After Breaking Off the Engagement, I Started Pursuing My Master-Chapter 38 - A Sword Duel

Chapter 38: A Sword Duel

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Chu Xianning stood up.

Her body swayed slightly. The spirit wine Jiang Huai brewed wasn’t very strong; it was just that Chu Xianning had a low tolerance for alcohol. Of course, with her cultivation, dispelling the effects of the alcohol would take but a moment, but if she did that, what would be the point of drinking?

Jiang Huai, concerned, followed Chu Xianning closely, watching as she pushed open the door to her room and lay down on the bed. He grabbed the blanket and gently covered her body. Chu Xianning soon closed her eyes.

“Master?”

Jiang Huai called out, but there was no response.

“Master…?”

Jiang Huai called again, the wicked thoughts in his heart beginning to grow.

Chu Xianning still had her eyes closed, as if asleep, but her lips were slightly parted, as if inviting Jiang Huai to do something bad.

A “ding” sounded in Jiang Huai’s ear.

【Master Chu Xianning has especially complex feelings for you. Initially, she treated you as her own, but as you grew older, your filial affection for her changed. How could the astute Chu Xianning not notice this? But since you are master and disciple, almost like mother and son, Chu Xianning prepared a marriage for you with Luo Qingyu in her confusion, thinking it would sever your thoughts for her, yet now that your cultivation is gone, the marriage arrangement is canceled as well.】

【Granny Jiuyou’s prescription still troubles Chu Xianning, who is unsure whether she should dual cultivate with you to heal your injuries. She thought about committing suicide on the spot after dual cultivating with you, but then worried that you would feel guilty, making her even more anxious.】

【Now that Master Chu Xianning is drunk, you have long coveted her lips. The kiss last time did not satisfy your greedy heart, and now the opportunity is right before you. How can you miss it?】

【Kiss Master’s lips, kiss Master’s cheeks, kiss Master’s collarbone, kiss Master’s feet.】

【Reward: low-grade experience scroll*10, points*10 million.】

Jiang Huai scanned the task screen before him, and for some reason, his heart seemed to quietly calm down. He sat beside Chu Xianning, looking at her as she had already fallen asleep, silent for a long time. Only when he was sure that Chu Xianning was truly asleep did he softly say,

“I… can never guess what kind of feelings Master has for me.”

“But it seems that’s just how it is. Human emotions are complex and ever-changing. From childhood to adulthood, Master has always treated me extremely well, never letting me suffer the slightest grievance. I’m too greedy, always fantasizing that one day Master will smile upon seeing me and grow old with me.”

“Perhaps it’s because of me that Master is so uneasy. I’m always hoping that Master actually has a bit of romantic affection for me, holding onto this fantasy and refusing to let go. I know why Master arranged that marriage for me. Master has already rejected me, and I shouldn’t be so persistent.”

“Yet I always think, Master has been practicing swordsmanship for so many years, mustn’t she feel cold? I want to stay by Master’s side, so she won’t have to practice her sword alone in silence.”

“Maybe Master is right; I am a very greedy person. Only when Master truly rejects me will I obediently leave.”

Jiang Huai brushed the hair from Chu Xianning’s cheek and carefully adjusted her blanket, whispering, “Master, sleep well, good night.”

Jiang Huai stood up, extinguished the glowing stones in Chu Xianning’s room, and left.

.......

Inside the room.

Chu Xianning slowly opened her eyes, her cool gaze showing a hint of helplessness. She moved to wrap herself tightly, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and her cool eyes seemed to show a trace of resentment.

In a very soft whisper, she muttered,

“Little scoundrel.”

......

The next day.

Mist and rain lingered among the mountain forests, with the chorus of a hundred birds singing.

Jiang Huai rose early to make sweet and sticky red bean cakes, Luo Qingyu’s favorite, as he would be sending her back to her sect in two days, so he made extra.

After breakfast, it was time to prepare for today’s inner sect competition. Jiang Huai headed to Juejian Mountain. Unlike the previous days, the matches today would not be held simultaneously; there would be one at a time, and he had three to fight.

In the first match, he faced the inner sect’s thirty-seventh ranked saber practitioner, defeating him in fifteen breaths’ time. (TLN: Saber here single-edged sword.)

