Chapter 25

Siblings' Duel

The leader led Moxiang to the spacious living room of the main house. Moxiang followed the leader with Sajunzi and Han Yingying. Han Yingying, who was also enticed by Moxiang's promise to let her taste the precious Huazhu, followed without a word, eager to experience its flavor. As Moxiang and her companions waited in the living room, the leader returned with five people, including his son, grandson, and granddaughter. Among them, Yumei, upon seeing Moxiang waiting in the living room, glared with intense anger but had to hold back in the presence of the stern grandfather. The leader assigned seats to everyone and said:

"It's been a long time since I've met a kindred spirit. Today, I will treat you all. Don't be shy and enjoy yourselves."

While saying this, he did not forget to instruct his family members to pay close attention to the conversation, as it would be a precious lesson in swordsmanship.

"Listen carefully. It will be a lesson as precious as pearls and jade..."

The leader, seated in front of Moxiang, poured a full cup of Huazhu for her and himself, and then asked:

"What did you talk about with Old Thunder? I heard you talked all night..."

"That's something you should ask the disciples of Jilingmen. It was quite an interesting conversation."

"Was Old Thunder at a similar level to me?"

"I think so, but we need to test it to be sure. Both of you are considered the best in the orthodox schools, aren't you?"

"Who taught you swordsmanship?"

"I learned from several masters. Among them, I learned the most from Master Yubai."

"Yubai? I've never heard of him. Is his swordsmanship that remarkable?"

"Not really. But he was very good at teaching his disciples."

"I was skeptical when I heard about it from Jilingmen, but when I saw you fight Lingren earlier, you were particularly strong in close combat. I would be hard-pressed to match you in close combat. Perhaps I could last a bit longer at a distance, but in close combat, I doubt I could last more than ten seconds."

"You flatter me."

"It's not flattery. You have transcended the forms. Reaching that level is truly difficult. I have practiced for a long time, but it's hard to move as smoothly as you do. What sword technique have you mastered?"

"Various ones. I've seen almost all the sword techniques stored in our school, including those of the Buddhist and Taoist schools. But they all seem the same to me. Recently, I've been getting confused about which is which, so I don't even think about what technique my opponent is using anymore."

"But even if you use a formless technique, there must be a larger pattern. What is the name of your sword technique?"

"A long time ago, I created a sword technique and named it Wuxiang Jianfa. But it's not really a single technique; it's just a kind of martial art. In the past, I tried to follow the form of Wuxiang Jianfa while using martial arts, but recently, I've found it tedious and just do what comes naturally."

"Have you created a manual for this technique?"

"No. I tried at first, but the content was too extensive, and I eventually gave up."

"You said that the last barrier I couldn't break through to reach the Xianjing level is due to overthinking. Can you explain that?"

"It's not that you overthink, but that you think too much. For example, 'How do I kill this guy? What move should I use next? What technique is he using, and which move should I counter with? He seems strong; how do I avoid his attacks? There are many of them; should I lure them one by one and kill them? There are many of them; should I run away?' These kinds of thoughts."

"Your words are incorrect. When I fight, I enter a state of no self and forget myself. I don't have such useless thoughts."

"But in your position, you can't help but think about them. 'How are my subordinates doing? Am I going too far? Should I retreat my subordinates and cut them down myself to minimize casualties?' Isn't that so?"

"But isn't that natural for someone who leads subordinates?"

"No. To truly reach the highest level, you must forget everything and become one with the sword, cutting and cutting again, drenched in blood. You shouldn't even think about what move to use against your enemy. You must follow the will of the sword, becoming one with it, achieving the state of Shenjian Heyi (body and sword as one). The will of the sword is your will, and your will is the will of the sword. If this is even slightly off, you can't create a good sword technique."

"Shenjian Heyi. I thought I had already reached that level..."

"That's not true. You have only aligned your will with the sword, but the will of the sword itself has not come alive. Once you achieve this, the realm of evil swords will be within reach."

At this, Yumei, who had been listening, sneered and mocked:

"Hmph! You talk well."

Moxiang shot a cold glance at Yumei.

"Shut up if you don't understand. This elder is speaking, and you, a mere child, are being insolent."

This made Yumei furious, and she drew her sword, shouting:

"If you're a man, let's duel. I don't believe a trash like you can be a high-level expert."

"Dueling you would only damage my dignity."

"You coward! You talk big..."

"If you insist, I'll accept. Come on."

Yumei sheathed her sword and led the way out, saying:

"Did you think I wouldn't come? Follow quickly!"

Upon reaching a spacious clearing, Yumei drew her sword and sneered:

"Draw your sword. I'll show you the level of our school's martial arts."

"Hmph! Your opponent is not me but Yulingren. Hey! Let's see you duel."

"I... My sister is much stronger than me."

"It's fine. I'll guide you through mental communication. If you remember this duel well, you will achieve great success. Follow my instructions quickly. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"I will use Yulingren's body to demonstrate martial arts, but I won't use the Jielida Naini Shoufa (Borrowing Power Great Seizing Technique). I will only guide her through mental communication. If Yulingren loses, consider it my loss. Let's begin."

