Starting with a blind date with a female constable, you acquire the Nine Swords of Dugu.

Xue Fuling opened her mouth as if to say something,

Gu Guanqi, however, put a hand on Xue Fuling's shoulder and said, "Fuling, you don't need to say anything more. As the saying goes, 'A scholar can't reason with a soldier.' This old guy is being used like a pig, yet he thinks he's righteous and awe-inspiring. Reasoning with him is useless; we'll only beat him into submission!"

Xue Fuling turned her head to look at Gu Guanqi, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Then...then be careful, please...please don't get hurt."

"It's alright, you're here even if I'm injured. What kind of injury can't you heal?" Gu Guanqi said with a light laugh.

"But...you'll feel pain," Xue Fuling said timidly, "I...I'll feel heartache too!"

Gu Guanqi smiled slightly, took a step forward, shielding Xue Fuling behind him, pointed his Autumn Water Sword at Nie Qingshan, and said, "Old man, come on!"

"You arrogant brat!"

Nie Qingshan flew into a rage, beckoned with his hand, and his disciple immediately presented him with a heavy scepter, proclaiming in a loud voice:

"Doctor Gu Guanqi, you've been making quite a splash lately. I've heard of you. Early fame really isn't a good thing; you're so arrogant. Now the whole martial arts world of Qingyang County is talking about you being the twelfth-ranked doctor. What a prestigious title!"

He slowly raised his palm, and the internal force in his palm surged even more violently, causing fine cracks to appear on the bluestone slab beneath his feet.

"Today is the perfect day. Let me, the number one person in Qingyang County, test whether you are qualified for the twelfth floor!"

Their eyes met in mid-air, one like a raging fire, the other like a deep pool.

The wind blew from the end of the long street, stirring up the dust on the ground, which swirled between the two of them.

Inside and outside the inn, hundreds of people held their breath and remained completely silent.

All eyes were on Gu Guanqi and Nie Qingshan, especially those martial arts practitioners, who were all excited.

I never expected to witness such a high-level duel today.

One is a young doctor known in the martial arts world as "The Twelfth Floor," and the other is recognized as "The Number One Person Below the Eleventh Floor."

……

Not far away, on the second floor of a restaurant facing the street, two carved wooden windows were half open, and the bamboo curtains in front of the windows were half-drawn, completely obscuring the shadows of people behind the windows.

Inside the window, there was a rosewood wooden table with a pot of freshly brewed Junshan Yinzhen tea on it. The tea was clear and steaming. Two people sat around the table.

One was the Fourth Master, who had previously conspired with Ma Meifeng; the other was a tall and robust middle-aged man, around fifty years old, with broad shoulders and a thick beard that was already somewhat gray, yet it did not diminish his imposing presence in the slightest.

He wore a black brocade robe with a gold-threaded python belt around his waist, from which hung a simple-looking long sword—the scabbard was entirely black, without any decoration, yet it faintly exuded a heavy killing intent.

This person was none other than Wang Changfeng, the leader of the Golden Saber Sect, and the renowned "Golden Saber" of the Eleventh Floor of Qingyang.

Wang Changfeng picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked through the crack in the window at the figure standing with a sword on the long street.

"That old bastard Nie Qingshan," Fourth Master leaned back in his chair, legs crossed, toying with a white jade thumb ring in his hand, his tone laced with mockery, "has spent his whole life chasing empty fame. He's almost seventy, and still can't see through it all!"

Wang Changfeng chuckled and said, "He lived his whole life as a chivalrous hero. He didn't care about profit, only fame. He loved being admired. He was able to get to where he is today because he was pushed up by many people. Many people need a gun."

Undeniably, in his youth he was truly passionate and earned the reputation of a great hero. However, in his old age, he was swayed by empty fame, and the essence of his chivalrous deeds changed. He was no longer helping the weak, but rather trying to maintain his reputation.

Many of the things he's done over the years have been done without any investigation, entirely based on his personal whims, resulting in the wrongful killing and injury of many people. Yet, he uses his reputation to forcibly distort the truth. Are you aware of what happened in Zhangjia Village, Lin County, a while ago?

Fourth Master nodded and said, "I've heard a little about it. It seems that a young master from a wealthy family forcibly took a commoner's wife. The commoner had nowhere to turn for help. When Nie Qingshan found out, he beat the wicked young master to death in public."

