Chapter 70: The Clash of Two Swords

Chapter 70: The Clash of Two Swords

Though claiming to encompass the most powerful figures in the entire cultivation world, the Heavenly Rankings hardly accounted for reclusive masters who had never been a part of the mortal realm or elders whose living statuses remained unknown.

Wudang's former sect master, Yuan Pu Zhenren, was one such figure. He was rarely seen in public since he spent most of his time cultivating in the mountains. By the time the Heavenly Rankings would be announced, no one could say for certain how profound his cultivation had become. Hence, he would not be included in the list.

It was a rare opportunity to meet such a distinguished master before he could even fully condense his Golden Core.

Wang Sheng stepped forward to pay his respects, and the other young Wudang disciples hurriedly bowed as well. They addressed him as "Forefather Master," regardless of whether they were his direct disciples.

However, since Qing Yanzi did not belong to Wudang's Daoist lineage, Wang Sheng could only address him as "Grandmaster."

"No need for formalities," Yuan Pu Zhenren said with a friendly smile.

He casually waved his wide sleeve and drifted past the courtyard gate. With a flick of his hand, he made a grand tutor chair from inside the main house float out and land in front of the entrance. The elder had seated himself with ease.

His every movement exuded a serene and detached aura, as if he were completely at peace with the world around him. Unless naturally prone to a fiery temper, those who cultivated in the mountains for long periods would often become like him—calm, detached, and unshaken by external disturbances.

That was the state of mind that Daoists sought.

Wang Sheng understood that the grandmaster’s Daoist realm far exceeded his cultivation level.

Although the primal qi of heaven and earth had resurged, young cultivators’ shallow comprehension of the Dao still hindered them from advancing quickly. For senior masters, the main obstacles were their declining bodies and dwindling vitality.

Fortunately, while insight into the Dao had to be accumulated over time, their aging physiques and waning vitality could gradually be replenished through the nourishment of primal qi. Hence, a senior master would remain a senior master; a grandmaster would always be a grandmaster.

That was also why those with exceptional talent and remarkable perception, like Mu Wanxuan, had an unparalleled advantage. It would not be surprising for them to fulfill the old saying, "The waves of the Yangtze River push forward, each one surpassing the last, leaving the old ones to crash upon the shore."

Yuan Pu glanced at Gao Shixing and Wang Sheng. "You two are too fixated on the sword. Do not neglect the Dao. Sparring is fine, but do not wound each other. Too much rigidity leads to breaking. A single misstep could damage your Daoist realms."

Wang Sheng had heard the phrase, "Too much rigidity leads to breaking," from his master before.

Knowing that Yuan Pu Zhenren's advice was for their own good, he did not hesitate to bow his head. "Thank you for your guidance, Grandmaster."

Unlike him, Gao Shixing shook his head. "Master, unless we push ourselves to the limit, it will be difficult for us to reach the peak."

"I never expected the resurgence of primal qi would give an old man like me, who already has half his leg in the coffin, a chance to cultivate further. Still, the peak of the sword remains the sword." Yuan Pu Zhenren sighed deeply. "Although I have devoted my life to the Dao of the Sword, I only realized that truth after fifty years of contemplation. I have told you that countless times, yet you refuse to listen."

Gao Shixing smiled bitterly, his demeanor much more natural in front of his master.

Wang Sheng made a small hand gesture to Chi Wen, who had been standing to the side in a daze. She blinked in confusion, looking at her senior brother in a bit of a panic.

What was she supposed to do? Step forward and give the grandmaster a shoulder massage?

"Serve the grandmaster tea."

"

O-oh!

"

Chi Wen hurriedly poured tea into a cup and carefully walked to the elder's side, presenting the tea with both hands.

Yuan Pu Zhenren glanced at her briefly before gazing away. With a faint smile, he nodded and took the teacup. After taking a sip, he just silently held it.

"Let's begin." Gao Shixing turned to Wang Sheng. "We will fight as we did before. Don’t hold back."

Wang Sheng nodded slightly in response. "Understood."

The two assumed their stances.

Yuan Pu Zhenren merely smiled and observed, already well aware that he could not persuade his stubborn disciple. He then observed Wang Sheng for a few moments.

