Chapter 575: Throwing a Punch Where Sword Cultivators Are Like Clouds

Chapter 575: Throwing a Punch Where Sword Cultivators Are Like Clouds

Ning Yao was silently refining her Qi atop Zhanlong Cliff.
Chen Ping'an didn't go to the pavilion but stayed in the small house to cultivate.
Ning Yao was a bit puzzled, because the area around Zhanlong Platform was clearly more abundant in spiritual energy—it was the best place for cultivation in the entire Ning residence. Although Chen Ping'an wasn't a sword cultivator and would benefit less, it was still the undisputed first choice compared to other places.
Chen Ping'an looked somewhat helpless, simply staring at Ning Yao.
Ning Yao then tossed out a remark: "No wonder your cultivation is so slow."
Chen Ping'an felt even more helpless.
In Chunlu Pu and Yunshang City of Beiju Luzhou, and at Menglong Mountain in Baoping Zhou, within ten years, breaking into the fourth realm as a Qi refiner really wasn't considered slow.
Unfortunately, on Sword Qi Great Wall, Chen Ping'an's cultivation speed was what Pei Qian called "a turtle moving its nest" or "ants relocating their home."
But even with his first disciple, not to mention her fist arts, just considering her Eighteen Halts of Sword Qi, as her master, even if he had wanted to impart some experience from someone who had been through it, he never had the chance.
Especially Ning Yao. Back when she mentioned the Eighteen Halts of Sword Qi taught by A'Liang, Chen Ping'an asked about peers on Sword Qi Great Wall, how long it would take them to master it. Ning Yao said how long it took Yan Zhuo, Diezhang, and the others to grasp the method of refining Qi as refining the sword with the Eighteen Halts. Chen Ping'an was already sufficiently surprised, but he couldn't help asking Ning Yao how fast she was. Ning Yao just chuckled—that itself was the answer.
So back then, Chen Ping'an even felt that when the Great Old Sword Immortal said he had the potential for Land Immortal, it was just words of comfort.

After about two hours, Chen Ping'an, using the cultivation method of the inner-sight cave heaven, immersed in the mustard seed of thought within the wooden house, slowly withdrew from the small heaven within his body, exhaling a long breath of turbid air. His cultivation session came to a temporary halt. Instead of practicing his fists or walking the stakes as usual, Chen Ping'an left the courtyard and stood on a corridor some distance from Zhanlong Platform, gazing at the pavilion from afar. There he witnessed a strange phenomenon: over there, the sword Qi of heaven and earth condensed into a multicolored glaze color, like a little bird clinging to someone, slowly swirling. Looking higher, he could even see something like "water veins." This was probably the connection between the two great heavens—the small heaven within the body and the heaven of the world—bridged by an immortal's "Long Life Bridge," allowing man and heaven to harmonize.

Chen Ping'an stood with his hands in his sleeves, leaning against the corridor pillar, a full smile on his face.
Look at that—the girl I set my eyes on at first sight, when she cultivates with her heart, isn't she impressive?
While Chen Ping'an was secretly delighted, the old man appeared silently beside him, seeming somewhat surprised. He asked, "Young Master Chen, can you see the pure sword immortal intent left in the world, so clearly favoring our young lady?"

Chen Ping'an quickly straightened up and replied, "Grandpa Nalan, I can only see some hints, not very clearly."

Nalan Yexing nodded with a smile. "Just your eyesight alone is already not inferior to our Land Immortal sword cultivators here."

Chen Ping'an asked softly, "When will Ning Yao be able to break through the Golden Core bottleneck?"

Nalan Yexing said, "At least she'll have to wait until the next great battle ends."

Chen Ping'an asked, "When Ning Yao and her friends leave the city walls now, how many sword master escorts do they have, and what are their realms?"

Nalan Yexing laughed. "When you left, Young Master Chen, in that battle, our young lady was among more than thirty people. Every time they leave the city wall and head south, everyone has a sword master escort. Diezhang naturally has one too. Because this batch of children are the most precious seeds of Sword Qi Great Wall. On this matter, the sword cultivators of Beiju Luzhou really did help a lot. Otherwise, the native sword cultivators here on Sword Qi Great Wall wouldn't be enough. There's no helping it—this generation of young lady has too many geniuses. The sword masters serving as escorts are usually those with great killing power, extremely decisive with their swords. What they seek is that after one strike, they can at least exchange lives with the demon assassin."

"Beyond that, there's this old servant of the Ning residence, secretly protecting the young lady. Yan Zhuo and Chen Sanqiu also each have a family sword master acting as a death warrior. By the second battle, these younger ones had each broken through to a new realm. According to Sword Qi Great Wall's rules, regardless of age or status, once they become Golden Core sword cultivators, they no longer need the sword masters arranged by the Great Wall to guard their formations. The young lady and her group form a squad of five, and everyone's path to immortality is promising. So without ordinary sword masters, they still have a sword immortal personally teaching them swordsmanship—both protecting the Way and transmitting it. However, this sword immortal doesn't need to be overly protective of the juniors; it's more about life and death being their own responsibility. To put it bluntly, even if the young lady and the others all die in battle, the sword immortal who survives alone won't be held accountable by Sword Qi Great Wall in the slightest."

Nalan Yexing paused here and smiled. "Nothing strange about it. When the young lady and the others truly grow up, they'll serve as sword master escorts for the next generation. Sword Qi Great Wall has always had this tradition. Family names and such are certainly useful within the city during peaceful times between two great wars—rich and poor, with the wealthy having tangible advantages in resources for cultivation. But on the southern battlefield, what your surname is doesn't matter at all. The higher your realm, the greater the danger. Historically, on this Great Wall, we've had cowards who feared death—people with talent and family background but lacking a true sword heart. They deliberately wasted time, never setting foot on the city walls more than a few times in their lives."

Nalan Yexing looked toward Zhanlong Platform and sighed emotionally. "But there's one good thing about Sword Qi Great Wall: every great surname that appears must be accompanied by a remarkable story, and that story is only about slaying great demons. So every sword cultivator seed from a poor background who cultivates quickly understands from childhood that what they do—whether for themselves or for their descendants—is simply to kill more demons, survive, live long enough to have the chance to build their own residence and become a new story told by later generations."

His own master, born into the Ning family, one of his greatest lifelong wishes was to continue the family line, revive the family's glory, and help the surname Ning return to the ranks of the top-tier surnames on Sword Qi Great Wall.

The other wish, of course, was to see his daughter Ning Yao married into a good family worthy of trust.

Chen Ping'an said, "Many people in the Haoran Realm wouldn't think that way."