The Jielida Naini Shoufa is a technique where one lends their power to another, completely controlling their body to move as desired. It requires a lot of power to transmit through the air, but it allows precise control. However, Moxiang said he would only use mental communication, so there would be a slight delay, and the martial arts Yulingren could use would be limited to what she knew, which was advantageous for Yumei.

Yumei, still tense, waited for Yulingren to draw her sword. Yulingren slowly drew her sword and bowed to Yumei.

"Sister, let's start now."

Seeing Yulingren return the bow, Moxiang said:

"Skip the formalities and start immediately."

Moxiang's words meant to skip the preliminary feints and go straight to the real moves.

<Charge forward and use the 6th move. If she dodges, follow her and use the 12th move.>

Yulingren's body shot forward. She charged at Yumei and unleashed a move.

"Chixia Feilong (Crimson Mist Flying Dragon)!"

"Hmph! Just the Chixia Wuliu Jianfa... Argh!"

Yumei, initially recognizing the move as the Chixia Wuliu Jianfa, was shocked when she saw the aggressive sword technique, which shot out several powerful sword energies with a blood-red glow. She dodged in terror, but she couldn't regain the initiative. As Yumei dodged to the side, Yulingren, who followed closely, unleashed the second move.

"Chixia Meikai (Crimson Mist Plum Blossom)!"

Simultaneously, six thrusts. The sword was imbued with full power, and a faint blue light emanated from it. Yumei could dodge this sudden attack only because she knew the Chixia Wuliu Jianfa well. The original Chixia Wuliu Jianfa includes 24 thrusts, both real and feint, but Moxiang had reduced it to six, all of which were real and more penetrating. As Yumei narrowly dodged to the right, Moxiang instructed Yulingren:

<Stay standing and use the 22nd move.>

Yulingren, following Moxiang's instructions, unleashed the third move as Yumei barely dodged.

"Chixia Luorui (Crimson Mist Setting Sun)!"

Simultaneously, a large, red sword energy burst from Yulingren's sword, shooting at Yumei with incredible speed. Yumei, realizing she would be at a disadvantage if she continued to be on the defensive, decided to counter.

"Baimai Luoyue (White Plum Falling Moon)!"

Her stance was unstable, but she executed the move well. The sword energy from her move collided with Yulingren's, causing an explosion. Both were staggered by the impact. Yumei stepped back and shouted:

"This is cheating. He clearly said he wouldn't lend his power, but this move proves he used the Jielida Naini Shoufa to send his power."

Moxiang sneered and replied:

"Stop lying. It's clearly Yulingren's power. Isn't that right, Leader?"

The leader, with a slightly sympathetic look, said:

"He's right. Yulingren has greatly increased her inner strength today, thanks to the Deputy Leader's help. She is only using the Chixia Malin Jianfa, which the Deputy Leader has developed from the Chixia Wuliu Jianfa. Try your best."

The duel between the two sisters was beyond imagination. Although Yulingren followed Moxiang's instructions, there was always a slight delay, which prevented Yumei from being completely overpowered. After exchanging over fifty moves, the leader nodded and marveled at Moxiang's skill.

If Moxiang had used the Chixia Malin Jianfa with the same power as Yulingren, the duel would have ended in less than five moves. However, Yulingren, lacking practical combat experience, struggled to smoothly connect the soft moves as Moxiang instructed, which was a critical weakness. Realizing that a prolonged battle would be disadvantageous, Moxiang ordered a continuous attack.

<Follow her and use the 6th, 2nd, and 22nd moves simultaneously.>

Yulingren, like a slippery eel, charged at Yumei, shouting:

"Chixia Feilong, Chixia Liutian, Chixia Luorui!"

Yumei barely defended against the overwhelming attack using her footwork and Bailyu Meihua Jianfa, displaying her full skill. However, she was surprised by her sister's unexpected strength, which she had only received through Moxiang's instructions.

'I, who have lived by the sword, can only barely hold on... If I attack first, will Lingren be scared and disobey the instructions?'

After making up her mind, she began a fierce offensive without holding back.

"Baimai Tianshen, Baimai Yijie, Baimai Liuxiang!"

Her sword energy and sword wind swept in all directions, and Yulingren, lacking practical combat experience, began to show fear. She was too busy dodging to follow Moxiang's instructions. Moreover, she had hesitated to use lethal moves against her sister, sparing her several times, which made her even more flustered when her sister unleashed a relentless attack. Realizing that his instructions were not working, Moxiang sighed after giving about a hundred moves.

"I lost. This foolish girl didn't listen to me."

The leader, who had been watching and guessed the situation, burst into laughter and comforted Moxiang:

"It's not that you lost. The girl is just too weak. When you pushed her to a corner and forced her to use continuous moves, even I was impressed. But the girl hesitated to use lethal moves, and Mei took advantage of the moment to escape. If they weren't sisters, you would have won."

But Moxiang, uninterested, said curtly:

"Since I lost, I'll go back to my quarters without further nonsense."

The leader couldn't stop him. He was frustrated that the situation had unfolded this way, preventing him from asking Moxiang more questions, but it was too late to change anything. Moxiang controlled Han Yingying for