Chapter 617: Ninety Years of Arrogance

The three carriages were ordered to move away from the conflict, but they didn't go far. The old spy, the most experienced in the Jianghu, quickly stopped his horse and dismounted. Wang Sheng and Lü Yunchang didn't understand why, but they dutifully followed suit. The elder and the two young men stood side by side. Lü Yunchang saw Wang Sheng drenched in sweat, with bluish-purple lips, and his body trembling uncontrollably. Lü Yunchang was about to mock the boy for his cowardice when he noticed the seven swords strapped to Wang Sheng's body, each subtly drawn an inch or so from its sheath. Especially "Goose Yellow," the sword Wang Sheng had recently acquired a few days prior, was horizontally tied to his waist, with two wisps of light yellow sword energy emanating from both ends of its sheath. Lü Yunchang was knowledgeable, having heard many strange and fantastical tales of the Jianghu in Martial Emperor City. He vaguely guessed why the immortal young master kept giving Wang Sheng a new sword every now and then: it was to allow this apprentice to be gradually imbued with sword energy, progressing step by step, striving for spiritual connection with those sword embryos, the more the better. This was to naturally cultivate a profound sword intent, truly a painstaking effort.

The old spy said in a deep voice, "Wang Sheng, try your best to suppress the 'Goose Yellow' sword energy with your own spiritual will. To master superior swordsmanship, you must control the sword, not be controlled by it, or allow the sword to usurp your role."

Pale-faced Wang Sheng nodded strenuously, but unfortunately, he was unable to control it. The "Goose Yellow" sword energy grew denser, its radiance swirling around Wang Sheng's waist, making the girl appear as if she wore a yellow jade belt. The spy surnamed Liu frowned, knowing that these famous swords were being drawn by the old man on the postal road. Wang Sheng, being new to swordsmanship, naturally couldn't control them. The old spy had initially thought stopping here would allow them to deliver weapons to the young prince quickly while maintaining enough distance to resist the old man's sword intent. The old spy sighed inwardly, realizing that the sword master was too cunning, and Wang Sheng was too young.

Lü Yunchang asked curiously, "Elder Liu, who is that guy who looks fifty or sixty? Is he worth our immortal master and Wang Sheng taking action? Even Chai Qingshan was polite to him, not daring to put on airs as a Jianghu senior."

The old spy sneered, "Chai Qingshan, whether in sword intent or swordsmanship, cannot compare to that person before us. And he's not in his sixties or seventies; he's a more than ninety-year-old immortal!"

Lü Yunchang was shocked, "He's even superior to Chai Qingshan, the foremost expert in the dynasty's southeast? How many swordsmen in the world can be this intimidating? That old man doesn't look like Deng Tai'a, the Peach Blossom Sword God, either. I heard Sword God Deng is very young, and even if he doesn't carry a peach branch, he usually rides a small donkey when he travels the Jianghu."

The old spy said with a heavy tone, "He is the Master of the Wu Family Sword Mound. In terms of seniority, your master should call him great-great-grandfather."

Lü Yunchang found those martial artists who practiced swordsmanship most annoying; they might train for decades without achieving much, lacking the decisive grandeur of drawing a saber, striking, and dragging a person away. Wielding a saber was much more straightforward and satisfying. However, to the Jianghu, the Wu Family Sword Mound was a mysterious, cloud-shrouded place. The young man had only heard that a large group of half-dead, withered swordsmen resided there.

The old spy kept observing Wang Sheng as he spoke, seeing that her cultivation was still too shallow. Not only had she failed to suppress the surging "Goose Yellow" sword energy, but besides the "Bookworm," "Cornel," and "Wild Crane Holding Pearl" swords, which remained relatively quiet, the two newly acquired swords, "Faint Halo" and "Youth's Journey," showed signs of completely drawing from their scabbards. The old spy felt some regret and pity, thinking that this child's first accidental sword-tempering experience had not allowed her to rise to the challenge, which would be particularly detrimental to her future cultivation. The old spy waited for a moment, not wanting the contest of wills between Wang Sheng and the swords to collapse completely. He was about to speak up and signal a retreat. Just then, Wang Sheng seemed greatly annoyed. She lowered her head, staring at the most restless "Goose Yellow," and rebuked, "Obey!"

Lü Yunchang rolled his eyes, and the old spy didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But both were soon surprised to find that the famous sword indeed quieted down, its sword energy receding seventy to eighty percent back into its sheath. The remaining few wisps floated up, continuously circling Wang Sheng's fingers, like a girl twirling a yellow flower with her fingertips.

Lü Yunchang's mouth twitched, and he helplessly said, "That works too?"