Then Chen Ping'an smiled. "When I was a child, I was that kind of person myself. Watching my peers in my hometown, well-fed and well-clothed, I would tell myself that it was just because their parents were alive and their families were rich. What was so good about the pastries in Qilong Alley? Eat too many, and they wouldn't taste good at all. While secretly swallowing saliva, thinking like that made me less greedy. If I really craved them, I had a way: I'd run back to my own yard, look at the dried fish I'd caught from the stream and stuck on the wall to sun-dry. Staring at them for a while could stave off hunger and satisfy my cravings."

So Chen Ping'an and Pei Qian, back when they weren't yet master and disciple, just after leaving the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, were like the same kind of person, but two different matters.

Having said this, Chen Ping'an looked a bit embarrassed. "Grandpa Nalan, listening to me talk about this must be quite a mood killer."

Nalan Yexing chuckled. "It's fine. Here, people spend their whole lives talking about major events. These trivial, everyday matters are rarely heard. The last time was when the young lady returned from Haoran Realm. Unfortunately, she's not one for talking, so we didn't chat much. She talked about the customs and landscapes of Haoran Realm and her travels through mountains and rivers—things that are very tempting for us who have spent our entire lives without ever leaving Fallen Mountain."

Nalan Yexing said to Chen Ping'an, "Although Young Master Chen isn't a sword cultivator for now, that sword on your back, plus those flying swords—whether they are natal objects or not—you should sharpen them more. Don't waste that Zhanlong Platform. The Ning family guards it and won't sell it to anyone, not to keep it as a decoration. If Young Master Chen can't figure that out, it would be disappointing. My master used to often mutter, when will a descendant of the Ning family be able to devour the entire Zhanlong Platform with their own ability? That would be a truly great thing."

Chen Ping'an said, "Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Nalan Yexing waved his hand. "Young Master Chen is always so formal. That's not good."

Chen Ping'an smiled. "If Grandpa Nalan hadn't spoken first, and I had just happily run over to sharpen my sword, wouldn't you have held a little grudge? You'd think, 'This young man, well, he's barely passable as a person, but he has no manners or upbringing.'"

Nalan Yexing was slightly startled, then laughed heartily. "That's true."

Chen Ping'an laughed along. "I've been waiting for Grandpa Nalan to say that for a long time."

Nalan Yexing slapped the young man in the blue shirt on the shoulder, feigning anger. "Little rascal, all that cleverness. Good thing you're sincere toward the young lady. Otherwise, I'd teach you a lesson. I guarantee you wouldn't even have a place to stay after entering this house."

Chen Ping'an didn't dodge; his shoulder was knocked askew.

Sword Qi Great Wall was a natural cave heaven paradise, a place dreamed of by cultivators. But the prerequisite was being able to withstand the erosion and wear of the invisible sword Qi in this world. With slightly inferior talent, it greatly affected the progress of all Qi refiners who weren't sword cultivators. Quietly refining Qi, when one opens a cave dwelling, sword Qi, spiritual Qi, and turbid Qi all pour in like a tide through various key acupoints. Just the matter of peeling away the intrusion of sword Qi alone gave Qi refiners headaches and suffering.

But even if one endured this hurdle, they still couldn't stay long—not because of cultivation talent, but because Sword Qi Great Wall had never liked Qi refiners from Haoran Realm. Unless they had connections and money—because it absolutely required an amount of immortal money that would make any Qi refiner's heart ache at any realm. The prices were fair, with different prices for each realm. It was the rule set by Yan Fat Man's great ancestor. There had been eleven price changes in history, all without exception going up, with no possibility of a decrease.

Earlier, Chen Ping'an had talked with Granny Bai about many things concerning the Yao family and Ning Yao's childhood.

Today, he asked Sword Cultivator Senior Nalan Yexing many details about the past two great battles on Sword Qi Great Wall.

After chatting a bit more, Chen Ping'an took his leave.

Before leaving, he asked one question: who was the sword immortal that guarded Ning Yao, Yan Zhuo, and the others last time? The old man said, "Coincidentally, it was a sword cultivator from your Baoping Zhou named Wei Jin."

Chen Ping'an had a deep impression of Wei Jin. Back when he took Li Baoping and the others to study in Great Sui, at the place of the Marriage Dress Female Ghost, it was Wei Jin who split the sky with a single sword.

That magnificent scene of sword Qi like a rainbow had stirred Chen Ping'an's heart for many years.

A Jade Purity Realm sword cultivator under sixty years old—that was an extremely young upper five-realm sword cultivator, even in the history of Sword Qi Great Wall. The old man had a good impression of Wei Jin. In fact, the entire Sword Qi Great Wall had a good opinion of him. Besides Wei Jin's excellent swordsmanship, he had the courage to give up a bright future in Haoran Realm at such a young age to come here and fight desperately. Moreover, Wei Jin had mentioned that his rapid breakthrough, breaking the Nascent Soul bottleneck, was due to A'Liang's guidance. Otherwise, according to his master at the Snowy Temple, he would have stagnated at the Nascent Soul realm for sixty years, only able to hope for a hundred-year sword immortal through patient, persistent effort. Actually, this statement was both right and wrong. Among the thousands of cultivation paths for Qi refiners, sword cultivators required the most immortal money and also valued talent the most. If Wei Jin himself hadn't reached the proper level and foundation, even A'Liang couldn't have forcibly dragged him into the Jade Purity Realm.

After Chen Ping'an returned to the small house.

Bai Lianshuang appeared beside the old man.

The old woman sneered. "The mighty Sword Immortal Nalan, who usually can't even squeeze out half a fart from under a beating stick, sure has a lot to say today. Bullying that no one's going to dig up your old history for our future young master? No chance to know your past embarrassments?"

Nalan Yexing laughed. "With you, I only chat about trivial things, mostly about martial artists of the jianghu. But with me, he talks about major matters of Sword Qi Great Wall and also about small, scattered things. So it's obvious who the future young master feels closer to."

The old woman snorted. "You're the one who cares most about face."

Nalan Yexing said helplessly, "Can't we stick to the matter at hand?"

The old woman retorted, "You yourself know you're shameless?"

Nalan Yexing sighed deeply, put his hands behind his back, and walked away.

Ning Yao was always focused when it came to cultivation.

So over the next two days, at most she would open her eyes during breaks to see if Chen Ping'an was near the Zhanlong Cliff pavilion. If not, she didn't walk down the hill; she just stood up and strolled for a moment.

Once, twice, and then when Chen Ping'an finally appeared nearby, Ning Yao pretended she didn't see him and started cultivating as if she was meditating.

