Chapter 356: Saber Intent, Sword Intent [2in1]
Chapter 356: Saber Intent, Sword Intent [2in1]
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric
"It's about to begin..."
Within a distant towering structure, a few elders were seated. Their gazes were directed toward the sparring ring.
Among them was Principal Xie Bi, who had nearly spurted blood from anger while assessing Zhang Xuan, and the most prestigious elders in the academy.
Even though Mu Xueqing's duel with Zhang shi's student was only a matter between students, there were many implications regarding it. As such, even they were alarmed into action.
"If Mu Xueqing is able to achieve victory, the prestige of our academy will rise!"
An elder said as he stroked his beard.
"Indeed. Even in the millennia of history behind Tianwu Kingdom, Zhang shi is, without a doubt, the most talented individual in Tianwu Kingdom Master Teacher Pavilion. Just his students’ terrifying Trust Level of 85 in him was already completely unprecedented! If Mu Xueqing is able to win, our curriculum will be recognized and praised by countless people!"
Another elder nodded in agreement.
"It's true that there'll be huge benefits if we win, but have you considered what will happen if Mu Xueqing loses?"
"Actually, regardless of whether she wins or loses, our academy stands to benefit!" The elder from before smiled.
"Why?" The elder who posed the question was unable to comprehend the meaning behind those words.
"Simple. Liu laoshi is only an ordinary teacher in our academy whereas Zhang shi is a formidable 2-star master teacher. Losing to such an incredible person can't be considered an embarrassment. On the other hand, if she were to win, the benefits we stand to win are huge."
The other elder replied with a smile.
"Elder Luo is right. Regardless of whether Mu Xueqing wins or not, it's good news for our academy! That's also the reason why I didn't interfere with their duel!"
Principal Xie Bi gestured grandly. Then, his expression suddenly turned grim as he said, "Look, they've begun!"
Everyone immediately turned their gazes over and saw the two ladies crossing blows.
"This move of Xueqing is well executed; it is both forceful and precise. As expected of a member of a distinguished clan, her grasp over her battle techniques has reached an extremely high level!"
The elders in the room were all experts of Tianwu Kingdom. With a single glance, they were able to see the mistakes in the movements of the two ladies and they began commenting on them.
"This move is not bad. Let’s see how the other party deals with it..."
Another elder nodded. However, before he could finish his words, he couldn't help but slap his thigh as his eyes glowed with excitement. "Incredible, incredible! This Zhao Ya is indeed a genius. Not only did she manage to neutralize Xueqing's attack with this slanted stab, she was even able to counterattack."
"To be able to turn the tides of the battle with a single move, her decisiveness and calmness is incredible. I have only seen such traits on Elder Wu before!"
"Even though her reaction is swift, Xueqing isn't lagging behind at all. Look at her counterattack. Her diagonal slash is precise, and she managed to achieve a perfect balance in her strength! I've seen her with her saber before, but when did she get so formidable? I'm afraid that she might not even pale against Elder Bai!"
"Against Elder Bai? You must be joking!"
Principal Xie Bi shook his head. "Elder Bai has been immersed in saber art for more than thirty years, and he is just a single step away from comprehending Saber Intent. He's the most powerful saber user in our academy! Look at how old Mu Xueqing is. She might be proficient in saber arts, but she must be still a long way off from comprehending Saber Intent!"
"You're right... One has to possess an utmost understanding of the saber before one could comprehend Saber Intent, and not even one in ten thousand cultivators could reach that level. In the entire Tianwu Royal City, only Insane Saber Guo Da had reached that level."
"Indeed..."
Principal Xie Bi nodded, "It's not that easy to comprehend Weapon Intent! Without devoting decades into it, it is impossible to achieve that level. Even though Mu Xueqing's mastery over saber is incredible, she still needs many years of accumulation before she is able to touch that level... The heck!"
Before he could finish his words, Principal Xie Bi seemed to have witnessed something that he couldn't believe, and vulgarities immediately spouted from his mouth.
Upon seeing the other party's discomposure, the other elders also swiftly turned their gazes onto the sparring ring. With a single glance, their eyes narrowed and their bodies began to spasm.
"This... this... how can this be?"
On the stage, Mu Xueqing's pitch-black hair was fluttering about as her long skirt danced along with the wind. In that instant, she looked like an elegant fairy!
A white saber aura glowed on the saber in her hand. Like a savage snake, it danced about the surface of the saber.
