Hong Qigong VS The Little Sword Demon

Huang Rong also knew that the newcomer was a true master, so she quickly carried the Profound Iron Heavy Sword with both hands, ran to Lu Chen's side, and handed the sword to him. Only then did she speak to the beggar in a clear, crisp voice:

"Senior is a master from the Beggar Gang?"

The beggar looked at Huang Rong and chuckled:

"Little girl, your eyes and brows look vaguely like an old acquaintance. The swordplay that young man just used also looks very familiar to this old beggar. What's your surname?"

Huang Rong smiled broadly:

"My name is Huang Rong. May I ask for senior's esteemed name?"

The beggar laughed and said:

"This old beggar is the Beggar Gang Leader, surnamed Hong, ranked seventh. You can call me Hong Qi, or you can call me Seventh Grandpa. Calling me old beggar is also fine."

"Seventh Grandpa!"

Huang Rong sweetly called out, formally greeting him:

"Huang Rong, daughter of the Peach Blossom Island Master of the Eastern Sea, pays respects to Seventh Grandpa!"

Lu Chen also followed suit and bowed:

"Junior Lu Chen pays respects to Senior Hong."

Although he was confident about his future prospects, at the moment, facing a Five Greats level master, he still had to show some respect. Furthermore, Hong Qigong was genuinely worthy of respect for his chivalrous spirit and hatred of evil.

Hong Qigong laughed:

"So the little girl is indeed Huang Yaoshi's daughter? Lu boy knows the Peach Blossom Island Movement Technique and wields the 'Falling Blossom Swordplay' with a level of skill comparable to Huang Yaoshi in his younger days. Could you be Huang Yaoshi's disciple?"

Huang Rong pouted slightly: "Seventh Grandpa, why do you call my father 'Huang Yaoshi'? It sounds awful."

Hong Qi laughed: "Your father is the Eastern Heretic, this old beggar is the Northern Beggar, and along with the Western Venom, Southern Emperor, and Central Divine, we are known as the Five Greats. This old beggar and your father are old acquaintances, so what's wrong with calling him Huang Yaoshi?"

Huang Rong was stunned for a moment. Although she knew about the "Five Greats" and that it represented the pinnacle of Martial Arts in the world, her father always said there were more bad things than good in the Martial Arts World and that it wasn't beneficial for a girl to hear too much about it. Therefore, he had never explained the Five Greats to her in detail.

As a result, she truly didn't know who the other "Four Greats" were, who were on par with her father.

So this Beggar Gang Leader was also one of the Five Greats, a top master at the same level as her father?

Huang Rong was a little nervous.

She didn't know Hong Qigong's temperament and wasn't sure if Hong Qigong's visit was because of Elder Peng's matter and if he was here to trouble Lu Chen. She quickly brought up her father's name:

"Brother Lu Chen is my father's closed-door disciple, and his swordplay was also taught to him personally by my father!"

Since they were old acquaintances and both were among the Five Greats of the World, for the sake of her father, Seventh Grandpa shouldn't bully the young, right?

Hong Qigong said: "So you are Huang Yaoshi's closed-door disciple. No wonder you have such an unconventional nickname as 'Little Sword Demon'."

Huang Yaoshi was unconventional, arrogant, and disdained etiquette. It seemed quite normal for his closed-door disciple to be a bit unconventional as well.

Huang Rong giggled:

"I came up with the nickname 'Little Sword Demon'. I just called him that for fun. I've made Seventh Grandpa laugh. May I ask why Seventh Grandpa has graced us with his presence and if there's any instruction?"

"Instruction is not necessary."

Hong Qigong looked at Lu Chen and said with a smile:

"A Nine-Bag Elder from the Beggar Gang's Clean-Clothed Faction was killed by you. The other two Nine-Bag Elders and the Eight-Bag Disciples from the Clean-Clothed Faction are furious and are clamoring to gather their best fighters for revenge. This old beggar received the news and specifically came to investigate the situation. While I'm at it, I'll see how formidable the 'Little Sword Demon' is... Lu boy, be careful!"

As his voice fell, Hong Qigong suddenly leaped up, instantly soaring above Lu Chen, and struck down with a palm from overhead.

When masters fight, it is indeed not advisable to easily leave the ground and attack while airborne.

However, Hong Qigong's Martial Arts had reached the pinnacle of the current era. He could fight however he pleased, and the move he used was originally a top-tier ultimate technique that involved soaring in mid-air and attacking from above.

Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, Flying Dragon in the Sky!

There was no dragon roar, nor was there a dragon-shaped True Qi flying out.

