Chapter 83: Ten Steps, One Kill
As the old man finished speaking, the crowd cheered, and Tang Zhijing’s face turned pale with anger.
Chongyun, however, sneered, his hands clasped behind his back, “Senior Brother Kou, do you only have the courage to stand here when others speak for you?
“You boasted yesterday about Floating Cloud Monastery needing a capable leader, but now you’re afraid?”
Kou Deqiu’s face reddened, veins bulging on his forehead, “Very well! I’ll teach you a lesson, you impudent brat!” He drew his sword, the blade flashing, his killing intent palpable.
Tan Danzi, standing behind him, snorted, “Remember, you both agreed to use only the Star Plucking Sword Technique. Using any other technique means forfeiture.”
He had assumed that since this “Chongyun” dared to challenge Kou Deqiu, he must possess some skill. But if he was just someone Chen Chenyun had found at the last minute, he couldn’t possibly surpass Kou Deqiu’s mastery of the Star Plucking Sword Technique.
Hence, the reminder.
Chongyun, however, said coldly, “Of course.”
Kou Deqiu snorted again, his anger reaching its peak. This young man, almost twenty years his junior, stood before him with such arrogance.
He had come here to assert his dominance, and now, with so many people watching, this brat dared to challenge him, humiliating him publicly.
Despite his rage, he didn’t underestimate his opponent. He held his sword, channeling the Phase Cloud Profound Art, his sword intent simmering.
He stood there like a coiled dragon about to strike, his sword trembling slightly, its aura menacing.
Chen Chenyun and the other Floating Cloud Monastery disciples were inwardly alarmed. Senior Brother Kou was indeed using the Star Plucking Sword Technique, but his sword intent, fueled by the sect’s true energy cultivation method, was so powerful and intimidating that it made them tremble just watching him.
Chen Chenyun thought to himself that if he stood before Kou Deqiu, he wouldn’t even be able to stand steadily.
It was the same sword technique, yet in Kou Deqiu’s hands, even before he moved, its power was terrifying.
Floating Cloud Monastery had once been a renowned sect, but after being labeled as “unorthodox” for refusing to submit to the Chongxian Sect, their access to immortal ingredients cut off, forced to practice external techniques, they had gradually declined.
And now, through Kou Deqiu, they finally saw the true power of the Star Plucking Sword Technique.
Chen Chenyun looked at Chongyun’s back, worried.
Not just him, but all the Floating Cloud Monastery disciples shared his concern.
Although they had placed all their hopes on this young man, they couldn’t shake their doubts.
Both were seventh-rank, but Senior Brother Kou cultivated orthodox Daoist techniques and had been practicing the Star Plucking Sword Technique for years.
Chongyun, on the other hand, had only seen the manual last night and had never even practiced the Phase Cloud Profound Art. The outcome seemed obvious.
But looking at Chongyun’s back, they felt a strange sense of calm.
His posture was steady and unwavering. Although not as burly as Senior Brother Kou, he radiated a powerful aura.
He took a step forward, his stance like a drawn bow, his sword pointed slightly upwards, a simple starting position of the Star Plucking Sword Technique, yet there was a certain grace and elegance to his movements, like the bright moon in the night sky, cold and aloof, its light illuminating the world.
Under his unfathomable aura, even the fierce and imposing Kou Deqiu hesitated.
Silence fell over the courtyard.
Kou Deqiu’s eyes were sharp, his sword gleaming as he stared at his opponent. Although he wanted to attack, the young man’s simple stance, as steady as a mountain, made him hesitate.
Everyone held their breath. As the moments stretched on, and the two remained motionless, the crowd began to murmur.
The girl’s ethereal voice echoed again, “So this is Senior Brother Kou’s courage? He looks fierce and imposing, but when it comes to fighting, he hesitates. No wonder Master refused to pass the leadership to you. With such cowardice, you would only bring shame to Floating Cloud Monastery.”
Her sharp words were met with laughter. Kou Deqiu, his face burning with shame, roared and lunged forward, his sword flashing, about to unleash a flurry of strikes.
At that moment, Chongyun moved. He thrust his sword forward, a streak of light arcing through the air.
Kou Deqiu, as he attacked, felt a sudden chill. He had been seen through. This incoming sword strike was aimed at his weak point.
Although they were still some distance apart, and his own attack had just begun, normally, he wouldn’t have any exposed weaknesses. But this sword strike, arriving in an instant, targeted the weak point in his wrist as he shifted his grip.
Kou Deqiu, startled, quickly changed his technique, trying to intercept the incoming sword.
The young man across from him pushed out with his palm, and the flying sword, as if propelled by an invisible force, accelerated, its whistling echoing through the air, a flash of crimson light.
