“Hmm? Yue Yao?”
Ye Feng was browsing through the system's emotion values when he suddenly came across an interesting name, causing him to ponder.
“Butterfly Effect?”
In his memory, Yue Yao shouldn't have appeared at the Sword Testing Assembly.
As he was lost in thought, the melodious sound of the qin abruptly ceased…
On the high platform.
Luo Yanlu pushed the long qin forward, sending it flying towards a middle-aged man. The man extended his hand, drawing a sword from beneath the qin. With a casual swing, sword energy surged forth like waves…
It was a qin-sword!
After sheathing the sword back under the qin with a casual flick of his wrist, the middle-aged man plucked a string, his voice resounding with grandeur: “Is there any hero who wishes to claim it?”
Only after his words did the crowd shift their gazes towards the man, their expressions filled with astonishment.
“It’s him!”
“The Master of the renowned Sword Mountain Villa, Wei Ting Lu!”
“Unbelievable, he actually brought his sword this year!”
“He’s already forged six Cloud-grade swords!”
“…”
Numerous martial artists from the Jianghu exclaimed in unison, suddenly understanding why the usually hospitable Master of the Sword Mountain Villa had been absent for so long. It turned out that the final Cloud-grade sword was forged by him!
“This is the last Cloud-grade sword Wei will ever forge in his lifetime.”
Wei Ting Lu took three steps forward and declared in a loud voice: “Unless a Heavenly Palace Sword emerges, this will be the last sword Wei will ever forge in his lifetime.”
“The sword’s name is Long Ge!”
“A magnificent sword!”
Wen Hu Jiu exclaimed in admiration, his gaze involuntarily shifting towards the direction of Wushuang City: “Wushuang City really came prepared. They actually wanted the Master of the Sword Mountain Villa, Wei Ting Lu’s, final Cloud-grade sword!”
“Long Ge is indeed a fine sword.”
Elder Cheng Yu, however, sighed lightly, and no one from Wushuang City rose to their feet.
This behavior left the many Jianghu swordsmen present stunned, their faces etched with puzzlement.
“You’re not going to take it?”
Seeing no one stepping onto the platform, Lei Meng Sha couldn’t help but nudge Luo Xuan with his elbow: “A sword forged by Master Wei is much better than ordinary Cloud-grade swords!”
“No.”
Luo Xuan smiled and said: “After witnessing the prowess of young Master Ye's sword, my journey here has yielded enough for me.”
“I think a wooden sword is pretty good, actually.”
Wang Yi Xing also declined to go up to the platform.
“As the saying goes, the sword itself has no grade; it’s the wielder who determines its worth. Is that not the meaning behind it?”
Wen Hu Jiu looked at the young swordsmith, recalling what he had said before: “But now that the final Cloud-grade sword has been unveiled, why haven’t we seen your sword?”
“Just watch, Mr. Wen…”
The young swordsmith shrugged, his expression inscrutable as he said with a smile: “Perhaps I truly am just a humble sword servant.”
“I see…”
After a brief moment of thought, Wen Hu Jiu understood the answer and simply smiled, saying nothing.
At that moment.
The first swordsman finally stepped onto the platform. After bowing respectfully, he drew his long sword: “I come to claim the sword!”
“The carvings on that scabbard…”
“He’s the heir of the Shadow Sect!”
“Unbelievable, even the heir of the Shadow Sect is here this time. Looks like we’re out of luck!”
“…”
Seeing the heir of the Shadow Sect ascend to the platform, many Jianghu swordsmen gave up on their pursuit of the last sword, with only a handful stepping onto the platform to make an attempt. However, they were swiftly defeated and knocked off the platform within a few moves.
“It seems this Long Ge sword is yours.”
Wei Ting Lu chuckled.
The heir of the Shadow Sect did not immediately take the sword, but instead fixed his gaze on the direction of Wushuang City: “They truly have no intention of claiming the sword?”
“They seek something else…”
Wei Ting Lu’s smile remained unchanged. Just as the heir of the Shadow Sect was about to take the sword, a sudden voice echoed from above: “Wait!”
The crowd looked up at the sound, only to see a young man in a white robe, with a head full of white hair, soaring through the air like a swift swallow, darting in from the outer perimeter before landing gracefully on the high platform. With a swing of his long sword, he declared: “I will take the sword!”
At a glance, Wei Ting Lu noticed that the sword in the white-haired man's hand seemed to be carved from jade, its surface shimmering with light. Regardless of its sharpness, its appearance was undeniably exquisite.
“What a beautiful sword!”
Wei Ting Lu couldn’t help but exclaim: “Young Master, you already possess such a beautiful sword, yet you still wish to claim Long Ge. Are you not being a tad greedy?”