Chen Ping'an had to watch for a while and then leave.

It wasn't that Chen Ping'an was being ungracious, but staying in the Ning residence to cultivate, he found that after breaking into the fourth realm of Qi refiner, the speed at which he refined the thirty-six green bricks from the Daoist temple had already increased by thirty percent. And here on Sword Qi Great Wall, there was an unexpected bonus. Chen Ping'an had finally managed to clear his mind of distractions, able to think more of her and truly cultivate in peace. With both refining objects and refining Qi in the small house, he became somewhat absorbed and absent-minded.

But this time after leaving, Chen Ping'an didn't go directly to the small house. Instead, he found Granny Bai and said he had something to discuss with both seniors, asking them to come to his house.

Bai Lianshuang nodded and set off with Chen Ping'an, not bothering to call Nalan Yexing at all. However, when they reached the small house gate, she stamped her foot and shouted, "Old thing, roll out here!" Nalan Yexing then appeared silently nearby.

Chen Ping'an led the two seniors into the side room and poured them cups of tea.

On the table were the sword immortal sword he had obtained from the Fu family of Old Dragon City back then, the Dharma Robe Gold Liquor with great history, and a jade token purchased from Lingzhi Studio on Fallen Mountain.

Chen Ping'an, for once, blushed deeply. He hesitated for a long time, not knowing how to begin.

Nalan Yexing broke the silence. "Young Master Chen, is this a betrothal gift?"

The old woman laughed so hard her mouth couldn't close. She covered her nose and mouth with a withered hand, laughed for a long while, then barely managed to suppress her mirth and said softly, "Young Master Chen, who delivers betrothal gifts in person?"

Chen Ping'an waved his hand. "Granny Bai, Grandpa Nalan, I will definitely find a matchmaker—I already have someone in mind. I certainly understand that much etiquette. But I'm not familiar with Sword Qi Great Wall's marriage customs. I have no one here to ask about such matters, so I had to call upon you two seniors to help me plan. I'm worried that this gift might be too light, or that I might inadvertently violate some taboo. I want to first disclose my intentions to you both, to try to avoid mistakes and not bring shame to the Ning residence because of me."

Bai Lianshuang and Nalan Yexing exchanged smiles, neither in a hurry to speak.

Chen Ping'an took a deep breath and said solemnly, "But I can only do my utmost not to err in these formalities, to do my best to be thorough. However, when it comes to proposing to Miss Ning, I, Chen Ping'an, will definitely speak. Whether the Ning residence, you two seniors, approve or not, you can say so directly. Whether the Yao family has objections, they can have them, and I will listen. But I, Chen Ping'an, want to marry Ning Yao—that matter is not negotiable. No matter who comes to persuade me, saying it can't be done, no matter how good or right their reasons, it won't work."

The old woman exchanged a glance with Nalan Yexing, and both remained silent.

Chen Ping'an stood up, walked to one side, cupped his fists and bowed, bending low. The young man said apologetically, "I, Chen Ping'an of Clay Bottle Alley, have no living elders in my family. The elders I respected on my cultivation journey have all passed away. There is one old gentleman, but he is no longer in the Haoran Realm, and I cannot find him. Otherwise, I would have had one of them accompany me to Sword Qi Great Wall to visit the Ning and Yao residences."

Nalan Yexing was about to speak, but the old woman glared at him, and he had to shut up.

The old woman said with a warm smile, "Young Master Chen, sit down and speak."

Chen Ping'an sat down again, straight-backed and proper, facing the old woman across the table. Even though he tried to appear calm, he still seemed slightly nervous.

The old woman pointed at the sword and the robe on the table and said with a smile, "Young Master Chen, could you tell us the origins of these two items?"

Chen Ping'an quickly nodded and roughly explained the backgrounds of the two objects.

Nalan Yexing, who had been silent, sat between them and took a sip of tea. The old man, who had seen all kinds of storms, was actually somewhat shaken inside.

One was the sword immortal sword that Chen Ping'an said he didn't know how it had been elevated by half a grade—after Fire Dragon True Lord of Beiju Luzhou had personally examined it, he deemed it an immortal weapon now.

The other was the Dharma Robe Gold Liquor, which had started as just a Dharma Robe grade, but by devouring gold-copper coins that were extremely rare on Sword Qi Great Wall, had also become an immortal weapon grade.

Nalan Yexing was somewhat amused. On Sword Qi Great Wall, even among major surnames like Chen, Dong, and Qi, when their children married, being able to present a half-immortal or immortal weapon as a betrothal or bride price was already quite a big deal. And an awkward point was that these rare half-immortal and immortal weapons almost always reappeared at every major clan's direct descendant's wedding—maybe every hundred years or several hundred years—going back and forth from one family to another, usually circulating among about a dozen families on the Great Wall. So the tens of thousands of sword cultivators here had long since taken it in stride, not much surprised. Back when A'Liang was here, he liked to lead the way in opening gambling dens, taking a bunch of idle bachelors and placing bets on what the betrothal and bride prices would be at each wedding.

"Chen Ping'an, you are young and a pure martial artist. The Dharma Robe Gold Liquor is relatively useless to you. Offering it as a betrothal gift is actually quite appropriate."

Nalan Yexing finally couldn't help asking, "But since you promised the young lady to become a sword immortal, why are you giving away a sword immortal sword of immortal weapon grade? What, you think you're giving it to her, like passing it from left hand to right hand, still keeping it in your own hands? Then I should warn you: the Ning residence is easygoing, but the Yao family might not let you have your way. Be careful—in the future, when you see this sword immortal sword again, it might be wielded by some talented youngster of the Yao family on the city walls."

The old woman snapped angrily, "A dog's mouth can't spit out ivory! Nalan, you old dog, if you don't speak, no one will think you're mute!"

Nalan Yexing, for once, did not back down. He sneered, "Tonight's matter is important. I am an old servant of the Ning residence. When the master was little, I guarded him and Zhanlong Platform. When the master passed, I guarded the young lady and Zhanlong Platform. To put it shamelessly, I am half an elder to the young lady. So why don't I have the right to speak in this room? Even if you, Bai Lianshuang, try to stop me with fists, I'll just dodge and keep talking. I'll say whatever I have to say. After I leave this room today, if I say even one more word on this matter, call me an old disgrace."

The old woman was so angry she was about to throw a punch.

Chen Ping'an quickly intervened, "Granny Bai, let Grandpa Nalan speak. This is good for me, the younger generation."

She turned to the old man and said, "Nalan Yexing, for every word you say from now on, you'll take one punch. Weigh your words."

Nalan Yexing started drinking his tea.