Although there were no flashy special effects, when Hong Qigong's palm struck down, Lu Chen only felt the air above his head suddenly vibrate. A heavy pressure from the wind descended with a roar, enveloping his entire body. Not only did it make it hard for him to breathe, but his body felt suppressed by the palm wind, giving him a faint sense of being burdened by a heavy weight, making it difficult to move.

Facing this powerful palm strike, although Lu Chen felt pressure like a mountain, he remained calm and unhurried. He quickly channeled his True Qi, and the Profound Iron Heavy Sword suddenly lifted, performing a simple, diagonal upward thrust. It broke through the heavy palm wind like parting waves, directly stabbing towards Hong Qigong's palm.

This sword strike was extremely fast. The 81-jin heavy sword's thrusting speed was only slightly slower than a light steel sword weighing one or two jins.

However, this could not threaten Hong Qigong.

Hong Qigong saw at a glance that the Profound Iron Heavy Sword was extremely heavy and the force on the sword was also unusual. So, his palm, which was originally striking down in a straight line with unparalleled power, suddenly shifted to the side. In a flash, it drew a light and gentle arc, and struck the body of the heavy sword.

This seemingly light and gentle palm strike on the heavy sword actually produced a clang like a massive bell, the sound of metal colliding.

Not only did it knock the heavy sword away with a single palm, but a powerful and heavy vibrating force was transmitted along the blade to Lu Chen's sword-holding hand, causing his tiger's mouth to ache and his fingers and palm to go numb, almost making him lose his grip on the hilt.

However, Lu Chen's current cultivation was already quite pure and profound, and he possessed immense strength in his muscles and bones. He forcefully withstood the vibrating force, firmly gripped the hilt, and moved his feet. His body followed the direction the heavy sword was knocked away, using the inertia to quickly spin around.

As he spun, the heavy sword also made a large windmill-like circle, stirring up a fierce gust of wind, and again slashed towards Hong Qigong.

Hong Qigong was in mid-air with no place to exert force. Although his previous palm strike on the heavy sword had knocked it away, his own body, which was leaping forward in the air, was also momentarily frozen in the air by the heavy sword's force. He couldn't follow through with his downward leap and seize the instantaneous opening when Lu Chen's heavy sword was knocked away.

His previous "Flying Dragon in the Sky" palm strike had only used five or six tenths of his power.

He originally thought that a palm strike with five or six tenths of his skill would be enough to shake Lu Chen's heavy sword out of his hand. However, he didn't expect that not only did he fail to shake the heavy sword away, but Lu Chen actually used his palm force to instantly spin around, swinging the heavy sword horizontally with a more ferocious momentum than before.

Such cultivation beyond his age, as well as his ability to react in battle, made Hong Qigong unable to help but praise:

"Good lad!"

At the same time, he struck out with both palms again in mid-air, hitting the heavy sword's blade.

But this time, there was no collision.

Hong Qigong's palms seemed to have no strength at all, like magnets sticking to the sword's blade. His large frame was like a feather completely unaffected by force. With his palms pressing on the heavy sword, his entire body actually flew half a circle through the air with the sword. It wasn't until Lu Chen's sword's force was nearly spent that the palm pressing on the heavy sword suddenly erupted with a torrential flood of palm power.

Buzz!

The heavy sword vibrated with a buzz, shaken downwards by the palm power.

Lu Chen's heavy sword was originally wielded with ease, and he could easily stop its inertia, but that was limited to the force he himself applied to it.

Now the heavy sword was falling due to Hong Qigong's palm power. Its own weight combined with the immense inertia created by Hong Qigong's palm power made it difficult for Lu Chen to dissipate and control it for a moment. The sword tip immediately struck the ground with a clang.

Before he could even lift the sword, Hong Qigong had used the force to flip behind Lu Chen. Upon landing, he struck backwards with a "Divine Dragon Swings Tail" palm, aiming for Lu Chen's lower back.

Lu Chen couldn't turn in time, so he simply darted forward abruptly. Just as he narrowly avoided being enveloped by Hong Qigong's "Divine Dragon Swings Tail" palm power, the heavy sword dragging on the ground suddenly sprang upwards like a startled spirit snake. He struck backwards with a sword, slashing upwards from below at Hong Qigong's wrist.

Hong Qigong laughed heartily, flipped his wrist, and spat out a burst of palm power, hitting the heavy sword's tip squarely.

Clang!

Amidst the explosive clang, Lu Chen, who was already darting forward, staggered a few steps unsteadily before barely regaining his footing and raising his sword to turn around.

