Chapter 461
The half-broken sword slipped from the hands of Princess Yu Yang, a top-tier weapon, its edge smooth as a mirror. Along with it, a few strands of hair fell to the ground.
“Did I win?”
Jiang Chulong pushed up her sunglasses and let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Then she hurried off the stage.
To everyone else, it seemed like she had drawn her sword, finished her task, and left with the grace of a master...
In reality, little Jiang was so nervous under the gaze of so many people that she quickly ran to Li Dage’s side, clutching at his sleeve.
“Li Dage, I won a lot of rice!”
“Hmm, not bad…” Li Mo nodded, a bit dazed.
“What sword technique was that just now?”
Ying Bing recalled that Jiang Chulong hadn’t grasped such a technique in her previous life.
Li Mo was also a bit confused; he hadn’t taught her.
Why not teach? Because he didn’t know it himself!
“It was… um… something my teacher, Tian Zun, showed me. I just memorized it after watching it once. This sword technique is a bit difficult; I pondered over it for quite a while.”
“A single blade cutting through the sun, moon, and stars?”
“Yeah! Li Dage, you’ve seen it too?”
“…”
Little Li gasped in shock.
That was just a boast to motivate little Jiang to practice her swordsmanship.
No way… you really understood it?
“Unfortunately, I just figured it out and I’m not brave enough to demonstrate it for the teacher yet.”
Jiang Chulong lowered her head, speaking timidly.
She felt it wasn’t perfect enough to show off to Tian Zun; it would be a bit embarrassing.
“…”
Li Mo felt as if he had been struck by a sword in the heart.
Fortunately, he had just won a little money, which somewhat comforted his wounded spirit.
“Li Dage, how much rice did we win?”
…
“Three mountains of gold and five hundred Xuanjing, with odds of one to eight.”
“I lost twenty-four mountains of gold and four thousand Xuanjing?”
The Fourth Prince turned pale, his hand trembling around the teacup, spilling tea all over himself, making him look like a limp ragdoll.
The other nobles had no time to pay him any mind, their gazes subtly shifting toward the Crown Prince of Dayu.
That day, Jiang Yu entered the cold palace.
When he emerged, he was covered in blood, clutching a struggling sword-shaped bone, and then a palanquin was carried out.
They didn’t hear any cries, only weak murmurs from within:
“Mother, I want to eat warm rice…”
“It hurts so much… it really hurts…”
The palanquin was carried out of the palace walls, and they thought they would never see that little girl again, who seemed like a ghost, growing up in the dark crevices of the palace.
But she returned, and without that bone, she hadn’t died; instead, she miraculously grew even stronger.
And what about Jiang Yu, who had taken the sword bone?
---
**Chapter 515: Li Mo vs. Xie Xuan**
In the palace.
“How could Yu Yang lose? This is unacceptable.”
Emperor Jing Tai shook his head with a sigh, though he couldn’t hide the smile on his face. “Chulong has become so formidable…”
As he spoke, he smiled at Empress Chu Ge.
“They are all of your bloodline, Your Majesty. What difference does it make?”
Empress Chu Ge squinted her eyes, still wearing that affectionate gaze, but the curve of her lips seemed a bit cold.
Jiang Chulong looked too much like that woman.
Especially when wielding a sword.
How did she manage that?
But then Empress Chu Ge relaxed her brow.
The royal family hadn’t placed much hope on Yu Yang; he was merely going through the motions.
The main event was still Jiang Yu.
“I wonder how Jiang Chulong will fare against Yu’er, Your Majesty… what do you think?”
Her voice was soft, but just loud enough for those nearby to hear.
“Do you dare?”
Emperor Jing Tai turned his head, a glint of coldness in his eyes.
“Isn’t Your Majesty the best at turning a blind eye?”
Empress Chu Ge smiled innocently. “Why can’t you turn a blind eye to me as well?”
---
At Tianshan Sword Manor.
“What a great sword intent!”
“What sword technique is that?”
“It seems to have traces of our Tianshan Sword Manor, but it’s mostly her own style.”
“That girl looks somewhat familiar. Have I seen her somewhere?”
“She looks… so much like…”
Several disciples of Tianshan Sword Manor had their eyes shining.
“If we were in the same realm, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to match her.” Xie Xuan shook his head, but there was no sign of disappointment on his face.
After all, she was the daughter of Master Shi, and it was only natural for her sword talent to surpass his.
