Duan Ziyi stared with burning eyes at the figure of Su Hongzhen holding that wooden sword.
Innate Sword Intent!
That afternoon, when his own son, who spent his days causing trouble outside, had stumbled back to the sword manor looking utterly defeated and described the conflict at this Moxu Inn, Duan Ziyi had quickly made a judgment.
The other party had at least one cultivator at the Qi Sea Realm or above stationed there; there was no need for him to go against them.
Moreover, Duan Ziyi was well aware of exactly what kind of scoundrel his good-for-nothing son was.
Even though Duan Tai’s description had downplayed things significantly, Duan Ziyi could still tell that it was definitely this brat who had started the trouble.
There was no help for it. Since the other party was also a Qi Sea Realm cultivator, he might as well bring his son to apologize in person.
After all, as the esteemed Manor Lord of Fuliulin Willow Sword Manor, he still had to handle matters with some dignity.
But there was one thing that made Duan Ziyi extremely uncomfortable.
Although his son had an eccentric personality, his talent in both swordsmanship and cultivation was in no way inferior to his own.
One could even say that among the younger generation around Moxu Mountain, he was one of the most gifted cultivators.
If you replaced the subject “cultivator” with “swordsman,” then you could even drop the “one of.”
Duan Tai lost, and lost badly?
No, this was a direct slap to the face of Fuliulin Willow Sword Manor.
It was precisely because of this that Duan Ziyi had demanded Su Hongzhen and Duan Tai fight again.
And now, Duan Ziyi was completely and utterly convinced.
If you have Innate Sword Intent, what more is there for me to say?
Just let you beat my son up and be done with it!
Yet as he gazed at the figure of the young boy in gray daoist robes, a sense of admiration for talent naturally arose in Duan Ziyi’s heart.
That was Innate Sword Intent, after all!
If he could be taken into Fuliulin Willow Sword Manor as a disciple...
Thinking of this, Duan Ziyi immediately showed an impractical, relieved smile and shook his head.
What was he thinking?
How could someone with Innate Sword Intent be content to stay in a small place like Moxu Mountain?
A phoenix was destined to be a phoenix, unable to flock with sparrows.
Innate Sword Intent, even if placed among the Five Great Sects, would be treated as talent that must be nurtured and revered.
Feeling stunned at this wasn’t just limited to the people of Fuliulin Willow Sword Manor.
Zhou Jinyun was the same.
However, Chen Yan’s heart remained completely calm, even though this was the first time he had seen Little Su display Innate Sword Intent.
But he had always felt that no matter how freakish Little Su’s talent turned out to be, it was completely within reason.
This was a monster who, within a thousand years, had already touched the threshold of a realm above Ascending to Immortality.
Compared to a waste like himself, who could never break through to the Martial Spring Realm no matter how much he cultivated, there was simply no comparison.
“Awe-inspiring youth! Your swordsmanship talent, little friend, is truly something that I, Duan, can only look up to and never reach.”
Duan Ziyi made another bow, but this time, the direction of his bow was toward Su Hongzhen.
“Senior, you flatter me too much!”
Su Hongzhen imitated the gesture and returned the bow respectfully.
This young boy, just thirteen and a half years old, had already been by Chen Yan’s side for several months.
He had become well-versed in the daily etiquette and social interactions among cultivators through constant exposure.
“My son losing to you, little friend, is no disgrace at all. In fact, being able to cross swords with you is even his honor.”
Duan Ziyi said.
“With that, we will no longer disturb you all. Farewell!”
With these words, he prepared to lead the group of swordsmen from Fuliulin Willow Sword Manor out of the courtyard of the Moxu Inn.
But just as these swordsmen were about to leave, the Sword Holder of the sword manor, Wang Yuzhe, who had been following behind Duan Ziyi, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He turned around and bowed first toward Chen Yan, then toward Su Hongzhen.
“Please, allow me to say something. I began practicing the sword at the age of six, and it has now been twenty-nine years. I consider myself, across the entire Moxu Mountain, to be the most obsessed with the way of the sword.
“Today, seeing little friend’s Innate Sword Intent, I truly cannot bear to let this opportunity slip by. I humbly request that little friend do me the honor of sparring with me, so that I may witness for myself what sword intent truly is.”
Wang Yuzhe’s attitude was extremely sincere.
Su Hongzhen tilted his head slightly and cast his gaze upon Chen Yan.
It seemed as if he wanted Chen Yan to decide what he should do now.
“This is your own matter.”
Chen Yan only said this.
Among everyone present, Su Hongzhen was honestly the most confused.
The Manor Lord of Fuliulin Willow Sword Manor had appeared at this Moxu Inn with a large group of people, making quite the spectacle. He then had his own son apologize to him. Up until that point, Little Su could still understand what was happening.
Then he was told to fight that Young Manor Lord again.
It came out of nowhere; he was forced into the battle.
But just as he drew his sword, an inexplicable, mysterious sensation had appeared in Su Hongzhen’s heart.
And then, by the time Little Su snapped back to reality, the sparring match was over.
The Young Manor Lord’s sword was broken.
Then a bunch of people stood there, staring at him in shock, muttering something about “Innate Sword Intent.”
What was Innate Sword Intent?
Little Su simply didn’t understand.
Now, after he had defeated the Young Manor Lord, another person inexplicably wanted to spar with him.
And his attitude was extremely sincere.
In that case...
“Alright.”
Su Hongzhen nodded, accepting Wang Yuzhe’s request. Holding his wooden sword, he stepped forward once more.
“Thank you, little friend, for granting my wish.”
Wang Yuzhe’s face lit up with joy, and he continued.
“I am at the peak of the Martial Spring Realm. In terms of cultivation level, I am indeed far ahead of little friend. Therefore, for this sparring match, the two of us will only compare swordsmanship, and will not use true qi.”
“No problem.”
Su Hongzhen agreed.
No sooner had the words fallen than Wang Yuzhe drew a wooden sword. With a graceful flourish, he twirled the blade around his wrist and immediately launched an attack toward Su Hongzhen.
Although neither of them used true qi, Wang Yuzhe still held a significant advantage in this sparring match.
As a cultivator at the Martial Spring Realm, tempered by true qi, Wang Yuzhe’s physical strength far surpassed that of Su Hongzhen, who was only at the initial stage of the Qi Circulation Realm.
In addition, Wang Yuzhe’s height, arm span, and other physical conditions were far superior to those of the thirteen-year-old Little Su.
His swordsmanship, honed over nearly thirty years, was also extremely skilled.
In the blink of an eye, he had thrust over ten consecutive strikes at Su Hongzhen’s face and body.
Even so, Little Su merely followed the trajectory of Wang Yuzhe’s thrusts, retreating several steps back.
The sword tip seemed to land on Little Su’s face, to land on his body.
But every single strike was still off by a hair’s breadth.
Even while crossing major realms in a sparring match with a cultivator at the peak of the Martial Spring Realm, Su Hongzhen could still manage distance control to the extreme.
And this kind of distance control also meant that Su Hongzhen could launch a counterattack at any moment—
The sound of the blade cutting through the air rang out.