Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 735 Sword Arena
Pei Ye sheathed his sword: "You have only a mediocre skill, yet you dare to challenge others."

He glanced at the frozen man in front of him, then at the people of Yanri Palace. Chen Mishuang's expression was stiff, and no one made a move. So he smiled, turned around, and went back into the Sword Life Formation.

After that, no one from Yanri Palace played any more games of swordsmanship and they quickly left. Several Dao Qi escorted them to the gate of the courtyard. Xu Wensang still forced a smile and went through the formalities, praising the outstanding talents of the Sword Cultivation Academy. It seemed that even if he did not actively spread his defeat, the story of Pei Ye grabbing his throat with a sword would still spread to some extent.

The afternoon's swordplay practice proceeded as usual. Pei Ye hadn't done such pure practice with anyone in a long time. The only similar experience before was probably the Bright Moon Palace in the Mirage Realm. However, although he approached Yue Muzhou with the attitude of practice, Yue Muzhou approached him with the attitude of killing him. Moreover, he couldn't communicate with the person who said, "I will never take on a disciple in this lifetime."

Now, Pei Ye is naturally most willing to spar and discuss swordsmanship with Jiang Yin'er. However, when the two of them have finished a round of playing swordsmanship and are chatting by the rock, other sword students always come over and ask to test their swordsmanship with Pei Ye.

In fact, most of the sword students' eyes were indeed always on the boy.

Pei Ye then sparred with Zhang Chao, Wen Li, Wen Zheng, Chu Shuiting, Zuoqiu Longhua, and others. Regardless of their skill level, he accepted all challenges without hesitation. At this moment, the young man had completely concealed his sharpness, and was all smiles and laughter, which put the slightly uneasy sword students at ease.

Among the current generation of sword students, there are only a handful with exceptional swordsmanship. Normally, Jiang Yin'er would accept any challenge from the swordsmen, but now that Pei Ye and Jiang Yin'er are paired up and Yang Zhenbing is not using her sword, the sword students have no masters to practice with, so the two of them have to be separated.

After a thorough afternoon of practice, we sat cross-legged together, slightly sweaty, listening to several Daoist masters summarize the Yanri Palace Sword Path and analyze its various sword techniques. As dusk fell, the day's formal training came to an end.

“...That’s right. That’s why people often say that the Huashan Sword is strange and dangerous. In fact, it’s because ‘Zhongzheng’ laid the foundation that it stands out,” Wen Zheng said, holding two sword manuals in her hand. She stood up but remained standing next to Pei Ye. “It’s different from the Yanri Palace Sword.”

"Actually, I feel that the style is more like Qingcheng."

Wen Zheng's eyes brightened slightly: "Fellow Cultivator Pei is truly perceptive. The two families' sword styles are quite different, and few people say so, but they are indeed both inspired by the majestic spirit of mountains and rivers."

Pei Ye laughed: "Don't flatter me."

Wen Zheng smiled and said, "It's a sincere compliment. Fellow Cultivator Pei, do you have somewhere to go tonight? Huashan arrived in the capital the day before yesterday, why don't you come and sit at my lodging?"

"Ah, I'm afraid that won't work today."

"Okay, let's meet again another day." Wen Zheng smiled and nodded. "See you tomorrow, fellow cultivator Pei."

"See you tomorrow."

Pei Ye turned around and saw Jiang Yin'er carrying a small bundle and a sword, looking at him thoughtfully from behind.

Pei Ye reached out and put the kitten on his shoulder, then raised his sword and laughed, "Even the true disciples of Mount Hua don't know where the Sword Master is."

She stretched again and asked, "Class is over, Yin'er, where are you going?"

"Of course we're going to the sword-fighting arena to practice—aren't you coming, Brother?"

"Oh, let's go together." It had been a long time since Pei Ye had been to the Sword Academy. He had almost forgotten the life of sword cultivation there. Classes ended at noon, leaving the students plenty of time to study on their own.

"Then let's go to the swordplay field I arranged."

"it is good."

"Brother, you really know how to talk to people. Sometimes I don't know what to say to people."

"……what?"

Jiang Yin'er walked beside him and glanced at him: "That fellow cultivator Wen Zheng, it seems you didn't know her before, but you seemed to be having a very pleasant chat with her."

“Hmm… Yin’er, it’s normal that you’re not fond of interacting with people because you have a sharp mind. It’s fine to be alone and quiet, don’t force yourself,” Pei Ye said. “You were very impressive when you spoke on stage today, something I couldn’t have done.”

