Chapter 284: Remnant of the Sword Spirit's Soul
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Continuous miserable screams emitted from the stone wall.
Xu Que could not take it and stopped his actions. He furrowed his brows. "Why are you screaming at the top of your voice? I haven't even slashed a wound on your skin yet you've still got the gall to scream? And you dare boast that you are a deity?"
"Young man, when did this deity scream? Do you think such a tiny sword could hurt this deity?" The creature within the stone wall started to put on airs again.
Xu Que was unhappy with those words. He took out the Killing Blade, intending to stab again.
"Wait, wait, young man, don't you want to know the whereabouts of the Sword Spirit? This deity can give you the information, but you need to satisfy my request. And that is, to get me out of here! There, there, there, what kind of expression do you have now? This deity is able to get out by himself, I'm just wanting to test you, so don't misunderstand!"
"Hehe, I do have a way," grinned Xu Que. "I have a kind of holy water called the 'Purifying Water'. It is said that it can purify this stone wall!"
The creature inside the stone wall was immediately shocked and shouted enthusiastically, "mighty young hero, quick, quick, get this deity out of here. This deity will give you a big reward!"
"No, I only have one bottle of purifying water. It is extremely precious. Moreover, didn't you say you could get out by yourself? So forget it, I'll go search for the Sword Spirit. Goodbye!" Xu Que smiled and turned away.
The creature within the stone wall became agitated. "Young man, come back here," the creature shouted. "If you don't have this deity's guidance, you won't be able to find the Sword Spirit. Don't you realise something? This Sword Catacomb has existed for millions of years and so far, nobody has been able to find the Sword Spirit… because…"
"Because of what?" Xu Que stopped abruptly to ask.
Frankly, he was indeed curious. The Sword Catacomb had existed for so many years and no one had really gotten the Sword Spirit. Most of the elites and geniuses who entered had essentially only hoped to gain one or two ancient weapons from the Sword Catacomb.
"Heheh, young man, exchange your purifying water and this deity will tell you the exact location of the Sword Spirit!"
"Oh, then you'd better forget it. I'm not interested in the Sword Spirit anyway." Xu Que was rather indifferent about it. Spending 5,000 Acting Tough Points for a Sword Spirit seemed like a bad deal, especially as he didn't know what the Sword Spirit could do.
The creature within the stone wall was really astounded by his attitude. "What? You aren't interested in the Sword Spirit? Haha, young man, you don't know about the origin of the Sword Spirit, do you?"
"Oh, so you know about its origin?"
"Of course, this deity knows everything! This Sword Spirit used to belong to an Immortal Emperor in the ancient times before it subsequently ended up in this world. If you can obtain it, you'll be in for a great fortune."
"What kind of fortune?" Xu Que raised his eyebrow as his interest in the Sword Spirit was piqued.
An Immortal Emperor in the cultivation world was not shocking to him. However, a Sword Spirit that had once belonged to an Immortal Emperor… the Sword Spirit certainly did not have a simple background.
"Anyway, it is great fortune. I had previously come here long ago to fight for the Sword Spirit, only I ended up backstabbed and like this. I can see that you have extraordinary talent, so I don't mind giving you the chance to obtain the Sword Spirit. Well, let me out first, and I will tell you more."
"Yo, you know how to fool people well," smiled Xu Que. "Letting you out is in fact, not a difficult task. Well, help me get the Sword Spirit and I will definitely save you. How's that?"
The stone wall suddenly fell silent.
Xu Que was slightly surprised. Could this fellow be pondering my request? he thought.
However, after quite some time, there was no response from the stone wall. Xu Que ran out of patience and began to frown. "Have you thought it over? I'm a very busy man. If you don't make a decision now, then I'm leaving."
"Huh?" The voice from the stone wall sounded shocked. "Don't be in a hurry, young man! I fell asleep earlier. To tell you the truth, the Sword Spirit is sealed. Unless it wants to come out by itself, nobody can see it. The Sword Spirit itself is in a deep sleep as well!"
"What? If so, then I have no reason to stay here any longer. I'm leaving, bye!"
"Damn it, young man, why are you in such a hurry? This deity has not finished talking. No one else is able to wake the Sword Spirit up except me!"
"Tell me about it!" Xu Que replied coolly.
"Although this deity was backstabbed back then, that person didn't obtain anything good out of it. This deity managed to snatch a remnant of the Sword Spirit's soul. And that person could not obtain the Sword Spirit. So, only with this wisp of soul, can you awaken the Sword Spirit, or even, it may come looking for you!"
"Fine then, give me that wisp of soul. If I can get the Sword Spirit, I'll come save you."
"Impossible! What if you run away after getting the Sword Spirit?"
"I won't, I'm not the type of person who doesn't keep promises!"
"Oh, you absolutely are!"
"I'm really not! If you don't believe me, you can go ask around. Everyone knows that heroes from Exploding Heaven Faction keep their word!"
"Okay then, let me out and this deity will go asking around right away."
"No problem, give me the wisp of soul and I'll save you immediately."
...
The two of them argued with each other for quite some time, with no one willing to give in to the other's demands.
Xu Que knew that he had met his match. He knew very well that he couldn't get something for nothing. He pondered for a while and gritted his teeth. He called the system interface and exchanged for the purifying water from the system store. No pain, no gain.
Shoosh!
A light flashed by as 5,000 Acting Tough Points were deducted.
Xu Que took out the purifying water and waved it in front of the stone wall. He grinned and flaunted, "How's this? See this? This is the purifying water. If you want to come out, be more sincere and hand over the wisp of soul."
"Holy hell, you really have the purifying water? This … how is this possible?" The creature within the stone walls was appalled.
Xu Que was speechless. "Hey, so all this time, you didn't believe me? Then why did you bargain with me for so long?"
"Heheh, this deity hasn't spoken to anyone for too long. This deity just wanted to chit-chat with someone. Young man, it seems like this deity has underestimated you!"
"Go to hell." Xu Que got angry and instantly called out the Killing Blade and directly stabbed it into the wall!
"Ah! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ouch! Young man! Stop it! This deity has decided to cooperate with you!" Desperate screams could be heard coming from the stone wall.
Xu Que stabbed more than ten times before finally stopping. "I've decided not to cooperate with you," he sneered. "It's just a Sword Spirit, I can find it by myself."
"Don't be like this, young man. Come come come, take this wisp of soul."
As sound as the voice stopped talking, the tongue moved and a broken piece of iron appeared, falling onto Xu Que's palm. The piece of iron emitted a faint halo.
Boom!
The next instant, bright lights emitted from the piece of iron, enveloping Xu Que up entirely.
A wild surge of killing intent surrounded Xu Que. The area of the Spiritual Qi a few miles from his position moulded into invisible swords, floating around Xu Que.
The strong and sharp power of the remnant of the Sword Spirit's soul burst out from the palm of Xu Que.
Gasp!
Xu Que gulped a mouthful of cold air. This is just a remnant of the Sword Spirit's soul?
A wisp of soul already has such an immense power, he thought. Damn, does it mean that the complete Sword Spirit might be able to kill an Immortal?
Chapter 285: How Shall I Punish You?
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Just bring this soul remnant with you to the underground,' said the creature in the stone wall. "The Sword Spirit will sense it and find you then."
"I see!" Xu Que raised his eyebrows, smiled a wicked smile then turned away and left.
The creature in the stone wall was stunned for a while, before erupting in anger.
"You little scoundrel! Come back!" he shouted. "Haven't you forgotten something?"
"I don't think so!" replied Xu Que with a cunning smile. "Look, I'm in a hurry here! I must go and find the Sword Spirit you know!"
"Didn't you promise me you'd release me?" said the voice in the stone wall anxiously.
"Yes, I did," answered Xu Que. "Rest assured that I will come back and save you after two thousand years. Just wait for me!" Xu Que then walked away without looking back once.
Behind him he could hear a series of curses hurled out by the deity in the stone wall.
"Damn you, you shameless bastard! How dare you betray me when I trusted you! I could get myself out of here in two thousand years, you little shit! Come back here, you son of a bitch! Goddammit, are you really leaving me here? Come back here you little shit! Don't you know that without me you'll never defeat the Sword Spirit? Don't you know how bad his temper is? Damn it, what a big loss for me! I was thinking of taking the soul remnant back from the shameless bastard after he released me, but now he's really taken it! Aaaargh! I'm telling you bastard! You're dead when I get out of here! Without my guidance, the Sword Spirit will surely kill you, just wait and see!"
...…
Xu Que ignored the noises behind him and walked on with a big grin on his face.
Did the creature think he was a fool? He would only have been asking for trouble if he had released him from the stone wall. Xu Que knew at a glance that the creature was not to be trusted. Who wouldn't go berserk after being trapped inside a stone wall for so many years?
Xu Que had realized that he just couldn't take any unnecessary risks before he found the Sword Spirit.
It was a pity that the creature in the stone wall hadn't come up with any good ideas to go against the Sword Spirit. The only thing he saw through was the fact that there was no chance that Xu Que would ever control the Sword Spirit, which was why he had given him the soul remnant.
But Xu Que wasn't scared at all. Besides, he could always run away when he couldn't fight anymore!
And so, Xu Que walked on quickly through the passageway with the piece of iron in the palm of his hand. It almost turned him into a walking lamp, illuminating the way wherever he went.
Soon afterwards, he came to the end of the passageway. There was a huge lava cave in front of him where the scorching walls glowed red-hot as if magma flowed inside it.
