Unsheathed

Wei Jin had personally witnessed Zuo You in battle, venturing deep into the heart of the demon tribe’s forces on his own. He didn’t even have to draw his sword; the swirling sword qi around him was enough to destroy every enemy who dared to stand in his path.

It was only when he encountered the great demon that he had picked out as his opponent did he finally get serious, and the battle between the two had resulted in immense collateral damage.

Zuo You could hardly have cared less, considering there were only demon tribe warriors around him in a radius of dozens of kilometers at the time.

His aura and flair on the battlefield had been unmatched, and his stunning performance in that battle instantly made him the most popular and revered outsider to all of the native swordsmen of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

After the battle concluded, Zuo You had sat atop the city walls, drinking wine on his own.

Chen Qingdu had appeared beside him before remarking, “Your swordsmanship is undeniably brilliant, but that alone is not enough.”

Zuo You’s response was direct and concise. “Then that can only mean my swordsmanship is still not brilliant enough.”

After hearing his stubborn response, Chen Qingdu clasped his hands behind his back, then turned to depart as he shook his head and chuckled in amusement. “The old scholar is renowned for his pragmatism and flexibility. I have no idea how a student of his could’ve become so inflexible and stubborn.”

Zuo You didn’t bother to respond.

The reason for this was very simple: He couldn’t beat the old man in a battle.

Otherwise, he would’ve let his sword do the talking and demanded that the old man display a bit more respect when speaking of the Scholarly Sage.

“Chen Ping’an won his first battle easily,” Wei Jin reported with a smile. “His opponent was a Dragon Gate Tier swordsman.”

Zuo You’s eyes remained closed, but his brows furrowed slightly as he repeated, “A Dragon Gate Tier swordsman?”

Wei Jin thought that Zuo You had to have been expressing disdain at the lowly cultivation base of Chen Ping’an’s first opponent, so he added, “The second battle was against a Golden Core Tier swordsman.”

To his surprise, Zuo You’s brows furrowed even further as he mused to himself, “It’s only been ten years, yet he’s already able to defeat a Dragon Gate Tier swordsman?”

Wei Jin didn’t know what to say to that.

How do you have so little confidence in your junior brother?

However, Wei Jin then quickly recalled that back when Zuo You first became the Scholarly Sage’s disciple, his cultivation base hadn’t been anything special, nor was he considered to have had much aptitude for the sword.

“You don’t need to update me on the battles anymore,” Zuo You said in an indifferent voice, so Wei Jin began spectating in silence.

Meanwhile, Zuo You continued to refine his own sword intent using the almighty sword intent of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

It was not a good thing for one to get distracted from their studies in their youth to pursue martial arts or swordsmanship.

Once they had accumulated some life experience, it became difficult for them to absorb some of the more plain and simple principles presented in books.

Instead, they would be constantly thinking about how they could better integrate themselves into the environment around them, picking and choosing different principles to use and abide by depending on their situation. Only the principles that were immediately applicable would be considered good and useful, while all other ones would be scoffed at and discarded.

For the average person, there was nothing wrong with that, but over time, it would inevitably make one more narrow-minded, and in Zuo You’s eyes, it was unacceptable for his teacher’s student, particularly his final disciple, to go down such a path.

After watching Chen Ping’an’s second battle, Wei Jin turned his attention back to Zuo You, and he could sense the latter’s agitation, so he asked, “You’re clearly still thinking about him, so why are you unwilling to even meet him?”

“I already told you: I don’t acknowledge him as my junior brother,” Zuo You replied in a disgruntled manner.

In his eyes, just because Chen Ping’an was his teacher’s disciple and Qi Jingchun’s junior brother didn’t mean that Chen Ping’an was automatically his junior brother by association.

Similarly, Cui Chan was the Scholarly Sage’s first disciple, yet Zuo You had never acknowledged him as his senior brother.

Furthermore, what kind of junior brother would leave their senior brother hanging because he was too busy cuddling with his wife? Just because he didn’t acknowledge Chen Ping’an as his junior brother didn’t mean that it was acceptable for Chen Ping’an to disrespect him like this!

Wei Jin continued to spectate in silence.

All of a sudden, Zuo You’s eyes sprang open as he cast his gaze toward that street in the distance.

Wei Jin had to suppress an amused smile.

Zuo You had opened his eyes in the very same instant that Qi Shou had drawn High Radiance.

However, Zuo You then quickly closed his eyes again, and only then did Wei Jin allow himself an amused smile.

***

Elsewhere on the Sword Qi Great Wall, the Hidden Official descended to the foot of the city walls, then stepped onto the wall and began walking up its surface.

She didn’t appear to have been walking very quickly, but she reached the top of the wall in the blink of an eye, and an elderly sword immortal from the Northern Complete Reed Continent stationed nearby cupped his fist in a respectful salute.

