Chapter 7

Nanggung Seong-chan stroked his long beard and smiled faintly.

"Only now have you come to seek the old man. Was the head of the family busy with state affairs?"

Nanggung Su, who rarely showed his emotions outwardly, could not hide the trembling of his fingertips and the agitation in his eyes.

"......"

His eyes, which kept trembling.

Four days ago, his uncle, who had suddenly visited, handed him a record of over fifty pages, which contained a detailed analysis and review of a sword discussion.

He had read it all today, after momentarily forgetting about it due to the fatigue of state affairs.

The Three Talents Sword (三才劒).

A common, third-rate sword technique.

However, the Three Talents Sword in the sword discussion record was a completely different sword technique.

No, the sword technique itself was not different, but the application of offensive and defensive transitions was on a different level.

Grafting.

Four Two Eight Thousand.

Could the concise movements of the Three Talents Sword, which involved twisting, blocking, evading, striking down, thrusting up, and piercing, function like such profound martial principles?

Anyone can talk easily.

It is said that only when a thorough foundation is laid can one's martial arts be perfected.

No martial artist is unaware of the importance of a foundation.

But does anyone not slack off in their foundation for their entire life?

That is impossible.

The martial arts of a prestigious family are not that simple.

Every day, they cleanse their minds and cultivate their inner energy.

They always sharpen their gaze and open their hearing to check their senses in preparation for actual combat.

They must not be lazy in meditation to find the optimal path of combat, and they must confirm it through actual sparring.

They constantly observe their own bodies, train their qi and blood, and refine any weakened tendons.

They study the timing to unleash their inner energy, refine any unnecessary movements in their techniques, and correct any bad habits.

In this way, the martial arts of a prestigious family are always a form of self-cultivation.

The Imperial Sword Form.

The Heaven-Bending Sword.

Even he, who had dedicated his life to refining each technique, had yet to achieve perfection in the path of the sword.

Is there really such a thing as perfection in martial arts?

It must be a realm that cannot be achieved in a single lifetime.

But at least, the Three Talents Sword in this sword discussion record was the only perfect (完璧) thing he had ever seen.

A strange emotion he had never experienced in his entire life.

Nanggung Su, one of the seven absolute figures of the martial world, the Seven Martial Seats, and the Heaven-Bending Sword Hero.

Even to him, the Three Talents Sword in this sword discussion record felt like a massive wall.

He had never seen such a perfect martial art in his entire life.

The absoluteness given by the word "perfect (完璧)" was not that simple.

"......Is it Huashan (華山)?"

His lips, bitten so hard they were about to bleed.

Nanggung Su thought of Zixia Sword Saint of Huashan, the first seat of the Seven Martial Seats.

The greatest figure of the current era.

Though they were at the same absolute level, he was someone he could never reach.

Who else but him could wield the Three Talents Sword to such a harmonious degree?

"It is not him, head of the family."

Nanggung Su's eyes were filled with doubt.

"......Then who?"

Nanggung Seong-chan smiled contentedly.

"You will find out in due time. I hope the head of the family can gain something from it."

After finishing his words, he immediately drew his inner energy. Then, a bluish aura of Heaven-Bending filled his eyes.

The surprise on his face was brief, and soon Nanggung Su rejoiced as if it were his own victory.

"I congratulate you, Uncle."

They could never have known.

That the sword discussion record they were looking at was the trace of the ancestor of swords and a god.

* * *

If the Nanggung family in Anhui did not exist, the Hua family sword school could have taken its place, such was the might of their sect.

Their unique sword technique, the Peach Blossom Eleven Swords (桃花十一劒), was so great that it was often compared to the famous Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique of Huashan.

Their roots traced back to the legendary Peach Blossom Island.

Their reputation alone was enough to establish their position in the martial world.

However, after the sudden death of the Hua family sword school's master, Hua Yijiang, due to a strange illness, the Hua family sword school began to decline.

His son, Hua Ximing, was far too inadequate to lead the family.

Apart from his martial arts talent, he lacked character.

Although they were forced to keep it quiet in Hefei, Hua Ximing's reputation was as bad as it could be.

Leaving debts in numerous inns and brothels was a given, and he often extorted money from the common people or even harassed women using the family's influence.

The people of Hefei whispered and called him Hua Family Dog (華氏犬子).

His father, Hua Yijiang, was a righteous and kind hero, but Hua Ximing was a rascal who could not even follow a tenth of his father's virtues.

"Ah! Are all the heroes of the Zhuge family here?"

The disciples of the Zhuge family, who had been trying to avoid Hua Ximing's gaze, stiffened with a bitter expression.

They did not want to deal with him, thanks to the prestige of the Hua family sword school.

However, they could not ignore his greeting.

Zhuge Yun of the Zhuge family forced a smile and stood up.

"Hua Xiaoye. Have you been well?"

"Who is this? Isn't it Little Zhuge, Zhuge Yun Xiaoye?"

