"I am Yang Tiansheng from the Ming Sect."
The Guilin landscape amidst the light rain seemed like an ink painting, with distant scenes fading and nearer ones in clearer detail, merging the sky and water into one hue.
Clad in a vast, fiery-red robe, Yang Tiansheng stood atop a bamboo raft on the Li River, smiling faintly as he clasped hands in a salute toward Li Qing. Behind him, eight swords hung suspended, their fiery Sword Qi crisscrossing like blazing flames illuminating the great river, "Li, please instruct me without reservation."
On the pebbly river beach, the slovenly Li Qing, dressed in a stained hemp robe, exuded an indescribable sense of tranquility amidst his disheveled appearance. Removing his bamboo hat and not concealing his surprise, he measured from afar the eight treasured swords flickering uncertainly and shook his head with a hint of regret, "You have arrived a bit early."
His words were cryptic, but Yang Tiansheng understood. The smile at the corner of his mouth slowly took on a sharper edge, "I know, but if Yang did not come, Li’s challenge to the swordsmen of the south would hardly live up to his reputation."
Li Qing pondered seriously for a moment, then smilingly held out his sword to return the gesture from a distance, "Thank you, Chief Yang, for allowing this."
Yang Tiansheng extended his hand, "Please."
Li Qing, "Chief Yang, you first, please."
Yang Tiansheng, "My sword technique is swift and fierce, Li, be careful."
Li Qing, "Let’s be sure to stop at the right moment, regardless of who wins or loses, we shouldn’t harm our camaraderie."
Yang Tiansheng replied with a smile, "Of course!"
As his voice fell, without any noticeable movement, the eight swords behind him turned into eight rainbow streaks, skimming slightly over the river surface toward Li Qing.
Li Qing drew his sword, a plain and unadorned Longquan sword that transformed into a seemingly slow but actually swift cold light. Using precise and delicate swordsmanship, he fended off the Sword Qi of each of the eight fiery-red treasured swords, sending them flying.
Yang Tiansheng stretched out his right hand, making a grabbing motion towards the sky, then flung it upwards. The eight treasured swords that had been deflected back traced a smooth arc above the river surface before surging into the sky.
Then, Yang Tiansheng abruptly pressed his right hand downward and, in that instant, the eight treasured swords fell like meteorites, showering straight down towards Li Qing on the stony beach.
Li Qing leapt up, his sword tracing circles in the sky, disrupting the fiery Sword Qi while breaking the internal connection between the eight swords. As he danced past them, swinging his sword from a distance toward Yang Tiansheng, an invisible Sword Qi guided the scattered swords flying toward Yang Tiansheng.
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Yang Tiansheng soared up, sweeping his wide sleeves to collect the swords. His hands, as if they were leading the swords, persisted in pointing at Li Qing, transforming a body full of vigorous True Qi into a raging Sword Qi that repeatedly thrust through the air toward Li Qing.
Li Qing’s sword danced swiftly, his movements graceful like a gliding dragon, emitting sharp Sword Qi strokes. While dodging Yang Tiansheng’s Sword Qi, he struck back in return.
"Bang, bang, bang..."
The two moved along with the river’s flow, Sword Qi streaking past them like a rain of arrows, continuously exploding on the stony beach and the river’s surface, creating columns of dust and waves several meters high.
Yang Tiansheng’s Sword Qi was fierce and intense, his sword moves grew faster and his momentum stronger, each strike mercilessly countering the other’s moves.
Li Qing’s Sword Qi was a harmonious blend of firm and gentle, both offensive and defensive, shuttling through the myriad Sword Qi like a leaf in the wind.
At first glance, the two seemed evenly matched; it was hard to tell who was superior.
In the woods behind the stony beach, the crowd of eager onlookers who followed Li Qing’s sword-challenging journey across various lands held their breaths and watched the movements on the river intently, afraid to miss any detail.
As they accompanied Li Qing southwards, they had already sequentially challenged nearly ten renowned martial artists of the southern martial arts community, including the Hall Master of the Five Poisons Cult, a Heavenly King of the White Lotus Sect, and the current Sect Hierarch of the Five Poisons Cult, Yan Shijun.
This battle was neither the most dangerous nor the most awe-inspiring they’d seen.
But it was definitely the most thrilling!
Especially for the many swordsmen within the crowd of onlookers, this battle opened their eyes to a new way of wielding a sword, a way they’ve never imagined before.
In the deathly silence, someone suddenly spoke, "Yang Tiansheng’s swordsmanship has already surpassed Yan Bufan by quite a bit, hasn’t it?"
"The ’Pavilion Beyond the Pavilion’ rankings will probably have to be updated again..."
"The Swordsmanship of Fierce Sun, famous in name and even more impressive in person!"
Some agreed, others praised, but nobody dared to speculate who would win or lose between the two on the river.
Everyone knew that Li Qing’s spars were always "evenly matched" at first and then he would "edge out by a slim margin."
The duration of "evenly matched" depended not only on the opponent’s skill level, righteous or evil, but also on their friendship.
And Yang Tiansheng, with his high skill, righteous conduct, and being the close friend of ’Divine Monarch’ Yang Erlang, warranted at least two or three hundred strokes of "evenly matched" with Li Qing...
...
Over a hundred moves had passed.
In one exchange, seizing an opening, Yang Tiansheng forcefully mustered his energy and executed "One Man, a Formation," attempting to envelop Li Qing.
The eight swords flew together, some fast, some slow, some hard, some soft, with screaming or silent thrusts. Though they appeared to target Li Qing from all sides, the Sword Qi was continuous, shining upon each other, as if eight expert swordsmen skilled in joint attacks were setting up a Sword Array to besiege Li Qing alone.
Seeing this, Li Qing sheathed his sword and with an agile step, darted through the gap of the enclosing swords before they could close in. While drawing back, he pulled his sword to disrupt the resonance of the eight swords’ Sword Qi with his exquisite swordsmanship. Then, with a stroke like a river flowing seamlessly, he unleashed a Sword Qi that was both soft and firm, blowing the eight swords away.
"Indeed, beneath a famous name lies genuine ability, Li truly deserves the title of foremost exponent of the Sword Dao in the world!"
Yang Tiansheng landed back on the bamboo raft, laughing heartily as he waved his sleeve. His vigorous True Qi swept over the swords, instantly returning them to their places.
In his recent encounters with various prominent figures in the southern martial arts community, basically, anyone worth his unleashing all eight swords would be able to break his "One Man, a Formation."
But to break it as effortlessly as Li Qing did... to the point that he was somewhat baffled, only Li Qing managed to do so!