"The glint of the saber splits the air... and that static aura! This is... Saber Intent!"
Principal Xie Bi felt his throat turned dry.
He had just said that it was impossible for the other party to comprehend Saber Intent without years of effort when this sight occurred. At this moment, his shock was indescribable.
Elder Bai had immersed himself in saber art for numerous decades, but he was still unable to take the final step to achieve Saber Intent. Yet, a teenage lady had succeeded in reaching that level... How was this possible?
"It is Liu laoshi! It must be him!"
An elder yelled out, "I have known that lass Xueqing since her childhood, and I am well aware of how powerful she is. A while ago, she demonstrated her saber art before me, and she was still thousands of miles away from comprehending Saber Intent. Given how she is able to comprehend Saber Intent in such a short period of time, it must be Liu laoshi's credit!"
"I've also heard that Liu Cheng laoshi had imparted her a saber art a few days ago. Could that saber art be the cause of her comprehension of saber intent?"
An elder who had visited Liu laoshi's classroom a while ago said.
"To comprehend Saber Intent in just three short days... How in the world did this Liu laoshi do it?"
"Regardless of how he did it, his teaching standard has already reached an astounding level. The other lady is definitely going to lose!"
"Indeed! The only way she can withstand Mu Xueqing, who has comprehended Saber Intent, is by comprehending Sword Intent... I have seen her swordsmanship just now!" Principal Xie Bi shook his head. "Even though she isn't weak, she's still a long distance away from comprehending Sword Intent. Her loss is inevitable now..."
"Cough cough! Principal, that might not necessarily be the case. Look..."
Before Principal Xie could finish his words, an elder interjected.
"What's wrong?" Frowning, Principal Xie looked at the sparring field doubtfully.
"That... Even though Zhao Ya didn't raise her sword up, there is a light buzz from her sword, and a white aura is flowing around the blade. No matter how I look at it... it seems like Sword Intent?" The elder asked.
"Sword Intent?"
Everyone hurriedly turned their gazes over.
All along, Zhao Ya's back had been facing them. On top of that, she had never raised her sword high up, and the elders were also too focused on Mu Xueqing due to her Saber Intent. Paying careful attention to Zhao Ya's sword now, they immediately realized that something was amiss.
Just like the elder before had said, her sword was emanating a slight buzz, and a white light was flowing around the blade as though ripples across water.
"The flowing ripples and the crisp call of the phoenix! This is... Sword Intent!"
Everyone immediately recognized it to be Sword Intent.
The lady before them, Zhao Ya... had actually comprehended Sword Intent!
Two teenage ladies—one of them had comprehended Saber Intent while the other one had comprehended Sword Intent...
How could this be?
The heck!
Can anyone tell me what is going on?
To comprehend Sword Intent and Saber Intent in just three days...
If anyone were to tell them such words, they would definitely spit in the other party's face. Witnessing this sight personally, they felt as though their view of the world had crumbled apart. Their hearts were beating so wildly that it felt as though they were going to explode.
"..."
Principal Xie Bi cried.
Right after he said it was impossible for Mu Xueqing to comprehend Saber Intent, the other party immediately displayed it. Then, when he said that Zhao Ya would definitely lose, she immediately executed Sword Intent...
Tell me the truth! You two are here to slap my face, right?
Alright, I'll accept it, but...
Saber Intent and Sword Intent... How could you two teenage ladies possibly reach this level... You must be pulling my leg!
In a moment, all of the elders in the room were dumbfounded. None of them were able to utter a single word.
............
Tianwu Academy, the residence of the elders.
Wuwuwuwu!
An elder moved forcefully around the courtyard with a saber in his hands. The winds from the saber were reminiscent of massive waves, and if one were to be swept in its flow, it would be impossible to escape.
Hu!
After completing his routine, the elder kept his saber and stood upright.
"Teacher's saber art is getting more and more proficient. You're probably not too far away from comprehending Saber Intent already!" A young man hurriedly passed a towel to him and said with a respectful look.
"Sigh!"
The elder shook his head, and melancholy brimmed in his eyes. "Even though I can already feel that state and I'm already not too far away from it, if I'm unable to take the final step, it will still be for naught!"
The elder speaking at the moment was Elder Bai, the person whom Principal Xie and the other elders had been talking about a moment ago.
Despite having immersed himself in saber arts for several decades, he was unable to take the final step.
Many experts had come close to achieving Weapon Intent, but most of them were stuck at the very last step, unable to make the final breakthrough until their deaths.
