/
Chapter 107 - One Loss After Another, Sword After Sword Pressed Against the Throat
Yuan Luoxi and Cheng Wuyong were briefly stunned. They looked at each other, and they felt the urge to laugh, but they dared not do so.
They felt much more relaxed after Su Yi expressed that he wasn’t angry.
Yuan Luoxi was even eager to borrow Su Yi’s hands to give her Big Brother Luoyu a good walloping! That would do something about his temper!
He’d tailed her, then climbed the walls, and now he was throwing a fit over nothing. It was infuriating!
“Su Yi, since you stubbornly refuse to come to your senses, let’s settle this like martial artists. Let’s see how tough you really are. How about it?” Yuan Luoyu took a deep breath, then drew his saber.
Clang!
His saber was three feet, seven inches long, like a burst of radiant light. The surface of the blade emanated a faint, blood-colored luster, and its edge was eye-catchingly sharp.
The Bloodfang Saber!
A true spiritual weapon!
Yuan Luoyu gripped his weapon, and his aura expanded around his massive frame. It was terrifying to behold.
Feng Xiaofeng’s expression shifted; he couldn’t help it. Huang Qianjun noticed and hurriedly whispered, “Don’t worry. Just sit back and watch; we’re in for a good show.”
Yuan Luoxi and Cheng Wuyong sighed simultaneously.
As expected, Second Brother chose the most foolish way of resolving this, thought Yuan Luoxi.
As expected, Second Young Master chose the most foolish way of resolving this, thought Cheng Wuyong.
But Su Yi merely smiled. “You’re not going to try and use your status to oppress me? That’s rare and admirable. Alright, I don’t mind playing with you for a bit.”
Had these words come from the mouth of one of Yuan Luoyu’s seniors, he wouldn’t have thought them the least bit inappropriate, but hearing them from someone his own age left Yuan Luoyu deeply displeased.
He forced down his rage, then said, “Weapons have no eyes. If we fight for real, I advise you to obediently admit defeat and save yourself some pain!”
Su Yi gripped his bamboo staff, then pointed to his feet and said lightly, “If you can make me retreat even an inch, I’ll consider it my loss.”
Yuan Luoxi and the others’ expressions were strange, but they didn’t see anything inappropriate about this declaration. After all, all of them had witnessed the grandeur of Su Yi’s Martial Dao.
But Yuan Luoyu’s hair bristled. He couldn’t help but roar, “If I called myself the number-two figure of the Redscale Army’s younger generation, no one would dare proclaim themselves number one! In the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital, even long-established Qi Accumulation seniors dare not take up their weapons and do battle with me, yet a mere Blood Circulation cultivator like you dares speak so shamelessly?! How brazen!”
Then, he turned and glared at the nearby Yuan Luoxi. “This is the man you’re infatuated with? You’ve really gone blind!”
Yuan Luoxi looked at him strangely. “Second Brother, as your younger sister, I must warn you out of the kindness of my heart. You have to be careful, and when it’s time to admit defeat, just give up. There’s no shame in losing to Young Lord Su.”
“.....” Yuan Luoyu was so angry he couldn’t think straight, so angry that he laughed. “Little Xi, you really have lost your senses! Why else would you say something so ridiculous?”
He took a deep breath, and the fury blazing in his eyes transformed into ice-cold, sharp killing intent. Meanwhile, his aura surged like wind and lightning, roaring and booming around him.
When he entered battle, he was like a different person.
He was cool-headed, yet wild with murderous intent!
“I use the murderous intent of the battlefield to temper my saber, and I quench its blade in blood. It’s brimming with baleful energy, and whenever I draw it, I won’t rest until either my opponent or I am dead. But today, I can make an exception. I’ll leave you one last chance at life!” As he said this, Yuan Luoyu roared like a god of war, then pressed off against the ground, propelling his towering figure explosively forward.
He was like a crimson bolt of electricity, cutting through the air.
His Bloodfang Saber swung through the air, like a dazzling burst of blood-colored light. It was a simple swing, but its momentum was fierce and indomitable. It was so terrifying, it left onlookers in a daze. Even from a distance, it felt as if the saber’s edge was right against their throats, and their hair stood on end.