The Hidden Official gave the old sword immortal a nod of acknowledgement. She was standing on the northern section of the city walls, but with just a single stride, she arrived on the section of the city walls near the southern battlefield. From there, she grabbed onto her pigtails before lifting them up, and she began to slowly ascend as if she were hoisting herself up into the air.

All of a sudden, her brows furrowed slightly as a displeased look appeared on her face, and she shot down like a speeding arrow toward a certain section of the city walls.

All of the clouds above her were instantly scattered, and in the blink of an eye, she appeared beside a thatched cottage before asking in a disgruntled voice, “What do you want? I didn’t drink any wine, so I didn’t break the rules!”

“I wanted to discuss something with you,” an old man said with his hands clasped behind his back and a smile on his face.

“I’m not going to the south,” the Hidden Official snapped. “I haven’t had any wine to drink, so I don’t have the strength to fight.”

“How are you going to get married in the future if you’re so naughty and disobedient?” the old man asked with an amused smile.

The loose-fitting black robe worn by the Hidden Official had drifted up slightly like a black cloud around her, and she was glowering up at the old man with a look of murderous rage.

As it turned out, the old man had already arrived by her side as he spoke, then bent down to press a hand onto the top of her little head.

All of a sudden, her black robe fell slack, and she ducked her head out from under the old man’s hand as she stepped away and snapped, “What do you want to discuss with me? Hurry up! I don’t have all day!”

“It’s nothing. You can go play now,” the old man said with a dismissive wave.

“Chen Qingdu! Do you think this is funny?!” the Hidden Official raged.

“What if I do?” Chen Qingdu asked with an amused smile. “It sounds like you’re not very happy with me.”

The Hidden Official’s expression instantly darkened.

All of a sudden, a small world appeared over the section of the Sword Qi Great Wall near the thatched cottage without any warning.

All of the swordsmen stationed atop the city walls instantly felt the ground beneath their feet shudder.

Inside the small world, Chen Qingdu had pressed a hand down onto the Hidden Official’s head once again.

The latter had been lifted up into the air, with her feet suspended above the ground and her back against the city wall. Her entire body was radiating fierce killing intent, yet she was unable to struggle free from Chen Qingdu’s grasp.

“I haven’t been doing much to keep you all in check, but that’s only because I feel somewhat indebted to you, not because I lack the power to do so, so don’t get it twisted,” Chen Qingdu said in an indifferent voice. “I’m particularly tolerant of you because you’re still young and immature, but that doesn’t mean you should push your luck with me, understood?”

The Hidden Official was silent for a long while, then nodded in response.

Chen Qingdu released her, allowing her to slide to the ground, then dismissed once again, “You can go play now.”

The Hidden Official turned and swaggered away, swinging her baggy sleeves up and down as she walked.

Chen Qingdu smiled as he cast his gaze toward the Savage World in the south, then turned his gaze back to the north.

***

Even though Chen Ping’an was no longer able to use his talismans to gather information, he still had Fifteenth, Pine Needle, and Lightning Devourer to help him accomplish that objective.

The two Pang Yuanjis on the street didn’t seem to be having any trouble. One of them had stopped in his tracks and was controlling three streaks of sword qi to combat Chen Ping’an’s three flying swords, while the other was presiding over the sword formation, forcing Chen Ping’an to throw punches without pause, constantly expending his True Qi and fist intent in the process.

As for the twelve Pang Yuanji on the rooftops, they had begun creating a new formation.

Pang Yuanji had chosen to adopt the most steady and straightforward approach, aiming to slowly transform the entire street into his own small world.

If he could pull this off, then he would be like a sage presiding over an academy or a deity presiding over a mountain, artificially enhancing his own cultivation base to the Nascent Tier, at which point the outcome of the battle would be nothing more than a foregone conclusion.

At this point, Chen Ping’an had clearly seen through Pang Yuanji’s intentions, but unfortunately, it seemed like he was powerless to do anything about it as he already had his hands full dealing with the pervasive river of sword qi around him.

Every single clash between his fist aura and Pang Yuanji’s sword qi resembled a violent explosion, and the entire street had already been completely pulverized.

However, there seemed to have been an unspoken understanding between the two combatants, and no matter how violent their clashes became, they ensured that none of their sword qi and fist aura escaped into the nearby wine shops.

Right as Pang Yuanji was about to successfully establish his small world, Chen Ping’an finally made his move, putting his full power on display as he tore through the river of sword qi with his fists to arrive before the Pang Yuanji in front of him in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, a dazzling white flying sword had abruptly appeared out of nowhere, hurtling directly toward the Pang Yuanji behind Chen Ping’an, who was busy warding off the latter’s three flying swords.

Simultaneously, Chen Ping’an’s yin soul sprang out of his body, then rose up into the heavens and instantly destroyed one of the Pang Yuanjis on a nearby rooftop with a single punch, while a second Pang Yuanji was cut down by First.

