Though Jiang Yu harbored the ambition of restoring Chu, he did not dare act rashly. After all, the Emperor had not yet passed away, and the court officials had not yet become wholly united.
Jiang Yu was in no hurry, and naturally, neither was Jiang Changsheng. Focusing on cultivation was the proper path.
Spring passed, autumn came.
In the thirty-seventh year of Kaiyuan, the war between the Great Jing Dynasty and Gu Han continued. However, the great battles had turned into scattered skirmishes. Both sides were weary of fighting and wished to take the chance to recuperate.
Within the courtyard.
Nine-year-old Huang Chuan was sparring with Wan Li. With Nine Seeking Heavenly Dragon Steps beneath his feet, he struck out with his palm, his True Qi transforming into needle after needle that shot toward Wan Li.
Jade Purity Severing Meridian Needle!
Wan Li flicked his sleeve, shredding every True Qi needle.
Huang Chuan closed in, unleashing nothing but Shadow Leg strikes. One kick landed squarely on Wan Li's chest and sent him stumbling back.
Applause came from nearby. Xu Tianji stood at the courtyard gate with a shoulder pole still resting on his shoulder, his face full of admiration. "Huang Chuan, you truly are a martial arts prodigy. Even I feel inferior to you. How about going down the mountain to become the sect leader of the Returning Origin Divine Sect someday? I am willing to yield the position to you."
Huang Chuan stopped, panting heavily. Ignoring Xu Tianji, he said to Wan Li, "No more."
He felt utterly helpless. His True Qi was too scant. After consecutively using a full set of martial arts, his True Qi had run dry, and his strength had been drained along with it. Continuing would only end in defeat.
As Wang Chen swept the ground, he sighed. "You are still young. What is the rush?"
Huang Chuan gritted his teeth. "I want to see my grandfather off on his final journey. He said that until I reached the Heaven-reaching realm, I was not allowed to go down the mountain to find him."
Wang Chen paused, then shook his head and continued sweeping.
"My turn, my turn... Hehe..."
Ping'an suddenly leaped over from the side and said excitedly to Wan Li.
Wan Li's smile instantly froze. Before he could react, Ping'an pounced on him. He had no choice but to take the attacks, and every move he blocked hurt him terribly.
Ping'an's martial arts were awful, nowhere near Jiang Ziyu's or Huang Chuan's. Yet this fellow's strength was ferocious beyond belief, and his reaction speed was equally outrageous. Sparring with him gave one only a single feeling.
Pain!
Beneath the Earth Spirit Tree, Jiang Changsheng watched them quietly.
Talent truly is crucial. Huang Chuan and Ping'an can both independently absorb the spiritual energy emitted by the Earth Spirit Tree, and their strength is growing rapidly. The others, by contrast, cannot.
Jiang Changsheng thought silently. After cultivating it for so many years, the Earth Spirit Tree could now generate spiritual energy. Aside from Jiang Changsheng, who absorbed that energy to cultivate, Ping'an and Huang Chuan could do so as well. Though they were far slower than Jiang Changsheng, they could indeed absorb it unconsciously.
The vast majority of martial artists cultivated by using their physical bodies to generate True Qi, rather than absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy. Since Ping'an and Huang Chuan could do it, that meant other martial artists could as well, though such people were one in ten thousand.
Although martial artists could absorb spiritual energy, their paths of cultivation differed. Jiang Changsheng still felt that the path of immortality cultivation was stronger and more profound.
Just then, Ming Yue ran into the courtyard.
"Daoist Priest, someone has come to challenge you again. He calls himself Tai Shi Qiu Jian. Senior Brother Qing Ku says Tai Shi Qiu Jian is a legendary figure in the martial arts world."
Ming Yue spoke urgently. Upon hearing the name Tai Shi Qiu Jian, Xu Tianji was visibly moved.
Xu Tianji muttered, "That old immortal has emerged too. How interesting..."
Jiang Changsheng had already sensed Tai Shi Qiu Jian's True Qi. It was about equal to Xu Tianji's, yet he carried an incisive aura.
Sword intent!
With that sword intent added in, Xu Tianji was likely no match for him.
Jiang Changsheng rose to his feet with a faint smile.
A survival reward had arrived!
Over the past two years, martial arts experts had occasionally come to challenge him, but they had been too weak to trigger a survival reward.
