Chapter 353: You Cut the Stream, I Nurture the Intention

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**The Beacon Fire Incident**

His cleverness became his undoing.

Xu Fengnian had originally relied on a mystical artifact to erase his tracks, returning to the Rouran Mountains. He figured that even if it wasn't a permanent solution, any pursuing army from Tibing Mountain would certainly be led on a wild goose chase by the Vermilion Robe Nascent Soul. Little did he know, Fifth He had already set a trap for him, like waiting for a rabbit by a tree stump. They say the most dangerous place is the safest—what a load of rubbish! As Xu Fengnian stood up, the artifact hung upside down from a tree like a giant crimson bat. Xu Beizhi also sensed trouble and instinctively threw his satchel to Xu Fengnian. As he did so, Xu Beizhi saw over a dozen elite cavalrymen gallop to the downstream section of the creek. They were less than twenty zhang apart, a distance too close even for a weak bow's powerful shot.

Living off the land, the Rouran Mountains were rich in iron ore, and the five major military garrisons were famous for their heavy armored cavalry, enjoying high renown in the Beiman Royal Court. Among these dozen riders, only the leading man, an imposing figure in a relaxed purple robe, carried a broad, black-sheathed saber unlike a typical barbarian knife. The rest of his retinue, both men and horses, were clad in heavy armor. Despite there being no clear path for warhorses in the forest, these cavalrymen galloped swiftly, yet the sound they produced was, to Xu Beizhi, negligible. Xu Fengnian noticed a black pigeon perched on the back of the saber-wielding man's hand and frowned.

Xu Fengnian knew about the Rouran Mountains' specialized carrier pigeons. The one on the man's hand was a "Six-Year Slave" from the Rouran Mountains, nicknamed "Azure Eye." Unlike most carrier pigeons, these Azure Eyes only reached maturity after three years, with six years being their peak for message delivery. Their burst speed and long-distance endurance were top-notch, and their homing instinct was exceptional. However, Xu Fengnian was a notorious dandy who had trained eagles and fought dogs, so he was quite familiar with pigeons. Moreover, having suffered greatly from Tuoba Chunjun's hunting in the grasslands, he had been extremely cautious during his escape, meticulously checking the sky for any eagles, falcons, or carrier pigeons before daring to return to the Rouran Mountains.

This Beiman warlord, past middle age, who simultaneously commanded Tibing Mountain and a military garrison, possessed the typical features of a Beiman man, though his attire was closer to that of a Southern Dynasty remnant. He casually rested one hand on his black-sheathed saber, made of black python skin, with a cord attached to its sheath and a tassel of golden silk at the end. It was Fifth He, the Lord of Tibing Mountain, who had been observing Xu Fengnian. Seeing the young man, who was slowly putting on a long sword, glance at the carrier pigeon, Fifth He twitched his lips. Understanding, he subtly shook his arm, and the "Six-Year Slave" took flight, but after rising to the height of the accompanying knights' heads, it abruptly stopped, then descended, hovering three feet from the ground before disappearing into the forest like an arrow. Xu Fengnian smiled; without Fifth He needing to explain, he understood the trick: the "Six-Year Slave" was special because it could fly low to the ground.

Fifth He, legendary for once saving the life of the Beiman Empress, spoke, his gaze fixed on Xu Fengnian. "I had already agreed to another fight with you. Why did you leave without a word?"

Xu Fengnian replied on her behalf, "If you can't beat someone, then don't fight. It's unseemly for a woman to be engaged in such bloody combat."

Facing such a roguish remark, Fifth He didn't get angry; he merely chuckled softly. "The Arc-character Spear of the Beiliang King, Wang Xiu, is a life-or-death spear art that thrives when one is pushed to the brink. Where else would she find such a good target as me? But coming back to it, the reason I didn't kill her in our first encounter was because I knew the Spear Immortal Wang Xiu had a daughter in her youth. It's a pity that this young woman only showed four or five tenths of the Arc-character Spear's essence. I wanted to fight her again to see it all before deciding her fate. After all, Tibing Mountain isn't some tavern or teahouse; you want to leave? It's not that easy. But now, more than experiencing the Arc-character Spear, I'm more curious about which Beiliang sect you, young man, are a 'crossing-river dragon' from? To use your Central Plains jianghu slang, how about we exchange a few moves?"

Xu Fengnian looked troubled. "You, esteemed elder, are the revered Lord of Tibing Mountain and a famous senior in the jianghu. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for you to pick a fight with an unknown junior like me?"

Fifth He loosened his grip on his saber's sheath, clasped his hands on his horse's back, and lightly tapped the back of his hand with a finger. He shook his head and said, "It has always been the new waves pushing the old. If we were to go by age and seniority, everyone could just hide like a turtle and only come out to show off when they're a hundred years old."

