Struggle Between Blade and Sword

"Oh, if it isn't the young master of Dugu Manor!" The three men came up beside Dugu Sheng and laughed.

"I was wondering who it was. Just three useless fools from the Ten Thousand Blades Sect. Even your eldest senior brother Mu Qiang wouldn't dare act so arrogantly before me." Dugu Sheng set down his wine cup and spoke indifferently.

"Hah! How could you possibly compare to our eldest senior brother?" the three men said.

"Whether I can compare to him isn't for you to decide. I am rather curious, though. It's been several years since I last saw Mu Qiang. What level has his blade technique reached?" Dugu Sheng asked.

"To tell you the truth, our eldest senior brother has just emerged from secluded cultivation. He's already reached the realm of One Blade, Hundred Jins. That's more than enough to deal with you."

"One Blade, Hundred Jins?" Dugu Sheng laughed when he heard this. "Only One Blade, Hundred Jins? I thought he might reach One Blade, Thousand Jins during this seclusion. It seems I overestimated your eldest senior brother. How disappointing."

"You!" One of them pointed angrily at Dugu Sheng. "One Blade, Thousand Jins? That's a realm only our master can reach. Don't use that to belittle our eldest senior brother and puff yourself up. I'd like to know how many forms of your Dugu Family's sword technique you've learned, to talk so big."

"However many forms I've practiced, if your eldest senior brother wants to challenge me, he's welcome to come," Dugu Sheng said.

"As far as I know, Young Master Dugu mastered the fourth form of the Dugu Family's inherited sword technique, the Nine Heavenly Sword Forms, a year ago. That fourth sword form earned him a place on the Young Eagle Ranking then. Now that another year has passed, his swordsmanship must have grown even more profound," Wu Yong answered for Dugu Sheng.

"If our eldest senior brother hadn't been in seclusion last year, how could he have missed the revision of the Young Eagle Ranking?" One of the men was clearly unconvinced.

This was only natural. The Ten Thousand Blades Sect revered the blade, holding it supreme, while Dugu Manor honored the sword above all. Both the Ten Thousand Blades Sect and Dugu Manor enjoyed illustrious reputations in Jianghu. They were far beyond second-rate sects like the Huaqing Sect—truly Renowned Great Sects with legacies stretching back hundreds or even a thousand years.

Since ancient times, debate over whether the blade or the sword was stronger had never ceased. Of course, neither had ever truly won. Even if the blade held the upper hand in one era, the next might belong to the sword.

Yet even without a decisive victor, the struggle between blade and sword persisted in Jianghu. The two great schools representing that struggle in the present day were the Ten Thousand Blades Sect and Dugu Manor.

The supreme art of the Ten Thousand Blades Sect was the Myriad-Transformation Blade Force. It was said that once this blade technique was mastered, a single slash was like ten thousand blades striking at once, containing the force of ten thousand blades. Its Saber Force was incomparably overbearing, a marvel of Jianghu. It had also enabled the Ten Thousand Blades Sect to endure for nearly a thousand years and become a Renowned Great Sect. With over ten thousand disciples, its power was immense.

Dugu Manor's history was somewhat shorter than that of the Ten Thousand Blades Sect, spanning a little over five hundred years. After the Dugu Family's ancestor created their ancestral blade technique, successive generations refined it until their inherited sword technique became the present Nine Heavenly Sword Forms. As its name suggested, the Nine Heavenly Sword Forms consisted of nine sword forms, but each form was divided into nine moves. In other words, the Dugu Family's supreme art comprised nine forms and eighty-one sword moves.

Those nine forms and eighty-one sword moves had earned Dugu Mountain Manor an illustrious reputation in Jianghu. As Dugu Mountain Manor was a hereditary martial family, its supreme art was passed down only to direct blood descendants. Thus, the manor numbered only a few thousand people, most of whom were guards of the lineage. In numbers, it could not compare to a sect with ten thousand members like the Ten Thousand Blades Sect. In individual strength, however, Dugu Mountain Manor was somewhat stronger, leaving their overall strength roughly equal. Otherwise, Dugu Mountain Manor could not have become a Renowned Great Sect in Jianghu.

