Chapter Forty-Six: It Hurts This Old Man to Death

Below the stage, everyone was clueless as to what had happened. They only saw Lin Bohui, who had only exchanged two moves with Duàn Yì, seemingly provoked into a frenzy, shouting wildly and launching a fierce assault on Duàn Yì.

If the swordplay at the beginning was like thunder and lightning, mysterious and unpredictable amidst extreme speed, then the swordplay Lin Bohui was using now was as scorching as raging fire. Dots of sword light transformed into countless sword flowers blooming around Duàn Yì.

The sword flowers were silver, beautiful and dazzling, but they contained a surging killing intent. One misstep, and Duàn Yì would die under Lin Bohui's sword, with no chance of survival, because Lin Bohui would not hold back.

Duàn Yì remained unhurried and calm, centering his mind. His Ten Refinements Sword also unfurled into a dazzling layer of sword light. Combined with the agility of King Yue's Divine Arrow, he employed the superior Songshan Swordplay for defense.

Although Bixie Swordplay was incredibly powerful, Lin Bohui had lost control. His swordplay, while strong, was chaotic and lacked composure, so Duàn Yì was not afraid.

For a time, the battle on the stage was fierce and perilous, making the spectators below tremble with fear, worried that the next moment would decide life or death.

However, Duàn Yì soon found himself struggling to cope. His chest and back were grazed by several swords, but no blood flowed out. Only the sound of blunt objects scraping against cowhide could be heard, sish sish sish.

In the brief moments between being hit, Duàn Yì also struck out with his left palm, unleashing the biting cold of the Ice Divine Palm. He channeled a stream of Ice True Qi into Lin Bohui's body, withdrawing as soon as contact was made, knowing when to stop.

Immediately after, without even bothering to defend, he began to dodge Lin Bohui's sword attacks, playing a game of cat and mouse.

Although Lin Bohui wished he could immediately slay Duàn Yì with his sword, he found himself unable to do anything about his opponent for the moment.

The Bixie Sword Manual recorded that the ultimate swordplay is formless, yet it must have form.

The essence of the seventy-two forms of swordplay lies in speed, not form, using the shortest distance to execute the simplest moves.

However, all this rapid movement must ultimately be attributed to True Qi.

Now, the True Qi within him was like a runaway horse, beyond his control. While his strikes were indeed incredibly powerful, he couldn't achieve the shortest distance and simplest moves described in Bixie Swordplay.

Just now, his barrage of attacks seemed like a storm of pear blossoms. Although his offensive was fierce, Duàn Yì had controlled the vital points of his body. As for his chest and back, they seemed to be protected by valuable armor, making it difficult to seriously injure Duàn Yì even with a long sword.

"Damn it."

This young man opposite him seemed to have maintained complete control of the situation from beginning to end, calculating everything meticulously. He was like a hedgehog, impossible to get a grip on.

What made Lin Bohui most despairing was that during their recent exchange, Duàn Yì had also injected a stream of Ice True Qi into his body, causing the already rampant True Qi in his dantian to become even more uncontrollable.

In the process of dispelling the Ice True Qi, his Bixie True Qi circulated at high speed, grinding his meridians inch by inch, feeling like being sliced and twisted by knives.

"Ah!"

Lin Bohui could no longer control himself. He roared to the sky, his eyes turning completely crimson, like a madman devoid of reason, lunging towards Duàn Yì.

Although the long sword in his hand still stabbed and slashed at Duàn Yì, and the qi force attached to the sword was incredibly powerful, faintly emitting hot air, it was chaotic and could no longer pose a threat to Duàn Yì.

For a moment, those below the stage only saw Lin Bohui, who had been displaying great power and holding the advantage just moments ago, acting like a madman, wildly swinging and slashing, his sword techniques utterly without pattern.

"He's gone berserk, how could this happen?"

Most of the people below the stage had received formal martial arts training. They possessed extensive theoretical knowledge and solid foundations, all of them could tell that Lin Bohui had gone berserk, but they didn't know why.

However, many had already guessed that it must be related to Duàn Yì, because Lin Bohui's earlier outburst of "despicable scoundrel" and his killing intent that he couldn't wait to get rid of were too abrupt.

What's more, they couldn't figure out how Duàn Yì had done it, not even a master like Bái Xī Wén could discern it.

The aged Ruan Xiang watched the duel intently, his right hand tightly gripping Steward Xu's arm. He saw Lin Bohui's powerful sword strikes and sharp sword winds on the stage, the power contained within them even palpable to those below. Yet, Duàn Yì dodged them with ease, toying with him like a cat playing with a mouse.

His vision suddenly went black, and his chest felt as if it were being squeezed by a hand, nearly causing him to faint. He roared inwardly, "How could this happen? It pains this old man so much!"

Yes, this question was not only on Ruan Xiang's mind; Steward Xu was also baffled. Why had the renowned Lin Bohui been so quickly cornered? The advantage he had initially held seemed like a joke.