Chen Ping'an spoke slowly, "Giving the best of what I have to the person I love—I think that's only natural. Take the Dharma Robe Gold Liquor, for example. The cost to elevate its grade was significant, but I didn't hesitate, and I won't regret it. If Ning Yao wears it, even if there are battles in the future, I can be much more at ease. That's all I thought about. As for the sword immortal sword, it has accompanied me on my travels for many years. I'd be lying if I said I have no attachment to it. An immortal weapon—its value is hard to quantify. Saying I don't care about it would be a lie to myself. But compared to Ning Yao's place in my heart, it still can't measure up. Regarding whether to give away the sword immortal sword, I didn't weigh pros and cons outside of my feelings. If it could better protect Ning Yao in the next great battle while in my hands, I wouldn't give it away. I would never do so just for face, just to prove that a mud-legged boy from Clay Bottle Alley can produce betrothal gifts comparable to any grand household. When I was young, I survived alone into adolescence, then wandered alone for many years. I, Chen Ping'an, know very well when I can act like a charitable child, when I must be frugal, when I can be emotional, and when I must be cautious."

Chen Ping'an smiled. "I've thought about everything. Under the premise that I can ensure a relatively stable future for Ning Yao and myself, while also bringing honor to myself and Ning Yao, I can proceed with peace of mind. During this process, the words and glances of others are not that important. It's not the ignorance of youth, thinking that heaven and earth are me and I am heaven and earth. Rather, I've considered the customs and rules of this world, and I still make this choice. That is a clear conscience. Whatever price I have to pay afterward, bearing it will only tax my body, not my mind."

Chen Ping'an's eyes were clear, his words and mindset increasingly steady. "If I had said the same words ten years ago, it would have been overestimating myself. Only a young man who hadn't endured the hardship of life and love would think that simply liking someone and ignoring everything else counts as true love and capability. But ten years later, having cultivated both body and mind without delay, having traveled across the rivers and mountains of three continents for millions of miles, when I say this now, it is Chen Ping'an, who no longer has elders to teach him, grown up and understanding the truth. I have proven that I can take care of myself, so I can begin to try to take care of the woman I love."

Chen Ping'an concluded with a smile, "Granny Bai, Grandpa Nalan, I've been an overthinker since childhood. I liked to hide myself, weighing gains and losses, observing the hearts of others. But in the matter of Ning Yao, from the first moment I saw her, I couldn't think too much. I find it inexplicable. Otherwise, how would a half-dead boy from Clay Bottle Alley have had the audacity to like a girl who seemed so unreachable as Miss Ning? And later, how would I have dared to use the excuse of sending a sword to find Ning Yao at Fallen Mountain? And this time, to knock on the Ning residence's door, to meet Ning Yao without guilt, to face you two seniors without shame?"

The old woman nodded. "You've said enough. This old crone doesn't need to nag anymore."

She looked at Nalan Yexing.

Nalan Yexing had been about to stay silent, but he noticed something in the old woman's eyes, so he deliberated and said, "Your words are good. But how you act from now on, Bai Lianshuang and I will be watching. We can't let the young lady suffer the slightest grievance."

Chen Ping'an smiled bitterly. "On major matters, you two seniors can keep a close watch. But for small, everyday things like taking a stroll in the Ning residence, I beg you to let me off."

Bai Lianshuang pointed at the old man beside her. "It's mostly because this one ruined his sword practice and has nothing to do all day."

Nalan Yexing coughed, raised his empty cup to drink tea, took a sip with an air of elegance, then stood up. "I won't disturb Young Master Chen's cultivation."

The old woman suddenly asked, "If I may be so bold, may I ask who Young Master Chen has in mind as the matchmaker for his proposal?"

Chen Ping'an said softly, "The Great Old Sword Immortal who cultivates in a thatched hut on the city walls. But I'm not sure he would be willing."

Nalan Yexing drew in a cold breath.

You little brat, you've got quite the ambition.

That old immortal, nicknamed the Great Old Sword Immortal by A'Liang, had apparently been sitting on the city walls since the first day Sword Qi Great Wall was built—immovable. Even for the marriage of his own proud descendants from the Chen family, or for the funeral of a Chen sword immortal, Chen Qingdu had never descended from the city walls. For ten thousand years, there had been no exception. Generations of Chen descendants had been powerless to change it.

Bai Lianshuang laughed heartily. "If this really works out, it would be an immense honor."

Chen Ping'an said helplessly, "I can only say I'll try my best to shamelessly beg the Great Old Sword Immortal. I have no confidence at all. So I beg Granny Bai and Grandpa Nalan not to have too high expectations. If I end up caught in the middle, I really wouldn't have the face to stay in the Ning residence."

Nalan Yexing laughed. "Just daring to think that puts you way ahead of your peers!"

Bai Lianshuang sneered. "Nalan old dog finally said a few human words."

Nalan Yexing laughed. "Flattery, flattery indeed."

Bai Lianshuang said to Chen Ping'an with a smile, "Hear that? Are those human words? So Young Master Chen, in the future, when dealing with Nalan Yexing, don't feel any burden. An old fool who ruined his sword practice still has some sesame-sized skill in concealment and stealth. Young Master Chen might as well do him the favor and let him teach you the only tricks he has left."

Nalan Yexing laughed in anger. "Bai Lianshuang, go ahead and run down a Jade Purity Realm sword cultivator as much as you like. If I dare to retort even half a sentence, I'm a narrow-minded petty person."

Chen Ping'an felt this was a very learned way of speaking. He might learn to do the same in the future.

After the two seniors left.

Chen Ping'an saw them to the gate of the small house.

He didn't return to the courtyard but stood at the gate, turning his head to look at a certain spot.

After waiting a while, someone slowly emerged. Chen Ping'an walked forward, smiling. "What a coincidence? As soon as I step out, you finish your cultivation and take a stroll over here."

Ning Yao nodded. "Exactly that coincidental."

Chen Ping'an said "Mm," and followed up with, "Then let's go take a look together and see if some little thief has broken the window paper in the side room."

Ning Yao blinked, looking innocent. "What are you talking about? What thief would be in the Ning residence? You must be seeing things. But if anything is stolen, you'll have to pay for it."

Chen Ping'an gently tapped his fist on his chest, squinting with a smile. "What a formidable thief, doesn't steal anything else."

Ning Yao glared angrily. "Chen Ping'an! Keep up that slick tongue!"

Chen Ping'an gently embraced her and whispered, "Ning Yao is the entire heaven and earth in Chen Ping'an's heart."

Ning Yao was about to gently struggle free when she found he had already let go and taken a step back.

