The Transmigrator’s Cultivation

Arc 17: Hengwu Small World | Chapter 335: Yun Tiangang's Sword Sharpening

On the side of the small courtyard, there was a stone table surrounded by several stone benches.

A handsome young man dressed in green sat on the right side, with a chessboard in front of him. Opposite him was the young man in a yellow robe, holding a cup of tea, engaged in a game.

To the left of the young man in yellow sat a tall and strong figure, whose piercing gaze never left the young man.

This was Xu Ziqing, Qiu Yucheng, and Qiu Hu, the three of them.

Five days ago, due to a provocation from the Gale Sword and an increase in killing intent after taking medicine, Yun Tiangang killed that person, which attracted the attention of the ancestor of Peng Yu, Peng Han, who intended to kill Yun Tiangang.

Xu Ziqing was about to take action when two Xiantian experts, the reincarnations of Dong Lixi and Jiao Tu, suddenly arrived and stopped him.

In the following days, the two Xiantian experts came every day, and especially Qiu Yucheng, for some unknown reason, seemed to have become somewhat friendly with Xu Ziqing.

Xu Ziqing sighed lightly in his heart. He had admired Dong Lixi in the past and now felt a bit closer to Qiu Yucheng than to others.

Qiu Yucheng had a bit of a connection with Xu Ziqing in his past life, so meeting him now felt quite friendly.

Perhaps because Qiu Yucheng had been a ruler in his previous life, his chess style was broad and expansive, with a commanding presence that seemed to encompass the world. Each move was calculated, as if the entire world were in his hands, exuding a kind of indescribable arrogance that didn’t quite match his handsome appearance.

But Xu Ziqing had already embarked on the path of immortality, having realized the way of life and death. After observing their fates, he knew he could easily defeat them.

Thus, after pondering for a moment, Qiu Yucheng dropped his piece and smiled, “I lost.”

Xu Ziqing also smiled slightly and replied, “I’m honored.”

Qiu Hu immediately collected the chess pieces for the two and only then did their gazes fall into the courtyard.

There, Yun Tiangang was locked in a struggle with someone. At that moment, he twisted his feet and struck the opponent’s shoulder, achieving victory.

Soon after, another person approached, fists clasped, not giving Yun Tiangang a moment to breathe, swinging a long staff in a tight and relentless manner.

Since Peng Han was stopped by Qiu Yucheng and the other, realizing he couldn’t achieve his goal, he left in a huff and never returned.

However, since that day, the number of challengers has increased significantly.

The people who came were all experts above the eighth level of Huotian cultivation, and regardless of their weapons or techniques, all focused on “speed.” Some even had strange footwork, taking turns to fight, all without respite.

Thus, Yun Tiangang fought every day from dawn until dusk, going through this cycle, standing like a long sword, unyielding and steadfast.

Today was no exception. Earlier, Yun Tiangang had defeated eight opponents, and the Xuanwu Invitation he held had already accumulated to a significant number.

Yet, before he could leave, there were still dozens of people waiting, along with many onlookers gradually gathering, treating this matter as a topic of conversation and an interesting event, all flocking to watch. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Yun Tiangang could not afford to make a mistake.

By now, some had even opened a betting pool, trying to guess when Yun Tiangang would finally be defeated.

Qiu Yucheng had been watching for a long time and felt that Yun Tiangang was quite impressive, smiling as he said, “Ziqing, are you not going to intervene?”

Xu Ziqing sighed and replied, “Tiangang hasn’t reached his limit yet.”

Others didn’t know, but he was very clear that his Shixiong when practicing swordplay, must be undistracted; otherwise, he couldn’t be disturbed. Naturally, his Shixiong’s reincarnated self, Yun Tiangang, was the same.

Moreover, although Yun Tiangang was tired every day now, his physical body had indeed not reached its limit. It was likely that after practicing swordplay daily for the past ten years, he could already swing thousands of swords in a day.

The people now coming were well-prepared. Although it was unclear whether Peng Han sent them or if it was some scheme from the ones trying to curry favor with Wu Ao Sect, they undoubtedly came with malicious intent, yet it still served as a form of training for his Shixiong.

His Shixiong broke the enemy’s defenses with the fastest and most precise sword, and if he remained rooted in place, it was no different from his usual practice of swordplay. Even if forced to dodge, it wouldn’t be so easy to exhaust his energy. Therefore, Xu Ziqing wanted to facilitate his Shixiong’s sword sharpening.

Xu Ziqing thought: back in the day when his Shixiong Yun Lie was young and without a teacher, he spent ten years honing his sword skills, so it must have been just as tough. Now, with his primordial spirit reincarnated, it was also a form of realization.

Qiu Yucheng initially only intended to joke, but with his keen insight, he naturally recognized Yun Tiangang’s intent. While admiring it in his heart, he also grew curious about the relationship between Xu Ziqing and Yun Tiangang.

Yun Tiangang was quite young, yet his swordsmanship was unprecedented, truly astonishing. Xu Ziqing also looked to be just around twenty, yet his strength was unfathomable. Even he and Qiu Hu couldn’t see through it, which was enough to prove that he was above the two—he didn’t think too highly of himself, but at just twenty years old, having attained the sixth level of Xiantian cultivation, far exceeding both him and Qiu Hu, there was no one like him in the entire realm!

If Xu Ziqing had skills to maintain his youth, then he would be quite aged, perhaps even have the role of martial arts teacher for Yun Tiangang. However, Qiu Yucheng could sense that Xu Ziqing’s aura was completely different from Yun Tiangang’s, indicating he was not someone who practiced sword techniques to perfection like him, and Xu Ziqing’s attitude towards Yun Tiangang didn’t resemble that of an elder… Instead, it inadvertently hinted at a mutual respect… and a deep sense of understanding.

