Challenge

Volume 1, Luoxia Valley, Chapter 15: Challenge

Qin Fengming knelt on both legs, accepting the precious sword gifted by his master with both hands. His face was filled with excitement as he said, "Disciple will definitely study swordsmanship diligently from now on, use this sword to eliminate demons and uphold justice, and bring honor to our sect. www..com"

Hall Master Zhang and his wife nodded with satisfaction, waving him away. Qin Fengming kowtowed to his master and mistress again before bidding them farewell and heading back to his own residence.

And so, within the next half month, Qin Fengming had learned the entire set of the Thirteen Forms of the Willow sword techniques. However, to say he had mastered them would certainly be an overstatement.

Every day thereafter, Qin Fengming would go to a secluded spot in the back mountains of Danyun Peak to practice his swordsmanship. At night, he would meditate and practice the incantation. During this time, his master also frequently guided his cultivation of the lightness skill incantation.

When Qin Fengming jumped now, his body was exceptionally light. He could easily land on a large rock half a zhang high with a gentle leap. He felt that jumping like his junior sister Ruotong was within reach.

After learning the complete set of sword techniques, Qin Fengming's diligence only increased. He would go to the back mountains to practice martial arts at the crack of dawn and only return after dark.

Duan Meng and Yuan Kejian were equally diligent. They each found a secluded spot and diligently practiced the secret manuals given to them by Hall Master Zhang.

Although the three lived in the same courtyard, their opportunities to meet became fewer and fewer. However, every time he saw Yuan Kejian, Qin Fengming consciously felt hostility in his gaze. But upon careful reflection, he had never offended Yuan Kejian and couldn't understand the reason.

Shaking his head inwardly, Qin Fengming could only put the matter aside and ignore it.

In the blink of an eye, a year had passed. Qin Fengming spent his days diligently practicing swordsmanship and meditating on the internal energy cultivation technique.

In his leisure time, he would also take out the gourd to play with. Even now, the gourd showed no change. Each time, he would try to twist the lid forcefully, but each time he was disappointed. The lid seemed to be fused to it, unmoving.

He also visited Hundred-Zhang Cliff from time to time to pay his respects to his master and mistress. Sometimes, he would spar with his junior sister. His senior sister was greatly surprised by his rapid progress. In just one year, they were now evenly matched in their exchanges.

Within this year, Qin Fengming had also met his two senior brothers separately. Eldest Senior Brother Yang Lan was tall and imposing, with a dark purplish complexion, and was around twenty-two or twenty-three years old. Second Senior Brother Lü Xuan, however, was handsome and dashing, with eyes like stars, and was around eighteen or nineteen years old. At first glance, he bore some resemblance to his master.

Qin Fengming also noticed that his junior sister was unusually affectionate towards Second Senior Brother, only offering polite greetings to Eldest Senior Brother.

Both senior brothers were very fond of Qin Fengming. Eldest Senior Brother gave him a tube made of fine iron, as thick as a thumb and about a foot long. It had a bean-sized hole at the front and a mechanism at the back that could be attached to the arm, capable of firing three flying darts.

Lü Xuan gave him a small jade sword, palm-sized. Although it was made of jade, it was exceptionally sharp.

Although Qin Fengming's life had been extremely monotonous for a year, he found joy in it. Sometimes, he would think of his parents and family thousands of miles away. But one belief sustained him: he had to succeed and achieve his martial arts training. Only then would he have the ability to provide a better life for his family.

This thought was the sole purpose for Qin Fengming leaving home at the age of ten and coming to Luoxia Valley.

The place where Qin Fengming practiced martial arts daily was a small valley very far in the back mountains of Danyun Peak. Qin Fengming had searched for a long time before discovering this valley.

It required walking several li to get there. Initially, there was no discernible path into the hidden valley, but after Qin Fengming's repeated journeys over the past year, a faint path had appeared through the dense bushes.

Every day, Qin Fengming would set off when the sky had just begun to show a hint of gray-white. After walking six or seven li of mountain road and reaching the valley, the sky would only be dimly lit.

When he finished practicing swordsmanship for an hour and returned, breakfast would have just begun.

This routine had not changed at all during the past year, not even in wind, rain, or snow.

One day, Qin Fengming still got up before dawn. After tidying his clothes slightly, he held the sword gifted by his master, gently pushed open the door, walked out of the courtyard, and headed straight for the small valley several li away.

Although the sky was still dark, Qin Fengming had walked this mountain path hundreds of times. He could tell where there were rocks or gullies even with his eyes closed, so he made no delay. Under the lightness skill taught by his master, he moved extremely quickly and disappeared into the darkness.

Perhaps the sky was a little overcast today. Normally, when Qin Fengming arrived at the valley, the sky was still not showing any signs of brightening.

Qin Fengming paid no mind to this. He removed his outer robe, placed it on a small tree nearby, and with a movement of his body, he was about to begin his swordplay and start his practice for the day.

But just as Qin Fengming bent down to put his clothes down and before he had straightened up, he suddenly heard a faint "creak" of a mechanism a few zhang away from him.

Immediately, a faint, chilling light flashed out from the distant bushes, shooting towards Qin Fengming's left flank like lightning.

"Ah, no!"

Along with the sound of the mechanism, Qin Fengming had already sensed something. His peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the faint, chilling light entering his sight.

At this moment, it was already too late for Qin Fengming to leap and dodge. Shouting out, he instinctively swung his long sword, still in its sheath, towards the direction from which the cold light was flying