However, the hot magma inside was covered completely by the chill air of the Sword Catacomb. Xu Que couldn't feel the slightest bit of heat emanating from the cave at all, and the surrounding area was as bone-chillingly cold as anywhere else.
Bang!
Boooom!
Waves of loud noises emerged from the cave not far away from where Xu Que stood. The raucous sound resembled a fierce battle, which sounded as if it was getting nearer and nearer to the lava cave.
Whooosh! Whooosh!
Xu Que's eyes shone as he approached the direction of the noises to see what was happening. A few other ear-splitting booms were heard before a dozen figures emerged from a passageway of the lava cave.
Xu Que's eyes followed these figures for a while before he realized that they were chasing after a man.
"Give us that sword, Lin Guan, or you die!"
"You have no right to take that sword! Don't force us to kill you!"
"How dare you take the sword fancied by the Legendary Swordsman Ye Chang Feng!"
"Lin Guan, if you take that sword away, you along with the entire Spirit Treasures Pavilion will be in deep shit!"
These people all shouted threats and warnings to the man they were pursuing.
Still, the man who was being hunted never stopped or even slowed his steps. His face was visibly darkened by rage.
"You crooks! I obtained this sword with my own skills! Ye Chang Feng only said a few words and all of you obeyed him like dogs! Have you no dignity? Even though the Spirit Treasures Pavilion may be weak, that doesn't mean that we're afraid of you!"
The man kept fleeing at his top speed while a trail of blood flowed down the corner of his mouth. He'd obviously been hit by heavy blows.
Is this man from the Spirit Treasure Pavilion? Xu Que thought, surprised. Then a great idea popped up in his mind.
He took a step and blocked the exit of the lava cave.
His whole body exuded a bright glowing light and the auras around him condensed into numerous swords because of the remnants of the Sword Spirit's soul in the piece of broken iron in his hand. The swords hovered in the air in front of Xu Que, making him look frightening and formidable.
Then, before Xu Que could open his mouth to announce his intentions, the man who called Lin Guan saw him and was immediately dumbstruck by the sight. He halted his steps abruptly, face was full of apprehension.
Obviously, Xu Que's appearance was too astounding!
...…
"Why aren't you running now?"
"Hahaha, perhaps he finally understands that he's made a huge mistake!"
"The Legendary Swordsman has his eyes on that sword, so you should've given it up to him from the start!"
"You should've known that the only person in the whole world who's qualified to wield such a great sword is Ye Chang Feng!"
Those people who were chasing Lin Guan all thought that he'd stopped because he was finally giving up the sword to them. They were all laughing and sneering at him as they quickly caught up to where Lin Guan and Xu Que were.
Then, suddenly, they all jerked to a stop when they noticed Xu Que in front of them.
"What… What is that?"
"A shining ball of light? No, I can see a vague figure inside."
"Look! The aura around the light has turned into swords!"
"Oh my god, that's the Sword Essence, only very strong Sword Essence can look like that!"
"Does that mean that it's the… the Sword Spirit?"
In that instant, everyone there was stunned and rooted to the spot. Talented swordsmen had entered the Sword Catacomb since time immemorial, yet none had ever encountered the Sword Spirit. In fact, some even doubted if the Sword Spirit actually existed.
Therefore, after a long period of time, the swordsmen who entered the Sword Catacomb stopped intending to look for the Sword Spirit. They instead went in search of ancient swords which had the quality of four stars and above, or the remnants of Sword Essence.
But now, the sight of Xu Que had completely flummoxed the entire group of swordsmen. He was shrouded in a brilliant light and was exuding remarkable Sword Essence, which was taking the form of many swords.
Understandably, they had mistaken Xu Que for the Sword Spirit!
Once Xu Que heard their words, he was so amused that he almost lost his composure. Him, the Sword Spirit? Haha, wouldn't that be something?
Xu Que's figure trembled slightly, then both of his feet took off into the air and his whole body was suspended in mid-air. He then slowly floated into the lava cave.
Wherever he went, the aura around him would follow him, along with the swords that had formed out of the condensed aura. Furthermore, the soul remnants that he held in his hand exuded a strong Sword Essence, making him look very majestic indeed.
"What impudence!" said Xu Que in a deliberately deep voice. "How dare you disturb the peaceful slumber that I have enjoyed for tens of thousands of years! How shall I punish you?"
Gasp!
In an instant, everyone there gasped sharply in fear, their faces turning deathly pale from shock and horror.
"Sword Spirit… It really is the Sword Spirit!"
"We're doomed! This is the Sword Spirit who has existed since the beginning of time! No one has ever met him in the Sword Catacomb, yet he's here now!"
"Holy hell… and he seems to be angry!"
"What should we do?"
The group of people suddenly panicked. Because of their intense fear of the Sword Spirit, they were completely at a loss as to what to do, and their knees buckled so much that they couldn't even run way.
Xu Que slowly drifted to and fro in the air in front of the swordsmen. whenever he neared the men, he could see their bodies instantly shrink away from him and shake in fear.
"Have you all turned deaf? I asked you how I shall punish you!" said Xu Que again. This time, he made sure that he sounded wrathful!
Chapter 286: Learn To Be Low?
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The group of more than ten cultivators immediately went pale when they heard Xu Que's words. They were extremely fearful and no one dared to speak up!
Ding! "Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough. The reward is 160 Acting Tough Points!"
Ding! "Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough. The reward is 190 Acting Tough Points!"
...
Hearing the familiar notifications for successfully acting tough, Xu Que was secretly thrilled.
Alright! Today, I, the Act Tough King will bear with this and be the legendary Sword Spirit. Haha! I didn't ask for it, all of you … have mistaken me for it, he thought, sniggering in his mind.
The other elite cultivators were at a loss as to what to do. But Lin Guan from Spirit Treasures Pavilion suddenly had an idea. He abruptly pulled out a dazzling sword from his storage ring.
It was a sharp, ancient, six-star sword. Although it had had a long history, it was still remarkably sharp.
Much to the consternation of the other elite cultivators, Lin Guan respectfully held up the six-star weapon before Xu Que, wearing an aggrieved expression.
"Lord Sword Spirit, my name is Lin Guan. Today I stumbled upon this sword in this Sword Catacomb. I initially wanted to put this back where it belonged, but, I was demanded by this group of people to hand the sword over to them so that they could please an elite cultivator who is the Legendary Swordsman. I had no choice but to escape with this sword. Please forgive my recklessness!"
Holy crap! How shameless!
This fellow can act so well!
As well as Xu Que, the elite cultivators present were all furious in their minds.
This Lin Guan is twisting his own sword-snatching behavior into such a fresh and refined story! There might be no other who can do that!
Xu Que remarked in his heart, this young man has a bright future ahead. He is acting so brazen at such a young age. In years to come, his act tough skills and shamelessness might even increase to be on par with me, the Act Tough King …
Xu Que contained his laughter while pretending to be solemn and mysterious. He asked in an indifferent manner, "oh? Is this true?"
"Lord Sword Spirit, don't believe him. This person is sinister and cunning; he clearly wanted the sword for himself. We wanted to stop him, so we chased him all the way here, and accidentally disturbed you, Lord Sword Spirit."
"Yes, Lord Sword Spirit, please believe us!"
"Do not trust the words of the villain! Lord Sword Spirit!"
...
The elite cultivators protested against the words of Lin Guan. If the Sword Spirit believed Lin Guan, then wouldn't that mean that they were guilty of murderous intent and being bootlickers?
By this time, they had been convinced that the entity before them was really the Sword Spirit, as it was impossible to possess such sword will. This was because only the Original Infant Stage cultivators were allowed entry into the Sword Catacomb.
In addition, such strong sword will could only be conjured by cultivators in the Void Training Stage!
Hence, from their point of view, the entity before them, who possessed such extraordinary sword will and aura, had to be legendary Sword Spirit. And one absolutely could not provoke it.
Who would dare offend the Sword Spirit in the Sword Catacomb? None would, if they still wanted to carry on living!
Therefore, all these elite cultivators had to salvage themselves by protesting against Lin Guan and beseeching Xu Que not to believe Lin Guan's words.
Lin Guan was alone. He was unable to outtalk so many mouths and became worried as well. "Lord Sword Spirit, please take this sword away so these people can't get it!" he shouted in exasperation.
The others followed suit by shouting, "Lord Sword Spirit, don't believe him. It is clear that he knows he's in trouble, and that's why he is handing over the sword!"
"Exactly, it is most fortunate that you appeared in time! Otherwise, this precious sword would have been taken away by him!"
"The mighty Lord Sword Spirit will not listen to such slander!"
...
Enveloped by the sword will, watching from where he was, Xu Que couldn't help but feel his mouth twitch after hearing the cultivators' words.
What a bunch of shameless bastards!
Are they the so-called elites and geniuses of the sects and factions?
They are all the same!
"Silence!" he snapped immediately.
Swoosh!
All of them immediately shut their mouths. Everyone was panicked and hurriedly bowed, "Lord Sword Spirit, please be appeased!"
Xu Que floated around the air for a while, as if he were inspecting each and every one of them. After that, he began to speak slowly. "This is just a six-star weapon. In the eyes of this Sword Spirit, this is just a piece of trash. However, by fighting over this piece of trash, all of you awakened me from my sleep. This is a major sin."
Gulp!
All the young cultivators sucked in a mouthful of cold air as thoughts ran through their heads:
A six-star weapon is trash?
It makes sense, as Lord Sword Spirit has probably seen nine-star weapons. He wouldn't be bothered with a mere six-star weapon.