"Teacher is only lacking a fortuitous encounter. Once such a fortuitous encounter comes your way, all of your accumulation will definitely allow you to achieve a breakthrough in an instant!" The young man also understood this logic, and all he could do now was to console his teacher.
"Indeed, all I lack is a fortuitous encounter. However, where can I find such an encounter?"
Elder Bai smiled bitterly. "If an elder who had comprehended Saber Intent were to appear before me now, I'll immediately acknowledge him as my teacher. As long as I can observe an expert executing Saber Intent for a single day, I'll surely be able to comprehend Saber Intent in less than a month! However... no one in Tianwu Royal City has been able to reach this level. Perhaps, Saber Intent will forever remain a dream for me!"
Rather than a concept, Saber Intent was more like a feeling, impossible to be verbalized. Even so, if an expert who had comprehended Saber Intent were to display his saber art before him, given Elder Bai's mastery in the field, he could receive an epiphany and this could allow him to take the very last step.
However, those who managed to comprehend Saber Intent were all formidable existences. Who would be willing to be his teacher and demonstrate saber art for him daily?
"Teacher, there's no need to worry..." The young man was about to console his teacher when he saw his teacher's eyes widening and his breathing hastening.
Dang lang!
The saber which he treasured as much as his own life dropped to the ground, but the elder didn't seem to have realized it at all.
"Teacher..."
His teacher had always been a calm person, and this was his first time seeing the other party get so agitated. He couldn't help but feel perplexed.
"It's Saber Intent! An elder is executing Saber Intent in the academy!"
Ignoring the other party's question, Elder Bai's face paled and his lips quivered in agitation.
"Saber Intent?" The young man was bewildered.
He was still too far away from reaching that state, so he was unable to sense the presence of Saber Intent.
"Quick, bring me my clothes. I have to head over now to acknowledge the expert who has comprehended Saber Intent as my teacher..."
Unable to suppress his agitation, Elder Bai howled.
He was currently dressed in a training robe, and he thought that he wasn't dressed formally enough to meet with such an expert.
Such experts tended to be eccentric, and if he were to offend the other party, he would be in deep trouble!
"Yes!"
The young man recovered and hurriedly fetched his elder robe.
Quickly donning it, Elder Bai left and headed straight for where he felt the Saber Intent from.
.........
"To think that it would be Saber Intent and Sword Intent!"
At the bottom of the sparring field, Zhao Wuxing and Liu Changyan were completely astounded. Their faces were pale, and their bodies trembled in agitation.
When Zhao Wuxing witnessed Mu Xueqing's saber art before, he already knew that he wasn't a match for the other party. However, upon seeing her Saber Intent, he instinctively realized that if the other party were to try to kill him, given his strength, he would definitely be defeated in an instant, even before he could escape.
Even though this Mu Xueqing was also powerful in the past, she was still significantly weaker than them. How did she become so strong in just a few days' of absence?
To be capable of inducing such a massive growth within his student in just a few days... what kind of person was this Liu laoshi?
"A duel between Saber Intent and Sword Intent..."
A sudden shout pulled him back to reality from his astonishment. Turning his head to the sparring ring, he saw the two ridiculously beautiful ladies clashing blows once more.
The glints of the saber and sword flashed, and they sliced through thin air to meet one another.
The moment the two weapons collided, a violent shock wave immediately swept outward as though a tornado, causing cracks of differing depths to appear on the rock floor of the sparring ring.
Zhenqi augmented with Weapon Intent was incomparably sharp, and ordinary humans were completely unable to withstand it, needless to say, the rock floor.
"Damn it!"
Mu Xueqing's face steeled.
After learning Liu laoshi's saber art, she had comprehended Saber Intent. She knew that her mastery in saber far surpassed ordinary cultivators, and with her current strength, she could easily defeat even Zhao Wuxing.
Thus, she thought that she would be able to defeat the other party easily.
Yet, never in her dreams did she expect that the other party's improvement... would be greater than hers!
In the previous time that they crossed blows, this Zhao Ya was only capable of mediocre battle techniques. Yet, at this very moment, the other party was releasing Sword Intent.
Furthermore, the Sword Intent was infused with a frigidity that came from her physical condition. Even though her body was protected by the Saber Intent, the chill was building up in her throughout the battle, and she was already on the verge of collapsing!
"This Zhang shi... is really that incredible?"