Kou Deqiu staggered back, muttering, “No… impossible… this… this is…”
The crowd stared in stunned silence.
Those with weaker cultivation couldn’t even see what had happened.
They had only seen Kou Deqiu attack, his powerful sword strike barely begun, when a streak of light flashed past him.
Then, blood sprayed from Kou Deqiu’s back, splattering on the ground. The flying sword clattered against the stone pavement, blood trickling down its blade, forming a pool.
Chongyun stood there, his expression calm and impassive, his hands clasped behind his back, watching Kou Deqiu, who was swaying unsteadily.
Those with stronger cultivation were even more shocked.
They had seen the young man’s flying sword, Kou Deqiu’s desperate attempt to change his technique, and the young man’s seemingly effortless push that accelerated the sword, making Kou Deqiu miss.
Then, the sword, unimpeded, had pierced Kou Deqiu’s chest.
Chen Chenyun said, his voice filled with awe, “Star Chasing… Piercing the Dipper!”
The Floating Cloud Monastery disciples gasped. Star Chasing Piercing the Dipper? The most powerful technique of the Star Plucking Sword Technique, a technique few had ever mastered, even during the monastery’s golden age?
As they stared in shock and disbelief, Kou Deqiu collapsed into a pool of blood, twitching.
His legs twitched as if in defiance, in anger. Then, with a final, almost inaudible sigh, he lay still.
No one knew what his final sigh meant.
Tan Danzi, Tang Zhijing, and the others, staring at the corpse in the pool of blood, their faces pale, stood frozen.
They had been standing behind Kou Deqiu, outside the courtyard. The sword that had pierced him, stained with blood, now stood embedded in the ground before them, its hilt trembling, blood dripping from its tassels.
Their gazes, passing over the lifeless body, fixed on the young man.
He turned and walked away, reciting, “Zhao’s blade, from its silk scabbard drawn, gleams bright as frost or snow at dawn. On silver saddle sits his steed of white; he rides like shooting star across the night. Ten steps, and one life meets its doom; a thousand miles he rides, then seeks no tomb!”
Watching his retreating figure, Tan Danzi, Tang Zhijing, and the others felt a chill run down their spines, speechless…
As Tan Danzi, Tang Zhijing, and the others retreated in stunned silence, Floating Cloud Monastery erupted in celebration.
Even Kou Deqiu’s corpse, lying in a pool of blood, was ignored.
Chen Chenyun and the others were overjoyed. Without Chongyun’s help, they would have lost the monastery.
The others were also amazed by the young Daoist’s skill, his single, decisive strike.
That evening, Chen Chenyun held a banquet to thank Shi Hao and Xu Xiaoyan, who had secretly assisted him.
“Brother Shi is truly remarkable!” After the banquet, Chen Yan’er, her eyes sparkling with excitement, said to Xu Xiaoyan, “Where did you find him?”
“He’s so handsome! I was worried about him, and then, in the blink of an eye, his opponent was down. I thought I was hallucinating.”
Xu Xiaoyan said, “Yes, yes, he’s very skilled. Go tell him yourself. Why are you clinging to me?” She tried to pry Chen Yan’er’s hands off her arm.
Chen Yan’er said, “Xiao Yan, Xiao Yan, tell me, what do his parents do? Is he married? Does he have a fiancée? What kind of girls does he like…?”
Xu Xiaoyan said, “Didn’t you ask me all this before?”
Chen Yan’er said, “Tell me, tell me, he…”
Xu Xiaoyan finally managed to free herself, “Go ask him yourself! Why are you asking me?”
As darkness fell, the excitement at Floating Cloud Monastery subsided.
Shi Hao, after taking a bath, was walking back to his room when he saw Xu Xiaoyan, still wearing the Daoist robe borrowed from Chen Yan’er, standing by a red pillar in the corridor, hands on her hips.
Shi Hao asked, “What is it?”
Xu Xiaoyan smiled, “You were quite impressive today. The name ‘Chongyun of Floating Cloud Monastery’ is spreading quickly through the martial world.”
Shi Hao said, “I was just lucky.”
Xu Xiaoyan looked up at him, “But it doesn’t make sense. I asked the others. The ‘Star Chasing Piercing the Dipper’ technique requires projecting true energy externally. Only mid-rank martial artists and above can do that. You’re only seventh-rank. How can you project your true energy?”
Shi Hao smiled, “My Daoist cultivation technique is… unique.”
Xu Xiaoyan said thoughtfully, “Well, it’s a good thing! I’ve already spoken to the abbot. We’ll be staying here as Floating Cloud Monastery disciples for the next few days. Chongyun of Floating Cloud Monastery, hee hee, no one will connect you to the ‘Mad Blade Hero’ that way.”
Shi Hao nodded, “That’s a good plan.”
Leave a Reply