Chapter 44: Sword Domain?
Chang Le An roared like a caged beast, his anger echoing like crashing drums.
Li Shuang fixed him with a calm, unyielding glance, as steady as a silent mountain. That single look cut through his deceptions like a master’s blade, revealing the hidden corridors of his heart.
Instantly, Chang Le An fell mute.
“A wicked heart sows wicked deeds,” Luo Ming Yue declared, her tone sharp as a honed sword.
Chang Le An’s face twisted like storm-tossed clouds. He straightened his neck and spat, “Many have witnessed the match! How can an Energy Refining Stage cultivator best a mid-Foundation Establishment warrior? Who would believe such a tale? If you ask me, Li Shuang must have bought her opponent to lose on purpose!”
Before Li Shuang could speak, Shi Chu Yun stepped forward, teeth gritted like clenched fists. “Senior Brother Chang! Today was the first time I even exchanged words with Senior Sister Li. How can you claim I was swayed by bribes? I am a disciple of the Enforcement Hall. If you have proof, let us ride together to the Hall and settle this matter! Should I have disgraced the sect, I would bear any punishment. But if your words are empty, then I demand an apology!”
[How unfair, she thought. Though defeated, she must now suffer such foul accusations!]
For a brief moment, Chang Le An’s gaze faltered. In his haste to cast blame on Li Shuang, he had dragged Shi Chu Yun into his dark accusations.
Shi Chu Yun, though but an ordinary disciple, belonged to the united Enforcement Hall. His words had stirred a hornet’s nest.
No sooner had she spoken than Jiang Yun Ge emerged from the gathering like a cool breeze through a bamboo grove. Her eyes were as still as a winter pond as she addressed Chang Le An, “The Enforcement Hall upholds the sect’s laws with honor and clarity. As disciples of the Hall, we must all follow this sacred principle. Since you harbor doubts, for the sake of our honor, you must now speak plainly.”
Jiang Yun Ge!
Chang Le An could only snort coldly in his heart.
[That very day on Spirit Void Peak, it was Jiang Yun Ge who had punished Zhao Zhao with unyielding force!]
He recalled how, in days past, a touch of mercy might have spared Zhao Zhao from grievous injury. Yet Jiang Yun Ge had been as ruthless as a winter frost, leaving Zhao Zhao bedridden for many days.
Rage flared in his chest. “Very well, let us speak! Is the Enforcement Hall so blameless that you, Senior Sister Jiang, and even Shi Chu Yun were tainted by Li Shuang’s bribes? Otherwise, how else do you explain the harsh blows on Spirit Void Peak that left Zhao Zhao grievously wounded?”
His words rang reckless and wild! Even Li Shuang paused, her eyes clouded with perplexity. She had long known Chang Le An to be impulsive and short-sighted.
On Spirit Void Peak, she had once reined him in to prevent needless strife. Now, without her guiding hand, his faults stood bare. His slander against Shi Chu Yun might have been brushed off with an apology, but now, with Jiang Yun Ge’s presence, he had crossed a forbidden line.
As Chief disciple among the Enforcement Hall’s younger generation, Jiang Yun Ge held great honor. What gain could Chang Le An seek by offending her?
Li Shuang regarded him, her eyes filled with quiet wonder.
What strange winds were blowing now?
Did the people of Spirit Void Peak crave conflict in times meant for peace?
Even Ye Zhao Zhao looked puzzled. Tugging gently at Chang Le An’s sleeve, she whispered, “Third Senior Brother! Senior Sister Jiang only upheld the law—how can you claim she targeted us on purpose?”
“Zhao Zhao! First you speak for Li Shuang, and now for Jiang Yun Ge. Your kindness blinds you to the treacheries of the world!” sneered Chang Le An. “Let me be clear—Li Shuang and Jiang Yun Ge conspired to fix the match! I possess a Recording Stone that captured every strike and parry. Since you refuse to see the truth, I will bring the stone before the Enforcement Hall. Let them judge if this duel was fair!”
Jiang Yun Ge’s gaze was as cold as a winter blade. “If there is a Recording Stone, then let its truth be known.”
Ye Zhao Zhao’s eyes flickered, but she kept silent. She, too, found Li Shuang’s victory a mystery. Perhaps allowing Chang Le An’s storm of accusations would unveil hidden secrets.
“Senior Sister Jiang, I swear by my honor—I have done no wrong. I will follow him to the Enforcement Hall and stand for my deeds,” declared Shi Chu Yun.
Li Shuang nodded softly. “I, too, will go.”
“Enjoy your last airs of superiority while you can!” Chang Le An sneered. “When truth emerges, you both shall face your retribution. I only hope that when Li Shuang must suffer, Senior Sister Jiang will be as merciless as you once were.”
Jiang Yun Ge’s eyes flashed a cold warning.
She bore no personal grudge against Li Shuang. The events on Spirit Void Peak had painted Li Shuang as a poor soul caught in a relentless storm. Her actions were merely the impartial enforcement of the sect’s sacred rules. Yet, seeing Chang Le An’s brazen fury, she found her heart quietly leaning toward Li Shuang.
For enduring such injustice in the sect for so long, Li Shuang’s perseverance shone like a lone lantern in the dark. Still, even the Enforcement Hall disciples prized fairness above all—right and wrong must be weighed without bias.
Curiosity stirred among the Sword Sect disciples gathered about. The duel between Li Shuang and Shi Chu Yun had left many with puzzled hearts. Since Chang Le An had chosen to cast suspicion, all watched eagerly, yearning to learn how Li Shuang had achieved such a miraculous victory.
At the Enforcement Hall, Steward Lin, a cultivator of the Divine Spirit Transformation Stage, presided over the dispute.
“Steward Lin, I say this duel was but a sham! The Recording Stone bears witness!” declared Chang Le An, holding forth the stone as if it were a sacred scroll.
Shi Chu Yun’s teeth clenched. “I may not grasp how Senior Sister Li reached me so swiftly, but I fought with every breath I had!”
Li Shuang paused, then explained softly, “In the arena, I unleashed my Sword Domain. Under its influence, every movement and technique was revealed like open scrolls. This allowed me to find the openings in my foe’s defenses and strike with the speed of a falcon.”
“Sword Domain?” scoffed Chang Le An. “Nonsense! That is no real technique—I have never heard of such an art!”
“Silence!” boomed a voice like thunder, cutting off his words before they could fully escape.
Chang Le An faltered, startled. He turned to see Steward Lin, whose eyes now shone with disbelief as he fixed his gaze on Li Shuang. “You mentioned… Sword Domain?”
Li Shuang nodded gently. “Yes.”
Steward Lin’s lips trembled with wonder.
How could this be? If he recalled rightly, Li Shuang was barely over thirty—an age when a cultivator’s journey had only just begun. And yet, a Sword Domain had blossomed within her!
He had attained the Nascent Soul at fifty and stepped into the Divine Spirit Transformation Stage at a hundred. In the sect, such progress was prized. Yet, even he had never mastered a Sword Domain!
Legends spoke that only those who reached the pinnacle of Sword Dao could naturally form their own Sword Domain. If Li Shuang had done so…
Then, in her understanding of the Sword Dao, she had already surpassed him!
Could it be that the Sword Sect had birthed a Peerless Genius?
No, no! He could not accept such a thought without proof.
With trembling fingers, Steward Lin activated the Recording Stone, determined to verify the truth hidden within its silent light.
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