He had left the depths of the mountains to witness Wang Sheng's swordsmanship. If he found him to be a worthy talent, he would not hesitate to offer guidance.

The young disciples stood in silence around the courtyard, watching intently as the two swordsmen faced each other once more.

Wang Sheng and Gao Shixing slowly built up their momentum, carefully searching for any flaw in each other's qi flow. Though they seemed motionless, their auras continued to surge.

Once they reached their peak and could no longer suppress their sword intent, they would be forced to strike. The one to make the first move would be the first to reveal an opening.

Wang Sheng was still slightly inferior in cultivation and mental fortitude. His eyes glinted sharply as Abyss Listener hummed. He took a step forward, shattering the stalemate between their sword intents.

Wang Sheng's momentum weakened slightly, while Gao Shixing's sword intent surged explosively. His eyes piercingly flashed as he unleashed an attack that resembled the rising sun.

Dazzling light radiated from his sword along with refined true essence. The precision and speed of his strike had reached an entirely new level.

Wang Sheng seemed to have expected it, however. He swiftly shifted his stance, stepping sideways while flicking his longsword. Multiple sword phantasms surged forward to meet Gao Shixing's attack.

Blades clashed repeatedly. Maneuvering fluidly with the Seven-Star Footwork, Wang Sheng retreated one step after another. He neither rushed nor turned frantic.

Gao Shixing pursued relentlessly. Like a torrential downpour, his overwhelmingly powerful attacks descended upon Wang Sheng as swiftly as the wind.

The two continued to spar. Gao Shixing's sword techniques had long abandoned the confines of the Seven-Star Sword Technique. Now, he was using every skill he had ever learned.

Nevertheless, Wang Sheng did not falter in the face of Gao Shixing’s onslaught. Aware that his only path forward was to adapt and retaliate, he calmed his mind and maintained his one-man sword formation, weaving phantasms into existence.

Gao Shixing's strikes grew sharper, his longsword emitting piercing whistles with each swing.

Wang Sheng maintained a steady, flowing rhythm, keeping the Seven-Star Sword Formation in harmony with his tempo. To achieve this level of stability in such a battle was already a remarkable feat.

Amid the dazzling sword radiances and shifting phantasms, the two rose, fell, lunged, and turned. Though they both seemed to be purely on the offensive, every strike and maneuver was executed with intense precision.

At the thirty-sixth move, Gao Shixing thrust his sword forward, its blade brushing past Wang Sheng as he took three rapid steps. Mid-turn, he leaped into the air. While tightly holding his longsword with his right hand, he formed a sword finger gesture with his left hand and dove at Wang Sheng like a hawk seizing its prey.

He moved as elegantly as a crane spreading its wings, yet as fiercely as an eagle swooping down on its target.

Still, Wang Sheng's footwork didn’t waver. He tilted Abyss Listener diagonally upward and used the Taiyi Golden Immortal Sword Art’s Drunken Moon-Gazing Immortal.

The combatants’ treasured swords clashed multiple times in mere instants.

Wang Sheng tilted backward as he skidded seven or eight meters across the ground. He then flipped back onto his feet and lunged forward once more, immediately re-engaging Gao Shixing.

At the 109th move, Wang Sheng had just cornered Gao Shixing within his sword formation when he abruptly altered his approach, retreating two steps. When Gao Shixing instinctively pursued, Wang Sheng flicked his wrist and launched three precise strikes at Gao Shixing's wrist, forcing him to retreat in turn.

Seizing the opportunity, Wang Sheng pressed forward with explosive speed. He swung his longsword in a brilliant cascade, instantly enveloping Gao Shixing's vital points with sword radiance in a bid to seize the upper hand.

Yet Gao Shixing merely smiled. His longsword, which he had been swinging at an extreme speed, slowed almost to a stop as he traced a circle in the air before him.

As Gao Shixing completed the motion, all of Wang Sheng's sword phantasms were drawn into the circle, vanishing within its bounds. An invisible force then pulled at Wang Sheng from the front, involuntarily turning him to the left along with Abyss Listener. Gao Shixing stood as firmly as a mountain, effortlessly extending his sword toward Wang Sheng's shoulder.