“I wish to present this sword to my lady. She excels at playing the qin, and this qin-sword, Long Ge, would be perfect for her, wouldn't it?”
The white-haired man said candidly.
“I am Song Chen, heir of the Shadow Sect. May I inquire about your name?”
The heir of the Shadow Sect glanced at the beautiful sword in the white-haired man's hand, then bowed his head and asked.
“Bai Fa Xian, from beyond the heavens!”
Bai Fa Xian raised the beautiful sword in his hand and said proudly: “Draw your sword!”
As the words left his lips, the sword moved.
Song Chen's feet moved rapidly, as the Shadow Sect sword technique prioritized footwork above all else, with the sword coming in second.
If the Shadow Sect steps were practiced to their pinnacle, a single person could appear as three, and a single sword could seemingly become three. Song Chen clearly mastered this technique, and with his swift movements, three shadows flickered around Bai Fa Xian.
“Amazing.”
Bai Fa Xian showered praise upon him, his face devoid of any sign of panic. He spun the beautiful sword in his hand, intercepting Song Chen's fatal strike.
He spun it again, blocking a strike from behind. With a final spin, he parried the sword that Song Chen had brought down from above.
Song Chen's sword was fast, so fast that the swordsmen below couldn't even see it clearly.
But Bai Fa Xian's sword was slow, elegant, and always able to deflect Song Chen's attacks at precisely the right moment.
“Rise.”
Bai Fa Xian leaped suddenly, his robe billowing behind him as Wang Yi Xing sighed, shaking his head: “It’s over.”
“Fall!”
Bai Fa Xian's beautiful sword descended, and with a ‘clang’, the two long swords clashed. Song Chen's sword fell directly to the ground…
Bai Fa Xian then landed gracefully, one hand gripping Song Chen's throat. With disdain, he said: “A sword is a sword, light footwork is light footwork. Using light footwork to play with swordsmanship is low-class!”
“The sword has fallen, so the outcome is decided.”
Wei Ting Lu spoke slowly: “Young Master, please release him…”
“What if I don’t?”
A slight smile curved Bai Fa Xian's lips: “If I hadn't been able to dodge that last strike, I would have been the one lying dead!”
“Bai Fa, let go, don’t cause trouble for your lady!”
An individual clad in purple appeared beside the platform at an unknown time and whispered a sentence. Immediately, Bai Fa Xian released his grip, allowing Song Chen to leave with a disgruntled expression.
“Please take the sword.”
Seeing that no one else was stepping onto the platform, Wei Ting Lu gestured with his hand as if asking permission.
Bai Fa Xian picked up the qin-sword, and after leaping off the platform, he did not leave immediately. Instead, he bowed slightly towards Wen Hu Jiu's table: “Young Master Ye, I yield.”
He knew that if Ye Feng had made a move, he would have had no chance.
“Young Master is being too kind…”
Before Ye Feng could respond, the young swordsmith, who had been standing by their table, said with a smile: “Young Master Ye has set his sights on the Heavenly Palace, so naturally, he wouldn't compete with you for this qin-sword, Long Ge…”
Upon hearing this.
Bai Fa Xian and his companions felt a surge of respect, but it made sense. With Ye Feng's sword intent and swordsmanship, only Heavenly Palace swords could match his prowess!
“You’re thinking too much.”
“A sword is not a beauty. Why would I need so many?”
After taking a sip of wine, Ye Feng replied in all seriousness: “Even if it were a beauty, having too many would be too much for my body to handle!”
？？？！
‘Pfft’…
Wen Hu Jiu choked on his wine, unable to hold it back as he sprayed Bai Li Dong Jun all over the head: “What are you babbling about…”
“There are children here!”
“Uncle, I’m not a child anymore…”
Bai Li Dong Jun felt the wetness on his head and shook his head. He glanced at the young Daoist beside Wang Yi Xing, grinned, and said: “He’s the one…”
“Hmph!”
The young Daoist looked sullen, his voice mature beyond his years as he said: “It’s just those things between men and women. I understand the principles of cultivating one's essence and nurturing one's spirit!”
Hiss？！
Even the strong individuals present couldn't help but gasp in surprise, their gazes changing as they looked at Wang Yi Xing:
“What kind of Daoist teachings do you impart at the Wang Cheng Mountain?”
Wang Yi Xing: “ (??д?)？！”
No, that's not what Ye Shao Xia said, is it?
【Ding! 100 emotion points received from Wang Yi Xing!】
【Reminder: Host has acquired 100,000 emotion points. Do you wish to exchange for a ‘Fuyuan Pojing Dan’?】
…