Heaven-Opening Sword Shadow, the Edge of That Sword

Although no Killing Intent was displayed, an undeniable sense of oppression had already been exerted.

Under normal circumstances, Fan Yuan would have already reacted.

All three of them were at the Ninth Level of Cultivators, among the most elite of Cultivator.

A few months ago, Fan Yuan might have been more wary.

But now that I've mastered the technique I obtained from the Jade Pendant, escaping is no longer difficult.

What truly calmed him down was "that matter" that Zhou Buqi mentioned.

The fact that these enemies could gather together was no small matter.

Perhaps it has something to do with the gentleman.

Thinking of this, Fan Yuan lowered his eyes and remained silent.

The room fell silent for a moment.

This silence, in Huo Qingyang's eyes, became a concession after careful consideration.

A mocking smile immediately appeared on his lips.

Shen He maintained his gentle expression, but a hint of understanding appeared in his eyes.

Zhou Buqi grinned even wider.

In their view, Fan Yuan had given in.

Just a moment ago, he had a tough attitude, ready to fight at any time.

As a result, they simply stood up and spoke a few harsh words, and the old man fell silent.

Ultimately...

After all these years, even the toughest person should know what it means for circumstances to be beyond their control.

Three Ninth Level of Cultivators stood here.

If he dares to turn against me, he won't be able to leave this room alive.

Huo Qingyang and Shen He exchanged a glance.

Zhou Buqi gently shook his head, indicating that there was no need to press the matter further.

The person has been pinned down.

As for his continued pretense of ignorance and denial, that's fine too.

When they reached the ravine, they saw the tiger's carcass and the tree branch stuck in the ground, one that no one could pull out.

Let's see how long he can keep up this act.

Zhou Buqi withdrew his gaze and said calmly:

Let's go.

As soon as he finished speaking, Huo Qingyang walked to Fan Yuan's side first.

Shen He landed on the other side at a leisurely pace.

Zhou Buqi walked last.

The three appeared casual, yet they conveniently sandwiched Fan Yuan in the middle.

Fan Yuan naturally noticed it.

He didn't speak, but a cold glint flashed deep in his eyes.

Afterwards, the group walked out of the martial arts gym together.

Zhou Heng took the sword to Blacksmith Song.

Blacksmith Song was cleaning up the furnace ash in his shop when he saw him come in carrying something wrapped tightly in a black cloth, and he raised an eyebrow.

"What the hell?"

"Sword."

"My master told me to come to you to make a sheath."

Blacksmith Song didn't reply.

He took the sword and quickly tore off the black cloth.

A rough iron blade was exposed.

The blade was not finely ground, and the edges were not cleaned properly.

Blacksmith Song stared at it for a moment, then his lips twitched.

"This is too rough."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Heng immediately perked up:

"See? I knew it! Master insisted that one look would kill him. Who was he trying to scare?"

Blacksmith Song ignored him.

He reached out and gently brushed the corner of the sword with his fingertips.

The next moment.

The sword seemed to awaken from a deep slumber.

A subtle, ineffable feeling welled up silently.

Zhou Heng was completely unaware of anything.

But suddenly, everything went dark before Blacksmith Song's eyes.

He seemed to see the beginning of heaven and earth, chaos cleaved by a sword, purity and turbidity separated, and all things born.

That sword strike wasn't particularly flashy.

It's not even fast.

But when it falls, heaven and earth are forced to make way.

A moment.

In Zhou Heng's eyes, it was just a blink of an eye.

In Blacksmith Song's perception, however, the journey seemed endless.

All the events of the first half of my life flashed before my eyes.

That's a revolving lantern that only the dying can see.

When he came to his senses, his whole body was already cold, and a layer of cold sweat instantly seeped out on his back.

Much later.

The lingering fear that rose from the depths of my soul gradually subsided.

Blacksmith Song looked down at the rough longsword and suddenly smiled.

"That kid."

Zhou Heng was stunned for a moment. "Huh? Who?"

Blacksmith Song offered no explanation, but the smile in his eyes deepened.

"I knew it!"

"With his mediocre skills, he has the audacity to claim he can forge the strongest sword."

"So that's what it means."

Zhou Heng was completely confused.

"What's the meaning?"

Blacksmith Song did not answer immediately.

