38 A Sword Discussion
Chu Xianning stood up.
Her body swayed slightly. The spiritual wine brewed by Jiang Huai wasn’t highly potent, but Chu Xianning had a low alcohol tolerance. Of course, with her cultivation level, dispelling the effects of the alcohol would only take an instant. However, if she did that, what would be the point of drinking?
Jiang Huai, out of concern, followed Chu Xianning. He watched as she pushed open the door and returned to her bed to lie down. Jiang Huai grabbed the quilt and gently covered her body. Chu Xianning soon closed her eyes.
“Master?”
Jiang Huai called out, but there was no response.
“Master…?” Jiang Huai called out again, and wicked thoughts began to quietly grow in his heart.
Chu Xianning’s eyes remained closed, as if she were asleep. But her delicate pink lips were slightly parted, as if inviting Jiang Huai to do something bad.
A ‘ding’ sounded in Jiang Huai’s ear.
[Your Master, Chu Xianning, has extremely complex feelings towards you. Initially, she treated you as her own child, but as you grew, your filial piety towards her gradually transformed. How could the intelligent Chu Xianning not detect this? But you are both master and disciple, and somewhat like mother and son. In her panicked state, Chu Xianning arranged a marriage for you with Luo Qingyu, thinking this would sever your affections. She never expected that your cultivation would be crippled and the engagement canceled.]
[Granny Jiuy’s prescription continues to make Chu Xianning troubled and uneasy, unsure whether she should dual cultivate with you to heal your injuries. She once thought of committing suicide after dual cultivating with you, but worried that you would feel guilty then, making her even more uneasy.]
[Now, Master Chu Xianning has gotten thoroughly drunk. You have long coveted Chu Xianning’s delicate pink lips. The kiss last time did not satisfy your greedy heart. Now the opportunity is before you, how can you miss it?]
[Kiss Master’s lips, kiss Master’s cheeks, kiss Master’s clavicle, kiss Master’s fair and tender little feet.]
[Reward: Low-grade Experience Scroll x10, Points x1000.]
Jiang Huai scanned the mission screen before him. For some reason, his heart quietly calmed down. He sat by Chu Xianning’s side, watching her as she slept soundly. After a long, long silence, and once he was sure Chu Xianning was truly asleep, he spoke softly.
“I… can never quite figure out what feelings Master has towards me.”
“But it makes sense. People’s emotions are inherently complex and ever-changing. Ever since I was young, Master has treated me exceptionally well, never letting me suffer any grievances. It’s I who am too greedy, always fantasizing about the day Master would smile upon seeing me and we would grow old together.”
“Perhaps it’s because of me that Master is so uneasy. I always hope that Master actually has a trace of romantic affection for me, and I can’t bear to let go of this fantasy. I know why Master arranged that marriage for me back then. Master has already refused me, and I shouldn’t be pestering her like this.”
“But I always wonder, Master has cultivated the sword for so many years, doesn’t she also feel lonely? I want to stay by Master’s side and not let Master continue to cultivate alone in the cold.”
“Perhaps Master is right, I am a very greedy person. Only when Master truly rejects me will I obediently leave.” Jiang Huai gently brushed the hair from Chu Xianning’s cheek, then carefully adjusted the quilt for her, saying softly, “Sleep well, Master. Good night.”
Jiang Huai stood up and gently extinguished the Firefly Stones in the room for Chu Xianning before walking out.
Inside the room.
Chu Xianning slowly opened her eyes. A hint of helplessness flickered in her cold, clear eyes. She shifted her body, wrapping herself tightly. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and a faint wisp of grievance seemed to well up in her cold, clear gaze. She mumbled very, very softly.
“Little darling.”
…
The next day.
In the misty mountain forest, birds sang merrily.
Jiang Huai got up early and made sweet red bean paste cakes. In two days, Luo Qingyu would be sent back to the sect, so he made more of her favorite foods.
After breakfast, he had to prepare for the Inner Sect Competition today. Jiang Huai arrived at Desolate Sword Mountain. The matches today wouldn’t be held simultaneously; there would only be one match at a time. He had three matches today.
His first opponent was a saber cultivator ranked thirty-seventh in the Inner Sect. He took only fifteen breaths of time.
His second opponent was a sword cultivator ranked twenty-sixth in the Inner Sect. He took twenty-four breaths of time, even though his opponent was at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.
