Comparing Swords

The seven had already reached the arena. Aside from Duàn Yì, who looked unfamiliar and was shabbily dressed, none of them were ordinary disciples.

When the Golden Cauldron Sect disciples, who had been discussing and sparring over martial arts, saw them, they repeatedly bowed in greeting. Especially with Zhào Yù, greetings rose one after another, their attitudes sincere and earnest. Clearly, he possessed no small amount of prestige and was deeply respected by the sect's members and disciples.

Duàn Yì did not find it strange. Though he had known Zhào Yù for only a short time, he could tell that he was a meticulous and deeply calculating man.

Moreover, Zhào Yù was the disciple of Qū Dōng Liú, the sect leader, giving him an innate advantage in status. With only a few small gestures, winning people's hearts would not be difficult.

Zhào Yù himself was rather pleased. Over the years, aside from practicing martial arts and helping Qū Dōng Liú manage affairs on the mountain, he had spent his remaining time cultivating relationships with fellow disciples and building his reputation before the disciples and elders. The support he now received from the sect's members showed that his years of effort had not been in vain.

Especially when he noticed the disciples continually greeting him, Helan Yue'er seemed to admire him as well. He felt as though he had taken a gulp of cool water in midsummer, refreshed from head to toe and brimming with vitality.

After placating the outer sect disciples, Zhào Yù introduced Duàn Yì's identity and background again, as well as the matter of his having just agreed to compete with Ruan Dong.

"What? Even if Martial Uncle Bai taught him martial arts, how could someone who has trained for only a few days dare fight Junior Brother Ruan? This man is truly far too arrogant."

"Junior Brother Ruan may be young, but his martial arts are beyond comparison with ours. If he can compete with Junior Brother Ruan, wouldn't that mean all our years of training have been useless effort?"

These outer sect disciples had initially rather envied Duàn Yì. Yet upon hearing that he intended to fight Ruan Dong, their impression of him immediately plummeted. They thought him an arrogant, witless upstart.

Most of them were indeed dissatisfied with the way direct disciples received constant personal instruction from their teachers and elders. But facts were facts: precisely because of this, direct disciples' martial arts always surpassed those of the outer sect by a great deal. Even a disciple like Ruan Dong, who had been on the mountain for only three years, could not be underestimated.

If Duàn Yì did not even regard Ruan Dong highly, then were they not no better than ants in his eyes?

Still, most merely kept such thoughts to themselves. Out of consideration for appearances, none voiced them. Instead, they all praised Duàn Yì against their true feelings, calling him brave, fearless, and exceptionally talented.

Duàn Yì swept his gaze around. Many wore friendly expressions, but rejection filled their eyes. Clearly, they both envied his good fortune and disliked his arrogance, yet did not dare reveal it.

But he did not take it to heart. He was not a member of the Golden Cauldron Sect, spent most of his time practicing martial arts, and had little interaction with them. Why should he care what they were thinking?

"Junior Brother Ruan, Junior Brother Duàn, what Yuè'er said earlier made sense. Junior Brother Duàn has only just begun learning martial arts, so I think it would be better to judge this contest by techniques alone.

"With Granny An and Eunuch Qiu, the two seniors, here to bear witness, we can also ensure that no accidents occur. What do you think?"

Though Zhào Yù regretted being unable to pry into the secret of Duàn Yì's Internal Energy, he was also happy to see this boy toy taught a lesson by Ruan Dong. Thus, he voiced his support for Helan Yue'er's earlier proposal.

Ruan Dong had already agreed earlier, and Duàn Yì naturally did not refuse. He nodded in agreement.

With both sides consenting and a good show about to begin, whether the Golden Cauldron Sect disciples scattered around the arena or Helan Yue'er and the others, all revealed expectant looks.

An odd gleam appeared in Granny An's eyes. After pondering for a moment, she moved much closer to the arena, prepared to secretly assist Duàn Yì at any time.

"My specialty is swordsmanship. But blades and swords have no eyes, so let us use wooden swords for this match, lest I injure you."

Ruan Dong climbed the steps at one side of the arena, handed the Ten Refinements Sword in his hand to Leng Qingmei for safekeeping, then drew a wooden sword from the huge bronze cauldron at the corner of the arena. With a sweep of his arm, it still stirred up a fierce whistling wind. Clearly, his strength was considerable.

Seeing this, Duàn Yì handed his Ten Refinements Sword to Helan Yue'er beside him and stepped onto the arena. He likewise took a wooden sword from a cauldron in another corner, identical in material and dimensions to the one Ruan Dong held.

Besides wooden swords, the cauldrons around the arena also contained wooden sabers and wooden spears, all weapons in which the Golden Cauldron Sect excelled. When sect members sparred in daily practice without elders present to supervise them, they fought with wooden weapons, avoiding much danger and trouble.

The two stood still, separated by fifteen feet, each gripping a wooden sword. Their postures differed, as did their bearing.