After waiting two years, a genuine expert had finally come!
Jiang Changsheng's heart filled with anticipation. As he passed Xu Tianji, Xu Tianji could not help reminding him, "Daoist Priest, Tai Shi Qiu Jian is not from Great Jing. He comes from another dynasty. Yet forty years ago, during the chaos of war, he defeated every swordsman in the Chu Dynasty and left behind a legend of the sword path. You must be careful. The cultivation of old immortals like him is beyond imagination, and swordsmen can often unleash strength greater than their True Qi realm."
Another dynasty?
Jiang Changsheng nodded slightly and walked out of the courtyard. The others became interested and followed after him. Wan Li seized the chance to slip away. With no one left to spar with Ping'an, Ping'an stamped his foot in fury, paused, then quickly followed.
Before the mountain gate of Dragon Arising Temple, a large number of disciples had gathered, with a small number of pilgrims mixed among them.
On the steps before the gate stood a figure. It was an old man wearing a straw rain cape, both hands resting on a rusty bronze sword. Blue sky stretched behind him, while the breeze stirred his cape.
Tai Shi Qiu Jian had a head of white hair, slightly disheveled. His wrinkled face made his eyes seem almost impossible to open. Even so, he radiated a powerful presence that no one dared underestimate.
"Tai Shi Qiu Jian—have you heard of this name?"
"I have. I once traveled the martial world with Senior Brother Qing Ku, and I saw records of Tai Shi Qiu Jian at the Sword Pavilion. He roamed the world for twenty years without suffering a single defeat, defeating one thousand three hundred and twenty-seven swords. Those writings were left behind forty years ago..."
"He was already invincible forty years ago?"
"I heard some martial artists become more monstrous with age."
"This world truly hides dragons and crouching tigers. But he certainly cannot be our Daoist Priest's match. Our Daoist Priest is now a Martial Arts Myth. Zong Tianwu, Xu Tianji, and the Divine Monk of Gathering Pine Lake never earned such a title."
The disciples discussed animatedly. Though astonished by Tai Shi Qiu Jian's reputation, they remained full of faith in Jiang Changsheng.
"The Daoist Priest is here!"
Someone shouted loudly, and the disciples immediately made way.
Tai Shi Qiu Jian slowly opened his eyes. His clouded pupils were utterly lifeless, but when Jiang Changsheng entered his sight, a cold gleam burst from them.
Jiang Changsheng walked to the front and faced Tai Shi Qiu Jian alone.
Tai Shi Qiu Jian said, "I hope this old man's final battle will be here. To die beneath the Taihang Sword would not disgrace the fame of the Ten Great Famous Swords."
Jiang Changsheng said, "I am not a swordsman, but if you wish to die here, that is not impossible."
Tai Shi Qiu Jian narrowed his eyes, and his right hand began to grip the sword hilt.
The disciples of Dragon Arising Temple were all stirred by Jiang Changsheng's words. Their Daoist Priest was usually gentle, but when facing an enemy, he only became more domineering. At the very least, his aura would never lose.
Xu Tianji looked at Tai Shi Qiu Jian with sympathy. He believed Jiang Changsheng truly would kill people. He possessed none of a Daoist Priest's righteous grandeur or compassion.
Tai Shi Qiu Jian held his sword in one hand and said coldly, "Junior, you are very confident, just as I was back then. But though this old man seeks death, after walking one hundred thousand li, no one has yet been able to grant my wish."
He raised the bronze sword and pointed it at Jiang Changsheng. In an instant, an overwhelming aura erupted, making everyone's hearts tremble.
The sound of the wind between heaven and earth abruptly ceased!
Far away, inside the Prince's Residence, Jiang Yu raised his head from the memorials he was reviewing and frowned toward the window.
"This sword intent... what expert has come to the capital?"
Jiang Yu asked, and a woman's voice promptly sounded outside. "The Sword Madman, Tai Shi Qiu Jian."
Tai Shi Qiu Jian?
Jiang Yu frowned. "I saw the edge of his sword in the Dragon Tower. He still has not died?"
The woman's voice followed. "These past years, Tai Shi Qiu Jian has come from Tai Cang, seeking death all the way, yet he has never died. Instead, he has slain quite a few powerful swordsmen. His strength is unfathomable. This time, his target is Great Jing's current Martial Arts Myth."
