Chapter 27: The Suspended Third Sword
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The Malignant Being dodged the first two sword strikes but failed to evade the piercing punch to its chest, letting out a painful screech.
Ji You seized the moment to advance, gripping his sword and slashing horizontally. His sword strikes surged forward like relentless waves.
The opponent, no longer as unrestrained as before, counterattacked cautiously, its claws lashing out while its gaze remained fixed on the two swords suspended in midair above it.
As sword met claw, the Malignant Being began to falter, forced to shift from attack to defense.
Meanwhile, Ji You pressed forward with a calm and resolute expression, his steps heavy and unyielding. Each thrust of his sword grew faster and more ferocious, dominating the battlefield.
The onlookers murmured among themselves, believing that with just two swords, Ji You already had the upper hand. The third sword seemed unnecessary.
Moreover, the Malignant Being, wary of the suspended swords above, would likely be harder to catch off guard again.
At that moment, however, Ji You suddenly heard a faint hissing sound near his ear. His brow furrowed sharply.
With a swift move, he drove back the Malignant Being cloaked in sinister qi and flicked his sleeve. The third sword, which had remained motionless in the air, shot forward. Yet, instead of targeting the enemy ahead, it streaked directly behind him!
The spectators shot to their feet in astonishment. The sword flew with unwavering intent, piercing toward the back of a black-robed Dao Fusion Stage cultivator engaged in casting Thunder Techniques nearby.
“What is he doing?!”
“The third sword’s true purpose was to disrupt the Thunder Technique of the Dao Fusion cultivator!”
In a duel between cultivators, exchanges often transpired in the blink of an eye, with hundreds of moves traded within mere breaths.
On the chaotic battlefield, Ban Yang Shu and Ji Qi Rui struggled against the Dao Fusion cultivator’s relentless assault. The black-robed figure, realizing the stalemate, grew increasingly anxious, resorting to a flurry of cannon-like punches. Though simple, their sheer force was deadly.
Ban Yang Shu, after countless exchanges, was momentarily blinded by a flash of light. His face turned pale as he thought, [I’m finished. I can’t dodge this.]
In that instant of life and death, a flying sword whistled through the air!
Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, the black-robed Dao Fusion cultivator narrowly evaded it, his Thunder Technique abruptly interrupted.
The spectators erupted in astonished uproar under the night skies of the Western City.
Freed from the immediate threat, Ban Yang Shu and Ji Qi Rui surged forward with their twin swords, pressing the advantage.
[In the end, martial skills are but a minor path…]
[Dual cultivation of martial and Daoist arts is a waste of time…]
Ban Yang Shu’s thoughts drifted back to the scene earlier as his gaze flickered toward the white-robed swordsman under the moonlit night.
Just a three-foot iron sword—yet in Ji You’s hands, it flowed like water, ever-changing and unpredictable. Without preparing to retrieve the sword, he seamlessly transitioned to a second sword when an opening appeared, striking with precision.
The swords alternated in his hands, one replacing the other with angles so cunning they defied prediction.
Meanwhile, Ji You’s third sword, guided by his spiritual qi, ceaselessly harried the Dao Fusion cultivator. Though not overwhelmingly powerful, it created a constant distraction.
At times, its sword chant rang clear as it streaked forward, only to halt mid-flight, feinting an attack. Yet the Dao Fusion cultivator, unable to ignore it, found his rhythm disrupted, granting Ban Yang Shu and Ji Qi Rui vital moments to recover.
Lu Qing Qiu, Sun Zhi Qiao, Lou Si Yi, and the other spectators were left speechless.
A mere cultivator of the Lower Three Stages, with three spirit swords, had managed to influence two separate battles!
“From the moment he joined the fight, he had already prepared the third sword for his allies,” someone muttered.
“The Malignant Being has a tough physique and won’t fall quickly. The imbalance lies with the Dao Fusion cultivator. If the two Mystic Enlightenment cultivators were to fall too soon, no matter how exceptional Ji You’s swordsmanship, it would be in vain.”
“Thus, the third sword wasn’t meant as a killing blow but as a tool for disruption!”
