The Refined Essence of Swordsmanship

Ruan Dong's swordsmanship did have its merits, with two particular strengths.

The first was speed. This suited the core principle of the Swift Wind Sword Technique and was indeed quite commendable. It had once forced Duàn Yì into defense alone, without any chance to attack; the power of the swift sword deserved much of the credit.

The second was the fierce, ruthless nature of his moves. The wooden sword pointed mostly at Duàn Yì's vital points, as though they harbored some deep-seated blood feud. Naturally, its force was also somewhat greater.

Yet it was not without flaws. Though Ruan Dong's swordsmanship was fast and ruthless, it was not steady.

Three strikes stabbed toward Duàn Yì's chest, yet they often fell short by a few inches midway through. One reason was that Duàn Yì evaded at precisely the right moments, making it difficult for Ruan Dong to alter his moves halfway through and accurately strike vital points.

The other was that Ruan Dong's foundational training was insufficient. Usually, he pursued swift swordsmanship too excessively, and once his Sword Path became fast, his swordsmanship itself became unstable, greatly diminishing its power. Techniques that should have been killing moves often failed to produce any miraculous effect.

As Ruan Dong's senior fellow disciple, Leng Qingmei understood this best. Many times after Liu Zhiwei taught them swordsmanship, Leng Qingmei would supervise Ruan Dong's practice, so she naturally knew his shortcomings like the back of her hand.

But shortcomings were shortcomings; they could not negate the power of Ruan Dong's swordsmanship. What truly surprised them was that Duàn Yì had managed to hold out until now.

A set of basic swordsmanship was vastly inferior to the Swift Wind Sword Technique, yet Duàn Yì had turned it into something extraordinary. Once combined, it unfolded slowly and calmly, neither hurried nor impatient, blocking Ruan Dong's Swift Wind fast-sword techniques one by one. Though he was on the defensive, he was not at a disadvantage.

This required not only refined attainments in swordsmanship, but also quick-witted reactions in battle and incomparable confidence.

"Good, good! I had long heard that aside from the Invincible Treasure Codex, Bái Xī Wén's swordsmanship was also peerless. Looking at Duàn Yì, it seems there is indeed some truth to that."

Eunuch Qiu's face was filled with amazement as he clapped his hands and spoke.

Compared with the Swift Wind fast sword, Duàn Yì's swordsmanship was neither dazzling nor eye-catching, much less flawless and beyond criticism.

But what made it formidable was its purity—pure form, pure techniques.

From his perspective, some mediocre people could train for an entire lifetime and still fail to cultivate the same refined flavor as Duàn Yì. It truly was marvelous.

Moreover, Duàn Yì possessed the bearing of a famous swordsman. His sword was slower than his opponent's, but his judgment and confidence made up for that. After figuring out Ruan Dong's Sword Path, he could see one move and discern three, leaving him at ease and unhurried.

"Wrong. No matter how formidable Bái Xī Wén's swordsmanship might be, he could not possibly train someone with no foundation in swordsmanship to this standard in just a few days. The only explanation is that this person is a rare prodigy, gifted in the path of the sword.

"Swordsmanship is easy to learn but difficult to master. That is true for ordinary people, but some can learn it at a glance, and once they learn it, master it. That is precisely the kind of person this boy Duàn is.

"He can be considered a swordsmanship genius. In terms of potential, I fear no one in the vast Golden Cauldron Sect can match him. Not even Bái Xī Wén."

Granny An was even more lavish in her praise. Light flickered in her bean-sized eyes, and even many of her wrinkles seemed to fade as she silently cheered for Duàn Yì on the arena.

She had originally prepared to intervene in secret and help Duàn Yì defeat Ruan Dong. Never had she expected that from the very first move, Duàn Yì would give her such an enormous surprise. His swordsmanship was so advanced, his foundation so pure, that even those who had practiced swordsmanship for many years could scarcely compare.

Some people were born to shatter the understanding of ordinary folk. Without question, Duàn Yì was one of them.

When the other Golden Cauldron Sect disciples heard the two elders' extravagant praise, they felt indignant and even somewhat jealous, yet they could not find any words to refute them. Duàn Yì's performance truly was as they described; facts spoke louder than eloquence.

Even if Bái Xī Wén had practiced the sword for the same amount of time, he absolutely could not have done better than Duàn Yì.

Helan Yue'er, meanwhile, puffed out her chest like a proud little hen, looking left and right with an air of shared glory. Her heart blossomed with delight. The more impressive Duàn Yì was, the happier she became.

"No matter whether he practiced martial arts before coming up the mountain, his aptitude is truly remarkable.

"Uncle-Master Bái may well teach him the Invincible Treasure Codex. I must report this to Master afterward."

Zhào Yù's expression did not change, but inwardly he was both shocked and furious, mixed with jealousy and unwillingness, as he thought to himself.

In terms of martial arts, he was naturally superior to Duàn Yì. But when it came to a solid foundation in swordsmanship, he had no choice but to admit that he was inferior. This was not only humiliating, but also a threat.

He had originally intended to make Duàn Yì lose all face, but it now appeared that he had underestimated him.

On the arena, however, the two men fighting had no distractions. Their eyes held only each other.

Moreover, as time passed, Duàn Yì dealt with Ruan Dong more and more easily. Within seven or eight exchanges, he had already found opportunities to retaliate with a sword strike.