Jiang Huai could clearly sense that more and more disciples were paying attention to him. He pricked up his ears slightly and could vaguely hear rumors from two days ago about him and Luo Qingyu at Medicine Refining Mountain. Tian Xuan Sect was not that large; any sensational event that occurred would spread like ripples from a stone dropped in a lake, becoming known to everyone overnight.
Jiang Huai’s third match made him narrow his eyes slightly and become more serious.
Because his opponent was ranked third in the Inner Sect, the head disciple of Desolate Sword Mountain, Qin Wugou.
Qin Wugou was the only son of the sect leader of Desolate Sword Mountain. He inherited his father’s talent for the Sword Dao. Since childhood, his sword heart was pure and bright. Legend had it that at the age of seventeen, he had completely mastered the Heaven Profound Thirteen Swords.
Several years ago, he had participated in the Eastern Region Grand Competition with Jiang Huai and had achieved a good ranking of eighth.
However, in that year’s Eastern Region Grand Competition, Jiang Huai was the champion, and Luo Qingyu was second. Together, they represented the entire Moon Wave Continent of the Eastern Region, leaving the disciples of the three major sects from other regions of the Eastern Region far behind.
What made Jiang Huai serious was that this fellow had also cultivated the Immaculate Golden Body.
…
“Senior Brother Jiang Huai.” Qin Wugou, dressed in a blue robe, stood on the stage and respectfully saluted Jiang Huai.
“You’re too kind.” Jiang Huai returned the salute and simultaneously sensed his outwardly released cultivation aura: late-stage Foundation Establishment grand perfection, just one step away from Nascent Soul.
Furthermore, Jiang Huai could tell that his Immaculate Golden Body had also reached the seventh level.
There was never a shortage of geniuses in the sect; it was just that in the past, his brilliance had overshadowed too many. Moreover, the Immaculate Golden Body cultivated by Qin Wugou was not the improved version by Jiang Huai; it required enduring pain head-on.
Qin Wugou could see at a glance that there was almost no spiritual energy flowing through Jiang Huai’s body. However, as a fellow cultivator of the Immaculate Golden Body, he also sensed that Jiang Huai’s Immaculate Golden Body was at the same level as his own.
“Senior Brother Jiang Huai is also at the seventh level grand perfection of the Immaculate Golden Body?”
“Yes,” Jiang Huai nodded slightly.
“I would like to have a fair sword discussion with Senior Brother Jiang Huai.” Qin Wugou’s expression was gentle and refined. He took out two Black Iron Swords from his hand, then tapped his body, sealing his acupoints temporarily to prevent any spiritual energy from flowing.
“Alright, then I am taking advantage,” Jiang Huai accepted the Black Iron Sword handed to him.
“The ranking is not important; I just wish to re-experience Senior Brother Jiang Huai’s Heaven Profound Thirteen Swords.” Qin Wugou’s voice was as gentle as a spring breeze.
“Good.”
Jiang Huai remembered Qin Wugou. Qin Wugou was one year younger than him. In past Inner Sect Competitions, they had sparred. Normally, he would ponder the Sword Dao on his own, and when encountering particularly difficult problems, he would come to Jiang Huai for guidance. However, he wasn’t taking advantage of Jiang Huai; each visit, he would bring spirit stones as tuition. Jiang Huai was too embarrassed to accept so many spirit stones from him, so he asked him to occasionally bring him spirit fruits from Desolate Sword Mountain.
After Jiang Huai was injured, Qin Wugou had also come to visit him. Jiang Huai remembered that over the years, Qin Wugou had always been known among people as a gentle and refined elegant gentleman.
Qin Wugou gripped his sword and took a step forward.
Jiang Huai also gripped the hilt of the sword in his hand. In an instant, the cold edge was upon him.
At the age of fifteen, Qin Wugou had comprehended the sword intent that countless sword cultivators dreamed of. Sword intent was mystifying. The sword intent he comprehended, he named it “Weak Water.”
His Heaven Profound Thirteen Swords were also fully integrated with his sword intent. The moves were still the same, but in many subtle details, they appeared more harmonious and natural, like an impenetrable wall. In a trance, Jiang Huai felt as if his sword light was like flowing water, seemingly about to engulf his entire being, making it difficult to breathe.
In Jiang Huai’s understanding, sword intent was one’s own comprehension of the sword after practicing sword moves to the extreme. There were two thresholds for comprehending sword moves: first, having a sword in one’s heart, and second, sufficient power of the soul.
