“If that’s truly the case, then a Disciple should conceal his talents even more,” Qing Feng said, his fingertip tracing the cloud patterns on the sword sheath. “Foundation Establishment grants two hundred years of life, Golden Core five hundred. There’s more than enough time to temper my Sword Heart until it is clear before venturing out.”
“Nonsense!” The Dao Lord’s sword qi surged around him. “The Way of the Sword is the king of all weapons; how can it be attained through secluded contemplation?” Before his words finished, a three-foot Qing Feng sword pierced through the air, landing three inches in front of Qing Feng’s feet.
Qing Feng gazed at the trembling sword, then suddenly smiled. “Has Shibo ever heard of the concept of a Heart Sword?”
The moment his palm covered the sword hilt, his entire demeanor changed, as if a banished immortal had descended to the mortal realm. The sword tip traced out flowing clouds and pine shadows. “Please guide Shibo.”
Dao Lord Zisu’s eyes flashed with a strange light. She casually broke off a branch as a sword. “I want to see if your Natural Sword Dao can withstand three of my moves.”
On the sword platform, two figures stood at opposite ends. Qing Feng was the first to hold his sword horizontally across his chest, performing a standard junior’s bow.
Although this basic sword form lacked sharpness, it subtly conveyed respect. It was originally a junior’s custom when seeking guidance from an elder, as there was no reason for Dao Lord Zisu, with her seventh-grade Reversion to Void cultivation, to make the first move.
The old man in green robes had eyes as deep as an abyss. When he saw the sword tip presented, his brows furrowed slightly.
The seemingly proper opening stance appeared full of flaws in his eyes, lacking any killing intent, like a silver needle played with by a maiden in her boudoir.
Immediately, his sword moved to the center, also performing the ‘Welcoming Pine’ stance. As the sword light flowed, it created a myriad of phenomena, a world of difference from Qing Feng’s soft sword posture.
As soon as the two Qing Feng swords touched, Dao Lord Zisu’s sword light was like a falcon chasing a rabbit, instantly suppressing the opponent’s sword path and striking directly at the throat.
Qin Yue, who was watching the battle, held her breath, her slender fingers unconsciously gripping the sword hilt at her waist.
Yet, Qing Feng’s sword spine trembled slightly, and at the critical moment, he parried the killing blow, then countered with a back-slash like an antelope hanging its horn.
A sharp glint burst forth in the old man’s eyes. Although he deliberately suppressed his cultivation, a Reversion to Void realm expert’s every move naturally aligned with the celestial dao. It was already difficult for an ordinary Disciple to withstand three moves.
Now, Qing Feng not only resolved the crisis but also managed to counterattack, which piqued his interest.
The sword moved with his heart, and the ninth-grade Prairie Fire Sword Technique unfolded with a roar. In an instant, the sword platform transformed into a sea of fire, and scorching sword qi carried the momentum of burning the heavens.
What was astonishing was that Qing Feng countered with the same sword form. Two crimson sword lights intertwined and surged, the clash of metal sounding like a sudden downpour hitting jade.
After a hundred moves, Qin Yue was already dazzled. She had always prided herself on her swordsmanship, but only now did she realize that the so-called Grandmaster realm possessed such a myriad of phenomena.
What stirred her even more was when her Martial Brother, with whom she spent every day, had achieved such mastery?
Dao Lord Zisu’s sword momentum grew increasingly fierce.
He had been immersed in the Way of the Sword for over a thousand years, having long reached the realm of returning to simplicity. In terms of the subtlety of moves alone, he indeed had few rivals within the Beast Taming Sect.
But Qing Feng, before him, seemed to inherently understand sword principles, always creating surprising moves in desperate situations, which gave him a sense of delight, as if he had met a worthy opponent.
Amidst the fluttering purple robes, the two figures had already engaged in over a hundred rounds of intense combat.
The more Dao Lord Zisu fought, the more startled he became. His Reversion to Void realm cultivation actually couldn't suppress this Foundation Establishment realm Disciple.
The Qing Feng sword in Qing Feng’s hand was like a living thing, always anticipating her sword path changes, forcing her to switch to the Rushing Thunder Sword Art.
Instantly, the might of a thousand thunders enveloped everything, and the electric light bursting from the sword tip scorched deep marks into the bluestone ground.
“Clang!” The deafening sound of metal clashing reverberated.
Qing Feng’s sword spine accurately struck the opponent’s sword body seven inches from the hilt. Dao Lord Zisu’s tiger’s mouth felt slightly numb, and her sword momentum instantly froze.
Qing Feng retracted his sword and retreated half a step, the tear in his robe, ripped open by sword qi, still smoking. “Why doesn’t Shibo use the true legacy of Zhijian Peak? Mixing various sword styles like this seems like tying your own hands.”
