Hidden Edge

Yao Xuanzhou stared at the jade screen, his expression dark, as Puxiang and Liu Ting fought.

Liu Ting used the Body Domination Technique and wielded an iron sword. A flying dagger treasure hovered nearby, pressing his opponent and constantly circling around behind him, threatening him from every direction.

Puxiang fought barehanded with punches and palm strikes, relying only on golden light released from the apertures around his body to protect himself.

Neither used any ultimate techniques at the start. They traded a dozen basic moves, which was nowhere near as exciting as all the flashy, powerful techniques they had used earlier.

Anyone with a discerning eye could immediately see the problem with this level of fighting.

Two old schemers.

They clearly both had plenty of experience in the martial world. Each punch and thrust of the sword held back at least thirty percent of their strength, as they tried to bait the other into making a move. Neither intended to decide the winner through skill alone. One was trying to ambush his opponent with a flying dagger, while the other stayed on guard against that very dagger. How could either of them form hand seals and chant, or settle into a stance and use a technique with such a long windup that it would give the opponent an opening?

So, seven or eight of their dozen moves ended as soon as they made contact. They quickly changed positions, advancing and retreating, circling around and controlling their distance, never clashing head-on. The flying dagger remained unpredictable but never struck. They were both waiting for an opportunity.

They circled and stalled for so long that Li Fan and Lu Xing had both come out of the ship's cabin, and the two fighters still hadn't decided the victor!

"What number are they on now? I haven't had my turn yet, have I?" Li Fan checked Liu Zongshou's injuries on the deck, then went over to Yao Xuanzhou and asked.

"Seventh..." Yao Xuanzhou glanced at Li Fan, then at Lu Xing, who was approaching the other disciples and whispering with them, clearly plotting some kind of scheme. "What happened to her hand?"

"Senior Sister Lu agreed to lend me a hand. I'll give it back when I'm done, so don't worry about it." Li Fan waved dismissively, as if abducting a fellow disciple and locking her in a dark room, only for her to come out missing her right hand, were no big deal at all.

"So you really did borrow a hand..." Yao Xuanzhou looked like he had something to say, but held back. Seeing the boy's carefree expression, he finally managed only, "What do you need us to do?"

Li Fan looked at the Nascent Soul cultivators filling the sky with brilliant light and glaring maliciously at the spirit ship. "How many of them can you handle? You don't need to kill them instantly. Just hold them off for a while."

Yao Xuanzhou narrowed his eyes and considered it carefully. He seemed to be talking to himself, speaking in halting phrases. "That's the difficult part. Killing them wouldn't be hard, and escaping by myself wouldn't be hard either. If any of them dared to chase me, not one would survive.

"But facing their combined assault and fighting them head-on would be truly dangerous. The key is whether I can kill two of them with my opening move.

"The twin brothers think alike and have solid foundations. If I fight them, I'll have to kill them both in one go. If they manage to coordinate their attacks, they'll be troublesome.

"Old Zhou is a longtime opponent. He's no match for me, but he knows my sword style. If I can't subdue him right away, he'll be the most troublesome one. I'm afraid I'll have to let him escape again.

"Nangong Wushuang is useless. Her cultivation isn't weak, but she's still useless. However, she's clearly bound by a pact to the divine bird in the south. If I kill her, that beast may attack us. It's enormous and won't be easy to kill. If the fight drags on, I may not be able to protect the people on the ship.

"The Heavenly Soldiers of the Nangong Family to the north have already set up a killing formation. I can't break through it in an instant. But if I leave them alone, they may cause trouble.

"As for that fake monk, he's actually the one we can least afford to kill. The opportunity to fight with swords now rests with Tiantai Mountain. Just as his disciple's death would end the Foundation Establishment sword trial, the old monk's death would end the Nascent Soul sword trial. Once he dies, these people will no longer be constrained by the bloodshed and the contest. They could attack the flying ship directly, using their greater strength against the weak...

"Hmm... hold one of them in place... If I can hold one of them in place, perhaps we could try... Hmm."

Master Yao suddenly stopped speaking. On the dueling platform, Liu Ting had just lost in a most abrupt fashion.