The owner of this Sword Catacomb was the Sword Spirit. All the weapons here belonged to Lord Sword Spirit.
...
Just one sentence from Xu Que had all the young cultivators shaking in fear. Xu Que opened his mouth again. He began to speak without any emotion. "However, since all of you can enter the Sword Catacomb, that means everyone here possesses sufficient sword will talent. On account of the pious devotion everyone has shown towards sword cultivation, this Sword Spirit can spare your lives."
...
Everyone felt great relief upon hearing that sentence. "Thank you, Lord Sword Spirit!" they said in unison.
As long as the Sword Spirit was not angry and chose not to punish them, they would not have to worry about their lives. A single blow from the Sword Spirit would be more than enough to send them all to hell.
Xu Que nodded his head satisfactorily, pretending to be a strict and wise old man. "All of you are talented, so as long as you are focused on sword cultivation, your futures will be bright!"
The crowd listened and rejoiced in their hearts.
Wow, Lord Sword Spirit has actually praised all of us and told us that we are talented.
Sure enough, we are the elites! To be exact, we are the elite sword cultivators!
Lin Guan from Spirit Treasures Pavilion suddenly kneeled down. With a tone of extreme devotion, he shouted, "Lord Sword Spirit, all of my life, my cultivation revolved around the sword. Will you let me inherit your Supreme Sword Will? I really want to learn sword skills from you, so please take me in as your disciple!"
The rest of the young cultivators listened with their eyes wide open.
In just a few seconds, all of the elite cultivators followed suit and kneeled down. "Lord Sword Spirit, we want to learn sword skills from you, please take us in as your disciples!"
...
You want to learn how to be cheapskates from me?
All of you want to learn to be cheapskates? Dream on … bah, that's not right. Damn, all of you are the cheap ones, all your families are cheapskates.
Xu Que's brows were furrowed and his mouth was twitching significantly.
But he did not act up. He remained indifferent and maintained his high and mighty attitude, looking carefully at the elite cultivators.
After some time, he spoke slowly. "Your talents are indeed impressive. Indeed, this discovery has allowed this Sword Spirit to consider the prospect of having disciples!"
The elite cultivators were elated, their faces full of anticipation.
What kind of an entity was the Sword Spirit? It was a supreme being that had survived since the ancient times!
If one could learn some techniques on sword will cultivation, they might not be strong enough to be invincible but they would definitely know enough to surpass Ye Chang Feng, the so-called Legendary Swordsman!
All of a sudden, everyone had the urge to kneel on the ground and shout, 'choose me, choose me, choose me', but they were worried that such shouting and yelling might incur the wrath of the Sword Spirit, and elected not to follow through.
"This Sword Spirit has calculated that in this lifetime … only two people have an affinity with me!" declared Xu Que.
Two people?
Who would they be?
The crowd stared at their supposed Lord Sword Spirit, eyes full of hope.
"Have you ever met a young man by the name of Takumi Fujiwara?" Xu Que asked in a casual manner, his eyes half-open.
The group of elite cultivators were confused.
"Takumi Fujiwara? Who is that?"
hapter 287: Find Fujiwara!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"My lord, I have never met this person before. May I ask why my lord wants to see him? I will not rest until I've done everything to complete Lord Sword Spirit's orders!"
Lin Guan was the first person to speak up again. Obviously this man was smarter than he seemed.
"There is a young man called Takumi Fujiwara," said Xu Que plainly. "He is a driver from the Exploding Heavens Faction. He is an honest and sincere man without a single bad bone in his body, a man who respects the old and adores the young. Furthermore, this young man possesses great talents, ones that have been unheard of for centuries. I'd like to accept him as my direct disciple."
"What?"
The whole crowd was taken by surprise.
Had Lord Sword Spirit taken an interest in someone?
And he even wished to make this person his direct disciple? Damn, that meant there was only one other place available for the chance to be Lord Sword Spirit's disciple!
Many of the cultivators suddenly became nervous and reflected upon whether they themselves were honest and sincere men, or whether they had bad bones in their bodies, or whether they sufficiently adored the old and respected the young as well. Or was it respected the old and adored the young?
Most of them felt deflated as soon as they thought about it.
These people were of the Cultivation World, after all. They had long discarded these worldly customs and values a long time ago!
Besides, the closest thing to a principle that they lived by was 'better you dead than me', so what virtues could they ever hope to possess?
And so, most of them sighed with regret. Some were repentant of the time they had flown by a mountain village and saw an old man struggling to carry heavy buckets of water, yet they hadn't done anything to help…
Some were regretting the time they had come upon a naughty boy lost in the woods, but hadn't helped them out straight away…
They all lowered their heads in shame. For the first time, they were all in touch with their consciences.
"I can sense," continued Xu Que, "that the young man named Takumi Fujiwara has inexplicably disappeared after entering the Sword Catacomb. Therefore, if you go out and find him, you must care for him, love him and treat him as a brother."
Hmm? Treat him as a brother?
Everyone was stunned for a few moments. What Lord Sword Spirit just said just now, could it mean that...
"I presume you've all guessed my meaning," said Xu Que with the plainest tone. "Yes, the one who can find Takumi Fujiwara and bring him to me, Lord Sword Spirit, will become my direct disciple as well, and I will pass on the Supreme Sword Art to you."
Their faces all lit up at Xu Que's words. Their eyes all glinted from the revelation.
They could become Lord Sword Spirit's disciple just by finding this Takumi Fujiwara person?
Holy hell, so this would be the big test that Lord Sword Spirit would use to determine who was worthy enough to be his disciple!
Many of them were now full of hope again. They would have had some serious doubts about themselves if Lord Sword Spirit had chosen a disciple based on merits and virtues, but in this case, it seemed that they all still had a chance after all!
"Worry no more, my lord! I will not rest until I've found my brother Fujiwara!"
"How shameless of you! Since when did Fujiwara become your brother?"
"Stop bickering, both of you! I'm the one who will be Fujiwara's brother!"
"I don't mean to brag, but one of my ancestors had the surname of Fujiwara, so don't you waste your time fighting with me! This man Takumi Fujiwara is very likely a distant blood relative of mine…"
...…
The whole group then broke into bickering and chattering noises. Few reasonable things were said, and much nonsense was spewed. In order to compete for the chance of being accepted as Lord Sword Spirit's disciple, all the talented swordsmen from different factions and schools had all seemed to have become shameless.
Ding! "Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough. 180 Acting Tough Points rewarded!"
Ding! "Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough. 210 Acting Tough Points rewarded!"
Xu Que was so happy that he almost went out of character as the Lord Sword Spirit. But he kept himself in check and stayed silent, maintaining the lofty mannerisms of acting tough and calmly floating to and fro.
Wherever he went, the aura around him condensed into swords, turning him into a strikingly domineering figure.
...….
By now, Xu Que was addicted to this game of pretending to be Lord Sword Spirit.
However, in the eyes of everyone else there, the situation was one that was desperately serious. Each was suspicious of the others, afraid that their chance of getting picked by Lord Sword Spirit to be his disciple would be robbed by someone else.
They had each fantasized of the day they would become a direct disciple of Lord Sword Spirit and receive the powerful art of swordsmanship from him. When that happened, they would surely advance all the way up in the World of Cultivators without any problems!
"Lord Sword Spirit, we must beg your leave now to go find Fujiwara!" said everyone eagerly, each impatient to be the person who found the man named Takumi Fujiwara.
"Wait!" Xu Que called out in a voice that was neither too urgent nor too calm. "I have slept for tens of thousands of years, so I must absorb more Sword Essence from precious ancient swords. Once you have found the man, don't forget to bring swords to me as well, understood?"
The men all stared at him in shock and disbelief.
Did the Sword Spirit consume the Sword Essence from swords? They had never heard of such a thing!
"My lord, please take this six-star quality sword!" said Lin Guan, seeing his chance to stand out and distinguish himself from the others. He pulled out the sword that had gotten him into trouble earlier and reverently presented it to Xu Que.
"Excellent! You're not a bad swordsman after all! I shall remember you now! Even if you can't find Takumi Fujiwara, you may still come back to see me. Come! I will bestow upon you this Swordsmanship Aphorism to you as my first gift…"
Xu Que nodded his head to show his approval of the man and quickly put the sword into his bag. At the same time, he jumbled up some random words in his head to make up a Swordsmanship Aphorism, something like 'nothing defeats speed in martial arts', and transferred it into Lin Guan's mind.
"Thank you, Lord Sword Spirit!"
Things had turned out much better for Lin Guan than he had expected. He had actually received a Swordsmanship Aphorism from the Sword Spirit himself!
Meanwhile, everyone else got more than a little bit antsy by the scene that had just unfolded.
Lord Sword Spirit had slept for thousands and thousands of years, of course he would be starving by now! That meant that anyone who could give Lord Sword Spirit a high-quality sword now would also have a the sure-fire way into his good graces!
And so, a few swordsmen suddenly walked up to Xu Que, pulled out some swords from their storage rings and presented them to him.
"My lord, this sword is the treasured possession of my royal family. It is also a six-star quality sword. Please accept it!"
"My lord, this is a six-star quality sword as well."
"So is mine, my lord!"
...…
In that moment, a pile of swords were laid out before Xu Que, and each of these swords were of six-star quality. They were all so valuable and treasured that people would go to war and shed rivers of blood just to obtain them. Yet now they were all going to be Xu Que's.