Xu Fengnian laughed. "Lord, your words are amusing. I regret that we didn't meet sooner, indeed."

Fifth He said, somewhat helplessly, "You say you won't fight me, so can you please put those three ancient swords back into their sheaths? Their sword qi is considerable. If you've decided to fight me, just say so. Otherwise, when I make my move, you won't even know how you died."

Xu Fengnian shook his head and chuckled, "No fighting, no fighting."

Fifth He clearly sensed the fierce sword qi emanating from the three unsheathed swords. He sneered, "Your demeanor is quite similar to someone named Dong, whom I detest the most in this life. But I only have one daughter to marry off, who acts as a 'death-exemption token.' Your luck is clearly much worse."

Xu Fengnian maintained his provoking expression. "No worries. You're still hale and hearty, old man, no need to rush into a fight with me. Just go back up the mountain and give birth to another pretty daughter, and I'll come find her in eighteen years."

Azure Bird wanted to laugh but didn't, struggling to hold it in. She tightened her grip on the end of her spear, realizing that killing was indeed more liberating.

Fifth He threw his head back and laughed heartily, his eyes then turning extremely grim. "Truly a mischievous monkey cut from the same cloth."

Fifth He's mount suddenly buckled on all fours, its entire spine snapping. A purple blur shot up, instantly hovering before Xu Fengnian, bringing a saber down towards his head.

The saber was named Dragon Tendon. After the Beiman Empress ascended the throne, she rewarded her meritorious subjects, and Fifth He was personally bestowed this renowned saber, symbolizing the foremost warrior of the Imperial Court. Even the battle-hardened Military God Tuoba Pusa had never received such an honor.

Xu Fengnian dared not be complacent. His Great Huangting cultivation surged to its peak, and his Spring Autumn Sword hovered above his head. He had initially intended to use the three ancient swords obtained from the Qin Emperor's Mausoleum to perform a "Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao" maneuver. However, before the three short swords, hidden for eight hundred years and finally seeing the light of day, could reach Fifth He, the Dragon Tendon saber in the Tibing Mountain Lord's hand destabilized Xu Fengnian's qi flow. The three flying swords noticeably paused. Indeed, they had an unfortunate master whose sword dao was far from mastery, and encountering such a top-tier opponent was even more unfortunate. The soil by the creek was already unstable; under a single saber strike, Xu Fengnian, holding the Spring Autumn Sword, sank a full foot into the ground. Fifth He spun in mid-air, and the Dragon Tendon grazed the Spring Autumn Sword's edge by three inches, pulling Xu Fengnian sideways and sending him flying.

Soil erupted and splattered beneath Xu Fengnian's feet. After his feet were pulled from the ground, he flew back and adhered to a large tree. Retreating, the three ancient Qin swords did not futilely attack Fifth He. Instead, Xu Fengnian flicked his fingers, embedding them into three surrounding branches, thus, along with his Spring Autumn Sword, completing a formation covering the four cardinal directions. Distracting himself to control swords was completely out of the question; Xu Fengnian knew that fighting Fifth He while distracted was tantamount to suicide. He only hoped that if any sword left his hand, he could quickly replace it with another as a weapon. His personal soft armor could not withstand a cleave from the Dragon Tendon saber; even if it didn't kill him instantly, severe injury would be no different from death.

After his saber strike, Fifth He's aura suddenly condensed. As expected of a powerful figure worthy of looking down upon the Beiman jianghu, Fifth He intended to play cat and mouse. He was not in a hurry to pursue, remaining rooted to his spot, and sneered, "You have some petty cleverness. Don't just rely on small tricks, or you'll disappoint me greatly."

With the battle truly begun, life and death hung in the balance, and Xu Fengnian no longer had the leisure for verbal banter.

The only masters Xu Fengnian truly respected were probably the old man in sheepskin and Old Huang. Neither of them were swordsmen who would lecture others with grand principles when they had the upper hand, nor would they be stubbornly arrogant when at a disadvantage. One matter, one sword! Fighting desperately while uttering nonsense like "the weather's nice today," or musing about life—what kind of wishy-washy behavior was that? What were they doing before? Xu Fengnian's breath flowed evenly. He no longer greedily tried to control multiple swords after the Spring Autumn Sword. Purple qi swirled around it, extending a foot past its tip. Since ancient times, martial arts competitions have adhered to the rule that "a shorter inch is a riskier inch." For example, Li Chungang once performed the feat of a sword immortal, launching thousands of flying swords from Great Snow Peak. Yet, the old Sword God himself had earnestly warned Xu Fengnian, who loved grand displays, that such methods were acceptable as a shortcut to cultivate sword intent, or to scare laymen, but utterly useless against equally matched mortal enemies. Li Chungang bluntly gave two clear examples: within ten feet, he was confident he could use his "Two-Sleeve Green Snake" technique to kill any master who hadn't reached the Land Immortal realm. Even Qi Xuanzhen, a reincarnation of Ancestor Lü, wouldn't dare let Wang Xianzhi get close enough for a full-power punch. However, once distance was created, as long as one entered the First-Grade realm, anyone could fight with countless tricks. True life-and-death struggles, however, often saw the outcome decided within a few close-quarters rounds. When the old man in sheepskin last taught sword dao, after raising his arm and sword, he said that "Sword Opening Heavenly Gate" might seem majestic, but it was merely "three feet of green blade, three feet of qi." Only with such a foundation could Li Chungang proudly claim, "I can open the Heavenly Gate and slay immortals."

