Chapter 718: Master Teacher
Huang Yanchen walked through the bustling streets and arrived at a mansion located in the central area of Shentai City. She paused, then walked toward the main gate.
The mansion was quite magnificent.
Flanking both sides of the gate stood two guardian barbarian beasts—Vajra Wrath Lions. Their bodies were enormous, and their fur emitted a dazzling golden light.
At the same time, six armored guards stood beside the Vajra Wrath Lions, watching over the entrance. The aura emanating from them was extremely formidable, clearly marking them as top-tier experts.
"Greetings, Miss Yanchen."
The six guards evidently recognized Huang Yanchen's identity and simultaneously bowed to her.
Then, two of the guards stepped forward and opened the mansion door for her.
"To be able to live in the central area of Shentai City, it must be a powerful and influential figure."
Zhang Ruochen stood in the distance, carefully observing the six guards. He noticed that the armor they wore was all at the tenth-grade True Martial Treasure level, belonging to the Enforcement Hall of the Martial Market Academy.
Moreover, their cultivation levels were all at the Fish-Dragon Realm, clearly indicating they were top experts selected from the Enforcement Hall.
For a Fish-Dragon Realm cultivator to be guarding the gate, the person inside the mansion must be at least a Half-Saint, and very likely a Saint.
A faint smile curled at the corner of Zhang Ruochen's mouth. He could already guess who was living in the mansion.
With that, Zhang Ruochen stopped concealing his figure and walked forward.
"Roar!"
The two Vajra Wrath Lions standing on either side of the mansion opened their eyes simultaneously, fixing their gaze on Zhang Ruochen, revealing intense hostility.
Two surges of golden air waves radiated from their bodies.
The six guards also noticed Zhang Ruochen approaching. However, recognizing the Daoist robe he wore and knowing he was a sacred disciple of the Liangyi Sect, they immediately ordered the two Vajra Wrath Lions to stand down.
After all, they were now on Liangyi Sect territory, so they naturally had to be courteous to a sacred disciple of the Liangyi Sect.
Among the six guards, the one with the highest cultivation level appeared to be around forty years old. He had ears the size of palm-leaf fans and held a long spear. He stepped forward twice and cupped his hands, saying, "May I ask who approaches?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled faintly, took out his sect token to identify himself, and said, "Lin Yue of the Liangyi Sect, here to pay respects to Senior Xuanji Sword Saint."
Hearing the name Lin Yue, the six were visibly moved.
After all, Lin Yue was a top-tier prodigy of the Liangyi Sect and one of the prominent figures in the Sword Discussion Assembly, making them treat him with caution.
"So it's the sword path prodigy of the Liangyi Sect."
The faces of the six guards all showed expressions of respect.
The guard with the highest cultivation level wore a troubled look on his face and said, "The Sword Saint is temporarily residing in the mansion, but he is elusive like a divine dragon that shows neither head nor tail. Even we rarely get to see him, and we don't know if he has already gone out."
Clearly, they felt that Lin Yue was too young. Even though he had some fame among the younger generation, he was not yet qualified to receive an audience with Xuanji Sword Saint.
"So Master is indeed in this mansion."
Zhang Ruochen showed a delighted expression and said, "You only need to go in and report. If the Sword Saint is unwilling to see me, I will leave on my own."
Just as the six guards were feeling very troubled, Feng Han walked out from the main gate.
Feng Han was the fourth disciple of Xuanji Sword Saint. He was tall and thin, appearing to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a rather pale complexion that gave him a sickly look.
"Swish!"
The six guards simultaneously knelt on one knee, bowing to Feng Han with great respect, and said in unison, "Greetings, Half-Saint Feng Han."
Zhang Ruochen had naturally heard the name "Feng Han" before, but this was his first time seeing him. He thought to himself, "So this is Fourth Senior Brother, Feng Han. Third Senior Brother once said that Fourth Senior Brother has the highest sword path talent among all the senior and junior brothers."
For some reason, Zhang Ruochen vaguely sensed a very dangerous aura from Feng Han—both familiar and unfamiliar.
Compared to the other three senior brothers—Qingxiao Saint, Zhu Hongtao, and Wan Ke—this Fourth Senior Brother carried a hidden, unexposed aura of yin-cold malevolence.
Feng Han looked sickly, lightly raised one hand, and gestured for the six guards to rise.
"Cough, cough."
He coughed twice before turning his gaze to Zhang Ruochen and said in a dry voice, "Young friend Lin Yue, Master already knows you have come to pay respects and has specially instructed me to bring you inside. Please."
Zhang Ruochen bowed to Feng Han, then followed him into the mansion.
This mansion covered about one hundred and fifty acres—neither large nor small.
There were not many people in the mansion, making it quite quiet.
In the central area was a lotus pond shrouded in white mist. At that moment, Xuanji Sword Saint was sitting by the water, holding a green bamboo rod, fishing.
"Disciple has brought Young friend Lin Yue. Does Master have any other instructions?" Feng Han asked with a bow.
A smile hung on Xuanji Sword Saint's face as he waved his hand and said, "Feng Han, you may withdraw. I wish to speak with Lin Yue alone."
Feng Han was somewhat surprised. He turned his face to glance at Lin Yue, showing a puzzled expression.
He really couldn't understand why Master would personally receive a Fish-Dragon Realm cultivator.
Gently shaking his head, Feng Han then withdrew.
After Feng Han left, Zhang Ruochen could no longer suppress the excitement in his heart and immediately moved to bow to his master.
