Divine Sword Manor.
An old man, his hair streaked with white but his posture as straight as a sword, stood quietly before Greenwater Lake. In his eyes, it seemed, he was recalling everything that had passed.
Yet, the sharp, piercing glint within his gaze burned with a fiery intensity, showing not a trace of decline.
"Brother Yan! In that battle of the past, you could have won!"
"But to prevent the Fifteen Deadly Swords from harming the martial world, you ultimately chose to turn your blade upon yourself, ending that uncontrollable strike."
Xie Xiaofeng felt the pill suddenly appear in his palm. His expression remained unchanged. He shook his head slightly, sighed softly, and his gaze was particularly complex.
The Thirteen Deadly Swords was Yan Shisan's family sword technique.
It was already a high-grade, earth-rank martial art.
However!
After comprehending the Fourteen Deadly Swords and the Fifteen Deadly Swords, the value of that sword technique was almost comparable to a saint-rank, low-grade divine skill.
Even now, when Xie Xiaofeng recalled the death-dealing sword, which was like a venomous dragon, incredibly brilliant, and capable of obliterating everything in the world, he still felt a lingering fear.
Even now, if he could use a few superficial aspects of the Fifteen Swords, he was already shocked!
That sword had absolutely surpassed the scope of heaven-rank martial arts!
At that time, Xie Xiaofeng was utterly defenseless against Yan Shisan's Fifteen Deadly Swords.
Even now, Xie Xiaofeng hadn't forgotten the aura of death that had enveloped him.
It was because of that battle!
His most respected opponent had ultimately chosen to sacrifice his own life to seal the sword that represented death.
Thinking of this, Xie Xiaofeng couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.
Fallen leaves drifted down slowly from all around.
Even on the surface of Green Water Lake, there were many yellowing leaves.
Xie Xiaofeng's eyes were calm, but his aura was extremely enigmatic, as if he had merged with the autumn scenery of the earth.
It exuded a bone-deep coldness and weariness, yet was also accompanied by a palpable killing intent.
"However, in the current world of swords, the emergence of Bai Yujing of the Eternal Sword and Ren Piaomiao is truly something that commands my respect," he said.
"And then there's Yuwen Tuo, who wields the Xuanyuan Sword!"
"If one cannot break through to the Land Immortal realm, they are simply not qualified to cross swords with these three."
Xie Xiaofeng stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes sharp as he spoke.
Nowadays, his only pursuit was the way of the sword.
Nothing else mattered!
Especially when he thought of the scene five years ago, when Bai Yujing came to challenge him.
A single move of the Myriad Gods Calamity possessed overwhelming power, capable of burying even gods.
Back then, the opponent's cultivation was only at the late stage of the Heavenly Human Realm.
Yet, Xie Xiaofeng, who held the absolute advantage, was defeated in a single move.
From that moment on, he understood just how terrifying Bai Yujing, one of the two sword world paragons alongside Ren Piaomiao, truly was.
He was absolutely no less formidable than Yuwen Tuo, who, as a youth, had already shaken the world and was nearly invincible.
"Only by breaking through to the Land Immortal realm can I fight Bai Yujing again!"
"And Ren Piaomiao, who could be mentioned in the same breath as him, is also hailed as the number one swordsman in the world."
"He must also be a terrifying swordsman!"
"This era has birthed two unbelievable swordplay legends; it truly makes one shudder in awe!"
Xie Xiaofeng sighed softly, his eyes filled with a sense of loss.
He, the former Third Young Master, had been defeated so utterly.
The news, once spread throughout the martial world, would undoubtedly cause an uproar, a wave of disbelief!
The Sui Dynasty, Lingnan!
"Mere Earth-grade martial arts, how can they compare to my personally created Eight Formulas of Heavenly Saber?"
Song Que sneered, completely disregarding the divine skill in his mind.
But deep down, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment.
After all, the Water Immortal Saber's ranking was too low!
If he could have made it into the top ten, the rewards would have likely been very helpful to him.
At this moment, Song Que stood before the Whetstone Hall, his gaze gradually sharpening.
He turned and looked at the dozen or so names carved into the whetstone!
Each name belonged to an opponent that Song Que believed was worthy of a battle.
They were also the figures he would challenge in the future.
And at the very top of the whetstone, three names, boldly etched with iron strokes and silver hooks, exuded a captivating sharpness!
Eternal Sword Bai Yujing!
Ren Piaomiao, the master of Huanzhu Tower!
Yuwen Tuo, the Grand Tutor of the nation!
Each of them was a legend in the world of swordsmanship.
Moreover!
They were all peerless geniuses on the path of martial arts!
These three were Song Que's most valued opponents.
As for the next line…
Still the overlords of the martial world!
Li Chenzhou, the leader of the Power Gang!
Ning Daoqi, the lone cultivator!
Xiongba of the Tianxia Society!
Dugu Sword Saint of Wushuang City…
Each one was a standout in the Heavenly Human Realm!
All were opponents worthy of Song Que's full effort!
Compared to the three names at the very top of the Whetstone Hall.
His strength had reached a point of despair!
The figures ranked on the second layer were the opponents Song Que was currently preparing to challenge.
He intended to use this to break into the Land Immortal realm!
If he couldn't reach that realm, he shouldn't even dream of comparing himself to those three.
"I've recently gained a faint understanding of the ninth form of the Eight Formulas of Heavenly Saber. Once I can completely deduce this move, Ning Daoqi won't be a match for me," Song Que said confidently, his gaze fixed on the Golden Ranking.
Once he had completely surpassed those on the second layer of the Whetstone Hall, he could officially launch his challenge against the three swordplay legends.
...
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