Broken Sword
It turned out that Nangong Suiqing and Liu Wanshi had another argument.
With the conclusion reached, the disciples who had been watching dispersed and went back to practicing their swordsmanship. However, they all tacitly retreated to the edge of the training ground, leaving a large open space in the center for the two to demonstrate their skills.
After all, these two fought every few days, and the disciples of the Jingyin Sect were already used to it. Not only was it common knowledge within the sect, but as the second young lady of the Nangong family, one of the three major families in the cultivation world, Nangong Suiqing's story was also known throughout the cultivation world.
Coincidentally, the two were both disciples of Venerable Yongyun, and their entry into the sect was around the same time.
They should have been loving senior and junior siblings, but they always argued and fought whenever they met, causing the head of the Discipline Hall a great headache. After it happened many times, he reported their affair to the sect leader and elders.
Ultimately, the solution they came up with was to raise the two children separately.
But who should stay and who should leave? Which elder should take them under his command? This has become a new problem.
At that time, Venerable Yichen was traveling, and it wouldn't be proper to leave this mess to him. Venerable Mingqi also refused the request to take on another disciple, saying that young people are bound to be hot-tempered and that things would get better in a few years.
Thus, the two remained disciples of Venerable Yongyun.
As for why one of them wasn't considered being sent to the Ninghua Sect Master's tutelage, there are many reasons behind it.
This is because after the former sect leader left, the position of sect leader became vacant, and all the well-known families in the cultivation world sent people to gamble on Venerable Yongyun and Venerable Mingqi.
They all bet on the wrong person; Ninghua was parachuted into the position of sect leader, ruining everyone's schemes and making them look like clowns. If they were to suddenly hand over someone from the Nangong or Liu family to Ninghua at this point, it would seem like the two families conspired to take sides again, needlessly arousing suspicion.
Therefore, the Ninghua sect leader was not considered.
Venerable Mingqi refused because he was a good friend of the former head of the Zhou family and had taken the future heir of the Zhou family as his personal disciple. In addition, he valued Zhou Hengyan highly and did not want to have close ties with other families.
Xie Tingshui originally came over to learn new sword moves from Lin Yunwang, but when she heard the sounds of arguing and fighting, her attention was drawn away. She stopped practicing her swordplay and pulled Lin Yunwang aside to tell him about their feud from beginning to end.
This is such a long piece that one wonders if she had prepared it in advance, just waiting for the right moment to tell it to someone else.
As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Yunwang keenly sensed something amiss in her words. He lowered his voice and asked, "Why is no one betting on my master to become the sect leader?"
Whether it was because of her strange focus or because she was surprised that Xie Tingshui didn't know about this, Xie Tingshui looked suspicious. But before she could explain, a familiar sword aura rushed towards the two of them at an extremely fast speed.
Lin Yun hurriedly pulled her back half a step, dodging in time. The sword energy only sliced off a corner of her sleeve and left a wound on her wrist.
She thought to herself: Thank goodness it wasn't my right hand, the one holding the sword, that was injured.
"Senior Sister Nangong, this is the second time."
She frowned. Even if it was an accident, there should be a limit. Besides, she and Xie Tingshui were already on the edge, so it didn't bother her.
Not far away, Nangong Suiqing was stomping Liu Wanshi hard under her feet. The boy's body was in close contact with the ground, covered in mud. "Useless!"
Seeing Xie Chunshui's furious expression and Lin Yunwang beside her, Liu Wanshi's eyes darted around. "Look, you almost hurt Junior Sister Lin again. Be careful you don't end up in the Discipline Hall for punishment again. Did you enjoy writing the sect rules 10 times last time?" He knew exactly how to sting someone.
In terms of martial prowess, Nangong would definitely win, but she never won against Liu Wanshi in verbal sparring.
As expected, Nangong Suiqing was quite embarrassed and angry, "What's it to you! Didn't you write it twice too?"
The two sets of rules written by Liu Wanshi were punishments for the two men's private fight.
