Chapter 193: Lightning-Annihilation Sword Style |
Facing the Sword Star’s blade.
It was a heavy task. Simply surviving was an extraordinary feat in itself.
One would need to approach it with the mindset of enduring a calamity. Jeong Yeon-shin had thought so since departing for the mission.
‘This is the realm I must step into.’
There are swordsmen who cleave providence with a single stroke.
The Divine Sword Group Leader, the Wudang Sect Leader, the Heaven-Defying Sect Leaders of the Thirteen Evil Sects, and even the Tyrant Sword Leader, who recently slew the Qingcheng Sect Leader.
In the martial world, purple-rank monstrous talents exist in numbers at least matching the great factions.
They dominated their eras. That’s why they are supreme masters.
Their names spanned past and present. Chroniclers of the martial world didn’t hesitate to compare them to the absolute figures of prior generations who left sobriquets in history.
Among the common folk, he was regarded as the reincarnation of the Sword Immortal Lu Dongbin. Even a courteous strike from him would be hard for Jeong Yeon-shin to withstand.
It was impossible to know how many defensive moves would be needed in a single exchange. He was the sole remaining obstacle for the boy in the Alliance.
Right after Taoist Cheon Ju offered to help with this.
Two of the three distinguished guests flinched. The head disciples of Diancang and Mount Hua adjusted their postures.
Had Taoist Cheon Ju not forewarned them of this discussion?
By the table where the four sat, a transparent blue ripple spread across the pond. Vibrations from their presence traced concentric circles.
Over the rippling water carrying a few maple leaves, the white and red sunlight quietly danced.
As if revealing the emotions of those present.
“Oh my.”
A woman with an exceptional energy wave murmured.
She wore a dark treasured sword and a scarlet silk tunic. Her jet-black hair nearly brushed the scabbard.
Her presence was sharply honed, yet her drooping eyes beside large pupils seemed gentle. The clear spirit of an orthodox martial artist lingered in her.
Little Sword Queen Qu Su-yu.
It was a seat where she and Mount Hua’s Hidden Dragon Yu Hyeon couldn’t help but straighten up. The Mount Hua Sword Saint, renowned across the martial world for decades, was discussing swordsmanship.
Taoist Cheon Ju had once lamented not naming the Azure Flame Slash. He’d jested that countless people would offer sacks of rice for his naming.
Sword discourse was another matter.
Alongside Wudang, Mount Hua was a premier sword sect among orthodox martial lineages. The advice of the Mount Hua Sword Saint held value rivaling relief rice in troubled times.
Even peer supreme masters sought his sword theories. Countless swordsmen of the martial world longed for a single word from him.
Little Sword Queen parted her lips softly. Her eyes widened roundly.
“Should I step away? I came unaware of the Taoist’s intent.”
“No need. When we warriors travel to Yunnan, we rarely do so without Diancang’s aid. As a head disciple and the rightful heir to the Four Sun Sword Technique, if this helps you, it’ll be my gratification. It’s commendable for an orthodox pillar to bond with the Radiant Demon Wing Leader.”
Taoist Cheon Ju spoke in an even tone.
His manner contrasted with his words. Mount Hua swordsmen were often like this. Trained amidst the rugged peaks of West Mountain, they bore a rock-like temperament.
Their perpetually impassive expressions became a hallmark of swordsmen. Yu Hyeon was the exception.
Little Sword Queen smiled faintly.
“Thank you for the generous words. But the Leader and I are already close. We traveled from Sichuan to Xiangyang together and even fought the Heart Martial Alliance’s forces side by side. I received more grace than I gave…”
Her slightly naive smile somehow felt playful. Her gaze had already shifted to the boy.
Jeong Yeon-shin couldn’t find a fitting reply.
It was an awkward context to say thanks, and responding warmly felt embarrassing.
He just stared at her blankly, causing wrinkles to form on Yu Hyeon’s handsome nose ridge as he sat cross-legged beside her.
He seemed to suppress laughter in front of his senior.
Ignoring his same-aged chatty friend, the boy spoke.
“I’m curious about your intent, Taoist. My swordsmanship may be incomplete, but it’s insufficient reason for you to bestow favor on a Desolate Fortress martial artist. Unlike orthodox sects, our fortress isn’t a fellow path of cultivation.”
