Chapter 219: Sword Trial of the Grandmaster (Part 2)
[It didn't take much effort to track down Jian Chen. After all, players were everywhere. But the place he was at did surprise you—it turned out to be the Sword Festival hosted by the Sword-Worship Villa, the very same place where, in the original story, Bu Jingyun obtained the Peerless Sword. It was said that the Villa Master, Ao Tian, had sent out invitations far and wide to the young sword experts of the martial world, promising that at this Sword Festival, a Peerless Sword that had been forged for a century would finally emerge. The sword was already sentient, and on the day of its completion, it would find its own master.]
[You had no interest in the Peerless Sword itself. In your view, the three feet of steel already in your hand was more than enough. But the fact that Ao Tian hadn't even invited you gave you pause. Was he not afraid you might crash his illegal gathering?]
[As a rather competent imperial hound at the moment, your specialty was showing up in the right place at the wrong time to do the wrong thing in the most "appropriate" way. So, when the Sword Festival was halfway through, you barged onto the scene with a crowd of players in tow: "Six Gates—official investigation!" By now, every player had at least two or three Zhu Baokuns' worth of power, so their shouted declaration carried plenty of force.]
[Someone immediately leaped up to flee the moment you arrived—it was none other than the infamous Flower Thief, Tian Boguang, whom you'd been chasing for some time. Seeing him here made your blood boil. Even this knife-wielding scum of the martial world got an invite, but not you? Facing Tian Boguang, you stopped, made a throwing motion with your sword, and with a clear metallic ring, pinned him dead to the ground. Many present hadn't even seen how you made your move, and now they stared at one another in stunned silence.]
[You glanced around. At least three or four of your former defeated opponents were here—Jian Tan, Zhuo Bufan, and Yuan Chengzhi among them—but they no longer held your interest. Your eyes moved to others in the crowd: besides your target, Jian Chen, there were also Bu Jingyun and Duan Lang. Of these two, aside from Bu Jingyun, the other two just happened to be mission targets. Under everyone's gaze, you pulled your sword from Tian Boguang's body, pointed it at Jian Chen and Duan Lang, and said with a smile, "The two of you can come at me together."]
[You'd long considered Jian Chen your nemesis—his strength was close to that of a hundred Zhu Baokuns. Duan Lang, though wielding the Fire Qilin Sword, was less of a threat to you, perhaps fifty at most. Frankly, you were confident of victory against them both. Jian Chen was a bit stronger than you had expected; word had it his enigmatic sword style came directly from Wuming's true teachings. When his sword thrust forward, it seemed as if all the radiance of the Sword-Worship Villa gathered at its tip—vast, unstoppable.]
[But against such swordsmanship, you could only smile genuinely—because you had already seen through it. The Enigmatic Sword Style was majestic and upright, while Duan Lang's Fire Qilin Swordplay, though fierce, brimmed with demonic aura due to his growing inner demons, making it clash poorly with Jian Chen's style. Exploiting the flaws in their coordination, you unleashed a free-flowing stroke, dazzling sword light filling everyone's vision. Moments later, as the glare faded, Jian Chen and Duan Lang were sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground, their left shoulders pierced clean through, blood gushing.]
[The scene fell silent. You flicked the blood from your sword and sheathed it. In that instant, you sensed a subtle shift in the world itself—your swordsmanship had reached a new height. As if drawn by your powerful sword intent, the Peerless Sword, forged for centuries in the molten lava pool, shot into the sky and sped toward you. You held out your thumb and forefinger, slightly curved, and the sword that so many in the martial world coveted landed neatly in your grasp. But you only smiled, thrust it into the ground, and left it there like discarded scrap. As you'd always said—the three feet of steel in your hand was already enough. You have gained: Basic Swordsmanship (Grandmaster Level).]
[What came next was unexpected—someone in the crowd still dared to challenge you. That man was Xie Xiaofeng, the third young master of the Divine Sword Villa. You accepted without hesitation, agreeing to meet at the Divine Sword Villa in one month, on July 26. You have obtained: Dungeon Summoning Stone – Sword-Worship Villa.]
[July 2, 2023 – The latest Martial Rookie Ranking was released. With your victory over Jian Chen and Duan Lang together, you finally took the top spot. Qiao Feng, having defeated the Tubo National Master, Jiumozhi, overtook Jian Chen for second place. People began to notice your actions, suspecting you were challenging every famous swordsman in the martial world. Who would your next opponent be?]
[July 7, 2023 – You once again visited the Quanzhen Sect. Your nominal master, Qiu Chuji, was fairly well-known for his Big Dipper Sword. After a polite and friendly spar, he was staggering back and covering his face after just seven moves—this only because you deliberately allowed him to show the full set of the Big Dipper Sword.]
[July 9, 2023 – You visited the neighboring Mount Hua and challenged Mu Renqing, the "Divine Sword Immortal Ape," head of the Huashan Sect and a master of swordplay. This time it took you about forty moves to claim victory.]
[July 11, 2023 – You headed straight into Sichuan and defeated the Qingcheng Sect's head, Chang Qingzi. You then commented that Qingcheng's swordsmanship was mediocre, his skill exaggerated far beyond reality—about equal to twenty Zhu Baokuns at best. Soon after, Chang Qingzi fell ill and died in dejection.]
[July 13, 2023 – On the treacherous Sichuan road that even the yellow crane could not fly across, you cut down thirteen sword-wielding experts who tried to block your way.]
[July 18, 2023 – You went to Fuzhou to challenge Lin Yuantu of the Fuwei Escort Agency, whose Seventy-Two Paths Evil-Repelling Sword Art had crippled many famous figures in the martial world. Yet you didn't even need to face all seventy-two moves—by the thirty-sixth, you had already won.]
[July 19, 2023 – You encountered Xue Yiren on the roadside. He was a martial arts giant of the Central Plains, his swordsmanship so exquisite that Chu Xiangshuai was said unable to block even a single strike. This was one of your tougher battles; it wasn't until past the hundredth exchange that you scraped out a narrow victory. Frankly, in pure swordsmanship, he was your superior—unfortunately for him, fights aren't won by sword skill alone.]
[July 26, 2023 – You arrived at Cuiyun Peak, Greenwater Lake, to challenge Xie Xiaofeng of the Divine Sword Villa. His swordsmanship was unmatched, natural and without flaw. On the sheer cliff reaching into the clouds, facing his ultimate move, "Stealing the Sky to Seize the Sword," you managed to win on the seventy-fifth exchange with a sudden "Two-Sleeved Green Serpents," then even offered him pointers.]
[In less than a month, you had defeated twenty sword-wielding masters, including the renowned Xue Yiren and Xie Xiaofeng, shaking the martial world. Many now considered you a once-in-five-hundred-years prodigy of the sword.]
[August 1, 2023 – Upon returning to Luoyang, the first thing you did was challenge Baiyun City's master, Ye Gucheng, who had long been in seclusion there.]
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