But how well had these bastards kept their precious swords hidden, though! They had all acted so modest and hadn't shown much potential in their skills. Had Xu Que not used this opportunity to trick them all, he wouldn't have expected any of them to possess such high-quality swords!
Obviously, the Supreme Sword Art was much more valuable to these swordsmen than a six-star high-quality sword.
"Not bad, not bad at all!" exclaimed Xu Que. "These are all six-star swords! I'll accept all of you as my disciples. Come! I'll bestow a Swordsmanship Aphorism to all of you. Although it is only a simple sentence, it still contains timeless and invaluable wisdom!"
Ding! "Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough. 190 Acting Tough Points rewarded!"
Ding! "Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough. 230 Acting Tough Points rewarded!"
...…
Xu Que's expressions did not shift even as he heard the ringing of his notifications from the system. He stayed in character and kept on acting tough as if his life depended on it.
In truth, though, Xu Que was simply elated! He was now close to possessing ten, precious, six-star high-quality swords!
More importantly, the others were just as happy as Xu Que as well. They were all honored to be accepted as the Sword Spirit's disciple. They all fell to their knees and simultaneously said, "we pay our respects to our master, Lord Sword Spirit!"
"Get up and go find your brother Fujiwara and bring him back here!" said Xu Que, nodding to the swordsmen in approval. He then waved his hand to signal their dismissal.
"Yes, my lord!"
The group of men then left with excitement in their hearts, their hopes pinned upon this man called 'Takumi Fujiwara'. All they had to do now was find the man, and they would then be accepted as Lord Sword Spirit's direct disciple, a position that would surely bring them much progress and prosperity in the World of Cultivators for the rest of their lives!
...…
Meanwhile, Xu Que smiled cunningly as he hid in the shadows watching the men leave. Once they were all gone, he burst out into intense maniacal laughter.
"Tsk tsk, it seems that I'll be earning a great tsunami wave of Acting Tough Points soon!"
Chapter 288: The Innocent, Naive & Honest Xu Que
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The crowd subsided and Xu Que went back to the tunnel silently and threw the piece of broken iron—the wisp of the Sword Spirit's soul—into the system storage.
Immediately, the lights covering his whole body disappeared, together with the sword will. Everything was back to normal and Xu Que could be seen clearly once again.
Xu Que called for the system and his eyes rested on the piece of broken iron in his storage. He was stunned as he looked at the introduction of that wisp of soul.
[Mysterious Broken Iron]:
Sealed with a wisp of soul from the ancient Sword Spirit, very weak, contains the Supreme Sword Art, only the complete Sword Spirit will enable the host to inherit the Supreme Sword Art! (Note: This item can be recycled to the system for an exchange reward of 100,000 points of equipment refining essence!)
Xu Que was so shocked that he gasped. "Tsk, this fucking piece of broken iron can actually be exchanged for 100,000 points of equipment refining essence. This is absolutely unbelievable!"
Obviously, he had managed to reap huge rewards this time. A piece of broken iron that contained such a weak wisp of soul still had such a high value. If he could obtain the complete Sword Spirit, that would mean his points would soar to the sky!
Xu Que became very excited. That creature from the stone wall had simply given him a wonderful gift. Those 5,000 Acting Tough Points had been well-spent!
Just now whilst he had been pretending to be the Sword Spirit, he had successfully earned more than 1,000 Acting Tough Points. He believed that if he worked hard, he would definitely earn back the 5,000 Acting Tough points soon.
Acting tough was a big business that he had to always work without delay at every moment.
Especially since he was the Act Tough King, he had to make sure that he should either be acting tough every day or paving his way towards more opportunities to act tough.
And so, after Xu Que placed the piece of iron in his storage, he pulled out a mirror and began practising the expression that an innocent, naive and adorable teenager would wear.
Not long after, he put the mirror away. Now, he resembled a lovely teenager behaving in a naïve and lively manner, making his way through the tunnels.
On the other hand, two cultivators had just entered the Sword Catacomb. They were the two elite cultivators to whom Xu Que had returned their ancient swords.
One of them possessed a strong innate talent of sword cultivation, as he had received two ancient swords from the Sword Mound.
After the two of them entered the Sword Catacomb, one was walking in front with the other following behind and coincidentally, they also passed by the stone wall where Xu Que had previously lingered.
"Eh? You two young fellows, how dare you pass by before this deity without kneeling down?" the creature within the stone wall roared at the two young cultivators.
"Who's that?" The two elite cultivators stopped their footsteps at once and now alert, glanced around them.
The creature within the stone wall laughed icily at them. "This deity is the descendant of the Ancient Magic Dragon from the Spiritual Realm. You two ant-like creatures dare to ignore me?"
"Ancient Magic Dragon from the Spiritual Realm?" The two elite cultivators were bewildered.
After a short pause, the elite cultivator who had two ancient swords sneered and directly walked away without looking back. His voice was heard some distance later, "This must be a prank of Takumi Fujiwara from Exploding Heavens Faction!"
The other elite cultivator raised an eyebrow when he heard his companion's words. He gave a sneer and walked away as well.
The creature within the stone wall froze for a moment, then became flustered. "Hey young men, don't go away!" he yelled. "Did this deity frighten you both? Damn it, get back here! Do you have purifying water with you? Tell me now. Damn it, this deity doesn't want to lick for another 2,000 years. My tongue has become thick! You scoundrels, don't let this deity see either of you again!"
...
The two elite cultivators turned a blind eye to all this.
From their opinion, the claim of Ancient Magic Dragon from the Spiritual Realm was nonsense. If this entity really was the Ancient Magic Dragon, would it be sealed in the Sword Catacomb?
They were very certain that it was just boasting and making things up. And that style, it was too similar to Takumi Fujiwara from Exploding Heaven Faction. Maybe he had placed something there to prank people.
The best way to deal with this was to ignore it!
So they turned and walked away, ignoring the cries behind them.
...
At the same time, the 'innocent and naive' Xu Que had passed by the lava cave and was walking along another tunnel in order to continue going deeper into the ground.
Not long after, he saw several elite cultivators who were randomly exploring around. Some of them were searching for sword will inheritance, some seeking precious swords and some were looking for 'Takumi Fujiwara'!
Xu Que kept a low profile this time as he pretended to be an inexperienced and naïve cultivator who knew nothing about the harsh realities of the world.
Under such conditions, coupled with his already youthful and pretty face, he was utterly deceptive.
When he reached the place where there were many cultivator., Xu Que saw a younger elite cultivator and he politely gave way to him with a smile, "Younger brother, you go first!"
When he met cultivators who were older than him, he would greet them by saying, "greetings, senior!"
When he saw a place that seemed to contain a precious sword, he would even alert everyone by saying, "my fellow cultivators, please look, there's something sparkling right ahead, it might be a precious sword!"
All of a sudden, the elite cultivators swarmed to that place.
This kind of behavior immediately garnered a lot of people's attention, and many pairs of eyes fixed upon him.
"Respectful of seniors, honest, innocent and naive?"
"Damn, is he brother Fujiwara?"
"Hey, what did you say? You can't just call him brother Fujiwara so casually?"
A group of people started to argue and gathered around Xu Que, surrounding him entirely without gaps in the crowd. They were all looking at him, forcing themselves to squeeze out their friendliness and harmonious smiles!
"Younger brother…" an elite cultivator coughed. He was eager to please him. "No, handsome brother, may I know how should I address you?"
Xu Que blinked in a rather meek manner. His big innocent eyes fluttered and he answered in a careful manner, "I'm Takumi Fujiwara from Exploding Heavens Faction. May I know what I can do for you, seniors?"
"What? It's really brother Fujiwara!"
The crowd was dumbfounded, in joy.
"Darn, we tried so hard to find him, yet he has just been around us all this time!"
"Brother Fujiwara, come, this junior will bring you to find our grandmaster now!"
"Get lost, don't touch my brother Fujiwara!"
"Damn it, all of you go away, don't frighten my brother Fujiwara!"
"Fuck, all of you people are really shameless. Brother Fujiwara, don't bother with them, follow me, I'm your junior!"
...
In no time, this group of people was arguing and wrangling amongst themselves, but no one dared to pull Xu Que around as they were worried that he would be annoyed.
Every one of them tried their best to leave a good impression on Xu Que so that he would follow them.
There were even several female cultivators. When they saw Xu Que's 'adorable and innocent' demeanour, they couldn't contain their maternal instincts and forced their ways into the crowd, pressing Xu Que's head onto their full chests. "Don't be afraid, brother Fujiwara," they said in a domineering way. "This junior will bring you to grandmaster instead!"
Xu Que was really delighted, but he was still wearing an innocent expression. His hands were firmly gripping the few beautiful female cultivators around him and he spoke in low voice, "ladies, please don't be like this, men and women cannot touch each other unnecessarily!"
"It's alright, we will be the disciples of the Sword Spirit!"
"Brother Fujiwara, you are so cute!"
"No wonder the Sword Spirit valued you so much. This type of simple and kind person will be able to practise sword cultivation wholeheartedly without distraction!"
"Come brother, let's go find a quieter place to talk!"
Chapter 289: Advance to Act Tough King!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Several swordswomen flocked around Xu Que and almost squeezed him from the crowd.
The other swordsmen were disgruntled when they saw what was happening and promptly scolded the women. "You shouldn't do this! You'll tarnish Fujiwara's innocent nature if you keep this up!"
"That's right, Fujiwara is a kind and gentle person, and you're all using your guiles to seduce him! That's not right!"