He turned around, took an old sword sheath from his mountain of trash, and compared it to his own.

Inappropriate.

They got a different one.

It's still not suitable.

It wasn't until the third one that he managed to put the sword away.

The moment the sword was sheathed, its sharpness was immediately mostly concealed.

Blacksmith Song casually tossed the sword back into Zhou Heng's arms.

Zhou Heng hurriedly caught it, but couldn't afford to complain, as Blacksmith Song's words were still echoing in his mind.

"You're talking about... Qin Wangchuan, aren't you?"

Blacksmith Song clapped his hands and said calmly, "Still don't understand?"

"Not understand!"

"That kid is a swordsman."

Zhou Heng was taken aback, his face full of disbelief.

"Swordsman? Qin Wangchuan?"

He had known Qin Wangchuan for quite some time.

In my memory, that guy was either in the private school, the blacksmith's shop, or in the courtyard reading and forging iron.

He's never been seen holding a sword, so how can he be a swordsman?

Blacksmith Song was too lazy to explain and simply waved his hand.

"Alright, the scabbard is ready. Take it back."

Zhou Heng looked down at the sword in his arms, and the more he looked, the stranger it seemed.

But he couldn't figure it out.

Although the sword seemed ordinary, it inexplicably made people hesitant to touch it.

After leaving the blacksmith's shop, Zhou Heng went straight back to the backyard.

But as soon as I entered, I sensed something was off.

Jiang Zhuo was standing in the courtyard. When she saw him return, she immediately walked over.

Your master is gone.

"Gone?" Zhou Heng was taken aback. "Where did they go?"

Jiang Zhuo shook his head. "I don't know. He left with those three."

Zhou Heng looked down at the sword in his arms.

Suddenly, he recalled Fan Yuan's solemn expression and the several Cultivators from Soaring Tower who had come to his door.

The more Zhou Heng thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

He scratched his head, intending to wait for Fan Yuan to return at the martial arts school.

But as soon as he stopped, he couldn't help but look towards the door.

A moment later, he gritted his teeth.

"Never mind."

"I'll go take a look."

After saying that, Zhou Heng hugged the sword in his arms tightly, turned around and chased after him.

It is located in a mountain valley beside Galloping Horse Lake, outside Willow Creek Town.

Fan Yuan stood before the tiger's corpse and stared at it for a long time.

The Tiger Spirit's enormous body lay across the mountain hollow. Even though it had been dead for some time, its remaining power still weighed heavily on the surroundings. Ordinary Martial Practitioner would feel a tightness in their chests if they took a few steps closer.

But what truly shook Fan Yuan was not the tiger's corpse.

Instead, it was the tree branch stuck straight into the soil next to the tiger's carcass.

His face showed little expression, but his heart was already churning with turmoil.

The three of them kept watching him.

Fan Yuan hid it well, but the subtle ripples that flashed across his eyes for a fleeting moment did not escape the notice of the others.

Huo Qingyang narrowed his eyes.

Shen He seemed to be deep in thought.

The smile on Zhou Buqi's face faded slightly.

The three exchanged a glance.

Fan Yuan's reaction...

Something seems off.

Why does it look like this is the first time I've ever seen this place?

A hint of suspicion flashed in Huo Qingyang's eyes.

Shen He shook his head almost imperceptibly, signaling him not to rush to a judgment.

Zhou Buqi sneered and took half a step forward.

"How about it?"

"You've come this far, and you still dare to say this has nothing to do with you?"

Fan Yuan did not answer.

He walked towards the branch.

Upon seeing this, several disciples of the Soaring Tower instinctively gripped their weapons tighter.

Zhou Buqi also narrowed his eyes, watching his movements.

Fan Yuan acted as if he hadn't seen it, walked to the tree branch, and slowly squatted down.

He reached out his hand, his fingertips first lightly brushing against the branch.

Rough.

Dry and hard.

It's just a tree branch.

Fan Yuan remained silent for a moment, then slowly closed his five fingers and tightened his palm.

The tree branch remained completely still.

He increased the force even more.

It remained completely still.

The soil remained intact, the branches did not sway, as if this half-withered branch was not planted in the ground, but grew from the very foundation of heaven and earth.

Seeing this.

Fan Yuan released his grip and sighed softly.

"I am unaware of this matter."