Jiang Huai had also comprehended sword intent early on, even earlier than Qin Wugou. But to his shame, his sword practice was not as diligent as Qin Wugou’s. The time he spent practicing sword each day was at most one-tenth of Qin Wugou’s.
He comprehended sword intent at the age of eight. His master stood before him and formally asked him what his purpose in practicing was.
Jiang Huai’s answer was simple: he just wanted to have a sword in his hand and not be bullied. He sought nothing else beyond that; he would let things take their natural course.
His past life was filled with darkness in his memories. In this life, he could eat and wear warm clothes, and even have the care of a beautiful master. Jiang Huai never dared to hope for too much. At that time, he could never think of a good name for his sword intent. Instead, when he swung his sword, he felt dazed due to his talent, always fearing that his life in this world was like a dream.
After thinking for a while, he named his sword intent “Mirror Flower.”
To this day, everything he had attained could be attributed to good fortune, so he had always been cautious, guarding his own small patch of land and never causing trouble for himself. Sometimes he felt as if all of this was like a mirror flower reflected on water.
Qin Wugou’s sword edge flashed before Jiang Huai, but Jiang Huai blocked each strike. He used the Heaven Profound Thirteen Swords, and Jiang Huai also used the Heaven Profound Thirteen Swords. Countless disciples below watched the two discuss swords using the Heaven Profound Thirteen Swords, from the first move to the thirteenth. Their sword strikes were as resolute as chopping nails and severing iron, without any lingering hesitation. Each time their Black Iron Swords clashed, a shower of sparks would erupt.
Nine out of ten disciples of Tian Xuan Sect had not yet grasped the threshold of the twelfth move of the Heaven Profound Thirteen Swords, but in the hands of Qin Wugou and Jiang Huai, it was already deeply ingrained, as natural as breathing.
The same moves, however, showed different variations due to the level of sword intent. The two discussed swords for the duration of one incense stick, going through all thirteen moves of the Heaven Profound Thirteen Swords. Both took half a step back.
Qin Wugou’s sword edge had touched Jiang Huai once, and the Black Iron Sword left an imprint on Jiang Huai’s Immaculate Golden Body.
Jiang Huai’s sword edge had touched Qin Wugou sixteen times.
“Compared to half a year ago, how much have I improved?” Qin Wugou asked sincerely, without any trace of annoyance.
“I think about fifty percent. Your thirteenth move has many new variations, and your comprehension of sword intent has also improved significantly,” Jiang Huai replied honestly.
“I want to experience Senior Brother Jiang Huai’s ‘Moon Radiance’ again.”
“It’s not good if you get injured.”
“I will unseal the spiritual energy blockade in my acupoints.”
“Good.”
So Qin Wugou took a step back and unsealed the spiritual energy blockade around him, with spiritual energy protecting him. Jiang Huai also tightened his grip on the Black Iron Sword. “Moon Radiance” was the first move of Chu Xianning’s “Silver Radiance.” Chu Xianning’s “Silver Radiance” had a total of three moves, each consisting of a single sword strike.
Legend had it that when “Moon Radiance” was unleashed, only its shadow could be seen, not its form. It was merely that this move pursued extreme speed.
Jiang Huai tightened his grip on the spirit sword, holding his breath. Although there was no spiritual energy, he had practiced this move thousands of times. It was just that without the enhancement of spiritual energy, it was slower than before.
The sword moved, and the shadow followed. The wind rose, and the clouds churned, all within a single instant.
A white glint of a sword edge flashed in Qin Wugou’s eyes. When he looked down again, the sword edge had already cut through his spiritual energy shield. The Black Iron Sword ultimately couldn’t pierce his Immaculate Golden Body. The Black Iron Sword shattered, and his heartbeat seemed to freeze for an instant.
He was stunned for about three to four seconds before finally lowering his head and forcing a bitter smile. “I concede. It seems I still have a long way to go to catch up with Senior Brother Jiang Huai.”
Jiang Huai waved his hand. “No, I’m already crippled. Your path ahead is still long.”
Qin Wugou looked at Jiang Huai’s nonchalant demeanor and said softly, “If only I could have Senior Brother Jiang Huai’s state of mind.”
“Just trying to find joy in hardship.”
Qin Wugou seemed to recall something and lowered his voice. “I had a sword discussion with Li Qiusheng a few days ago. His sword techniques are no inferior to mine. Rumor has it that his father found him many spirit herbs for this Inner Sect Competition. For tomorrow’s match, Senior Brother Jiang Huai must be extra careful.”
“Alright, thank you.” Jiang Huai nodded gently.