"This is ridiculous. If Lord Sword Spirit found out, he'd certainly punish you for what you've done!"
"Quick! Let go of Fujiwara! He's a simple and honest man and he shouldn't be treated this way!"
...…
These words from the crowd pleased Xu Que very much. His heart was moved by the kind treatment he was receiving from his fellow swordsmen.
It seemed that there were some people who really knew him!
Finally, he had found people who wouldn't misjudge him due to his utterly mesmerizing appearance!
Finally, someone had seen through this strikingly handsome looks and simply seen him for the pure, innocent and honest young man that he really was!
Finally, he'd met his true friends!
Xu Que was very pleased indeed. At the same time he nestled his head even closer to the soft bosoms of the swordswomen around him.
Then, when the female cultivators faced the accusations hurled at them from the crowd, they defiantly retorted, "since when did we ever seduce Fujiwara with our guiles, you bastards?"
"That's right, you sleazy pieces of shit! Don't you hold us by the same standards you hold yourselves!"
"We were just trying to protect him from getting frightened by the likes of you bastards!"
"That's right! If you don't believe us then just ask Fujiwara himself whether we have ever tried to seduce him!"
Then, everyone's eyes fell upon Xu Que.
Xu Que waved his hand around and made no attempt to move the head that was nestled a little too comfortably on the breasts of one swordswoman. "Calm down, everyone," he said. "I'm fine, don't worry about me. But please, can someone tell me why everyone's looking for me? What's going on here?"
As he spoke he made sure to blink his eyes and made them look as innocent as a child's, triggering the sympathy and adoration of everyone in the crowd instantly.
"Fujiwara, Lord Sword Spirit had sent us to find you," said the swordswoman who was holding Xu Que in her arms. "You must follow me now."
Then another swordswoman quickly grabbed Xu Que's hands away and interjected, "that's not true! Lord Sword Spirit had sent me alone. Fujiwara, come with me, we'll meet the master together!"
"Bullshit! I'm the one who was actually sent by Lord Sword Spirit!"
"Ha! You shameless bastard! I'm the one who was clearly appointed by Lord Sword Spirit!"
The crowd descended into chaos again, and no one would relent on their claim to be the one who was supposed to bring Xu Que to the Sword Spirit. But amid all the pushing and bickering, Xue Que felt completely at home knowing that everyone was fighting for him.
This wasn't something he could experience much in an era where men were abundant, and women were scarce!
And so Xu Que fell into a reverie and bliss, enjoying every second of what was going on around him.
Ding! "Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough. 200 Acting Tough Points rewarded!"
Ding! "Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for shamelessly acting tough. 500 special Acting Tough Points rewarded!"
Ding! "Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for your 8 successful instances of acting tough, namely 'acting tough and run', 'acting super tough', 'acting smooth and tough', 'acting thunderously tough', 'acting extremely tough', 'acting forcefully tough', 'acting kind and tough' and 'acting super shamelessly tough'. The title of 'Act Tough King' has been awarded to you, the price of items in the store will be permanently discounted by 70% and new items will be added!"
Ding! "Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for earning the title of 'Act Tough King'! A Big Act Tough King Bag has hereby been awarded!"
A flurry of notification rings were flooding Xu Que's mind!
Xu Que almost went dizzy from the onslaught of Acting Tough Points that was coming his way!
He had even earned some points for acting 'shamelessly' tough? What?
He had been shameless all this time—no! He had been so pure and innocent all this time, yet who would have thought that by acting slightly shameless just this once he would catch the notice of the system and receive points for acting shamelessly tough! Oh, what injustice! What a slander! He had been framed!
Xu Que felt that he had been grossly misjudged, and he was very angry and upset about it!
But in any case, he had now been formally upgraded from 'Act Tough Tyrant' to 'Act Tough King'. His title was now official! He had even been awarded with a Big Act Tough King Bag, so his heart was gladdened and cheered up again.
Big bags usually come with special characters—the kinds of reward that don't come easily!
But just then, right at the moment when Xu Que was eagerly anticipating opening the big bag, he heard suspicious gasps come from behind him.
"Hey, Takumi Fujiwara! What are you up to now?"
Two figures appeared at the edge of the crowd. It was the two swordsmen who had entered the Sword Catacomb after him. They had heard the commotion here from the moment they had entered the lava cave, so they had rushed over to find out what was going on.
In the end, all they had found was Xu Que playing innocent and hiding himself in the arms of a swordswoman. They both immediately raised their eyebrows at the sight.
What a shameful way to conduct oneself!
One of them sneered and shook his head. "I thought that you were just a shameless bastard, but I was wrong. You're a shameless and lecherous bastard!"
The other young swordsman who wielded two ancient swords looked indifferent and stayed silent. But like his companion, he found Xu Que's behavior simply disgraceful.
Xu Que was immediately upset when he saw their reactions.
Goddammit, he cursed silently. Not only are these bastards completely ungrateful to me even after I returned their swords to them, but now they're jealous of me as well?
I've earned my right to be held against the soft bosoms of these swordswomen, what rights do they have to be jealous of me? Besides, it's not like I'm the one who rushed into their arms and pressed my head against their breasts! Don't you see that they themselves were the ones who chose to pull me close and hold me tight?
And wouldn't you believe it, but it was their breasts that had started pulling me in first!
...…
Xu Que raised his arm and pointed his finger at the two swordsmen and proclaimed loudly, "you… both of you! Stay away from me! You've both just robbed me of my storage ring, what else do you want of me?"
His voice rang loud and clear and everyone in the crowd could clearly hear each and every word he had said!
It was as if the whole crowd had been struck by lightning. Everyone went eerily silent and their eyes turned immediately to the two swordsmen.
The young man wielding two ancient swords looked nonchalant and didn't seem to pay any heed to Xu Que's words.
The other swordsman had come from a big noble family, so everyone in the crowd knew him well. He paid even less attention to Xu Que's outburst.
"Takumi Fujiwara," he said with a smirk, "stop pretending to be the innocent man that you're not. Do you think that they'll believe you? Even if it's true that I stole your storage ring, they'll never do anything to me, they are after all—ah! What the hell? Why did you hit me?"
With the prospect of being accepted by Lord Sword Spirit at stake, no one else could care less about the high-ranking nobility or the petty interests within any sects or factions.
The whole crowd suddenly swarmed towards the noble swordsman and pinned him down to the ground and started to hit him.
"You petty thief! How dare you steal Fujiwara's storage ring!"
"How disgraceful! What right do you have to take Fujiwara's possessions!"
"This bastard deserves to be killed! How could he rob a man as innocent and honest like Fujiwara!"
"Damn it, have a taste of my Broken Leg Kick!"
Pow! "That's my special move, Peach-Stealing Monkey!"
"Here! Try my Grape-Picking God!"
...….
"Ow! Ah! Aaargh!"
The sounds of tragic screams could be heard ringing across the Sword Catacomb!
The two swordsmen had been completely surrounded by the angry mob and they had no chance to fight back at all.
Meanwhile, ringing notifications popped up in Xu Que's mind.
Within a short span of time he'd earned close to 2000 Acting Tough Points, almost enough to cover the 5000 points that he had spent buying the 'purifying water' earlier!
Just as the whole crowd descended into utter chaos, Xu Que quietly cast a spell and sneaked away from the crowd without anyone noticing.
He really wanted to find a nice quiet place to open the Big Act Tough King Bag and see what was inside, before continuing on his journey as the formal, official Act Tough King!
After all…
He still had a long way to go… and so much more acting tough to do!
This path of acting tough that he was walking down seemed never-ending!
Chapter 290: Fight Me, Xu Que!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After the elite cultivators siding with Xu Que finished bashing up the two cultivators, they became very frantic upon realising that that Xu Que had disappeared.
The female cultivators blamed the men for being too rough and scaring away their brother Fujiwara. The men faulted the women for being so overly warm and friendly towards brother Fujiwara that he had been frightened away!
Whilst the group of them squabbled relentlessly, they also continued their search for the whereabouts of Xu Que!
Xu Que was already inside another tunnel, advancing to the depths of the Sword Catacomb. He finally reached the centre, where he was instantly startled!
In this lava cave, the chilly air formed by sword will was almost like mist, enveloping the whole place.
In such a misty environment, Xu Que could make out numerous ancient swords stuck into the ground. They must have been there for tens of thousands of years. Every sword there was scarred and rusty, as if they had each been involved in an unimaginably ferocious battle.
Some swords had already been broken and looked terribly worn out, yet they stood firmly in their positions.
Some swords had broken blades which resembled crooked teeth, but they still exuded a sharp and chilly atmosphere!
This was a graveyard of countless precious swords that had taken numerous lives. All feelings of resentment and grief had been converted into the ice cold air that covered the area.
Nearly all of the elite cultivators currently inside the Sword Catacomb had lingered here hoping to chance upon any blessing or good fortune.
It was said that many people in the past had obtained precious swords from here. There were also others who had inherited a small amount of sword will from these broken ancient swords, which had nevertheless been of good use over their lifetimes!
However, after so many years, even if remnants of sword will did remain, they would have already been found and taken away by predecessors who had entered centuries before them. The current cultivators had now changed their target to search for precious swords instead.
But there were others who had come here because of Ye Chang Feng, the Legendary Swordsman. They wanted to get into his good books and rely upon him so they could join the Jade Sword Sect.
And hence, when Lin Guan from Spirit Treasures Pavilion had gotten hold of a precious sword, many people had gone after him. These people wanted to snatch away his precious sword and present it to Ye Chang Feng.