Xu Fengnian's insistence on advancing rather than retreating perfectly suited Fifth He's intentions. The Lord of Tibing Mountain, who hadn't enjoyed a satisfying kill in years, feared that the young man would simply flee erratically, which would make killing him with the Dragon Tendon saber uninteresting. Furthermore, the fascination of the jianghu lay in the fact that even super-elite martial artists, no matter how profound their realm, could always learn from others, refining various techniques into their own. This was especially true for top experts like Fifth He, who had almost reached a "fixed state"; they had undoubtedly read every secret manual imaginable and killed everyone they needed to kill. What they truly needed were brilliant youngsters who could bring a rare flash of insight. Some geniuses, whose grand paths were yet undecided, might still be far from martial arts mastery, but often possessed elusive and profound moves like "an antelope hanging its horns." Fifth He was waiting for such a pleasant surprise, and clearly, this scholarly swordsman had indeed made him look at him in a new light.

His sword momentum and sword qi surged like rolling spring thunder.

Fifth He had confirmed that this young man's sword dao had reached a respectable level when he demonstrated qi-controlled swordplay, but he hadn't expected the swords to complement each other so well, creating such a magnificent display of power. He was truly surprised.

Fifth He stood his ground, maintaining a distance equivalent to one Dragon Tendon saber plus one Spring Autumn Sword from Xu Fengnian. He willingly became a 'target stack,' allowing Xu Fengnian's sword qi to fiercely swirl around him, while he remained as unmoving as a mountain.

The Lord of Tibing Mountain had never appeared on the martial arts ranking. The reason was simple: Fifth He preferred to be the head of a chicken rather than the tail of a phoenix. As long as he hadn't reached the absolute pinnacle, wouldn't it be a disgrace to be listed alongside a few juniors? One should know that Deng Mao, the "Broken Spear" and currently ranked ninth in the world, had his spear broken by Fifth He years ago. Deng Mao's realm had advanced by leaps and bounds, yet Fifth He had remained stuck at the Profound Sense Realm for ten full years, just a thin layer of paper from breaking through to the Heavenly Manifestation realm. How could the proud Fifth He possibly tolerate this? Fifth He's beloved daughter, Fifth Que, had grown up and was too independent to stay home, marrying Dong Zhuo, a man Fifth He couldn't stand. This had already left him seething with resentment. Furthermore, his Vice-Lord Gong Pu had died in battle at Hulu Pass, and his guest experts and the Penglai Cauldron-bearers had suffered severe losses. All this made Fifth He exceptionally irritable. Today, this young swordsman who trespassed onto Tibing Mountain was simply unlucky. Why would Fifth He care about who his patron was or how deep his background ran?

Fifth He calmly raised his Dragon Tendon saber with one hand to ward off the sword qi, then coolly announced, "My turn."

Xu Fengnian's sword momentum had already reached a perfect, fluid state, having deeply grasped Li Chungang's true transmission of "one sword following another," without any discernible flaws. However, when Fifth He subtly flicked his saber, Xu Fengnian's sword qi, like a rolling dragon wall, developed an almost imperceptible crack, which then crumbled almost instantly. After all, underlying strength requires accumulation over time, and old ginger is naturally much spicier than young ginger. Xu Fengnian showed no fear. Fifth He's defense was watertight; Xu Fengnian didn't hope that his surging sword qi could disorient him. A momentary gap between offense and defense often presented an opportunity, but against such an old fox, Xu Fengnian couldn't foolishly create an opening himself. He waited for Fifth He's transition from defense to offense. As the Dragon Tendon saber tore through the dragon wall, Xu Fengnian retaliated in kind. Without exhaling the breath he held, he gritted his teeth and inhaled another, then unleashed a close-quarters "Fuyao" (Soaring) move with all his might, its sword qi as thick as a dragon drawing water, rising from the ground.

Fifth He frowned. His saber technique, for the first time, transitioned from simple to complex. The "Soaring Dragon Scroll" was shattered by the Dragon Tendon saber. He stepped forward, extended his left arm, and struck Xu Fengnian's forehead with his palm.

