Starlight Falls

It was no easy task to warm a girl with an icy exterior. After all that exhausting effort, after racking his brains, he had finally set the mood and stirred a little romantic tension.

A strand of Sword Qi.

Just one damned strand of Sword Qi had ruined it all!

Imagine you and your girlfriend getting lovey-dovey in a park, your lips just about to touch, when some kid suddenly kicked a soccer ball straight into your faces. How would that feel?

Li Qiuran was somewhat annoyed too, but seeing the usually silver-tongued Zhang Qingyuan suffer a setback dispelled her anger entirely. She watched him with interest, a smile even curling her lips.

This woman was provoking me!

Zhang Qingyuan dismounted and took the Questioning Heart Sword in hand.

Not far away, a young man dressed in black gripped a sword and stared fixedly at him.

The young man had handsome features and gloomy eyes.

He held his sword in his right hand, and the precious blade drew Zhang Qingyuan's attention.

Mainly because it was so eye-catching.

The sword was three feet and one inch long, its blade radiating silvery-white light. Seven gemstones were set into its hilt, arranged like the Big Dipper.

The blade was two fingers wide and seemed to have unique patterns engraved on it.

Zhang Qingyuan stepped forward and turned his gaze back to the young man.

"Do we have a grudge?"

Expressionless, the young man said flatly, "We have no grudge."

"Do we know each other?"

"No."

"Then why the fuck did you swing a sword at me?!"

Zhang Qingyuan cursed furiously. Was this guy sick in the head, slashing at people for fun in broad daylight? Back on Earth, he would have to be sent to Professor Yang for electrotherapy.

The young man showed no remorse and continued doing as he pleased. "I am Yang Chen, the Starlight Sword Master."

The Starlight Sword Master... Zhang Qingyuan's gaze flickered, and he turned toward Li Qiuran behind him. Her interest had been piqued too.

Yang Chen, son of Hero Yang of the Eastern Sea, had obtained the Starlight Sword four months ago and made a great name for himself in the martial world.

Chen Ling'er, Li Xiaodong, and the others had gone to fight over the Starlight Sword back then too. Apparently, Li Xiaodong had taken a beating.

Recalling what he knew about Yang Chen, Zhang Qingyuan realized that the weapon in his hand was the Starlight Sword.

But what did he want with me?

Puzzled, he asked, "Young Hero Yang, what business brings you here to stop this humble Daoist?"

Yang Chen said, "Are you Zhang Qingyuan, the Dao Lord of True Martiality?"

"That's me." Zhang Qingyuan nodded.

"I came to cross swords with you," he said bluntly.

"Cross swords with me?"

"Yes. Word in the jianghu is that you single-handedly killed over a dozen Dragon Gate experts, along with several protectors of the Heavenly Principle Sect. They say your martial arts are formidable, and you rank thirteenth on the Martial Arts Alliance's Young Heroes Ranking.

"That is why I came looking for you. I want to test myself against you."

"What's the Young Heroes Ranking?"

This was his first time hearing of such a ranking, and he turned to ask Li Qiuran.

Still mounted, Li Qiuran said disdainfully, "Just some pointless nonsense made up by a bunch of bored people. Don't take it seriously."

Although the Martial Arts Alliance was the largest alliance in the jianghu, its strength was not top-tier. After all, it had not even made it into that folk rhyme.

But the Martial Arts Alliance had immense influence. As mentioned before, it consisted of first-rate experts and several first-rate powers in the jianghu.

Without a Grandmaster holding the fort, no amount of influence could earn it a place among the greats. To expand its influence, the Martial Arts Alliance spread attention-grabbing news every so often.

They were just like those unscrupulous reporters and sensationalist editorial teams from Zhang Qingyuan's previous life.

Li Qiuran continued, "The Martial Arts Alliance has several rankings, including the Young Heroes Ranking, the Heroes Ranking, and the Heaven Ranking.

"The Young Heroes Ranking is for people like you, young heroes who have only recently entered the jianghu and are under twenty-five. The Heroes Ranking is for those over twenty-five. The Heaven Ranking includes three hundred people, with no age restrictions-only martial prowess matters."

