Having studied for a hundred years, why do you call me the Martial Saint?

Yue Songting can still remember the other man's eyes. After defeating him, the other man only glanced at him indifferently before turning and leaving, as if he had just casually defeated a lackey.

It's been over twenty years.

He thought he had already let go, but the moment he stepped into Suishan territory, that look in his eyes came back to him clearly.

It made him very uncomfortable.

Fortunately, he trained a good apprentice.

Yue Songting looked at Shen Jianyi, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out in the audience.

"Make way! Make way!"

A path automatically parted in the crowd, and an elderly man with white hair and beard slowly walked out.

He was hunched over, walked with a limp, and his right sleeve hung loosely.

Some江湖客 (jianghu ke) were puzzled.

Who is this person?

"I don't recognize it, why does it only have one arm..."

"Wait, one-armed? Could it be...?"

An older martial arts practitioner suddenly changed his expression and cried out:

"Han Baitao, the One-Armed Swordsman!"

The moment those words were uttered, the surrounding area erupted in chaos.

"The one-armed swordsman? The one who clashed swords with the Sword Master twenty years ago?!"

"It wasn't just a sword fight; they went all out, holding nothing back, yet Han Baitao only lost an arm under the Sword Master's full-force strike! Keep in mind, the number of people in the world who can survive a Sword Master's full-force strike is extremely limited!"

"My master once said that it's not shameful for Han Baitao to lose to the Sword Master! Some even say that he is the second-best swordsman in the world!"

"Why would someone of this stature come to such a minor competition?"

Han Baitao ignored the surrounding discussions and found a corner to stand in.

No one dared to approach him, and a clear circle immediately formed around him.

The servants were also astonished; they had heard the gossip about this battle.

Now that the characters from the story are standing right in front of them, they immediately feel a sense of unreality.

"It's the One-Armed Swordsman! I've seen him in person!" Qian Le exclaimed in surprise.

"Hmph, what's so great about him? He couldn't beat our sect leader, could he?" Zheng Da snorted.

"You can't say that. Even so, he's someone we can only look up to but never reach!"

"Indeed, even the second-best swordsman in the world is a renowned figure!"

Gu Shuxian nodded, agreeing with this statement; even if someone is second to none in the world, they will always be remembered.

For example, the highest peak is Mount Everest, but some people might know that the second highest peak is...

Uh, what was it again?

That's it.

Gu Shuxian shook his head and looked back at the arena.

At this moment, on the north side of the arena.

Zhong Zhenshan, the outer sect swordsmanship instructor of the Suishan Sword Sect, sat in a grand chair, his brows furrowed.

He didn't take the challenge seriously at first. Young people are proud and arrogant. A few sparring matches are usually just casual exchanges, and winning or losing is common.

But when Han Baitao arrived, things were different.

Twenty years ago, the sect leader defeated him; twenty years later, the younger generation of Suishan will be trampled under his feet under his very gaze…

The sect's reputation, and the quality of its instructors...

Thinking of this, Instructor Zhong's face turned grim.

"Instructor Chung!"

A young voice rang out.

Fang Jianxing stepped out from the crowd. He was one of the top swordsmen in the eyes of the outer disciples. At nineteen years old, he was one of the three most likely to win the championship in this competition. He had extremely high potential and, given time, he would surely soar to great heights.

"This disciple requests to fight!"

Instructor Chung frowned even more deeply.

He glanced at Fang Jianxing and said slowly, "Jianxing, the outer sect competition is just around the corner. You should focus your attention on that. If you get injured before the competition, it will be a great loss."

"Instructor!"

Fang Jianxing raised his head, his gaze resolute. "If today an outsider were to use the name of our Suishan Sword Sect to gain fame and fortune, what would be the point of me winning first place in the competition?"

Zhong Zhenshan remained silent for a moment, then looked at Han Baitao in the distance and sighed.

Go ahead, but be careful.