In the second match, he faced the twenty-sixth ranked sword practitioner of the inner sect, taking twenty-four breaths to win, even though his opponent was at the mid-stage of Core Formation.

Jiang Huai could clearly sense that more disciples were paying attention to him. By pricking up his ears, he could faintly hear rumors about him and Luo Qingyu at Alchemy Mountain from two days ago.

The Tianxuan Sect was only so large; any exciting event would spread like a stone causing ripples across a lake overnight, becoming common knowledge.

Jiang Huai’s third match made him narrow his eyes and take things a bit more seriously.

He was facing the third-ranked inner sect disciple, Qin Wugou, the chief disciple of Huangjian Mountain.

Qin Wugou was the sole son of the Huangjian Mountain master and had inherited his father’s talent for the Way of the Sword, achieving Sword Heart Enlightenment at a young age. It was rumored that he had fully mastered the Tianxuan Thirteen Swords by the age of seventeen.

A few years ago, he had participated in the Eastern Region competition alongside Jiang Huai, securing a respectable eighth place.

However, in that edition of the Eastern Region competition, the champion was Jiang Huai, and the runner-up was Luo Qingyu. The two of them represented the entire Eastern Region’s Yuelan Continent, leaving the disciples of the other major sects in the other states of the Eastern Region far behind.

The reason Jiang Huai took this seriously was that this guy also practiced the Immaculate Golden Body.

“Senior Brother Jiang Huai,” Qin Wugou, dressed in green, stood on the platform and respectfully saluted Jiang Huai.

“No need for formalities,” Jiang Huai returned the salute, while also sensing the aura of cultivation Qin Wugou was exuding—late-stage Core Formation, just one step away from entering Nascent Soul.

Moreover, Jiang Huai could tell that his Immaculate Golden Body was also cultivated to the seventh layer.

There was never a shortage of geniuses in the sect. It was just that in the past, his brilliance had overshadowed many other talents. Furthermore, the Immaculate Golden Body that Qin Wugou practiced was not the improved version by Jiang Huai; it required enduring real pain.

Qin Wugou saw through it at a glance—Jiang Huai had almost no spiritual energy circulating in his body. But as a fellow practitioner of the Immaculate Golden Body, he could sense that Jiang Huai’s Immaculate Golden Body was at the same level as his.

“Senior Brother Jiang Huai, is your Immaculate Golden Body also at the seventh layer’s great perfection?” Qin Wugou asked.

“Yes,” Jiang Huai nodded lightly.

“I wish to have a fair sword duel with Senior Brother Jiang Huai,” Qin Wugou said, his expression gentle and refined. He took out two dark iron swords, then lightly tapped his body to temporarily seal his acupoints, preventing any spiritual energy from circulating.

“Alright, then I’m at an advantage,” Jiang Huai said as he took the dark iron sword offered to him.

“Rankings are not important. I just want to experience Senior Brother Jiang Huai’s Tianxuan Thirteen Swords once more,” Qin Wugou’s voice was as gentle as a spring breeze.

“Alright.”

Jiang Huai remembered Qin Wugou. Qin Wugou was a year younger than him and had crossed swords with Jiang Huai in past inner sect competitions. On regular days, he would ponder the Way of the Sword on his own and seek Jiang Huai’s guidance when encountering particularly difficult problems. But he wasn’t just taking advantage of Jiang Huai; every time he came, he would bring spirit stones as tuition. Jiang Huai felt embarrassed to take so many spirit stones from him, so he would occasionally ask him to bring some spiritual fruits from Huangjian Mountain.

After Jiang Huai was injured, Qin Wugou had also visited him. Jiang Huai remembered that, for many years, Qin Wugou had always been seen as a gentle and refined gentleman in the eyes of others.

Qin Wugou gripped his sword and took a step forward.

Jiang Huai also held the hilt of his sword, and in an instant, the cold edge was upon him.

At the age of fifteen, Qin Wugou had comprehended the sword intent that many sword practitioners dreamed of. Sword intent was profound and mysterious. The sword intent he comprehended, he named “Weak Water.”

His Tianxuan Thirteen Swords were also fully integrated with his sword intent. The moves were the same, but many subtle aspects were more harmonious, like an impenetrable wall. Jiang Huai felt as if his sword light was like flowing water, seemingly enveloping and suffocating him.