Considering Lin Bohui's background, his noble lineage, his peerless swordplay, and how he had defeated seven swordsmen from Wei Prefecture, none of whom could withstand him for ten moves, it was incomprehensible that he was unable to achieve anything against the very young Duàn Yì and was now facing certain defeat.

Ruan Xiang even felt that hiring Lin Bohui at such a high price was incredibly foolish. With that money, he might as well have hired an assassin to deal with Duàn Yì at an opportune moment.

And now? With the challenge issued and the Golden Cauldron Sect as guarantor, he could no longer deal with Duàn Yì. Otherwise, he would be making an enemy of the Golden Cauldron Sect, a price he couldn't afford to pay. He felt incredibly stifled, to the point of going mad.

On the stage, Duàn Yì's movements were like arrows. As he leaped and weaved, he evaded the sword of the frenzied Lin Bohui. Looking at Lin Bohui's current frantic state, he remained unfazed.

Victory was never a matter of luck, especially when the disparity in strength was clear.

From the moment he guessed that Lin Bohui had not castrated himself to practice his swordplay, Duàn Yì had been contemplating how to deal with him.

First, killing people in the county town to make his swordplay fiercer and more ruthless was one aspect, aimed at improving his fundamental strength.

Second, going to the Fragrant Courtyard to inquire about the girls who had served Lin Bohui to confirm that he was indeed a man was the source of his confidence in winning.

And his trump card was the powder Duàn Yì had smeared on his Ten Refinements Sword. It wasn't a poison, but an aphrodisiac.

The formula came from a girl at the Fragrant Courtyard, and the medicinal ingredients were procured from a pharmacy in Daming County. It could ignite desire and make one restless.

In fact, for ordinary martial artists, such a substance was less effective than even lime powder, because any practitioner of martial arts would have a will that surpassed that of ordinary people.

However, for Lin Bohui, who had not practiced his swordplay after castration, especially during combat, this aphrodisiac was as potent as a deadly poison, truly terrifying.

Coupled with Duàn Yì's not-weak martial arts and the Black Silkworm Treasure Robe obtained from Helan Yue'er, he managed to evade Lin Bohui's frenzied counterattack, finally securing his victory.

"I know you like the back of my hand, while you know nothing about me. With a prepared mind against an unprepared one, your defeat is not unjust."

Watching Lin Bohui's weakening aura and his fading frenzy, Duàn Yì couldn't help but shake his head.

It couldn't be said that this person's martial arts were not high or his swordplay not good; he simply met him.

It was even more accurate to say that he defeated himself rather than Duàn Yì defeating him.

Duàn Yì was merely a catalyst. In his estimation, Lin Bohui would inevitably face the hurdle of going berserk sooner or later.

"I really have to thank Yuè'er this time. Otherwise, although Lin Bohui couldn't kill me, he could have injured me. It's much more elegant and natural to end it like this."

The only dangerous part was the period when Lin Bohui, still conscious, attacked Duàn Yì.

If it weren't for the Black Silkworm Treasure Robe protecting him, he would have suffered flesh wounds. Now, he only felt a slight numbness and pain from the qi force attached to the sword.

Duàn Yì sidestepped Lin Bohui's sword strike again. He reversed his grip on the Ten Refinements Sword, flicked the hilt, and struck Lin Bohui's sword-wielding wrist. The long sword clanged as it flew out of his hand.

Following up with a kick to the chest, Duàn Yì sent Lin Bohui flying. He soared three zhang through the air before crashing down below the stage with a thud, immediately knocked unconscious. The victory was decisively clear.

Duàn Yì walked to a corner of the stage, picked up his discarded sword sheath, and sheathed the Ten Refinements Sword. He looked at the crowd below, cupped his fists in a bow, and then leaped down, no longer paying attention to Lin Bohui or the Ruan family.

The disciples of the Golden Cauldron Sect watched Duàn Yì with inscrutable expressions. Some of the younger core disciples even showed envy and awe.

It's survival of the fittest. Regardless of how Duàn Yì won, he won. With the crowd as witness, no one could erase this victory.

Moreover, no matter how glorious Lin Bohui's past was, after today, Duàn Yì would inevitably step over Lin Bohui's corpse to advance further, becoming the fastest rising young swordsman in Wei Prefecture.

Coupled with Bái Xī Wén supporting him, his future achievements were predictable.

"Good, it's good you're back safely. This matter is now concluded. The Ruan family will no longer bother you; otherwise, they will be opposing me, Bái Xī Wén. Let's go."

Bái Xī Wén had many questions for Duàn Yì but knew this wasn't the right place. He could only offer some perfunctory words and issue a warning to Ruan Xiang and Steward Xu, who were not far away.

Upon hearing Bái Xī Wén's words, Ruan Xiang could no longer hold back. He rolled his eyes and promptly fainted.

Steward Xu could only call for the Ruan family servants who had followed them up the mountain to carry Ruan Xiang and Lin Bohui down the mountain. They left in disgrace.