Ning Yao became even angrier.

Chen Ping'an explained softly, "Your friends are here again. This time, they went out of their way to sneak over."

Ning Yao calmed her heart slightly and immediately sensed the traces.

Ning Yao turned. "Come out!"

A fat man squatting by the feng shui stone remained motionless, hands forming talisman seals, but a flower bloomed behind him—Dong Huafu, Diezhang, and Chen Sanqiu.

Bumping into each other, Ning Yao pursed her lips, while Chen Ping'an looked composed. The group headed toward Zhanlong Platform but didn't climb the hill to sit by the pavilion.

Dong Huafu and Diezhang had agreed to spar in swordsmanship here.

Yan Fat Man told Chen Ping'an with a grin, "When we spar, there's bound to be some blood and gore. Don't be scared, now."

Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded, saying that even if he was scared, he'd pretend not to be.

Yan Fat Man chuckled.

Ning Yao looked at Chen Ping'an, whose mouth was full of lies but looked perfectly serious. When Chen Ping'an turned to look at her, Ning Yao looked away.

Chen Sanqiu, too lazy to watch Black Charcoal Dong and Diezhang spar, had already tiptoed to the foot of Zhanlong Platform's hill, one hand holding a scripture-patterned sword and a cloud-patterned sword, beginning to quietly sharpen his swords. He couldn't let the trip be for nothing—otherwise, why would they bring their swords every time they visited the Ning residence? To show off to Sword Immortal Nalan, the old senior? And even if he, Chen Sanqiu, teamed up with Yan Fat Man—one for offense, one for defense, a perfect combination once praised by A'Liang as a "pair of jade-like beauties"—wouldn't they still lose to Ning Yao?

Chen Sanqiu, while sharpening his sword edge, whined, "You two, can't you eat a bit more? Why are you being so polite?"

On the drill ground, the two sides faced off. Ning Yao waved her hand to activate a mountain and river formation. This place had once been the sword practice ground of two sword immortal Dao companions, so no matter how much Dong Black Charcoal and Diezhang might break the sky, not a trace of sword Qi would leak outside the drill ground.

Chen Ping'an watched a few rounds of the spar between Dong Huafu and Diezhang. Their swords were named Red Dress and Town Peaks respectively. In terms of style and size, they were worlds apart. Each had their own natal flying sword, and their methods were completely different. Dong Huafu's flying sword sought speed, while Diezhang's sought stability. Dong Huafu wielded Red Dress, and the one-armed woman "carried" the enormous Town Peaks. Every time the sword tip scraped or chopped against the drill ground, it sent up a shower of brilliant sparks. In contrast, Dong Huafu's sword was soundless, aiming for the least disturbance.

Chen Ping'an asked Yan Zhuo a question: how much effort were the two sides putting in? Yan Fat Man said about seventy or eighty percent. Otherwise, Diezhang would be covered in blood by now. But Diezhang fears that least—she's fond of it. Usually, Dong Black Charcoal gains small advantages, and then he just needs to be lightly slapped once by Diezhang's Town Peaks—just once—and he's on the ground spitting blood, paying back everything all at once.

Once Chen Ping'an had a rough idea, especially after seeing Diezhang's sword arm pierced by Dong Huafu's natal flying sword and the slight change in her Qi flow at that moment, he stopped watching their sparring. He went and crouched beside Chen Sanqiu.

If he imagined himself confronting those two in a duel to the death or for victory, he now had ways to deal with them.

So watching further was meaningless. He couldn't really pretend in front of Yan Fat Man to have a pale face, trembling lips, and a panicked expression, nor pretend he didn't know the other saw through his act. With others, Chen Ping'an wouldn't mind at all. But now he was at the Ning residence, and these people were Ning Yao's closest friends. They had fought side by side through many battles, and it was no exaggeration to say they had shared life and death. So he had to uphold the spirit of the Fallen Mountain Ancestral Hall: treat others with sincerity.

Chen Sanqiu was still there, rubbing the scripture sword and then wiping the cloud-patterned sword against Zhanlong Platform, his movements very practiced.

Chen Sanqiu turned and asked with a smile, "Young Master Chen, don't mind us."

Chen Ping'an, hands in sleeves, crouched beside him, carefully observing the fine grinding of the two sword edges against Zhanlong Platform. He said with a smile, "I don't mind. If you don't mind, I can even help sharpen your swords."

Chen Sanqiu shook his head. "That won't do. A'Liang said that if the natal flying sword is a sword cultivator's lifeline, then the worn sword is like a sword cultivator's little wife—never to be handed over to another."

Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded, watching the two swords slowly nibble at Zhanlong Platform, like ants moving a mountain, almost negligible.

Yan Fat Man muttered, "Two Young Masters Chen, listening to them talk gives me the creeps."

Ning Yao remained impassive.

Yan Fat Man asked, "Ning Yao, what realm is this guy, really? He's not actually a lower-five-realm cultivator, is he? Then what martial realm is he? Has he really reached the Golden Body Realm? I don't think much of pure martial artists, but the Yan family has some dealings with Fallen Mountain. We've dealt with Divine Travel and Mountain Summit realm martial artists too. I know that anyone who reaches the three realms of divine refinement isn't simple, and Chen Ping'an is so young. I'm really itching to have a go. Ning Yao, how about you let me have a match with him?"

This was Yan Fat Man's little scheme. He was a sword cultivator with a genuine genius title. But compared to Ning Yao, well, that was unspeakable. And with Dong Huafu and the other three, when it came to sword sparring, he'd never gotten the better of them. Now that he'd caught a pure martial artist who hadn't reached the Divine Travel realm, and the Ning residence had two drill grounds—one large and one small. The one in front was famous for being a vast "mustard seed heaven" on Sword Qi Great Wall; it looked small, but once inside, you'd realize its marvels. If he, Yan Zhuo, were to spar with Chen Ping'an, of course he'd go to that small heaven. He'd practice his swordsmanship, Chen Ping'an would practice his fist arts. He'd fly in the sky, while Chen Ping'an ran on the ground. How exciting would that be?

Ning Yao said, "If you want to spar, ask him yourself. If he agrees, I won't stop you. If he doesn't, don't bother asking me."

Yan Fat Man rolled his eyes. "Granny Bai is the only martial arts grandmaster around here. If Granny Bai didn't bully him and suppressed her realm to Golden Body, how many punches could Chen Ping'an withstand from Granny Bai? Three or five? Or ten?"

