Chapter 26: A Sword Intent So Boiling
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
Everything happened too abruptly; the scene descended into chaos.
Lu Qing Qiu, Lou Si Yi, and Sun Zhi Qiao could barely discern what had unfolded before them. Yet, they instinctively drew their swords, aiming to slay the Malignant Being and rescue their companions.
What they didn’t expect, however, was that someone else lurked in the shadows.
At the very moment their swords slashed out, a swordsman emerged, his blade glinting like frost. His strike came with the momentum of thunder, aiming directly for Lu Qing Qiu’s throat.
This sudden swordsman did not surpass Lu Qing Qiu in cultivation, but his attack was masterfully timed and utterly unexpected. For the first time, the young mistress of the Lu Clan in Yunzhou truly felt the looming shadow of death.
In this life-and-death instant, pain flared in her shoulder as she was violently pulled aside. Wide-eyed, she saw Ji You dart in, taking her place.
With a sound like a storm’s roar, a single fist hurled forward, aimed at the swordsman’s chest, carrying the strength of a steel hammer.
The swordsman reflexively turned his blade to counterattack, but Ji You seemed to have anticipated this. His angle shifted immediately, unleashing the full force of his punch. The wind howled as it descended, smashing the swordsman’s wrist with a crack that resounded like breaking iron.
“A feint…?” the swordsman murmured. “How did he predict my counter?”
Before he could collect himself, Ji You’s Shaking Mountain Fist unleashed its full might. It crashed into the swordsman’s chest, sending him flying backward, blood spurting from his mouth.
Ji You seized the moment, pulling Lou Si Yi and Sun Zhi Qiao back to safety. His Qi and blood surged wildly, roiling within his body.
Earlier, Ji You had discussed with Instructor Wang strategies for handling outnumbered situations. The best approach, they concluded, was to strike first, quickly eliminating one or two opponents to tip the scales.
Although the swordsman’s cultivation wasn’t high, his many years of killing experience made him dangerous. When he struck, his sword was aimed at a single target, intending to claim one life instantly.
Ji You had used Lu Qing Qiu as a shield to launch his own ambush. Forced to block defensively, the swordsman had no choice but to retreat. Ji You’s ability to predict the counterattack and break his wrist was thanks to countless grueling sparring sessions with Instructor Wang.
[If not for those countless drills, Instructor Wang wouldn’t have ended up collapsing like a weary dog, willing to settle for a single silver coin.] Ji You thought. [That’s the worth of this punch—one silver coin.]
Lu Qing Qiu, Lou Si Yi, and Sun Zhi Qiao collapsed onto the ground, stunned. The man standing before them was wreathed in celestial aura, his fists emanating a powerful intent that surged like a rainbow.
Only moments ago, they had been dismissing martial skills as trivial pursuits. Now, they could hardly believe their eyes.
Above, on the city wall, several cultivators from the Immortal Sect had gathered. Attracted by the earlier thunderclap, they now stared wide-eyed at the sight of the swordsman being felled by a single punch.
“How could he react so quickly? And predict the counterstrike?” one asked.
“He’s clearly a practitioner of dual cultivation in Martial and Daoist Arts,” replied a woman named Bai Xi, a sword cultivator from Spirit Sword Mountain.
Most of those present were low-level cultivators, individuals at the Lower Three Stages. While they might possess good intentions, they wouldn’t dare intervene against someone of the Dao Fusion Stage.
Ji You ignored the murmurs, scanning the battlefield.
The Dao Fusion master before him fought fiercely, his punches and kicks as fierce as dragons and tigers. Yet, his true danger lay not in brute strength but in the occasional bursts of Thunder Techniques hidden within his attacks. These strikes were both swift and devastating.
Even with Ban Yang Shu and Ji Qi Rui both at the Upper Five Stages, they were forced into a defensive stance, their movements hindered by injuries. Their situation was desperate.
On the other side, the Malignant Being did not flee but locked its blood-red gaze on Ji You, its eyes brimming with killing intent. Ji You quickly deduced that its initial target wasn’t Lu Qing Qiu but himself.
“Ladies, may I borrow your swords?” Ji You asked.
“Take mine!” the three women shouted simultaneously, offering their blades. The simultaneous movement caused their sword hilts to clatter together, and their faces flushed in embarrassment.
To their surprise, Ji You did not choose between them. Instead, with a wave of his hand, all three swords were drawn simultaneously.
Lu Qing Qiu’s Exquisite Spirit Sword landed in his hand, while the other two swords hovered three feet above his head, suspended by his spiritual energy. They trembled, emitting a clear sword chant like phoenix cries.
The onlookers were stunned, including Bai Xi. As a sword cultivator herself, she had never witnessed such a method of wielding swords.
In the next moment, Ji You became a blur, his figure streaking toward the Malignant Being. The force of his movement shattered the stone pavement beneath his feet, leaving cracks in his wake.
Bai Ru Long and Qian Yun Xiao, who had been moments away from death, found themselves thrown to the ground. When they looked up, they saw only sword light rolling like crashing waves.
Clang!
Ji You infused his sword with spiritual energy, slashing, stabbing, and sweeping. The Malignant Being countered with its claws, generating sparks as its dark energy clashed against the blade.
When a claw shot toward Ji You, he deflected it and spun midair. His sword swept in a wide arc, forming a spinning ring of steel.
The creature’s strength and speed were tremendous, surpassing even Ji You’s martial-hardened physique. Yet, Ji You adapted, his movements growing wilder and his attacks heavier.
His strikes evolved, no longer adhering to rehearsed forms but flowing naturally. His slashes, thrusts, and counters melded seamlessly, dictated by instinct.
“His Sword Intent is growing stronger!” someone exclaimed.
“So boiling, so ferocious… How can he be a disciple of the Heavenly Script Academy? He belongs in Spirit Sword Mountain!” Bai Xi declared. “When his five-year term ends, I’ll recommend him to our sect!”
“Wait… is that Ji You?”
“Yes, the same Ji You who humiliated Chu He and glimpsed the Heavenly Tome. He’s the only one who practices dual cultivation.”
While discussions buzzed, the battlefield emitted a sharp, grating screech. Everyone turned, gasping in horror.
The Malignant Being had locked Ji You’s blade with its elongated claws. With the sword trapped, Ji You would have to rely on his physical strength, a losing proposition against such a creature.
“Does it have Indestructible Golden Body?” someone speculated.
“Only its arms, maybe?”
Ji You reached up and seized one of the swords above his head. He drove it downward, aiming for the creature’s shoulder.
The Malignant Being screeched, its eyes wide with terror, and leapt back. The trapped sword, now free, spun upward toward its head.
Amid the chaos, Ji You surged forward, delivering a final punch to its chest, imbued with spiritual energy.
Bai Xi and the other onlookers were awestruck. The swords above his head were not mere ornaments but hidden weapons poised for lethal counterattacks.
But where was the third sword?