Chapter 440 Zhao Duan: You are shameless even though I gave you the chance.
The place where we will meet the Qingshan lineage is in a small martial arts training ground in the imperial city.
When Zhao Duan and other royal servants arrived, they saw that many imperial guards had gathered around the square. It was unclear whether they were there to join in the fun or were pulled in to support the occasion.
From a distance, one could catch a glimpse of Eunuch Hai in his bright red python robe. The gray-haired old eunuch was calmly standing with his hands behind his back, talking to the three people beside him.
Seeing Zhao Duan and others coming, a smile appeared on her ruddy face: "You are here."
When he saw Mo Chou, who had followed him out of worry, he just nodded and the latter bowed.
"Greetings, sir." Zhao Duan stood still and saluted without looking around.
Behind him, a group of eunuchs headed by Tang Jinzhong and Song Jinxi bowed their heads solemnly. At this moment, it seemed as if these eunuchs had suddenly transformed into cold-blooded killers.
It's daunting.
"This subordinate greets the eunuch!"
Zhao Duan raised his eyebrows slightly, thinking, "You guys have rehearsed this, right? Why are you so serious and solemn? As if you're facing a powerful enemy?"
Yes, I have the buff bonus of being the "future emperor's husband". My status in the Martial Arts Hall is similar to that of a member of the royal family. And there is only the empress above me, not even the old emperor, empress and other elders... The psychological pressure is not too great...
For these eunuchs, who were considered "slaves," if they lost in a contest with Qingshan disciples, it would be a grave sin...
At the same time, the three people in the field also looked at them.
His eyes swept over the eunuchs, pausing briefly on the famous Tang Jinzhong, and then all focused on Zhao Duan, who was out of place.
Chai Keqiao was still dressed like a woodcutter in the mountains. Seeing that the emperor of a country could not make him change into a more polite outfit, he smiled and said to him:
"Mr. Zhao, a man should be looked at with new eyes after three days of absence. It has been several months since we last met. Congratulations on your promotion again."
Beside him.
Xiao Ran, who wore simple clothes, had short hair that reached her ears, had a pretty face and cold eyes. Her eyebrows were cold and her eyes were full of indifference.
With his eyes covered by a black cloth, a black scabbard hanging from his waist, and clothes of the same color, Qiye, with a cold temperament, also "looked" over.
No... why is there a blind man? Mochou, you didn't mention this... Zhao Duan was puzzled. According to the information, he matched the identities of the three people to their seats. His face was calm and he smiled:
"Brother Chai, you are too polite. I was in the capital and also heard that Brother Chai had entered the secular realm. Congratulations."
Judging from their conversation, the two seemed like friends. This scene was extremely strange in the eyes of the imperial guards near the martial arts field.
During the Buddhist and Taoist competition last year, everyone in the capital's imperial guards knew about Zhao Duan's dispatch of troops to suppress Chai Keqiao.
Eunuch Hai, with gray hair and wearing a bright red dragon robe, introduced both parties in turn with a smile.
Then he said:
"Your Majesty has said that, according to tradition, Qingshan disciples should stay in the Imperial City's villa for half a month during their visit to the capital, discussing martial arts with the palace attendants. Since this is our first meeting, it's inappropriate to use force, so how about you demonstrate what you've learned?"
"Since Hai Gong has said so, I dare not refuse."
Chai Keqiao was unexpectedly respectful to the old priest. He turned to the blindfolded young man and said:
"Junior Brother Qiye is an expert in swordsmanship, and is considered top-tier even in the Divine Chapter Realm. On Qingshan Mountain, he draws his sword three thousand times a day, day after day, with such sharp sword energy that Xiao Ran and I are even more ashamed of ourselves. Therefore, Qiye will use his sword to break through the armor as a tribute."
During the 600 years of the Yu State, there was already a set of procedures for both sides to compete with each other and issue a challenge.
The other party had obviously agreed on this earlier.
"Break armor?" Zhao Duan raised his eyebrows.
Mo Chou was beside him, explaining in a low voice:
"This is also tradition. When two sides first meet, it's always best not to fight, as it would damage the relationship. Often, they will demonstrate their strength by breaking armor."
Oh... maybe it's like showing off muscles?
Zhao Duan stood in the crowd with great interest. Considering Mochou's previous request, he deliberately took two steps back, ready to keep a low profile.
Get around this process.
