Spar over swordsmanship?
Chen Changming froze. He wanted to refuse, but he didn't have the nerve.
The Cloth-Clad Elder had been amiable the whole time. If Chen Changming refused, the old man might turn hostile on the spot.
If a profound and unfathomable powerhouse like him turned hostile, Chen Changming and Senior Sister would be no more than ants in his eyes, easily crushed with a wave of his hand.
"Senior, then I'll have to make a fool of myself."
Setting down his bowl, wiping his mouth, Chen Changming clasped his hands and spoke politely.
The little girl tossed aside the bowl she'd barely touched, leaped into the open space, and drew her sword. She licked her lips, her eyes flashing with a beastlike gleam, and laughed aloud. "Heh-heh, I love sparring most of all!"
What a vicious look.
Chen Changming was startled too. The old man was unfathomable, and he was traveling the world with his granddaughter. This little girl was probably incredibly powerful as well. He absolutely couldn't underestimate her.
The youth drew his sword, his aura deep and steady.
He glanced from the corner of his eye. Senior Sister still hadn't woken, and he couldn't help feeling relieved.
Whether it was him or Senior Sister, they were both ants in the old man's eyes, insignificant. As long as they didn't provoke him, the two of them would be safe.
"Take this!"
The little girl cried out, her entire body darting forward like lightning as she thrust with her sword.
The strike had no flourishes. It came straight at him.
Chen Changming's heart lurched. He activated Dragon Glide Step and dodged to one side.
Thwack!
The sword struck his left shoulder.
A thin line of blood trickled down. Staring at the little girl in shock, the youth slowly drew in a breath.
Her sword had actually accelerated a second time.
Even with Dragon Glide Step strengthened once, he couldn't dodge her sword.
The Cloth-Clad Elder's voice drifted over, calm and mild. "Young man, if you're sparring, you have to take it seriously. Underestimate your opponent, and you'll regret it..."
The youth's heart tightened.
The old man's words might have sounded casual, but weren't they a warning?
If he held back or surrendered, the old geezer definitely wouldn't let him off lightly.
"Grandpa rarely lets me spar with anyone. Since you seem extraordinary, show me what you've really got. Otherwise, if I accidentally kill you, don't blame me when you end up before King Yama!"
The little girl spoke fiercely.
Chen Changming took a deep breath, feeling as if he'd been forced into a desperate corner once more.
Whoosh, whoosh...
The little girl attacked again. This time, dozens of sword gleams shot toward him from all directions.
Every sword gleam was terrifyingly fast.
Chen Changming unleashed the full power of Dragon Glide Step, darting and weaving through the sword gleams. With a flick of his wrist, he used Lingxiao Sword Technique to counterattack.
Boom! Boom!
Their swords clashed, the ringing loud enough to shake his eardrums.
Feeling his hand go numb, Chen Changming was also deeply shocked. His opponent's speed and strength far surpassed his expectations, leaving him no choice but to bring out the full power of Lingxiao Sword Technique.
With its second enhancement, Lingxiao Sword Technique had naturally gained a great deal of speed and power.
Only by using the full extent of his swordsmanship could Chen Changming just barely withstand the little girl's storm-like assault.
Sword gleams swept through the ruined temple, and their figures blurred beyond sight.
The little girl's swordsmanship was as fierce as giant waves on the open sea, each surge stronger than the last, filling every inch of space.
Chen Changming was like a tiny boat tossed about in the raging waves, in constant danger of capsizing.
He kept his mind clear, pushing both Dragon Glide Step and Lingxiao Sword Technique to their limits. Even so, wounds gradually covered his body, and blood seeped out, staining his clothes red.
There was no helping it.
The little girl's attacks were too strong, and her swordsmanship was too profound. He couldn't dodge every strike. Fortunately, the wounds weren't serious. He managed to evade the killing blows, though the strikes still grazed his skin.
