Chapter 111: Sword Cultivators Must Never Speak Unnecessarily
Mu Yun Qi nearly lost his temper upon hearing those words.
At that moment, the white-robed elder, who had been shifting his gaze elsewhere, turned back to Mu Yun Qi with a puzzled expression and muttered to himself.
“Hm…? Light Spirit Physique?”
Light Spirit Physique!
At those words, the eyes of the other three elders snapped toward Mu Yun Qi in unison. They too wore looks of bewilderment on their faces.
In this world, there existed people with special constitutions that set them apart from others.
Those with such unique physiques could achieve the same results as others with only half the effort.
For a martial artist like Mu Yun Qi, who possessed a Light Spirit Physique, to also master lightness skills was practically cheating!
The elder named Zhang Zhu smiled at Mu Yun Qi and said,
“How about joining the Dark Realm? If you do, I won’t kill you.”
Dark Realm!
In Zhang Zhu’s eyes, Mu Yun Qi seemed born to be an assassin. If he learned the Dark Realm’s ghostly movement techniques in his current state, he could become a heaven-defying killer!
When Zhang Zhu tried to recruit Mu Yun Qi into the Dark Realm, the white-robed elder and the black-robed elder briefly looked surprised.
The two exchanged glances before turning to Bai Ze and asking,
“Won’t you join Cangmu Academy? If you do, we’ll spare your life.”
Bai Ze and Mu Yun Qi were caught off guard for a moment.
They never dreamed that the very people who had come to kill them would try to recruit them instead. Mu Yun Qi, locking eyes with Bai Ze, curled his lips toward Zhang Zhu and said,
“Death is scary, sure, but betraying Canglan Academy? Impossible.”
Bai Ze nodded vigorously in agreement.
“Canglan Academy is the only place for me too!”
Canglan Academy! It had become their home.
Zhang Zhu looked down at them and said,
“Staying here means dying today. With your talents, you could grow into something great someday. You’re refusing that?”
Bai Ze glanced at Mu Yun Qi and said,
“Mu Yun Qi, tell them for me. I’m not leaving Canglan Academy, so get lost!”
Mu Yun Qi widened his eyes and shot back,
“Dude, the guy’s right in front of you—why make me say it?”
Bai Ze replied bluntly,
“I just don’t wanna talk to those jerks!”
“……”
Hearing this, the white-robed elder shook his head and declared,
“You’ve thrown away your chance at survival. Now you’ll just turn to dust here!”
Zhang Zhu nodded as well.
“We won’t force you. Geniuses are a dime a dozen in this world.”
At that point, the black-robed elder turned toward Ji An Zhi. The other three followed suit, their gazes settling on her.
Ji An Zhi expressionlessly pulled out a massive steamed bun and took a big bite.
The white-robed elder, observing her, shook his head and remarked,
“Nothing special about her, but she’s awakened Blade Intent……”
In an instant, their expressions grew grave.
To comprehend Blade Intent without innate talent or a special physique?
It might sound trivial, but it was far from ordinary. For someone with an average body to grasp Blade Intent meant their mindset and effort were top-tier!
In some ways, such people were far more threatening than natural geniuses.
The white-robed elder scanned Ji An Zhi up and down before speaking.
“Looks like you don’t want to leave Canglan Academy either. No point wasting more words, then!”
Naturally, their eyes now turned to Yeop Hyeon.
Yeop Hyeon!
The one shining brighter than anyone in Jiang Kingdom right now—even more than An Ranxiu had!
The white-robed elder silently appraised Yeop Hyeon.
As expected of Jiang Kingdom’s top prodigy, his face showed no trace of fear even in this situation.
Contrary to their assumptions, Yeop Hyeon was inwardly groaning.
The Heavenly Maiden remained utterly silent.
“Heavenly Maiden! They’re looking for you! You can’t just ignore this!”
But still, silence.
Just then, a sheet of paper drifted out from the entrance to the second floor.
Yeop Hyeon’s expression flickered dramatically as he unfolded it, but he quickly composed himself.
“This won’t work! I can’t beat them!”
Yeop Hyeon looked up at the four warriors. The white-robed elder began speaking to him.
“Peak Soaring Realm, solid foundation, awakened Sword Intent and Battle Intent as a peerless sword dancer… plus a sturdy body… You live up to the rumors as a rare talent. With your current strength, you’d rank in the top ten of the Mubang. Reach Penetrating Nether Realm, and you’d be in the top five fingers at least.”
The black-robed elder nodded.
“Indeed, a talent hard to find even across all of Qingzhou, let alone around Jiang Kingdom. If he keeps growing, he might rival Jeoguk’s Cheok Bal-eon someday! What do you think?”
In response to the black-robed elder’s question, Zhang Zhu gave a faint smile.
“Impressive, yes. Which is exactly why we must kill him.”
The hall fell deathly silent, as if doused in cold water.
The white-robed and black-robed elders stared wordlessly at Yeop Hyeon.
He had to die. They couldn’t let a youth like him grow any further.
The world was friend or foe.
If he wouldn’t join their side, they had to uproot him to eliminate future threats.
At that moment, the man carrying a massive sword on his back suddenly addressed Yeop Hyeon.
“What is your Sword Intent?”
Yeop Hyeon shook his head.
Truth be told, he was immensely curious about his own Sword Intent as well.
If the Heavenly Maiden appeared again, he’d definitely ask!
The problem was, she showed no intention of emerging.
These four warriors before him were far beyond what Yeop Hyeon could handle. If they’d been pushovers, he’d have drawn his sword and charged already.
Then, the white-robed elder scanned the surroundings as if searching for someone before asking Yeop Hyeon,
“So, your master isn’t coming?”