Jiang Yu snorted, withdrew his gaze, and continued reviewing the memorials.
Jiang Changsheng gripped the hilt of the Taihang Sword with his left hand and held his horsetail whisk in his right. He smiled softly. "Your sword intent is very strong. Of all the swordsmen I have seen in my life, you are the strongest. To show respect for the strongest, I will use my full strength."
He could sense that Tai Shi Qiu Jian had only a thread of life remaining. He was completely forcing himself to hold on. Heaven knew how this fellow had managed to endure until now.
Tai Shi Qiu Jian suddenly released his hand, and the bronze sword actually hovered in midair. Strands of visible force Qi spilled from his body and coiled around the blade.
"This sword is called Startling Goose!"
As Tai Shi Qiu Jian's words fell, the bronze sword suddenly shot forth. Everyone heard only a piercing roar. The sword light flashed, and the bronze sword was already upon them. Standing behind Jiang Changsheng, they could all feel that deathly aura. Even Xu Tianji was moved!
Boom!
The bronze sword struck Jiang Changsheng, but an invisible barrier of Qi blocked it. The gale kicked up by the impact made the disciples' robes billow, and they instinctively raised their arms to shield their faces.
The bronze sword was suddenly flung away, then shot back toward Tai Shi Qiu Jian at even greater speed.
Splurt!
Tai Shi Qiu Jian's chest was pierced through, blood spraying everywhere. The bronze sword drew an arc through the air as it flew back, passed over his head, and embedded itself in the stone steps before him, its blade trembling and humming.
Tai Shi Qiu Jian's eyes widened. There was no fear in them—only overwhelming delight.
"This old man... has finally seen a faster sword..."
Tai Shi Qiu Jian muttered to himself, a smile appearing on his face. With a thud, he dropped to one knee, both hands clutching the sword hilt. He lowered his head and spat blood. After coughing several times, he no longer moved.
The others finally came back to their senses and looked at Tai Shi Qiu Jian in disbelief.
Tai Shi Qiu Jian's aura had been so terrifying, yet he had died just like that?
Xu Tianji swallowed hard, secretly telling himself never to offend Jiang Changsheng in the future.
Huang Chuan, meanwhile, gazed at Jiang Changsheng in worship. Was this the strength of a Martial Arts Myth?
Though he had not seen clearly how Jiang Changsheng struck, he had felt Tai Shi Qiu Jian's earlier strength with absolute clarity. Such a powerful figure had been instantly killed by his master!
Jiang Changsheng turned around and said, "Clear out a patch of land halfway up the mountain and erect a monument for Tai Shi Qiu Jian. From now on, any martial arts expert who comes to challenge us and dies may have a monument erected."
Meng Qiushuang swallowed and hurriedly nodded.
Though this was not the first time she had seen Jiang Changsheng make a move, every time left her shaken.
Just how strong was this junior brother of hers?
After returning to his room, Jiang Changsheng had barely sat down when a line of text appeared before his eyes:
In the thirty-seventh year of Kaiyuan, the Sword Madman Tai Shi Qiu Jian came to Dragon Arising Temple seeking battle. After a desperate fight, you killed him, surviving a killing calamity and obtaining the survival reward—martial art: 'Taiqing Sword Art'.
Taiqing Sword Art. It seemed his Taihang Sword would have a chance to take the stage in the future.
Jiang Changsheng thought silently. However, since it was merely a martial art, he was not overly delighted.
One Sword Madman was not enough. When would ten Sword Madmen come?
Jiang Changsheng sighed inwardly, then began inheriting the Taiqing Sword Art.
He discovered that the Taiqing Sword Art was not nearly as mediocre as he had imagined. It absolutely counted as a supreme art!
News of Tai Shi Qiu Jian dying in battle at Dragon Arising Temple swiftly spread through the martial world, adding another achievement to the Martial Arts Myth's record.
Over the following months, no more experts came to challenge him.
Until the thirty-eighth year of Kaiyuan.
Jiang Changsheng finally sensed signs that he was about to break through. He stopped cultivating, did not break through immediately, and instead checked his incense offering value.
Current incense offering value: 1021
A new week—please send recommendation tickets and Moon Tickets~~~
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