Time Travel: I'm a Flower Thief

Xie Xiaoyi had just breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Yan Li leap into the air, his "One Lifetime" sword slashing down with immense force.

The sword wind was like a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting, pressing down on both the man and the sword.

Xie Xiaoyi had just used all his strength to block the giant sword in the air when Yan Li arrived like a shadow, leaving him no time to dodge.

He gritted his teeth and raised the "Viewing the Vast Ocean" sword to meet the attack head-on.

The moment the two swords clashed, a tremendous force slammed into his arm.

With a "crack," his knees buckled, and he slammed heavily to the ground, the sword bent into an arc and unable to be lifted even an inch.

This time it's true: you can hold them off for a while, but not forever.

Yan Li's sword stopped an inch in front of his brow, his voice calm and even: "Brother Xie, you've lost again."

Xie Xiaoyi nodded, but didn't say anything.

Yan Li smiled faintly: "How was it this time? Still not convinced?"

Damn it, that's killing someone by breaking their spirit!

Xie Xiaoyi cursed inwardly, but chuckled aloud, "I'm convinced, completely convinced, and I admire you."

Upon hearing this, Yan Li lightly twisted her wrist, sheathed the "One Lifetime" sword, and bent down to help Xie Xiaoyi.

I don't appreciate your kindness!

Xie Xiaoyi chuckled, slapped his hand away, and used his sword to prop himself up, rubbing his throbbing knees:

"Young Master Yan's sword really made my bones feel like they were about to fall apart."

Yan Li straightened up, her gaze falling on the "Viewing the Vast Ocean" sword in his hand. Her tone was calm, yet earnest:

"Brother Xie's lightness skill is excellent, and his footwork is agile. In our first match, when you dodged the 'One Moment' flying sword..."

Three times, he narrowly avoided a fatal blow, just a hair's breadth away from launching a counterattack.

Was he praising me?

Xie Xiaoyi raised an eyebrow: "Oh? So, I didn't completely lose just now?"

"That doesn't count." Yan Li nodded. "You lost in two points."

"Firstly, your true energy is mixed. When you shattered the illusory giant sword just now, you forcibly activated all your true energy."

However, he was unable to continue the fight, which is why he was unable to recover from the pressure of the "One Lifetime" sword.

Secondly, your swordplay was too hasty. Your "Star-Picking" sword intent was powerful enough, but it lacked room for "retraction." The sword intent was exhausted as soon as it was unleashed, resulting in insufficient follow-up power.

Xie Xiaoyi stroked his chin thoughtfully. These words sounded very practical and were much easier to understand than Lu Fang's Zen-like pronouncements.

He grinned, then, in a cheeky manner, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect: "Young Master Yan's words are truly invaluable; a single conversation with you is enough to save ten years of sword practice!"

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Fang's lazy voice came from the west side of the brocade platform:

"Xie Mo, have some shame! Someone just beat you twice, and you're already rushing to become their apprentice?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Li's lips curled into a rare, faint smile:

"Brother Xie, you're too kind. The path of martial arts is about mutual encouragement and self-improvement."

If you are willing, the Famous Sword Manor will welcome you to visit and discuss swordsmanship anytime in the future.

Lin Zhuoying stood in the shadow of the brocade platform on the east side, her brows furrowed repeatedly.

The young master of the manor has always been arrogant and rarely speaks a word to anyone, yet he has talked so much with Xie Mo.

Xie Mo's martial arts skills are clearly below mine, so how can the young master value him so much?

Lin Zhuoying glanced at Xie Xiaoyi again.

This kid clearly lost miserably, but he has a tenacity that no one can underestimate.

It seems this person will surely become famous in the martial arts world in the future.

Seeing that the two in the arena had already determined who was stronger, Chuan Wujie immediately stepped forward and loudly proclaimed:

"The first match of the second round of sword duels—Xie Mo versus Yan Li, Yan Li wins!"

As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous cheers erupted from the audience.

Xie Xiaoyi knew the applause wasn't for him, so he quickly walked back to the west side of the brocade platform.

He just brushed past Lu Fang.

Lu Fang paused in his tracks: "Hey! Xie Mo, don't be discouraged."

"No wonder I'm discouraged. I'm afraid I'll never catch up to that guy surnamed Yan in my lifetime."

