chapter 17

Glancing at Gu Nan’s incoming sword strike, Ghost Valley felt a happy excitement fill his face .

Not bad, her sword is imbued with a distinct aura .

The essence was condensed and propelled, giving the sword a domineering feeling . With such a narrow, focused thrust, the strike would feel unavoidable and death inevitable .

Such an all-out strike amounted to giving this old man some face .

Ghost Valley smiled, drawing his elegant sword with a slow and gradual motion . But, his acute control allowed him to deflect the blow with minimal movement .

“vhmm!”

The tremble of colliding metal hummed in the air .

Standing to the side, Bai Qi watched Gu Nan’s flickering actions with slight melancholy before closing his eyes again .

“Haha, not bad, there’s a little bit of strength!” Ghost Valley laughed heartily .

Although his hair has turned white, his age held no factor in this fight . His swords were varied and agile, focused but encompassing .

The pressure of that long blade made her feel breathless .

“Ting ting ting . ”

The clashing swords rumbled the surrounding air and filled it with the sounds of battle .

In only a few breaths, the two swords collided more than a dozen swords .

“vhmm!”

The two swords struck each again, and both of them retreated .

Ghost Valley jumped back effortlessly and landed like a gentle feather .

Gu Nan stumbled back awkwardly, dragging lines across the snow .

Her wrist felt numb and sapped of energy .

It wasn’t that Ghost Valley was necessary stronger than her, but that his actions tapped upon her key weaknesses . With every soft contact, her sword’s speed was chipped away .

“zing!”

She bounced back several feet and quickly readjusted her grip . The frosty air permeated the metal blade and hilt, and a chill clung onto her hand . Focusing once more, she prepared her next strike . Like a venomous snake exiting its lair, her sword sprung ahead once again .

Her body flew forward, but her right-hand grip opened and the sword began to fall .

Losing the sword is one of the most fatal mistakes for a swordsman .

Ghost Valley smiled slightly .

…

With Gu Nan’s ability, she could only avoid defeat for maybe a dozen or so rounds . The two are on completely different levels after all .

But if she took a gamble, there’s still the hope of winning .

…

Her hand twisted back and then slammed forward on the pommel .

The sword accelerated forward like a cold comet .

In a low flash of light, the sword had already neared him and was racing forward .

>

Ghost Valley nodded at this sword technique . The Hundred-Step Flying Sword was a vertical style move he once taught to her, and she’s already trained it to a dangerous level .

However, this sword isn’t enough to make him serious .

He took this opportunity to examine the intricacies of her development .

Her moves are imbued with a desperate desire for death . However, unlike the finesse of a swordsman, it’s more like an assassin forcing an opening in one’s defenses .

But as Ghost Valley was analyzing her attack, he failed to notice something else .

At the same time, Gu Nan turned and bent her waist, exploding out with her right foot . Like one of the many silent snowflakes, she spun through the air .

With a turn of the wrist, Ghost Valley’s sword executed its Horizontal technique . The projectile sword was easily redirected with Ghost Valley’s subtle deflection .

“Clank!”

The sword quickly lost its momentum and tumbled through the air .

But beyond his expectations, Gu Nan was already airborne and caught the falling sword, landing right behind Ghost Valley .

The sword in her hand shifted from the Vertical stance to the Horizontal one .

Directionist Sect – Horizontal Sword technique: Horizontal Piercing Eight Directions .

The glint of a sword abruptly appeared in the corner of Ghost Valley’s vision, cutting towards his unguarded back .

“whoosh . ”

The sword hummed and the snow flew .

Gu Nan looked up and saw that her sword strike was pinched between Ghost Valley’s two fingers .

His fingers were unscathed and clamped down on the blade like boulders . However, those two fingers were also covered in a slight, visible aura .

Ghost Valley used internal qi .

To use internal qi against a little girl with three months of experience, it was really a big loss of face for him .

Although he wouldn’t have been injured anyways, he felt like the purpose of this spar was fulfilled .

“I lose . ” Gu Nan said with a sly smirk on her face .

Although she said that, to make Ghost Valley use internal force, it’s obvious that it was really her that won .

This girl… She’s really a hundred-year talent .

Noticing her smug expression, Ghost Valley chuckled slightly .

Inwardly though, he was quite surprised .

To use the Hundred-Step Flying Sword of the Vertical Sword and Horizontal Piercing Eight Directions of the Horizontal Sword in sequence, it was an unprecedented idea .

[TL: From The Legend of Qin Series]

Thinking about it, the Directionalist Sect has always been divided into the Vertical and Horizontal path .

Each swordsmanship style has their own difficulties, and connecting them has never been attempted . Although it’s perhaps not the most efficient, it’s innovative .

Gu Nan launched her sword and then predicted it’s deflected course . It’s unorthodox and difficult, but it’s not impossible .

Wonderful thinking .

Ghost Valley nodded at Gu Nan with satisfaction . It’s good that she’s thinking out of the box . That’s the first step of moving on from the first realm of Sword to the second realm of Shifting Sword .

“Okay, stop smirking . ” He sheathed his sword and patted her unorganized hair .

“Oi, don’t touch my head . I’ll still grow a bit taller . ” She cried out as she spun free from his hand .

Ghost Valley was in a good mood and laughed back . “For a girl, you’re already tall . Any taller and you won’t find a husband, haha . ”

“Hey, you’re the one that should be married . ”

“Oh? Even if this old man wanted to, I’m afraid it’s impossible . ”

Gu Nan and Ghost Valley laughed like this for a while until he finally turned towards Bai Qi .

“Old friend, my sword teachings have completed . Your hospitality was noble . But, it is now time for my departure . ”

“Alright . ” From the beginning to the end, Bai Qi hadn’t said a single word . But now, his voice seemed to reflect his growing age and exhaustion . “Farewell . ”

Ghost Valley took one last glance at Bai Qi, and his heart sighed helplessly . “Old friend, there are some things that are not worth struggling over . ”

“I know how far to go . ” Bai Qi nodded slowly .

Ghost Valley turned and left .

…

Glancing at Ghost Valley’s receding figure, Gu Nan looked back at Bai Qi . “Master, should I send Mr . Ghost Valley off?”

“No need . ” He shook his head and looked back to the interior of the house . “You, come with me . ”

Gu Nan scratched her head with a puzzled look but still followed him in nonetheless .

In the house, Bai Qi abruptly stopped . His back turned, he asked a sudden question .

At the first line, Gu Nan’s pupils shrank in shock .

“Nan’er, the fighting at Changping, have you heard of it?”