My National Treasure of a Senior Sister

"Junior Brother Hao, that sword of yours..."

Lao Denuo was also startled by the sword Tian Hao carried out on his shoulder. Its blade was a palm wide and three feet long. With its foot-long hilt, the whole thing measured four feet, and it was thick and heavy, surely weighing over thirty jin.

Although he had sparred with Tian Hao quite a few times lately, Tian Hao had only used a Steel Staff. He had never expected him to actually forge a sword of such dimensions.

A sword of this size was exceedingly rare in Jianghu. Such heavy war swords were found only in the army.

"Second Senior Brother, Little Senior Sister, I'm ready."

Tian Hao loosened his limbs and signaled that the sparring could begin.

He was determined to get that piece of century-old notoginseng.

"Little Junior Sister!"

Lao Denuo looked toward Yue Lingshan on the other side and picked up his sword from the stone table.

Injuries were inevitable during sparring. As both witness and senior brother, he had a duty to safeguard his two junior disciples and prevent any irreversible consequences.

Clang!

"Junior Brother Hao, please instruct me!"

Forcing down her shock and doubts, Yue Lingshan drew her sword and performed a sword salute according to the Mount Hua Sect's rules.

This was a required step in a sparring match. She also had to act under the pretext of sparring this time, or if her father lost his temper, being ordered to face a wall and reflect would be the least of her punishments.

"Little Senior Sister, please instruct me!"

Tian Hao planted the sword he had been carrying in the ground and returned the sword salute, then took the waterskin hanging at his waist.

"This is what I produced when I got up to pee last night. Watch out."

After that kindly warning, he squeezed hard. Yellow liquid spurted out, and with a turn of his wrist, he sent it in an arc that blocked Yue Lingshan's left, right, and overhead escape routes.

Then he pulled out his sword and charged.

He knew his strengths and weaknesses well. He feared nothing in a head-on clash, but if Yue Lingshan could use her footwork and swordsmanship to circle him, he would be far more disadvantaged.

He had to force that girl to face him head-on.

"Shameless!"

Looking at the yellow liquid spraying toward her, Yue Lingshan gritted her teeth in fury, but she did not dare dodge sideways. If that disgusting stuff got on her, she might as well die.

Besides, she had a way to meet that bastard head-on.

"Eighty!"

The massive sword swung around and chopped down viciously, his accumulated embracing the origin inner force erupting with it, fierce and overbearing.

With his burly frame standing a foot taller than Yue Lingshan, his downward attack was even more ferocious.

Clang!

The greatsword struck the Jade Water Sword's slender blade, bending it into a perilous arc.

Thud!

The enormous force bore down, driving the weaker Yue Lingshan onto one knee. Still, she braced both ends of her sword desperately with her hands, refusing to let the greatsword fall onto her. Otherwise, she would lose, never mind beating that bastard's face into a pig's head.

"Spring!"

Enduring the aching numbness in her arms, Yue Lingshan poured her internal energy into the blade. The bent blade instantly snapped straight, springing the greatsword upward.

This was the counter she had devised after asking Lu Dayou about that day's fight. His weapon was simply too long. To win, she had to close in, making a direct clash inevitable.

She could use the blade's resilience to cushion the force, then use its spring to counterattack and create an opening.

Unfortunately, the force just now had been too great. Her arms ached and tingled, preventing her from immediately thrusting back.

But that did not matter. According to Lu Dayou, he needed a breath to gather his force again, giving her enough time to recover.

"How could this be?"

Just as Yue Lingshan circulated her internal energy to quickly relieve the numbness in her arms, the next scene left her staring in a daze.

"Eighty!"

Tian Hao swung his sword down again, without any of the recovery time she had expected.

Having achieved Minor Achievement in Embrace Origin Force, he could condense his strength into force in an instant, without readjusting his body.

Clang!

The girl gritted her teeth and braced against it, but her arms had yet to recover from their aching numbness. This truly piled snow upon frost. The fierce, overbearing embracing the origin inner force shook them almost senseless. She absolutely could not withstand another strike.

Realizing this, Yue Lingshan seized the moment when the greatsword bounced upward again. Circulating her internal energy, she drove her slender yet powerful leg out in a lightning-fast side kick aimed straight at his vulnerable throat.

Her delicate foot, encased in an embroidered shoe, struck its mark, but she felt as though she had kicked a block of wood. It was terribly hard.

"You lost!"

Trapping her foot beneath his chin and laying his greatsword across her neck, Tian Hao spoke calmly.

He had already reached the Entry-Level Realm of Iron Shirt, making his skin tough. By stirring his force, he could also harden his skin and muscles in an instant. Defending against punches and kicks was no problem at all.

That was precisely why he had paid no heed to Yue Lingshan's kick. He had also wanted to test the defensive power of Horizontal Crab Iron Shirt.

The result was fairly satisfactory.

"Shameless!"

Glancing at the greatsword across her neck, Yue Lingshan was so angry she wanted to bite him.

That fellow was utterly shameless. How could he use such dirty tricks?

Without that stuff being sprayed at her, she would not have had to meet him head-on. Her footwork and swordsmanship would have been enough to defeat him.

