Volume Two: Snow Over the Qin River, Chapter Ten: The Debate of Swords Across the Peaks (Part IV)

Page 1 of 3

Mei Qinghan might indeed have had something wrong with his head, but at least there was one thing he had not said incorrectly—at least, he had not miscalculated.

After Mou Linhan won his sword duel, the voices within the peak, which had only just begun to settle, grew restless once more. Many disciples, along with some of the elders, remained firmly determined that the Peak Master should take Mou Linhan as his disciple instead.

If Mou Linhan could defeat even one Sword Heir in the duels to come, the pressure on Xue Wuji and Feng Qi would be pushed to its absolute peak.

A man capable of defeating a Sword Heir, yet not a Sword Heir himself.

That could not be justified by reason, emotion, law, or principle.

No matter how Feng Qi looked at it, he felt that Mou Linhan’s final choice had been deliberate: he had used the wrong method of response to create the appearance of mutual destruction.

Had he not been the eldest disciple of Unmarked Peak, Feng Qi might even have suspected that he would ultimately choose to lose to Mei Qinghan.

Looking at Mou Linhan’s composed expression, Feng Qi had many things he wanted to say. For instance: My ability to withstand pressure is actually quite good, and I have never cared much about other people’s opinions or gossip. There is no need for you to share my burden through such a method. As for Master, he is already of such an age—if he cannot withstand even this degree of pressure, then he is hardly worthy of the name Snowcloud Sword of Law.

But he said nothing.

Perhaps the sunlight was too intense, or perhaps Mou Linhan’s smile was too bright.

The next match was Wan Jiang against Wu Fan, the former Sword Heir of Thousand-Blade Peak.

After Zhou Zihan entered Thousand-Blade Peak, Wu Fan was quickly stripped of his title as Sword Heir. Yet compared with Unmarked Peak, scarcely anyone had objected to the decision. For one thing, Wu Fan had a violent temper, and his reputation and popularity in Snowcloud had never been particularly good. For another, in a battle between equals, he had lost to Zhou Zihan after witnessing a higher realm of swordsmanship.

According to those who had been present, it had been a crushing defeat without the slightest suspense.

It would have been bad enough if the number of his sword intents had been inferior to Zhou Zihan’s. They were not even as pure.

This meant that, at least on the path of the sword, he could never cross the great mountain that was Zhou Zihan.

For any Snowcloud disciple, that was difficult to accept. For a former Sword Heir, it was even worse.

He had been furious after that day, yet he had not lost his temper even once. He had grown as silent as a statue.

The disciples of Thousand-Blade Peak privately said that Wu Fan intended to challenge Sheng Yun or Zhang Chen at this Sword-Duel Assembly, proving that he was worthy of the title of Sword Heir.

Thus, almost no one favored Wan Jiang in this battle.

Mou Linhan looked toward the sword platform and said to Feng Qi, “You were confined to the peak as soon as you entered the sect, and then immediately took part in the Sword-Duel Assembly. You still know very little about what goes on within the peak. The person below is Wan Jiang, the second-ranked disciple of Unmarked Peak. Going by rank, he is your second senior brother.”

Feng Qi nodded, then suddenly thought of something and asked, “Only the fifteen highest-ranked disciples of each peak may be addressed by rank. Earlier, I saw several senior brothers from Unmarked Peak, but... they did not seem to hold seats.”

Mou Linhan nodded. “The Weishui region has been unsettled lately. Junior Brother Dong Siyun took the disciples ranked fourth through fifteenth there to provide support.”

Feng Qi asked in surprise, “They are not participating in the Sword-Duel Assembly?”

Mou Linhan shook his head. “It is called a grand occasion, but to them, it is not particularly important.”

“Why not?”

“Let me put it this way. For disciples, the Sword-Duel Assembly serves two purposes. First, to perform outstandingly and catch the eye of an elder from one of the peaks, thereby being accepted as a personal disciple. Second, to place among the top three and win the rewards prepared by the sect. Junior Brother Dong and the others already have masters, so they naturally cannot join another peak. And their strength would make it difficult for them to place among the top three. Therefore, going to the Weishui region to quell the unrest is far more worthwhile.”

