Chapter 60

Lying in the large bathtub of the inn, Su Yi covered his face with a towel, closed his eyes to rest, and fell into deep thought.

Indeed, engaging in combat with others is the fastest way to improve one's sword skills. In the brief battle with Sha Peng and the other two, he had clearly felt a new understanding of the Dugu Nine Swords.

Sha Tongtian and Peng Lianhu truly lived up to their reputation as two of the five major henchmen under Wanyan Honglie. Their combined strength was formidable. If they hadn't been seriously injured at the beginning due to a misjudgment of the situation, Su Yi would have needed at least a thousand moves to defeat them!

"It seems my martial arts are still slightly inferior to my master's," Su Yi sighed softly. He remembered that in the original story, Qiu Chuji could fight against three of the five major henchmen and only slightly be at a disadvantage. If it were him, he would have no chance of victory except to rely on his lightness skills to escape!

No, I must continue to increase my combat experience!

Su Yi clenched his right fist tightly in front of his chest, determined. There was still plenty of time, and the distance from here to Wanyan Honglie's mansion was not short. During this time, he would become a PK maniac, challenging anyone he met. He loved malicious PKs the most.

After making his decision, Su Yi inadvertently glanced at his right hand, and he was suddenly startled. He quickly moved his hand away from his chest and into the water, rubbing it fiercely.

Damn perverts, I hate them the most!

Su Yi shouted at the top of his lungs, "Waiter, bring me more hot water, the boiling kind!"

...

The peaceful江湖 (jianghu) had been silent for a long time. Since the Hua Mountain Sword Conference seventeen years ago, Wang Chongyang had passed away, Huang Yaoshi had retired to Peach Blossom Island, Ouyang Feng was far away in the White Camel Mountain in the Western Regions, and Hong Qigong was elusive. As for the Southern Emperor, he had rudely become a monk without a word.

The silent江湖 (jianghu) was like a stagnant pool, with no ripples. However, not long ago, a thunderclap exploded in the Yellow River Basin, quickly spreading throughout the entire江湖 (jianghu). A young hero emerged, wielding a long sword, and with just one move, he defeated the combined forces of Sha Tongtian and Peng Lianhu, who had been undefeated for over twenty years. His martial arts were on par with the Five Greats of the past.

Moreover, this young man called himself "Dugu Qiubai" and claimed that he could not find a worthy opponent. If anyone else had said this, regardless of whether they were a young man or an elderly sage, they would have been laughed at. However, with the afterglow of easily defeating the two powerful figures, no one could say a word!

...

"Only to see this Dugu Qiubai, holding a green steel sword, face Sha Peng without any fear. He smiled proudly and said, 'Come at me together! If it's just one of you, it would be too weak!'"

"Do you know who Sha Tongtian is? He is the leader of the Yellow River Gang, a top-notch expert in the martial arts world. His martial arts are so high that he can rank in the top ten in the martial arts world. And Peng Lianhu is known as the 'Thousand-Handed Butcher,' with unparalleled dark weapon skills. Both are world-renowned experts!"

"But in the face of a young man, these two did not dare to move at all..."

The storyteller slapped the table and asked the audience, "Do you know why?"

Unfortunately, the audience was not buying his suspense!

"Speak quickly! Don't sell us suspense, damn it!"

"Hurry up, or I'll beat you to death!"

"Your reward money won't be less! Keep talking, sir."

For a moment, the sound of coins being thrown at the storyteller was incessant. The storyteller was not angry; he laughed and picked up all the coins, then continued, "These two have extremely high martial arts and keen eyes. To others, this young man might seem like an ordinary person, but to these two experts, he exuded a unique aura. Although he did not show his skills, there was a faint sword aura around him, clearly indicating that his cultivation had reached the pinnacle."

"Since ancient times, the capable have always been respected. Although Sha Peng were much older than Dugu Qiubai, his cultivation far surpassed theirs. Even they had to show respect to this supreme expert in swordsmanship. Sha Tongtian respectfully said, 'Senior, I apologize for my rudeness!'"

"After that, the two each held their weapons and rushed forward, using their strongest moves. For a moment, the wind howled, and the sky darkened. They indeed lived up to their reputations as experts who had roamed the martial arts world for many years."

"However, in the face of these two renowned experts, Dugu Qiubai did not even look at them. He sighed lightly, 'I cannot find a worthy opponent, truly a sad thing!' Then, his long sword was unsheathed with a loud sound, and the world seemed to change. Dugu Qiubai disappeared in an instant."

"Sha Peng were both lying on the ground, their arms covered in blood! On Sha Tongtian's arm was carved the word '求' (qiu, meaning 'seek'), and on Peng Lianhu's arm was the word '败' (bai, meaning 'defeat'). In just a moment, others thought Dugu Qiubai had only struck once, but in fact, he had struck hundreds or even thousands of times. His sword skills were truly unparalleled!"

The storyteller drew out the last word, satisfied with the end of today's story.

After a long silence, the packed tavern erupted in thunderous applause!

"Great!!!"

"Dugu Qiubai! Truly impressive!"

"This is the spirit of our martial arts world!"

"Indeed, a supreme expert. Dugu Qiubai's sword skills are on par with the late Wang Chongyang, the first-rate expert in the world!"

With the audience's cheers, more coins were thrown onto the stage. The storyteller, seeing so much reward money, could not stop smiling and thanking the audience, afraid that even one coin would be missed.

"Hey, storyteller, did you witness that battle yourself?" someone suddenly asked.

The storyteller replied solemnly, "This guest asks well. At that time, I was also attending the birthday celebration for Ghost Gate Dragon King Sha Tongtian, and I had the fortune to witness the风采 (fengcai, meaning 'aura') of this Dugu Qiubai. He defeated Sha Tongtian and Peng Lianhu with one move, which I saw with my own eyes, and even Sha Tongtian himself admitted it."

The storyteller's exaggeration satisfied the audience, who all wished they could become Dugu Qiubai and use supreme sword skills to defeat all the heroes in the world.

In a corner of the crowd, a young man in green was covering his face on the table, almost in tears. Damn, this is bad. Blowing me up to be on par with Wang Chongyang, saying that the other Four Greats are not as good as me? Isn't this putting me on the hot seat?

Su Yi's worries were not unfounded. In the martial arts world, there is no first in literature, but there is a second in martial arts. The most taboo thing is the comparison of martial arts skills. Even someone as carefree as Hong Qigong still yearned for the title of "the first in the world." If he suddenly learned that in the eyes of the world, someone was ranked above him... even Hong Qigong, who was not convinced by Wang Chongyang, would not be able to tolerate it.

If Hong Qigong was like this, Huang Yaoshi and the others would be even worse...

Thinking of the Four Greats—Eastern Heretic, Western Venom, Southern Emperor, and Northern Beggar—grinning at him and challenging him one by one, Su Yi shuddered. Damn, with my current skills, I am still far from them! Are you trying to kill me with praise?

Fortunately, even at the end, the storyteller did not mention anything about Su Yi's appearance, only praising Dugu Qiubai as having a heavenly appearance, extraordinary handsomeness, and a divine aura that could not be born in the mortal world, surely a celestial being descended from heaven... Su Yi felt that this did not match him at all. It's really good that my appearance is not very handsome!