Ten Directions Sword Master

Chapter 74 Commentary on Sword Techniques

"What ambition! I think Qingdai is the next person to be listed on the Wucheng Ranking!"

Ning Xingzhou clapped his hands in praise, ignoring Su Qingdai's cultivation level of only the early stage of Qi Refining.

He simply stared at that flawless face, revealing undisguised admiration.

The three young men from Wu County didn't take the competition between the two martial arts schools in Chungu County seriously; they only agreed because they couldn't refuse their kind invitation.

The six disciples fought each other, which seemed intense, but in reality, it was not as valuable as their usual practice with their fellow disciples.

Ning Xingzhou and Senior Brother Lin were not very interested and casually made a few comments.

Su Qingdai, whose cultivation level was similar to that of the disciples on the field, watched with great interest.

"Brother Ning, this move looks like your镖局's Demon-Subduing Sword Technique?"

Su Qingdai noticed that the swordsmanship of the person on the stage looked familiar and asked.

In the previous two matches, Zhenwei Martial Arts School had one win and one loss. In the final match, both sides sent out their best disciples.

Ning Xingzhou glanced at it and understood. He said, "The Demon Subduing Sword Technique is a martial art that my grandfather comprehended after escorting goods and traveling the world for thirty years. It is divided into thirty-six styles, both internal and external. The internal thirty-six styles are only passed down to the Ning family and their close disciples. The external thirty-six styles are majestic and profound, with rigorous moves. Meritorious escorts can be taught them."

"This young man's Thirty-Six Forms of Demon Subduing Sword Technique is quite good. He already has the basic framework, and you can tell he has put in a lot of hard work."

"This is my eldest grandson. I've raised him since he was a child and trained him according to the rules of the old security escort agency."

Master Li stroked his beard with a smug look, gazing at the young man on the stage with affection.

The disciple sent by the Luo family martial arts school was short and stocky, and his horizontal sword was double-edged, mainly used for attacking the lower body.

His swordsmanship was extremely sharp, and his fighting style was fierce. Even after being stabbed in the shoulder, he still managed to close the distance and slashed at the thigh of Master Li's grandson.

The sword was blocked by the leg bone. Ignoring the blood gushing from his shoulder, the short, stocky disciple pushed the sword with all his might, almost dislocating his leg.

Master Li's grandson had never seen such a desperate fighting style before. The pain in his lower body, coupled with fear, caused him to drop his broadsword, and tears and snot streamed down his face.

"We surrender! We surrender!"

Master Li jumped up and roared at Luo Wentao across from him.

"Let go."

Luo Wentao cast a disdainful glance and shouted.

The short, stocky disciple then withdrew his sword, and upon standing up, it was discovered that his shoulder injury was also extremely severe.

If the broadsword had fallen another half step, the arm would have been severed.

Without even looking, he simply raised his intact arm and shouted to his fellow disciples, startling the onlookers who turned pale.

The disciples Luo Wentao brought back from the South China Sea are all fearless and ruthless. They are too intimidating to be placed in Chungu County. Who would dare to fight against him in the future?

Even the long-established Zhenwei Martial Arts School has failed; sooner or later, all the low-end business will fall into the hands of the Luo family's martial arts school.

The final defeat left Ning Xingzhou looking grim. He had just boasted about the Subduing Demon Sword Technique and praised the Zhenwei Martial Arts School disciples for their impressive swordsmanship, only to be humiliated on the spot.

Fortunately, Luo Wentao was very sensible and took the initiative to visit him, even bringing him a hemostatic pill.

It is also said that in the three rounds of competition, Zhenwei Martial Arts School won one round, and should therefore receive 30% of the benefits from the chariot and horse race.

He then came to greet Ning Xingzhou and the others. This ruthless man, who had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, was able to lower his posture in front of the younger generation and offered many compliments to Zhenwei Escort Agency and Xiaoxi Sword Pavilion.

Especially after learning that Su Qingdai was the daughter of the Pavilion Master, his attitude became even more respectful.

Zhenwei Escort Agency is fine; it has a large workforce, a good reputation, and is good at escorting goods and delivering cargo, emphasizing kindness to others.

