Chapter 174: What is a Sword |
Xu Xinhui’s agreement to fight Wei Yuan again tomorrow was not completely out of stubbornness and adherence to out-dated principles.
Wang Ziyan had been relentlessly pursued and attacked by the young girl. He was at a complete disadvantage with no chance of victory in sight. Although Xu Xinhui had Wei Yuan under control, a sword cultivator’s intuition was exceptionally keen. He instinctively sensed that Wei Yuan was holding back his strength, and that defeating him would likely not be a quick affair.
Moreover, although the two cavalry forces had only skirmished for a brief moment, over seventy of the Xu Clan’s elite troops had fallen in battle. On the other hand, most of Wei Yuan’s riders had only sustained minor injuries; their caliber truly exceptional. If the battle continued, even if they emerged victorious, they would probably have lost over half of their one thousand troops.
Every single one of these clan soldiers were men Xu Xinhui had trained over many years and poured countless blood, sweat and tears on them. Losing even a few would break his heart, let alone half of his force. That was why Xu Xinhui had agreed to Wei Yuan’s challenge.
Now that they had the time to think, Wang Ziyan and Xu Xinhui grew increasingly suspicious. The fifty knights’ combat prowess was simply too formidable—their equipment, their mystic artifacts, their Dao spells, and even their cultivation were flawless. They would have been considered quite capable even among the younger generation of the Immortal Sects. How could such capable people possibly end up as bandits—and fifty of them at that?
Wang Ziyan looked pensive as he said, “It would seem that we’ve had an early showdown with the Palace of Absolute Beginning, Big Brother.”
Xu Xinhui nodded in agreement.
“Are you confident in tomorrow’s battle, Big Brother?”
Xu Xinhui replied with a calm smile, “My cultivation is two realms higher than his. Even if there is a plot, I’m not afraid. If I can’t win during our second clash, then I might as well put this immortal sword away for good.”
Most of them had sustained minor injuries, but their wounds were healing naturally thanks to the blessing of Wei Yuan’s fortune. For this reason, he did not immediately withdraw the fortune. Instead, he waited until they were at least two hundred li from the battlefield before stopping to rest and tending to everyone’s injuries.
Wei Yuan was afraid that their enemies might suddenly change their minds and give chase. His concern wasn’t entirely unfounded either; had their roles been reversed, and he was on the other side, he would have done exactly that.
As history often said, “All is fair in war.” It was a statement that Wei Yuan wholeheartedly agreed with.
At the moment, the Heaven Fighting riders were hiding in a small grove, resting and tending to their wounds. One young lady remarked, “Before coming to the western regions, who could have imagined that their horse bandits are so formidable? I have a clan uncle who’s a general-in-chief commanding six battalions and thirty thousand troops, yet I doubt any of them could match that band of horse bandits we just faced. It’s so strange, though. Why would anyone with an immortal foundation choose to become a horse bandit?”
A young master asked her, “If your uncle is a general-in-chief, then why did you become a horse bandit?”
It was only then the young lady finally caught on. “Are you saying that those people aren’t horse bandits?”
“If all horse bandits are of that caliber, then the Great Tang would have fallen long ago. Back then, these bandits were the imperial army. Today, the imperial army is nothing but bandits.”
The young lady’s cheeks flushed crimson. Combined with her somewhat dim-witted expression, and a few young masters’ hearts could not help but flutter.
Meanwhile, Wei Yuan was holding up his broken spear shaft and studying the lingering sword intent at the point where it had been severed. Hsu Yi leaned in and asked, “Boss, are you confident about tomorrow’s battle?”
Wei Yuan was busy searching for a suitable weapon in his Dao Foundation right now. He answered carelessly, “Hard to say. His cultivation level is far higher than mine. We’ll have to fight to find out.”
The sword intent of the Immortal Sword Young Sky was intense, fierce, and laced with the sharpness of Metal. It was a little similar to the Immortal Sword The Sun, except sharper. However, the Immortal Sword The Sun’s primarily cultivated the Sun’s true fire. Once perfected, it boasted immeasurable power. In terms of cultivation and intent, it was actually half a step higher than the Young Sky’s.