So they were a newcomers' ranking, a veterans' ranking, and an overall ranking. Zhang Qingyuan understood. These rankings were probably for reference only, with no guarantee of accuracy.

After all, he had never competed against the others, so how had he ended up thirteenth?

He had never even met the twelve ahead of him. On what grounds were they supposedly stronger?

"Then who's currently number one under heaven on the Heaven Ranking?"

"Last month, first place on the Heaven Ranking was Mo Changge, the Mount Shu Sword Sect's junior martial uncle."

"Why isn't it someone from the rhyme?" Zhang Qingyuan asked in confusion. Weren't the strongest powers in the martial world the nine mountains, seven temples, five Daoist orders, four manors, three swords, and two sabers; the Demon Venerable, the Holy Sect, and the Eastern Heretic, with six sages and eight immortals watching the tides?

Where had Mo Changge popped up from?

Li Qiuran snorted. "The Heaven Ranking only goes as high as Grandmasters. It doesn't include Supreme Peak experts."

Oh!

So that was it.

Now Zhang Qingyuan understood. The Martial Arts Alliance probably did not dare rank Supreme Peak experts at random.

After all, Supreme Peak experts had already transcended the realm of Grandmasters, beyond the reach of ordinary human strength.

If the Martial Arts Alliance recklessly ranked the powers mentioned in the rhyme and upset one of them, it probably would not be able to stay in business.

Supreme Peak experts had all fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Their prowess was universally acknowledged.

Take the three swords, for instance. If the Martial Arts Alliance ranked the Sword God first under heaven, would the Sword Saint and Sword Immortal be happy?

Would the Saber Emperor and Saber King get angry when they saw the rankings?

Would the Demon Venerable come to the Central Plains to issue challenges again...

Would Daoist Master Bright Moon of the Taiyin Dao Palace accept it?

The Shaolin abbot: Should I just leave, then?

After all, Supreme Peak experts rarely fought one another. What if his rankings really made them fight and innocent people got caught in the crossfire?

Besides, if the loser had nowhere to vent his anger, might he go to the Martial Arts Alliance to demand justice and blame them for their arbitrary rankings?

Thinking about it that way, the Martial Arts Alliance certainly had some cunning.

It gained publicity without upsetting the top experts, while also bolstering the Martial Arts Alliance's authority.

Hadn't this big idiot before him bought into it?

The Starlight Sword Master challenging the Dao Lord of True Martiality-two rising stars of the martial world. There was their talking point.

Afterward, the Martial Arts Alliance could keep spreading the story and stir up discussion throughout the jianghu.

The Martial Arts Alliance should not practice martial arts. It should become a newspaper.

Having figured it out, Zhang Qingyuan looked at Yang Chen again.

"If you wanted to challenge me, you could have said so beforehand. Why suddenly draw your sword?"

That strike just now had been seriously dangerous, all right?

Yang Chen said gravely, "I merely wanted to test whether the Dao Lord of True Martiality, who slew twenty first-rate experts in succession, truly possessed that strength or merely enjoyed an empty reputation."

"But if I hadn't reacted in time, both of us would have died!" Zhang Qingyuan said angrily.

Starlight shone from Yang Chen's eyes as he said coldly, "Anyone with an empty reputation deserves to die."

"I..."

What kind of logic was that?

Did being a martial artist mean you could treat human lives as worthless?

Once you entered the jianghu, its depths were like the sea. There, human lives were indeed worth so little.

Since ancient times, strife in the jianghu had never ceased. Many people died for just two things: fame and profit.

Although Zhang Qingyuan had killed quite a few people himself, whether those from the Dragon Gate or Cloud Dust Manor back then, he had only killed them after they provoked him.

But launching a lethal attack without any grievance, solely for an empty reputation-even someone as shameless as Zhang Qingyuan could not do that.

"Enough talk. Are you ready?" Yang Chen took his stance, Sword Qi swirling around him, its edge concealed within his blade.

Zhang Qingyuan drew the Questioning Heart Sword too, tossed its scabbard to Li Qiuran, and took a deep breath.