His body jerked. His foot slipped, and he fell to the ground, as if he had deliberately faked it. But Puxiang didn't hesitate at all. He paid no mind to the flying dagger hovering behind his head, as if he had expected this all along. He lunged forward and pressed a palm to Liu Ting's forehead, splattering his brains and bursting blood from his eyes and nose. Liu Ting died on the spot.

Liu Ting's flying dagger trembled, then dropped into the pool of blood on the jade screen, its light gone.

Li Fan frowned. "What happened? Did that senior brother just slip?"

Master Yao furrowed his brow too. "I couldn't tell."

Yao Xuanzhou wasn't the only one baffled. The other cultivators were confused as well. Even Zhou Sheng was silent for a moment. Only the monk Faji remained seated on his lotus platform, still as ever. It seemed Tiantai Mountain had some real tricks after all.

For the moment, Yao Xuanzhou set aside his discussion with Li Fan and turned to the deck. "Who's next?"

"Disciple Gongsun Han." The Ink Bamboo Mountain senior brother was actually middle-aged, with a thick beard and a decidedly weathered face. It was hard to tell whether he'd been born with such a luxuriant beard, joined a master later in life and attained the Dao late, or had worked particularly hard despite his modest natural talent... You know what I mean...

"Maybe I should switch places with you..." Li Fan couldn't help wanting to trade his lot.

"Junior Brother, everyone has their own fate. This is my tribulation too." Gongsun Han didn't take offense. He simply refused, calmly.

Seeing that Gongsun Han looked even older than himself, Yao Xuanzhou paused, then warned him with some concern, "Puxiang is probably a reincarnated cultivator rebuilding his strength, and he has some insidious tricks. Don't drag things out. End it quickly."

"Thank you for your guidance, Master." Gongsun Han nodded in thanks, then leaped onto the dueling platform. "Gongsun Han of Ink Bamboo Mountain requests your instruction."

A Foundation Establishment cultivator like Gongsun Han would have counted as a knight-errant in the Human Dao. But once the two of them stood together, Puxiang, a young novice monk, looked as if he belonged to Gongsun Han's grandchildren's generation.

The contrast was too stark. Nangong Wushuang immediately sneered, "Has Ink Bamboo Mountain run out of people? They chose this mediocre nobody to fight?"

Zhou Sheng stroked his beard and smiled. "Princess, you don't understand. They couldn't bear to risk the lives of their elite disciples, so they sent him out to die and test Tiantai Mountain's strength. But, Master, I'd also like to ask: what kind of technique does young Master Puxiang use?"

Faji shook his head as well. "Puxiang, since our fellow Daoists are curious, demonstrate it once more, just as you did before. Don't let Bamboo Mountain lose a life for nothing."

Zhou Sheng immediately praised him. "The Master is truly compassionate and benevolent. Such is the mercy of Buddhism. You're nothing like these unorthodox heretics."

"Abbot." Puxiang pressed his palms together in a respectful greeting. "Daoist Gongsun, please."

Before he had even finished speaking, he lunged forward, both palms striking at once. He used the same palm technique as before: outwardly upright and righteous, but perhaps concealing lethal intent.

Gongsun Han cupped his hands in greeting without drawing a weapon. He faced Puxiang barehanded too, exchanging a couple of smacking blows and three palm strikes before they swiftly passed each other and opened up the distance again.

In their brief exchange, Puxiang had clearly gained the upper hand once more. He smiled with ease. "Daoist Gongsun, did you see clearly?"

Gongsun Han's expression darkened. He rolled up his sleeves. "...Poison Sand Palm. That's a martial-world technique... So that's how you ambushed Senior Brother Liu."

It really was difficult to notice. Puxiang had smeared poison on his palms and used his energy during the exchange to drive it into his opponent's body. The technique was fairly common among martial artists, but cultivators usually relied on flying swords and treasures, and rarely fought at such close range. Naturally, they wouldn't recognize it. And unless someone had fought him personally, it was truly difficult to notice that he'd been poisoned.

But Puxiang's technique was clearly far more potent than an ordinary martial-world art. After just two or three palm strikes, two red lines had appeared on Gongsun Han's hands, writhing up his meridians like red snakes. The poison clearly wasn't an ordinary substance, but a secret concoction specially made to target cultivators.

