A Prodigy Born of Heaven

Yu Canghai pushed his way to the front, eager to see the sword manual for himself. The other martial artists were also itching to get a look, but none of them made as big a move as he did.

Wang Jingyuan saw what was happening and wasn't about to let him get away with it. He called out, "You there, from the Qingcheng Sect! Yes, I mean you. My Master made himself perfectly clear. The Qingcheng Sect isn't one of the Five Great Sword Sects, so what's this? You want to raise its standing? Even Mount Emei beside you has more right to do that!"

Seeing Wang Jingyuan again, Yu Canghai flew into a rage. He raised his hand, ready to hit him with Heartbreak Palm, but Wang Jingyuan ducked behind Yue Buqun and pointed at Yu Canghai. "Master, that nasty little man is picking on me."

Yue Buqun cupped his hands and said, "My disciple is unruly. I hope Sect Leader Yu will forgive him."

Yu Canghai had seen him pull this stunt before and could do nothing about it. But then an idea struck him, and he called out, "Hmph! You claim you're letting everyone see the sword manual, but in the end, it's still fallen into the hands of a few major sects. What, are we all supposed to obey you from now on to earn your favors?!"

The many low-ranking martial artists thought he had a point. Yue Buqun's words sounded good, but what if they refused to become dogs for these major sects, while their enemies licked their boots until sparks flew? Wouldn't that put upright people like them at a serious disadvantage?

The people present began whispering among themselves. Yue Buqun had anticipated this and smiled calmly. "Sect Leader Yu, I'm afraid you've misunderstood. I have no such intentions. And the Qingcheng Sect is a reputable sect, too. I can let you take a look at the copy in my hands, but..."

Yu Canghai gave a cold laugh. As expected, there were conditions. "But what?"

"But as I said earlier, those without sufficient aptitude must not force themselves to practice it. So I'll only show you the first page. If you lack the aptitude, we'll leave it at that."

Yu Canghai didn't believe a word about aptitude, but now that he had a chance to see the sword manual for himself, he didn't care. He agreed at once.

Yue Buqun kept his word, opening the manual to the first page and turning it toward Yu Canghai. The martial artists behind Yu Canghai craned their necks to see, but Yue Buqun paid them no mind.

Sure enough, those whose aptitude was insufficient and who couldn't resist practicing the techniques on the first page immediately felt feverish, their true energy surging out of control. One of those with greater cultivation spat out a mouthful of blood.

Yue Buqun dodged the blood Yu Canghai spat out, then closed the manual. "It seems your aptitude isn't sufficient, Sect Leader Yu."

Yu Canghai immediately assumed Yue Buqun was just like him. Pointing at Yue Buqun, he shouted, "You hypocrite! You gave me a fake sword manual!"

Wang Jingyuan stepped forward. "You nasty little man, stop slandering people! So what if you threw up blood?! You're the one with poor aptitude, and now you're blaming the manual. If your son's ugly, do you blame it on him being your own flesh and blood?!"

"You! You!" Yu Canghai flew into a rage, but Wang Jingyuan had ducked behind Yue Buqun again.

Looking at Yu Canghai's impotent fury, Yue Buqun smiled slightly. "Jingyuan, words alone prove nothing. At present, you're the only one with the aptitude to practice the Bixie Swordplay. Why don't you demonstrate it for everyone?"

Wang Jingyuan scratched his head, pretending to be reluctant. "All right, but I've only just started learning it. I'm only proficient in the first twelve moves, so I'll demonstrate those."

With that, Wang Jingyuan drew the long sword at his waist. The people around him tactfully stepped back, leaving the center of the hall clear for him.

The moment he began, his swordplay flashed like lightning, its movements impossible to follow. Twelve streaks of swordlight vanished in an instant, like a flock of crows sweeping through the hall. The silk-painted screen and the painting of pines and cranes in the main hall were sliced apart in a flash. Wang Jingyuan sheathed his sword, and the hanging curtains and tassels behind him fell with a snap.

