Testing the Sword

Faced with the kneeling cultivator begging for mercy, Zhu Qiniang wore an indifferent expression. She glanced at Gao Xian and said, "You finish him."

Gao Xian hurriedly demurred. "You do it, you do it."

The cultivator was dark and skinny, dressed in a tattered short robe. Gao Xian just couldn't bring himself to strike.

Zhu Qiniang understood now. Gao Xian was the passive sort. He needed a good enough reason before he was willing to kill someone.

She said, "Don't go soft just because he looks so lowly and miserable.

"The Red Snake Gang is notorious. They love hunting other cultivators in the mountains. Every last one of them deserves to die."

"Killing them is simply upholding justice on Heaven's behalf and ridding the people of a menace."

Gao Xian knew Qiniang wouldn't lie to him. Still, he couldn't get past the thought of striking down someone who was kneeling and begging for mercy.

"You..."

Zhu Qiniang was a little exasperated. She said to the kneeling cultivator, "You can stop pretending to be pitiful."

She pointed at Gao Xian. "If you can last ten moves against him, I'll let you go."

The dark, skinny cultivator looked up at Gao Xian. He was a young, fair-faced man with bright yet gentle eyes. His clothes were clean, and his hands were so spotless they didn't have a speck of dust on them.

From the looks of him, he was only in the early stages of Qi Refining.

Everything about him spelled out two words: harmless.

The dark, skinny cultivator turned to Zhu Qiniang. "You mean it?"

Zhu Qiniang had crushed them the moment they met. She was clearly a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, with powerful spells, excellent swordsmanship, and abundant combat experience.

More frighteningly, the woman was ruthless. She wouldn't hesitate for a moment before striking.

Against this woman, he didn't stand a chance.

But if he fought the fair-faced young man, he was confident he could kill him within ten moves.

Zhu Qiniang smiled and said to Gao Xian, "See? You think he's a person with a life to spare, but he doesn't take you seriously at all."

Gao Xian didn't really mind. He had never liked showing off. It was better if people didn't notice him.

Zhu Qiniang said coolly to the dark, skinny cultivator, "I keep my word."

The cultivator stopped pretending to be pitiful. He got to his feet, carefully backed away a few steps, and drew his long sword. At the same time, he took out a Wood Shield talisman and activated it.

A half-man-high shield of green light instantly coalesced in front of the dark, skinny cultivator's left hand.

Tiny runes shimmered across the round shield. The green light was bright and clear, making it completely transparent. It floated in front of him, looking remarkably nimble.

"See? Anyone who can afford to use a Wood Shield must be pretty well-off."

Zhu Qiniang warned Gao Xian, "Combat is perilous. One mistake, and you could die. Even if I'm watching from the side, I might not be able to save you in time.

"You must use your full strength to deal with your opponent. Any hesitation or mercy is a failure to take responsibility for your own life."

Gao Xian's expression was grave, and he remained silent.

Indeed, the bodies of four cultivators lay nearby, the ground strewn with blood and flesh.

He might think this was a sparring match, but his opponent certainly wouldn't.

To be cautious, Gao Xian activated a Wood Shield too. He wasn't using a talisman; his Azure Wood Armor came with a Wood Shield of its own.

The Azure Wood Armor was a first-tier, top-grade magic artifact. In fact, it could activate four Wood Shields at once.

Against a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator, Gao Xian felt there was no need to go overboard. He activated just one.

Though they were the same Wood Shield, Gao Xian's was clearly denser and more substantial.

His opponent's was just a mass of green light, while Gao Xian's shield looked like a sheet of green glass.

When the dark, skinny cultivator saw Gao Xian's Wood Shield, he was both surprised and jealous. This fair-faced kid might have a low cultivation, but he had such a high-grade magic artifact.

Still, a magic artifact wouldn't help him. The kid was nowhere near good enough at fighting!

The dark, skinny cultivator drew his sword and charged. His pouncing attack was ferocious, and he thrust straight at Gao Xian's chest.

In Gao Xian's eyes, the man's movements were far too slow. After a moment's thought, he decided not to use his sword and instead moved the Wood Shield to block the attack.

The round Wood Shield was huge. Once he raised it, it covered most of his body.

Controlling the Wood Shield was easy, too. He could guide it with his hands or his spiritual sense.

Using his spiritual sense was more flexible, though a Qi Refining cultivator's spiritual sense was limited and couldn't be sustained for long.

Gao Xian had tried it a few times in private. With Sister Lan's help, he had no difficulty controlling the Wood Shield with his spiritual sense.

Seeing the Wood Shield protect Gao Xian, the dark, skinny cultivator drew back his sword and slammed his own Wood Shield forward with his left hand.

