40-Meter Sword Terror

The hard-to-reach knife, seemingly no more than a miniature toy, emitted a faint, ethereal glow that sent ripples of laughter through the once-menacing group of pirates. Their fearsome countenances crumbled, replaced by uncontrollable mirth.

Wang Jun, on the other hand, found himself caught in a whirlwind of embarrassment amidst the pirates' raucous laughter. He couldn't help but glance around, desperately seeking refuge from the awkwardness that enveloped him.

"Impossible, impossible," Wang Jun muttered to himself, desperately trying to convince himself that there must be something extraordinary concealed within this diminutive knife. It couldn't possibly be just as it seemed.

Gathering his courage, Wang Jun gripped the handle of the tiny knife, his determination shining through. With a mixture of resolve and humor, he uttered, "Hand over my disciples willingly, and we can negotiate. Otherwise, don't blame me for what happens next here at the Black Mountain Stronghold!"

The words flowed from him, despite the comical appearance of the toy-like mini-knife he held. Laughter continued to ripple through the crowd.

"Kill him with that tiny knife?" one pirate jeered. 

"Can that knife even cut a watermelon?" another chimed in.

"If we throw away most of the handle, maybe the remaining blade can cut an apple, that'd be impressive!" 

They erupted into laughter again.

Even as they laughed at his predicament, Wang Jun, undeterred, responded with a wry grin, "Well, sometimes you've got to find humor in tough situations."

The pirate leaders, however, grew impatient with the banter. Zhou Tianba, their chief, raised his voice, "Quit the nonsense! Bring him down and search for any valuables!"

The twenty-four subordinates exchanged knowing glances and surged forward, encircling Wang Jun. Trapped in a corner of the room, his escape options dwindled rapidly. Outside, a horde of pirates waited expectantly, forming a daunting barrier to any potential flight.

With no other recourse, Wang Jun made a swift decision. He activated the hidden seal of the knife with a snap.

"Ding!"

The system notification echoed in his mind, "The host uses one × printing symbol!" 

"Ding!" 

Another notification followed,"The seal of the hard-to-reach sword has been lifted!"

A radiant psionic aura suddenly emanated from the previously unimpressive blade, illuminating the entire Yanwu arena in a blinding display of brilliance. Even Zhou Tianba, a seasoned warrior, was forced to shield his eyes from the overwhelming radiance.

As the luminosity gradually dimmed, what lay before Zhou Tianba's astonished eyes was no longer a toy-like knife. The blade, gleaming with a menacing aura, was now extended right before his nose.

It appeared as if the knife's tip was poised to pierce him at any moment.

Zhou Tianba squinted, fixating on the blade's tip, and there, standing forty meters away, was Wang Jun, a confident smile on his face. He held the knife handle with one hand while the blade stretched through the air, almost touching Zhou Tianba's nose.

Silence descended upon the spectators outside Yanwu. Over two hundred mouths hung agape, their eyes wide with disbelief.

But what had become of the four pirate leaders who had initiated the attack?

Their lifeless bodies lay strewn across the ground, some sliced in half, others missing their upper halves. The once-ferocious leaders had met a gruesome end, their blood mingling with the mud.

Wang Jun couldn't help but chuckle as he sheathed his sword. In that brief flash of light, he had single-handedly dispatched all four leaders.

A bead of sweat formed on Zhou Tianba's forehead as he swallowed hard. It wasn't just the knife's extraordinary length that terrified him; it was the cold, imposing aura it exuded. Breathing became an arduous task in the presence of such power.

Zhou Tianba harbored no doubts; if Wang Jun dared to take a single step forward, his head would be effortlessly severed by that unfathomable blade.

The Grandmaster watched with a racing heart, assessing the quality of the hard-to-reach sword. Fear filled his eyes as he realized the sheer might it possessed.

The two subordinates who had flanked Zhou Tianba sat petrified, their trembling hands frozen. The knife's enormous length left them vulnerable to its devastating reach. They dared not move, forced to kneel in submission, awaiting their inevitable fate.

Wang Jun gazed at the extraordinary weapon bestowed upon him by the system. This was no ordinary blade; it surpassed the power of even the first-grade Han Fengjian. Yet, its colossal forty-meter length posed a unique challenge. It was a weapon that demanded control and mastery.

Pinned by the blade, Zhou Tianba's voice quivered as he pleaded, "Head Jun, please sheath the knife. We can talk this out."

Wang Jun chuckled again, a hint of amusement in his eyes. He replied, "Once this forty-meter knife is unsheathed, it's not easy to put it away, so..."

With a lightning-quick motion of his wrist, he beheaded the second subordinate with a colossal swing of the blade. The head rolled to the ground, frozen in a perpetual expression of shock.

Wang Jun couldn't help but marvel at the speed of his own strike. The second subordinate, a skilled fighter in his own right, remained paralyzed, unable to move, his life hanging by a thread.

This was the first weapon the system had provided, the enigmatic hard-to-reach sword. It was a weapon of immense power, only truly unleashed after unlocking its seal.

After this deadly demonstration, Wang Jun smiled with satisfaction and remarked, "Impressive."

However, the remaining pirates, now leaderless and seething with anger, were a different challenge altogether. They remained outside the Yanwu arena, frozen in a state of fear and reluctance to face the wielder of the colossal sword.

A sword that spanned forty meters.

Wang Jun knew that if he turned around, he could effortlessly dispatch dozens of them with a single swing. Yet, the question remained: who among them would dare to approach, who would dare to charge?

Avoiding him wouldn't save them from their inevitable fate.

Without hesitation, Wang Jun swung his right hand, sending the forty-meter-long sword slicing through the crowd. Over twenty robbers fell, their bodies severed at the waist.

"Thud!"

Inside the hall, only two subordinates remained. Their trembling hands clung to the armrests, witnessing the brutal fate that had befallen their companions. Dread filled their eyes as they realized the extent of the sword's deadly capabilities.

The sword's tremendous length presented both advantages and disadvantages. While it excelled in long-distance battles, it was equally devastating up close. Two remaining subordinates, however, hoped to capitalize on the latter. They planned to corner Wang Jun and limit his movements.

But it proved futile. Wang Jun smiled, his eyes gleaming with confidence. He cast a glance at the two subordinates, and with a mere thought, he unleashed the sword's coercive power, freezing them in place.

"Thud! Thud!"

The guillotine-like sword descended once more, and their heads joined the grim collection on the blood-soaked floor.

Now, all eight chieftains of the Black Mountain Stronghold had fallen, leaving only Zhou Tianba as their leader.

Wang Jun smiled and raised the colossal forty-meter sword, approaching the raised platform. Despite being a formidable warrior in his own right, Zhou Tianba remained paralyzed with fear under the sword's oppressive aura. He couldn't move as he watched Wang Jun's approach.

With one foot on the platform's steps, Wang Jun smiled, holding the hard-to-reach sword high, its blade glinting menacingly in the dim light. He pointed it at the open space beyond and said with unwavering confidence, "You can run thirty-nine meters."