Hong Qigong didn't press the attack either. He just shook his reddened palm and hissed, "Young Lu, your internal energy is good for someone so young. Your adaptability is even better. This heavy sword also has some history; it even made this old beggar's palm hurt."

He had collided with the Profound Iron Heavy Sword three times bare-handed. Although he had the upper hand each time, the taste of bare flesh meeting profound iron was truly not easy.

It was only because he was one of the Five Greats and had practiced the world's most forceful and powerful "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms" throughout his life, making his palms tough enough. Otherwise, clashing directly with profound iron with bare palms might have caused him minor bone injuries.

"This junior merely relied on the advantage of my weapon and was fortunate enough to take a few of Senior Hong's moves. Thank you, Senior Hong, for showing mercy."

Lu Chen cupped his hands and said.

He knew that although Hong Qigong had used the "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms" from the start, he was far from serious.

He was very aware that in this world, the power gap between experts was extremely severe.

If the Five Greats-level combat power was one hundred points, and Qiu Qianren had ninety-five points, then the first-rate experts below them probably only had fifty or sixty points of combat power.

Such a huge, tiered gap allowed Five Greats-level experts to easily dominate anyone below the Five Greats in a one-on-one fight.

Although Lu Chen had mastered the heavy sword technique, due to the weather, he didn't have the opportunity to train under a waterfall. His heavy sword technique mastery should still be slightly inferior to Yang Guo, who trained with his life under a waterfall.

His internal energy was also not as good as Yang Guo's yet.

After all, Yang Guo slept on the Cold Jade Bed every day in the Ancient Tomb, gaining internal energy even while sleeping. He also practiced the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra and Chongyang's Legacy Inscription, and his foundation was already quite deep when he emerged from the mountain. After some experience in the Martial Arts World, his martial arts had already reached first-rate level before his arm was severed.

After his arm was severed, he also ate a large amount of Bosiqu Snake gallbladders, causing his internal energy and muscle strength to surge.

When Lu Chen entered the Snake Valley, his internal energy was still quite weak, far from comparable to Yang Guo's. He relied entirely on eating snake gallbladders to increase his internal energy.

So, based on his own calculations, his current martial arts, not counting "Sword One," and his regular strength, couldn't compare to Heavy Sword Yang Guo, but he should have reached Mei Chaofeng's level.

At this level of martial arts, being able to take three moves of "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms" from Hong Qigong could only be because the other party was holding back.

Hong Qigong chuckled:

"You rely on the advantage of your weapon, and this old beggar also took advantage with my internal energy. If Old Heretic Huang knew, he'd probably laugh at this old beggar for bullying the young."

He paused, then sighed with emotion:

"Looking at your age, you're not even twenty, are you? At such a young age, you have such skill. In the future Mount Hua Sword Conference, you might just have a place."

When Hong Qigong suddenly leaped out and attacked just now, Huang Rong was extremely nervous for a moment, thinking he was going to teach Lu Chen a lesson, and almost shouted, "Seventh Master, please show mercy."

However, after the first collision, she realized that Seventh Master was probably just testing him and wasn't going all out, which relieved her.

Seeing Lu Chen successfully take three palms from Hong Qigong and even receive praise from him, Huang Rong was happier than hearing a Five Greats expert praise herself. She said with a smile:

"What Seventh Master said must be right. Thanks to Seventh Master's auspicious words, my Brother Lu Chen will definitely participate in the Mount Hua Sword Conference in the future and earn a title."

Hong Qigong couldn't help but laugh:

"You girl, this old beggar is praising young Lu, what are you so happy about?"

Huang Rong smiled mischievously:

"Brother Lu Chen is my father's last disciple. Rong'er and he are family. Of course, Rong'er is happy when you praise Brother Lu Chen."

Hong Qigong shook his head with a smile and then looked at Li Mochou:

"This little girl's martial arts style looks quite familiar. Is your sect's founder perhaps surnamed Lin?"

Lin Chaoying's reputation was not widely spread in the Martial Arts World to begin with, and she had passed away long before the first Mount Hua Sword Conference. Therefore, not many people in the current Martial Arts World knew of her existence, but Hong Qigong certainly did.

"Junior Li Mochou, disciple's disciple of Ancestor Lin, greets Senior Hong."

Li Mochou bowed to Hong Qigong, looking a little nervous.

The Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar Hong Qi, one of the Five Greats of the World, was a name her master had told her about.

