Chapter 81

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Ye Qingxuan paid no attention to Lu Dinghai's appearance, raised his chin, and said, "May I ask the name of this friend from the Changkong Sword Sect?"

Although his words were polite, his demeanor, eyes, and tone all conveyed disdain. Lu Dinghai was furious inside but forced himself to hold back. He clasped his hands in a salute and almost forced out the words, "Lu Dinghai of the Changkong Sword Sect, please guide me."

Seeing Lu Dinghai's expression, as if he were about to bite, Ye Qingxuan couldn't help but sneer inwardly. A prestigious sect like this couldn't afford to lose. Thinking back to when Chang Jingwang won, his words were far more arrogant than his own. He was merely repaying in kind. If someone insults him, he must insult them back.

Ye Qingxuan did not back down at all, just slightly nodded, and pointed at the other with his chin, saying, "Please—"

Lu Dinghai grunted and immediately attacked, taking a step forward like lightning. His long sword brought a gust of wind, using a saber technique, and slashed straight at Ye Qingxuan. With the lesson from Chang Jingwang, Lu Dinghai dared not be as careless and launched a full attack from the start.

Ye Qingxuan sidestepped, and the long sword passed by his nose, missing his collar by just an inch.

Lu Dinghai lightly shouted, changing the downward slash to an upward thrust, aiming at his chest. Ye Qingxuan lightly turned his heel and took another step back, the long sword passing by him again, missing by another inch.

Lu Dinghai took a step forward with his right foot, and the sword tip hummed, thrusting straight at Ye Qingxuan's chest. Ye Qingxuan took another step back, and the thrusting sword tip stopped just an inch from his chest...

This mere inch distance was due to the exhaustion of strength and the aging of the move, preventing it from advancing further.

Ye Qingxuan kept retreating in front of him, and in a moment, he had retreated three steps. However, neither the onlookers nor the many disciples watching from the side thought Ye Qingxuan was fleeing. Instead, they were all stunned by his three steps.

Because the three consecutive moves of the "Changkong Sword Technique" that Lu Dinghai used, Ye Qingxuan could easily avoid, and the long sword could only stop an inch in front of him. This showed that Ye Qingxuan's mind was calm, his strength was used skillfully, and his judgment was accurate, to a degree that was almost incomprehensible.

Chang Jingfan's brows furrowed, sensing something was wrong, and his heart was suddenly heavy.

Lu Dinghai clearly noticed this situation. He was shocked and angry, finally realizing that the person in front of him was a young master he had never seen before. Defeating Chang Jingwang was not by luck or ambush but by genuine skill.

Since the "Changkong Sword Technique" was not enough to defeat the enemy, he had to use a more advanced sword technique.

Lu Dinghai shouted, and his long sword hissed. The sword technique no longer had the broad and open movements of a saber but became several times faster, with each move changing rapidly, real and illusory, instantly becoming a thousand changes and wonders, exquisite and unparalleled, with a layer of gray mist enveloping the sword.

"Cloud and Mist Twelve Illusory Swords?"

A knowledgeable spectator in the audience shouted out.

The "Cloud and Mist Twelve Illusory Swords" is one of the Changkong Sword Sect's signature techniques. Its sword technique is known for its ingenious and exquisite changes, and it is also the technique that made "Sword Xuan" Ling Zhaokong famous.

The Changkong Sword Sect is located in the Changkong Mountain in the northeast of Yunzhou. There is a valley in the mountain, always shrouded in mist. Ling Zhaokong practiced swordsmanship here, seeing the sun shining through the mist, the light shining, and the illusory scene, and created the "Cloud and Mist Twelve Illusory Swords."

When Lu Dinghai used this sword technique, he intended to break Ye Qingxuan's calm with the strange and varied sword moves. He also did not believe that at such a young age, Ye Qingxuan could see through his varied sword technique. Once this thought arose, his mindset became calm and composed, and his sword moves gradually unfolded, with a thousand changes and wonders like a misty cloud, rushing towards him.

As soon as Lu Dinghai used the "Cloud and Mist Twelve Illusory Swords," Ye Qingxuan immediately felt the pressure increase and could no longer maintain his previous calm. However, the onlookers still couldn't understand, as at this moment, Ye Qingxuan still did not draw his sword but kept dodging with his footwork.

Although others were puzzled by Ye Qingxuan's actions, he was extremely anxious, not because he was worried about being injured by Lu Dinghai's sword technique, but because he was worried about whether the "Lanhuan Lingmiao Pavilion" martial arts collection system's "detection" function was effective!

It turned out that as soon as Lu Dinghai used the "Cloud and Mist Twelve Illusory Swords," Ye Qingxuan activated the "Lanhuan Lingmiao Pavilion's" "detection" function. After several seconds, the experience bar for the "Cloud and Mist Twelve Illusory Swords" in the "collection system" only reached 1%, and the subsequent increase was so slow that it almost drove Ye Qingxuan mad. After dodging and weaving for several minutes, the experience bar for the "Cloud and Mist Twelve Illusory Swords" only reached 13%.

After all, it was not a 100% accurate martial art collected from a book. Once someone learned a martial art, they would inevitably make some changes to adapt to their body. It was difficult to deduce the original martial art from someone's movements.