When Xu Que arrived here, the first group of people he saw were Ye Chang Feng and his group. They were standing amongst a heap of broken ancient swords, searching for something.
A number of elite cultivators were gathered around Ye Chang Feng and spoke to him from time to time.
It was only natural, as he was right at the top amongst the elite cultivators and had a reputation for being exceptionally gifted in sword cultivation—after all, he had gained the title of Legendary Swordsman!
But now that Xu Que was there, things were going to change.
He stood at the entrance and struck a handsome pose that he thought was cool. Then he activated his dantian and shouted, "this is Takumi Fujiwara from Exploding Heavens Faction. I just arrived here. Please forgive me for my impudence!"
Shoosh!
Instantly, many pairs of eyes were on Xu Que.
However, as the cultivators here had not heard of 'Takumi Fujiwara', they just swept him a cold glance and turned away, unconcerned.
But Ye Chang Feng, the Legendary Swordsman, had a different reaction.
The three words—Exploding Heavens Faction—represented an impassable hurdle in his heart.
The challenge at the Fire Nation where he had been defeated by a nobody had been difficult for him to accept, even though Xu Que had also ultimately fought with the Fire Emperor at the Imperial Palace and won.
But from Ye Chang Feng's perspective, if he could use his True Core Strength, his sword skill techniques would definitely allow him to win. It was a pity then that his True Core Strength was sealed. As a result, he was unable to display his actual prowess.
So when he heard the words 'Exploding Heavens Faction', he immediately looked over as well.
When he saw Xu Que's face, he was immediately dumbstruck:
Takumi Fujiwara from Exploding Heavens Faction?
Who are you fooling this time?
You are obviously Ye Liang Chen … no, you are Xu Que!
Ye Chang Feng was flummoxed. Why has this guy come to Metal Nation? he thought.
...
In the centre, there also happened to be several cultivators who had met the Sword Spirit whom Xu Que had pretended to be. They were there looking for Takumi Fujiwara as well.
As soon as they heard his name, they immediately flocked towards him.
"You are brother Fujiwara? You sure are talented, lovely and innocent!"
"Come, follow me, my grandmaster is looking for you."
"No, don't believe him, brother Fujiwara. I'm your junior, not him."
"Brother Fujiwara, don't bother with them. I know you are honest, forthright, simple and innocent, so don't be fooled by them! I'm your real junior!"
The handful of cultivators behaved exactly like the previous group of people. They surrounded Xu Que and were very friendly towards him. All of them wore enthusiastic smiles on their faces.
Ye Chang Feng was flabbergasted. Thoughts ran through his head.
Why are these people calling Xu Que brother Fujiwara?
What grandmaster are they talking about?
Wait, this is wrong—why are all of you using these positive adjectives to describe him?
Since when was this guy innocent and simple?
Since when was he honest and forthright?
Since when did any these adjectives have anything to do with that guy?
No, absolutely not, this guy has the worst personality ever!
Well, Xu Que's evil doings in Fire Country alone have been too numerous to count. If one was to write them down, the pages would pile up to the height of a mountain …
It was said the current Fire Country had been thrown into chaos by Xu Que. It was probably still be a big mess now as well. Commoners there held a small book every day, shouting for equality and freedom.
Ye Chang Feng glanced at the elite cultivators who were eager to please Xu Que. He was utterly speechless and could not believe his eyes.
He wondered why Xu Que had suddenly become so popular, and had changed his name as well!
This sight before him was too creepy!
Ye Chang Feng had returned from Fire Country rather early, so he was only aware of the fact that the nation had been in chaos. He was not aware of the details of the Fire Emperor dying by Xu Que's hand. Otherwise, he would have escaped as fast as he could.
"Eh? Isn't that brother Fujiwara?"
"Quick! Brother Fujiwara is actually here. Come … brother Fujiwara, grandmaster has been looking for you for a long time! Come back with me, fast!"
"Go away! This is my brother Fujiwara!"
"What do you mean! Just now brother Fujiwara leaned on my chest, it is obvious how close he is with me. Just go away …"
...
At this moment, another group of cultivators arrived. When they saw Xu Que, they immediately headed straight towards him.
In order to fight for the remaining position as the Sword Spirit's disciple, the group of cultivators were desperate to establish a good relationship with Xu Que. Hence, they kept addressing him as their brother, as Xu Que would be Lord Sword Spirit's first disciple.
So, in an instant, Xu Que was once again surrounded by many cultivators.
There were a little over 90 cultivators who had entered the Sword Catacomb. Yet Xu Que was so popular with the majority of the elite cultivators that Ye Chang Feng was completely bowled over by the scene before him.
All along, no matter where he went, he had always been the most dazzling presence of all. But now, he had been robbed of the spotlight—by the person who had defeated him.
It was hard for him to accept.
Flames of anger ignited and burned in Ye Chang Feng's mind.
The stifling feelings from the defeat that day, and the jealousy he felt today, had made him truly miserable.
Finally, Ye Chang Feng could no longer hold back his fury, and shouted in anger—
"Xu Que, come and fight me!"
Chapter 291: Chapter 291 – Bite Me!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Ye Chang Feng had seen Xu Que come to his nation, lord over all the others, and receive the admiration of all the swordsmen who were all vying to flatter him. Clearly Xu Que had pulled the wool over everyone's eyes!
How could Ye Chang Feng stay calm and not do anything about it then?
Moreover, he knew that he had to fight a battle with Xu Que to wash away the shame he had suffered during his previous encounter with the man. Otherwise this unfinished business would be stuck in his mind forever, a thorn that would never dislodge his side for the rest of his life.
Xu Que may have shown impressive swordsmanship that day, but once Chang Feng started to use his own True Core Strength and weapon, there would be no question as to whose hands victory would fall into! After all, ever since he was a child, he had been hailed as the definitive successor of the title 'Legendary Swordsman'.
And with this shout of anger, he had also shocked the whole crowd, whose attention now turned to Ye Chang Feng.
"What happened? Who dares to offend the Legendary Swordsman, Ye Chang Feng?"
"Was he asking for trouble?"
"Who is this Xu Que? How dare he provoke the ire of Ye Chang Feng and then challenge him?"
"Oh no, something awful is about to go down!"
Low whispers spread throughout the crowd.
Even the group of people that surrounded Xu Que said, "Fujiwara, I don't think we should stay here any longer. It seems like there's about to be a battle breaking out soon. Let's leave before we get caught up in it!"
"That's right, Fujiwara. Let's go find Lord Sword Spirit now, there's no point in staying here."
...…
"Ahem!"
Xu Que loudly cleared his throat and smiled innocently to the crowd and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, 'Xu Que' is a nickname given to me when I was a child!"
"What?"
The whole crowd gasped in shock!
Xu Que is your nickname?
Then you're the person Ye Chang Feng wants to fight?
Holy hell, that can't be possible!
Aren't you an innocent and honest man, Fujiwara? You don't seem like the kind of person who would cause any trouble, though. Then how did you make Ye Chang Feng so angry?
"Fu… Fujiwara, have you done anything to make the Legendary Swordsman angry?" someone asked incredulously.
Other people were looking at Ye Chang Feng and pleading him to have mercy on Xu Que.
"Master Ye, our brother Fujiwara is quite naive and inexperienced with the rules of the world. Please forgive him, we're sure he didn't mean to offend you!"
"It's true, Master Ye. Our brother Fujiwara is an honest and sincere man. If he made mistakes, they were probably unintentional. You mustn't be too harsh on him!"
Many people rushed to Xu Que's defence.
This was the Legendary Swordsman Ye Chang Feng after all, so most people were unwilling to dare offend him, and were also hesitant to get into trouble with the powerful Jade Sword Sect.
But the moment Ye Chang Feng heard these pleading words, he thought he'd cough up blood out of sheer disbelief!
Honest and innocent? That bastard?
Had these people been brainwashed?
"Stop defending the bastard!" Ye Chang Feng shouted.
Everyone went silent. No one dared to make a sound for fear of offending the Legendary Swordsman.
But then, Xu Que suddenly spoke up.
"I've committed an unforgivable error today," he said, his tone heavy with grief and regret. "After all, it's only my first time here, yet I presumed to steal Master Ye's spotlight. Oh, my blasted naivety! I'm just an ignorant young man who doesn't know how to properly conduct myself! Please don't worry about me, everyone. It was all my fault, so let me take full responsibility and face the punishment alone!"
After speaking, tears began to roll down his cheeks. He raised his head up at an angle of 45 degrees towards the sky, making sure that he looked as wrought with guilt as possible.
"When I was at my family's funeral," he said softly, "I heard people say that you can stop your tears from falling if you look up into the sky!"
...…
Everyone around Xu Que was instantly stunned!
They were deeply moved by his aggrieved appearance and felt sympathy for him.
What an innocent young man! He must have suffered cruel fates throughout his short life, yet now he had provoked Ye Chang Feng's hatred simply by accidentally stealing the spotlight.
Yet he blamed no one but himself, and was resolved to bear the brunt of all the blame alone.
What a touching sight!
In this harsh and bloodthirsty World of Cultivators, the young man Fujiwara definitely stood out from the rest, shrouded in the brilliant light of innocence!
At this point, Xu Que's plight was tugging hard at the heartstrings of the swordswomen there. Their motherly natures were ready to burst forth at the sight of such a virtuous young man.
How could they just stand by and watch Ye Chang Feng bully their kind and gentle little brother?
