Ch632 - Arena Competition

Sword City, City Lord’s residence.

The Sword Emperor was teaching his Second Son Murong Hua sword techniques in the back courtyard when the old housekeeper hurriedly entered.

“Your Majesty!” The old housekeeper bowed deeply at the sight of their Lord.

“Oh? What is it?” The Sword Emperor raised an eyebrow at the urgency on the housekeeper’s face.What could possibly be wrong?he wondered to himself.Why has this usually calm and steady housekeeper suddenly become so flustered?

“Your Majesty, the Young Master and someone else have entered the arena.” The old housekeeper anxiously reported as he watched his Lord.

“Oh, isn’t it normal for them to enter the arena? Is there anything unusual about two sword cultivators engaging in a duel?” The Sword Emperor frowned slightly at this news.

“But…but the one who entered the arena with our Young Master is—is your other Son!”

“Huh? You mean that the Eldest Prince sought to spar with the Third and Fifth Princes?”

“N-no, not the Third Prince, and also not the Fifth Prince. It’s—it’s…” At this point, the old housekeeper glanced at the Second Prince standing nearby.

“How could that be? The Fourth Prince went to the Sword Tower; I only have these five Sons. So if it wasn’t the Third Prince, then it must’ve been the Fifth Prince.” The Sword Emperor looked quizzically at the housekeeper.

“T-true, it wasn’t the Third or Fifth Prince. It was…a Prince this old servant has never seen before.” As he spoke, the old housekeeper shot a somewhat embarrassed glance at the Second Prince.

The Sword Emperor paused, taken aback. Then his eyes widened. “Absurd! I only have five Sons—how could you not know them all?”

“T-this…”

“Perhaps Younger Brothers from outside came back for a visit?” Murong Hua suggested as he gazed upon his Father. “Why don’t you go check on the arena, Father, and stop my dear Brother from fighting so we can bring our little Brother home?”

“What nonsense is this? My wife and Sons live within these Palace walls—where could he possibly have found a Son outside?”

Murong Hua was speechless as he watched his Father blow smoke from his nostrils.

The Sword Emperor turned to look at the old housekeeper. “How do you know he’s my Son?”

“That Young Master himself said so. According to those around him, the Eldest Young Master met that Young Master in town, and when the Eldest Young Master said he was your Son, that Young Master replied that he too was your Son. The two of them ended up arguing and went to challenge each other.”

At the housekeeper’s words, the Sword Emperor rolled his eyes. “He said, he said I was his Father and so I became his Father? Do you all have pig brains? Do you believe anything strangers tell you?”

The old housekeeper frowned at these words. “Your Majesty, there is something you should know: this person’s strength is that of the sixth level Immortal Emperor, and his partner’s strength is that of the ninth level Immortal Emperor. Such strength does not seem characteristic of a con artist. Moreover, when he spoke before our Young Master, he was completely confident and did not appear even slightly guilty; he left our Young Master speechless. Therefore, therefore…”

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“This…” The old housekeeper stood frozen in place, watching the Father-and-Son pair depart.Is he really the Young Master’s Brother?

**********

EIT LiTJL.

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It was a pure sword duel between two equally matched opponents: both possessed Immortal Emperor sixth level strength, having begun their cultivation at age five. One had been born into a lineage steeped in martial sword tradition, while the other’s talent for the sword had been nothing short of miraculous. The match was truly a clash of titans, each move leaving the observing sword cultivators awestruck and murmuring in admiration.

Many present had taken out their recording stones to capture this spectacle, hoping to preserve these magnificent moments.

“The Young Master’s sword technique is truly unparalleled!”

“Indeed! His swordsmanship has received true inheritance from His Majesty himself, so naturally it surpasses that of others.”

“I think that Young Master in white robe’s skills aren’t too shabby either; he must have likewise received instruction from His Majesty.”

“Ai, what can you expect from him? He’s still just a bastard Son, after all—born in disgrace!”

“Who says so? He’s quite accomplished now, isn’t he? Maybe tomorrow he’ll even be promoted to an official.”

“En, that’s true too. With such an outstanding Son, there’s no way His Majesty won’t acknowledge him.”

As they listened to the crowd’s chatter, the Third and Fifth Imperial Princes exchanged glances.

“Third Brother, is it possible this young man really is our Brother?” The Fifth Prince turned to his older sibling, seeking clarification.

“Look at his hand bones—he hasn’t yet reached four thousand years of age. Yet for someone so young, his sword technique is already remarkable, equaling even Eldest Brother’s skill. This little brother is no ordinary fellow.”

“Yes, you’re right. His sword technique surpasses mine.” The Fifth Prince frowned deeply as he spoke.

“It’s truly infuriating how biased our Father is. I’ve never seen such exquisite swordsmanship, but His Majesty has already bestowed it upon the Sixth Younger Brother.” The Third Imperial Prince grew rather agitated when speaking on this subject.

“Indeed, our Father must favor this Sixth Younger Brother dearly.”

Just as they were wrapping up their discussion, they felt a chill at the back of their necks and heard their Father’s voice transmitted to them.

“Who told you he was my Son? I don’t know him!”

Startled, the three Princes turned around only to see their Father standing behind them, along with their Second Brother.

“Imperial Father, Second Brother!”

The Sword Emperorhmphedupon hearing this. “How is your Eldest Brother doing?”

