Chapter 102 Too Righteous "After the defeat, choosing to end his life... can be considered as a kind of alternative reunion for the family of the Lord of Dongyi City." Hearing the faint whispers of the crowd, Si Gu Jian turned his gaze to Li Chengze, sighed softly and said, "Boss Li, I'll borrow your land for a while. This matter needs to be resolved." Li Chengze responded readily: "Please do as you wish!" The moment he got the permission, Shadow was filled with uncontrollable excitement. He gently clenched his right hand, and the sword that had fallen to the ground seemed to be pulled back by an invisible hand. His figure flashed, leaving a series of blurry shadows, and his speed was so fast that it was shocking. "Oh my god, this speed!" "Although his swordsmanship is not top-notch, his body movements are absolutely extraordinary!" "However, facing Si Gu Jian, who is at the level of a sword master, it may be difficult to escape the bad luck with just physical skills..." "Not necessarily. Si Gu Jian is missing an arm, so his strength is inevitably affected. The outcome is hard to predict!" Si Gu Jian slowly stepped into the specially vacated arena and looked at Shadow calmly: "You can start now. I'll give you three chances to draw your sword."
"After three sword strikes, if you cannot defeat me, it will be the end of you." Seeing this, Xu Fengnian couldn't help but be confused: "Old Huang, why did this assassin insist on dying when he knew it was hopeless?" Jian Jiuhuang shook his head and sighed: "It's probably driven by the desire for revenge. Besides, if he misses this opportunity, it will be even harder for him to find such an opportunity." Xu Fengnian asked: "Why do you say that?" Jian Jiuhuang smiled bitterly and explained, "This may be related to me. After fighting with me, Si Gu Jian seemed to have some sudden enlightenment, and his swordsmanship reached a higher level. I tried to point out his deviations in killing, thinking that it would shake his swordsmanship, but it made his swordsmanship more pure and clear. The swordsmanship concept he just expounded is the best proof of this." "If my guess is correct, he has already abandoned his ego, and his killing method has reached perfection..." Hearing this, Xu Fengnian nodded thoughtfully, secretly marveling at the profoundness and subtlety of the martial arts world, and couldn't help but sigh: "How interesting!" However, he then thought with a little regret: "It's just that the battle is too fast. If it can be slowed down a bit, maybe I can appreciate the mystery more clearly." Just as his thoughts were drifting away, the shadow finally launched an attack. His figure flickered in and out of the field, shuttling back and forth at high speed like a ghost, leaving behind a series of dazzling afterimages. As the long sword was swung, it intertwined with the light, emitting colorful lights, which was both a test and a way to find the opponent's flaws by constantly changing positions. However, facing all this, Si Gu Jian just stood there casually, the empty sleeve of his right arm gently swaying in the surging Qi around him. That posture seemed to be full of flaws, but in fact it was flawless, making Shadow hard to grasp. Seeing this, Li Chengze couldn't help but sigh: "Shadow, I'm afraid he will lose." Wanwan chuckled and said, "His personality is incompatible with the way of an assassin. Yang Xuyan's body movements and swordsmanship are just a forced coat for him. Gang leader, you may have misjudged him." Li Chengze was stunned when he heard this, and asked in confusion: "Is there such a distinction between personality and martial arts?" Wanwan explained, "Everyone can practice the righteous martial arts, but the holy martial arts are different. They take shortcuts, do not follow common sense, and do not restrain emotions. Look at that shadow, he uses the magic body skills as if they were righteous martial arts, and the magic sword skills have become a child's play. He has justice in his heart. With such a mentality, he is lucky not to go astray when practicing the holy martial arts." As soon as these words came out, Li Chengze suddenly realized that the way of cultivation, in addition to skills, also needs to be in harmony with the mind in order to exert the greatest power. Li Chengze was stunned for a moment, and secretly agreed with what Wanwan said. When he was thinking deeply, the situation on the field suddenly changed. Shadow couldn't resist the temptation to fight with Si Gu Jian. He held the sword tightly and quietly attacked Si Gu Jian from behind. Every step revealed his extreme caution and precise timing. If this was a strategic test, he would undoubtedly win applause. However, at this decisive moment, there were still three phantoms in front of Si Gu Jian, enough to confuse the sight of any mortal. But for Si Gu Jian, these were just insignificant tricks. As a master of the peak of the killing path, his perception of danger was like instinct. Almost at the moment when Shadow's sword tip was about to touch, Si Gu Jian turned his left hand into a sword, and a sharp sword energy shot out, accurately brushing Shadow's right shoulder, leaving a tiny wound and exclamations from the whole audience. Frightened, Shadow once again displayed his amazing skills, his figure flashed and disappeared into thin air. "There are still two chances for sword strikes!" Si Gu Jian's voice echoed in the empty space with unquestionable majesty. Ye Liuyun stroked his beard, smiled, and whispered to himself: "If it were me, I would definitely choose to retreat at this moment. After all, life has infinite possibilities."
Upon hearing this, Ku He looked deep in his eyes and retorted, "That's why you are not a true swordsman. The way of the sword is to strike with no regrets, to see one's true nature, and every sword strike is a pursuit of self and the way." The brief conversation between the two seemed to reveal some truth about the world of sword cultivation, causing everyone present to fall into deep thought. "Retreat is not the way of a swordsman. If the swordsman's heart is covered with dust, the swordsmanship will be difficult to achieve." Si Gu Jian's words are concise and profound. Even Ku He, who has never delved deeply into the way of swordsmanship, can feel the profound philosophy from them. In the world of swordsmen, swords and victory or defeat often surpass the weight of life. Facing the shadow who tried to hide again and try to find a chance to escape, Si Gu Jian calmly reminded: “Although your body movement is wonderful, it is like a passing cloud to me. Don’t let your obsession mislead you.” After saying that, he slowly closed his eyes, and a vast and boundless sword intent instantly filled the entire arena, as if even the air was solidified by this sword intent. The hidden shadow was forced to reveal itself under the pressure of the sword intent, with an expression of unwillingness and struggle on its face. The sword in his hand was buzzing with energy, but he was unable to determine the direction of the attack. After many years of being an assassin, he was used to waiting for the best opportunity and looking for the fleeting flaw. However, facing Si Gu Jian, who had already reached perfection, all the flaws seemed to disappear, and he fell into unprecedented confusion and chaos. Shadow was filled with resentment, and the tragic scene of his family's death kept replaying in his mind. It was an indelible nightmare in his heart that accompanied him for countless days and nights. He has simulated countless times in his dreams how to take revenge and how to end the life of his enemy with a sword, but every attempt has ended in failure. This time, he still cannot escape this cycle, but the difference is that this failure will no longer be the end of the dream, but a cruel test of reality. The humming sound of the sword echoed in the quiet air, as if it was a reflection of Shadow's inner struggle and unwillingness. He knew that the gap between him and Si Gu Jian could not be made up by skills. However, the hatred and desire for revenge buried deep in his heart made him unable to give up easily. (End of this chapter)