“A sword for chaos!”
Just as the crowd surmised, with Ji You’s third sword disrupting the battle, the black-robed Dao Fusion cultivator’s Thunder Techniques were repeatedly interrupted.
Though Ban Yang Shu and Ji Qi Rui still struggled, their plight was no longer as dire. Meanwhile, the black-robed Dao Fusion cultivator grew increasingly frustrated. Each attempt to gather thunder was thwarted by a well-timed strike, leaving him incensed by how a mere Lower Three Stages cultivator could so profoundly alter the tide of battle.
Suddenly, the spiritual energy in the western night surged as a contingent of cultivators clad in white robes of the Heavenly Script Academy arrived, walking on air.
The black-robed Dao Fusion cultivator’s face contorted with alarm. He retreated hastily, abandoning the fight, and swiftly escaped with the Malignant Being and an injured swordsman in tow.
The cultivators of the Heavenly Script Academy split into two groups, one giving chase while the other descended to the battlefield.
Ji You let out a long breath and returned his three swords to their respective sheaths. His lips were pale.
[Old Wang lied to me.]
Though the backlash from his shattered Spiritual Spring had improved his spiritual qi efficiency, allowing for smoother control of multiple swords, he discovered that multi-sword techniques drained not just qi but spiritual consciousness.
It was akin to juggling multiple tasks in one’s mind—far from easy.
“Ji You, Ji You!”
Cao Jin Song and Wang Xin An, accompanied by disciples, arrived swiftly.
“Are you hurt? Where?”
Ji You took a deep breath. “You’re late.”
Cao Jin Song inspected him quickly. “No wounds on your body. Why do you look so pale?”
“It’s my spiritual consciousness,” Ji You replied, his voice weary. “I’ve overexerted it. I might need a long sleep to recover.”
Nearby, Ji Qi Rui was being helped up by others. He glanced at Ji You, who sat on the ground recovering, then exchanged a complicated look with Ban Yang Shu.
Earlier, they had dismissed dual cultivation of martial and Daoist arts as useless. Now, their lives had been saved by it.
If not for Ji You, no cultivator at his level could have ensured their survival.
That third suspended sword—not overwhelmingly strong but potent enough to keep the Dao Fusion cultivator constantly on edge—had turned the tide.
Martial arts, they realized, weren’t merely about physical techniques. They also targeted the mind and battle awareness.
Ji Qi Rui, wincing from the pain in his shoulder, muttered, “He’s so adept with swords. Why doesn’t he carry more? If he had four, we might have won outright.”
Cao Jin Song looked up and quipped, “Carry more? He’s broke. Are you going to buy him swords? It’s easy to talk when you’re standing here unscathed.”
“?”
“Who? Who’s buying? Buying what?”
Ji You, resting with his eyes closed, suddenly perked up, his interest piqued at the mention of someone buying something for him.
Cao Jin Song waved a hand to calm him and closed his eyes. “Someone fetch a wooden sedan chair from the Heavenly Script Academy and carry the wounded back!”
“Yes, Instructor!”
…
The audacious attack on disciples of the Heavenly Script Academy in the streets of Shengjing sent shockwaves throughout the institution. Furious, the academy’s Office of Affairs dispatched numerous disciples alongside those who had already given chase.
The Great Xia Imperial Court caught wind of the incident and quickly mobilized the Immortal Overseer Office and local magistrates to aid in the search for the culprits.
News of the attack spread rapidly among the academy’s students, sparking fervent discussions across the Ascension Terrace, the Field of Enlightenment, Azure Lake’s Elegant Garden, and the dormitories.
First-years, second-years, and third-years gathered in clusters to speculate. Even fourth- and fifth-years, who usually remained reclusive, joined the chatter in the corridors and courtyards.
Amidst the outcry, many marveled at how those involved in a fight against a Dao Fusion cultivator survived. The disparity in cultivation levels was not something sheer numbers could overcome.
“Ji You.”
“Ji You? But he hasn’t even reached the Fifth Stage. What could he possibly have done?”
“Dual cultivation of martial and Daoist arts. A lone man with three swords controlled two battlefields…”