Anyway, with so many worshippers present, it’s not his turn to show off his muscles as a “mid-grade divine figurehead”.
At this time, the nearby imperial guards brought out sets of half-body armor from the arsenal. These were all made of fine iron and could withstand arrows and swords.
The imperial guards even erected a row of wooden stakes on the training ground and fixed half-body armor on them, which immediately made the figures look like dummies.
He counted silently and found that there were at least sixty or seventy dummies in this row. At first glance, dozens of armored dummies looked quite imposing.
"Come." Zhao Duan waved towards Song Jinxi and asked curiously:
"So many, are they all prepared for him?"
The eunuch who was fawning and looked like a monkey smiled bitterly and said:
"Young Master, you're joking. These are all finely crafted armors from the army. They are not scrap metal. Ordinary swords and knives cannot break them. Even for a peak-level warrior, with his Qi infused into his weapons, being able to break three armors in one breath is already the limit.
Even if it is a divine level, generally speaking, the lower grade can break six armors, the middle grade nine armors, and the upper grade can break thirteen armors, which is already a powerful opponent. These are displayed for the use of multiple people on both sides.
But generally speaking, the Secular Realm won't intervene in this armor-breaking phase. At the Secular Realm, they'll only break dozens of armors... Uh, Young Master, you're bleeding from the nose again."
"..." Zhao Duan hurriedly looked for a handkerchief, but couldn't find one. Suddenly, Mo Chou handed him a handkerchief:
"Use mine."
Tsk, you've made some progress. You didn't poison the handkerchief, did you? Zhao Duan looked at the "female prime minister" unexpectedly, and took it carefully. Mo Chou rolled her eyes in anger:
"Give it back to me if you don't need it. You're so kind but you don't appreciate my kindness."
Zhao Duan wiped his nose with a smile. A blindfolded young swordsman stepped out of the meeting hall and stood in front of a row of armors.
The surroundings suddenly became quiet, everyone held their breath, and the wind was no longer noisy.
Qiye held the black-sheathed sword horizontally in front of him and slowly pulled it out. When the sharp sword tip came out of the sheath, the blade drew a semi-arc in the air and stabbed forward in an ordinary posture.
This stab was not earth-shattering, it was even a little too ordinary, but Zhao Duan narrowed his eyes instantly.
He keenly noticed that a black line at the front of the sword tip tore through the air and hit the armor.
No!
That was not a black line, but the internal energy that was condensed and compressed to the extreme. The young man named Qiye did not have any fancy sword moves, only a stabbing sword.
However, he practiced it to the extreme of the Shenzhang realm, drawing the sword three thousand times a day. At first, the wooden sword he used had tiny holes on the front, and when he stabbed, there would be a sound when the wind passed through the holes. It took him three years to achieve silent sword drawing, and this was just the beginning.
When the extremely condensed thin wire hit the armor, a dull sound of armor breaking was heard in the training ground.
"Bang", "bang", "bang", "bang"...
The sounds of armor breaking came in a series, and in the blink of an eye, Qiye sheathed his sword.
Immediately, twenty-three dummies in armor collapsed like straw. A soldier hurried forward to check and exclaimed:
"My Lord, armor broken twenty-three times!"
Twenty-three!
With just one sword strike, he pierced through twenty-three suits of fine iron armor! If this happened on the battlefield, a single strike could kill twenty-three elite Iron Pagodas!
There was a sound of inhalation from the spring training grounds, and the looks of the imperial guards as they looked at the blindfolded young man changed.
The eunuchs serving in the Wugong Hall changed color almost at the same time.
"Didn't you say that it was the thirteenth best grade of the Divine Chapter?"
Zhao Duan was also stunned and asked Song Jinxi in a low voice.
The latter's face lost its flattery and humility at some point, and he looked solemnly at Qiye, who was calm and composed in the field.
This eunuch, who seemed frivolous but was actually among the best in terms of talent, cultivation, and martial arts of the contemporary generation, felt as if he was facing a formidable enemy, his face heavy, "The limit."
"limit?"
"Twenty-three Class A, this means that this person has almost not wasted all of his internal energy from the top-grade Divine Chapter, concentrating it all into this one sword... Truly terrifying."
Song Jinxi murmured, and then his expression suddenly changed:
"No, he has achieved such a level that no one on our side can compare to him. We can't let the World Realm take action, but who in the Divine Chapter Realm can be so specialized?"
Zhao Duan was stunned: "You can't beat him?"