Although the old spy's face was calm, his heart was shaken. Every generation in Jianghu saw a handful of extraordinary talents emerge, and among these rare individuals, those from Buddhist and Daoist sects were the most mysterious. Legend had it that Qi Xuanzhen possessed the mystic power of "prophetic utterance." Back then, on the Demon Slaying Platform, he single-handedly fought six Heavenly Demons from Mount Zhulu, three of whom died under Grand Master Qi's spoken truths. And the white-robed monk of Liangchan Temple was said to possess an unwritten, secret "mantra" that could determine life and death. As for those in the sword dao, being able to make many spirited famous swords feel a sense of kinship was called a natural sword embryo. While the old spy felt relieved, he couldn't help but feel a bit self-deprecating. In his youth, he too was regarded by many seniors as exceptionally talented, but he never received full instruction from true masters, leading him to pursue diverse interests, learning much but mastering little, ultimately preventing him from progressing further in martial arts. Regardless of one's aptitude, the presence or absence of a guide often determined the level of achievement.

The old spy hesitated for a moment, then said, "Wang Sheng, follow me for ten paces."

Wang Sheng hummed in acknowledgment. Lü Yunchang impatiently asked, "Elder Liu, what about me?"

The old spy snapped, "Stay put and watch the carriages."

Lü Yunchang sighed heavily, turned his head, and glanced at the five-foot frost saber on his shoulder. "It looks like it's just the two of us relying on each other."

Ahead on the postal road, the Wu family head took a step, then became still. But what was more unexpected was that the old man, instead of engaging in a life-and-death struggle, began to ramble, his words filled with emotion and lament.

"My ancestors once said that when I was born, there was an unusual phenomenon in the sky: nine dragons brought clouds and rain. Eight of them carried away nine famous swords from Sword Mountain, while one dragon coiled on Sword Mountain, resting on the ancient sword 'Prisoner Niu'. On my first day of practicing swordsmanship, my ancestor, who personally taught me, told me that once I drew the 'Prisoner Niu' sword, I should leave the mound once every ten years to find a sword."

"At ten, I ascended Sword Mountain to seek a sword and succeeded in drawing 'Prisoner Niu'. At twenty, I went to the deep mountains of Liaodong and found 'Chiwen' at the bottom of a pool. At thirty, I found 'Taofeng' in the Stele Forest of Beihan Wild Plains. At forty, I traveled to the area where Manjushri Bodhisattva preached in Western Chu and encountered 'Suan Ni' on a Buddha's seat. At fifty, I entered Sichuan and found 'Jiaotu'. At sixty, I traveled far to Nanjiang to seek revenge and unexpectedly saw 'Yazi' nailed into a towering ancient tree. At seventy, I discovered 'Gongfu' under a stone slab at the head of an ancient bridge in Tai'an City. At eighty, I visited a friend in the former Dongyue Kingdom and met 'Pulao' inside an ancient bell. At ninety, I entered Tai'an City and found 'Pixiu'. By then, I had collected all nine swords. My life should have been complete and content."

The old man smiled as he spoke, "All my life, it's been nothing but searching for swords, and I never questioned why I practiced swordsmanship. As long as I obtained a sword every ten years, I would contemplate how to discard the sword itself and retain its intent. Decade after decade, I've truly missed many people and many sights."

Xu Fengnian looked up at the sky.

In his view, there was a golden sea of clouds, with sunlight falling like feathers, splendid and captivating.

Then the sea of clouds was pierced fiercely, like a piece of satin by an awl, creating a slightly slanted opening.

Xu Fengnian remained motionless, but a dozen famous swords from one of the carriages flew towards the opening in the cloud sea.

A tremendous explosion erupted in the sky, like bells clashing, shattering eardrums.

Faintly visible, the dozen famous swords that had soared into the sky all snapped and fell heavily.

A surge of spirited sword energy then flew from the Xishu Bamboo Sea, circling Xu Fengnian as its center, creating a large loop that connected head to tail, forming an inescapable prison around him.

Another sword energy swept from within Beihan, dividing into ten sections, each a sword, with ten swords converging into one energy. It was as if an immortal was leading the way.

A powerful surge of intent came from the northeast, a long rainbow piercing the sky, starting its sword momentum from Liaodong and landing it in Hexian, carving out an astonishingly massive semi-arc, carrying a trail of misty water, seemingly auspicious.

Another energy manifested from the distant southeast, its sword energy incredibly rich with ancient intent.

One after another, a total of nine sword energies appeared, each unique in its power.

The old Master of the Wu Family Sword Mound spent ninety full years searching for these nine swords. He didn't use the ancient swords themselves in combat, but rather extracted their divine intent for his own use.

The old man had indeed chosen a good time to appear; as he hurried towards Hexian, the sword energies had already risen from the ground one after another.

If there truly were immortals sitting high above the nine heavens, looking down upon the human world, they would see nine streams of sword energy, coming from all directions across the land, converging at Xu Fengnian's position by different paths.

