Chapter 299: Chapter 298: The Person in the Drawing and Mr. Wuling
After reaching the full Sword Heart Realm, Shi Xiaole’s perceptivity became more remarkable. Now, even the most mysterious of sword techniques, the essence of their trajectory, was clear to him. Therefore, to him, Zheng Dan’s attempt to hoodwink his mind was nothing but a joke.
It cannot be denied, the Sword Heart yields an enormous enhancement for swordsmen.
Zheng Dan, at the age of twenty-five, was of the Xuan Qi Sixth level, had reached 80% of the Sword Heart Realm, and 60% of the Misty Intent state. All these made him an adversary not readily defeated even by ordinary Xuan Qi Ninth level opponents.
However, all this meant nothing in front of a complete Sword Heart.
To know, the Sword Heart encapsulates all insights of a swordsman into the way of swordsmanship, and once fully realised, it wields an absolutely suppressive power.
If Shi Xiaole, who had now realised 99% of the Sword Heart, replaced himself from earlier today, he would not have been able to defeat Zheng Dan so easily.
"Sir, how should I address you?"
Zheng Dan stood up from the ground, his expression somewhat dazed. For a man as composed as him to display such a look indicated just how much Shi Xiaole had shocked him.
"Shi Xiaole."
"Shi Xiaole? A fine name, I’ll remember it."
Zheng Dan sheathed his sword. He also decided to accept today’s defeat.
He did not mind his loss. For who in this world has not experienced defeat? At the very least, he discovered an opponent today who was on par with the four great Sword Marquises; his defeat was not without cause.
"He...he actually comprehended the Sword Heart?"
Lan Xiaodie covered her mouth in surprise. Even when she learned that her father had grasped the true essence, she had never been this astonished.
After all, the latter was one who kept his abilities hidden, and no one could tell when he began.
Shi Xiaole was different. When he had just arrived at the Tide Listening, his Sword Heart Realm was probably around 95%. Now, just a few days later, he had fully realized it?
Which of the ones able to touch the Sword Heart wasn’t a genius swordsman? But, moving from 95 to 100%, many spent a full decade or even several decades.
All of a sudden, Lan Xiaodie thought of the Sunset Little Sword Marquis, her expression becoming more astonished. It seemed that Shi Xiaole was two years younger than him.
Tao Xingyu didn’t know what to say.
Initially, Shi Xiaole’s effortless defeat of Chen Gong had already displayed his astonishing progress. Later, his breaking of Zheng Dan’s Heart-Cutting Sword Technique outdid even himself.
Now, he had jumped straight up to heaven, directly defeating Zheng Dan who had gone all out?
"How is that possible, this person..."
Chen Gong was heavily shocked, his shoulders slumping once more. Even his concealment-prone Senior Brother was defeated. His own loss to the opponent didn’t seem to be such a big deal after all.
In the distance, the three servants of the Tide Listening shared glances. The other two had already learned of everything from the knowledgeable servants. Still, upon seeing it up close, they were slightly flabbergasted.
"May I inquire about the noble lineage of your master, young man?"
Someone broke the silence. It was Sun Zhongwei. In fact, when Shi Xiaole defeated Chen Gong, he had already started to guess but hesitated, for the implications were too astonishing.
"My master prefers to keep a low profile, so it isn’t convenient for me to reveal. I hope you understand."
Shi Xiaole replied.
Putting all considerations aside, especially when wandering the Martial World, it’s always beneficial to have some backing. At the very least, it could deter those with malicious intentions.
"If I ever get the chance, I would genuinely love to meet your mentor,"
Sun Zhongwei exclaimed sincerely. The trainer who nurtured a dazzling talent like Shi Xiaole must undoubtedly be a top-notch, once-in-a-generation swordsman himself.
"This world of martial arts is indeed too vast for us to fathom. Zheng Dan, Chen Gong, you two still have a long way to go. I hope that this battle today gives you some inspiration."