Ruan Dong held his sword with his arm bent before him, the tip of the wooden blade slanting toward the sky. It was the opening stance of the Golden Cauldron Sect's introductory sword technique—good for defense but poor for offense. He truly had a solid foundation.

Yet a fierce light filled his eyes. With a loud roar, he used a defensive sword technique to launch the first move. Coordinating it with swift footwork, he lunged forward in a piercing thrust, fast and vicious, the sword tip aimed at Duàn Yì's heart.

Even though it was a wooden sword and contained no Internal Energy, a strike would inevitably cause a minor injury. Quite a few people below the arena felt their hearts leap. Helan Yue'er in particular abruptly clenched the Ten Refinements Sword in her hand, faint sweat seeping from her palm as worry filled her heart.

But since Duàn Yì had dared take the stage to cross swords with Ruan Dong, he was naturally not merely aloof and overconfident. With one thrust and one upward sweep of his wooden sword, he directly cut off Ruan Dong's technique. The two wooden swords collided in midair with considerable force, producing a dull thud.

The next moment, Duàn Yì's footwork pressed forward. His wooden sword turned halfway through a thirty-degree angle, knocking aside Ruan Dong's weapon. Then he slashed backhandedly, aiming straight for Ruan Dong's throat, no less dangerous than Ruan Dong's earlier strike.

But unlike Ruan Dong, who wielded his sword with gritted teeth, Duàn Yì remained calm at heart and impassive in his eyes as he used his blade. In terms of mental state alone, Duàn Yì was a step superior.

"Eh? What pure Sword Path, what solid foundations. Could it be that Duàn Yì learned swordsmanship long ago?"

The moment an expert made a move, one could tell whether there was substance. Among those watching, even the outer sect disciples with the poorest martial arts had years of training behind them. Their skills might not have been high, but their eyesight remained sharp enough to see what Duàn Yì's strike represented.

It was not some profound sword technique, merely a move formed from basic swordsmanship. Yet its power was considerable. It was absolutely not Beginner's Practice; at the very least, many admitted they could not match it.

There was a fundamental difference between an amateur swinging a sword and someone who had practiced swordsmanship for years. Duàn Yì's strike appeared simple, but it displayed his foundations and attainments in swordsmanship.

Ruan Dong had trained for three years, spending most of that time learning the sword. Naturally, he understood even better what Duàn Yì's strike signified. He no longer dared act carelessly. Twisting aside, he slashed his sword toward Duàn Yì's sword-wielding wrist.

Not only was this sword technique exquisite, it was also extremely fast, stirring a whistling current of wind.

Duàn Yì's reaction was not slow. He continued to dismantle Ruan Dong's attacks with basic swordsmanship, neither arrogant nor impatient, steady as a boulder. In the blink of an eye, they had already exchanged more than ten moves. Every move he made was defensive, yet his defense was so tight that not a drop of water could pass through.

For a time, the repeated thud, thud, thud of wooden swords striking one another rang without end from the arena, making everyone's hearts pound uneasily.

"That is the Swift Wind Sword Technique. If he also masters the Mighty Pine Sword Technique and combines them into one path, it will become the Pine Wind Sword Technique, one of our Golden Cauldron Sect's superior sword arts. Its power is extraordinarily great."

A disciple below the arena recognized Ruan Dong's sword technique and cried out in alarm. Someone beside him tugged at him, and he hurriedly covered his mouth, though his heart was utterly shaken.

As a major sect in Wei Prefecture, Hebei, the Golden Cauldron Sect's heritage needed no explanation, and its martial arts possessed their own mysteries.

In swordsmanship alone, there were seven or eight techniques classified as superior arts, and the Pine Wind Sword Technique was one of them. It emphasized legs rooted with the strength of a pine, immovable and impossible to shake, while the sword in one's hand moved like a swift gale—fast, sharp, and irresistible.

Ordinary outer sect disciples had no reason to be taught it. Even the separated Swift Wind and Mighty Pine Sword Techniques were practiced by very few.

Ruan Dong's foundation was still shallow, so he had only been taught the Swift Wind Sword Technique.

Yet his Sword Path was fierce and swift, with no lack of ruthlessness. In terms of swordsmanship, he had already left far behind many outer sect disciples who had trained far longer than he had.

This was the advantage of being a direct disciple. Once a teacher believed one possessed the talent and foundations, one could be taught the sect's secret arts. Outer sect disciples could scarcely compare.

At this thought, quite a few outer sect disciples watching the match felt dejected and sorrowful, wondering when their own day to rise would come.

Others, however, saw things differently.

They did not concern themselves with whether the sect was fair. Instead, they carefully considered the quality of the two men's swordsmanship and the strength they displayed.

These were disciples with decent martial arts and exceptional eyesight. Zhào Yù and Leng Qingmei were among them.

To be fair, Ruan Dong's Swift Wind Sword Technique was indeed swift, ruthless, and incomparably fierce. But if such a sword technique still could not defeat Duàn Yì after so long, did that not reveal a problem?