But she never expected that she, a young newcomer to the martial arts world, would have the honor of meeting a living martial arts pinnacle, one of the Five Greats of the World, today.

At the same time, she now also knew Huang Rong and Lu Chen's backgrounds.

The daughter and last disciple of "Eastern Heretic" Huang Yaoshi, one of the Five Greats, their backgrounds were also extremely distinguished.

Originally, she felt a little inadequate.

But then she thought:

My ancestor Lin was someone who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Wang Chongyang, the "Central Divine" and the leader of the Five Greats. When I entered the sect and became a disciple, I even spat on Wang Chongyang's portrait as my master instructed.

So, although I haven't been passed down the Ancient Tomb Sect's ultimate technique, the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, my background seems presentable enough?

It's just that my seniority seems to be a generation lower than Rong'er and Brother Lu...

"The daughter and disciple of Eastern Heretic Huang, and the grand-disciple of heroine Lin... What a coincidence today, these three little kids are all descendants of old acquaintances."

Hong Qigong chuckled and then looked at Lu Chen, saying:

"Little Lu, do you know why this old beggar came to find you?"

Lu Chen said, "Because of Elder Peng."

Huang Rong quickly added, "The Hanshui Gang did evil deeds, and Elder Peng was their main backer. If it weren't for Elder Peng supporting them, the Hanshui Gang wouldn't have been so rampant."

Hong Qigong nodded:

"I've already heard from a few disciples of the Dirty-Clothed Faction. The Hanshui Gang indeed engaged in many businesses that deserved death. The disciples of the Dirty-Clothed Faction have already fought two battles with the Hanshui Gang. This old beggar also personally investigated and met a few local girls you rescued. You were right to destroy the Hanshui Gang. Elder Peng supported the Hanshui Gang and fully deserved to die."

Huang Rong breathed a sigh of relief and said with a playful smile:

"So, Seven-fingers, are you here to reward us?"

"Reward?"

Hong Qigong burst into laughter:

"The Clean-Clothed Faction's Nine-Bag Elders and Eight-Bag Disciples are demanding to gather their best fighters to avenge Elder Peng. This old beggar is suppressing them and personally coming over to collect evidence of Elder Peng's crimes to settle things for you. And you, this girl, still want a reward?"

Huang Rong said seriously:

"But we helped you, Seven-fingers, root out a degenerate from the Beggar Gang, protected the Beggar Gang's reputation, and also saved you the trouble of dealing with a Nine-Bag Elder... You are a dignified member of the Five Greats of the World, a top figure in the Martial Arts World. We juniors helped you with such a big favor, aren't you even willing to give us a small reward?"

Hong Qigong glared, his beard bristling:

"If a Beggar Gang Elder commits a crime, the Beggar Gang's rules will handle it. You directly killed a Nine-Bag Elder whose status is only below me, the Gang Leader. Not only is this old beggar not looking for trouble with you, but I also worked hard to clean up the mess for you. How can there be any reason to give you a reward?"

Huang Rong pouted her small mouth and snorted twice:

"And here I thought my father said Seven-fingers was chivalrous, righteous, hated evil like fire, acted with the utmost fairness, and was the number one, peerless hero in the world... Hmph, so this is Seven-fingers' idea of fairness?"

She originally didn't know Hong Qigong's temperament.

However, after watching Hong Qi spar with Lu Chen and talking for a while, she had almost figured out Hong Qigong's personality and immediately started needling and flattering him with her words.

"?"

Hong Qigong looked surprised:

"Eastern Heretic Huang really said I was the most fair and the number one, peerless hero in the world?"

Huang Rong's tone was serious, without any hint of deception:

"Yes! My father also said that the person he admired most was Seven-fingers."

Looking at Huang Rong's serious expression, Hong Qigong mused that Huang Yaoshi had always been aloof and arrogant, priding himself on his literary and martial skills, and his unparalleled natural talent. Besides Wang Chongyang, there was no one who could make him truly admire them.

So, although Eastern Heretic Huang was familiar with this old beggar, he had never said anything good about him before. How could he praise him so much behind his back?

However, upon reflection, Huang Yaoshi's personality was a bit awkward, so perhaps Eastern Heretic Huang did admire this old beggar deeply, but acted arrogant when facing him, and couldn't help praising him in front of his daughter behind his back?

Thinking of this, Hong Qigong couldn't help but feel a little smug:

In this world, the person who can make someone as arrogant as Huang Yaoshi admire and respect them, besides Wang Chongyang, should probably only be this old beggar, right?

(Today's two chapters are combined into one and posted together. Please give me your monthly votes!)