Shi Lang was dissolving. Every attack that was headed his way was resolved with great ease. He did not say anything to the young lady who aimed to kill him. The killing intention in her heart was triggered by the grief she held so tightly.
Shi Lang furrowed his brows and decided to teach this woman a lesson. He took half a step forward, and the entire flow of battle changed. Shi Lang would deflect the attack coming at him and smack Wen Lengxue with the side of his blade. His speed was impeccable, and his moves were decisive.
After a few attacks, he began to call out, “Left knee, right shoulder, shoulder blades…”
These were not random body parts but the targets whom he attacked. Wen Lengxue was so busy attacking him that she avoided blocking him. Shi Lang raised his brow and held the wooden sword in his right hand. He placed his left hand behind the back, and the punishment continued.
After ten minutes, Wen Lengxue was covered with bruises. The people could see her wrists and fair nape covered with blue marks and could not help but scold Shi Lang. They acknowledged his prowess, but this was too inhumane.
Shi Lang flashed, and with a stabbing attack, he disarmed Wen Lengxue. He did not let her sword fall on the ground and caught hold of it. He said, “You are not worthy of holding a sword. The sword inside you is broken, am I right?”
Wen Lengxue finally could not help and fell to her knees as she began to cry. The crowd was surprised to see what happened. Shi Lang sighed and said, “Why do you blame yourself? Because he died? But did you ever think, if you had not inspired him to improve himself and leave the sect to train, how could he have saved those people? How could he become a true immortal?”
Wen Lengxue looked at him, and Shi Lang said, “Go and ask the people he saved. He lives in their heart. They will never forget him; you are immortal as long as your mark remains. Isn’t that what we all have been aiming for, Senior Sister Wen?
The ultimate truth of Dao is simple. All life originates from Dao, and they all go back to it. We all are Dao, and Dao is us. Humans are given emotions so that they can learn to value peace. That is Dao. I ask you, are you at peace?”
Wen Lengxue gazed at him, and tears trickled down her cheeks. Shi Lang sighed and said, “Let go of the broken sword and reforge it. Make it stronger than what it was before. The sword is not just a weapon. It is the essence of your thoughts. It stands with you facing all the odds that are against you. Give up the fear.
Individuality does not need the acknowledgment of the people around you. You do what you need to do, and they do what they need to do.”
Shi Lang flicked the sword and extended its hilt toward Wen Lengxue. The girl was still crying, and his words had dug so deep into her heart that she could not explain them in words. Her grief was pouring out, and she could not stop it.
Shi Lang saw that the girl did not take the sword from his hand and said, “I will keep your sword with me. Come and take it when you have decided to respect it.”
That said, he bowed toward the elders and took a step back. Mei Lingyao said in a sonorous tone, “Shi Lang wins.”
Although the result was announced, none of the people cheered. They were still thinking about the doubts in their hearts. Shi Lang had provoked the thoughts they all had been ignoring.
𝒐𝚟𝔩xt.𝗇𝓔t
Mei Lingyao wanted to say something when she stopped. She sensed a gradual climb in the aura around the Arena. Elder Jian stood up and said, “This young man has given everyone some insights into what a sword is. The level of our sword peak has risen again.”
All the elders stood up from their seats and nodded. They did not expect this young man to be so wise. This event was worthy of going down in the annuls of the Sword Peak. Mei Lingyao said, “Xiao Lang, you may leave.”
Shi Lang nodded and left the platform after casting a prolonged gaze at Wen Lengxue and said, “If you manage to stand up again, you will be an undefined empress in the way of the sword. Whether you want to achieve it or not, that’s your call.”
…
Shi Lang turned around and left the Arena. He knew nothing like the stakes the older people and senior disciples set. The people were too busy dealing with the aftermath.
Elder Ji had taken Wen Lengxue to her house and left her to deal with things at her own pace. This process could not be rushed, and after the contest ended, Shi Lang retreated into seclusion.
The core disciples wanted to visit him, but Mei Lingyao told them not to disturb him. She could sense some movement in the courtyard. Shi Lang was not in a rush to advance his cultivation, but he focused on advancing his sword technique.
The peak master glanced at the moon and sighed, thinking about the future of two talents. One morning, Shi Lang came to find her. He met her in the garden and said, “Peak Master, is there a place where I can find Lightning?”
He was unfamiliar with the surroundings, and it was time to exceed his spirit cultivation. Mei Lingyao was surprised and asked, “Xiao Lang, do you intend to refine lightning?”
The terran nodded, and the lady sighed. She said, “The only way for you to do that is to visit the sect’s forbidden region.”
Shi Lang asked, “Teacher, what is this forbidden region you speak of?”
Mei Lingyao replied, “There are many such regions in the sect territory. You will get to know them when the time is right. As for now, during the outer sect contest, Xiao Xue staked her quota for the spirit pool at Zhou Leiyang. Since you defeated him, the quota belongs to you. How about this? I can get you seven days in the lightning valley. Would that suffice?”
She was testing Shi Lang, but the terran replied, “I will make the best of these seven days, Teacher. I appreciate your grace.”
Mei Lingyao shook her head and said, “You won this. Come along with me.”
The two had just come out of the courtyard when they met the four core disciples. Shi Lang greeted them, and they greeted Mei Lingyao.
Disciple Ping stepped up and asked, “Peak Master, can we accompany you both? We hope to learn something from Brother Shi.”
Mei Lingyao smiled and said, “Fine, take him to the lightning valley, but do not disturb him, and you are not allowed to enter the lightning range.”
The disciples agreed readily, and they flew away on their spirit swords. In a nearby courtyard, Wen Lengxue heard this but did not react. She had been dwelling over that match battle for the past two months. From start to end, Shi Lang dominated her, and in the end, he even took away her sword.
She had lost fairly and accepted the defeat fairly too. When she was thinking about the point of her life, a gentle string of notes fell on her ears, transporting her to a time when she was just a child.
She recalled how her father used to teach her sword arts from an age when she was barely even able to walk. Her father did not come from the mainline of the family and was neglected, yet his skill gained him a good reputation. One day her father was defeated in the clan competition and renounced for harboring evil intentions. The clan was so cruel that they chopped off his sword hand.
She recalled how her father learned everything from scratch and trained his left hand. His attainments in the sword were passed onto her, and when she was selected in the sect, the clan came back to look for her father, who then challenged the man who defeated him. He took back his honor and drew a line with the clan.
Wen Lengxue dreamt of becoming like her father; thus, she would fight with all the talented people she met. However, after defeating her senior brother, when she found out about his death, she realized that she was acting more like that clan member and not her father.
Just when she was about to fall over to the darkness, a voice sounded in her head, “Xiao Xue, your father reforged his sword, then why can’t you? You are not omnipotent to be able to save them all, but you must charge forward with the same will as your father did. make sure you become strong to protect those you care about.”