"I still can't compare to you, after all, you wrote it 10 times."
"You—" She seemed to remember something, lifted her foot off the other person, and moved straight toward Lin Yun. "Hey, fight me. If I lose, I'll kneel down and apologize to you. If you lose, you're not allowed to complain to the Discipline Hall!"
"Senior Sister Nangong accidentally injured someone and should apologize." Lin Yunwang stood firm and ignored her talk of a competition.
Are you scared?
This clumsy attempt at provocation made Liu Wanshi, who was eavesdropping nearby, rub his forehead, realizing that his assessment of her was indeed correct.
Lin Yunwang was unaffected by this provocation and simply looked at her calmly.
Xie Tingshui, who was standing next to her, couldn't stand it anymore and stepped in front of her, saying indignantly, "How many years have you been a disciple? Yun Wang has only been a disciple for a few days. Whether you win or lose, the outcome of the bet is not entirely in your control?"
"Stop being so noisy." Nangong Suiqing held her sword and said coldly, "I won't apologize unless we compete."
When the stalemate continued, Lin Yun said, "A contest is acceptable."
Hearing this, she was shocked and tried to stop her, but Yun patted her hand to reassure her, "Our competition is just for friendly sparring, not for a bet."
She had her own considerations for saying this. First, if she accepted the bet, the competition would take on the connotation of a brawl, and she didn't want to go to the Discipline Hall to receive punishment. Second, she needed an opportunity, an opportunity to vindicate Yichen's disciples.
She already had some guesses as to why no one was betting on her master, and why both Nangong and Zhou Hengyan were disrespectful to their senior brother.
However, the difference in strength between the two is indeed as vast as a chasm.
So, let's use a special method.
"System, release the suppression of resonance ability."
"Yes, the suppression has been lifted for you. Please be careful; I will intervene if there is any danger."
The sword is drawn.
Her voice was cold, like a frozen spring. "Senior Sister Nangong, please enlighten me."
Lin Yun had specially worn a narrow-sleeved, leg-binding garment for the sword-fighting class today. Compared to the person in front of her with her flowing sleeves, she looked like a commoner, but she was not inferior in any way in terms of aura, and even slightly surpassed her.
Nangong Suiqing was a little flustered. She didn't expect Lin Yunwang to actually agree to the competition. She originally just wanted to find a reason not to apologize and, in the best case, to shut the other party up so that he wouldn't dare to complain to the Discipline Hall.
She thought to herself, why should she be flustered? It should be this junior sister who has just entered the Jingyin Sect who is flustered.
"I won't hold back." With another sword drawn, the clanging sound revealed that Nangong's sword was far superior to hers.
However, when it comes to swordsmanship, the least important thing to consider is the quality of the sword.
Both men gripped their sword hilts and raised their swords at each other, a clash of titans.
The disciples in the training ground, unlike their attitude towards Nangong Suiqing and Liu Wanshi's "competition" just now, all sheathed their swords and watched the two compete.
Naturally, there was a lot of discussion.
Who do you think will win?
"Is that even a question?"
"I think she got cocky after winning against a few outer disciples. She'll be embarrassed if she loses."
"Wasn't it Nangong who made things difficult for others first?"
"Then she should know when to back down."
"I don't think Yunwang will necessarily lose." Xie Tingshui's words drew laughter from those around her.
"How long has she been formally cultivating? No matter how talented she is, she can't beat Senior Sister Nangong."
Nangong Suiqing comes from the Nangong family and is highly regarded by her family. Before becoming a disciple of Venerable Yongyun, she was already recognized as one of the best among the younger generation. Not to mention her now.
"However, I really want to see Nangong lose. It would be good to deflate her arrogance. She always looks down on everyone and does whatever she wants."
"Just watch the two of them compete quietly. The result will be decided by the two of them. No one else needs to say anything." Liu Wanshi suddenly spoke up, and what he said next was already explicit: "Besides, they are both personal disciples, so you should watch your words."