Qin Yue, who was watching, her pupils constricted. She knew best Qing Feng’s mastery in sword move deconstruction. This freak could break down her three months of hard practice of the Twelve Rushing Thunder Forms into 360 variations and carve them into her dreams.
At this moment, his seemingly humble stance actually sealed off all angles of attack.
“Watch closely!” Dao Lord Zisu let out a clear shout, and the qi around her suddenly solidified.
As the sword tip flowed, it seemed to resonate with heaven and earth. The sword momentum, though slowly extended, made it impossible to evade.
Qin Yue covered her red lips. This was precisely the Selfless Sword Intent with which she had once wounded a cross-realm enemy, but when wielded by a seventh-grade Reversion to Void expert, it had reached the realm of “Heaven and Earth Working Together.”
Instead of retreating, Qing Feng advanced, his sword light surging three inches. The moment the two sword intents collided, the void actually rippled like water.
He twisted his body half an inch in a bizarre manner, letting the opponent’s sword tip graze past his Adam’s apple, while his own sword tip pressed against Dao Lord Zisu’s vital point on the side of her neck.
The Reversion to Void realm protective qi instantly erupted, forcing Qing Feng back seven steps, dragging two deep marks on the bluestone slab.
“Thank you for the lesson,” Qing Feng performed a sword flourish, returning his sword to its sheath. A trickle of blood slowly seeped from his neck. If it had been a life-and-death struggle just now, this injury should have appeared on Dao Lord Zisu’s body.
Shen Ti stared, his pupils trembling, at the center of the training ground. Of the two who had sparred with ordinary iron and wooden swords, one was a Tribulation Dao Lord who had presided over Qingming Peak for over seven hundred years, and the other was merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator who had just come of age. Yet, at this moment, they had decided the victor by sword forms.
Dao Lord Zisu held the sword hilt, uncharacteristically lost in thought. He had deliberately suppressed his heaven-reaching cultivation and sword intent, only engaging the junior with the most unadorned sword moves.
The lingering warmth on the bronze sword hilt burned his palm. That move, “Lone Swan Beyond the Clouds,” had clearly been thoroughly broken by Qing Feng’s “Stars Hanging Over the Plains.”
“Sword forms can be copied, but a Sword Heart is hard to forge; the Way of the Sword is boundless.” The Dao Lord gazed at the lingering sword qi traces on Qing Feng’s robe. When the frosty blade rose again, its spine glowed with a faint, clear radiance. “Let this Dao Lord see your sword bone.”
Qing Feng’s tiger’s mouth, gripping the sword, felt faintly numb. This Shibo, who oversaw discipline, was actually activating his sword intent in front of everyone, clearly embarrassed by his recent defeat.
Two ordinary iron blades collided, sparking flying embers. Qing Feng instantly entered a state of supreme detachment, frost and snow gradually thickening in his eyes.
A hundred streaks of cold light flashed by, and the bronze sword finally flew out of his hand, embedding itself in the bluestone. Several strands of Qing Feng’s fringe were cut off by the sword qi, but his eyes sparkled with starlight. “Shibo’s Grand Righteous Sword Intent, this Disciple has learned much.”
“Learned much?” Dao Lord Zisu stroked the sword, the dragon’s roar-like tremor not yet subsided. “When this Dao Lord first glimpsed the path, I couldn’t last ten moves under Master’s sword.” His wide crane cloak sleeves moved without wind, and three thousand green bamboo outside the training ground bent in response.
Qing Feng picked up his sword and returned it to its sheath. His eyes shifted, returning to his usual lazy demeanor. “Shibo’s sword is like the moon reflected in a thousand rivers; this Disciple is but a firefly’s glow…”
“Noisy!” The Dao Lord lightly tapped the stone platform with his sword sheath, and cracks spread like a tortoise shell. “Ten years is the deadline. If you don’t reach Golden Core, you’ll enter the Sword Mound with me for secluded cultivation.”
Then he suddenly fixed his gaze on the jade pendant at Qing Feng’s waist. “A prodigy should have the ambition to break through the clouds. Don’t be like those rotten woods wasting time.”
Qing Feng bowed deeply, hiding the smile at the corner of his lips. Ten years to form a Golden Core? Three years would be enough.
Dao Lord Zisu flicked his sleeve. “Even if you deliberately conceal your sharpness, a bright pearl is ultimately hard to hide. If you encounter any difficult matters, feel free to come find me. You saved Qin Yue, which also resolved a dilemma in my Dao Heart.” With that, his fingertip brushed the jade token at his waist, a faint spiritual light flowing.
Qing Feng cupped his hands and bowed. “There is indeed something I wish to entrust. I hope Shibo will attribute the achievement of saving her to your Disciples and not mention this junior’s name.”
“Agreed,” Zisu nodded in assent, his sleeve not moving an inch.