However, Xuanji Sword Saint intended to test his cultivation. With a flick of his arm, the bamboo rod lifted, and the fishing line attached to the rod left the water, emitting a piercing sound as it transformed into a silver light, slashing toward Zhang Ruochen's neck.
Zhang Ruochen was slightly startled. He quickly released his protective saintly energy, then circulated all the saintly energy in his body and struck forward with a palm.
"Shua, shua!"
The fishing line was originally very soft, but a layer of saintly energy enveloped it, making it extremely sharp. It transformed into nine wave-shaped sword energies, one ring connecting to the next.
The fishing line pierced through the palm force, wrapping around Zhang Ruochen's legs, hands, waist, and abdomen—seemingly penetrating every gap.
For a Sword Saint, every blade of grass and every tree could become a sword, capable of unleashing infinite power.
With Xuanji Sword Saint's cultivation, if he struck with full force, even holding just a single leaf, a single slash could split a city in two.
At this moment, he used the fishing line as a sword, employing very little saintly energy, yet the sword technique he displayed was incredibly exquisite, making it impossible to defend against.
Zhang Ruochen tried to retreat but found that a loop of fishing line had already wound around him, sealing off his escape route.
Xuanji Sword Saint glanced at Zhang Ruochen, saw him trapped by the fishing line, and revealed a hint of a smile. "The sword can be hard, but it can also be soft. Hardness and softness combined—that is the unbreakable sword."
Xuanji Sword Saint's understanding of Sword Two was based on "hardness" and "softness," focusing more on sword techniques.
Zhang Ruochen smiled faintly. He extended both hands into the void simultaneously, condensing a four-foot-long sword in each hand, and softly shouted, "Sword Two."
Both swords swung at the same time, forming a sword energy domain that extended outward. Hundreds of sword energies spun rapidly within the domain, forming a black-and-white alternating vortex that coiled around the slender fishing line.
"Break!"
Zhang Ruochen surged upward, striking the fishhook with one sword, producing a "ding" sound.
The fishhook lost its direction, and the fishing line became chaotic as a result.
Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Ruochen immediately dashed forward, breaking through the entanglement of the fishing line, and appeared behind Xuanji Sword Saint.
The swords in Zhang Ruochen's hands immediately dissipated, turning into two streams of saintly energy that vanished into the air.
Then, he knelt on one knee and said, "Disciple pays respects to Master."
Xuanji Sword Saint squinted his eyes and nodded with satisfaction. "Not bad. Very good indeed. You have already reached the second level of Sword Two. Ruochen, you have not disappointed your master."
At the Fish-Dragon Realm, merely cultivating Sword One to the tenth level of Great Perfection was considered having the talent of a Sword Saint.
Zhang Ruochen was clearly even more outstanding, having cultivated Sword Two to such a high level. How could Xuanji Sword Saint not be pleased?
Xuanji Sword Saint was in an excellent mood. He let out a hearty laugh, then quickly extended both hands and gently lifted them. Zhang Ruochen was immediately raised by an invisible force, standing upright again.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Disciple has one thing I don't understand. How did Master recognize my true identity?"
Xuanji Sword Saint looked at him carefully and said, "Your cultivation of the Formless and Faceless Thirty-Six Transformations still lacks some refinement. It can fool others, but it cannot fool your master."
Zhang Ruochen smiled faintly, indeed feeling that he was showing off his skills before an expert.
After all, this martial technique had been passed down to him by his master. If others couldn't see through it, how could his master fail to do so?
Xuanji Sword Saint stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and paced. "With your current level of attainment, once you step onto the Sword Discussion Assembly, some old fellows will surely recognize you. In the next few days, you will stay in the mansion. I will personally help you cultivate the Formless and Faceless Thirty-Six Transformations to a more perfect state."
"Master knows that I intend to participate in the Sword Discussion Assembly?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Xuanji Sword Saint glared at him and said, "With your current sword path attainment, even if you can't enter the top three in the Sword Discussion Assembly, entering the top ten would be effortless. Such an opportunity to compete with all the sword path prodigies under heaven—if you don't participate, wouldn't that infuriate your master?"
"Your master is a Sword Saint, so of course I care about face. If you can distinguish yourself in the Sword Discussion Assembly, I will naturally be quite gratified. Then, when I face Jiuyou Sword Saint in a life-and-death duel, my mindset will have an advantage. With that advantage, at least it can increase my chances of winning by ten percent."
The cultivations of Xuanji Sword Saint and Jiuyou Sword Saint were evenly matched, making it hard to say who was stronger.
However, their mindset on the day of the duel would certainly have a significant impact on them.
Whoever had a better mindset would have a greater chance of winning.
Thinking about the life-and-death duel, Zhang Ruochen naturally felt a sense of worry. "Master, you have already done enough for your disciple. There is no need to take such a great risk by engaging in a life-and-death duel with Jiuyou Sword Saint. If something unexpected happens..."
Xuanji Sword Saint immediately waved his hand, appearing very calm. "Actually, the reason I challenged Jiuyou Sword Saint to a life-and-death duel is not entirely because of you."
"More importantly, my cultivation has reached a critical point. Relying solely on cultivation, I cannot break through this limit."
"Only by engaging in a life-and-death duel with an evenly matched opponent can I stimulate my own potential, thereby breaking through to the realm I have dreamed of."
"Jiuyou Sword Saint's state should be similar to mine. He also wants to use this battle to break through the final bottleneck. That's why, even though he didn't kill you, he still accepted the challenge."
"For him, this is a rare opportunity."