Fang Jianxing nodded emphatically, turned around and strode towards the arena.

"Look! Senior Brother Fang!"

The disciples of Suishan below the arena became excited.

"Senior Brother Fang Jianxing! One of the three outstanding talents of the new generation in Suishan!"

"Sanxiu?"

"That's right! Fang Jianxing, Lu Luoxia, and Ji Mingzhao, the three most powerful outer disciples among us!"

"With Senior Brother Fang making a move, this is going to be good!"

"Even the inner sect disciples have praised Senior Brother Fang's White Eyebrow Sword Technique!"

The spectators were also invigorated and hurriedly asked the outer disciples beside them:

"Is Senior Brother Fang really that amazing?"

"Impressive!" The outer disciple exclaimed with pride.

"The White Eyebrow Sword Technique integrates offense and defense, possessing both softness and strength. Its movements are as swift as a swallow in flight and as still as the wind when it falls, truly forming the foundation of Suishan swordsmanship!"

"Senior Brother Fang has immersed himself in this sword technique for many years, and has already mastered it to perfection! Looking across the outer sect, no one can surpass him in his understanding of this sword technique!"

As he spoke, Fang Jianxing had already leaped onto the arena.

He stood ramrod straight, cupped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "I am Fang Jianxing, an outer disciple of the Suishan Sword Sect. I humbly request your guidance, Brother Shen!"

Shen Jian nodded and said, "Finally, something decent has arrived."

Fang Jianxing wasn't angry and calmly said, "Please."

As soon as the words were spoken, the two drew their swords simultaneously.

Fang Jianxing's sword was very elegant and agile, but his sword moves were extremely steady. The tip of his sword drew layers of semicircles in the air, like an invisible shield.

Shen Jian unleashed several sword strikes in quick succession, all as fast as lightning, but they were blocked by the sword circle.

The clanging sound of swords clashing rang out continuously.

Sparks flew everywhere.

"good!"

The audience finally erupted in cheers that had been suppressed for so long.

The outer disciple who was leading the way was extremely excited and explained repeatedly:

"See that? This is the essence of the White Eyebrow Sword Technique. The swordplay is elegant and agile, with profound sword intent, easily neutralizing the enemy's attacks. The White Eyebrow Sword Technique emphasizes defense within offense and offense within defense. Don't be fooled by Senior Brother Fang's focus on defense; he can deliver a fatal blow to the enemy at any moment!"

"Shen Jianyi, can you break through Senior Brother Fang's defenses?"

Contrary to what others said about being at a disadvantage, Shen Jianyi's expression was extremely relaxed.

Although his sword was blocked, he remained calm and composed, his steps never faltering.

Sometimes a quick thrust, sometimes a diagonal slash, sometimes a swift chop...

However, Fang Jianxing blocked every single sword strike.

There's actually a flaw in this turtle shell. Can Shen Jian catch it?

Gu Shuxian had just had this thought.

An unexpected change occurred!

Shen Jian's sword strikes suddenly accelerated, each strike more urgent than the last.

The third sword pierced the center of the sword circle. Fang Jianxing's wrist sank, and a force came through the sword. The sword circle he had painstakingly built was directly disintegrated layer by layer!

Fang Jianxing reacted extremely quickly, immediately switching from defense to offense.

But Shen Jianyi didn't give him a chance at all.

With a flick of the sword, a flash of blue light appeared, and seven consecutive sword thrusts were made!

Fang Jianxing managed to block the first six swords, his tiger's mouth was numb from the impact, and when the seventh sword came, the long sword in his hand finally flew out of his hand!

The clanging sound of the sword hitting the ground was undoubtedly proof of that.

He lost.

Fang Jianxing stared blankly at the sword on the ground, without saying a word.

Shen Jianyi nodded slightly and said, "Your swordsmanship is not bad, but it's just so-so."

He immediately sheathed his sword, faced the crowd below the arena, and said with great confidence:

"Who else?"