The Cunning Treasure Hunter

Chapter 55 The Blossoms That Refuse to Fall

Vera's thrust moved with sharp precision.

Theron's sword came crashing down to meet it.

The path Theron walked was one of overwhelming power. His strike embodied the weight of the entire heavens, pressing down with undeniable force.

In contrast, Vera's sword flowed with a softer touch. Though quick, it carried a gentleness that belied its strength.

The Nine Heavens Cherry Blossom Sword, Second Form: Unyielding Snow Cherry Branch.

A cherry branch that even a blizzard could not break.

Was the branch unbreakable because it was rigid?

No.

Was the steel sword strong because it was hard?

No.

It was strong because it could bend without breaking.

The Second Form of the Nine Heavens Cherry Blossom Sword balanced strength and flexibility, absorbing external force like a supple tree bending beneath the snow.

Tang!

The sound of swords clashing echoed like the toll of a bell.

Theron realized immediately. His Sky Crushing Descent had not landed properly.

Vera had used his downward force against him.

Her blade bent sharply downward, but her grip had already loosened slightly, letting her body follow the momentum.

In one fluid motion, Vera spun horizontally in midair, her sword tracing an elegant arc.

The dark cherry blossoms that had followed the form of Unyielding Snow Cherry Branch scattered wildly in the air, carried by the currents of her motion.

The Nine Heavens Cherry Blossom Sword, Fourth Form: Wild Petal Tempest.

A whirlwind of chaotic blossoms designed to disrupt an opponent's flow and distort their rhythm.

In a heartbeat, she completed her rotation, her blade now descending with a vortex of black cherry blossoms swirling around it.

It was a seamless connection of forms, executed with the intuition of a genius.

But Theron was no less talented.

Without hesitation, he flipped his sword into a reverse grip.

Boom!

He stomped the ground with explosive force, initiating the Tenth Form of the Boundless Sky Sword: Eye of the Ascending Storm.

The reverse grip brought his sword sweeping upward, creating a tempest that rose from the earth and spiraled toward the heavens.

Clang!

The Falling Blossom Sword and the black celestial steel blade finally collided head-on.

Both swords radiated brilliant energy, their auras clashing with overwhelming intensity.

The spectators held their breath as the two forces met.

The one who was thrown back first was Vera.

Thud!

Her small, delicate figure soared high into the air, her jet-black hair catching the sunlight as it fluttered like silk.

Everyone in the audience thought it was over. Theron had secured victory with a dramatic final strike.

But then, the sky bloomed with a cascade of crimson cherry blossoms.

"...Vera!!!"

Theron gritted his teeth in frustration.

Her counter to his ultimate technique—using his own strength against him—had been brilliant.

But even more frustrating was this:

Even being launched into the air was part of her plan.

The tip of Vera's sword began to glow, the blade radiating dazzling light.

The Nine Heavens Cherry Blossom Sword, Third Form: alling Blossom Torrent.

An endless torrent of blooming flowers descending from above.

This time, she wasn't holding back.

The black cherry blossoms filled the sky, pausing briefly at their apex before falling alongside Vera like a deadly rain.

Each petal carried the energy of a killing blow, infused with her internal power.

Theron roared, summoning every ounce of internal energy from his core.

His breath came ragged, his sword gripped firmly in both hands as a fierce light burned in his eyes.

The energy surging from his body exuded the presence of a ruler, one who dominated not just the heavens but the entirety of the martial world.

With his celestial steel sword glowing brilliantly, he stomped the ground and leapt into the air to meet her.

The King's Sword Technique, First Form: Dragon-Phoenix Annihilation Slash.

Neither dragons nor phoenixes could stand above the emperor.

The audience felt it instinctively—this was the end.

The clash of these two ultimate techniques would determine the victor of the duel.

Vera's Falling Blossom Sword, imbued with the aura of the Black dragon, radiated the light of countless falling blossoms.

Theron's sword traced an azure arc, its path glowing with a fierce brilliance.

The two swords collided.

He thought he could win.

The King's Sword Technique, First Form.

To perform it flawlessly, he had revisited the basics of the Blue Sky Sword, training tirelessly through the night.

He had poured his seventeen years of life into perfecting this moment.

And yet...

He had succeeded in embedding the essence of an eternal and unparalleled emperor into his sword.

The true master of the world, one to whom even dragons and phoenixes would bow, was embodied within his blade.