Moreover, Jiang Chulong’s realm was still low; the pressure she exerted on him was far less than that of Ying Bing.
Hopefully, they wouldn’t meet too soon…
Xie Xuan looked up at the map of the nation and indeed found Ying Bing’s name.
**[Ying Bing vs. Jiang Chengling]**
He silently sighed in relief; he still vividly remembered their sparring in front of Buyun Tower.
Who would he face first?
Looking down, Xie Xuan suddenly froze.
**[Xie Xuan vs. Li Mo]**
---
At that moment, the host took the stage, and it was the same purple-robed eunuch who had presided over the Armament Conference. This time, he wasn’t alone; beside him were Du Wufeng and Xie Yiding, two strong judges from Tianshan Sword Manor.
It looked very professional.
They were commenting on the matches of the rising stars, discussing the odds of victory.
“It’s a surprise! Jiang Chulong defeated Jiang Yu Yang with a single strike! What an astonishing sword!”
The purple-robed eunuch held a conch shell that amplified his voice:
“However, the upcoming matches should be even more exciting. What do the two seniors think?”
“There’s not much to say about Ying Bing vs. Jiang Chengling. Her martial arts skills are so profound that even I find them unfathomable. As a fellow practitioner of the Eight Apertures of Observation, I can’t imagine anyone who could defeat her,” Du Wufeng shook his head.
“What about you, Senior Xie… Senior Xie?”
The purple-robed eunuch noticed that Xie Yiding was still lost in thought, staring at Jiang Chulong.
Just a hint of resemblance was enough to leave the master of the Sword Dao captivated.
“Master, your headpiece has fallen off.”
Du Wufeng said nonchalantly.
“Hmm?”
Xie Yiding suddenly snapped back to reality, touched the headpiece on his head, and shot an unfriendly look at Old Du.
“Master, everyone is waiting for your commentary.”
“Hmm, Jiang Chengling… forget it, there’s nothing much to introduce. He doesn’t even have the qualifications to make Han Xianzi take him seriously. It’s pointless to elaborate.”
Xie Yiding decisively determined the outcome of that match.
“What about the young master and the God Hammer Little Overlord?”
The purple-robed eunuch asked again.
“In my opinion, Li Mo’s chances are slim, of course, I’m talking about if he doesn’t use the hammer.”
“Why do you say that?” the purple-robed eunuch pressed.
Xie Yiding shook his head:
“First of all, Li Mo is at the Seventh Aperture of Observation, which puts him at a disadvantage in terms of realm.”
“Moreover, while the God Hammer Little Overlord has decent talent in the Sword Dao, he’s still inexperienced. His craftsmanship is too heavy… no, it can be said that it’s entirely lacking in spirit.”
To put it simply, if he were a painter,
Li Mo would spend his entire life only copying others. No matter how well he copied, it wouldn’t be his own work. His future wouldn’t lead him to become a master artist, but rather an expert in forgeries.
If someone were to provide him with acid-free paper and color-changing ink…
Ahem, that’s just a metaphor. In simpler terms, Li Mo’s sword is lifeless; even if it resembles others, it’s still lifeless.
“On the blade, the Heavenly Man Divine Sword is not inferior to the ancestral sword, but Li Mo is unlikely to unleash its true power, while Xie Xuan has been in close contact with the ancestral sword day and night.”
Du Wufeng thought for a moment but still shook his head. “Little Li’s chances are indeed slim.”
The audience, mostly commoners and onlookers, naturally picked up on this obvious implication.
Overall, the advantage lay with Xie Xuan.
“The God Hammer Little Overlord vs. Xie Xuan; we’re about to witness the first clash of divine weapons.”
“Xie Xuan is on stage, but why is Li Mo still standing there?”
“It seems like Han Xianzi’s match is almost over…”
---
Jiang Yu took a sip of tea, thinking Jiang Chengling would at least test Ying Bing’s skills.
He never expected the defeat to come so quickly.
How long had it been since he felt a sense of crisis from someone of his own generation?
Emotional fluctuations are truly a wonderful thing, even if they come in the form of crisis, anger, and… fear.
On stage, Xie Xuan held a wooden sword, looking down in slight confusion.
“Li brother, what’s going on?”
“Just wait a moment, just a little longer.”
Li Mo shook his head, showing no signs of tension, his gaze completely off Xie Xuan.
“Waiting for what?”
Xie Xuan was utterly baffled.
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