Chapter 673: Facing Mr. Bai

Angry Squid

“Alas, it’s hard to explain; you just have to see it for yourself. Senior Brother Zhao, who was at the Golden Core stage, tried to teach that person a lesson out of indignation, but was knocked to the ground by a single sword strike.”

“I heard about it too. That guy only seems to be at the Qi Condensation stage. Do you think it’s possible? He must be an infiltrator from some villain. I reckon he’s up to no good.”

“Hurry up, we’ll miss the match soon.”

Amidst the commotion, Li Fan followed the crowd to a martial arts arena. At the same time, information about this body became clear in his mind. Ji Zhaoxuan, Golden Core cultivation, an inner disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect. He was taciturn, disliked socializing, and was wholly devoted to the Way of the Sword.

“Senior Brother Chen, I accept your concession!”

A pleasant voice made Li Fan’s body tremble violently, instantly bringing him back to his senses. This was because Li Fan was too familiar with the owner of this voice; it was none other than Mister Bai! Li Fan looked in the direction of the voice, only to find that the cultivator speaking had an ordinary appearance, completely different from Mister Bai. However, the aura he inadvertently exuded made Li Fan certain that he was indeed Mister Bai himself!

He must have changed his appearance because his original look was too striking. But what time is it now? Why would he pretend to be an ordinary person and join the Heavenly Sword Sect? Countless questions immediately arose in Li Fan’s mind. Filled with questions, Li Fan continued to look towards the arena.

He saw that Senior Brother Chen, the Golden Core cultivator, after being defeated by Mister Bai, who superficially appeared to be at the Qi Condensation stage, did not show great difficulty in accepting it. Instead, he cupped his hands and said sincerely, “Thank you for your guidance, Senior.” Then, with a hint of joy, he passed by the crowd and disappeared, presumably to enter closed-door cultivation for enlightenment. The cultivators watching the match were in an uproar. They all understood that this “Qi Condensation” cultivator was definitely not as simple as he appeared.

It was then that Li Fan finally noticed something. His gaze was fixed on the wooden sword Mister Bai held in his hand. “This sword…” Li Fan’s heart was instantly filled with immense shock. He quickly asked the senior brothers beside him and learned that when Mister Bai started the match, he didn’t have a suitable weapon. So, he casually picked a branch from a nearby tree and fashioned this wooden sword. Upon hearing this fact, Li Fan was once again plunged into shock.

“There’s no mistake; this wooden sword is the one Shuofeng will wield in the future. A Heavenly Wonder, the Sword! How is this possible? Such a wondrous item was just casually made by Mister Bai? What is his true cultivation level?” This discovery plunged Li Fan’s thoughts into momentary chaos. The Heavenly Wonder Sword is the embodiment of the world’s sword laws. Logically speaking, it could only be conceived with the help of Heaven and Earth’s marvels. But now, in Mister Bai’s hands, it was casually created, like a child’s toy. So, how profound is Mister Bai’s comprehension of the Way of the Sword, and even the principles of Heaven and Earth? This truly exceeded Li Fan’s imagination.

Just as Li Fan was nearly stunned, another Nascent Soul sword cultivator arrived, riding on sword light. He unleashed a set of forty-nine parent-child swords, attacking Mister Bai like a flurry of pear blossoms in a rainstorm. Mister Bai raised his hand and lightly waved his sword. In an instant, all forty-nine parent-child swords turned against each other, falling into disarray. Within moments, the sword cultivator was defeated.

“Did you notice? He’s stronger now than when he faced Senior Brother Chen!”

“He’s definitely hiding his cultivation and toying with us!”

“Now the Head Disciple will have to step forward; I wonder if he’s sober yet.”

Amidst the clamor of the crowd’s discussions, memories of the Heavenly Sword Sect’s Head Disciple instantly surfaced in Li Fan’s mind. The Heavenly Sword Sect’s Head Disciple for ten thousand years. In fact, his seniority was even higher than the current Sect Master’s. However, he was naturally lazy, disliked managing affairs, and only loved drinking. Thus, using the flimsy excuse that he was “the eternal senior brother to all junior disciples,” he had continuously held the title of “Head Disciple.” His name was Situ Yao.

Back then, Head Disciple Situ Yao was renowned as the strongest fighter in the world. This drew many belligerent cultivators who came to challenge him. Greatly annoyed, Situ Yao acquired two large stones from an unknown source and placed them at the mountain gate. With his sword, he carved two lines of large characters on them: “Idlers, Stop” and “Challengers, Cease Hostilities,” respectively. It is said that after carving the words, Situ Yao heartily drank a pot of fine wine on the spot and burst into laughter, saying that things would be peaceful from then on. As expected, from then on, most challengers couldn’t even bypass the restrictions of the two giant stones at the entrance. Instantly realizing the vast power gap between them, they could only leave dejectedly.

“Hiss, it seems this Situ Yao is also an extraordinary figure.” Years later, Li Fan, who had once seen these colossal stones that had transformed into Heaven and Earth’s marvels, couldn’t help but think this. “However, it was clear that compared to Mister Bai, he still had a considerable gap in power. One was merely a human marvel, while the other had reached the realm of a heavenly marvel… It was truly inconceivable.” Situ Yao’s legendary status further shrouded Mister Bai in a veil of mystery.

At this moment, Mister Bai, whose strength was unfathomable, accepted all challenges from the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples. He defeated them all with just a single move. The defeated Heavenly Sword Sect cultivators were not annoyed; instead, each one was delighted, seeming to have gained much from the “sparring.” Understanding that this was a rare opportunity, the disciples eagerly prepared to try their luck. Li Fan’s heart stirred, and he finally seized the opportunity, stepping before Mister Bai ahead of the other disciples.

Even though he could regard all beings in the Xuanhuang Realm as nothing, in front of the profoundly mysterious Mister Bai, Li Fan still felt a slight tension in his heart. Because this entry into the Fallen Immortal Realm was in possession mode, he couldn’t use his divine abilities. Taking a deep breath, Li Fan recalled the cultivation method Ji Zhaoxuan practiced. It was an obscure method of condensing spiritual energy into swords. However, one method leads to a hundred. Using the Qi sword as a foundation, he could unleash part of the power of the Heaven-Shattering Heart Sword divine ability that Li Fan had comprehended.

“Please guide me, Mister.” Li Fan said in a deep voice.

The next moment, as his thoughts churned, several sword intents imbued with dark malevolent aura suddenly appeared around Mister Bai. The dark swords let out a prolonged cry, seemingly intent on slicing Mister Bai into countless pieces.

“Not bad. The concept is good, but can your heart truly be one with the sword?”

Just as the dark swords were about to strike Mister Bai, they suddenly froze, suspended in mid-air. For some unknown reason, time came to a standstill. In Li Fan’s ears, he faintly heard Mister Bai’s pleasant words. “If you treat the sword as a tool, the sword will likewise treat you as a tool.” Like a bolt of lightning tearing through the mist, countless inspirations flashed in Li Fan’s mind. Innumerable possible derivations of the Heaven-Shattering Heart Sword appeared before Li Fan simultaneously, making Li Fan feel dazzled and unsure of which to choose.