But at present, Xu Xinhui was at the late stage of the Dao Foundation stage. He also wielded a top-tier mystic artifact and possessed an Immortal Sword-type Dao Foundation. Thus, his two middle-grade mystic artifact spears simply weren’t up to snuff, incapable of lasting more than a few strikes. The previous battle was the best example of this. Wei Yuan’s spear had snapped before Xu Xinhui could even unleash his killing move.
At the moment, the mountain of Dao Foundations scattered throughout the Great Realm were all of mediocre quality; none of them could withstand even a single strike. After scanning the area thoroughly, Wei Yuan’s gaze eventually settled on the branch standing in the white-gold pool.
The jade hill was too heavy, and the One Wonder Treasure Tree had only just sprouted. It clearly wasn’t strong enough to stop a sword. On the other hand, the Bay Laurel Immortal Tree branch was strong enough to pierce a Great Warlock’s skull—surely an immortal sword wouldn’t be able to sever it?
Wei Yuan felt a tingle of anticipation. In the past, if he didn’t pull on the branch a few times a day to check if it had sprouted, he would feel as though something was missing.
Just as Wei Yuan was staring at the branch, pondering, Feng Tingyu walked up to him, knelt beside him, and handed him a long saber, suggesting, “Use my saber tomorrow?”
Hsu Yi looked taken aback. “Doesn’t the boss usually wield a spear?”
Feng Tingyu replied, “He can wield anything.”
Wei Yuan accepted the weapon and examined it closely. The blade was eight chi long, and the hilt was two chi long. The blade was long and straight, with only a slight curve. It could barely be used as a spear, though it lacked the killer move that was a detached spearhead.
The saber had clearly been together with the girl for a long time. It had taken on a hint of a wild, ancient aura. Wei Yuan, with his keen senses, immediately picked up on this aura and compared it to the sword intent of Young Sky carefully.
Wei Yuan glanced at the time and said, “We have ten minutes left. Teach me how to use this saber.”
By now, everyone within the realm had grown accustomed to the timing system from Xu Wenwu’s world as it was far more precise.
The two stood up. Wei Yuan gripped the saber with both hands and struck a pose. Feng Tingyu continuously corrected his movements, starting with the simple forward slash.
The crowd of scions gathered around to learn as well. A saber technique demonstration from a genius senior sister of the Bright King Hall was a rare opportunity indeed.
Wei Yuan executed dozens of slashes in a row, but each slash carried some minor flaw or another. The girl kept correcting him at first, but she eventually grew impatient and asked Wei Yuan to extend the saber forward, point it diagonally upward, and hold it still.
The girl’s hands flickered for an instant, and the suspended saber suddenly descended without warning, executing a crisp, decisive, instantaneous slash!
This slash overflowed with Dao essence and cut through the air like a lightning bolt that cleaved the heavens! After the slash, Wei Yuan held the pose for a very long time, allowing the scions ample time to contemplate the Dao essence.
In truth, it wasn’t that Wei Yuan was unwilling to withdraw his saber. He just couldn’t move a muscle right now.
In that split second, the girl had pinched and flicked various points in his body, manipulating nearly a hundred tiny muscles in an instant. That was how Wei Yuan was able to unleash that single strike, memorize all of the correct methods to exert force, and grasp the Dao essence of the saber all in one go.
However, this method had one major drawback. Wei Yuan now had over a hundred internal injuries all over his body. At the moment, he felt as if countless fine needles were pricking his whole body, leaving him completely immobile.
Wei Yuan would hold this posture for a full half a teatime before he finally withdrew the saber. The young masters and ladies watching were satisfied as well, all of them having gained some level of insights.
When no one was around, Wei Yuan pulled Feng Tingyu close and asked her in a low voice, “Is this how the Bright King Hall teaches its disciples? Are you sure this won’t cause any problems?”
The girl responded, “Usually, after one such lesson, one must consume medicine and soak in a bath, then rest for seven days to recover.”
