Chapter 25: Chapter 24: Left-Handed Sword
Wen Qingye slowly walked out. As he emerged, he found everyone staring at him in astonishment. ’Strange,’ he thought.
At that moment, Gao Yuerou hurried over, her eyes fixed on Wen Qingye. "You passed the 5th Layer?"
Everyone in the crowd strained their ears, afraid of missing a single detail.
Wen Qingye nodded and said with a smile, "Yes. I got lucky."
An uproar swept through the crowd!
Hearing Wen Qingye’s words, they were all stunned, staring at him in utter disbelief.
For some reason, an inexplicable rage welled up inside Zhou Yang. Unwilling to accept this, he strode to Wen Qingye’s side and said in a low voice, "Wen Qingye, do you really think I’d believe you passed the 5th Layer with your actual strength? You’re only at the Eighth Level of Qi Cultivation. I’ll warn you one last time: stop showing off for the crowd. There are people you can’t afford to provoke. The consequences are more than you can handle."
The crowd snapped back to their senses. That was right—Wen Qingye’s cultivation was only at the Eighth Level of Qi Cultivation. How could he possibly pass the 5th Layer? A wave of doubt washed over them.
Wen Qingye gave Zhou Yang a baffled look, a disdainful smile touching his lips. "And you’re only at the Ninth Heaven of Qi Cultivation, aren’t you?"
The crowd erupted.
In an instant, chaos broke out, like a pot of boiling water.
Someone at the Eighth Heaven of Qi Cultivation was provoking someone at the Ninth Heaven! It was utterly astonishing. Though they were separated by just one level, the difference in strength was immense.
Zhou Yang’s expression changed instantly. He roared in fury, "Wen Qingye, you dare look down on me?"
"Look down on you?" Wen Qingye shook his head. "You think far too highly of yourself. In my eyes, you’re nothing more than a clown."
"You’re courting death!" At his words, Zhou Yang’s eyes turned blood-red with rage.
With that, Zhou Yang lunged forward. His muscles bulged, the veins on his arms standing out starkly. A roiling wave of air blasted outward from him, carrying a shocking momentum.
Wen Qingye didn’t even blink, his expression impassive.
"What’s wrong with Wen Qingye? Why isn’t he moving?"
"He must be frozen by Zhou Yang’s sheer presence, too scared to move."
"Zhou Yang’s power really is impressive. Look at that speed!"
...
Just as Zhou Yang’s palm was about to strike him, Wen Qingye finally moved. His left hand shot out, drawing a sword with astonishing speed. The crowd saw only a golden gleam flash past like a fleeting shadow.
In that instant, Zhou Yang froze, stock-still. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he stared at Wen Qingye in utter shock and gulped.
The crowd was puzzled. Why had Zhou Yang, who had been so ferocious and murderous just a moment ago, suddenly stopped moving?
Looking closer, they saw a sword pointed directly at Zhou Yang’s throat. If he had moved forward even half an inch, he would be on the ground by now.
Everyone present exchanged shocked glances and drew in a sharp breath. Most of them hadn’t even seen Wen Qingye move. All they perceived was the blink of an eye, a flash of cold light, and the sword was at Zhou Yang’s throat. The thought sent a chill down their spines.
CLAP, CLAP!
At that moment, Zhao Feng walked over, a look of admiration on his face. "Impressive skills," he said. "Based on that display of Swordsmanship alone, passing the first four layers should have been no problem at all."
"And you are?" Wen Qingye asked, his brow furrowing.
Zhao Feng smiled. "Zhao Feng of South Mountain."
"Never heard of you," Wen Qingye replied flatly.
"That’s Zhao Feng, ranked seventh among the South Mountain new students! I heard he’s already reached the Half-step Refining Essence stage!"
"That’s right! I heard he just attempted the Heaven-Reaching Martial Pavilion himself and failed to pass the 5th Layer."
"Looks like we’re in for a good show. I wonder who’s stronger?"
"I know, right? But it should be impossible for someone at the Eighth Level of Qi Cultivation to defeat someone at the Half-step Refining Essence stage."
Zhao Feng’s expression flickered for a moment, but he quickly recovered. "Of course. How could a minor figure like myself be worthy of your notice?"
"That is not the least bit false," Wen Qingye said, nodding seriously.
’For people like this,’ Wen Qingye thought, ’there’s no need to spare their feelings.’
Zhao Feng felt like he was about to cough up blood. His eyes turned cold as he stared at Wen Qingye. Drawing his own sword, he said, "I’m quite curious about that Swordsmanship of yours. Allow me to test a few of your moves."
