Free Web NovelChapter 184: Chapter 184: What Kind of Swordsmanship Is This?
Xie Ningyuan was clearly surprised. He knew Lu Sangjiu disliked Ye Zhiyao, but he hadn’t realized the aversion ran this deep.
This was more than just aversion; this had to be a feud, right?
After all, he had known Lu Sangjiu for some time and knew she wasn’t a bloodthirsty person.
Because of this, he didn’t find Lu Sangjiu’s request for help in killing someone particularly repulsive. After his initial surprise, he couldn’t help but feel a little curious.
"What exactly is the feud between you and her?"
Lu Sangjiu thought for a moment before saying, "To be honest, my wanting to kill Ye Zhiyao right now... it’s a bit unreasonable."
Because from a standpoint of fairness, before I started targeting her, she hadn’t actually done anything truly heinous, even if she wasn’t a great person.
She’s even the protagonist, and her destiny probably isn’t something she can choose.
From that perspective, it was unfair to Ye Zhiyao for me to target her right from the start, even wanting to kill her at one point.
But where in this world can you find so much absolute fairness and justice?
Lu Sangjiu wasn’t some living saint. Between Ye Zhiyao’s life and her own, she would obviously choose herself.
To her, such a choice was perfectly natural, but from an outsider’s perspective, that might not be the case.
She didn’t want to deceive Xie Ningyuan, but she couldn’t explain the details.
So, she simply tried to offer an explanation that was at least somewhat fair to Ye Zhiyao. "Because I believe she’s not a good person, and one day in the future, she might threaten my life and the lives of those close to me."
"So, for me, killing her is the simplest solution. But... I can’t kill her. Perhaps you can."
Lu Sangjiu felt there was something special about Xie Ningyuan. Everything about him seemed to exist outside of this so-called destiny, yet his occasional interventions could change it.
That’s why she was so eager to see: if Xie Ningyuan were to make a move against Ye Zhiyao, would he actually succeed?
After she finished, she looked at Xie Ningyuan with an expectant expression. Unfortunately, after a moment of silence, he shook his head.
"That reason isn’t enough to convince me."
He said seriously, "I may have taken many lives, but I only kill those I deem deserving of death."
"And the reason you’ve given, in my opinion, is not sufficient. So, I’m sorry, but I can’t help you."
Lu Sangjiu pouted and muttered, "I knew it."
’Don’t be fooled by how unreliable he seems now—a liar and a killer,’ she thought. ’Deep down, he’s still that principled little monk.’
This was also why Lu Sangjiu hadn’t wanted to use more self-serving words to convince him to help her kill Ye Zhiyao.
Xie Ningyuan raised an eyebrow. "But I am curious. Why do you think that I might be able to kill her when you can’t?"
Lu Sangjiu explained with a straight face, "Because we’re from the same sect. If I’m caught harming a fellow disciple, I’ll be executed."
"Besides, her master is at the Divinity Transformation Stage. I’m scared, you know? But you’re different. You have a mysterious background and seem really powerful. I figure you wouldn’t be afraid."
Xie Ningyuan: "..."
He was completely speechless. "Oh, I’m so grateful. You just won’t be happy until you get me killed, will you?"
Lu Sangjiu shrugged innocently. "You didn’t agree anyway, so what are you getting so worked up about?"
The two of them whispered for a while, causing Lu Sangjiu to completely miss the provocative glances Ye Zhiyao kept shooting her way while on stage to receive her prize.
Ye Zhiyao had felt utterly vindicated at being chosen, standing on stage in high spirits.
But Lu Sangjiu didn’t spare her a single glance, making Ye Zhiyao feel as if her glares were wasted on a blind person, which only left her feeling more frustrated.
She couldn’t help but secretly vow once again that she would be the one to obtain the Muxian Sword first!
After the prize drawing ended, the final matches officially began.
In the Foundation Establishment Stage bracket, the first match was Lu Sangjiu versus the Lingjian Sect Sword Cultivator who had defeated Yan Zui.
The Sword Cultivator’s name was Yang Cheng. Lu Sangjiu had watched his previous match, so she had a decent understanding of him.
In terms of personality, he had the aloof coldness typical of a Lingjian Sect Sword Cultivator—a man of few words whose sword was fast but lacked any heavy killing intent.
His fighting style was clearly that of a hothouse flower—pretty to look at, but untested by the trials of true battle.
His previous opponent had been Yan Zui, who was also from a sect and, being a woman, likewise didn’t exude a strong killing intent.
Had he faced the Loose Cultivator Shi Feng, Yang Cheng might not have won.
After all, Loose Cultivators have battled their way through the outside world. Not only do they have extremely heavy killing intent, but their fighting styles are also geared purely toward victory, making them a natural counter to cultivators raised in sects.
Although Lu Sangjiu wasn’t a Loose Cultivator, she had fought her way out of the Western Demon Realm. She was by no means lacking in this kind of experience, so she wasn’t nervous about facing Yang Cheng.
When the battle began, Lu Sangjiu took out a Flying Sword.
Yang Cheng was taken aback, clearly surprised. "You intend to compete with me in swordsmanship?"
He had seen Lu Sangjiu’s previous matches and had also made specific inquiries about her.
So he had a rough idea of her signature moves, but he never expected her to draw a sword right from the start.
Lu Sangjiu gave Yang Cheng a slight smile. "Mr. Yang, your swordsmanship is extraordinary. Seeing it brought me joy, so I wanted to take this opportunity to spar with you in swordsmanship first."
Yang Cheng replied with blunt honesty, "I’ve seen you use a sword. Your swordsmanship is merely average. You cannot defeat me by competing in this."
Lu Sangjiu continued to smile. "Thank you for the warning, Mr. Yang, but I’d still like to try."
Yang Cheng said no more. He simply raised his sword and attacked Lu Sangjiu with extreme speed.
Lu Sangjiu moved in response. Her movements weren’t fast, yet she steadily met Yang Cheng’s Fast Sword.
The two exchanged a dozen blows in an instant, the sound of clashing metal ringing out incessantly.
Strangely, Yang Cheng’s Swordsmanship was so fast that the crowd could barely see his movements.
Yet Lu Sangjiu met his blade every time, her own speed steady enough for everyone to see her actions clearly.
This contrast struck the crowd as strange, but those with experience understood immediately.
"Her swordsmanship is clean and efficient, without a single wasted motion. That’s why, even though she isn’t as fast, she can still keep up with Yang Cheng."
"I wonder who she learned this swordsmanship from. I’ve never heard of anyone in the Seven Emotions Sect having a style like this."
"The Seven Emotions Sect is mostly composed of Magic Cultivators. Their only famous Sword Cultivator is the White Sword Venerable."
"But the White Sword Venerable’s style is flamboyant, a far cry from her minimalist swordsmanship."
Speculation was rampant, but no one could truly identify the origin of her swordsmanship.
In truth... it had no origin.
It couldn’t even be called a complete style of swordsmanship. It was simply a counter-method that Lu Sangjiu had deduced after watching Yang Cheng’s own swordsmanship that day.
Of course, this was only possible due to Lu Sangjiu’s own vast knowledge and experience; an ordinary Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator would have been incapable of such a feat.
As the one on the receiving end, Yang Cheng felt the pressure from Lu Sangjiu most acutely.
After exchanging dozens of blows, not only had he failed to gain the slightest advantage, but there were even faint signs that he was on the verge of defeat.
He finally found an opportunity to use the force of a blow to retreat, temporarily putting some distance between himself and Lu Sangjiu. It was only then that he had a moment to catch his breath, and he couldn’t help but ask, "What... what is this swordsmanship?"