Ning Yao's lips curled upward, then quickly suppressed, a fleeting, imperceptible expression. She said, "Granny Bai taught him one session of boxing. It ended very quickly. I wasn't there at the time—I only heard Grandpa Nalan talk about it afterward. I didn't ask many questions. Anyway, Granny Bai taught him on the drill ground. After a few exchanges of punches, they stopped."

Yan Fat Man started rubbing his hands. "Good heavens! He could exchange a few blows with Granny Bai. Even if it was just Golden Body level sparring, that makes Chen Ping'an formidable. Truly formidable. I must have a go."

Ning Yao nodded. "I'll say it again: as long as Chen Ping'an agrees, you can spar however you like."

Yan Fat Man asked cautiously, "What if I'm careless and my flying sword scratches Chen Ping'an's hand or foot? Then what? You won't come after me for it, will you? But I can guarantee a hundred or a thousand percent that I'll never aim my sword at Chen Ping'an's face. If I do, I'll admit defeat!"

Ning Yao said nothing.

She let Yan Zhuo dig his own grave over there.

Whenever Dong Huafu and Diezhang made mistakes in their swordplay, Ning Yao would point them out one by one, clearly and without error.

The sparring parties each remembered.

Actually, when this group of peers first met, Ning Yao also pointed out sword techniques to others like this, but Yan Fat Man and the others always felt that what Ning Yao said made no sense, or even that she was adding mistakes on top of mistakes.

It was only later that A'Liang revealed the truth, saying that what Ning Yao saw was beyond the current understanding of their present cultivation realms and sword hearts. Only after a few more years, when their realms increased, would they understand.

Time proved A'Liang was right.

Privately, when Ning Yao wasn't around, Chen Sanqiu once said that his greatest wish in life was to become a tavern owner. His reason for practicing swords so diligently was to ensure he wouldn't be two realms behind Ning Yao.

In sword cultivator duels, they usually don't take much time, especially when only deciding victory or defeat—it can be over in the blink of an eye. If Dong Huafu and Diezhang weren't deliberately sparring, it wouldn't have taken half a stick of incense.

After the charcoal-skinned youth and the one-armed woman each withdrew their natal flying swords, Ning Yao walked into the drill ground, stood beside them, and started pointing out even smaller flaws.

They listened intently, not feeling shame at being corrected by a friend. After all, among all their peers on Sword Qi Great Wall, this generation of sword cultivators, who were the hope of their elders, would all feel inferior before Ning Yao. The Great Old Sword Immortal had once joked that the children here were of two types of sword cultivators: Ning Yao, and all the sword cultivators besides Ning Yao. If you didn't accept it, keep it bottled up inside—you couldn't beat Ning Yao anyway.

But the Great Old Sword Immortal had also said a similar thing to Ning Yao, not about sword cultivators, but about martial artists of Haoran Realm.

The world's martial artists, among the younger generation, were pretty much the same: only two types.

Ning Yao hadn't taken that seriously at the time and directly said, "Grandpa Chen, that's not right." But now she couldn't prove it. Yet one day, someone would be able to prove it for her.

The old man seemed to have been waiting for that girl's words. He neither refuted nor admitted, only saying that he, Chen Qingdu, would wait and see—hearing is not seeing, seeing is believing.

But Ning Yao felt a rare regret right then; she had just made it up on the spot. How could the Great Old Sword Immortal take it seriously?

So Ning Yao had no intention of telling Chen Ping'an about this. She really couldn't. Otherwise, he would take it seriously again.

With his temper... back when they were in Lizhu Cave Heaven, she had casually told him to practice the punching stance, first do a million punches, then talk about the rest. And what happened? When they met again at Fallen Mountain, he said he was only a few tens of thousands of punches away from a million.

Ning Yao had almost thrown a punch at him right then to knock some sense into that blockhead. Are you stupid, Chen Ping'an? Couldn't you tell it was just a casual joke to brush you off? Sometimes when I, Ning Yao, try to make conversation, it doesn't work!

Yan Fat Man crouched beside Chen Ping'an and whispered, "Esteemed Young Master Chen, I've also created a set of fist techniques. How about I let you take a look first, then decide if you want to offer some guidance?"

Chen Ping'an smiled. "Sure, no problem."

Yan Zhuo immediately jumped up and, huffing and puffing, performed a set of punches that made Chen Sanqiu feel they were utterly unsightly.

Chen Sanqiu felt that way, and Dong Huafu and Diezhang also took one look and felt disgusted, absolutely unwilling to watch further, afraid they'd go blind.

But unexpectedly, the young man in blue watched Yan Fat Man's entire mad fist display from start to finish, smiling, feeling that it had the same effect as his first disciple's mad sword technique.

Yan Zhuo assumed a posture of sinking Qi into the dantian and laughed loudly. "Young Master Chen, how do you find these fist techniques?"

Chen Ping'an nodded with a smile. "Very imposing. In terms of momentum, you've already established an undefeated position. Meeting the enemy without being defeated first—that's one of the principles of martial artists."

Chen Sanqiu's hand, sharpening his sword, trembled. He felt that familiar strange sensation from the old days returning.

Chen Sanqiu wondered: could Chen Ping'an's martial arts have been taught by A'Liang? But that guy was excellent in swordsmanship and sword techniques, and even knew a lot of miscellaneous immortal magic, but he never claimed to be a pure martial artist who understood fist arts. At most, he said he was a jianghu swordsman.

Yan Zhuo smiled. "Since that's the case, why not be generous with your guidance, Young Master Chen?"

Chen Ping'an shifted his gaze and looked at Ning Yao.

Ning Yao deliberately pretended not to see.

Chen Ping'an thought for a moment and said, "Better not."

Yan Zhuo dropped his smile, no longer in a joking mood, and said slowly, "Chen Ping'an, as long as you step out of the Ning residence gate, you won't escape a fight or two. In three days, not only that bastard Qi Shou, but even Pang Yuanji and Gao Yehou—two even more troublesome fellows than Qi Shou—have set their sights on you. They may not have ill intentions, but at the very least, both are very curious about you."

Chen Ping'an just said, "Oh."

Among the younger generation of Sword Qi Great Wall, leaving Ning Yao aside, according to Granny Bai and Grandpa Nalan, the innate sword embryos and sword geniuses could be roughly divided into three types. Pang Yuanji, Qi Shou, and Gao Yehou were the most outstanding, hailed as possessing the potential of great sword immortals. Although having such potential didn't necessarily mean they would reach that height in the future, leaving aside the lofty future path, just looking at the present, the realms and cultivation of these three were undeniably astonishing. Among them, Gao Yehou came from the same humble background as Diezhang—grew up in a narrow alley, then encountered his own fortunes, quickly stood out, and made a name for himself. Now Gao Yehou had already become the son-in-law of a top-tier family.