Without waiting for Wen Qingye to refuse, Zhao Feng immediately began to swing his sword.
"Sword Raising Storm!"
Zhao Feng’s sword moved with incredible speed. A stream of cyan energy coiled around the blade, exuding the oppressive force of a gale. The surrounding crowd quickly backed away.
Wen Qingye sneered. ’Fine, I’ll play along.’
"Spiritual Snake Frenzy Dance!"
The sword in Wen Qingye’s hand spun rapidly. To Zhao Feng, it felt less like Wen Qingye was holding a sword and more like he was holding a living Spiritual Snake, constantly writhing. The Spiritual Snake was the sword, and the sword was the Spiritual Snake.
CLANG! CLANG!
Zhao Feng’s cultivation was indeed impressive. After exchanging a single blow, both men retreated four or five steps.
With his lower cultivation, Wen Qingye hadn’t gained any advantage either.
Zhao Feng gripped his sword with both hands. The surrounding Primordial Qi surged toward him like a great tide, pouring into the Sword Body. As the Primordial Qi condensed, the aura of the sword grew even more potent.
"Great Wind Sword Dance!"
Zhao Feng swept his sword forward violently, unleashing a thirty-foot-long beam of Sword Qi from the blade. The Sword Qi was immensely powerful and as swift as the wind.
"Golden Light Snake Shadow!"
Wen Qingye’s footwork shifted. With a flick of his sword, it instantly transformed into a giant golden snake that lunged toward the incoming Sword Qi.
"I remember now! That looks like the legendary Spiritual Snake Sword!"
"What? Isn’t the Spiritual Snake Sword the most difficult entry-level swordsmanship to master? Wen Qingye has only been here for a few days!"
"Could this Wen Qingye be a prodigy of the Sword Dao? To master a swordsmanship in days that takes others years to learn?"
...
To the onlookers, it was as if they were watching a giant golden snake coiling and twisting, dancing in the wind.
HISS!
The golden snake flicked its tongue and then, like a bolt of lightning, slammed into the cyan Sword Qi. The Sword Qi was instantly shattered by the snake, dissipating into the air.
Seeing the golden snake rushing toward him, Zhao Feng panicked and hastily raised his sword horizontally to block.
BANG!
The golden snake crashed directly into Zhao Feng’s sword. Its power had been diminished after shattering the Sword Qi, but it was still enough to knock the sword from Zhao Feng’s hands. He stumbled back three steps before regaining his footing.
"You!" Zhao Feng glared at Wen Qingye, furious. He couldn’t believe he’d actually been bested, and by the unknown Wen Qingye of all people. How could the ever-arrogant Zhao Feng possibly stand for this?
Wen Qingye gave Zhao Feng an indifferent glance, sheathed his sword, and strode away without another word.
Gao Yuerou watched Wen Qingye’s retreating figure, marveling inwardly. ’His strength is growing so fast. He seems so different from before... in so many ways. Those eyes, for instance.’ Thinking of this, a strange new emotion stirred in Gao Yuerou’s heart.
After Wen Qingye had left, Zhao Feng said fiercely, "Damn it! That Wen Qingye’s Swordsmanship is certainly something. If I hadn’t been careless, there’s no way he would have gotten the better of me."
Kang Yan quickly added, "That’s right! If Brother Feng hadn’t been careless, that student from North Mountain would already be lying at your feet!"
"Exactly. Wen Qingye just got lucky. His true strength is leagues below yours, Brother Feng."
The crowd from South Mountain all chimed in, comforting Zhao Feng and disparaging Wen Qingye, convinced that he had only won by a fluke.
Standing nearby, Gao Yuerou couldn’t help but cut in. "Did none of you notice he was using his left hand?"
The crowd fell silent. After a long moment, they started to replay the fight in their minds and finally realized the truth.
"That’s right... I think he was using his left hand."
"So Wen Qingye defeated Zhao Feng with a Left-Handed Sword?"
"He was using his left hand? I didn’t even notice."
"Gods, he must be left-handed. How else could his Left-Handed Sword be so masterful?"
Hearing the crowd’s murmurs, Zhao Feng’s face changed. He tried to defend himself, "Maybe Wen Qingye is just left-handed..."
Gao Yuerou frowned at Zhao Feng. "I grew up with him. Don’t you think I would know if he was left-handed?"
With that, Gao Yuerou turned and left as well.
Zhao Feng stared blankly at the spot where Wen Qingye had vanished, unable to process what had just happened.
