Guo Wei reined in before his troops, staring at the old sword cultivator who looked utterly bereft. His face was so dark it seemed ready to drip.
"Old sword master, what...?"
The old sword cultivator ignored his call, gazing blankly at his empty scabbard, as though his soul had been stolen along with his bonded flying sword.
Guo Wei frowned and turned to the talisman cultivator from the Hu Prefecture sanctuary. "He lost, just like that? That brat's cultivation realm isn't any higher than the old sword immortal's!"
"Mm..." The talisman cultivator nodded, lightly stroking his beard, his expression grave. "How can cultivation be judged by realm alone? The arts one inherits, the true qi one accumulates, and experience in battle are all crucial. That young man... is no ordinary person."
"Are we supposed to let this go?" Guo Wei ground his teeth, his face full of resentment.
The talisman cultivator rolled his eyes at him, wearing an expression that said, Go ahead and try yourself, then. His gaze shifted to the stars in the night sky, and sorrow stirred in his heart. As a fellow cultivator, he knew exactly what losing a bonded flying sword meant. Even if the old sword cultivator returned to the Lishui Sword Sect alive, his glory would be gone. Who knew how many years he would need to nurture another bonded flying sword? This battle had utterly severed his path of cultivation.
Guo Wei seethed inwardly. These damned cultivators acted so high and mighty in ordinary times, yet proved so useless when they met a tough opponent. If he withdrew today and word spread, he would not only be held accountable but become the laughingstock of the army.
Five thousand elite cavalry, unable to take down a single young wanderer?
At that thought, a