Song Jinxi shook his head:
"Fighting competitions are another matter. I am not afraid of him, but if we only compete in armor-piercing, I am no match for him."
Mo Chou beside him understood everything:
"You mean to say that he has unleashed the power of the Divine Chapter Realm to its fullest potential, and that no one in the same realm can surpass him?"
"It's coming with great force." Zhao Duan sighed.
At this time, amidst the commotion, only Eunuch Hai still had his eyelids drooping, showing no joy or sadness. It seemed that in the eyes of this legendary priest, the competition between the younger generations was nothing more than a fight.
Chai Keqiao said with a smile:
"My junior brother doesn't have many skills, but his swordsmanship is pretty good. It's time for you to teach him."
He looked at the group of priests, and in an instant, the discussions disappeared, and no one from the group of priests stood up.
The strongest Tang Jinzhong was unable to take action because his cultivation level was much higher than his own, and Song Jinxi admitted that he was inferior to him, and the other priests also had no confidence.
Qiye, with his eyes covered by a black cloth and his arms folded, slowly let out a sarcastic smile. In the silence, he suddenly turned his head and "looked" at Zhao Duan, who was hiding in the crowd:
"Won't Zhao Shaobao stand up?"
brush--
Eyes converged on him. Zhao Duan, who was chatting with Mochou behind him, suspected that Qingshan and his gang might be deliberately targeting this link. He was stunned for a moment and smiled after training such a disciple.
"Can you see me?"
The cool young man holding a sword said indifferently:
"I may be blind in my eyes, but I'm not blind in my heart. I've heard that Zhao Shaobao once defeated Tianhai of Shenlong Temple in a Buddhist and Taoist competition and was hailed as a genius. This time I came down the mountain to ask for advice in person, so..."
He pointed to the row of armor:
"How about asking Zhao Shaobao for some advice?"
After a pause, he raised the corners of his mouth and said:
"I think with Zhao Shaobao's swordsmanship, he can just summon the Tai'a Sword and split open a mountain, not to mention a few dozen jia. Or does Zhao Shaobao look down on my Qingshan lineage and refuse to teach me?"
provocative!
At this moment, even a three-year-old child could hear the strong provocation and sarcasm in Qiye's words.
The Tai'a Sword is certainly powerful, but if Zhao Duan really summons Tai'a in order to break the armor, he would be truly losing face.
While the other party's words seemed flattering and polite, they were actually a clear mockery of his pursuit of fame and reputation.
Eunuch Hai glanced at him and said nothing, like an impartial referee.
However, on the side of the imperial palace, both the imperial guards and the ministers had changed their expressions!
Mo Chou's face turned pale and her heart sank. The bad situation she had anticipated happened.
This unruly swordsman, who was a close friend of the young monk Tianhai, took advantage of this opportunity to attack Zhao Duan in public.
Moreover, the other party was very smart and did not break the "rules". His purpose was to embarrass Zhao Duan in public and make him lose face.
"you……"
Mo Chou hurriedly looked at Mr. Zhao beside her, but saw that he looked calm and composed, as if he was not annoyed at all. He waved his hand in a warm tone and said with a smile:
"Your Excellency is too kind. I was lucky to win back then. If we were to compete in cultivation, I would not be as good as you. Now I am not as advanced as you, so I will not embarrass myself."
Did he admit it? Did he back off?
Mo Chou was stunned for a moment, her eyes filled with surprise.
Not only him, but also Tang Jinzhong, Song Jinxi and other worshippers were greatly surprised.
In almost everyone's perception, "King Zhao Yan" is not a good-tempered person. It goes without saying that he will take revenge for any slight. Even if a royal relative dares not to give him face, he will immediately slap them in the face.
When he was still less powerful, he dared to attack important figures repeatedly, let alone now?
But this time, facing the provocation of this Qingshan genius, he actually backed down?
No one thought that Zhao Duan was a coward, so they found it very strange. Only Mo Chou suddenly realized that it must be his words that worked.
Zhao Duan promised her that he would give in and try not to give Qingshan's people a reason to cause trouble. He did it because he promised.
"You are..." Thinking of this, Mo Chou's eyes suddenly became a little ashamed, as if it was the first day she really met him.
The blindfolded young man was also stunned, surprised by his reaction, and frowned:
"What does Zhao Shaobao mean by this?"
Zhao Duan laughed and said, "It's just what it means literally."
Now, even Chai Keqiao and Xiao Ran cast surprised glances at him.