Xu Fengnian remained standing still, but aside from the swords hidden in Wang Sheng's rosewood sword scabbard and the seven swords strapped to her, all the famous swords from the three carriages had flown out to meet the enemy.

A hundred zhang behind Xu Fengnian, a large section of the postal road was ripped to shreds amidst the booming thunder.

At two different heights beside Xu Fengnian, one seven zhang away and the other six zhang away, over twenty famous swords shattered and were destroyed before they could even enter Beiliang territory.

Furthermore, a stream of energy descended from mid-air, scattering a cloud of fine dust, stopping just four zhang above Xu Fengnian's head.

Each sword energy approached Xu Fengnian more closely than the last.

They were aggressive and pressing.

The most murderous "Yazi" sword intent swept forward. Twelve ancient swords, led by "Solitary City Sword," perished with it, but the mottled, chaotic sword energy was already surging two zhang in front of Xu Fengnian.

However, the very next wisp of sword energy was the most imposing, like the ferocious beast Pixiu, which devours all things without expelling them.

Xu Fengnian extended a hand, summoning a "Dressing Gown Sword." The two swords obliterated each other, but Xu Fengnian also retreated one zhang, while the sword energy pressed forward two zhang.

At this point, the old man still had two sword energies he hadn't deployed: one was the "Jiaotu" sword energy, which circled head-to-tail, and the other was the "Prisoner Niu" intent, which had never appeared.

The old man was clearly within one zhang of Xu Fengnian.

And Xu Fengnian had almost no swords left to use. Of the swords hidden in the three carriages, only "Zibuyu," a relic of Sword Immortal Chen Qingming, remained, along with an ancient sword of unknown origin, whose blade was inscribed with the characters "Playing Strings."

"Zibuyu" hovered behind Xu Fengnian. He held the "Playing Strings" sword, one hand gripping the hilt, the other two fingers pressed against the tip, bending the blade into an arc.

Xu Fengnian simultaneously released his grip and the sword-flicking gesture, and silently chanted, "Go."

The "Playing Strings" sword spun ceaselessly, then vanished in a flash. "Zibuyu" also flew backward.

At the same time, the old man, who had only taken one step during the entire battle, finally began to advance.

It seemed he had been patiently waiting for this very moment.

As the man arrived, so did the sword.

This was, in fact, the old man's tenth sword.

If the nine swords were a gift from the heavens, then the old man, having lived for nearly a century, had also cultivated a sword of his own.

The old man instantly broke through the one-zhang distance around Xu Fengnian, a distance that felt like a world apart.

The nine hidden flying swords, his trump cards, were all repelled by the old master's immense sword energy.

Two fingers touched Xu Fengnian's glabella.

But Xu Fengnian's fist also pressed against the old man's chest.

The old man said softly, "Very good."

Xu Fengnian slowly withdrew his fist, a little puzzled.

The old man said with satisfaction, "At this point, you, child, can still exchange life for life. Your great-grandfather has lost."

Hearing that extremely unfamiliar address, Xu Fengnian was at a loss.

The old man stroked Xu Fengnian's head, his expression benevolent, and said, "Your great-grandfather wasn't at ease with anyone else standing in this spot, so I had to come myself, to escort you for a stretch. I know you, child, won't acknowledge me as an elder, and the Sword Mound truly let down Su Yatou. But without rules, nothing can be accomplished, and every family has its own difficulties. Your great-grandfather had no choice; back then, I could only play the villain."

Xu Fengnian's lips trembled, but he still didn't utter those three words.

The old man didn't mind. He withdrew his hand, stepped back a few paces, and carefully looked at his great-grandson, smiling, "Every family has its rules. If your great-grandfather didn't do this, there'd be no reason to give you the coming-of-age gift I've owed you for years."

The old man continued, "The Wu family once broke through ten thousand cavalry with nine swords. Your great-grandfather is passable at practicing swords, but not at managing the family. Now, let alone nine swords, even nineteen or twenty-nine swords couldn't break through Beiliang's ten thousand iron cavalry."

"Your great-grandfather never liked Xu Xiao, that grandson-in-law. His martial arts are so lax. Even now, I still think that rascal isn't worthy of Su Yatou."

It seemed the old man was talking to himself, while Xu Fengnian, his nominal great-grandson, remained silent.

The old man chuckled heartily, "Your great-grandfather is very happy to see you."

The old man had probably finally seen enough of this promising and much-to-his-liking great-grandson. As he passed the junior, he patted the child's shoulder, "Don't shoulder everything by yourself."

The old man, his back to the stubborn young man who had not once called him great-grandfather, walked farther and farther away.

"One day in the future, over a hundred people will leave the Wu Family Sword Mound, riding horses with swords on their backs, and enter Beiliang."