Chapter 1323: All Wrong

"Yes!"

Her scalp instantly tingled, and Shui Qianrou nearly cried out.

She had just told this guy to be careful and not to anger the teacher, and the moment he arrived, he grabbed the sword aura guarding the courtyard...

Couldn't he just calm down?

"Sorry... I'll let go right now!"

The corner of his mouth twitched, and Zhang Xuan was full of embarrassment.

Just as he arrived at the door, seeing a sword aura enveloping it, afraid it might harm the woman before him, he quietly grabbed it... only to find it was the door guard left by this Grandmaster Sword Qinsheng!

A sword aura is sharp and can easily injure people. Placing it at the door is equivalent to refusing guests—who would dare come?

However, not welcoming others is his business; tearing down someone's door guard is somewhat rude!

He loosened his grip.

The sword aura had struggled for a long time, and suddenly being released, like a caught wildcat abruptly set free, it lost its aim.

Swoosh!

The stone pillar on the gate was instantly severed, and the lintel creaked as it fell to the ground, the earth rumbling and dust flying everywhere.

"This..." Zhang Xuan was dumbfounded.

He had only let go of the sword aura, never expecting it to be so unreliable as to cut down the gate...

Having just arrived, not only had he grabbed the seal, but he had also dismantled the gate... Wasn't this too impolite?

But he... really hadn't meant to.

"..." Shui Qianrou's vision went dark.

She had repeatedly told him to be careful along the way, and now this... before even meeting, he had caused such a commotion. How could she explain this?

"Who goes there!"

Before she could figure out how to answer, a loud shout came from the courtyard, and seven or eight people surrounded them.

"Senior Brother Xie, it's me..."

Blushing, Shui Qianrou quickly stepped forward.

"Junior Sister Shui, what's going on?"

Senior Brother Xie frowned.

"This Master Zhang heard of the teacher's reputation and wanted to pay a visit. It was my carelessness—I didn't mention the sword aura beforehand, so this happened..." Shui Qianrou explained.

"The teacher's sword aura is extremely sharp. Not knowing about it beforehand, yet not being injured and instead collapsing the gatehouse—this friend must be a master of the sword!"

Raising his eyebrows, Senior Brother Xie scrutinized Zhang Xuan carefully.

He appeared to be around thirty, dressed in a blue robe, holding a long sword, and exuding an impressive aura.

His cultivation seemed to have reached the Sixth Layer of the Saint Domain, the mid-stage of the Domain Realm!

"I've studied swordsmanship for a while, but only know the basics... When the sword aura suddenly appeared, I couldn't react in time and caused this. I'm truly sorry!" Zhang Xuan quickly said.

Since he came to seek help, it was better to be humble.

Moreover, he had always been humble and low-key.

"No need for apologies. The teacher left this sword aura here to test visitors' comprehension of sword intent. Being able to detect it in advance and not be harmed shows a natural sensitivity to the sword and considerable insight!"

Senior Brother Xie smiled slightly and nodded. "Go see the teacher!"

"See the teacher?" Zhang Xuan was stunned.

This attitude was off!

When others saw him demolishing the house, they were so angry their lips trembled, wanting to slap him to death... How could this person not only not be angry but also invite him to meet the Grandmaster of the Sword?

Could it be that he was afraid that mentioning compensation now would scare him away, so he tricked him in first?

Or... was demolishing the house a test?

Many strong individuals have quirks. For example, Saint Kui, even as a remnant soul, insisted on sharpening an iron rod... Perhaps this so-called rigid Grandmaster of the Sword actually likes it when people demolish houses.

If that were the case, he didn't need to say anything—he would get a perfect score.

Speculating this, he turned to look at Shui Qianrou, hoping to read the answer from her face, but saw that she too looked confused, seemingly unaware.

"Oh well, what will be will be. If it really is a test, demolishing this courtyard is nothing—it's not that big..."

After hesitating for two breaths, Zhang Xuan relaxed, smiled lightly, and cupped his hands. "Then I'll trouble Senior Brother Xie!"

With that, he followed Senior Brother Xie into the courtyard.

Shui Qianrou's teacher's courtyard, located within the Holy Son Hall, was not large but very exquisite, covered by a massive formation. Sword aura roamed everywhere, seemingly following a special pattern, giving a sense of sword intent flowing freely.

Cultivating here long-term would definitely lead to rapid progress in understanding the sword.