The other party's massive improvement must be due to Zhang shi's guidance.
Only that top-notch genius who had defeated Mo Hongyi utterly and whose name had stunned the thirteen kingdoms was capable of inducing Zhao Ya, who didn't know any good battle techniques a few days ago, to display a battle prowess several times greater than that of her cultivation.
"Even though Zhang shi is incredible, our Liu laoshi won't lose to you..."
Gritting her teeth tightly, tenacity and indignance sprouted in her mind.
Zhang shi was indeed incredible, but their Liu laoshi didn't lose out to him at all!
On top of her comprehending Saber Intent, she had also seen the progress that the cultivating Lu Chong had made, and she realized how fearsome Liu laoshi's capability was.
Three days ago, Lu Chong was only at Dingli realm primary stage. A Pixue realm expert like her could easily tear apart dozens of cultivators at his level.
But today, when she saw him, he had already reached the cultivation of a Pixue realm primary stage!
On top of that, he possessed overwhelming physical strength which even Tongxuan realm intermediate stage cultivator might not be able to withstand.
In such a short period of time, Liu laoshi made the averagely-talented Lu Chong's cultivation jump two realms... Given Liu laoshi's means, Mu Xueqing was confident that no master teacher could compare up to him, not even Zhang shi!
"Liu laoshi's name mustn't be sullied. I must win today!"
Howling furiously inwardly, the light on her abruptly brightened as she slashed frenziedly toward the lady before her.
As Mu Xueqing started to grit her teeth and go all out, Zhao Ya also started to panic.
She had comprehended Sword Intent from the sword art grandteacher had imparted her personally. Initially, she thought that she would be able to defeat the other party easily. Yet, the other party's improvement didn't pale out to hers at all.
"No wonder she is so protective of Liu laoshi. Seems like her teacher isn't a simple person!"
In the past, Zhao Ya thought that Zhang laoshi was far superior to all the heroes in the world.
But at this moment, she suddenly realized that there were many formidable people out there.
And this Liu laoshi was one of them.
"She might be strong, and she is incredible to have comprehended Saber Intent as well, but... it is a pity that her physical constitution is inferior to mine!"
Exhaling deeply, Zhao Ya's eyes glowed brightly.
The other party possessed immense strength and profound moves. However, the other party lacked a strong physical constitution like hers!
She possessed the Pure Yin Body, and her unique constitution allowed her to challenge experts beyond her level. In the past duel, it was due to her lacking battle technique that she lost out to the other party. But at this moment, she had already comprehended Sword Intent, thus allowing her to rival the other party's Saber Intent. Given that she had made up for her flaw in her battle technique, how could the other party possibly withstand her attacks?
"Time to end it!"
Zhao Ya's eyebrows shot up as she drove her Pure Yin Body to full strength. Her pitch black silky hair danced in the sky, and at this very instant, she felt like a mystical fairy.
Even Mu Xueqing, who prided herself on her beauty, couldn't help but feel ashamed of her looks.
The Pure Yin Body was capable of bringing out the beauty in a woman. Once it was activated, her beauty would become flawless. As such, it was the physical constitution that countless women dreamt of.
Hu!
Unleashing the full might of her physical constitution, the light on Zhao Ya's sword amplified furiously, and as if it were a dragon, the sword charged straight toward Mu Xueqing.
With great might behind it, it struck the saber and sliced it into two. Without slowing in the least, it continued to proceed forward.
"Ah..."
Mu Xueqing's face instantaneously turned pale.
At this moment, to even her own surprise, what she was worried about wasn't getting severely injured from the other party's sword. Instead, she was worried that Liu laoshi's honor would be sullied.
However, her saber had already been sliced apart, and the other party's sword was already right before her. Even if she wanted to dodge or do anything, it was already too late. She could only shut her eyes and wait for the sword to fall on her.
"Seems like Mu Xueqing has lost..."
"Indeed. It can't be helped either. There's no student in Tianwu Academy who could possibly withstand this slash!"
"It's such a terrifying attack. Even Tongxuan realm primary stage experts would be unable to face such an attack, needless to say, a Pixue realm cultivator!"
Upon seeing this sight, everyone's heart jolted.
The two ladies were outstanding, but there had to be a loser in a duel. Despite all of the talk before, everyone couldn't help but be astounded when they saw Mu Xueqing falling in defeat...
.........
"For you to be so determined to pull me over, what kind of show could it be? I still have things to attend to, so I don't have the time to accompany you to such events!"