“Not too well? My Elder Brother seems evenly matched against that white-robed cultivator,” Third Prince reported, glancing at his Father.

“Emperor Father, that white-robed cultivator looks quite formidable.”

The Sword Emperor rolled his eyes, then shifted his gaze toward the arena floor whereupon he couldn’t help but roll his eyes again after seeing who his Son was fighting. “Heh, what a true apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! This brat really is just like his old man—what a fucking mess!”

As they watched their Father gnash his teeth, the three Imperial Princes were left bewildered, wondering what exactly their Father meant by these words.

“Emperor Father, do—you…know that white-robed cultivator?”

“I know him—I’ve seen him before.” The Sword Emperor nodded, expressing his familiarity with the opponent.

“Then who is he?” The Third Prince curiously asked while looking at his Father.

“The Son-in-Law of Long Xingtian—Jiang Xu. Just like his Father, what a piece of shit! Truly, a Son-in-Law takes after his Father-in-Law as much as a Son does after his Father!” The Sword Emperor rolled his eyes in anger as he spoke.

“W-what? He’s the Dragon Emperor’s Son-in-Law? Th-then isn’t he the partner of the Dragon Crown Prince?”

“That’s not it, the Dragon Crown Prince has yet to marry; how could he have a partner? Could you mean Liu Mufeng’s partner?” After some thought, the Second Prince quickly deduced the other individual’s status.

“Yes, that’s right, Liu Mufeng’s wife,” the Sword Emperor confirmed firmly.

“But if he’s clearly the Dragon Emperor’s Son-in-Law, why did he run off to acknowledge you as his Father instead?” The Fifth Prince looked at his Father, puzzled.

“Who else am I supposed to ask when you’re the one asking me this question? When was the Dragon Emperor ever predictable?”

The three Brothers fell silent upon hearing these words, for they knew very well that the Dragon Emperor acted solely on whim and had no regard for protocol.

“Emperor Father, this isn’t good. The Dragon Emperor’s Son-in-Law has already reached our Sword City. Perhaps Liu Mufeng and his wife are merely vanguard forces; the Dragon Emperor himself may follow behind at any moment. You must stop Eldest Brother immediately to prevent further fighting. If Jiang Xu is injured, wouldn’t that give the Dragon Emperor reason to cause trouble within our Sword City?” The Second Prince anxiously looked at his Father as he spoke.

“That’s right, Emperor Father, the Dragon Emperor knows how to stir up trouble.” The Third Imperial Prince nodded and agreed with him.

“Emperor Father, please step in. If you don’t, I’m afraid Eldest Brother won’t cease anytime soon. They’ve exchanged over two hundred blows already. It would be bad for both Eldest Brother and Jiang Xu if either were injured.” As the Fifth Prince watched his Father, he also chimed in.

Although the Sword Emperor had erected barriers around the four of them upon arriving, preventing outsiders from hearing their conversation, Liu Mufeng’s soul strength was unusually potent, allowing him to detect the exchange despite its secrecy. Even though he did not know what the Sword Emperor said to his three Sons, he knew thatXiaoXu had successfully drawn the Emperor’s attention.

Sun Jian couldn’t help but sweat as he watched the two fight on the arena floor. He actually felt that Murong Qian didn’t seem like a con artist, but Senior Jiang insisted that he was. Sun Jian had tried to persuade him otherwise, but it hadn’t worked. All he could do now was hope that Senior Jiang wouldn’t get hurt.

The Sword Emperor glanced at his three Sons before leaping onto the arena floor himself and separating the fighting pair with a wave of his sleeve.

Jiang Xu couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow when he saw this middle-aged man standing atop the arena, dressed in lavish robes and crowned with a golden crown, face firm and resolute.

After assessing the opponent’s strength, Jiang Xu immediately realized that this person must be the Sword Emperor. Otherwise, with his cultivation level, Jiang Xu would have been able to sense fluctuations in the other party’s power.

“Emperor Father, you’ve come just in time; he…” Murong Qian angrily pointed toward Jiang Xu as he walked beside his Father.

“That’s enough, Eldest Son.” The Sword Emperor interrupted, waving his hand. “I understand.”

Liu Mufeng flew onto the arena floor and immediately pulled his wife behind him as he bowed deeply to the Sword Emperor. “Dragon Clan’s Liu Mufeng greets the Sword Emperor.”

“Liu Mufeng?” Murong Qian’s eyes widened at this name.

“You—you’re Dragon Clan’s Second Prince Liu Mufeng?”

“That is correct, it is indeed me, your humble servant.” With a smile, Liu Mufeng greeted the Eldest Young Master.

“Then who is that if not you? Who are you?” Murong Qian pointed toward Jiang Xu as he spoke.

“My Daoist Companion—Jiang Xu.” As Liu Mufeng spoke, he pulled Jiang Xu closer.

“Dragon Clan’s Jiang Xu greets the Sword Emperor, and the Eldest Young Master Murong.” Smiling, Jiang Xu returned the greeting while looking at his opponent.

“You… You dare deceive me! You said you are my Emperor Father’s…”

“All right, enough talk. My dear Nephews, let us continue our discussion within the Palace walls,” the Sword Emperor said, watching the two men.

“Yes!” Nodding, Liu Mufeng and Jiang Xu agreed and followed the Sword Emperor away.