Through the two huge holes blasted open by Jiang Kai, people saw Wu Sheng's body dissolve into light and scatter away.
"Oh my god… this is—too, too terrifying!"
"With the Seven Star Sword Formation and two defensive barriers, Han Yi killed Wu Sheng with one strike… This—this can't be real!"
"A man who hasn't even entered the Hall of War Gods just killed a member of the Twelve Sacred Beasts in seconds? If this happened inside the Hall of War Gods, it would shake all of Huaxia!"
Even Chang Siyáo, who had always been indifferent to the match, was stunned by "Han Yi." Her eyes widened as she stared at the figure on the stage.
Elder Liu of Tianchi stood there, mouth agape, unable to speak for a long while.
Just moments ago, Wu Sheng had held the upper hand. Yet now, he was dead—gone offline. Everything happened too suddenly.
All the elders of Kunlun were dumbfounded by the scene.
Zhu Hai's shock was no less than anyone else's.
"T-this kid… he's even more terrifying than the rumors said!"
"That sword… Elder Wan?" one Kunlun elder hurriedly turned toward Elder Wan of Qingyun.
Elder Wan snapped out of his petrified daze and said in a trembling voice, "The Nine Heavens Execution Sword—one sword that pierces the heavens! Han Yi's mastery of it has reached a terrifying level!"
"Our Qingyun Sect truly has a worthy successor, a worthy successor indeed!"
Standing behind Elder Wan, Zhu Hai was stunned when he heard those words.
Huh? Jiang Kai's attack was certainly extraordinary, but… did Elder Wan see it wrong? He actually admitted that Jiang Kai's sword was the Nine Heavens Execution Sword?
The Seven Star Sword Formation in the arena lost its power after Wu Sheng's fall, leaving seven giant swords standing upright on the ground.
Beside those swords, Jiang Kai glanced at the injuries on his body.
This outfit had been lent to him by Brother Zhu. Now that it was ruined like this… he'd probably have to pay for it.
At least his mask wasn't broken.
He looked around the audience and found everyone staring at him—but no one stepped onto the stage.
When his gaze met Chang Siyáo's, he noticed something strange in her eyes… shock—and maybe even a hint of admiration?
"Ahem… uh, shall we move on to the next round?" Jiang Kai called helplessly toward the northern viewing platform.
Immediately, a flustered Kunlun elder hurried onto the arena.
"What a remarkable Han Yi of Qingyun—able to unleash the Nine Heavens Execution Sword to such perfection. Truly outstanding for the younger generation!"
"Now then, congratulations to this Qingyun Han Yi, who has earned the right to present a gift to Siyáo."
Jiang Kai breathed a sigh of relief and walked across the stage to stand before Chang Siyáo.
Today, she looked very different from the image he remembered. Normally, she dressed simply—always wearing practical outfits for exploring unknown regions, her long hair tied back neatly.
But today she wore a flowing white dress, her hair coiled up—a celestial beauty descended to the mortal world.
Unlike before, when she had looked at others indifferently, her eyes now held a faint glimmer when she looked at him.
"Ahem… Junior Sister Siyáo," Jiang Kai said, imitating the way these ancient martial artists addressed each other. Then he started rummaging through his card pouch. "A gift… wait a moment, let me find something suitable."
Everyone watched Jiang Kai fumble around.
Zhu Hai had a black line on his forehead. This guy hadn't even prepared a gift!
By now, Jiang Kai understood—Chang Siyáo probably didn't need any material gift.
He could give her blood crystal stones or celestial crystals, but gifting a girl raw ore—unpolished at that—wasn't very appealing. Besides, he didn't want her to accept him because of the gift's value.
He needed to give her something meaningful—something that would stir her memories with him.
After carefully sifting through his collection, Jiang Kai finally pulled out a card and handed it to Chang Siyáo.
She glanced down and frowned slightly. "Necromancer… Burned Corpse?" she asked in confusion.
Back when she and he had gone to the Wanderers' Gathering, they had killed plenty of necromancers along the way!
Unfortunately, she had no idea that the man before her was Jiang Kai himself.
Even though he looked a bit familiar, the Qingyun elders beside her had repeatedly confirmed that this man was Han Yi, so she dismissed her doubts.
Jiang Kai watched her expectantly, hoping she would remember something…
"T-thank you, Senior Brother Han Yi." Chang Siyáo carefully tucked away the gift.
Jiang Kai secretly winked at her. "If Junior Sister Siyáo likes it, I have plenty more!"
He was trying to hint to her—he was the same Jiang Kai who had hunted down so many necromancers!