Puxiang pressed his palms together. "When I saw you poison Young Hero Shi Kai, I thought Ink Bamboo Mountain had also studied poison techniques in depth. I was looking forward to learning from you. I didn't realize you were completely ignorant of the subject. Using these precious medicines on scum like you is a waste."

"You bald bastard, you poison people and then call us heretics! Have you no shame!" Li Fan suddenly gathered his true qi and shouted. His voice rang out like spring thunder, 'No shame! No shame! No shame!' echoing across the sky.

Puxiang was caught off guard by the sudden roar.

Zhou Sheng's eyes shifted, and he laughed loudly. "Young Master, pay no mind to the cries of these demonic brats! A sword contest is a fair test of skill. The loser accepts defeat. Besides, they were the ones who used underhanded tactics to harm Young Hero Shi. The wicked reap what they sow!"

His voice also surged into the sky like thunder, 'Reap what they sow! Reap what they sow! Reap what they sow!' drowning out Li Fan's 'No shame! No shame! No shame!'

Li Fan nodded and said to Yao Xuanzhou beside him, "No need to deliberate. First priority later: make this bastard shut up."

Zhou Sheng took it for the yapping of a puppy. As long as he got to enjoy a verbal victory, that was good enough for him. He smiled and stroked his beard.

Their interruption gave Gongsun Han a chance to catch his breath. He swallowed a pill, stopping the poison from spreading up his hands.

Puxiang didn't pursue him. He simply said, "Daoist Gongsun, why not admit defeat? If you're willing to sever ties with the demonic sect of Bamboo Mountain and join my Tiantai Mountain, I'll gladly offer you the antidote."

But Gongsun Han didn't engage with him. He leaped backward, widening the distance as he drew a purple-red sandalwood box from his robes.

Puxiang's expression suddenly changed. "What? A flying sword! ...Hmph! Are you trying to scare me? You've been stuck at Foundation Establishment for who knows how many years. Where would you get a flying sword?"

"I carved it myself!" Gongsun Han flipped open the lid, and nine wooden swords shot out of the box in rapid succession!

These wooden swords were clearly modeled after the Black Sword, meticulously carved copies. They even bore runes and incantations. As soon as the sword box opened, spiritual energy poured out. Though they looked like single-use weapons, they were clearly quite powerful!

Puxiang's face filled with terror. The wooden flying swords were much slower than the real thing, moving almost slowly enough to follow with the naked eye, and they weren't as powerful. But they were more than enough to impale a Foundation Establishment cultivator like him. Worse still, all nine were closing in at once, shooting from every direction, above and below! They aimed straight for his face!

He didn't dare keep up the act. He shook his body and rolled his shoulders. With a bang, the novice monk's skin burst apart! A streak of blood shot out! It was truly like a cicada shedding its shell; he'd even discarded the human skin he'd been hiding in!

Gongsun Han formed a sword seal with both hands and controlled the flying swords from afar, promptly recalling seven of them. Only two had pierced the human skin, fouled by the blood and flesh and unable to fly again.

Before him stood the bloody, human-shaped figure that had escaped from 'Puxiang's' skin. It landed on the jade platform, its body made entirely of muscle and gore. It was clearly an adult. No one could say what kind of sinister technique could strip away someone's skin and change their appearance, while shrinking their bones and muscles into the tiny form of a novice monk without attracting attention.

"What? A Blood God Child? No, that can't be..." Master Yao lowered his voice. For once, his expression changed with shock.

Li Fan overheard half of it. He knew that the Profound Heaven Sword Intent was probably at it again, spouting off about this demon or that divine technique and frightening people. It had even scared Xiao Yao.

Still, this demonic technique really was powerful. When Li Fan used his Divine Sense to look, the blood-soaked figure that had been 'Puxiang' was actually at the Golden Core Stage. Back when he'd been disguised in the novice monk's skin, he'd been completely impossible to detect.

Gongsun Han, however, showed no fear. Seeing that the poison lines had already reached his heart, he took out one golden pill and one black pill, popped them into his mouth, and swallowed them. Then he laughed heartily. "I've kept my edge hidden for fifty years. At last, the day has come for me, Gongsun Han, to vanquish evil and defend the Dao! How satisfying!

"Go! Northern Dipper Heavenly Dipper Seven-Star Sword Formation. Jade Pivot Illusion-Reflecting Sword! Slay the demon!"