The blindfolded young man frowned even deeper:
"Is Zhao Shaobao surrendering without a fight? Or is he admitting this for fame and reputation?"
Zhao Duan smiled and said, "Even if I'm scared, haha, I'm also afraid of losing and being embarrassed."
Such a good temper? Has King Zhao changed his personality?
The surrounding imperial guards looked at each other in confusion, and some even suspected that the Zhao Duan in front of them was a fake.
When did the ruthless killer Zhao Shaobao become so easy to talk to?
The blindfolded young man was speechless for a moment, as if he had punched the air.
Chai Keqiao narrowed his eyes and suddenly smiled to smooth things over:
"Since Master Zhao is unwilling to take action, Junior Brother Qiye does not need to force him any further."
He turned to look at Hai Chunlin, who was calm and composed, completely oblivious to the atmosphere.
"Master Hai, if you are not good at breaking armor, forget it today."
When he first entered the capital alone, he could challenge opponents without restraint.
But this time he came with the team, shouldering the responsibility, ready to quit while he was ahead.
The old eunuch in the dragon robe nodded slightly and said:
"In that case, fine."
The nearby imperial guards received the signal and came up rather aggrievedly, preparing to take off their armor.
It was undoubtedly a humiliation that a little-known disciple of Qingshan took action and forced no one in the huge palace to dare to fight.
"Wait a minute..."
Song Jinxi gritted his teeth and prepared to step out. He had no confidence in winning, but if no one accepted the challenge, once His Majesty knew about it, the entire Wugong Hall would be punished.
However, as soon as he took a step, he was held down by Zhao Duan. Song Jinxi turned around in surprise and saw Zhao Duan shaking his head:
"Forget it, they came prepared. If Your Majesty wants to punish me, I will plead for mercy."
The young eunuch was stunned and took a step back.
Zhao Duan called the other servants and walked back together.
"In such a huge palace, isn't there a single man? Oh, they are indeed a bunch of hermaphrodites with deformed bodies."
Seeing that the group of worshippers had really retreated, the blindfolded swordsman suddenly twitched his cheeks and sneered loudly.
Chai Keqiao frowned and scolded, "Qi Ye!"
He felt that this junior fellow was a little ignorant.
Xiao Ran responded with an expression of watching the fun.
All the worshippers stopped at the same time, their expressions changing again and again, as if their hearts were pierced by a thorn.
Zhao Duan also stopped and the warm smile on his face gradually faded.
Seeing that it was effective, the masked youth ignored Chai Keqiao's attempts to stop him and sneered:
"Oh, I was wrong. There is another eunuch who is intact, but he looks no different."
Mo Chou quickly reached out, grabbed the corner of Zhao Duan's clothes, and whispered:
"He's deliberately provoking you..."
Zhao Duan nodded: "I know. Let's go."
The masked young man said loudly:
"Zhao Shaobao, a coward like you is unworthy of such a great reputation in the martial arts world. If you still care about your reputation, you should publicly return the winner of the Buddhist-Daoist competition to Tianhai..."
Zhao Duan stopped again. He had walked to the other end of the row of armored dummies, and next to him was a bewildered imperial guard.
Without looking back, he wiped the blood from his nose with his hand and suddenly said:
"Eunuch Hai, I can't help it anymore."
Hai Chunlin smiled slightly: "Why should I endure it anymore?"
Zhao Duan smiled brightly, his face flushed with blood from his nose. He suddenly turned around in full view of everyone, stepped to the side of a guard, and in the latter's surprised gaze, reached out and pulled out the sword from the man's waist.
“clang!”
Zhao Duan drew his sword and chopped with his hand, his ferocious face stained with blood, like a Shura demon.
After swallowing countless rare treasures for a month, the powerful internal force that almost burst his dantian shattered the blade in an instant, and a magnificent and dazzling sword light lit up on the training ground.
"Damn it, you're so shameless, aren't you?! I don't need a sword, I only have a knife to break armor!"
boom--
A thunderous sound rang in everyone's ears, and under the devastating sword energy, a whole row of fine iron armor was shattered into pieces!
The sword energy swept across the training ground, and the faces of those who were cut felt burning pain.
Zhao Duan's sword strike broke through fifty-six armors! !
——
Typos should be corrected first and then replaced
Thanks to Blue Most Beautiful Ball and Jianxin Kyoto Fire for your support
(End of this chapter)
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