Wang Changfeng laughed and said, "Actually, that so-called commoner was a slave trader. He kidnapped a girl, and the young master of the Zhang family found out. The young master of the Zhang family saved the girl. But Nie Qingshan drank two cups of wine, listened to the slave trader, and refused to listen to advice. He beat the young master of the Zhang family to death. Afterwards, he knew he had done wrong, but he turned around and blamed the girl. Now, the Zhang family has been almost wiped out by Nie Qingshan's disciples and followers, and the girl has been forcibly returned to the slave trader by Nie Qingshan."

Nie Qingshan has done this kind of thing countless times over the years, though most of it was done by his disciples and grand-disciples. He chose to turn a blind eye to these actions because they brought him fame, and even helped to distort the truth. The Nie Qingshan of today is not the passionate young man he once was, but a fame-seeking opportunist.

Fourth Master chuckled, "Judging from what Sect Leader Wang is saying, he looks down on Nie Qingshan. Why not reveal his true character to the public?"

Wang Changfeng shook his head and said, "To be honest, if I were to publicly reveal Nie Qingshan's true character, he might turn around and accuse me, and I'm afraid I would end up ruining my reputation. Besides, Nie Qingshan has always been careful in his actions over the years; he doesn't mess with people he can't afford to offend."

His character, however, is actually a good thing for all of us. Sometimes it can be surprisingly effective, like in today's case. With just a little prompting, he unknowingly became my scapegoat.

Fourth Master asked doubtfully, "This Nie Qingshan has some guts. Gu Guanqi is quite strong, yet he dares to provoke him."

Wang Changfeng shook his head and said, "That's because he was certain that Xue Fuling was a member of the government and wouldn't just shout and kill people. As for Gu Guanqi, although he was skilled in martial arts, he was all alone and had no background, so he didn't dare to kill him."

At most, he would be beaten up by Gu Guanqi, but he would gain a reputation for being fearless of power, fearless of death, and speaking out for the people. Even if Xue Fuling turned the tables in the end, he could just apologize and say that he was deceived. Moreover, he was only seeking justice for the dead, which would not affect his reputation at all!

He came today after careful consideration; he only came because he was certain he would make a profit.

Fourth Master laughed and said, "What a coincidence that he happens to be in Qiandeng County, you arranged it, didn't you?"

Wang Changfeng nodded and said, "He's a very useful gun. Perfect, I can take this opportunity to see just how amazing Gu Guanqi's swordsmanship is. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated!"

"Aren't you afraid that Nie Qingshan will be forced to reveal something?"

Wang Changfeng said, "What can you force out of him? Nie Qingshan doesn't know anything. He came here just for fame. I didn't bribe him to do this."

Fourth Master glanced at him sideways and chuckled, "Sect Leader Wang, who do you think will win between these two?"

"It must be Gu Guanqi," Wang Changfeng said. "If Nie Qingshan can beat Gu Guanqi, then Gu Guanqi is not worth me making this special trip to observe him, and he is even less qualified to be the twelfth floor."

"He's not on the twelfth floor anymore!"

"Once he defeats Nie Qingshan, he'll be very close to becoming a member of the Twelfth Floor," Wang Changfeng said.

Fourth Master chuckled, "It seems that Sect Leader Wang believes Gu Guanqi is destined to win."

Wang Changfeng remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "Nie Qingshan's Mad Demon Staff Technique follows a fierce and forceful approach, characterized by wide, sweeping movements and overwhelming power. In his youth, when he wielded this staff technique, it was impossible for twenty or thirty men to get close. It's a pity—"

He paused, picked up the teacup, and took another sip.

"It's a pity you're too old?"

"It's not that he's old," Wang Changfeng put down his teacup, his thumb slowly rubbing the hilt of his knife, "it's that his staff technique lacks its own artistic conception. Although his moves are highly refined, they lack spirit."

Fourth Master raised an eyebrow: "What about Gu Guanqi?"

"That kid—" Wang Changfeng's gaze sharpened slightly. "I haven't seen his swordsmanship in person, but a few days ago, after he killed Qi Kun, Zhou Tong, and Xu Han, I had someone investigate and reconstruct the battle scene."

That young man's swordsmanship had reached a level of effortless mastery, adapting to his opponent's every move. Whatever weapon his opponent wielded, his sword would counter it. A knife against a knife, a spear against a spear, a whip against a whip.

Fourth Master frowned and asked, "What level is this?"