"Born beneath heaven and upon earth, we should not treat human lives like grass. Being weak in martial arts should not be a reason to be killed."

The Questioning Heart Sword trembled, anger mingling with his sword intent.

If my martial arts weren't strong enough, if my reactions weren't so quick, I might already be a corpse.

Yang Chen said, "Since entering the jianghu, I have challenged seven people and met no match.

"I killed my way from twenty-ninth on the Young Heroes Ranking to fourteenth.

"Once I kill you, I will be thirteenth."

Was thirteen such a great number?

If you wanted it, I could give it to you for free!

Zhang Qingyuan no longer had the strength to mock this idiot. How could Li Xiaodong have lost to him? He truly could not understand.

"Daoist Priest Qingyuan, forgive my offense."

Yang Chen's eyes narrowed as he said with killing intent, "Today, we shall decide not only the victor, but who lives and who dies."

Zhang Qingyuan said nothing more. His blade flickered as he attacked first.

When Yang Chen saw him move, his own sword moved too.

The former master of the Starlight Sword had been a Supreme Peak expert. The excellence of his swordsmanship could not be underestimated.

Zhang Qingyuan did not dare be careless either. He opened with the lethal Twelve Immortal-Slaying Forms.

Yang Chen's sword was swift, each strike flashing like a shooting star. Though his blade was narrow, its force was heavy.

Like meteors crashing down overhead, every blow carried tremendous weight.

The Twelve Immortal-Slaying Forms were ruthlessly decisive, striking from treacherous angles, yet Yang Chen's sword was faster and even more devious.

The brilliance of their swordsmanship left the watching Li Qiuran somewhat entranced.

At the same time, she broke into a cold sweat for Zhang Qingyuan.

Sword Qi swept imperiously in every direction, shredding everything around them. It filled the space within a hundred feet.

Zhang Qingyuan gradually fell to a disadvantage. As he swung his sword to defend, he was secretly alarmed. Starlight Swordsmanship truly deserved its reputation as peerless swordsmanship. If this kept up, he feared he would lose!

Yang Chen's sword grew faster and faster, while Zhang Qingyuan retreated as he parried.

Yang Chen grew increasingly confident. Watching Zhang Qingyuan slowly fall under his suppression, an arrogant smile appeared on his face.

Some Dao Lord of True Martiality. Nothing special.

In an instant, they had exchanged a hundred moves, with Zhang Qingyuan defending far more than attacking.

Suddenly, Zhang Qingyuan's body tilted slightly, and his eyes widened in panic. Even Li Qiuran, watching the fight, gripped her sword, ready to rush forward and help at any moment.

It was precisely that tilt that gave Yang Chen his opening. He seized the chance and unleashed a killing blow.

A Sword-Ray descended from the sky, like the Milky Way hanging upside down, its torrent plunging straight down.

The blue-violet Sword-Ray was too dazzling to look at. Unable to react in time, Li Qiuran shouted anxiously, "Zhang Qingyuan!"

Whoosh...

The Sword-Ray dissipated, but the expected scene did not unfold.

Li Qiuran opened her eyes again and saw Zhang Qingyuan standing behind Yang Chen, the Questioning Heart Sword thrust into Yang Chen's back.

Yang Chen still held his attacking stance. Before him lay a vast pit twenty feet wide and ten feet deep, the handiwork of his final move, Brilliant Star River.

"Wh... why?"

Zhang Qingyuan breathed a sigh of relief. "That really was close. I have to say, since entering the jianghu, fighting you has been my most exhilarating match."

"I... how did you... dodge it?"

Zhang Qingyuan pulled the Questioning Heart Sword out of his body and said between heavy breaths, "Sword moves are dead, but people are alive.

"We exchanged a hundred and twenty-one moves. You repeated your swordsmanship at least twice.

"I didn't understand it the first time. The second time, I understood it, but I fell behind because I hadn't found a way to counter it.

"And just as the third round began, I deliberately exposed an opening. For no other reason than that I had found a way to counter it."

"So... that was it."

Looking at Yang Chen lying on the ground, Zhang Qingyuan thought, I fell for the same trick twice. Did you think I'd fall for it a third time?

"Pah!"