All of a sudden, Chen Ping’an’s yin soul drew to a halt, and from its aerial vantage point, it channeled the Rain Evaporation Technique to send a barrage of fist aura raining down from the heavens, targeting every single one of the remaining Pang Yuanjis on the rooftops.

Meanwhile, Chen Ping’an’s physical body on the street below had already withdrawn his fist, and a burst of unprecedented fist intent erupted out of his body amid an almighty rumble akin to a deafening thunderclap. The entire street beneath his feet instantly collapsed and sank downward, and in the blink of an eye, he had already ascended above his own yin soul before throwing a punch in a certain direction, the most devastating punch of his entire life to date.

A burst of almighty fist intent tore through the sky above the city like a knife slicing through paper, and Pang Yuanji abruptly appeared out of thin air, standing directly in the path of Chen Ping’an’s fist.

In the face of the oncoming barrage of fist aura, he instantly withdrew all of his sword qi, condensing it around himself to conjure up a Dao Manifestation that stood at several dozen feet tall.

The Dao Manifestation wasn’t particularly massive or imposing, but it appeared extremely dense and resilient, and it crossed its arms to form a protective barrier in front of Pang Yuanji.

Both Pang Yuanji and his Dao Manifestation were sent flying back even higher into the sky by the force of Chen Ping’an’s blow, and by the time Pang Yuanji steadied himself, his Dao Manifestation had already swelled to several hundred feet tall, standing behind him like a radiant golden mountain with one hand held in a Daoist seal and a giant sword in the other.

As opposed to stepping back in retreat, Chen Ping’an charged directly upward at an alarming speed in the face of the mighty Dao Manifestation, using First and Fifteenth as alternating steps to support his ascension.

All the while, countless astonished spectators were looking on from down below, gawking up in a slack-jawed manner.

Never had they imagined that they would be treated to such a spectacular show.

“You should tell him to stop, Ning Yao,” Yan Zhuo urged in a concerned voice. “There’s no need to go any further than this. If it were Qi Shou in Pang Yuanji’s place, then I’d want nothing more than to see Chen Ping’an split his head open, but Pang Yuanji isn’t a bad guy, and at this rate, at least one of them is going to end up dead!”

“He wouldn’t listen to me!” Ning Yao snapped.

Dong Huafu was astonished to hear this, stunned by the notion that there could exist someone under the heavens who would refuse to listen to Ning Yao.

Even the likes of A’Liang and the old great sword immortal had always thought very highly of Ning Yao, and despite her young age, she had a very mature head on her shoulders, so neither of them had ever regarded her as a child.

At the moment, she was the only one in their circle of friends who was taken seriously enough by A’Liang and the old great sword immortal to be able to discuss important matters with them. Even Dong Bude had personally conceded that she was far inferior to Ning Yao in this regard.

“Maybe he’ll listen to me, but I don’t want to get involved,” Ning Yao amended, and Dong Huafu was very relieved to hear this.

That was what he expected to hear from his Big Sister Ning, whom he knew and loved.

Pang Yuanji raised a hand up high before swinging it down forcefully, and the enormous Dao Manifestation behind him mirrored his movements, raising the hand that was clasped into a Daoist lightning seal before sending it crashing down like a small mountain.

However, Chen Ping’an’s fist was able to break through the lightning seal, and it still had power left over to continue hurtling toward Pang Yuanji!

Pang Yuanji remained composed as he joined his middle and index fingers before swiping them through the air, and the Dao Manifestation behind him slashed its sword horizontally through the air, sending it crashing into Chen Ping’an’s waist with tremendous force.

Chen Ping’an planted his feet into the air below him to avoid being swatted back down to earth by the oncoming giant sword. Instead, he was only forced around a hundred feet to the side by the blade of the sword, and as soon as the power behind the giant sword began to run out, he immediately continued his ascension as he threw another punch with his left fist.

All of the spectating swordsmen at or below the Golden Core Tier were utterly astonished by Chen Ping’an’s absurd physical durability.

Once again, the Dao Manifestation sent its lightning seal and giant sword crashing down upon Chen Ping’an, but he vanished from the spot twice in succession to evade the oncoming attacks, and all of a sudden, he had risen up above Pang Yuanji’s true body before throwing a punch down at his head.

Pang Yuanji plummeted out of the sky before smashing a massive crater into the street, raising an enormous cloud of dust and debris in the process.

Meanwhile, Chen Ping’an slowly descended onto the street with his two flying swords beneath his feet. His left arm was hanging limply by his side, and needless to say, his right arm was in even worse condition.

He landed right next to Sword Immortal, and as he stood at the edge of the massive crater, his entire body covered in blood, he turned his gaze to Ning Yao in the distance.

He rested the palm of his completely stripped skeletal hand down onto the hilt of Sword Immortal, using it as a crutch as he flashed her a radiant smile.