Qi Shou was a member of the Qi family.

And that Pang Yuanji was a young "perfect man" with not a single flaw. He came from a middling household, but at birth, he had already attracted a remarkable phenomenon as a top-tier innate sword embryo. From a young age, he cultivated with that eccentric Hidden Officer, considered his half-disciple. Pang Yuanji was also familiar with the three religious sages who presided over Sword Qi Great Wall, often visiting them to ask questions and seek learning.

So if Qi Shou was the young man most well-matched with Ning Yao in terms of family status, then Pang Yuanji was the one who, by his own merit alone, made many elders feel he was the most suitable for Ning Yao.

After these three came Dong Huafu and his group.

After Dong Huafu and Diezhang came the third tier. It wasn't that being "last" made them unremarkable. In fact, even these people would be fought over by immortal sects in Beiju Luzhou as innate sword embryos.

But on Sword Qi Great Wall, the word "genius" wasn't worth much. Only geniuses who lived long could be considered true geniuses.

Yan Zhuo continued, "If you can't even beat me, then once you step out, at most you'll pass one test and then stop."

Yan Zhuo stared hard at the young man in blue. "I have no connection to you, and I really don't have a bad impression of you, Chen Ping'an. But I, Yan Zhuo, am Ning Yao's friend. I don't want to see the man she chose get knocked down in a few moves as soon as he steps out. If that happens, maybe Ning Yao wouldn't care, and you wouldn't be at fault, but I, Dong Black Charcoal, Diezhang, and Sanqiu would lose all face to go out drinking."

Yan Zhuo concluded, "You said earlier that you owe us a decade's thanks for standing with Ning Yao through battle all these years. I don't know what Diezhang and the others think, but I, Yan Zhuo, haven't accepted it yet. If you can beat me down, I'll accept it. Even if you beat me bloody and I lose a few pounds of fat, I don't care. I'd be even happier! Does that make you uncomfortable, Chen Ping'an?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head. "No discomfort. None at all."

Yan Zhuo shouted angrily, "Then what are you standing there for? Come on! The people outside are all waiting for you to step out!"

Chen Ping'an still shook his head. "This fight of ours isn't urgent. I'll go out first. When I come back, if you're willing, we can have one, or even three."

Yan Zhuo almost burst into curses, but thinking Ning Yao was still nearby, he reddened his neck. "You guy, why won't you listen? I told you, fight me first, then we both get injured..."

In an instant.

Yan Zhuo's pupils violently contracted.

A figure in blue appeared beside him with extreme abruptness, still with hands in sleeves, expression indifferent. "Why should I pretend to be injured? To avoid fighting? I've come all the way to Sword Qi Great Wall—I've never been short of fights. I can handle these three matches outside."

Yan Zhuo whispered, "Chen Ping'an, how did you suddenly get next to me? Are pure martial artists really this fast? Let's reset the distance and spar again, shall we? I was just in the heat of the moment; I didn't even notice. That doesn't count. Let's start over."

Chen Ping'an smiled and took a talisman out of his sleeve. "It's a Cun Inch Talisman. It helps pure martial artists shrink the earth into an inch."

Yan Zhuo had a sudden realization.

Chen Ping'an put the talisman away.

Yan Zhuo, after a delayed reaction, laughed angrily. "That talisman wasn't even used?! Chen Ping'an, are you messing with me?"

Chen Ping'an, hands hidden in his sleeves, raised his arms slightly and smiled. "Two hands, you know."

Having said that, Chen Ping'an dropped his smile and looked at the one-armed woman in the distance, apologizing, "No offense intended, Miss Diezhang."

Diezhang smiled and shook her head. "He's not that big-bellied, small-minded Yan Fat Man. Young Master Chen, in the future, don't worry about my missing arm. It's a small matter. Even making jokes about it is fine. Sister Ning once teased me, saying that when I finally find my beloved and we're together, if we can't help but embrace, wouldn't it be awkward? I actually considered that problem seriously—how to extend a single arm, what posture to use."

Ning Yao reached out and pinched Diezhang's cheek. "Nonsense!"

Dong Huafu stood by. Ah, so Sister Ning also talks about these things—an eye-opener.

Ning Yao looked at Chen Ping'an, who nodded with a smile. Ning Yao then said, "Let's go. Find a place near Diezhang's shop and have some drinks."

As they left together, Ning Yao was still lecturing the loose-tongued Diezhang—a look was enough.

Diezhang kept apologizing along the way, but without much sincerity.

Dong Huafu trailed at the back, used to it.

Chen Ping'an was flanked by Chen Sanqiu and Yan Zhuo like two guardian spirits. Yan Zhuo whispered, "Chen Ping'an, with your elusive movements and the fact that you're one of the few renowned martial arts grandmasters in Haoran Realm, if you get lucky, you might make it through the first two fights. If you lose the third, I'm the most loyal—I'll carry you back here myself!"

Chen Sanqiu smiled faintly. "Don't believe Yan Fat Man's nonsense. Once we're out, these young men's pride contests, especially when it's a duel between you, an outsider, and one of our sword cultivators, according to the rules, they definitely won't harm your cultivation foundation. And since it's only about victory or defeat, sword cultivators have restraint when they strike—not necessarily to make you bleed."

Then Chen Ping'an said something that left the two puzzled. "That makes it more troublesome."

As they walked out of the Ning residence gate, although there were many people outside, clusters of young sword cultivators gathered, none of them spoke out.

It wasn't until they were about to reach Diezhang's shop that Chen Ping'an spoke again. On a long street, there were almost no pedestrians. Both sides of the street were lined with taverns, with many people who had come early to drink and watch the excitement. They were all drinking, but everyone was silent, their smiles knowing.

A young man had already planted himself in the middle of the street. Under the gaze of the crowd, he wore a long sword at his waist and walked slowly forward.

Ning Yao glanced at him and then looked away, continuing to chat with Diezhang.

Yan Zhuo whispered a reminder, "He's a Dragon Gate realm sword cultivator named Ren Yi. His natal flying sword is called..."

But Chen Ping'an interrupted with a smile, "Just knowing his realm and name is enough. Otherwise, winning would feel unfair."

Chen Sanqiu snorted. "That Ren Yi, true to his reputation as Qi Shou's top dog, always rushes forward."

Ren Yi stopped fifty paces away. "Chen Ping'an, would you like to spar with me?"

Chen Ping'an took a few steps forward alone, but said, "If I say no, how will you continue?"

Ren Yi pressed a hand on his sword hilt and smiled. "If you say no, that means you don't dare. Then I don't need to continue speaking, and I don't need to draw my sword."

