The Clash of Sword and Arrow

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a year and a half had passed. Atop Sword Peak, Qian Renhan, dressed in magnificent white-and-gold robes with long golden hair, was wielding a longsword forged from special materials. The blade had not been sharpened.

Qian Renhan had his eyes closed as he slashed at the air. All manner of sword techniques flowed effortlessly from his hands, without the slightest confusion or pause.

Beside him, Qian Daoliu nodded faintly, a trace of satisfaction showing in his eyes. With a tap of his foot, he kicked a small stone chip toward Qian Renhan's face.

As he swung his sword, Qian Renhan seemed to sense something. He suddenly opened his eyes, saw the pebble hurtling toward his face, and hurriedly punched it apart.

"Good, good, good. Xiaohan, you were able to sense the stone's approach. You have barely crossed the threshold of the first realm of the sword, Unity of Man and Sword. I have taught you almost all the fundamentals I can teach. The rest can only be explored by yourself." Qian Daoliu spoke approvingly. If Qian Renhan kept following him and imitating his swordsmanship, then in the future he would merely become another Qian Daoliu. Only by walking his own path would he have a greater chance of inheriting the God Ancestor's divine position.

"I understand, Grandpa."

Qian Renhan nodded. Looking at the dust on the fist he had used in his rushed defense, a trace of dissatisfaction surfaced in his heart. His flexibility in using the sword was still somewhat lacking. After all, in a real battle, if he blocked with his fist rather than his sword, one of his hands would probably have been ruined.

Just then, Guangling Douluo, an old child dressed in snowy robes, landed beside Qian Daoliu with a beaming smile.

"Guangling, why aren't you cultivating? What are you doing here instead? Causing trouble again?" Qian Daoliu said sternly. Guangling could fool around with his granddaughter, since she had yet to awaken her martial soul or begin formal cultivation. But his grandson was already like a true Soul Master. He had placed great hopes on Qian Renhan; how could he let Guangling squander such precious sword-training time?

Guangling smiled. "Big Brother, Xiaohan, I have good news to tell you."

Qian Daoliu asked, "What news?"

"Little Dong'er has already suppressed the effects of the City of Slaughter. She'll be back soon."

Qian Renhan frowned. So soon? Half a year ago, Bibi Dong had already left the City of Slaughter to suppress her killing intent. He had estimated that it would take at least a year, yet she had finished half a year early.

"We'll talk when she returns." Qian Daoliu calmed himself before warning, "Xiaohan, practice your swordsmanship properly. Strive to fully enter the realm of Unity of Man and Sword. Don't fool around with Guangling."

Qian Daoliu shot Guangling Douluo a warning glance before leaving.

"Grandpa Guangling, cultivate with me," Qian Renhan called out to Guangling Douluo, who had been about to leave.

"Hm? Xiaohan, how can Grandpa cultivate with you? Our weapons are completely different." Guangling Douluo smiled. He used a bow while Qian Renhan used a sword. He was skilled at guiding Soul Power usage and control, but Qian Renhan had not awakened his martial soul.

Qian Renhan flicked his sword through a flourish. "Grandpa Guangling, aren't you the continent's greatest archer Soul Master? Your Ice Arrows hit whatever you point at and can even turn at will. Try aiming at me. I'll use my sword against your arrows. It can count as a combat simulation."

"Alright." Guangling agreed readily. A person should enjoy life while they could. With his talent, reaching his current realm was already his limit. Rather than stupidly sitting in a cultivation chamber and meditating meaninglessly, he might as well have some fun.

At a distance of ten meters, two yellow, two purple, and five black Spirit Rings emerged beneath Guangling's feet. A bow taller than his entire body fell into his hand. It was ice-blue throughout, with blue-violet solid ice at both ends of its tail forming wing-like ornaments, making it exceptionally dazzling.

"Xiaohan, be careful." Guangling lightly drew the bowstring with his right hand. The chill radiating from his body condensed into a tiny Ice Arrow the size of a finger. Under his meticulous control of Soul Power, this small Ice Arrow could not even pierce tree bark.

The bowstring trembled slightly, and under Guangling Douluo's control of Soul Power, the small Ice Arrow flew out at a speed of ten meters per second. It was not even one-tenth as fast as an arrow shot by a common hunter's bow, fully demonstrating just how terrifying Guangling Douluo's control over his own cultivation was. This old child truly had nowhere left to cultivate, so he had started playing around.

A flash of sword light cut through the air, followed by the crisp sound of ice cracking.

Qian Renhan smiled. "Grandpa Guangling, I didn't spend this year and a half training for nothing."

"Oh, is that so? Then Grandpa will increase the amount."

Guangling Douluo condensed his Soul Power once more, and three small Ice Arrows the same size as before appeared. The three arrows were fired one after another, with less than a second between them. They were even faster than before, but Qian Renhan shattered each one.

"Xiaohan, your mother will be back in a few days. Why weren't you happy at all when you heard that?" Guangling asked. The movements of his hands did not stop as he tried to distract Qian Renhan and increase the difficulty.

"Happy? Why should I be happy? She can come back if she wants. If you hadn't mentioned her, I would have nearly forgotten about her," Qian Renhan replied, his hands making no unnecessary movements despite answering.

Guangling murmured in surprise, "This child is truly cold-hearted. He's the complete opposite of Xiaoxue."

A minute later, an Ice Arrow broke through Qian Renhan's defense and hovered before his right shoulder, touching his clothes without any distance between them.

"Alright, Xiaohan, we'll stop here for today." Guangling drew the Ice Arrow back into his hand, where it continuously spun between his fingers.

"It isn't over yet, Grandpa Guangling."

Two heavy objects hit the ground. Qian Renhan rolled his wrist and drew his sword again.

Guangling paused slightly, then chuckled. "You brat. Then let's go again."