"I don't know," Wang Changfeng said. "That's why I went to all this trouble to lure Nie Qingshan here, just to see Gu Guanqi's swordsmanship in person. After all..."

A hint of reminiscence flickered in Wang Changfeng's eyes, and his expression became complex: "After all, it was the big boss who said he wanted to kill this person. He asked me for a favor, so I have to do it well, right?"

Fourth Master did not speak.

Wang Changfeng asked, "I wonder when he'll be free to sing for me again?"

Fourth Master said, "Let's talk about it after this is all done. I can't figure out what the big boss is thinking."

After saying that, Fourth Master picked up his teacup and gently blew on the floating tea leaves: "I have arranged for a very powerful archer. You only need to keep Gu Guanqi occupied, and he only needs a moment to kill Gu Guanqi."

Wang Changfeng did not answer. His gaze returned to the long street, landing on the young man standing with his sword. His eyes remained calm, but beneath that calm, something was slowly gathering, like a sword being slowly sheathed.

"If I can kill it myself, why should I use someone else's hand?"

……

The atmosphere on the long street became very oppressive.

Sunlight shone through the clouds, illuminating the entire long street in a blinding white light, making the sword mark on the bluestone slab particularly glaring.

Gu Guanqi stood holding his sword, the Autumn Water Sword held horizontally in front of him, its tip pointing diagonally at the ground.

Nie Qingshan stood three zhang away from him, holding a heavy, dark iron staff horizontally in front of him. The staff was as thick as a forearm, made entirely of refined iron, and the top of the staff was cast with an angry-looking Vajra, which held an iron ring in its mouth, emitting a low hum when it was shaken slightly.

This Madman's Staff weighed thirty pounds, but in Nie Qingshan's hands it felt as light as a feather. With a forceful swing, he shouted, "Take this!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he moved.

The thirty-pound iron staff was suddenly lifted from below, the fierce eyes of the Vajra on the staff drawing a dark arc in the air, carrying a powerful wind that swept straight towards Gu Guanqi's chin.

This move is called "Vajra Holding the Pagoda," and it's the starting stance of the Mad Demon Staff Technique. It looks simple, but it actually contains seven hidden follow-up moves. No matter how the opponent dodges, the staff's momentum can change accordingly, following them like a shadow.

The wind howled like a raging tide crashing against the shore.

Gu Guanqi shifted his feet slightly, sliding three feet backward. The tip of his staff grazed past his robes, creating a whistling wind. He smoothly drew his longsword, the tip sliding along the staff and slicing towards Nie Qingshan's fingers holding it.

This sword strike was swift and accurate, striking first despite being delayed.

Startled, Nie Qingshan quickly withdrew his hand, the iron staff pausing in mid-air for a split second. Gu Guanqi's sword darted in during that split second, the tip skimming the water like a dragonfly, and was now directly against Nie Qingshan's neck.

in an instant,

The long street was deathly silent.

Those who were just discussing that "Gu Guanqi is going to suffer a loss" are now all gaping and staring, unable to utter a single word.

Lin Qi's eyes widened, his mouth slightly agape, and it took him a long time to stammer out, "Master Gu... defeated Senior Nie in a single move?"

"Defeated in a single move?"

"How is this possible?"

"That's the Madman's Staff, Nie Qingshan, the old hero, the number one person below the eleventh floor... Gu Guanqi... is he really on the twelfth floor?"

An uproar erupted among the crowd.

At this time,

Nie Qingshan stood there, a sword at his neck, yet he held his head high and chest out, coldly snorting as he said, "I lost. Kill me or do whatever you want with me!"

Gu Guanqi said calmly, "Senior Nie, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done so just now. You should leave. Doctor Xue was wronged in today's matter, and we will investigate it thoroughly."

"impossible!"

Nie Qingshan said loudly, "Gu Guanqi, your martial arts are superb, and I am no match for you. But either you kill me, or Xue Fuling stays here. Since I dare to stand up for justice for the people, I am not afraid of death."

As he spoke, he took a step forward and said, "Today, I'll lay my cards on the table: either Xue Fuling stays, or you kill me. There is no third option. You..."

"Then go die!"

Gu Guanqi suddenly swung his sword, and the sharp blade instantly sliced ​​through Nie Qingshan's neck, causing blood to spurt out.

Nie Qingshan's eyes widened in disbelief.

"you……"

His eyes were filled with terror. He wanted to say something, but his throat was blocked by blood, and he couldn't make a sound. Then, his body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground, twitching a few times before falling silent.