This kind of understanding, Qiu Yucheng believed he shared with Qiu Hu as well, and since he had feelings for Qiu Hu, could it be the same for Xu Ziqing towards Yun Tiangang?

As for Yun Tiangang, who remained cold and indifferent all day, he couldn’t see through it. He only knew that his attitude towards Xu Ziqing was different from others.

Such dynamics made it all the more interesting for him.

Yet, he didn’t understand why he felt some respect towards Xu Ziqing. He didn’t want to pry too much; otherwise, if he offended them and lost this friendship, it wouldn’t be worth it.

Thinking this, Qiu Yucheng stopped speaking. Just as he was about to turn and speak to Xu Ziqing again, he unexpectedly noticed a change in Xu Ziqing’s expression.

Qiu Yucheng felt a stir in his heart. What happened?

Xu Ziqing’s expression quickly returned to normal. He had just seen his Shixiong…

The more battles Yun Tiangang fought, the heavier the killing intent around him became. While the onlookers might not perceive it, Xu Ziqing could see that his Shixiong was gradually entering a strange state. If this state were to deepen further… without a doubt, it would lead to the sword intent!

Sword intent is an formless thing, residing in the Zifu, yet it is entrusted to the divine soul.

Back then, his Shixiong could repel enemies with just a flick of his divine soul, and later, after forming the golden core, his three souls and seven spirits transformed into the primordial spirit. Thus, the sword intent became embedded in the primordial spirit, becoming even more refined and unyielding, invincible and indestructible. Now, as the sword intent was about to reemerge, his Shixiong’s primordial spirit… was it truly being gradually unsealed due to all this sword sharpening?

At the end of the evening, Qiu Yucheng and the others took their leave, and the challengers could only depart.

Yun Tiangang stood quietly in the courtyard, not moving a step.

Xu Ziqing approached him and reached out to support him: “Tiangang, are you alright?”

Yun Tiangang replied, “Just need to rest for a moment, and it will be fine.”

Knowing his Shixiong’s temperament, Xu Ziqing did not insist on taking him away but stood quietly by his side, keeping him company.

The atmosphere between the two was very tranquil.

Outside, someone stole a glance and quickly left.

Xu Ziqing scanned in that direction with his divine sense, slightly shook his head, and paid it no mind.

No matter who that person was, they posed no threat to him.

The person quickly moved on and soon arrived at a courtyard.

The young man in a brocade robe and others were waiting there. Upon seeing him arrive, they asked, “What happened?”

The person replied, “Yun Tiangang has been challenged for several days and is now quite fatigued.”

The brocade-robed young man nodded, waved his hand to dismiss him, and then said to the others, “As I expected.”

His Shixiong, the young man in a blue robe, spoke up: “The young master is indeed wise. If it weren’t for the young master inciting the Gale Sword, that fool wouldn’t have angered Yun Tiangang and lost his life. Instead, we have easily learned of Yun Tiangang’s strength, while Elder Peng Han has also built a bridge with him.”

The others complimented in unison, “Exactly! The young master is insightful, and we all admire him greatly!”

Hearing this, the brocade-robed young man laughed and said, “I was just trying it out; it really saved us a lot of effort.”

As the supervising elder, Peng Han had many people trying to curry favor with him. Having lost his grandson, how could he not seek revenge? Even if he couldn’t personally take action, he could still pay a price to have these crazy warriors act. Even if he couldn’t kill Yun Tiangang, he could at least exhaust him.

In this way, it suited the brocade-robed young man perfectly.

The news brought by the blue-robed youth also indicated that Yun Tiangang’s strength was extraordinary, but his stamina was not limitless. In just a few days, he had already become fatigued. If this continued, by the time of the Xuanwu Conference, he would surely be at his limit.

Participating in the conference with such a fatigued body would make him prone to mistakes, and if the brocade-robed young man took action during the conference, no one could say anything against it.

By borrowing a knife to kill and using the conference as cover, from beginning to end, who could find any fault?

Achieving the current situation, even if the brocade-robed young man was usually cautious and restrained, he couldn’t help but feel a bit proud at this moment.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was the day of the Xuanwu Conference.

Due to the busy matters of the conference, Qiu Yucheng and the others had not come yesterday. Perhaps Peng Han had gone mad in the end, as the challengers had swarmed in since early morning and only left late at night after the end of the evening.

Yun Tiangang was indeed being pressured day by day, and his physical body was exhausted, truly nearing its limit.

On this day, Yun Tiangang appeared as usual, but Xu Ziqing could see that his body was tense, and every step he took required great willpower to support.

Xu Ziqing did not extend a helping hand; he understood deeply that his Shixiong’s sword sharpening had reached a critical point.

They were just a little short of allowing the sword intent to burst forth. But what was that little something?

Xu Ziqing had some guesses but could not be certain.

The two did not linger and quickly set out with their attendants.

Upon reaching the entrance, a carriage awaited to take them, delivering them to the outer gate of the Xuanwu Conference.

There were already many carriages arriving here, all coming to a stop.

Many warriors disembarked, each wielding weapons and using the Xuanwu Tokens to enter along with their accompanying personnel.

Xu Ziqing followed Yun Tiangang and entered on foot.

In these past few days, since many challengers had relied on the Xuanwu Invitations, Yun Tiangang had gathered nearly a thousand invitations, making his collection quite impressive.

The number of these Xuanwu Tokens had unique uses during the Xuanwu Conference.

For example, seating arrangements were closely related to them.

Translator: Lynn

Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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