Upon walking out of the royal palace, Princess Mo Yu kept trying to pull him somewhere excitedly, causing Zhang Xuan to be slightly speechless.
He still had to head to the Physician Guild to browse through books as well as to return to the residence to guide Zhao Ya and the others on their cultivation... There were too many things he had to attend to, so how could he have the time to waste on a commotion?
"Don't be so anxious, we're already arriving. You'll surely be happy to watch this show..."
Mo Yu chuckled softly.
This fellow had always been calm and collected before her. Even though he seemed to be ignorant of everything, he was able to solve all problems easily.
This time, two of your students are fighting for the sake of your honor. Let's see how you'll deal with this!
"We're heading to... Tianwu Academy?"
Since Mo Yu was unwilling to speak, Zhang Xuan knew that there was no use for him to ask anything. Thus, he followed the other party quietly. However, taking a good look at the road he was at, he suddenly felt perplexed.
He was sure that the direction they were heading toward led to Tianwu Academy.
Didn't she want to bring him to see a show?
Why would she bring him to the academy?
Perplexed, Zhang Xuan followed closely behind her. However, the moment he stepped into the academy, he realized that something was amiss.
"Why isn't there anyone here?"
It was noon, and the academy should have been filled with people. However, why wasn't there a single figure to be seen?
"Seems like they've already begun... Let's hurry up!"
With a grim expression, Mo Yu hurried over to the dueling ring.
Since everyone in the academy had disappeared, it could only mean that they had run over to watch the commotion.
Both Zhang shi and Guild Leader Liu Cheng were names which had rattled this city at its core. Naturally, the fight between their students would pique everyone's attention.
Seeing Mo Yu proceeding forward urgently, Zhang Xuan was perplexed, but he followed closely behind. Soon, he saw a huge crowd gathered under a dueling ring, and the sight was extremely bustling.
"Is someone dueling? Could it be that the principal is facing someone? Otherwise, why would there be so many people here?"
Blocked by the crowd, Zhang Xuan was unable to see the sight in the ring. Even so, he could sense that something was amiss by the huge crowd gathered here.
Zhang Xuan couldn't think of anyone who could rally so many students here other than the principal.
"In the end, Zhang shi's students are more powerful than Liu laoshi's students. Seems like Zhang shi's teaching ability is superior after all!"
"You can't really put it like that. Liu laoshi has only taken over the class for four days. I think that he is much more incredible to be able to achieve such results in the limited period of time he had!"
"This Zhao Ya is truly beautiful! From today onward, she shall be my new goddess!"
"I didn't expect Mu Xueqing to be so powerful as well. That's Saber Intent... To be able to comprehend it at her age, she is truly a genius..."
...
Standing at the outer perimeter of the crowd, Zhang Xuan could hear the discussions of the spectators.
"Zhang shi? Liu laoshi? Zhao Ya? Mu Xueqing?"
As though struck by lightning, Zhang Xuan's eyes slowly widened. Connecting all of the dots, he came to a fearsome realization. "Could it be that... the both of them are sparring?"
That night when Zhao Ya was injured, Mu Xueqing was injured as well.
The two of them seemed to have been injured in a fight, and there seemed to be a continuation to each of their matters.
Given the size of Tianwu Royal City, it was highly unlikely for the two of them to meet, especially when there was no connection between them. Thus, he didn't consider this possibility.
Never in his dreams could he have imagined that not only would the two meet, they even fought each other!
Are you for real?
Quickly turning to look at Mo Yu, he saw a gleeful look on her face, as if she was happy to see the other party put in an awkward position.
His heart suddenly skipped a beat. Ignoring Mo Yu, he immediately dashed forward and saw the two people sparring in the ring.
Who else could it be other than Mu Xueqing and Zhao Ya?
Wuwu!
Right after recognizing the duo, he saw Zhao Ya driving her Pure Yin Body, and with immense force, she cut through the other party's saber.
Mu Xueqing... was in danger!
"Stop!"
Hu!
Operating the Heaven's Path Movement Art, Zhang Xuan's body blurred and appeared in the sparring ring.
...
Initially, Mu Xueqing thought that she had lost. Thus, she closed her eyes, waiting for the final blow to land on her when she suddenly heard the whistling of the wind before her. Then, a figure appeared in front of her.
"Teacher..."
Mu Xueqing's eyes reddened, and suddenly, all of her emotions came spilling out.