And yet...

The moment his sword touched her, all that energy began to crumble.

The eternal and unyielding power of the emperor, the force that could seize even the heavens and embody immortality itself...

It vanished as easily as snapping the neck of a chicken.

'...Impossible.'

He didn't feel disbelief.

What coursed through him was awe, terror, and reverence.

Each time his blade brushed against the dark cherry blossoms of Vera, the energy of the Blue Sky Sword Technique wavered.

He had sensed it earlier when their swords clashed.

This wasn't an issue of martial technique or skill.

It was a matter of compatibility.

There was something mysterious about those dark cherry blossoms.

Something strange in the aura that filled Vera's energy.

It dismantled the power of the eternal emperor, the ruler who reigned even over the heavens themselves.

Like wood consumed by fire, his energy faltered and fractured with every clash.

He was a Heavenly Martial Body, a genius born once in five centuries.

And yet Theron understood immediately.

This wasn't about his martial arts.

It was about his energy.

It wasn't about his swordsmanship.

It was about his internal power.

The very nature of Vera's aura—the cold, mysterious presence of the Black dragon—was eroding his strength.

Even so, he believed in his final strike.

No matter how extraordinary the energy cultivated by past generations or how unique her abilities were, Vera was still only fourteen years old.

In the realm of Supreme Experts, the gap between their mastery was clear.

He thought he could overcome it.

This kind of disadvantage, this incompatibility, could be crushed by the sheer force of his King's Sword Technique, honed through a lifetime of training.

It was a mistake.

The overwhelming clash left Vera suspended midair, as though she were stepping on clouds to ascend to the heavens.

Meanwhile, Theron was falling.

Like a bird with clipped wings, like a man pushed from the steps of a high tower, he plummeted toward the earth.

He reached out toward Vera, who floated far above him, but she was out of reach.

Her white martial robes, her jet-black hair, and the radiant light of her blade all shone like moonlight.

And as he fell, the crimson cherry blossoms scattered around him like a storm.

"...Ha."

Theron let out a hollow laugh.

He had realized it.

For the rest of his life, he would struggle and strive to reach the place he had glimpsed in this fleeting moment.

Thud.

His body, drained of all energy, crashed to the ground.

A few seconds later, Vera landed gracefully, her foot lightly stepping on a fallen petal as she descended.

"...I've lost."

Lying flat on the arena floor, Theron muttered to himself.

Then he began to laugh.

Losing wasn't a pleasant feeling, especially to someone who soared so far above him, leaving him behind.

And yet, he couldn't stop laughing.

"Hah, hahaha, ha! Hahahahaha!"

His entire body was drenched in sweat.

His limbs, heavy and limp from the exhaustion of expending all his energy, felt as though they weighed a thousand pounds.

But none of that mattered.

Because he had a goal now.

A goal that was unattainable, and therefore all the more exhilarating.

He would never lose his will to improve.

"Did you hit your head?" Vera remarked coldly.

Still chuckling, Theron slowly sat up.

"You're strong. Really strong."

"...I know."

"Do you think I'll ever be able to beat you?"

His lips curled into a smile, his eyes glinting with mirth.

But within them lay a glimmer of madness—a talent wholly consumed by martial arts.

"...Maybe. Once, if you're lucky."

"That's good enough for me. I'll hold you to that."

It was an honest thought.

He wasn't yet complete.

But as the Young Lord of the Akrest Clan, he had endless resources at his disposal. Find exclusive stories on empire

If he decided to fully commit, to use every elixir and pill available, if he trained relentlessly to surpass his current self, he might manage it.

Maybe once.

Before Vera faced the Sword Sovereign in a battle of life and death, he might defeat her.

Just once.

"Take my hand."

Vera extended her small, delicate hand toward him.

Her palm was soft and smooth, untouched by the calluses of extensive training.

Theron took her hand, his own rough and scarred from years of swordsmanship.

"Just you wait, Vera."

"I'm not afraid of someone who says, 'Just you wait.'"

A petty exchange of words, the kind that defined their relationship.

It was clear that their bond would remain unchanged in the future: rivals who spurred each other to greater heights.

Vera would continue to soar, refusing to be broken.

And Theron would always chase her, determined to bring her down.

Neither of them minded that.

...Though Ebon Akrest, the leader of the Akrest Clan, might feel differently.