Feng Qi grew even more puzzled. “By that logic, wouldn’t hardly anyone participate in the Sword-Duel Assembly? Wouldn’t it simply become a contest among the several Sword Heirs?”

Mou Linhan laughed softly. “That is precisely why the duels you watched earlier seemed so dull. The sect imposes requirements on the number of participants from each peak. A peak cannot simply send one person.”

Feng Qi began to understand. “I see. Then aren’t they just making a whole group of ordinary disciples run alongside the favorites?”

Mou Linhan shook his head. “Not entirely. In general, the candidates are chosen by the chief disciples of each peak, and they receive corresponding compensation. Moreover, a good performance benefits them when seeking a master—or when asking their own masters for rewards.”

After a pause, he continued, “Your result in this Sword-Duel Assembly has been quite good, but that does not mean you can stand unrivaled among the Primordial Unity cultivators of Snowcloud Sect.”

Page 1 of 3

Page 2 of 3

Feng Qi nodded, but his gaze had become somewhat fixed.

Below, Wan Jiang first used the Hidden Weapon Stance to lure his opponent in. Then, at the narrowest instant, he twisted aside and evaded Wu Fan’s thrust. He followed with seven consecutive sword strikes, breaking Wu Fan’s sword momentum, and finally thrust from an extremely treacherous angle, driving his blade straight into Wu Fan’s right shoulder.

At the same time, Wu Fan kicked Wan Jiang in the lower abdomen and sent him flying. Had he not done so, Wan Jiang might well have pressed his advantage and pursued him until victory was secured.

Blood sprayed through the air.

The entire audience was stunned.

“Floating Boat Crossing the Void?” Mou Linhan murmured. “I never thought Junior Brother had actually mastered this technique.”

Feng Qi was slightly startled. “The Wind-and-Rain Sword of Turbulent Fate?”

Mou Linhan nodded. “In his early years, Junior Brother Wan rendered great assistance to Kunlun and received instruction from Void Sword. Void Sword passed the Wind-and-Rain Sword of Turbulent Fate on to him.”

“If that is the case,” Feng Qi said, “then this battle may not be as certain as everyone imagined.”

Mou Linhan smiled and ruffled his hair. “Every ranked disciple is a heaven-blessed prodigy. Talent, temperament, and opportunity are all indispensable. Do not underestimate them.”

As they spoke, the two combatants below clashed once more. Flying swords crossed in a storm of sparks, producing sword cries that were sometimes clear and sometimes shrill.

No one had expected Wan Jiang to fight Wu Fan to this point. The gap between the second-ranked and first-ranked disciples was not large, but it still existed.

Especially when Wu Fan’s goal this time was... Sheng Yun or Zhang Chen.

“Falling Cherry Blossoms!” A disciple from Wind-Thunder Peak recognized the sword technique Wan Jiang was using.

“Thousand Blades! Senior Brother Wu Fan is going to meet force with force!” the disciples of Thousand-Blade Peak cried out.

“He changed techniques! As expected of Unmarked Peak’s second-ranked disciple. He can actually withdraw the force of his sword strike at a moment like this. Is he not afraid of suffering backlash from his sword intent?”

“This is... Six Dragons Returning to the Sun? Just how many sword techniques does Senior Brother Wan know?”

“Mastery matters more than variety. When it comes to the sword, why would our Snowcloud Sect need to study the techniques of other schools? Look—can’t Six Dragons Returning to the Sun still break Thousand Blades?”

“Wait, Senior Brother Wu Fan changed techniques too! This is... Thousand-Blade Vista!”

The waves of discussion among the watching disciples rose higher and higher, but they did not affect the battle below.

Wu Fan stepped onto his flying sword and soared into the air. As he rose, countless sword shadows appeared around him in ring after ring, each one seeming almost solid.

This was the second level of Thousand-Blade Sword Intent: Thousand-Blade Vista.

Compared with Wan Jiang, Wu Fan’s greatest advantage, apart from his cultivation, was the true sword of Thousand-Blade Peak that he had obtained during his time as Sword Heir.

In other words, now that he had used Thousand-Blade Vista, the battle had already reached its conclusion.