These threatening words instantly silenced the training ground.
Those present waited to see who would make the first move.
Finally, Nangong Suiqing couldn't hold back any longer and closed in, her sword aimed straight at Lin Yunwang's neck. But Yunwang reacted quickly and parried with his sword.
Seeing that she had only exchanged one move before sweat beaded on her forehead, Nangong mocked, "You're too weak. You should just admit defeat."
Lin Yun focused solely on the challenge and did not respond.
The power of resonance enhances her senses, allowing her to better judge the trajectory of each of her opponent's moves, but it also adds to her mental burden and intensifies the pain of injuries.
The two swords clashed, the impact making the man's hands numb, but neither of them showed any intention of backing down, and their swordplay became even more ferocious.
In the blink of an eye, dozens of moves had passed, and the ground was covered with crisscrossing sword marks, making it difficult to determine who was superior.
The disciples watching exchanged bewildered glances; this was a situation they hadn't anticipated. They had expected Lin Yun to be defeated, thinking: it's truly remarkable that she's managed to hold on this long.
But the most shocked person was Nangong Suiqing, one of the parties involved.
She realized that Lin Yun could see through her every move, and she was shocked that this person had only been a beginner for a short time, yet his understanding of swordsmanship had reached such a level.
This is just as evidenced by the inscription "Sword Heart Clear and Bright" on the boulder in the training ground.
However, she has a fatal weakness: Lin Yunwang has not yet developed his own sword intent.
Nangong Suiqing suddenly increased her speed, believing that there must be loopholes in her strong attack.
I will absolutely not lose!
Lin Yunwang remained calm, seemingly unaffected by the fierce attack. However, the fine beads of sweat on his forehead increased, and the wound on his left wrist became more painful as his resonance ability strengthened.
Fortunately, the pain also kept her sanity.
Under her tight defense, her opponent changed tactics and suddenly turned to the side to create distance between them.
No one can deny that Nangong Suiqing has a natural talent for swordsmanship.
However, her opponent was Lin Yunwang.
Lin Yunwang, the future number one sword cultivator.
Even though she was still very inexperienced at this moment, far from the seasoned prowess she would later possess, she still needed to carefully control her resonance ability to prevent her sword-wielding hand from trembling due to the stinging pain in her mind.
In high-intensity battles, this elusive ability to resonate can become a hindrance.
Lin Yunwang is currently in the upper hand, and she was the one who made the first move.
He gathered his strength, lunged forward, and thrust forward.
Nangong Suidao reflexively parried, but this played right into her hands. With a flick of her wrist, she changed her attack, the sword spines clashing and sparks flying, causing her opponent's sword to fall from her hand.
Perhaps, the outcome is already decided.
Driven by instinct, Nangong Suiqing summoned the Heart Sword.
It was the sound of swords and wind playing together, the gasps of onlookers, and the alarm sounding from the system.
Lin Yun only had time to turn his head before the longsword in his hand was broken in two. Most of the sword fell straight between the two of them.
"Clang." A crisp sound.
"Clang." The impact caused his right hand to lose its strength, and the remaining half of it fell to the ground.
Lin Yunwang's actions did not stop there. He dodged to the side and pressed his finger against Nangong Suiqing's neck.
Her hands, having been exposed to the harsh, cold weather for so long, were naturally cold. Coincidentally, this coldness brought Nangong fully awake, and her eyes regained their original clarity.
"I've lost, and I apologize to you..."
Before she could finish speaking, Lin Yunwang collapsed limply, as if his bones had been pulled out.
"Hey!" Nangong Suiqing hurriedly caught the person in her arms.
Before Lin Yun's consciousness completely plunged into darkness, she saw the figure rushing towards her.
"Master."
She didn't know if she opened her mouth, if she made a sound, or if the other person heard her.
In her blurry vision, she saw Yichen calling her name.
She thought, "If I responded, then I must have heard you," before she completely fainted.
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