"So your Dao heart is clouded? After you see this when I face Yan Li later, you probably won't even want to touch a sword again."

"That's quite a boast. You'll have to get past Lin Zhuoying first!"

After speaking, Lin Zhuoying stepped out from the shadows of the brocade platform on the east side and stood steadily in the center of the arena.

Lu Fang raised his eyelids, patted the Seven Star Sword Box on his back, and stood up straight to face her from a distance.

Lin Zhuoying's gaze was icy, and he lightly tapped his double maces in his palms: "Lin Zhuoying of Mingjian Villa, please enlighten me."

Lu Fang, who had been looking lazy, suddenly became energetic.

"Lu Fang of the True Martial Dao Sect. This young lady is much more pleasing to the eye than that blockhead Xie Mo. I'll try to go easy on her when we make our move."

Gently?

This word made Xie Xiaoyi purse his lips.

Because he remembered Lin San Niang.

.......

"You...you can move?"

"What's so strange about that? I have a technique for circulating true qi that can make any muscle connected to the meridians move."

Which move?

"God, Dragon, Swing, Tail!"

"Ouch, be gentle!"

......

Lu Fang had defeated Ding Yi with just two fingers, so Lin Zhuoying knew that his cultivation was extraordinary.

But she was too proud, and in this life, no one but the young master Yan Li could catch her eye.

"Master Lu, you don't need to hold back anymore, let's begin!"

"Strength is fierce but lacks gentleness; the softest thing in the world can overcome the hardest thing in the world. Can you understand this, young lady?"

"If I don't want enlightenment, I'll use force to overcome gentleness!"

"Oh? Using strength to overcome softness? Then this humble Taoist will see if your mace can withstand the force of Heaven."

Lin Zhuoying remained silent, gathered strength in her wrists with both maces, and with a sudden push of her feet, she shot forward, the iron maces slamming down fiercely towards Lu Fang's face!

Lu Fang lightly touched the ground with his toes, and his body floated back several feet leisurely, the movement was light and casual.

"boom!"

The iron mace struck the spot where Lu Fang stood, shattering the bluestone bricks and instantly creating a large crater half a foot deep.

Situ Rui frowned.

This year's World Assembly has suffered huge losses due to this girl and the little tiger-rhinoceros monk.

Shan Wuling, standing nearby, said, "Master, look at these bluestone slabs. They are all jade rocks transported from Western Shu."

"One piece costs ten taels of silver. This hole, once dug, will probably take at least a hundred taels of silver to repair."

You really know how to bring up the most sensitive topic!

Situ Rui didn't say anything, but the corner of his mouth twitched violently. The curve didn't look like a smile; it looked like he was really in pain.

Immediately afterwards, he felt a sharp pain in his heart.

Lin Zhuoying continued her offensive relentlessly, and with each flick of her wrist, deep pits appeared one after another in the training ground.

Lu Fang always dodged it with ease.

Lin Zhuoying suddenly withdrew her maces, slamming them into the ground, sending up a shower of rubble. She looked up at Lu Fang, her tone tinged with resentment:

"Taoist Master, can you win by just hiding?"

Lu Fang twirled his fingers together and said slowly, "I'm afraid of drawing blood when I draw my sword. With such good physique as you, it would be a pity to injure you."

Lin Zhuoying's eyes hardened, and she slammed her double maces on the ground: "Daoist, please feel free to attack. If you keep doing this, you'll only be getting old."

What an unyielding woman!

Lu Fang stretched and patted the Seven Star Sword Box on his back.

"Come forth, Tianquan!"

With a soft "click," a beam of clear light shot into the sky from the sword box—it was a longsword!

The sword's blade was as smooth as jade, its aura clear and sharp, hovering in mid-air with a buzzing sound.

The audience was stunned.

"Sword control! It's sword control again!"

"Besides Young Master Yan Li, there's actually someone else who can fly on a sword?!"

"This Taoist priest looks lazy, but he's actually pretending to be weak while actually being strong!"

In the distant pavilion, the fortune teller Xie Daoyun carefully placed a black piece down and gently shook his head:

"Lu Tiansui passed the Seven Star Sword Box to this young Taoist priest... This year's World Gathering is going to be a huge uproar."