“Second Young Master has achieved a courage born of blood. That’s impressive. I’m afraid that, were I to contend with him, we’d at best be evenly matched.” Cheng Wuyong looked stunned.
“So Second Brother’s this awesome….” Yuan Luoxi looked serious too.
Yuan Luoyu entered the Redscale Army at just fifteen, and in the three years that followed, he’d spent little time at home.
Only now did Yuan Luoxi discover that, although her second brother was only in the early-stage Qi Accumulation Realm, his momentum was no less imposing than Cheng Wuyong’s!
She saw her brother’s saber swinging toward Su Yi, but Su Yi looked calm as ever. He stood there like a towering boulder, not wavering in the slightest.
Has he been scared stupid? A sneer tugged at Yuan Luoyu’s lips.
Clang!
The clear hum of a sword reverberated through the air.
A burst of sword light entered his field of view, stinging his eyes. His pupils unwittingly constricted.
But before he could react any further….
Clang!
Everything seemed to blur, and Yuan Luoyu’s Bloodfang Saber went flying from his hands. At the same time, the sharp tip of a sword pressed against his throat.
The entire courtyard fell silent. Chills coursed down their spines.
It was too fast! Strong as he was, even Cheng Wuyong failed to catch any sign of Su Yi’s attack!
Were it I fighting Master Su, I’m afraid I’d find it hard to escape such an attack…. Cold sweat poured down Cheng Wuyong’s back.
The stronger the onlookers were, the more deeply they sensed how terrifying that sword really was. Huang Qianjun, Feng Xiaofeng, Yuan Luoxi and the others’ cultivations were insufficient, so they weren’t as shaken.
After all, that sword was just too fast. They picked up no hints at all.
The way they saw it, this was to be expected. After all, Su Yi was strong enough to kill a Grandmaster.
Yuan Luoyu looked bewildered. His eyes were wide, and his brow was drenched in sweat.
He dared not move; the tip of Su Yi’s blade was only an inch from his throat, and its sharp energy pricked at his skin, giving him goosebumps.
“You drew your saber, so your attention shouldn’t have wavered. Even a moment’s distraction can lead to fatal openings,” said Su Yi. He withdrew his sword and said flatly, “But if you’re not convinced, you’re welcome to try again.”
Yuan Luoyu took a deep breath and said coldly, “Of course I’m not convinced! This saber of mine is designed to kill. Just now, I held back half my power because I didn’t want to hurt you. That’s what gave you an opening to exploit.”
Even he knew this was nothing but self-deception. After all, he was in the Qi Accumulation Realm, while Su Yi was still in the Blood Circulation Realm!
Yuan Luoyi raised his Bloodfang Saber, calmed his heart, and cast away his scattered thoughts. His expression filled with unprecedented seriousness and solemnity. Everyone could tell that his aura was graver and more tyrannical than before!
Chh!
A ginkgo leaf drifted from a nearby tree, but before it got close, Yuan Luoyu’s aura tore it into powder.
It was then that he attacked with all his might.
Whoosh!
His saber hummed with a flash of dazzling, fiery, blood-colored radiance. He attacked straight ahead, fearless, as if there were nothing in his path.
This attack showed signs of proficiency. It was incomparably dazzling.
A moment later, the onlookers heard another clang of metal colliding against metal.
The Bloodfang Saber went flying yet again.
And just like before, Yuan Luoyu found the tip of a sword against his throat.
Everyone was stunned.
He couldn’t even block a single attack?
As for Yuan Luoyu, his entire hulking frame was quivering. Bewilderment and astonishment were written all over his face. How is this possible?
He’d fully unleashed the power of his Qi Accumulation Realm cultivation. He was confident that the attack he’d just unleashed was enough to slaughter tier-six spirit beasts, yao on par with late-stage Qi Accumulation experts!
Yet now, Su Yi, who was merely at the peak of the Blood Circulation Realm, beat him with a single attack!
The scariest part was that this time, just like last time, the sword stopped just an inch from his throat with almost perversely perfect accuracy.
Su Yi calmly lowered his sword and commented, “That attack of yours is a bit interesting, but it’s missing a certain spirit. The true Dao of the Saber means infusing your breadth of spirit and aura completely into your attacks. Only then can you explode with your maximum power. This is what it means to be ‘one with the saber.’ Unfortunately, it seems you can’t achieve that yet.”