With a shake of his head, Sun Zhongwei, who was exuberant when he arrived, left, feeling a bit dispirited. Zheng Dan and Chen Gong acknowledged his address, with the former not forgetting to give one last glance at Shi Xiaole before following Sun along.
Once the three men left, Shi Xiaole walked up to Lan Xiaodie and sincerely said, "These past few days, I’m grateful for Senior Lan’s guidance, and I won’t forget it."
"You don’t need to thank me; I didn’t do anything."
Lan Xiaodie said lightly.
Perhaps it was his nature, or perhaps it was the influence of his realm, but Lan Xiaodie didn’t like showing his thoughts to anyone. However, he had to admit that Shi Xiaole was the most talented young swordsman he had ever seen.
He was even more curious about the latter’s master.
With a shake of his head, Lan Xiaodie took a step and was already a hundred meters away, quickly disappearing from sight. The three servants exchanged smiles and also left one after the other, each going about their business.
...
After fully realizing the Sword Heart realm, Shi Xiaole decided to leave the Tide Listening. After all, as an outsider, to continue using the resources here for a long period would feel inappropriate.
"Little Shi, you’re truly something. Now that you’ve used up the resources here, you’re leaving?"
Lan Xiaodie wasn’t happy and snorted.
Finally, she had another playmate. She even wanted to exchange some moves with him, which might further improve her Sword Heart.
Of course, Shi Xiaole knew that Lan Xiaodie didn’t truly blame him, but he felt strange about leaving so quickly after his Sword Heart reached full realization, so he agreed to stay for a few more days.
In the following days, Shi Xiaole frequently sparred with Lan Xiaodie and Tao Xingyu. Of course, he suppressed his strength to match theirs.
In between their spars, he often told them in detail about his journey in fully realizing the Sword Heart to help them better their understanding.
Shi Xiaole never believed in hoarding excellent skills. He didn’t fear others becoming stronger. In his view, one’s mentality determines their achievements. Only when others become stronger do they grow stronger.
Of course, apart from helping Lan Xiaodie and Tao Xingyu, his progress was not negligible.
After mastering the Sword Heart, Shi Xiaole’s understanding of the Death Claiming Fifteen Swords improved significantly. He effortlessly reached 90% in the first thirteen moves. The fourteenth move reached 70%, and the fifteenth move had a blueprint, achieving 20%.
One could say that he was now far more capable than when he defeated Zheng Dan.
This is the Eighteen Nameless Sword Techniques, you can take a look."
On the eve of departure, the three sat under the moonlight in a small courtyard, drinking and Shi Xiaole handed over a secret book.
Over the past few months of free draws, either they came up empty, or they drew third-rate martial arts.
Last month, they were lucky and drew a second-rate middle-level Nameless Sword Technique. After Shi Xiaole had practiced it, with the intention of returning a favor, he decided to pass it onto the other two.
"What intricate sword moves."
Just after one page, Tao Xingyu was exclaiming in admiration and Lan Xiaodie also had shimmering eyes.
The Eighteen Nameless Sword Techniques, albeit only a middle-level second-tier, was really extraordinary, and each tactic was independent. It could be seen as a sequence of eighteen clever moves.
If one was sufficiently enlightened, perhaps he could comprehend more from it.
"Brother Shi, may I ask who invented this sword technique?"
Tao Xingyu curiously inquired.
"Barely sane yet truly a gentleman, he can weep and sing against the vulgar world. His name is Zhang Danfeng."
Shi Xiaole said with a sigh.
The Eighteen Nameless Sword Techniques were indeed the martial skills created by Zhang Danfeng, who was once the best swordsman in the Martial World and also the unmatched martial artist.
"Brother Shi, this is someone else’s hardwork and without their permission, how could we casually practice it?"
Tao Xingyu pushed the secret book back.
"Don’t worry, this Master Zhang is one of my masters. He said before that I have the right to handle the secret book when I meet the right person."