Jiang Yin'er was a little embarrassed: "I spoke so rudely today because you were here, Brother Shi. I wouldn't normally say such things... Of course, if it weren't for you, Brother Shi, I probably would have already lost."

“No, Yin’er, you’re very skilled with a sword. Even if you don’t follow my method, you’ll still have a 70% chance of winning against him.” Pei Ye laughed and added, “Then I won’t teach you to make threats anymore, so as not to damage your image.”

The night was cool and gentle, the stars were clear, and Jian Sheng passed by from time to time.

“It’s not just that you taught me, Brother Shi, that’s why I’m saying this,” Jiang Yin’er said. “Because I think you can beat that Xu Wensang.” Pei Ye laughed: “Then next time you see someone strong, you’d better think things through. If I can’t beat you either, then you should back off.”

Jiang Yin'er also smiled.

Back at the "Bing Liu" sword arena, Jiang Yin'er opened the door and welcomed the young man in.

The arena was spotless, a stark contrast to the swordplay arena where Pei Ye used to practice.

"After you taught me the 'sword fighting' technique today, I feel like I've suddenly gained a lot of insight." Jiang Yin'er took her bundle off and placed it on a large blue stone, then sat down herself, leaving half of it for Pei Ye.

"Oh?"

“I think I used to be so focused on the sword itself that I forgot about winning, losing, life and death.” The girl stroked the [Illumination] sword on her lap. “The swordplay philosophy is ‘stop when you’ve touched it.’ I never thought much about it before. I thought that once you’ve touched it, the outcome is decided. If you push the sword tip forward three inches, it’s no different from actual combat. I never thought there would be any difference.”

"But then I thought, how close does it have to be to be considered 'just touching'?"

"Stopping three inches from the throat is victory or defeat; stopping three inches into the throat is life or death. Back and forth, that's a six-inch space. Six inches, what a vast space! It allows for so many sword moves to maneuver," Jiang Yin'er said. "It's not just about fighting again within those six inches; it's about starting all the previous swordplay afresh. And if a swordsman expects to 'stop at the point of contact,' then often they won't be able to use their true sword skills."

Pei Ye nodded seriously: "That's right. So I think, Yin'er, if you want to become powerful, it's not about learning another move of 'Phoenix Soaring,' but about liberating your own sword. Just like today, once you let go, Chen Mishuang is no match for you in three moves. In the Illusion Tower and the Winter Sword Platform, you actually showed a very high potential from time to time. And I happen to know a lot about how to reach your own potential."

"But if you want to improve your swordsmanship, you still can't be too greedy for this kind of power," he said seriously, causing the bright-eyed girl to pause slightly.

“You are a successor of Taoism, and your sword is rooted in Shenxiao. There is a reason why Master Ying did not teach you sword techniques for fighting to the death.” Pei Ye smiled. “You have extremely high talent, so you should focus more on climbing the path of swordsmanship and not think about how to beat others every day.”

"..." Jiang Yin'er suddenly fell silent.

"what happened?"

"Oops."

"?"

“Brother, I remember now. When I came down the mountain, Master did indeed warn me to be pure in the way of the sword and not to fight with others.” Jiang Yin’er looked up at him, her face showing a hint of worry. “Today I was only thinking about defeating my opponent, but I forgot… I’ll apologize to Master when she comes in a few days.”

"..." Pei Ye touched his temples. "Is this kind of mistake serious?"

"...I'm sure I'll get a scolding from Master," Jiang Yin'er said in a low voice. "I'll probably be punished by copying scriptures."

Pei Ye was silent for a moment, then leaned closer and whispered, "Why don't we just not tell her?"

Jiang Yin'er's almond-shaped eyes widened suddenly, and she stared at him blankly.

Pei Ye hugged his sword: "Anyway, Chief Ying probably doesn't have time to care about such a trivial matter... Just pretend you've forgotten about it."

“But, but… I have never lied to Master…” Jiang Yin’er clasped her hands together.

“It’s not lying, it’s just that I forgot,” Pei Ye corrected, then looked at her and said seductively, “There’s a first time for everything.”

“…Brother, you…you’re so mean. No, I must report this to Master.” Jiang Yin’er was shocked for a long time before clenching her fist and saying firmly.

Pei Ye paused for a moment, then tilted her head and whispered, "Then don't tell anyone that I taught you how to lie to her."

"No, I must also report to my master."

"..." Pei Ye's face fell.

(End of this chapter)