In that instant, many onlookers saw a flash of blue, swift as a rainbow, shooting forward. Only then did the street's ground let out a dull rumble.

Lower-five-realm young sword cultivators, with lower realms, began cursing loudly, because the cups and bowls on their tables bounced, spilling quite a bit of alcohol.

Mid-five-realm sword cultivators mostly used their own sword Qi to cancel out the disturbance, still focusing intently on the battlefield.

As for a few upper-five-realm sword immortals secretly mixed in, they usually didn't mind the clattering of cups on the tables.

That Ren Yi was horrified to find the young man in blue standing beside him, one hand behind his back, the other gripping his arm that was drawing the sword. He could no longer pull the sword out of its sheath. Not only that, the man smiled and said, "Not drawing the sword and being unable to draw the sword are two different things."

Chen Ping'an's figure flickered and vanished like an elusive wisp of smoke, dodging a flying sword that shot like lightning. But when Ren Yi tried to draw his sword again, his sword arm was once again seized by the person behind him, and he still couldn't draw.

After two or three times, Ren Yi decided to change tactics: he would ride the wind and rise into the air, to put distance between him and the pure martial artist on the ground, allowing him to freely unleash his sword.

But his natal flying sword, known for its speed, couldn't touch even a corner of the man's robe, no matter how unpredictable its trajectory or how cunning its angle.

Just as Ren Yi's feet left the ground, a gentle palm pressed down on his shoulder, forcing him back down to the earth. "When a sword cultivator kills an enemy, isn't close combat more invincible?"

Ren Yi's mind remained calm. He was about to "divide his attention" to control the chopsticks from the taverns on both sides, temporarily borrowing them as his flying swords, winning by quantity. Then he'd see how this guy dodged.

Ren Yi began to abandon the idea of injuring his opponent with the flying sword. Instead, he used the flying sword to circle around him, retreating backwards.

But Ren Yi knew perfectly well he was just stalling for time, trying to make his loss less shameful. Otherwise, he would leave the impression of being utterly helpless. If the other party really wanted to strike with a punch, it would be easy. But on second thought, being humiliated like this was even worse!

Perhaps thinking the same, the blue-clad outsider appeared beside Ren Yi, pinched the flying sword between two fingers, and pushed Ren Yi's head, sending him hurtling into a tavern by the roadside.

With precise force, Ren Yi didn't knock over the wine tables near the street. After stumbling a few steps, he quickly steadied himself. Chen Ping'an lightly tossed the flying sword back.

Ren Yi, overwhelmed with shame and anger, took to the wind and left the street.

At that moment, a handsome young man in white stood up from a tavern. He wore no sword. He walked into the street and said, "A mere martial artist dares to insult us sword cultivators? What, just because you won one match, you think you can look down on Sword Qi Great Wall?"

As he spoke, dense rows of flying swords hovered around the young man in white. Not only that, but the entire street behind him seemed like a battlefield with soldiers forming a battle formation.

He definitely had only one natal flying sword, but finding the real one among the multitude was extremely difficult.

The trickiest part was that this person could replace his flying sword at any time, making it impossible to distinguish truth from falsehood. In fact, every flying sword could be considered his natal sword.

Yan Zhuo wanted to deliberately "chat" with Chen Sanqiu to reveal the challenge of this person's flying swords, but Ning Yao turned her head and signaled Yan Fat Man to stay quiet.

Yan Zhuo had no choice but to give up.

Chen Ping'an looked ahead as the flying swords surged like a flood.

Chen Ping'an sidestepped into a tavern, smiling as he said, "Excuse me, coming through." The opponent then sent streams of sword formations like battlefield scouts, a dozen or so swords whistling in turns, darting into the taverns of various sizes, blocking Chen Ping'an's way. But Chen Ping'an sometimes ducked, sometimes sidestepped, walked into the street, and then into another tavern, steadily closing the distance. This drew a barrage of laughter and curses, with a sprinkle of inappropriate cheers, sparse but jarring.

On the battlefield south of Sword Qi Great Wall, this is how it should be—exactly how it should be.

How many sword immortals, in their final strike, deliberately threw themselves into the thick of the demon army?

How many sword cultivators, in the chaos of battle, intentionally chose thick-skinned, slow-turning, burly demons as shields to block the onslaught of blows, buying themselves a brief moment to catch their breath?

Suddenly, Chen Ping'an walked into the middle of the street and no longer "strolled leisurely." He started sprinting.

The white-clad young man, a Golden Core sword cultivator, furrowed his brow. He didn't let Chen Ping'an get close. Forming a hand seal with two fingers, he smiled slightly.

The blue-clad figure punched, shattering only the afterimage in place. The sword cultivator's true body reassembled within a sword formation at the back of the street, his figure ethereal and elegant.

This drew admiring gazes from many young women and girls watching. They naturally hoped he would win decisively.

But then the blue-clad figure seemed to really start exerting himself. His form flickered unpredictably, to the point that all sword cultivators below the Golden Core realm couldn't even see his face clearly.

A young man in sackcloth said softly, "His flying swords aren't fast enough. He loses."

His drinking companion, a big-bearded, one-eyed man, nodded and downed his bowl of liquor.

A moment later.

The white-clad young man had already blurred and reformed his form several times, but the distance between them had unknowingly closed.

Finally, a palm pressed down on his face. Instead of pushing him far away, it pressed directly downward, slamming him onto his back on the street, creating a large crater.

Chen Ping'an didn't look at the young sword cultivator, whose Qi had stagnated. He said softly, "What's remarkable is this Sword Qi Great Wall, not you or anyone else. Please remember that."

Chen Ping'an looked around. "Can't remember? Then send someone else."

Chen Ping'an flicked his sleeves, then gently rolled them up. Walking as he went, he said with a smile, "You must send a flying sword that's fast enough. Quantity is useless."

The street fell silent.

Chen Ping'an stopped, squinting. "I heard there's someone called Qi Shou who's been coveting my Ning Yao's Zhanlong Platform for a long time. I very much hope his flying sword is fast enough."

Ning Yao was about to speak.

Chen Ping'an, as if reading her mind, raised a hand and gently waved without turning.

Ning Yao fell silent.

After this scene, the young man in sackcloth couldn't help laughing. "Never mind Qi Shou—even I can't help wanting to step in."

Unexpectedly, the blue-clad outsider on the street looked over at him with a smile and said, "Pang Yuanji, I think you can step in."

The young man in the tavern said solemnly, "I'm afraid I'll beat you to death."

Chen Ping'an replied, "I ask that you not die."