In Jiang Huai’s understanding, sword intent was the ultimate realization of sword techniques, requiring a sword in one’s heart and sufficient soul strength.

Jiang Huai had also comprehended sword intent earlier than Qin Wugou. But embarrassingly, he did not practice as diligently as Qin Wugou; he spent at most one-tenth of the time Qin Wugou did on sword practice.

He had comprehended his sword intent at the age of eight when his master stood before him and formally asked him what his purpose in cultivation was.

Jiang Huai’s answer was simple: he just wanted to have a sword in hand and not be bullied by others. Beyond that, he desired nothing more and was content to let nature take its course.

His memories of his previous life were bleak, and in this life, being able to eat well and wear warm clothes, and even having a beautiful master to care for him, Jiang Huai never asked for much. He couldn’t think of a good name for his sword intent, and while practicing the sword, he would often feel dazed due to his natural talent, always afraid that this life was like a dream.

After some thought, he named his sword intent “Mirror Flower.”

To this day, everything he had could be attributed to good fortune, so he was always cautious, keeping to his own small plot of land and not inviting trouble. Occasionally, he felt as if everything was as illusory as flowers in a mirror and the moon reflected in the water.

Qin Wugou’s sword flashed before Jiang Huai, but each time it was blocked by Jiang Huai’s sword. They both used the Tianxuan Thirteen Swords, and the numerous disciples below watched as they dueled with the Tianxuan Thirteen Swords, from the First Form to the thirteenth. Both were decisive and did not hesitate, and with every contact of the dark iron swords, sparks flew.

At Tianxuan Sect, ninety percent of the disciples had yet to reach the threshold of the twelfth form of the Tianxuan Thirteen Swords. Yet in the hands of Qin Wugou and Jiang Huai, they were as familiar as breathing.

The same techniques, but with different variations due to the level of sword intent, they dueled for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, each retreating half a step.

Qin Wugou’s sword had touched Jiang Huai once, leaving a mark on Jiang Huai’s Immaculate Golden Body.

Jiang Huai’s sword had touched Qin Wugou sixteen times.

“How much have I improved compared to half a year ago?” Qin Wugou asked sincerely, without any frustration.

“It feels like about fifty percent. Your thirteenth sword has many new variations, and your comprehension of sword intent has also improved a lot,” Jiang Huai answered truthfully.

“I want to experience Senior Brother Jiang Huai’s ‘Moonlight’ again.”

“It wouldn’t be good if you got hurt.”

“I’ll release the seal on my acupoints and spiritual energy.”

“Alright.”

Qin Wugou took a step back, released the seal on his spiritual energy, and protected himself with it. Jiang Huai also gripped his dark iron sword tightly. ‘Moonlight’ was the First Form of Chu Xianning’s ‘Silver Radiance,’ which had a total of three forms, each with only one strike.

It was said that when the ‘Moonlight’ sword was drawn, only its shadow could be seen, not its form, as the strike pursued the ultimate speed.

Jiang Huai gripped the spirit sword, held his breath, and even without a trace of spiritual energy, he had used this strike thousands of times. It was just a little slower than usual without the enhancement of spiritual energy.

The sword moved, the shadow followed, the wind rose, and the clouds stirred, all in an instant.

A flash of sword light flickered in Qin Wugou’s eyes, and when he looked down again, the sword had already cut through his spiritual energy shield.

The dark iron sword ultimately couldn’t pierce his Immaculate Golden Body, and as the sword shattered, his heartbeat seemed to pause for a moment.

He was stunned for about three or four seconds, then finally looked down with a wry smile.

“I admit defeat. It seems I still have a long way to go to catch up with Senior Brother Jiang Huai.”

Jiang Huai waved his hand, “No, I’m already a cripple. You still have a long way to go.”

Qin Wugou looked at Jiang Huai’s indifferent demeanor and said softly, “If only I could have Senior Brother Jiang Huai’s state of mind.”

“It’s just making the best of a bad situation.”

Qin Wugou seemed to think of something and lowered his voice, “I had a sword duel with Li Qiusheng some time ago. His swordsmanship is not a bit inferior to mine. Rumor has it that his father has found many spiritual medicines for this inner sect competition. Senior Brother Jiang Huai, please be extra careful in tomorrow’s battle.”

“Alright, thank you,” Jiang Huai nodded lightly.