"This boy has nothing but a Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root. How can both his movement technique and swordsmanship be so formidable...?"
The Cloth-Clad Elder's eyes flickered, and his expression grew solemn.
In all his life, he had met countless people, yet he had never seen a youth like this. His aptitude was utterly terrible, yet the power of his techniques was astonishingly great. He couldn't make sense of it.
"How is this sparring? It's a fight to the death!"
In the midst of battle, Chen Changming was also bitterly complaining inwardly.
One careless mistake, and the little girl might kill him.
Her attacks were far too ruthless, every move aimed at a fatal point. She didn't care in the slightest whether he lived or died. If not for the exquisite Dragon Glide Step, he would have died countless times already.
An hour later.
The two were still sparring, and the intensity hadn't changed in the slightest. The wounds on Chen Changming's body kept multiplying, while the little girl's sword strikes remained fierce and relentless.
The Cloth-Clad Elder's eyelids narrowed slightly, but he showed no intention of calling a halt.
Luo Lan still hadn't woken. She slept deeply, completely unaware of everything around her.
Three hours passed.
The wind and rain ceased, and the sky cleared. By then, the pace of their battle had slowed.
It wasn't Chen Changming who had slowed down, but the little girl.
After four straight hours of high-intensity fighting, the little girl was running low on spiritual power.
The spiritual power in Chen Changming's dantian remained plentiful.
He seized an opening and launched several attacks in succession, forcing the little girl back into a corner.
Thump!
With one strike, he knocked the sword from her hand.
The youth immediately retreated to the center of the temple, sheathed his sword, and clasped his hands. "I'm sorry, Miss."
"You!"
The little girl's bright eyes suddenly filled with tears. She glared at the youth, her heart full of unwillingness.
Who was she, and who was he?
She had been a heaven-blessed prodigy since childhood, peerlessly talented and superior to the other geniuses of her generation in every way. Yet she had never expected that here, in this remote corner of the Yue Kingdom, she would suffer defeat.
And the reason she'd lost was that she had run short of spiritual power, allowing her opponent to seize an opening and knock the sword from her hand.
As a sword cultivator, having her sword knocked away meant she had lost the spar.
Even though she was uninjured and had kept the youth on the defensive, nothing could change the final outcome.
"Grandpa, I lost."
The little girl picked up her sword and walked gloomily over to the bonfire, sitting beside her grandfather.
By then, the fire had gone out. Only ashes wrapped around charcoal remained, with wisps of smoke rising from the embers.
The Cloth-Clad Elder smiled faintly. "Heh-heh, there's always someone better, and there's always a higher heaven. Xiu'er, you understand that now, don't you?"
"I understand, Grandpa. I want to go home and shut myself away to cultivate. I'll never come out again."
The little girl looked at him imploringly.
Crystal-clear tears kept welling in her eyes, but she fought desperately to hold them back.
The little girl stared at the youth and pouted. "Grandpa, how does he have so much spiritual power when we're at the same cultivation level?"
"Grandpa doesn't know either."
The Cloth-Clad Elder sighed. A youth with a Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root had such an astonishing reserve of spiritual power. This had never been seen before in the cultivation world.
Hearing the conversation between the grandfather and granddaughter, Chen Changming felt uneasy too.
If the old man asked him about it, how should he explain where all this spiritual power came from?
"Young man, why don't you come with me? My granddaughter could use a sword friend..."
The Cloth-Clad Elder looked at the youth, his face full of hope.
Chen Changming fell silent.
Though he couldn't sense any malice from the old man, he didn't want to live under someone else's roof, serving as a living target for the little girl to train on every day. He didn't want a life worse than death.
"Very well. Since you have your own plans, young man, I won't force you."
The Cloth-Clad Elder saw through the youth's thoughts. With a carefree smile, he took one step forward and suddenly vanished from the ruined temple with his granddaughter.
A Storage Bag hung quietly in the air before the youth.