Everyone present was stunned. This really was an extraordinary sword art. The few who had copies of the manual couldn't help opening them to the first twelve moves, comparing each one with the moves Wang Jingyuan had just performed.

Before long, everyone was looking at Wang Jingyuan with complicated expressions. He had indeed used the swordplay recorded in the manual. The scorching Internal Energy carried along the edge of his sword also matched the domineering cultivation method exactly.

Abbess Dingyi sighed. "The younger generation is truly formidable."

Others might not understand the Bixie Swordplay, but how could Yu Canghai fail to? He had long since committed all seventy-two moves to memory, and had practiced them for years.

He had wondered countless times why such an unremarkable-looking sword art had been able to defeat his Master back then. Today, he finally understood. The moves of the Bixie Swordplay truly had nothing special about them.

But its speed was astonishing and unpredictable. Even an ordinary thrust could unleash tremendous power. And none of the sect leaders seemed to doubt it. Could the manual Yue Buqun had provided really be genuine?

Yu Canghai stared at Yue Buqun. "Let me see it again! Let me see it again!"

Yue Buqun sighed. "Sect Leader Yu, it's not that I'm being stingy. It's that this swordplay truly can't be practiced by force."

"I don't believe it! He can practice it, so why can't I?! Let me see it again!"

Yue Buqun couldn't refuse, so he opened the manual again. But he was considerate enough to turn to the second page this time. Yu Canghai was delighted. He had memorized the first page, and now that he could see what came next, he was sure he'd find the key to the swordplay.

But then he spat out blood again, and this time it went farther and came in a greater quantity. Even harder for him to accept was that his little Canghai had reacted, too. Fortunately, he was wearing a loose Daoist robe; otherwise, he would have been humiliated.

Yu Canghai had one good quality: he never blamed himself, always looking for someone else to fault. He shouted at Yue Buqun, "You! It must be you! You gave them the real manual, while the one in your hands is fake!"

Wang Jingyuan snapped, "What are you talking about, you shorty?! Everyone has the same sword manual!" Though, of course, they were all fake.

Yu Canghai was about to say more, but the hot-tempered Daoist Tianmen cut him off. "Enough! This sword art is indeed extraordinary, but as Brother Yue said, only a heaven-gifted genius can practice it."

"You Five Great Sword Sects are all in cahoots!" Yu Canghai tried to argue, but Daoist Tianmen didn't even bother responding. He simply turned to the crowd. "The Bixie Swordplay isn't the only sword art in the world that demands exceptionally high aptitude. My Mount Tai Sect has one as well!"

Everyone turned to Daoist Tianmen. Some of the older people seemed to know what he meant, and one of them asked in surprise, "Could it be the sword art said to defeat opponents with just one move?"

Daoist Tianmen nodded. "That's right. It's my Mount Tai Sect's Dai Zong Ru He. I'm ashamed to say that this sword art is so profound and mysterious, so obscure and difficult to understand, that no one in my sect has mastered it for decades.

"But just a few days ago, my nephew Wang rescued a disciple of Mount Tai from Tian Boguang. To repay him, I let him choose one of Mount Tai's supreme techniques, and I would teach it to him.

"He chose Dai Zong Ru He!"

Everyone was astonished. "Could Young Hero Wang have mastered Dai Zong Ru He, too?"

Daoist Tianmen admitted, "That's right. Even I haven't mastered it. I only told my nephew Wang the key to the sword art, and he grasped it on the spot. It's laughable that the only person in the world who knows this sword art now isn't a disciple of Mount Tai."

Tianmen turned to Yue Buqun. "How wonderful it would be if he were a disciple of my Mount Tai Sect. Brother Yue, you've taken on an excellent disciple."

Yue Buqun merely cupped his hands politely, thinking with some wistfulness, How wonderful it would be if he were a disciple of my Mount Hua Sect.