Volume One: The Turmoil of Yan and Yun Chapter Thirty-Seven: In the Name of the Sword (Part Three)

The Sword Guardian considered matters more deeply than the Blade Guardian.

Regardless of how these sects appeared to be connected to the Divine Empire on the surface, until instructions were received from the Divine Emperor, it was not their place to incite or influence them.

Back when Dugu Feiyun was still present, the Divine Empire regarded any ties between noble families and sects as poisonous vipers. Now, sixteen years since Dugu Feiyun’s ascension, the empire lacked that stabilizing pillar, and the Emperor would never tolerate private connections between the Divine Guardians and the sects.

One cannot allow others to sleep soundly beside their own bed—such is the principle.

The current Divine Emperor was considered a rare wise ruler, but the Sword Guardian did not believe he would ever accept such actions.

He was fretting over how to persuade the Blade Guardian to let this pass, when suddenly he overheard Feng Muyun softly say, “Perhaps my experience is lacking, but doesn’t the technique the Wind Guardian is using now resemble the Zen sect’s Slumber Meditation?”

All present, except for the Sword and Blade Guardians, were stunned.

Since the Zen sect sealed their mountain, no Buddhist disciples had appeared in the world, and the three supreme heart techniques of the Zen sect had vanished for years.

Yet today, two of the three had resurfaced at once.

The Immovable Zen, a force that kills with the power of thunder.

The Slumber Meditation, an elusive technique inspired by a drifting boat.

The Wind Guardian could also, in theory, manifest a Dharmic Body, but that was only possible after attaining the next stage. For now, restricted to the Primordial Unity realm, neither the Immovable King nor the Great Dream Tathagata’s manifestations could be seen.

“Each generation produces its own talents,” Elder Murong suddenly remarked.

The Wind Guardian surpassed all those present in both cultivation and age, so the elder’s praise could not possibly be directed at him. If not him, then it could only refer to Feng Qi.

The Sword Guardian raised an eyebrow.

The Blade Guardian looked displeased.

Xue Wuhen chuckled, “He has some talent, but he hasn’t yet been tempered—he’s not fit to be seen.”

Feng Muyun eyed Xue Wuhen, thinking that his repeated flaunting was becoming excessive.

The Blade Guardian said, “I’ve never seen anyone at the Beiyan heir’s age master so many techniques. As his master, you haven’t taught him the basic lesson that greed leads to incompetence—he truly isn’t fit to be seen.”

All methods return to one is the supreme path, and the prerequisite for unity of all methods is focus.

Feng Qi’s studies were so eclectic that they must have drained his spirit enormously, making it difficult to reach the pinnacle in any one art.

Human strength has its limits, and energy is a form of strength as well.

The Blade Guardian thought this “advice” would surely deflate Xue Wuhen’s arrogance, but instead, it only gave him more reason to boast.

Xue Wuhen followed up, “Indeed, if he had specialized, perhaps he’d already mastered the third level of these arts.”

The Way gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, and Three to all things.

Three represents the ultimate for all techniques in the world; even the old emperor, considered the most gifted cultivator of ancient times, only attained the unity of the world after the age of twenty.

Yet what Xue Wuhen said was not entirely wrong.

On the surface, Feng Qi had mastered the Invincible Momentum of the Overlord Spear; the Hidden Sword of No Life from the Traceless Sword; and the Immovable Zen from the Immovable Vajra Technique.

Judging by difficulty alone, this seemed no less impressive than mastering the third level of a single technique.

At least, the Blade Guardian’s Blade Shadow Style certainly could not match Feng Qi’s talent.

Realizing this, his expression grew even darker.

Though Xue Wuhen’s gaze remained on the arena, he was covertly watching the Blade Guardian, and was greatly satisfied at the sight of his expression.

“A shift is coming,” the Sword Guardian suddenly announced.

Almost as soon as he spoke, the torrential sword-light came to an abrupt halt, and Mo Gu’s figure appeared, drifting like a leaf.

“My vital energy is nearly spent,” Feng Qi said seriously.

“In terms of Primordial Unity, I’m nearly depleted myself,” Mo Gu replied.

“One last move?” Feng Qi flicked his sword, his gaze clear as water.

The Wind Guardian frowned. Both the Concealed Wind Art and the Slumber Meditation were meant for protracted battles. While he could use lethal techniques within the Primordial Unity realm, he wasn’t sure if those so-called ultimate moves could do anything to this little monster before him.

They say those in the thick of things are often blinded, but he was perfectly lucid.

The Slumber Meditation used little energy, but the Hidden Sword of No Life consumed a great deal. The fact that Feng Qi could control the cessation of the Hidden Sword was already astonishing. What was even more incredible was that he still had enough energy left for a finishing blow.

Such control—among all the prodigies he had seen in his life, not more than five could match it.

Nonetheless, he accepted the challenge. Two azure wings of wind unfolded from his back, like those of a white crane. If one listened carefully, one could hear a clear, ringing cry.

Grains of sand rolled slowly across the ground, gathering speed.

The cry of the crane was tinged with an ancient, sorrowful wail—part lament, part fury, part weeping, part plea.

The wind rose.

Feng Qi’s eyes brightened, and his sword began to shine as well.

As if in answer to the white crane’s cry and the sighing wind, his sword rang out with a clear, metallic note!

The rolling yellow sand slowed, then stilled.

The vital energy around both men had become almost tangible, like glowing armor.

The Wind Guardian’s armor flowed toward his wings.

Feng Qi’s armor streamed toward his sword’s edge.

The dueling platform was now marked by dozens of scratches, deep and shallow—whether left by wind blades or sword qi was impossible to tell.

Sword and wind sang in harmony.

A vast curtain, woven of wind blades and sword qi, now divided the stage.

A fierce gale swept up, filling the air with yellow sand.

The Blade Guardian could bear it no longer and roared, “Sword Walks the Rivers and Mountains? Damn it, Xue Wuhen! When this is over, I’m going up Wind and Thunder Peak myself to demand an explanation from Sword Supreme!”

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Within every martial art, there are three kinds of methods.

One is the battle technique—like the sixteen styles of the Overlord Spear—suitable for ordinary combat, and usually sufficient.

Another is the heart method—like the Invincible Momentum of the Overlord Spear, or the Immovable Zen of the Immovable Vajra Technique. These are rarely used, for they depend on the tide of battle; if the enemy has already unleashed a powerful technique, to challenge that with mere invincibility is courting death.

The last is the ultimate technique—like the Hidden Sword of No Life or the Desperate Stand. Once such a move is unleashed, it can decide not only victory or defeat, but life or death.

That was why they were so shocked that someone of Feng Qi’s age had already mastered the Hidden Sword of No Life, the signature move of one of the five peaks of Snowcloud Sect.

But what they hadn’t expected was that Feng Qi had mastered more than one ultimate technique from Snowcloud Sect.

Besides the Hidden Sword of No Life, he had also learned Sword Walks the Rivers and Mountains from Wind and Thunder Peak!

Just what kind of monster was he?

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