east. "I'd hate to wreck anything here."

After all, whenever force was used, collateral damage was always a risk.

"No need." Lucian smiled calmly. "Nothing here will be damaged. If it is, I'll pay for it."

He then extended his hand to the side without looking.

Seeing this, Jingliu, already accustomed to it, immediately formed an ice sword and handed it to Lucian.

"General Teng Xiao, prepare yourself."

As soon as Lucian finished speaking, he brought the sword down in a light, effortless swing.

'Huh? That's it?' Teng Xiao raised his eyebrows, then grew irritated, feeling insulted. 'Is this really fifty percent strength? Who is he mocking?'

In his eyes, Lucian's move was nowhere near fifty percent strength—at most, it was half a percent.

Lucian clearly did not take him seriously.

"If that's the case, then I'll—"

Smack!

Before Teng Xiao could finish speaking, a sharp sound rang out, drawing the attention of everyone watching the spar—even the staff moving about stopped and turned to look.

At this moment, Teng Xiao knelt on the ground, his palms pressed together as they clutched a gleaming bluish-white ice blade.

In that instant, Teng Xiao's mind went blank.

'Who am I?'

'Where am I?'

'Why am I kneeling?'

'As expected...' Jing Yuan sighed and covered his face. 'Once the Azure Sword Immortal swings his blade, all shall kneel. Even the General is no exception... Is this the difference in their strength?'

'It's really true...' Yingxing stared at the calm Lucian, then at the kneeling Teng Xiao. 'When General Lucian swings his sword, you're either cut in half in one strike or forced to kneel before him.'

Among the onlookers, only Jingliu and Baiheng wore unsurprised expressions.

They had been with Lucian long enough to know—no one had ever remained standing after he swung his sword.

For the past thousand years, Jingliu had even taken 'receiving her master's sword without kneeling' as her lifelong goal.

Seeing the Arbiter-General of the Luofu kneel, Jingliu knew her master was still holding back.

"What the...? General Teng Xiao knelt?"

"No idea, it was so sudden... Why?"

"If General Teng Xiao did this, he must have his reasons."

A dozen staff members whispered among themselves, making Teng Xiao feel like a monkey on display.

Just now, he did not even know why, but his body, as if controlled by someone, had instinctively knelt to catch Lucian's sword.

Regardless, his pride as an Arbiter-General mattered, so he couldn't just do nothing.

"Ahem, not bad, not bad."

Teng Xiao coughed, then spoke with a forced smile.

"To make me use half a percent of my strength—quite good. Again, let me see how much strength you can force me to use next."