Xu Fengnian's body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, but he still seized the opportunity to kick Fifth He's chest.

A conspicuous dusty footprint appeared on his luxurious purple robe. Fifth He flicked away a venomous hidden weapon with a finger before gently brushing the dust from his chest. That seemingly light kick was merely a feint; the true killing move was a small flying sword aimed at his eye. Fifth He calmly remarked, "So, it's not just long swords from your sheath, but also short swords from your sleeve that you can control. However, since I am known as the most senior Profound Sense martial artist in Beiman, I have some insights into the 'profound' aspects of the Profound Sense realm. Whether it's the stirrings of qi or more concealed intentions, I can foresee seven or eight tenths of it. If you don't believe me, and you have any other hidden flying swords, why not launch them one by one? I'll close my eyes and won't draw my saber. How about it?"

After landing, Xu Fengnian slid backward on bent knees, stopping only when he reached the center of the creek. As he stood up in the water, a hint of unconcealed mockery gleamed in his eyes.

Fifth He understood clearly, finding it increasingly amusing. This young man was truly not a greenhorn. Usually, those scions from prestigious clans, after learning a few skills, would aspire to make a name for themselves in the jianghu. When suddenly facing a far superior opponent, this kind of psychological warfare easily succeeded, weakening their morale by more than half even before a true fight, making them ripe for the slaughter afterward. Fifth He had seen too many such young calves perish in the hands of seniors like himself who didn't cherish talent much. Thus, Fifth He cultivated the martial arts prodigies on Tibing Mountain with extreme coldness: either throwing them onto the front lines of the military for tempering or sending them to assassinate experts a step above their own strength. He would never coddle them under his wing like the Chess Sword Music Manor.

Fifth He slowly advanced, saber in hand, the already subtle glow of the Dragon Tendon saber becoming even more contained. "I promise, if you can leave this small creek, I will let you live."

Once one starts thinking about fleeing for their life, there's truly no need to fight.

Xu Fengnian exhaled a murky breath and called Fifth He by his full name directly. "Fifth He, you are a genuine Profound Sense realm master, yet you keep playing mind games with a junior like me, over and over. Aren't you tired of it?"

Fifth He shook his head. "Killing someone in a single move during a sparring match is something I did a long time ago. I've finally caught a fish like you in my net, and I'm truly reluctant to kill you too quickly..."

As he spoke, Fifth He struck out with his saber again, swinging his arm with a much wider arc than in previous moves. The force was also far greater than the initial strike that broke his horse's back.

Within Xu Fengnian, qi flowed, his acupoints seemingly blooming like golden lotuses.

He leapt from the water, meeting the saber strike.

Xu Fengnian integrated his opening move, "Shaking Kunlun," into his sword technique.

No sooner had his body risen than it plummeted, sinking to the bottom of the creek. Then, with Fifth He and Xu Fengnian as the central axis, the entire creek exploded sequentially outwards, both upstream and downstream. The final sounds echoed from miles away. That central axis had already split the creek banks, leading deep into the dense forest.

This saber strike did not seem like a technique intended for a slow kill.

A heavy rain had recently fallen in the Rouran Mountains, making the creek slightly deeper than a man. After Xu Fengnian was forced underwater by the saber strike, he vanished.

Fifth He lightly stepped on the water's surface like a dragonfly, occasionally delivering a seemingly effortless saber strike.

A small creek, once as serene as a gentle maiden washing silk, now convulsed violently, its waters soaking the banks. Grooves crisscrossed the ground, extending onto the banks, a truly shocking sight.

Fifth He's patience was excellent. He slowly cut through the creek water, waiting for the young man to become desperate and try to leave the water. He was also waiting for the next surprise, believing that this young swordsman still had some hidden trump cards, like emergency life-saving talismans.

But to his surprise, Fifth He began to notice signs of himself losing patience.

The Great Profound Sense realm, nearing maturity, held many mysteries: the ability to "draw water with a bamboo basket to catch the moon" and the methods of "flowers in a mirror, moon in water." Fifth He frowned.

He chopped the water nineteen more times.

The creek water became utterly turbid.

Fifth He finally decided not to waste any more time.

Xu Fengnian, seemingly in desperate flight using a "swimming fish" style, appeared to be on the verge of death, but his mind was calm as still water.

He was "using intent to cultivate intent."

"Sheathing to cultivate intent" was Li Chungang's original creation that had garnered immense admiration from countless later swordsmen. Xu Fengnian, however, was taking a different path: after practicing with a sword, he used sword intent to cultivate saber intent. Now, there was even a more precise term for it: "using others' intent to cultivate one's own intent."

"Old fool, you chop the creek water, and I cultivate my intent!"

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