He quietly activated his Insight Eye, carefully examining the formation, identifying the exact positions of the formation eye and core. Confident that if he really wanted to act, he could reduce the entire mansion to rubble in an instant, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Senior Brother Xie, what's going on?"

While he was observing, Shui Qianrou hurried over and couldn't help asking.

She was also the teacher's disciple, and she only knew that the sword aura at the gate forbade outsiders from entering casually. When had it become a test?

"Today, the teacher went to watch the new student selection and said there were a few promising talents with deep understanding of the sword. So he adjusted the power of the sword aura. Those who can detect it in advance and not be harmed show extreme sensitivity to the sword. When such a person appears, he told me to bring them over. You left early this morning, so I didn't have time to explain..."

Senior Brother Xie lowered his voice.

The Holy Son Hall's selection of new students was such a major event that many elders would observe, hoping to find geniuses to inherit their legacy.

Although Sword Qinsheng was somewhat rigid, he also wanted to pass down the sword legacy left by his ancestors and hoped to find good prospects to train.

"I see!"

Understanding, Shui Qianrou finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At least she hadn't angered the teacher.

Passing a flower garden, a pavilion came into view. An old man stood inside holding a long sword, seemingly practicing some martial technique.

"The teacher is practicing swordsmanship. Let's wait a moment!"

Senior Brother Xie waved his hand.

"Yes!"

Stopping, Zhang Xuan carefully looked at the old man in the pavilion.

His movements were very slow, yet gave a sense of ease and grace, like an old man practicing Tai Chi in a park.

Each sword stroke seemed to seal off a space, leaving no room to dodge, only to meet it head-on.

"Such a profound swordsmanship..."

Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed.

Although he hadn't studied the Three Swords of Lingxu, he had comprehended the True Solution of the Sword, making him an absolute master in swordsmanship. Others might not see what was being practiced, but he recognized its extraordinary nature at a glance.

The old man's sword moves were very slow, yet they contained the most fundamental sword principles.

"It's somewhat similar to the Heavenly Dao Sword Technique!"

He couldn't help praising.

The sword emphasizes agility and speed, but when practicing, faster isn't always better.

A fast sword, though hard to dodge, is a waste of energy if it doesn't hit the target.

Just like an untrained ruffian swinging knives wildly—if fast and fierce, it can be threatening, but against a true master, one finger might bring him down.

In battle, speed alone is useless; precision is also needed.

Without accuracy, even speed is futile.

This old man's sword moves were very slow, seemingly to better display the techniques, but each stroke pointed directly to the Dao, causing the air to tremble and even seeming to seal space. It had many similarities with his Heavenly Dao Sword Technique!

This kind of swordsmanship, when facing an opponent, has no redundancy. Once the sword is out, it will inevitably hit a vital point or force the opponent to defend.

That was why Zhang Xuan's sword moves were so terrifying—unbeatable at the same level and realm.

"However, it's only similar... still lacking something!"

After his shock, Zhang Xuan couldn't help shaking his head.

These moves, though somewhat similar to the Heavenly Dao Sword Technique, were not it!

They seemed only a hair's breadth away, but in reality, there was a world of difference.

A miss is as good as a mile!

If the opponent fought with this swordsmanship, even if the puppet from Jiazi Alley had the same strength, he could easily defeat it!

It wasn't that the swordsmanship was weak... but that he was using the true Heavenly Dao Sword Technique, while the opponent was using a fake one, like an imitation. Once they clashed, it would be like the real and fake versions of the Bixie Sword Manual—the fake would be suppressed at every turn and naturally fall into disadvantage.

"Although I don't know if this set of swordsmanship was created by the third hall master or researched by him, being able to achieve this is already terrifying... but it's still a pity!"

He sighed inwardly.

The Heavenly Dao Sword Technique was derived from countless sword technique manuals he had collected, reaching the realm of great skill appearing artless.

For an ordinary person to understand it to this level, infinitely close, was truly terrifying.

Whoosh!

As he was marveling, the old man in the pavilion stopped his moves, sheathed his sword, and stood with a steady aura like a mountain, his true qi concealed, revealing nothing from the outside.

If he hadn't witnessed the marvel of his swordsmanship, he would have suspected he was just an ordinary person.

"Young friend, I saw you shaking your head just now. Do you find something wrong with my sword moves?"

Smiling lightly, the old man looked over.

"Wrong? Not at all!"

Zhang Xuan paused. "They should be... all wrong!"