HSSB114: Big Dipper Sword VS Big Dipper Sword!
As Zhao Ming looked at Lu Wen, his gaze flickered with a complicated look.
In the Eastern Tang, he was the number one prodigy, possessing outstanding talent whilst also completely devoted to the martial dao, being superior to all his other brothers in that area.
Being able to enter Broad Creed Mountain, put on the blue robe of an elite disciple and be looked upon highly by the clan as a target for grooming was itself already an affirmation of his ability.
However, the Lu Wen before him, whilst of a similar age to him, had a cultivation base that was not just a bit higher than his own.
For Zhao Ming, being able to reach the mid outer aura Martial Scholar realm at his age was already a rare thing.
However, Lu Wen had long been in the late outer aura Martial Scholar realm.
The difference between the two was just like how Lu Wen’s blue robe was additionally also black-bordered.
While the Yan Zhaoge beside him, was even more shockingly talented. Before leaving the Mountain previously, he had still been a late inner aura Martial Scholar. Having returned now, he had actually already completely surpassed him, Zhao Ming, having stepped into the late outer aura Martial Scholar realm!
This kind of levelling speed could no longer be termed as shocking, but rather terrifying.
At this, Zhao Ming completely couldn’t birth any feelings of jealousy at all; only envy remained.
Seeing the Lu Wen who had just arrived, Zhao Ming said neither saltily nor mildly, “Thank you senior apprentice-brother Lu for your pointers.”
The competition between Fang Zhun and Yan Di was something that Zhao Ming was also aware of.
Something of such a high level was not something he could partake in, but to him, which side he should walk closer with completely wasn’t an existing choice at all.
Of the Heaven’s favoured sons of Broad Creed Mountain’s younger generation, the relationship between Lu Wen and Yan Zhaoge had all along also been antagonistic; Zhao Ming knew this full well.
“If you don’t cultivate in any other martial arts at all, focusing specifically on the Big Dipper Sword for ten years, perhaps you would be qualified to feed me moves,” With a glance at Yan Zhaoge, Zhao Ming recalled how in a competition in the Big Dipper Sword that year, after having won, Lu Wen had left behind these words, antagonising this Brother of his till he forsook the Big Dipper Sword, switching over to his self-created Coiling Dragon Sleeve.
Yan Zhaoge looked calmly at Lu Wen. This was a tall, handsome youth, a faint arrogance and confidence emanating from between his eyebrows.
As a Heaven’s favoured son of Broad Creed Mountain’s younger generation who eclipsed all of his similarly-aged peers, Lu Wen had this basis and qualification.
Especially…Yan Zhaoge’s line of vision fell towards Lu Wen’s head.
“Oh, you’ve stepped into the Xiantian Martial Scholar realm. Congratulations, congratulations,” Raising his brows, Yan Zhaoge said carelessly.
Hearing his words, Zhao Ming was stunned for a moment, his expression turning grave as he carefully felt with his heart rather than purely looking with his eyes.
Indeed, above Lu Wen’s head there seemed to be a faint spiritual glow, piercing straight into the heavens, visible at times whilst invisible at others.
“He’s really stepped into the Xiantian!” Zhao Ming’s gaze hardened; that was the spiritual glow of communing with the heavens and the earth, implying that a martial practitioner had already awoken the tiniest bit of spirituality in their martial arts and their body’s aura-qi, establishing a connection with the heavens and the earth.
When that spiritual glow was fully solidified to the point of being clearly visible to the naked eye, it would mean that a martial practitioner had reached the peak of the Heavenly Connection stage, heaven and human becoming one.
Xiantian Martial Scholars could control whether or not their spiritual glow was visible to the outside world. At this moment, Lu Wen had evidently not done so, clearly laying it out for all to see.
Yan Zhaoge chuckled.
The Qilin Spring Baptism was something that Lu Wen had also long had his eyes on; after all, the chances for it were limited.
Now, there was still a single chance left, which Lu Wen could still contest for. Otherwise, he would probably become even more depressed.
However, the fewer the chances remaining, the more care the clan’s higher-ups would take in making a decision. If Lu Wen wanted it, the difficulty would also correspondingly increase.
As Lu Wen entered, his gaze similarly fell on Yan Zhaoge.
His joy of having successfully stepped into the Xiantian stage had disappeared without a trace not long after leaving seclusion.
In less than a year’s time, Yan Zhaoge had, from the late inner aura Martial Scholar realm, soared all the way up to the late outer aura Martial Scholar realm. Such a speed left him wide-eyed and tongue-tied.
If not for him having successfully broken through this time, Yan Zhaoge’s cultivation level would actually even have caught up to his.
What caused him even greater shock was the fact that Chao Yuanlong and Xiao Shen had met consecutive defeats at Yan Zhaoge’s hands, the latter even having been directly slain.
While others didn’t understand how strong Xiao Shen was, Lu Wen couldn’t be clearer about it. Of Broad Creed Mountain and the Sacred Sun Clan, of their age category, he and Xiao Shen, two similarly extraordinarily remarkable figures, had begun competing long ago in their youth all the way up till now, almost ten years having already passed since then.
While he couldn’t do anything to Xiao Shen, Xiao Shen also couldn’t do anything to him.
