Wuxia: Starting Off With 60 Years of Inner Strength

With a wave of his hand, there was a loud CRASH.

The stone door thundered down.

But before the stone door could fully close, his vision blurred, and suddenly Jiang Ran was standing on the other side.

Shi Pingzhang dared not delay for even a second. His footwork shifted, and he was already inside the study.

He glanced back, trying to find the mechanism to seal the bookshelf shut.

He had noticed earlier how heavy the bookshelf was; its materials had to be special. If he could use it to trap Jiang Ran inside...

...he could escape with his life today.

But after a quick look, he had no idea where the mechanism was.

The mechanism that had opened the passage was now hidden within the wall, having shifted along with the bookshelf.

He wanted to close it, but had no idea how.

Shi Pingzhang only had time for a quick look.

With a pursuer hot on his heels, he couldn’t afford to look for long. The glance took less than a breath. In the next instant, with another CRASH, he flew out of the study.

Before he could even land steadily, he felt as if he had plunged into a thick mist.

An endless sea of mist billowed up, and an eerie aura filled the air.

A deadly, sharp intent lingered on all sides.

”This is...”

Shi Pingzhang’s heart skipped a beat. He looked up abruptly to see a streak of light flash into existence, only to vanish an instant later.

He took another step, and two longswords shot out, aiming for his feet.

He leaped into the air, shouting:

”Heaven and Earth are not benevolent; slaughter is the only Path!”

As these ten words left his lips, the surrounding mist began to churn. Faintly visible within it was a group of disciples from four of the sects, their eyes covered with black cloth, each holding a longsword.

’It’s them...’

Shi Pingzhang’s heart skipped a beat. He whipped his head around to look back toward the study.

”It was you!?”

Jiang Ran’s voice drifted in from beyond the mist:

”It was me.

”Though I felt I was more than enough to handle this on my own. There was no need to go to such great lengths.

”After all, we are dealing with the Heart Demon, Shi Pingzhang.

”Your skills are simply too treacherous for anyone else...

”I’d have a much better chance of dealing with you myself.

”But... everyone else felt that when it comes to vanquishing evil, there’s strength in numbers.

”So they had me take the lead while they set up an Array outside to ambush you.

”Brother Huang told me that their Liuyun Sword Sect’s [Surging Sea of Clouds Grand Array] can, to a certain extent, suppress your Heart-Killing Demon Seal and your Mind-Shattering Funeral Rite.

”Oh, right. Forget about the Mind-Shattering Funeral Rite. You won’t be getting your hands on Jiaowei anyway.”

”...You knew about my plan all along?”

For the first time, a look of utter astonishment appeared on Shi Pingzhang’s face.

’If he didn’t know all along, how could Jiang Ran have possibly arranged all this?’

”I told you a moment ago,”

Jiang Ran said with a laugh,

”Your scheme isn’t particularly brilliant. Many people have tried it before...

”In other words, it’s an old trick. Far too easy to see through.”

Earlier this evening, Jiang Ran had gathered the leaders of the five great sword sects and asked them if they dared to fight Shi Pingzhang.

It was all in preparation for this moment.

Jiang Ran knew where Shi Pingzhang was headed, but the timing of his departure wasn’t Shi Pingzhang’s to decide.

It was decided by Jiang Ran.

When Jiang Ran made his move, Shi Pingzhang would make his.

Therefore, as long as the five great sword sects dared to show up, the timing was set for right after Jiang Ran departed.

While Jiang Ran was casually chatting with Shi Pingzhang in the secret chamber, the disciples of the five great sword sects had time to set up the Array outside.

Of course, Jiang Ran’s mention of the [Surging Sea of Clouds Grand Array] wasn’t the whole story.

This Array relied on the Liuyun Sword Sect’s Heart Method, allowing them to circulate Inner Strength among themselves and forcibly create the phenomenon of ’self-generating clouds’.

These ’clouds’ were a form of Qi, capable of both obscuring sight and launching deadly attacks.

But to truly prevent Shi Pingzhang’s Demon Skill from affecting everyone present, the Surging Sea of Clouds wasn’t enough; they also needed the protection of the Danyang Sword Sect’s [Loyal Heart Sword Array].

Of course, combining two Arrays was not a simple matter.

But as luck would have it, the Liuyun Sword Sect and the Danyang Sword Sect had been allies for many years.

Years ago, the two sects had already conceived of a way to combine their respective Arrays.

They had attempted it more than once and had long since achieved some success.

Tonight, however, was the first time it had ever been truly deployed.

The Liuyun Sword Sect and Danyang Sword Sect formed the defense, while the Cyan Pine Sword Sect, Yun Mountain Sword Sect, and Shuiyue Sword Sect formed the offense.

They could advance to attack or retreat to defend.

The Array was formidable. The only problems were how to lure Shi Pingzhang into it and the lack of a decisive, finishing power.

But Jiang Ran had provided the solution to both.

Thus, Shi Pingzhang was now a bird in a cage!

This was merely a contingency plan, however.

If Jiang Ran had been able to cut down Shi Pingzhang in the secret chamber, none of this would have been needed.

And now... even if the Array couldn’t kill Shi Pingzhang, he could forget about escaping.

Shi Pingzhang wasn’t a fool, just overconfident. He believed he could play the five great sword sects for fools with a few petty tricks.

He never expected that he would be the one treated like a bird in a cage. They had turned his own plan against him, leading him right into a trap of their own making, and now he had fallen into this sorry state.

He was suddenly filled with uncontrollable rage. With a cold sneer, he scanned his surroundings.

”A mere Array, and you think you can trap me?”

”Have you forgotten? My knowledge is as vast as heaven and earth!”

As he spoke, his footing shifted, and he began to probe his surroundings.

At that very moment, however, longswords assailed him from all sides.

Some blades were as heavy as a mountain; some were powerful and vigorous; others were as gentle as water...

Years ago, Shi Pingzhang had witnessed the Swordsmanship of these five sects.

He knew exactly which sect each swordsman belonged to.

His face instantly turned livid.

”BEGONE!!!”

He swept his sleeve, and as his inner breath surged, his shout carried a profound, undeniable weight that drilled into his listeners’ ears.

The attacking longswords all pulled back, retreating.

They slipped back through the gaps in the Array to safety.

Shi Pingzhang was about to resume his search for a weakness to break out of the Array when he suddenly looked up. A streak of gold was falling from the sky.

His expression changed instantly. He knew it was Jiang Ran’s attack and dared not meet it head-on.

He had just poured his life’s learning into a single finger-strike, only to end up losing a finger for his troubles.

’How could he dare be so reckless now?’

But as he retreated, the blade, which had been in mid-air, suddenly appeared at his side.

It slashed down diagonally, utterly silent.