“Primordial Peace.”
Taoist Cheon Ju recited his title.
“You’ve forged a bond with Yu Hyeon too. Didn’t you save his life twice? The life of Mount Hua’s head disciple, who inherited the Violet Mist Technique, isn’t light. It’s a debt to repay over a lifetime, but since Yu Hyeon’s skills fall short, I’ll repay it instead.”
Then it wasn’t a debt.
The boy decided to ease his mind.
After crafting the Luminous Wheel Technique with Seventh Apostle’s help, he’d grown sensitive to favors and grudges. The martial world was one of grace and enmity.
All fame and prestige stemmed from and concluded with these ties.
Even unorthodox masters found it hard to thrive in the martial world if they repaid kindness with malice. It was a principle ingrained in the era’s spirit.
Now, as the head of Desolate Fortress’s martial force, he couldn’t accept aid from just anyone.
Not even from the most upright lineage of the righteous factions.
To wield his blade fully for the people, he had to minimize anything that might sway his future path.
The same-aged Taoist boy winked. A playful understanding, as if he grasped his situation.
Jeong Yeon-shin nodded slightly and parted his lips.
“I’ll listen closely.”
***
***
“I’ll share a training method too humble to call a teaching. It’s just a small hint, as I said.”
With a faint smile, Taoist Cheon Ju gestured into the air.
Slash!
A formless shockwave extended. An incredibly sharp energy wave grazed a branch and flew.
A pine branch fell from the tree casting a serene shade by the pond. It was long and blunt.
Taoist Cheon Ju gently caught it.
“Our sect leader is a very lenient man. He rarely raises a stick to his disciples. So I did it instead.”
At his words, Yu Hyeon flinched. But no one paid mind.
Jeong Yeon-shin and Little Sword Queen’s gazes fixed on Taoist Cheon Ju’s hand. The way he brushed the rough pine branch was peculiar.
Swish.
With one light stroke, various energy waves flowed. The air-striking vibrations crisscrossed in all directions.
It resembled colorless, scattering sunlight. The techniques sprouting from his grip weren’t limited to one or two.
Yet the thick branch was evenly shaved straight.
His calloused fingertips shaped a narrow sword. A master’s eccentricity.
Taoist Cheon Ju crafted a slim wooden sword from his seat.
It took less than three breaths. Peels dropped between his fingers, piling softly.
“I halted midway from the first move of our Plum Blossom Sword Technique, Plum Blossom Roadside, to the seventh, Plum Blossom Frequent Chaos. It’s a method of swiftly shifting internal energy from the palm to the next technique. I linked the energy stances cyclically.”
He’d shaped the wood with the residual shockwaves from pausing a sword technique mid-execution.
Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes gleamed. He hadn’t known martial training could be so intriguing.
Mount Hua had long been famed as a sword sect. Ancient factions were this unique. Even their training methods stood apart.
Finally, a boyish expression graced the Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s face. Curiosity seemed to spill from his upturned eyes.
Taoist Cheon Ju smiled.
“Embed all your swordsmanship’s intricacies in your hand. No matter how many moves, the bark must peel evenly. Each technique aims differently, so you’ll need countless energy variations to craft a proper wooden sword. You’ve heard tales of masters facing foes with branches snapped off while walking, right? Consider this an extension of that. For shockwaves to carry properly, it needs an edge.”
A training method to master the essence of linked sword techniques. Though he downplayed it, it was clearly a sect secret.
It’d benefit Jeong Yeon-shin, with his unrefined swordsmanship, more than those honing polished arts like Mount Hua’s Plum Blossom Sword Technique.
A gap in linkage would repeat the fate of having his Radiant Sword Style broken by the Law Enforcement Leader.
Even if each move was potent.
“Craft a wooden sword…”
The boy repeated.
Gazing steadily at his junior swordsman, Taoist Cheon Ju asked.
“Want to try?”
“Yes.”
Jeong Yeon-shin nodded readily. A judgment came apart from his upper dantian’s sensitivity.
Without refined linkage, his nameless swordsmanship lacked a unifying spirit, but it would surely be completed at the Alliance.
“Good thing we’ve got an evergreen nearby. Pine’s sturdy but finicky up close. Perfect for honing.”