He had just unleashed Wudang's supreme technique—the Tai Chi Dual-Polarity Sword!

In that brief moment, Wang Sheng quickly adapted. He flowed with the pulling force, rotating while bringing Abyss Listener to his back. The blade perfectly intercepted Gao Shixing's strike.

The impact sent Wang Sheng flying backward. With a few nimble taps of his toes, he stepped into a complete Seven-Star Formation and once again advanced toward Gao Shixing.

Unknowingly, the two had already exchanged over three hundred moves at their full strength.

Gao Shixing’s swordsmanship refinement clearly surpassed Wang Sheng with his years of practice. Moreover, when it came to the complexity of their techniques, Gao Shixing's vast repertoire of moves far exceeded Wang Sheng's by more than tenfold.

Yet Wang Sheng still held his ground With his swordsmanship, he fought Gao Shixing to a standstill, trading attacks in perfect rhythm.

Wang Sheng had two key advantages over Gao Shixing that allowed him to persevere.

When Gao Shixing mastered the sword, the primal qi of heaven and earth had yet to be restored. His techniques bore heavy imprints of Daoist martial arts, making them intricate but also preventing him from fully unleashing his current cultivation potential.

Wang Sheng, on the other hand, had begun his formal sword cultivation only after the return of primal qi. From the very start, he had treated sword techniques as a path of cultivation, seamlessly integrating them with his spiritual growth.

Moreover, his adaptability in combat was superior. Whenever Gao Shixing's techniques put him at a disadvantage, Wang Sheng would counter with an unpredictable strike, catching his opponent off guard.

Within the time it took to finish a cup of tea, the two had exchanged countless moves.

Their duel broadened the horizons of the younger Wudang disciples. Moreover, even Yuan Pu Zhenren’s normally tranquil eyes shone with intrigue.

The fierce battle continued. With Wang Sheng showing no signs of fatigue, the combatants fully immersed themselves in the fight.

Their swords shook, and their sword intents clashed violently. After a few more rapid exchanges, the two finally separated and stared at each other, their eyes crackling like lightning.

Wang Sheng breathed lightly, his true essence surging. Gao Shixing's eyes gleamed sharply as layers of light rippled from his longsword.

Though separated by over ten meters, they swung their swords at the same time, releasing waves of sword energy at each other as if painting the air with strokes of calligraphy.

Explosions echoed ceaselessly as the two darted all over the courtyard at blinding speed. Dust erupted from the ground wherever they passed.

The young disciples turned pale, afraid that a stray sword energy blast would injure them. No one expected Wang Sheng and Gao Shixing’s simple sparring match to escalate into such an intense showdown that made it seem as though they bore deep grudges against each other.

However, despite the chaotic storm of sword energy, their every strike was under their complete control.

The only one truly suffering was Chi Wen, who was now responsible for cleaning the courtyard. With craters all over the ground, restoring it to its original state would take an exhausting amount of effort.

Several arcs of sword energy collided in midair and detonated into a series of bursts, sending the surrounding primal qi into a turbulent frenzy.

Amid it all, Wang Sheng and Gao Shixing charged at each other and unleashed the simplest, most direct move: a forward thrust!

Seven stars circled Wang Sheng as he attacked. The phantasm of an ancient sword overlapped with Abyss Listener, scattering radiant starlight in its wake.

Gao Shixing's thrust, on the other hand, was imbued with a profound Dao Rhythm. His entire presence seemed to embody the essence of transitioning from complexity to simplicity—from martial technique to the Dao itself. He himself was becoming a sword imbued with the Dao.

The two swordsmen simultaneously gathered and unleashed their sword intent. Almost at the same instant, their sword intent shifted as they crossed each other!

Now standing back-to-back, Wang Sheng's Abyss Listener trembled continuously in his grasp. A strand of his long hair drifted down as he closed his eyes, silently sensing something.

Meanwhile, the shoulder of Gao Shixing's Daoist robe had been sliced through, leaving a long tear. Fortunately, his inner garments remained intact. He lowered his gaze, studying his longsword in quiet contemplation.