So what if Ye Chang Feng was the Legendary Swordsman?
So what if he was from the Jade Sword Sect?
Did that give him the right to stomp all over a defenceless, blameless boy?
"You've gone too far, Master Ye!" a swordswoman couldn't help but shout.
In that instant, all eyes fell on Ye Chang Feng. Most of them had lost their respect for the man and were now holding him in contempt.
Just because he was the Legendary Swordsman didn't mean that he could bully the newcomer just because he'd stolen the spotlight!
Besides, Fujiwara wasn't a mere pipsqueak that he could trample on! He had in fact been singled out by Lord Sword Spirit himself to be a tiny pinprick of light in the cruel, dark World of Cultivators!
Such a kind and innocent young man like Fujiwara, whose presence had made the World of Cultivators a much better place, could not simply be tormented by the Legendary Swordsman…
They just wouldn't stand for it anymore!
All the cultivators there had once been envious of Ye Chang Feng, who had been hailed as the new Legendary Swordsman ever since his childhood. But now, all they felt for him was unbearable rage as they all glared at him.
"I… he…" At that point, even the mighty Legendary Swordsman was at a loss as to what to do or say. He stuttered for a long time but still couldn't come up with a complete sentence with which he could explain himself. After all, he had been the one to challenge Xu Que first. Plus, to the cultivators there, it seemed like he had done so unprovoked.
As a result, with just a few words from Xu Que, he had been instantly cast in a bad light. Even if he tried to explain the matter further, it would still sound too forced, and might even make him look worse.
Because… no one would believe that someone who had been completely unheard of until now had once defeated him, the Legendary Swordsman!
At that point, news of the incident that had occurred in Fire Country hadn't yet travelled to Metal Nation. In fact, it had been hushed up by the Jade Sword Sect itself!
Ye Chang Feng's chest tightened as he thought of this. He was ready to cough up blood right now!
Who would have thought that the bastard's level of shamelessness would be so astronomical?
Who would have thought that he'd resort to such a dirty trick?
Ye Chang Feng could still remember how the bastard had pretended to look so cool and menacing when they had last seen each other in Fire Country.
Yet now that he had dragged himself to Metal Nation, the bastard had done a 180 and was now behaving as if he was the most innocent and faultless person ever, like he had been wronged by the cruel and harsh world, just to get everyone's sympathy!
How blatantly shameless would one have to be to do something like that?
Ye Chang Feng was so enraged that he was about to lose his mind!
He really was going crazy now!
The worst thing was that he couldn't wrap his head around the bizarre reactions of all the talented cultivators from the best factions and schools of the Metal Nation! How was it possible for them to be fooled by the bastard so easily? Why had they pleaded for him to have mercy on the fucker? And why did they call him their brother?
...…
"Xu Que, you shameless bastard!" yelled Ye Chang Feng, his voice shaking with raw anger.
The moment the crowd heard these words, their eyes turned icy cold. They had lost their patience with this man!
Who would have thought that the Legendary Swordsman would turn out to be such a despicable person!
It was unacceptable!
They had never seen someone accuse an innocent young man of shamelessness when it was obvious that he himself was the most shameless person there!
One really couldn't judge a man's true nature just by his appearance and reputation alone! Oh, what a terrifying place the World of Cultivators had turned out to be!
...…
Meanwhile, Xu Que was nestling even closer to the magnificent bosom of a swordswoman as the scene unfolded. His expression was that of a man who had been wronged and treated unjustly his whole life.
But just as Ye Chang Feng's eyes met his, Xu Que grinned smugly at him.
Aren't you afraid now? the grin seemed to say.
Anyone foolish enough to go against the Act Tough King would wind up in a sticky end!
What are you going to do about it, huh?
Bite me!
Yes, I am that powerful, I am that formidable.
And ready or not, I'm coming for you!
I'm coming to kick your ass!
I'm coming to tear you to shreds!
I'm coming to make you fall on your knees at my feet!
Get ready, you son of a bitch!
Chapter 292: The Fickle Human Heart
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Ding! "Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for shamelessly acting tough successfully. The reward is 210 Acting Tough Points!"
Ding! "Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for shamelessly acting tough successfully. The reward is 230 Acting Tough Points!"
...
Hearing the continuous ringing of system notifications, Xu Que was delighted to the depths of his heart!
Ye Chang Feng, who was looking at Xu Que, was so angered by his provocative expression that he called out his flying sword. He pointed it directly at Xu Que in rage.
"Xu Que, I'm not stopping until one of us falls down. Whether you fight me or not, I will trample you under my feet and restore my reputation as the Legendary Swordsman!"
Ye Chang Feng gave a loud cry. With a gloomy expression, he held his sword aloft and dashed towards Xu Que.
"Oh no, brother Fujiwara, leave now!"
"Young Master Ye, you're carrying it too far. How can you pick on brother Fujiwara!"
"Why are you doing this?"
The group of elite cultivators with Xu Que were repeatedly gasping in horror. Their expressions had changed completely.
Several swordswomen were even pulling at Xu Que, wanting to take him away from this place.
The reason was clear—nobody there was a match for Ye Chang Feng.
And if they combined forces against Ye Chang Feng, this would be a breach of the rules which might invite terrible revenge from the Jade Sword Sect!
Therefore, they knew very well that a fight must be avoided. They could only retreat with brother Fujiwara and quickly look for Lord Sword Spirit for protection. Only then could the crisis be solved without bloodshed.
However, Xu Que suddenly stood upright and pulled out his ancient broadsword. That sword was one of the ancient swords he had obtained outside the Sword Catacomb's entrance that seemed to have no power.
He stood before the group of cultivators, upright, noble and seemingly full of courage.
"Everyone, don't worry about me. Just go quickly, he's coming for me! Don't get hurt because of me!"
"Just come straight at me!" Ye Chang Feng yelled.
"All of you just go, I'll block for you!" Xu Que shouted, urging everyone to leave with a desperate tone of self-sacrifice.
The hearts more than ten elite cultivators in the group were greatly touched by Xu Que's actions.
They had never thought that this would happen to them one day!
In the World of Cultivators where the unspoken law was 'saving one's own skin', nobody had ever thought that there would be someone who would sacrifice himself for others. It was too heart-breaking!
He didn't even have a decent sword in the face of imminent danger. He was only wielding a broken sword. Yet somehow, he still had the courage to block everybody from danger, and was even willing to take on Ye Chang Feng, the Legendary Swordsman, single-handedly.
How much courage and conviction does it take to behave that way?
Seems like Lord Sword Spirit is right! Senior Fujiwara is really a good man!
He is kind, innocent, simple and honest. He is such a forthright and courageous teenager. This kind of person is too rare in the World of Cultivators!
Xu Que's personality charm had moved many of the elite cultivators in that moment.
"Brother Fujiwara, you don't need to do that. Since Ye Chang Feng is so unreasonable, we'll take him on as well!"
"That's right, we can't let brother Fujiwara be hurt!"
"Everybody, prepare to attack!"
Boom!
Countless attack and spells were conjured and waiting to be executed, illuminating the whole area with a fierce atmosphere!
At that moment, unity was strength!
At that moment, it was deeply moving!
Ding! "Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for shamelessly acting tough successfully. The reward is 230 Acting Tough Points!"
Ding! "Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for shamelessly acting tough successfully. The reward is 240 Acting Tough Points!"
...
System notifications once again sounded in Xu Que's brain.
The Acting Tough Points kept increasing. When combined with his previous rewards, Xu Que had finally earned back the 5,000 Acting Tough Points that he had spent exchanging the purifying water!
Xu Que nodded in great satisfaction. He took a step forward, wanting to teach Ye Chang Feng a lesson.
But at that moment, Ye Chang Feng stopped his attack abruptly.
Even though he was reputed to be the best of the elite cultivators of his generation, even though he held the title of Legendary Swordsman… no matter how strong he was, it was impossible for him to win a fight against the group of more than ten elite cultivators who had taken Xu Que's side!
Ye Chang Feng eyeballed each elite cultivator with his cold glare, gritting his teeth. "Does every single one of you want to be my enemy? And Jade Sword Sect's enemy as well?"
As his voice thundered, it resonated within the minds of quite a number of elite cultivators!
Enemy of the Jade Sword Sect?
That would clearly be an unwise and very dangerous thing…
Even if they gained the inheritance of the Sword Spirit, they would still need to leave the Sword Catacomb. If they were to offend Jade Sword Sect, the consequences would be downright unthinkable.
It didn't matter if they managed to obtain great sword will technique—they would be killed by Jade Sword Sect without having the time to grasp it and might even implicate their own clan or family!
This risk … was too great.
In a short period of time, the group of cultivators calmed down, and stepped back!
Xu Que looked around, his eyebrows knitting into a frown!
Damn.
You bunch of cowards, you guys are all so unrighteous!
I acted cute for so long and all of you just pulled out on me when you were scared by one sentence from him? It's just the Jade Sword Sect. What's there to be afraid of? I even dared to face off against the Fire Emperor!
As Xu Que turned to look at the cultivators, one by one, the cultivators lowered their heads in shame.
They were sorry!
They were ashamed!
Why were they not brave enough to resist and stand up to Ye Chang Feng and the Jade Sword Sect?
Did they really want to watch from the sidelines as a good, simple and honest youth like Takumi Fujiwara was destroyed in the hands of the Jade Sword Sect?
But they couldn't do anything!
Take the lead and resist the Jade Sword Sect?
That would be equivalent to seeking their deaths!