This time, Lu Wen had successfully stepped into the Xiantian Martial Scholar realm, leading Xiao Shen by a step.
But such an opponent had been killed by the even younger Yan Zhaoge in a one versus one fight.
How could Lu Wen not feel shocked to the point of even his soul being shaken at this?
Yan Di and Fang Zhun of the previous generation were competing; within their younger generation, how would there not exist competition as well?
News regarding Yan Zhaoge that left all gaping dazedly had been transmitted over time and time again. If not for Lu Wen’s will being strong enough, he felt like his mind would have directly fallen into chaos, losing all will to compete.
Him having left seclusion and stepped into the Xiantian Martial Scholar realm a step before Xiao Shen should originally have led to much reverberation within the internal division of the clan, as a cause of celebration for all its disciples.
But looking at it now, it all seemed like a joke.
It was to the point where Lu Wen even hoped that no one would inquire about or mention it.
The Qilin Spring Baptism which had originally surely been his for the taking now also appeared fleeting and unpredictable before his eyes.
“I must also congratulate you, junior apprentice-brother Yan, for stepping into…the late outer aura Martial Scholar realm,” Looking at Yan Zhaoge, Lu Wen said slowly.
Yan Zhaoge smiled, before he suddenly said, “Drawn on paper lines always seem faint; when known for sure a bow forthcomes.”
Lu Wen’s gaze hardened as he looked at Yan Zhaoge, who only smiled mildly, “Writing about troops on paper, speaking empty words; these do not have much use. Some things cannot be fully understood without actually having been experienced by oneself.”
“Oh? So you’re saying that I can only speak empty words?” Lu Wen strode forward, coming before Yan Zhaoge, “Anything else I’m fine with, but in the art of the Big Dipper Sword, I consider myself to be an authority, within the Martial Scholar realm.”
Yan Zhaoge’s performance in the Eastern Tang had been too utterly dominating that when the news had been transmitted back to the clan, it had inevitably seemed rather unbelievable to all.
If Shi Tie had not verified it, there would really be quite a number of people who would believe Yan Zhaoge to be falsely blowing things out of proportion.
Although he too felt it to be unbelievable, Lu Wen had still chosen to believe that all that had really transpired. And it was also precisely because of that that he felt immense pressure weighing down upon him.
On one hand, from an emotional standpoint, Yan Zhaoge who was younger than himself and he had never gotten along with before making such a soaring leap in his cultivation to look to be coming to surpass him caused Lu Wen to want to prove himself.
On the other hand, from a rational standpoint, unless it was absolutely necessary, Lu Wen actually wanted to stay quietly by the side and observe for changes, not wanting to have a direct clash with Yan Zhaoge first.
However, anything else perhaps might not be fine, but if it was contesting in the Big Dipper Sword, Lu Wen held absolute confidence.
Not just members of the younger generation; even if the Heavenly Connection stage and the late Xiantian stage martial practitioners were all counted in, amongst Broad Creed Mountain’s Martial Scholars, he was the absolute first in the Big Dipper Sword!
It was even to the point that some Martial Grandmaster experts, even though their executed Big Dipper Swords were more powerful, were only superior due to the suppression of realms. In terms of attainment in the Big Dipper Sword alone, they were actually also inferior to him, Lu Wen.
That year, it was precisely because of how much he had suppressed this youth before him that in a fit of anger, the latter had forsaken the Big Dipper Sword and switched to creating his own sword art.
In this domain, he had definite confidence to cause a setback for Yan Zhaoge, whose fame currently resounded throughout the Mountain.
“Since you say so, actions speak louder than words; since the two of us have both cultivated in the Big Dipper Sword, let’s perform a demonstration for junior apprentice-brother Zhao,” Smiling, Yan Zhaoge didn’t say anything further, directly raising his hand with his index and middle fingers formed into a sword, striking towards Lu Wen’s face.
Lu Wen raised his brows slightly, “Well struck.”
Also substituting a sword with his fingers, executing the same Big Dipper Sword, he met Yan Zhaoge’s fingers.
The two did not draw on their aura-qi, competing in pure swordplay alone.
Even so, the Zhao Ming by the side could only feel that in the third floor of the Martial Repository before him, streams of light suddenly shone as the seven stars converged!
“The seven stars worshipping the north is indeed the basis of the Big Dipper Sword, with no variations ever departing from this,” Yan Zhaoge said casually to Zhao Ming, “Occupying the position of the North Star is crucial to the Big Dipper Sword.”
“However, how do you occupy that position? Your enemies are also not wooden puppets, sitting back and allowing you to do as you please. Especially opponents who are familiar with our clan’s Big Dipper Sword-they will contest for that position with you, or perhaps force you away from it…”
As he said this, Yan Zhaoge strode forward, and, as the sword shadows flashed, directly forced Lu Wen back a step.
Zhao Ming’s eyes shone, knowing that this was precisely Yan Zhaoge having occupied the position of the North Star, thus gaining the advantage!
With a low snort, Lu Wen similarly varied his swordplay, his figure shifting as he forced Yan Zhaoge back once more.
Yan Zhaoge, however, seemed not to mind as he continued, “Then, at this time, what should be done?”