But faced with his obvious hinting, Chang Siyáo averted her gaze. "Senior Brother Han Yi is badly injured. You should focus on healing first."
That was it? She didn't realize who he really was?
Just as Jiang Kai was about to drop a stronger hint, Elder Wan and the others came rushing over. Elder Wan threw his arms around him, his voice trembling. "Yi'er, you've finally returned!"
Jiang Kai was stunned to find himself in a bear hug from an old man. "Uh… uncle, who are you?"
"It's me—your Uncle Wan! Don't tell me you don't recognize me?" Elder Wan gripped Jiang Kai's shoulders, eyes filled with sorrow. "They said your illness had damaged your memory, but you just used the Nine Heavens Execution Sword! How could that be?"
Jiang Kai's mind raced.
He hadn't cleared things up with Chang Siyáo yet—he couldn't expose his identity now.
These people were all from Qingyun Sect. For a fake like him, hiding the truth would be tough.
Luckily, Elder Wan had just revealed something useful—Han Yi had memory issues. Jiang Kai immediately followed that thread. "Uncle Wan… I—I don't really remember…"
"Han Yi, you don't even remember your Uncle Wan, but you still recall when Siyáo came to our sect to study?" another elder questioned.
Jiang Kai didn't know how to respond, but Elder Wan quickly shook his head. "Everyone, don't pressure him. It's fine as long as he's back—it's fine!"
"Yes, Han Yi has not only returned, but also mastered the Nine Heavens Execution Sword! Even we can no longer reach his level!"
Jiang Kai frowned. Now he was beginning to doubt whether these people were truly from Qingyun Sect.
His "Nine Heavens Execution Sword" was just a few moves copied from Brother Zhu! And they couldn't even tell?
But the bigger problem was that he came here for Chang Siyáo—so how did this suddenly turn into a family reunion for Qingyun Sect?
"Actually, Han Yi didn't come here for the martial match at all. Otherwise, why would he come without even preparing a proper gift?" one "uncle" said loudly. "Han Yi, you're here to announce to the world that you've returned to the martial world, aren't you?"
Jiang Kai stared at the speaker, stunned.
Sir, you couldn't be more right—thank you for saying that for me!
Elder Wan turned to Chang Siyáo apologetically. "Siyáo, I'm so sorry. Since Han Yi's mind isn't focused on the match and he's been bedridden for so long, he didn't have time to prepare a worthy gift. I hope you don't mind."
Chang Siyáo gave a slight bow. "You're overthinking, Elder Wan. I'm glad Senior Brother Han Yi has recovered—and even mastered the Nine Heavens Execution Sword. I'm happy for him."
"What a wonderful young lady!" the Qingyun elders all praised in unison.
Jiang Kai nearly broke down.
He had gone through all that trouble to win the duel, picked out his gift with care, and was this close to his goal—only for the Qingyun bunch to ruin everything!
Who said I wasn't focused on this matchmaking duel?! That's exactly why I came!
Behind him, Zhu Hai watched Jiang Kai try to speak several times, only to be drowned out by others. He suddenly felt a bit dazed.
All the Qingyun elders had recognized Han Yi at a glance. Even Zhu Hai started doubting himself.
"Could Jiang Kai actually be the Han Yi who disappeared years ago? Did I just accidentally pick the right guy to impersonate him?"
Elder Wan and the others, barely containing their excitement, stepped up to a Kunlun elder and bowed deeply. "Sect Master Zhu, our Qingyun disciple has returned—and has elevated the Nine Heavens Execution Sword to an unprecedented level. This concerns our sect's future."
"This matter is of great importance. Since Han Yi did not come here sincerely for the match, we shall take our leave."
The dignified middle-aged man before them was none other than the Sect Master of Kunlun.
After a moment's thought, he nodded. "That sword from Han Yi was indeed brilliant. Congratulations, Elder Wan. The matchmaking was meant to showcase the talents of young heroes anyway. If you have matters to attend to, feel free to go. It's no problem."
Jiang Kai was dragged off by the cheerful Qingyun group.
"Wait—brothers, I still have something to say!" Jiang Kai struggled, but couldn't break free from their burning enthusiasm.
As he was being pulled away, he shouted at Chang Siyáo, "Siyáo! Think about me! Don't choose anyone else—you're important to me—"
His voice grew fainter and fainter as he was taken away, while Chang Siyáo frowned deeply.
That Han Yi was indeed powerful… but now he was gone.
[🎉 Shoutout to Avish, Gaster, Manuel, Rohan & Baron for joining p@treon. Thank you very much.🤗]