Not only their own deaths, but they would implicate their own families and their clans!
After all, everyone knew that in the entire Metal Nation, the Jade Sword Sect was the most influential.
Therefore, they couldn't bring themselves to look at Xu Que when he glanced over at them, as they were too guilty and ashamed of themselves …
...
"Looks like you aren't stupid after all. If you don't want to lose your life, get out of the way!"
Ye Chang Feng gave a sneer and he pointed his sharp sword at the cultivators once again.
This act made all the cultivators retreat back to safety. They were obviously disturbed and fearful!
Xu Que shook his head, emotions swelling in his heart.
The harsh realities of the world! People now are not as nice as before. The fickle human heart!
Isn't there even a little sincerity between people? That's too disappointing!
...
However, this rogue did not even stop to consider that he might be the most dishonest person present! Nobody could beat him on that!
"Xu Que, nobody will help you. The farce ends now! You have to pay for your past and present arrogance and shamelessness ..."
Ye Chang Feng looked coldly at Xu Que as he uttered those words mockingly.
He was the best elite cultivator of their generation after all. With just one sentence, he had been able to keep the other cultivators in check.
Xu Que shrugged his shoulders and gave up pretending being innocent. He said in an indifferent manner, "since nobody is helping me, then I shall help myself! The great leader of my Exploding Heavens Faction once said 'get ample food and clothing by working with your own hands'! You have been defeated by me in a single stroke before, yet you still dare to mess with me. Should I call you an idiot? Or a halfwit? Or should I call you are a mentally handicapped idiot? I've got some medicine that I can sell to you for cheap! It can definitely cure your 18 generations worth of mentally handicapped idiocy and overconfidence. Just one pill is all you need and I can guarantee you that there will be no recurrence of your symptoms!"
When Xu Que said that, the group of more than ten cultivators behind him were instantly dazed and bewildered.
Chapter 293: Is That Still Fujiwara?
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Had… had they heard that correctly?
Were those the kind of things that Fujiwara would say?
Idiot? Halfwit?
How could these filthy words come out of Fujiwara's innocent mouth?
Could it be that he had been so angered by Ye Chang Feng that he had begun to talk nonsense?
And did he just claim that he'd once defeated Ye Chang Feng?
Good heavens, was that true?
Or was Fujiwara just bragging?
Damn, was this still the same innocent and sincere Fujiwara from before?
The whole crowd was so stunned that they were completely unable to respond.
Wasn't this plot twist too much of a bolt out of the blue?
...…
"Die, you motherfucker!" shouted Ye Chang Feng, who was furious after hearing Xu Que mention that embarrassing incident. He lifted his sword and rushed towards Xu Que, full of murderous intent.
Xu Que merely sneered. He swung down the giant sword in his hands. In an instant, aura surged from the sword and completely enshrouded Ye Chang Feng's entire body.
With Xu Que's current strength, there was no need for him to use any special techniques with Ye Chang Feng. The Six Corporeal Forms alone would be enough to bring him to his knees!
This was a battle between a Level 9 Original Infant Stage fighter and a Level 4 Original Infant Stage fighter!
There was no doubt who would emerge victorious here!
Boom!
Ye Chang Feng had just approached Xu Que but in an instant, he had been enveloped by an enormous force. His expression changed drastically as he realized that something was wrong.
Then numerous swords shot through the air heading straight at him, ready to slice his head to a pulp.
Stab, stab, stab!
The swords struck Ye Chang Feng's body and he was sent flying a few feet. He fell to the ground with a loud thud, immediately coughing up a spurt of blood.
The whole crowd went so silent instantly that you could hear a pin drop!
Boom!
Xu Que's Level 9 Original Infant power had been released in its full potential, to the amazement of everyone in the crowd.
"How… how is this possible?"
Everyone stared wide-eyed and incredulously at Xu Que, their minds completely blank at the sight.
How could such a young fighter ever achieve Level 9 of Original Infant Stage?
Was it still the same Takumi Fujiwara?
How had he changed into such a different person?
Where had that air of innocence and naivety gone?
Why was there only strength and formidable power left in that young man?
Holy moly, what the hell was going on here?
No, no, no, no, no!
Our eyes must be deceiving us!
It isn't Fujiwara's fault, it's just the world's fault!
What exactly is going on here?
Is this just a collective hallucination?
...…
Ye Chang Feng fell to the ground clutching his chest, his face deathly pallid and full of shock and panic.
He could hardly believe what had just happened. It was déjà vu all over again—he was going to get himself defeated by Xu Que again!
What was even more difficult for him to accept was that it had been only a few days since he had seen Xu Que. How had he achieved Level 9 of the Original Infant Stage at such a terrifying speed?
"It's impossible! It's utterly impossible…" muttered Ye Chang Feng, panting laboriously with a mouth still full of blood.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, there were a few earth-shattering explosions not far away from where Xu Que was standing. He raised his eyebrows as he turned to look in that direction.
Some men and women had appeared, and they landed right next to Ye Chang Feng.
"Ha! So you've found yourself some helpers?" jeered Xu Que with a laugh.
He was not surprised by their sudden appearance at all. Ye Chang Feng was the darling of Jade Sword Sect anyway, and he was quite powerful himself. It wasn't a surprise that he had secretly arranged for some help after entering the Sword Catacomb.
In the World of Cultivators, these guardians were a common sight.
But because of the restriction at the entrance of the Sword Catacomb, any fighters at a higher stage than Infant Transformation Stage wouldn't be allowed entry. This meant that Ye Chang Feng's helpers weren't more than Level 9 Original Infant Stage fighters.
That was why Xu Que didn't panic at all. With his current strength, he could even defeat a Level 8 Infant Transformation Stage fighter easily, so what did he have to fear from these Level 9 Original Infant Stage amateurs?
However, those people didn't wait for Xu Que to open his mouth to mock them. They promptly gave Ye Chang Feng a medicine pill and then locked their ferocious eyes on Xu Que, ready to pounce at him.
One of them was a powerful woman who was the best amongst the other fighters, at Level 9 of Original Infant Stage. She was Ye Chang Feng's personal guardian, and she was deeply enraged by the sight of Ye Chang Feng's heavy injuries.
"Get on your knees and apologize now!" shouted the woman angrily at Xu Que. Her tone was icy cold, and she seemed to be out for blood.
Many of the swordsmen in the crowd were shocked. They had never expected Ye Chang Feng to bring so many guardians with him into the Sword Catacomb undetected.
He would have to wield an extraordinary power to achieve such a feat!
Now all eyes turned automatically to Xu Que. Everyone looked at him, shaking their heads in sympathy.
It's over, Fujiwara! You're doomed!
Xu Que, however, merely smiled politely at the woman.
"Excuse me, madam," he said, "it is my first time in the Sword Catacomb so I'm not quite familiar with all the rules here. I must've accidentally made some mistakes…"
Xu Que abruptly stopped mid-sentence, and the smile on his lips turned into a cold scowl. His eyes suddenly widened in rage and he shouted, "come and beat my ass if you dare, bitch!"
Gasp!
Everyone in the crowd was horrified at the sudden transformation in Xu Que's attitude.
They could hardly believe that this innocent and polite young gentleman could turn into such an arrogant bastard within seconds. He even dared to taunt the guardians who were all very powerful!
Had he lost his mind?
...…
The guardians were even more enraged now. Only one of them remained beside Ye Chang Feng, tending to his wound. The rest all stepped forward and unleashed their powerful swords, all simultaneously charging towards Xu Que.
A group of lions were now pouncing on a rabbit with all their might!
They all knew too that Xu Que's strength was not to be underestimated, so they each use their most powerful moves to besiege Xu Que!
However, Xu Que remained calm and was not the least bit afraid of the oncoming siege. He had every possible move in his arsenal to fight against these bastards. For instance, he could just use Mystical Fire and easily eliminate a few of these fighters without much effort.
He didn't choose to use the Mystical Fire here, though. Instead, he wielded the giant sword proudly in his hand and stormed straight towards the woman who had challenged him.
Obviously, Xu Que was no gentleman. With every swing of his sword, his cuts were neat and precisely on target.
The whole crowd was so shocked by the scene that was unfolding that they could hardly blink!
Because the bastard had very precisely used his sword to cut the female guardian's skirt. It was such a shameless move that was clearly meant to taunt the guardian's anger!
Ah!
At this point, the air in their surroundings grew colder and colder, as if something mysterious was closing in on them.
But none of them noticed it yet.
The female guardian was now blinded by fury, and her face turned bright red!
She had been in the World of Cultivators for so many years, yet she had never encountered anyone who would resort to such a shameless and dirty move!
"You piece of filth! I'll break your bones with my bare hands! You'll fucking die today!" cursed the guardian. The murderous aura in her sword intensified, and she stormed ever more furiously towards Xu Que.
Whoosh!
Xu Que used the Three Thousand Volts Lightning move and dodged the guardian's attack easily. But in the rush to evade the guardian's sword, he accidentally used too much force when he was pulling his sword away from her skirt!
Rip!
A crisp and loud sound of tearing fabric was heard all around, and the guardian's skirt was completely torn off—now her smooth bare legs were completely exposed to the crowd!
The female guardian stopped dead in her tracks!
The other guardians screeched to a halt as well!
Everyone was dumbstruck and could hardly believe their eyes!
Only Xu Que, the one person who had seen much of the world, remained calm and stared at the guardian's white slender legs.
"Wow!" he exclaimed. "It's such a cold day today, and you're not wearing your underpants!"