That makes perfect sense, Wei Yuan thought to himself. Even his body was immobilized for an unbelievable amount of time. As strong as the fellows of the Bright King Hall were, they were hardly forged from iron. Even they would end up dead or crippled if this teaching method was applied too often.
In any case, Wei Yuan had gained another new skill after grasping the Dao essence of the saber. In the future, he wouldn’t necessarily have to go by the name Lee Zhi any longer. He could adopt the identity of a high cultivator who wielded the saber as well.
After a brief rest, the Fifty Bandits of Heaven Fighting set off once more, soon vanishing into the edge of the realm of Qingming.
Time passed quickly. It was noon on the next day.
With a casual ease as if he was strolling through a garden, Xu Xinhui climbed step by step until he reached the mountain summit.
In fact, the mountain wasn’t particularly tall. However, it was exceptionally treacherous and rose steeply from the ground, like a sharp sword that was thrust into the earth. Xu Xinhui was thoroughly pleased with the view and silently praised Wei Yuan for his excellent choice of location. When the duel began, he would make sure that the young man would lose with dignity.
At the summit of the peak, Wei Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, and four immortal swords embedded around him, his silver ghost mask gleaming in the sunlight.
Xu Xinhui was surprised. Could it be that the young man also cultivated immortal swords? His perception swept across them, and he immediately discerned that each sword possessed a distinct Dao essence. One sword carried blazing flames, while another held a hint of all-encompassing annihilation. The third conveyed the sorrow of heaven and earth, while the last exuded a primal, ancient aura, mixed with a touch of sharpness.
Although the four immortal swords were not of the highest grade, what was rare was that each possessed a distinct and incredibly lofty sword intent[1]. Aside from the fourth immortal sword, which lacked purity, the intent of each immortal sword was sufficient to carve out its own Dao path of supremacy.
For a moment, Xu Xinhui was moved by a desire to nurture talent. He said, “These swords of yours are quite intriguing; several of them have already grasped the true essence of the sword. It’s a pity that you’ve only dabbled in each one. Had you chosen to master just one sword, your future achievements might well surpass my own.”
Wei Yuan wore a thoughtful look as if Xu Xinhui’s words had moved him.
Xu Xinhui sighed. “Three of your four swords are exceptional. It’s a pity you’ve only cultivated them to the Human-tier. Well, it’s not your fault. Your teacher’s Dao of the Sword must have been incredibly poor to teach you this way.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Xu Xinhui suddenly felt as though the world before his eyes had turned monochromatic; as if he had stepped into the realm of the dead and was on the verge of being separated from the living forever.
However, the sensation lasted only a split second—so brief that he couldn’t even tell if it was merely a figment of his imagination[2].
In any case, Xu Xinhui brushed the strange feeling aside and returned his focus to Wei Yuan. The more he looked at the young man, the more he liked him. Suddenly, he asked, “Are you twenty yet this year?”
Wei Yuan was taken aback. Why was he asking for his age before a duel? Still, he saw no harm in answering the question, so he said, “Not yet.”
Xu Xinhui nodded to himself. At this age, it was still possible for him to enter the Sword Palace and rebuild his cultivation. His sect possessed secret arts capable of dissolving a Human-tier Dao Foundation so that a cultivator might start anew. That said, his opponent was a disciple of the Palace of Absolute Beginning. To snatch someone of this caliber, he would have to demonstrate his true power and subdue his opponent in overwhelming fashion.
Xu Xinhui drew his sword and declared, “Today, I’ll show you what a true immortal sword is!”
He ran two fingers across the blade and imbued it with the Immortal Sword Young Sky. The sword instantly burst into golden-red flames! However, the flame was so faint it was as if a slight gust of mountain wind could extinguish it.
Xu Xinhui could hardly believe his own eyes. He ran his fingers along the blade three times, yet the flames only grew dimmer with each attempt.
Just then, Wei Yuan pulled out an eight-chi-long saber from behind a nearby rock, eyes glinting with malice.
1. I’m surprised Zhang Sheng allowed this… or maybe he forged them in secret. LOL.
2. Ji Liuli must be laughing her ass off right now.