"May I ask what the Young Eagle Ranking is?" Huang Xiao was truly rather curious. He had heard of names appearing on the golden list, of the top scholar, the third-place scholar, and so forth. This Young Eagle Ranking seemed to belong to Jianghu, then?

"Are you even a member of Jianghu?" the three Ten Thousand Blades Sect disciples asked in unison when they heard Huang Xiao.

"I'm ashamed to say this is my first time coming down the mountain with my master. I know nothing of affairs in Jianghu," Huang Xiao said with a smile.

"If you don't know, there's no need for you to know." One of them rolled his eyes at Huang Xiao.

"Daoist Qingxiao, there really isn't much point to these things. They're just trouble stirred up by old fogeys in Jianghu with full bellies and nothing better to do," Dugu Sheng said.

"Haha! Young Master Dugu, so many people across the land fight over this Young Eagle Ranking until their heads crack and blood flows. Some even lose their lives, yet you don't care about it. How are the rest supposed to live with that?" Wu Yong was no longer in a hurry to leave and spoke with a smile.

"Whoever wants a place on that damned ranking can have it," Dugu Sheng replied.

"Since you don't know about the Young Eagle Ranking, young Daoist, allow me to explain. In fact, even if I didn't, almost anyone in Jianghu could tell you if you asked. The Young Eagle Ranking was established by respected elders from several Renowned Great Sects specifically for the younger generation around twenty years of age. It is issued once every five years, selecting ten outstanding young people who have emerged in Jianghu during those five years. The ranking was updated last year, and Young Master Dugu was among them. Of course, the eldest senior brother of the Ten Thousand Blades Sect is also very strong, an outstanding figure of the younger generation. It was only because he happened to be in seclusion that he failed to make the ranking. That truly was a pity," Wu Yong said.

"Exactly. Our senior brother's strength goes without saying."

Huang Xiao was inwardly amused. Wu Yong had managed to offend neither side. Since Jianghu acknowledged this ranking, that meant it certainly would not leave anyone out. Even if someone was in seclusion, those senior masters would surely know his strength. Now that these three men from the Ten Thousand Blades Sect had encountered Dugu Sheng, they naturally would not show weakness. Especially since the two schools were already rivals in the struggle between blade and sword, they attached even greater importance to this.

Of course, they would not launch any vicious attack on Dugu Sheng. After all, both schools were Renowned Great Sects, and their rivalry was open and aboveboard. There had never been any underhanded attacks behind the scenes. Thus, although relations between the two schools were poor, they were not enemies. Besides, these three only wanted to belittle Dugu Sheng with words. If it came to an actual fight, they knew they were no match for him.

"Finished spouting nonsense?" Dugu Sheng was growing impatient.

"What a joke. This isn't your Dugu Manor. What business is it of yours what we say here?" one of them sneered.

"Get lost! Don't spoil my drinking!" Dugu Sheng set his wine cup on the table and spoke coldly.

"Haha! Waiter, bring me wine! I'm taking this table." One of them walked over to a table beside Dugu Sheng and shouted. There were already people seated there, but when they saw the three approach, they hurriedly rose and cupped their fists.

They had realized that these three belonged to the Ten Thousand Blades Sect, people they could not afford to offend. Naturally, when they saw that the three wanted their seats, they gave way.

Dugu Sheng suddenly struck out with a backhanded palm. The three reacted, hastily reaching to draw the blades at their waists. But before they could pull their weapons free, Dugu Sheng's palm force had split into three streams and struck them in the chest.

Clatter! Bang, bang, bang! The three were sent flying, crashing into numerous tables and chairs. The bowls and plates atop them shattered, scattering in a mess across the floor.