Ruan Dong, on the other hand, felt mounting pressure. The more he wanted to defeat Duàn Yì beneath his sword, the more helpless he became. He even began to feel powerless, like prey caught in spider silk. Though it could struggle a little, it could not escape the fate of eventually being devoured.

"I wonder who Granny An believes will win and who will lose?"

Seeing the two men's swordsmanship clash, Zhào Yù suddenly asked, seeming quite curious.

"Duàn Yì, naturally. His foundation in swordsmanship is solid, and his instincts are exceptional. His defense is watertight, and he is precisely waiting at ease for the exhausted enemy.

"Though Ruan Dong's Swift Wind Sword Technique is indeed quite powerful, over time it also becomes a burden on his stamina. Have you not noticed that the speed of his sword has already fallen far short of what it was before?

"Besides, if Duàn Yì were not using basic swordsmanship, Ruan Dong would already have been defeated."

Not only did the spectators hear Granny An's words clearly, but Duàn Yì and Ruan Dong on the arena heard them as well.

Ruan Dong's expression changed. Ferocity flashed through his eyes, and his swordsmanship shifted as he prepared to throw everything into winning within ten moves.

Clearly, Zhào Yù had deliberately used Granny An's words to send a message to Ruan Dong: he was already a spent arrow at the end of its flight and absolutely could not delay any longer. If he wanted victory, he had to end the battle quickly.

Quite a few people could see through this intention, but no one considered it especially inappropriate. After all, Ruan Dong was one of the Golden Cauldron Sect's own, while Duàn Yì, though connected to Bái Xī Wén, was still an outsider. It was normal to show some favoritism, though it was admittedly a little underhanded.

Besides, different people saw things differently. Some Golden Cauldron Sect disciples believed that Zhào Yù valued the sect's honor so highly precisely because he did not care about his own gains and losses, and was willing to devote himself to the sect.

As an elder, Granny An had also seen through Zhào Yù's intentions, but she did not care.

If Ruan Dong could win by erupting with all his strength, he would have won long ago and would not have dragged things out until now. Besides, with her here, as long as she acted discreetly, Ruan Dong would not be able to stir up any great waves.

"Good, Zhào Yù. You truly have the heart of a wolf and the ambition of a wild beast. You bear ill will toward me. Sooner or later, I will settle accounts with you."

Duàn Yì's expression did not change, and his gaze remained like a deep, cold pool. Yet inwardly, he was furious. He was not someone with a good temper.

From the very beginning, he had disliked Zhào Yù. He had always felt that the man was putting on a false front and harbored ulterior motives.

Sure enough, Zhào Yù's earlier probing, incitement, and other actions had further confirmed Duàn Yì's thoughts. His current anger was merely an eruption after long accumulation.

He did not like provoking others, but if someone bullied him to his face and he remained silent, that would be cowardice.

As anger surged in his heart, before Ruan Dong could erupt, Duàn Yì changed his move first.

The force in his wooden sword increased by another thirty percent, transforming into a dark sword light that struck at Ruan Dong. Its speed was incomparably swift, surpassing even Ruan Dong's Swift Wind Sword Technique.

This sword strike was a move from Eternal Dragon, one of the exquisite techniques of Songshan Swordplay. When Bái Xī Wén had used it that day, it had been lofty and extraordinary, with majestic momentum; Duàn Yì naturally could not compare.

But to outsiders, it was still exceptionally exquisite. Like a black dragon soaring into the sky, its momentum was like thunder. The vast and surging swordsmanship swept aside the wooden sword in Ruan Dong's hand in one stroke, while its following changes were countless and unpredictable, impossible for others to glimpse even the slightest fraction of.

With a dull clang, the two men passed one another. One wooden sword was sent flying, tossed high into the air before falling back down.

Everyone focused their eyes. On the arena, the one holding a long sword was not Duàn Yì, but Ruan Dong.

Yet contrary to what they saw, after turning around, Duàn Yì first waved his empty hands, then looked at Ruan Dong with a half-smile, as if questioning something.

Ruan Dong, meanwhile, was deathly pale, cold sweat beading on his forehead. His thick lips trembled as he held the wooden sword horizontally before him and stared at it for a long while. Then, with a crack, he snapped it in two and said unwillingly,

"You won. I lost. But next time, I will definitely defeat you."

After speaking, Ruan Dong jumped directly off the arena. He did not even retrieve the Ten Refinements Sword from Leng Qingmei's hands, instead leaving at once. Clearly, he had suffered a grievous loss of face and no longer wished to remain and endure the strange looks of others.

Today, he had truly lost all face. Once word spread, he would become the laughingstock of others.

Some people could not understand why Ruan Dong, who still held his sword, had conceded defeat, while Duàn Yì, whose wooden sword had fallen, was the victor.

Only after others explained did they understand. Duàn Yì's Eternal Dragon move had directly sealed off every one of Ruan Dong's subsequent methods, making victory certain. But though Ruan Dong had lost in swordsmanship, at the final moment he used true qi to knock the wooden sword from Duàn Yì's hand, creating that final scene.

After all, it had been agreed beforehand that this battle would compare only swordsmanship techniques, and internal power could not be used. Thus, Duàn Yì had genuinely defeated Ruan Dong, and no one could say otherwise.