Instead of answering aloud, Yeop Hyeon screamed inwardly,
“Sword Immortal sis… Don’t sleep now… Wake up and fight, please!”
But only silence answered.
Yeop Hyeon’s face darkened utterly. Was she truly abandoning her disciple like this?
The white-robed elder, waiting for his reply, suddenly shouted,
“Looks like I need to give your master a little nudge!”
He raised his hand and pressed down toward Yeop Hyeon’s group.
Boom-!
A pressure like ten mountains crashing down bore down on their heads. Under that immense force, the four nearly collapsed to their knees. Squeezing out every last bit of strength just to endure, blood trickled from their mouths.
They couldn’t even breathe. Their bodies felt on the verge of exploding.
Suddenly, Yeop Hyeon unleashed a lion’s roar. At the same time, a surge of powerful Battle Intent erupted from him, forcibly shoving back the enemy’s pressure.
Finally able to move, Yeop Hyeon stomped the ground hard. His Battle Intent soared skyward once more—this time laced with Sword Intent.
The two intents fused, gradually pushing back the white-robed elder’s power.
Watching from above, the elder narrowed his eyes and yelled,
“Not only wielding two intents, but fusing them into one?!”
His hand pressed down again.
Krunch-!
In an instant, the ground beneath Yeop Hyeon’s group cracked and shattered in all directions.
Yet the four still refused to kneel.
As the elder prepared to strike again, Yeop Hyeon lifted his head and roared,
“I’ll kill you—!”
He stomped with his right foot and shot into the sky.
He couldn’t win. But he’d fight anyway!
Yeop Hyeon was determined to swing his sword, even knowing it meant death.
The white-robed elder sneered, lightly pressing his right hand downward.
Thud-!
Yeop Hyeon slammed into the ground faster than he’d risen, creating a massive crater several zhang deep where the four had stood. The hall echoed with the thunderous impact!
As the elder’s hand moved toward Yeop Hyeon again, a woman’s voice rang out from somewhere.
“Are you looking for me?”
The white-robed elder whipped around. Between the bamboo groves stood a woman in mourning garb, balanced on a single bamboo leaf.
One hand was behind her back, and at her fingertips swirled a bizarre black-and-white energy of unknown nature.
At her appearance, the four elders eyed her warily.
The woman pointed at Yeop Hyeon with a finger and said,
“Close your eyes, child. I need to clean up.”
She then spread her left hand wide and cried out,
“Sword!”
At that instant, the Gyeok Ok Tower within Yeop Hyeon trembled violently. One of the three swords embedded at its peak began vibrating fiercely.
As the tower’s sword shook, Yeop Hyeon’s consciousness blurred as if struck hard on the head. Fresh blood poured from his seven orifices once more.
Mu Yun Qi and the others paled, rushing to support him.
Just then, the woman lightly pressed her left hand downward.
“Not you!”
At her shout, the vibrating sword hummed lowly as if protesting, then fell still.
She extended her left hand forward and called again,
“Come!”
Whoosh-
Suddenly, the bamboo grove roared to life. Leaves lifted into the air en masse, hovering as if time had frozen—then streaked toward her hand. Countless leaves coalesced at her palm, instantly forming the shape of a sword.
Witnessing this, the white-robed elder and the others’ pupils trembled violently.
The sword-bearing man in particular screamed inwardly.
“What is that thing?!”
He’d never even heard of forming a sword like that.
Their reactions were predictable; Mu Yun Qi and the others’ faces were surely priceless.
The first time they’d seen her, she’d dispatched numerous powerhouses in a flash, shaking them to their cores. Curiosity had stirred, but they’d never dared ask about her.
Yeop Hyeon looked up at the woman. Like the others, waves of awe crashed in his heart.
“Heavenly Maiden! So utterly mysterious!”
Mysterious from head to toe. All he knew was that she was strong—incredibly so!
One odd thing: whenever she appeared, the second-floor presence always went quiet.
Meanwhile, the elders watching her from above brimmed with fear and suspicion.
They hadn’t even been attacked yet, but an intangible pressure already bore down on them.
What she’d just shown was more than enough to instill dread.
The woman’s leaf-forged sword now pointed at the white-robed elder and his group.
“Come at me all at once.”
Her words pierced the silent hall like needles into their ears.
Mu Yun Qi elbowed Yeop Hyeon’s side and whispered,
“Yeop, where’d you even find a master like that? Spill it—I need one too!”
Yeop Hyeon replied seriously,
“You wouldn’t cut it.”
“Why? Don’t I look cool enough?”
“Urk……”
Bai Ze made a retching motion beside him.
Ji An Zhi, mid-bite into her bun, spat it out.
Yeop Hyeon patted Mu Yun Qi’s shoulder lightly.
“I used to think you were just a bit narcissistic, but now I see you’re just blind. Hand on heart—do you really think you’re that handsome?”
“……”
At that moment, the man with the greatsword on his back stepped toward the woman’s left flank.
He stared at her intensely for a moment before saying,
“I know all the famed Sword Emperors and Sword Immortals of Jungto Sinju, but a warrior like you……”
The Heavenly Maiden ignored him entirely, speaking to Yeop Hyeon instead.
“Listen well!”
Yeop Hyeon perked up, focusing intently.
She rarely spoke, but when she did, it was always profoundly useful.
Raising her sword toward the man, she declared,
“You follow me to learn the sword, so remember this: A sword cultivator must never open their mouth needlessly. Anything solvable by the sword requires only the sword!”
Strength surged into her sword hand.
The opponent swiftly drew the greatsword from his back.
In that instant, a mighty Sword Intent swept over his body and shot into the air.
Sword Emperor!