Ye Qingxuan remained silent, ignoring the loud ridicule from the Changkong Sword Sect disciples and the various discussions from the onlookers, focusing on dodging the attacks.

Lu Dinghai's sword technique clearly received guidance from a high-ranking master in the sect, capturing the essence of the "Cloud and Mist Twelve Illusory Swords" with its misty and illusory changes. With his solid internal skills, he used this sword technique with ease. After dozens of moves, he not only did not tire but also connected the previous sword moves, forming a misty sword net, reducing Ye Qingxuan's movement space, and almost making him collide with Lu Dinghai's long sword.

"Uncle, be careful—" Finally, a disciple could no longer bear it and shouted.

Ye Qingxuan's expression tightened, and he sighed inwardly: Forget it, I'll collect this martial art another time. Determined, Ye Qingxuan decided to counterattack.

Suddenly, Ye Qingxuan, in an impossible situation, dodged Lu Dinghai's long sword, then flipped backward, using the "Golden Goose Technique" to instantly increase the distance between him and Lu Dinghai. At the same time, he shouted to the many disciples of Qingyun Temple, "Now, all of you, pay attention and watch carefully—"

Seeing that Ye Qingxuan was still thinking about guiding his disciples during such a tense duel, Lu Dinghai was so angry that he was fuming, and he shouted, "Little brat, what are you pretending to be? If you have the guts, don't run, stay and fight—"

Ye Qingxuan laughed and said, "As you wish, here I come—"

The long sword hummed, drawn from its scabbard, and in a flash, it pierced through the misty sword net, which could not block Ye Qingxuan's figure for a moment. The long sword thrust straight at the throat, which was the most commonly used move in the "Qingyun Thirty-Six Swords," "Pointing to the South with a Smile."

The sword speed was as fast as lightning, the key to breaking through with directness and speed.

"Hey? Is that 'Pointing to the South with a Smile'?" The disciples of Qingyun Temple shouted.

Especially Yun Lu, who had just regained consciousness, was staring intently. Because the same move was used against Chang Jingwang not long ago.

How could a green-level sword technique defeat an opponent's at least blue-level sword technique?

Lu Dinghai shouted, blocking the sword horizontally and quickly stepping back to avoid the sharp edge.

Ye Qingxuan's move did not change, but his footwork shifted to the left front. This change in footwork allowed the sword, which was originally aimed at Lu Dinghai's throat, to not only avoid Lu Dinghai's defensive move but also change direction to aim at his right eye. The move remained the same, still the basic "Pointing to the South with a Smile" from the "Qingyun Thirty-Six Swords."

Lu Dinghai was terrified and retreated hastily.

Ye Qingxuan's move did not change, pointing at Lu Dinghai's right eye, advancing forward. It seemed as if they had an agreement, as he advanced step by step with Lu Dinghai's retreat. Every time Lu Dinghai took a step back, Ye Qingxuan took a step forward, always just a bit faster, leaving no time for thought.

Ye Qingxuan's momentum was solid, and his movements were perfectly coordinated, with his sword and footwork flawless.

Despite the myriad changes in Lu Dinghai's mind as he retreated, he could not avoid this inevitable move. When Lu Dinghai finally stopped, Ye Qingxuan's long sword was gently placed at his neck, the angle, method, and position identical to the move that defeated Chang Jingwang.

At this moment, Xiao Yunfeng, who had been deep in thought, was greatly moved, his body trembling with excitement—So that's it, so that's it—

"Little Uncle, I understand—" Xiao Yunfeng shouted, kneeling and thanking him. At the same time, the disciples of Qingyun Temple all showed expressions of great excitement.

Yes, they understood.

In this moment of confrontation, Ye Qingxuan finally proved with his actions the sword principles he had previously mentioned: sword moves are dead, but people are alive, and they finally understood what "flowing like clouds, moving as one pleases" means.

"The level of sword techniques does not lie in the techniques themselves but in the person who wields the sword!" — Feng Qingyang, "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer"

Ye Qingxuan finally laughed heartily, extremely happy.

These kids finally showed some insight, and it was worth the effort he put into the struggle.

Lu Dinghai's face turned pale, and his spirit was shaken. At this moment, the Ye Qingxuan in front of him, with his half-closed eyes and a smile, seemed mysterious and towering, an image far beyond his reach.

A moment ago, he was confident that he would not suffer the same defeat as Chang Jingwang. Now, he knew that this person, whom the disciples of Qingyun Temple respectfully called "Little Uncle," was a master of swordsmanship, a peak that he could only look up to and never surpass. This feeling was only experienced when he looked at the sect leader Ling Zhaokong from afar, and now, the same feeling appeared in a young Taoist who had not yet broken through the "Qiangyuan Realm," making him feel both absurd and real.

Lu Dinghai's face was pale, and Ye Qingxuan gently withdrew his long sword, stepping back, and said, "Thank you for the match—"

Lu Dinghai's heart was like dead ashes, and he did not look at Ye Qingxuan but bowed and returned to his group, lowering his head and remaining silent.

Ye Qingxuan's face was like a spring breeze, his expression calm as usual. He turned to Chang Jingfan and nodded slightly, saying, "This brother, next—should it be your turn to step up?"

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