An obviously exaggerated expression and gesture.

His behavior was too blatant, as if he was showing off his friendship with the distinguished disciples of the Zhuge family to those around him.

At that moment, a group of young men entered the inn, lifting the curtain.

They wore blue silk hero robes.

Their sashes were adorned with elaborate embroidery.

The deep blue jade (碧玉) embedded in the hilt of every sword they carried.

They were none other than the promising young talents of the Great Nanggung family.

At the forefront stood a stalwart young man.

His piercing gaze made anyone who saw him feel an overwhelming pressure.

Though he looked to be just over twenty, surprisingly, a large dragon embroidered in blue silk was emblazoned on his chest.

The blue dragon emblem on his robe signified that he was the Heaven-Bending Sword Hand (蒼天劒手).

In the Nanggung family, only one sword master had achieved the position of Heaven-Bending Sword Hand at the age of twenty.

"Little Sword Master (小劒主)!"

He was Nanggung Zhanghu, the eldest son of the Nanggung family head, Nanggung Su, and already a well-known figure in Anhui as "Little Sword Master."

The people of Hefei and the Nanggung family were certain that he would lead the family's future as the head.

The pride of Hefei, the first-rate young talent of Anhui.

The young talents of the Zhuge family, who were watching him from the second floor of the inn, all had tense expressions.

The person standing before them was the strongest competitor at the upcoming Young Dragon Grand Assembly.

Hua Ximing, once again, had shown up without any tact.

However, his interest was not in Nanggung Zhanghu.

"Miss!"

Hua Ximing leaped down to the first floor in his socks.

Nanggung Xiaoxiao's delicate brows furrowed upon seeing him.

"How can you become more beautiful with each passing day?"

Hua Ximing smiled warmly, but Nanggung Xiaoxiao only gave a perfunctory response.

"It's been a while."

Nanggung Zhanghu, who had been watching Hua Ximing's actions with a cold eye, spoke in an icy tone.

"You are still as frivolous as ever."

"Haha! Brother Zhanghu!"

Hua Ximing glanced between the Nanggung and Zhuge family groups.

"To see Little Sword Master and Little Zhuge in the same place! Is this the Young Dragon Grand Assembly indeed?"

Nanggung Zhanghu closed his eyes as if he did not want to hear it.

If it were not for the family's orders, he would never have traveled with such people.

What were the elders of the family thinking, ordering him to travel to Shaanxi with these people?

Putting aside the pitiful Hua Ximing, he did not want to associate with the bookworms of the Zhuge family.

They were obsessed with using mere writing to undermine his father's reputation.

Thinking of the "Martial World Chronicles" and its ten thousand characters, he felt an honest urge to draw his sword.

Nanggung Zhanghu immediately sat down at a corner of the first floor, and the young talents of the Nanggung family followed suit.

After sitting down, Nanggung Zhanghu spoke in a cold tone, without even glancing at the Zhuge family's young talents on the second floor.

"Let's finish eating and leave immediately."

Nanggung Xiaoxiao did not like the strange and heavy atmosphere among the men.

Deciding to lift her spirits with delicious food, she looked at the kitchen entrance where the waiters were bustling about, and her eyes widened.

"Xiaoye Zhaohui?"

He was clearly Zhaohui, arguing with the innkeeper.

"Ah! So what do you want?"

"Isn't this guy? What do you want? Why should I tell you about my business?"

The innkeeper, who had been fuming, had initially been friendly to the customer who had ordered a lot of expensive dishes and answered his questions.

But from a certain point, he kept asking sensitive questions like "What is your best-selling dish?", "Where do you get your ingredients from?", "How much inventory do you have per day?", "How do you hire skilled chefs?", and "What are the salaries of your staff?"

If he hadn't caught on by now, he was a fool.

This young man was planning to open an inn.

He was probably the son of a merchant who handled a lot of money.

Zhaohui was frustrated to the point of madness.

He was conducting market research by visiting various inns to start an inn business, but no matter how much he tried to coax the innkeepers, they would not provide the information he needed.

The Zhaogang Ironworks already had a foundation laid by his father, making it easy to expand the business, but an inn was a completely different field.

Without any expertise or prior information, he could not jump into it, and Zhaohui was frustrated to the point of madness.

At that moment, someone roughly lifted the inn's curtain and rushed in.

"......Pant, pant! Brother! My sworn brother!"

Zhaohui's head tilted to the side.

"Brother Zhengjie?"

It was Shangguan Bi, the third son of the Hualong Merchant Guild.

The initial joy on his face quickly turned to a bitter expression as Shangguan Bi pulled out a letter from his robes and extended it.

"What is this? Sworn brother!"

The letter he extended had the seal of the Anhui Ironworks clearly stamped on it.

Zhaohui immediately understood why he was so angry.

Indeed, the efficiency of this chief manager was impressive.

"Did you know how much I searched for you,