Regardless of who won or lost, the outcome would be decided after this move.

Wan Jiang looked at Wu Fan, and a trace of envy flickered in his eyes before vanishing in an instant.

He drew a deep breath and finally assumed the opening stance of the Unmarked Sword—Intent Sword.

This was the first time he had used a Snowcloud Sect sword technique during the entire Sword-Duel Assembly. Yet unexpectedly, it was merely Intent Sword, a technique that even entry-level disciples could learn.

“After the battle at Kunlun, Junior Brother Wan’s judgment of the battlefield has indeed become much more profound.” Mou Linhan sighed softly. “In that respect, I am inferior to him.”

Feng Qi asked, “Why do you say that, Senior Brother? Intent Sword may be practical, but it is far less substantial than Unmarked Sword Intent. This move from Second Senior Brother hardly seems to be the best choice.”

Mou Linhan cast him a glance. “Do you think everyone is qualified to study Unmarked Sword Intent?”

Feng Qi was slightly stunned. “Is that not the case?”

Page 2 of 3

Page 3 of 3

Mou Linhan shook his head. “Generally speaking, the true sword techniques available for disciples of each peak to study consist only of the first few forms. Unless one has rendered outstanding service or become an elder, there is absolutely no possibility of coming into contact with Unmarked Sword Intent.”

Feng Qi had truly never considered such an answer.

The ancients said that education should be open to all.

If a sect accepted disciples, why conceal knowledge from them?

Perhaps seeing what Feng Qi was thinking, Mou Linhan said, “For one thing, techniques such as Unmarked Sword Intent, Sword Treading Across Mountains and Rivers, and Thousand-Blade Vista require extraordinary talent. Ordinary disciples would find them difficult to master, and before reaching a certain level of cultivation, studying them would merely be a waste of time. For another, techniques of this kind are too powerful. The slightest mistake can lead to the needless taking of lives. And third, a Sword Heir must possess something distinctive.”

Feng Qi was unconcerned. “I have always believed that a Sword Heir’s distinction should be founded upon strength.”

Mou Linhan shook his head. “You are mistaken. Take yourself, for example. Within Unmarked Peak, there are at least eighty disciples who could defeat you, if not a hundred. Could your position as Sword Heir truly be stripped from you on that account?”

Feng Qi considered this and felt that there was some truth to it.

As they spoke, Thousand-Blade Vista finally began to bloom.

Countless sword shadows roared toward Wan Jiang like a river of stars.

Wan Jiang met them with a single sword, striking down one shadow after another without pause.

He walked upstream against the river of stars, advancing toward Wu Fan.

Wu Fan came toward him along the river of stars.

The high-speed collisions between sword shadows and sword formed a barrier-like screen at the point where they met. Judging by this alone, the current Sword-Duel Assembly had already surpassed the duel between Mou Linhan and Mei Qinghan.

Mei Qinghan shook his head, thinking that had he been in Wan Jiang’s place, he would already have lost.

Zhang Chen’s gaze narrowed slightly. Wu Fan was indeed worthy of being called an opponent.

Qiu Yue frowned, somewhat puzzled by the combat strength Wan Jiang was displaying.

Mou Linhan sighed inwardly. Why must Junior Brother go this far?

Under the eyes of the entire crowd, the two finally faced each other once more.

Wu Fan was breathing slightly heavily. “You have lost.”

An unnatural flush rose across Wan Jiang’s face. He nodded. “Even after using all my strength, I still could not defeat you.”

Wu Fan thought, If you could defeat me, how could you still be merely the second-ranked disciple of Unmarked Peak? Yet for some reason, he ultimately did not say it aloud.

During their recent exchange, he had glimpsed a certain possibility, even if he was unwilling to acknowledge it.

Wan Jiang sighed. “I am somewhat unwilling to accept this.”

Wu Fan thought, You fought me to this point. What more could you be dissatisfied with? At the very least, this proves that you possess the strength to fight a Sword Heir.

Suddenly, Wan Jiang raised his head and looked toward Feng Qi.

“I simply cannot accept this. Why is the Sword Heir of Unmarked Peak not surnamed Mou?”

...

...