"Trying to welch?"

"I am! What are you going to do about it?"

Yue Lingshan stiffened her neck, utterly unwilling to accept defeat.

"Giant Crab Iron Mountain Lean!"

His expression turned cold. Tian Hao lowered his greatsword and unleashed the Iron Mountain Lean from Horizontal Crab Iron Shirt, driving forward against the girl and slamming her hard against the wall. His neck shifted, and the foot trapped under his chin slipped onto his shoulder, instantly putting them in an intimate position.

The fierce wall slam left Yue Lingshan seeing stars, her insides aching. When she recovered and noticed their intimate position, shame and anger nearly drove her mad.

"Bastard! I'll kill you!"

"Still refusing to admit defeat?"

His thick eyebrows rose slightly. Without the slightest hesitation, Tian Hao swung his fist at her. It was not a powerful punch, but it was enough to stamp her with a national treasure's mark.

Thump!

Punched around the eye, Yue Lingshan froze in a daze again, then grew even more furious.

"You damned rat!"

Thump!

Unfortunately, all she received in return was another fist the size of a clay pot, punching her around the other eye.

"Boohoo... You're bullying me! I'll have my father deal with you!"

Having become a national treasure, the girl finally broke down crying. She sobbed miserably, yet still remembered to make threats.

She would definitely have her father punish that fellow severely.

Thump!

"..."

Blinking dazedly once more, Yue Lingshan's mind went blank.

I'm already crying, and you're still hitting me?

Are you even a man?

"Do you admit defeat or not?"

Raising his iron fist again, Tian Hao asked coldly. He was determined to get that piece of century-old notoginseng.

As for gentlemanly behavior or giving beautiful women special treatment, that was not his style.

Besides, so what if she was beautiful? She still had to eat, drink, shit, and piss. She had one nose and two eyes like everyone else. Why should she receive special treatment?

As a new-era youth with the four virtues, he upheld equality between men and women!

Besides, this girl's intelligence account was overdue. She still dared make threats in this situation. She was lucky her opponent was him. A real enemy would have toyed with her until she was broken long ago.

As her junior brother, Tian Hao believed he had a duty to teach his little senior sister how treacherous society could be.

"I... I admit defeat!"

Realizing that the fellow before her truly was a brute, Yue Lingshan could only concede, her heart brimming with grievance.

"Take that piece of century-old notoginseng to Mistress and have her cook it into a medicinal meal."

Seeing his little senior sister finally concede and admit her mistake, Tian Hao stepped away in satisfaction.

He believed that after this experience, she would be a little more cautious when roaming Jianghu.

"You're shameless!"

She glared at him furiously. If her arms had not still been numb, swollen, and painful, Yue Lingshan would have fought him to the death.

"It's not that I'm shameless. You're just too stupid, Little Senior Sister. That was tea."

Tian Hao shook his head speechlessly. She had yet to suffer society's brutal beatings and knew nothing of the treachery of human hearts.

She had been like this last time, and she was still like this now. Stupid beyond belief.

"It really is tea!"

Only then did Lao Denuo, who had been watching nearby, recover his senses. With an odd expression, he walked over and picked up the waterskin Tian Hao had tossed on the ground. Sure enough, it smelled of tea, and there were even tea leaves left around its opening. Clearly, it was not the liquid Tian Hao had claimed.

"Little Junior Sister, don't be resentful. This was only sparring. The real Jianghu is far crueler and more treacherous. Orthodox practitioners are one thing, but those of the unorthodox paths, especially the fiends of the Demon Cult, stop at nothing when they fight. They'll use any trick imaginable."

"If a pretty girl like you loses, your fate will certainly be worse than death."

Seeing that she was still indignant and about to speak, Lao Denuo warned her solemnly.

"Bastard!"

She stamped her foot in anger, but wisely refrained from making an unreasonable scene. After shooting someone a hateful glare, she picked up the Jade Water Sword and left.

"With that piece of century-old notoginseng and your aptitude, Junior Brother, you'll probably reach Minor Achievement in Iron Shirt in less than three years."

Watching the girl leave, Lao Denuo turned back and congratulated him.

Notoginseng a century old had astonishing medicinal potency. Cooked with supplementary herbs and consumed, it greatly aided the cultivation of external arts, particularly body-hardening arts.

He had originally estimated that Tian Hao might need ten years to reach Minor Achievement in Iron Shirt. Now that could be reduced to three years at once.

That might sound long, but although a body-hardening external art like Iron Shirt was easy to begin, it became difficult afterward.

Tian Hao had only managed to reach the Entry-Level Realm in a month because of his excellent constitution and his foundation in Embrace Origin Force. Otherwise, it would have been impossible.

"I'll still need plenty of your help, Senior Brother. One day, I'll repay you generously!"

Tian Hao was also delighted, but he was thinking of reaching Minor Achievement in Horizontal Crab Iron Shirt in three months, not three years.

After all, he was a cheat user among cheat users. But to reach Minor Achievement in Horizontal Crab Iron Shirt in three months, he would have to download his mistress's innate attribute first.

That would not be an easy job!