It was as if Yuan Luoyu had lost his soul.
After his first defeat, he perhaps could have made excuses to justify his failure.
Like “I was withholding my true strength” or “I got complacent” or “I couldn’t bear to hurt him”.....
But the second time he lost in the same way, he felt too embarrassed to say anything of the sort.
No excuse could hide the reality of his inferiority!
The part that stung the most was that each time, Su Yi defeated him in a single attack, and it was just as he’d said before their duel: he didn’t retreat so much as an inch from his initial position!
This blow was far too great. A long time passed before Yuan Luoyu came to his senses.
“Second Brother, are you okay? Yuan Luoxi picked the Bloodfang Saber back up and walked over. A hint of concern rose on her beautiful face.
“Just now, did you think me a clown?” Yuan Luoyu lowered his head in dejection. He might be enormous and well-built, but he was still a youth of just eighteen.
In the eyes of his peers, he was a dazzling figure blessed with innate divine strength. Even his seniors praised him nonstop.
His time on the battlefield, bathing in blood and tempering himself through slaughter, had broadened his horizons. As a result, he normally disdained spending time with Cloudriver Prefectural Capital youths his own age.
Who’d have thought that tonight, he’d suffer a complete loss to someone his own age, someone who was still only in the Blood Circulation Realm?
“Second Brother, don’t say that!” Yuan Luoxi hurriedly tried to comfort him. “I told you, didn’t I? There’s no shame in losing to Young Lord Su.”
Cheng Wuyong tried to comfort him too. He said gently, “Second Young Master, by now, there’s no longer any need to keep this a secret. With the methods at Master Su’s disposal, killing Grandmasters with his sword is well within the realm of possibility.”
“Killing a Grandmaster with his sword?” Yuan Luoyu’s body went rigid, and he started fixedly at Su Yi. Don’t tell me this guy is actually some old monster capable of preserving a youthful appearance?
At the same time, he keenly picked up on the fact that Cheng Wuyong’s title for Su Yi had changed from “young lord” to “master”!
Among martial artists, that title was a show of respect for once who’d achieved mastery before oneself!
Yuan Luoxi was just worried that Yuan Luoyu would say something foolish in his shock, so he hurriedly explained, “Second Brother, don’t let your imagination run wild. Master Su is just like us; we’re all about the same age. But he’s different from us too; His methods are like those of a fallen immortal. I’m afraid you’d find few like him even if you searched the entire empire.”
Cheng Wuyong nodded repeatedly.
Yuan Luoyu’s expression shifted erratically. Finally, he turned to Su Yi, bowed, and said in a deep voice, “Young Master Su, I was foolish to offend you, and this defeat had taught me what they mean when they say there’s a heaven beyond the heavens, and that there’s always someone stronger out there. No matter how you see fit to punish me, I’ll accept it without so much as a frown!”
Every word was vibrant and forceful.
Shame was written on Yuan Luoyu’s face.
Su Yi waved dismissively and said, “I said it already: this was just a misunderstanding. You were worried about your little sister. That’s understandable, and I naturally won’t pursue the matter.”
When they heard this, Yuan Luoxi and Cheng Wuyong sighed in relief and smiled.
Huang Qianjun smiled too, then whispered to the nearby Feng Xiaofeng, “Well, how was it? Impressive, right?”
Feng Xiaofeng said in a daze, “When you told me Senior Apprentice Brother Su Yi once killed a Grandmaster, were you telling the truth?”
Huang Qianjun found it rather funny. “Would I dare lie about something like that?”
Feng Xiaofeng couldn’t help but gasp. He clearly remembered the night he first met Huang Qianjun. Huang Qianjun had practically frothed at the mouth as he bragged about Su Yi’s awesomeness.
At the time, Feng Xiaofeng didn’t believe a word of it. He just thought Huang Qianjun was trying to comfort him.
Who could have guessed it was actually all true?
Meanwhile, Feng Xiaoran’s big eyes were fixed on Su Yi. They sparkled like crystals and shone with pure admiration.
A-Fei, meanwhile, was exultant.
But then, an infuriated shout rang out from beyond the courtyard. “Where is Feng Xiaofeng?”