Shi Xiaole said mysteriously with a smile.
Perhaps it’s due to the different worlds, he had discovered a while ago that martial arts secrets from his past life seemed to have much greater power in this life.
He was looking forward to seeing whether someone would summon a dragon with the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, or would possess the effect of remote laser waves if they learned Six Meridian Divine Sword...
He wanted those far-famed martial skills in his past life to bloom and shine brightly in the martial arts world of this world too!
Of course, Shi Xiaole wouldn’t casually distribute the secret books.
He was not a saint, he couldn’t be completely selfless. Only the nearest relatives and friends or people who had shown kindness to him could enjoy this privilege.
Tao Xingyu initially insisted not to accept, but after hearing Shi Xiaole’s persuasion and being truly attracted to the Nameless Sword Technique, he blushed and accepted it, secretly noting down this great favor in his heart.
"Both of you, remember not to disseminate this at will."
Shi Xiaole instructed.
"Don’t worry, without Brother Shi’s permission, we will never disseminate."
Tao Xingyu vowed.
Lan Xiaodie was looking at Shi Xiaole in puzzlement, thought of his earlier words, wondering if this Shi Xiaole had many masters?
The very next morning, Shi Xiaole silently left the Tide Listening Manor and went to the nearest town, where he really saw Lin Shaoyi who was about to leave.
Shi Xiaole gave a wry smile.
"I know, with my ability, I would just be a burden. After this, I will go back to Leisure Cloud Villa. I will refine my skills and then come back to repay your life."
Lin Shaoyi took another gulp of wine.
In fact, his talents were not bad at all, at least in Shi Xiaole’s view, they did not lose out to Tao Xingyu.
The reason his martial skills were lacking, in addition to daily drinking, was that his Hundred Steps Authentic Scripture was only a middle-grade second-tier internal strength, which greatly hindered him.
"Oh right, a few days ago, I was killing time and strolling around Dark Alley, and I bought something that may interest you."
Lin Shaoyi took out a scroll attached to his waist and handed it to Shi Xiaole.
As soon as he opened the scroll, just with one glance at it, Shi Xiaole’s eyes were frozen on it, and he was dumbstruck, as if he was struck by lightning.
The man in the painting was exceptionally handsome, with a slender body, one hand held behind him, a long sword pointed at the ground, looking far into the distance. An aura of compassion, tranquility, and elegance suddenly hit his face.
Even more importantly, his appearance was at least 80% similar to Shi Xiaole; it was as if they were carved from the same mold.
"This was accidentally obtained by the old boss who sells paintings. Because the painting is nicely done, he sold it to me for a hundred taels of silver."
Lin Shaoyi explained from the side.
Shi Xiaole glanced and saw that it was signed ’Mr. Wuling’. He asked, "Do you know this person?"
"Never heard of him."
After storing away the scroll, Shi Xiaole still couldn’t calm his emotion.
Undoubtedly, he couldn’t be the person in the painting, so who in the world would look so similar to him?
Lin Shaoyi left.
After seeing him off, Shi Xiaole went straight to the intelligence organization – Knowall, to investigate Mr. Wuling’s identity. However, to his disappointment, Knowall couldn’t find any relevant information.
With a try-and-see attitude, Shi Xiaole then posted a task on the Demon Alliance.
The Demon Alliance are present in all the countries and the tasks are posted anonymously, so there was no need to worry about being tracked.
Besides, the reward for the privately posted tasks, unless they are particularly dangerous, is always given by the Demon Alliance. The reward is also very special - it is merit points.
Any member of the Demon Alliance who wants to be promoted needs to accumulate a large number of merit points. And once promoted, there are many benefits. It is said that at the Incense Master level, you can get a fixed number of Mystic Crystal Stones every month.
So do not think that nobody wants to do private tasks, on the contrary, there are many who want to.
Only after three days, the Demon Alliance sent a message - someone has found out the real identity of Mr. Wuling.
