The Smiling, Proud Wanderer: From the Moment He Picked Up Qu Feiyan

A river breeze blew by, swirling up a few fallen leaves, which then drifted down onto the platform.

Shen An had already disappeared from sight as he chased after Tian Boguang, but the nearly one thousand martial artists on the platform of the Sword Testing Tournament, and even below the stage, seemed to be frozen in place. They were either mouths agape or eyes wide open, still immersed in the scene just now, unable to speak for a long time.

For a moment, there was complete silence; you could hear a pin drop.

Liu Zhengfeng stood on the platform, looking in the direction Shen Anyuan had gone, his eyes filled with complex emotions, but he did not follow Tian Boguang.

Logically speaking, he would have a much better chance of succeeding in pursuing Tian Boguang than Shen An, who had just expended a great deal of energy and effort.

But Liu Zhengfeng knew perfectly well what was going on.

His actions just now were as a senior to stand up for a junior disciple from the Five Mountains Sword Sect, to deal with the notorious womanizer. This was perfectly reasonable, and no one could say a word against it.

However, if they continued to pursue the matter relentlessly, it would seem that they had a close relationship with Shen An, which would inevitably attract the attention of those with ulterior motives and cause suspicion of impropriety.

If Songshan finds out afterward, it will inevitably cause further complications.

He is about to retire from his criminal activities, so he should be careful with his words and actions, and avoid causing trouble.

After a while, the crowd below the stage finally recovered from the series of changes and then, like a pot of boiling oil, instantly became agitated.

For them, the most shocking thing was not the black light that was as fast as lightning and directly sliced ​​off Tian Boguang's arm.

Among the crowd, only Sha Xihe had the strangest expression. He stared intently at the direction where the black light fell into the lake, his pupils contracting, his lips moving as he muttered to himself:

"Could it be... could it be that Alliance Leader Zuo himself has come to support Shen An? No wonder, no wonder..."

His strength is already quite awkward. If we go a little higher, Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang know that that move is the power of a celestial being, and only a top master like Dongfang Bubai can unleash it. This matter was definitely just a coincidence and should not be investigated too deeply.

Further down, the martial arts practitioners who came to watch were purely there for the spectacle, knowing full well that they lacked real skill. In fact, most of them didn't even notice the attack that came from the academy; their martial arts were far too weak.

But Sha Xihe, stuck in this predicament—neither able to go up nor down—was unable to participate. He wanted to join the game, but couldn't. Observing like everyone else didn't seem worthwhile; he felt he'd uncovered some earth-shattering conspiracy, leaving him only to fret anxiously and start speculating about conspiracy theories.

Unlike the anxious Sha Xihe, the other martial arts figures found the spectacle worthwhile.

Although their strength didn't allow them to discuss the academy's sudden attack, Liu Zhengfeng's rapid change of tactics, or Tian Boguang's miraculous escape from death, everyone could see the massive sword that had shattered the platform and was now stuck inside.

"Heavens...Heavens! What did I just see? What kind of sword technique is that?"

"That sword...was that a sword? I think it was an axe, a hammer!"

"Even with Tian Boguang's exceptional lightness skill, he couldn't dodge the strike of that black sword!"

"In my forty years of wandering the martial world, I have never seen such domineering and unparalleled sword intent! That dark, massive sword was entirely without a blade, its design simple and unadorned, without the slightest hint of artifice!"

"A heavy sword has no edge; true skill lies in simplicity!"

These eight words struck like a thunderbolt, exploding in everyone's hearts!

"Yes! Yes! That must be it!" another person chimed in. "That young hero Shen, so young yet possessing such skill, must have received the heavy sword inheritance of Senior Dugu or the Condor Hero! Ordinary swordsmanship emphasizes lightness, speed, and exquisite techniques, but his sword strike had not a single fancy move; it was simply pure power and speed! This is precisely the profound principle of 'great skill without artifice'!"

"Indeed, since Bai Lian Fang has obtained the sword of the Fairy of Light Sound, it might also have obtained the legacy of the Sword Demon Dugu Qiubai!"

"From now on, the martial arts world will probably belong to Young Master Shen."

The more they talked, the more excited they became, and the more they thought about it, the more they realized that this made sense.

In an instant, the gazes of the crowd below the stage as they looked at the giant sword changed from initial surprise to intense admiration and envy.

Inside the academy building, as she listened, Qu Feiyan's delicate face slowly lost its color, and she subconsciously gripped the window frame tightly until her knuckles turned white.

She was incredibly intelligent; how could she not understand the principle that "a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime"?

She tugged at Wang Xiaocao's sleeve, her voice trembling slightly, "Sister Xiaocao, no... something bad has happened."

Although Wang Xiaocao was quite intelligent, she had never been involved in the martial arts world and naturally did not understand the dangers involved: "Feifei, what's wrong? Isn't everything... fine? Everyone is praising and admiring you, young master."

"They admire him now, but that might change after word gets out!" Qu Feiyan stamped her foot anxiously. "Brother An's sword strike has revealed his secret of possessing unparalleled martial arts! Now, who knows how many wolves and tigers will be eyeing him!"

"Ah!?" Wang Xiaocao instantly understood the implications, her small hands clenching into fists in tension. But then, another thought occurred to her: "But... but when it was announced that Hundred Refinements Workshop had obtained the Light Sound Fairy's lost sword, why weren't they afraid that people would associate it with the Light Sound Fairy's legacy?"

"Because K-On! Fairy is fake, she's made up!"

"The rumors spread portray Fairy Qingyin as a figure from decades ago, and any sect with a bit of influence knows that she is not actually a person. They would come looking for trouble because of this, but they wouldn't dare to confront the Songshan Sect."

"But Dugu Qiubai is different. Leaving aside the great hero Yang Guo, just consider the senior Feng Qingyang of the Huashan Sect, who roamed the martial arts world with his 'Nine Swords of Dugu,' that was only a few decades ago!"

"Young master, how could you make such a mistake?" Wang Xiaocao was truly at a loss.

"Yes!" These words broke through Qu Feiyan's chaotic thoughts. Her eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands sharply. "Sister Xiaocao, you're right!"

"what?"

Me? What did I say? Wang Xiaocao looked completely bewildered.

"Brother An is always meticulous and shrewd; he would never make such a basic mistake!"

Qu Feiyan spoke rapidly, her eyes regaining their sparkle: "He must have already figured out a way to deal with it! Maybe...maybe he was just chasing after Tian Boguang and forgot about it in his haste!"

She grabbed Wang Xiaocao's hand and pressed, "Sister Xiaocao, you've been by Brother An's side for a long time, think quickly, did he prepare anything special before?"

"Let me think about it." Wang Xiaocao fell into deep thought. "I've got it! Young Master previously instructed Bailianfang to make something very strange—a pole connecting two large iron blocks, which had been sitting in the courtyard. It seems he packed it up and brought it with him when he left today!"

"Where? Tell me quickly, where is it?" Qu Feiyan asked anxiously.

"It was packed in a box, and it looks...it looks like someone took it onto the stage!" Wang Xiaocao's eyes darted quickly across the messy platform, and she soon pointed to an inconspicuous wooden box in the corner, exclaiming, "Look, that's it!"

"I'll go take a look!"

Before she finished speaking, Qu Feiyan leaped down from the small building like a nimble swallow.

With a few quick maneuvers, she landed silently on the edge of the platform and swiftly crept towards the box.