Taoist Cheon Ju cut another club-like branch. His ever-sharp shockwave grazed the sky again.
This time, Jeong Yeon-shin caught it overhead. The rough texture wrapped his grip. It was very thick.
“Shape a wooden sword cleanly. That’s it. Your techniques will bind into a single form. That’s true swordsmanship. I trust it won’t take you long.”
Listening, Jeong Yeon-shin summoned his energy.
The wheel spun in his heart, and the energy from the Luminous wheel flowed straight to his palm.
Simultaneously, a shockwave lodged in his Laogong acupoint whirled like wind.
The first move of his nameless swordsmanship.
Crack!
The peeling bark felt vivid, but as he gathered the residual shockwave for the second move, the branch crumbled with a crunch.
A small cloud of dust brushed Jeong Yeon-shin’s hand.
Yu Hyeon, beside him, let out a gasp. A soft exclamation followed. So you can fail too!
“Don’t laugh.”
The boy, tasting unfamiliar failure, muttered. It came naturally, despite never befriending peers.
Yu Hyeon’s smile vanished without a trace. Little Sword Queen, watching opposite, exhaled with a hint of laughter.
“Not easy, huh? Even for you. The more refined the moves, the tougher the training.”
“Even shaping a single edge will be hard.”
“Just crafting a wooden sword with a double edge is a high realm. Especially with your techniques. So, aim for a single edge first.”
“Thank you for the guidance.”
At the boy’s clasped salute, Taoist Cheon Ju returned it. Though he spoke informally due to past ties, this was the Radiant Demon Wing Leader.
Regardless of age, he treated him as an equal to the Plum Blossom Swords’ leader.
“It’s a training method too humble to call guidance. But the harder it is, the greater its value when mastered, so advance with this small repayment. Desolate Fortress’s role is more vital than ever. With your prowess, you could save thousands.”
Taoist Cheon Ju spoke gravely.
It wasn’t just about unorthodox foes. The Martial Alliance’s stance was clear.
While orthodox sect immortals remained passive toward worldly affairs, the Alliance, led largely by prestigious families, dreamed of toppling Desolate Fortress.
The martial world should be a realm of free masters.
Prestigious martial families were clans uniting and dispersing on such ground.
They clashed with unorthodox forces to gain fame. When able, they aided commoners to earn chivalrous renown.
In places beyond the world’s gaze, they seized profit through force.
Even when smashing taverns and shrines, they’d cry inviolability from officials while treading above the clouds.
Such a pure ecosystem suited families seeking name, power, and wealth.
But after expelling the Yuan, the Ming Dynasty rose, and martial-powered local clans became more taboo than ever.
Desolate Fortress’s fierce blade silenced the martial world. Public order became the foremost banner.
Martial factions were suppressed. Discontent naturally grew. The Hwangbo Family’s annihilation and Namgung direct line’s extermination sent massive shockwaves.
Enough for martial clans to grow unscrupulous in their self-interest.
Such circumstances.
Jeong Yeon-shin realized this after seeing off the orthodox guests. It was right after crafting a single-edged wooden sword on his second try.
“A wooden sword, huh…!”
Before the pale-faced Taoist boy’s shock faded from his mind, the young Radiant Demon Wing Leader ushered Zhuge Qing-ya inside the gate.
He’d told her to come humbly once the Opening Tournament ended. It was a planned visit.
Now, amid the uproar over the Yan Family’s First Fist falling to the Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s fingertips.
The striking boy Leader and the tense, rigid girl faced each other by the pond.
Brown, rusted pine needles scattered with the dry wind.
Beneath a sky unfurled in vivid indigo, Jeong Yeon-shin, holding a wooden sword downward, asked her purpose.
“Speak.”
At the Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s calm gaze, Zhuge Qing-ya trembled.
Was it from witnessing his duel with Yan Hwa-ryeon? Her small lips, usually sealed indifferently, seemed slightly parched.
She slowly parted them.
“If you hear me out, you’ll need to break through many in a short time. Renowned elite warriors…”
“Speak.”
Suddenly feeling a twinge in his knee, the boy furrowed his brow.
It usually ached at night, but now in daylight too, the familiar pain sparked irritation. Again, I’ll have to adjust my intervals for training.