The two shields collided. Gao Xian's Wood Shield remained rock steady, while the dark, skinny cultivator's rippled and scattered like water, clearly outmatched.

The dark, skinny cultivator had expected this. Naturally, a Wood Shield created by a talisman couldn't compare with one from a magic artifact.

As the two shields crashed together, he ducked and swept his sword at Gao Xian's legs.

The move was insidious and vicious, and it caught Gao Xian by surprise.

But the same problem remained: though his opponent's cultivation was higher, his speed was far inferior.

The vicious sweeping strike seemed to slow down again and again in Gao Xian's eyes. The man's crouched posture as he swept his sword along the ground looked almost comical.

Gao Xian used his spiritual sense to lower the Wood Shield and stepped back at the same time.

He mainly wanted to keep the Wood Shield from being broken and maintain a safe distance.

The Wood Shield was tough, hard, and slick. When the dark, skinny cultivator swept his sword against it with all his strength, the rebound nearly sent his weapon flying from his hand.

Only then did the dark, skinny cultivator realize something was wrong. This fair-faced kid was so skilled at controlling the Wood Shield with his spiritual sense. That made things tricky.

He didn't trust Zhu Qiniang. He only wanted to use the fight to find a chance to launch a sneak attack on her. If he succeeded, he wouldn't just survive—he'd make a fortune, too!

After his first move failed, the dark, skinny cultivator hurried to his feet and attacked again. This time, he unleashed his full swordsmanship and launched a frenzied assault on Gao Xian.

His footwork changed at incredible speed, and his sword strikes were vicious and unpredictable. But Gao Xian's Wood Shield was so large that a simple turn was enough to block every variation.

The dark, skinny cultivator attacked Gao Xian wildly for dozens of moves. Gao Xian was hardly affected, but the man was already breathing hard.

Swinging his sword with all his strength had consumed a great deal of his stamina. Yet he still hadn't broken Gao Xian's Wood Shield, which left him deeply frustrated.

A vicious glint flashed in the dark, skinny cultivator's eyes. If he dragged things out any longer, the kid would wear him down before Zhu Qiniang even had to lift a finger.

As he raised his shield for another collision, he lifted his left hand slightly. The Sharp Metal Armor-Piercing Sleeve Arrow strapped to his wrist was aimed at Zhu Qiniang, ready to fire.

There was only one sleeve arrow, no more than seven inches long. Its triangular tip was forged from Cold Iron and carved with an Armor-Piercing Rune that could pierce all kinds of armor and shields. It was viciously effective.

To make it deadlier, he had smeared the venom of a Five-Step Snake on its tip. The slightest scratch would draw blood and seal the victim's fate.

The moment the dark, skinny cultivator raised his hand, Gao Xian sensed something was wrong and swept his sword without hesitation.

A streak of cold light flashed. The dark, skinny cultivator's Wood Shield silently shattered into fragments of light, and his wrist was severed along with it. The sleeve arrow, not yet fired, was also cut in two by the blade.

"What a fast sword!"

The dark, skinny cultivator was horrified. He hadn't even seen how Gao Xian had drawn his sword. All he'd seen was the flash of its icy light.

How could an early-stage Qi Refining cultivator be this powerful?

Before he could figure it out, the Stone-Slicing Sword that had struck downward curved nimbly back upward. Its edge swept across the dark, skinny cultivator's neck, sending his head flying high into the air.

This move, Clear Wind Brushing Willow, was one of the techniques in Clear Wind Swordplay. The sword moved like a gentle breeze, light and soft, without using force.

When Gao Xian had practiced swordsmanship in the past, he'd thought the move looked like a joke and couldn't possibly work in actual combat.

Only after his Lightning Dragon Hand reached the Grandmaster level had he grasped its essence: a quick, concealed burst of force from the wrist and elbow.

That was how he could keep his body still and his shoulders steady, giving him a relaxed, graceful air as he swept the blade with that delicate, brushing motion.

With a light sweep of his sword, Gao Xian lopped off the dark, skinny cultivator's head.

Gao Xian hadn't thought much while killing him. He'd simply found the man vicious and hateful.

Looking at the bloody scene, he felt a little unsettled. Out of habit, he added an explanation. "Uh, I didn't mean to..."

The head landed on the ground and rolled a long way, as if it had no intention of forgiving Gao Xian.

Zhu Qiniang calmly patted Gao Xian on the shoulder to comfort him. "It's all right. You'll get used to it."

Then she offered her sincere praise. "What a fast sword. Look at this fellow's neck—such a clean cut. Tsk, tsk..."