Zhenxi Jiange is located next to Chungu County. It seems elegant and detached, emphasizing calligraphy and painting to express one's aspirations.

In reality, this company monopolized the supply of writing brushes, inkstones, cinnabar, and seals in the surrounding areas, supporting at least four or five other businesses.

He has the ability, the means to make money, the connections in official circles, and most importantly, an outstanding literary reputation. When the Pavilion Master goes to the Lu family in Wu County, he is always a guest of honor.

Of course, it wasn't because of his early stage of spiritual cultivation, but mainly because of his status as a master calligrapher.

How could one not befriend such a young lady from a powerful sect?

After exchanging a few perfunctory words, the three returned to the tavern, preparing to set off for Shicheng the next day.

That senior was actually from Wu County, but it seems he offended a powerful figure and had to leave his hometown.

For this 60th birthday celebration, since my old friends were unable to attend in person, they asked the younger members of their family to do so on their behalf.

"Qingdai, I heard that your congratulatory gift consisted of two birthday poems written by Senior Su himself. I wonder when I will be fortunate enough to receive a few words from him. Compared to the gold-inlaid jade peaches prepared by the escort agency, they seem rather vulgar."

Ning Xingzhou's words weren't entirely flattery; Su Gezhu's calligraphy has been highly praised in recent years.

Unless requested by an elder of the Lu family of Wu County, he generally no longer writes inscriptions for others.

"The peach symbolizes longevity and is a very auspicious gift, Brother Ning, your choice of this gift is also—wait, what do you mean?"

When it came to their master, Senior Brother Lin was about to say a few humble words when his ears twitched. He suddenly heard someone on the second floor of the restaurant commenting on the previous competition.

Ning Xingzhou's face turned ashen; both of them had their hearing activated and could hear it clearly.

"In the final match, the Zhenwei Martial Arts School disciples lacked practical combat experience. It was one thing that they were timid and afraid to fight, but the key issue was that their swordsmanship was also inadequate—it seemed rigorous and thorough, but in reality, it was rigid and clumsy: the moves looked imposing, but every move had a flaw."

"It's such a waste of tuition to study swordsmanship under this martial arts school—old man, you promised to buy me two jugs of wine after I pointed out the strengths and weaknesses of the six of us. You're not trying to renege on your debt, are you?"

"I never expected that this young master, who looks like he just came from home, would be so knowledgeable about martial arts duels—it's only two silver dollars, I, Iron-Tongued King, never deny it, it'll just add some material to tomorrow's storytelling!"

Upstairs, there was an ignorant madman and a storyteller commenting on the martial arts school disciples, and even belittling the Demon Subduing Sword Technique as worthless.

Seeing Ning Xingzhou's uncertain expression, Senior Brother Lin quickly said, "He's just a commoner; how could he possibly understand the subtleties of swordsmanship? Brother, there's no need to get angry."

"Insulting me is one thing, but underestimating the swordsmanship created by my grandfather is another!"

Ning Xingzhou's face flushed red and then turned pale as he rushed into the restaurant and ran up to the second floor.

The Demon-Subduing Sword Technique originally had thirty-six forms, but to keep one for outsiders, it was forcibly divided into two sets of thirty-six forms, one for internal use and one for external use.

These Thirty-Six Outer Forms are just a name; they're not much better than third-rate swordsmanship.

The truth is the sharpest knife. When someone hits a nerve, and the storyteller even adds it to the joke, how can Ning Xingzhou bear it?

Su Qingdai was completely confused until her senior brother Lin explained what she had heard in her ear canal, at which point she suddenly understood.

"Quickly, follow them and see—if a fight breaks out, remember, senior brother, we can't let Ning Xingzhou hurt anyone."

She still had that girlish heart; finding it interesting, she hurried upstairs to see what was going on.

Upon entering the hall, Ning Xingzhou drew his family heirloom sword and blocked the two men's path.

The storyteller was so frightened that he bowed repeatedly, promising not to include today's events in future stories, and that he had already forgotten what he had just said.

The young man at the table was engrossed in drinking, not even looking up. He had a refined and elegant demeanor, and a handsome appearance.

"And you, defaming our family's ancestral sword techniques with such shameless boasting, what explanation do you have?"

After Ning Xingzhou went upstairs, his few questions startled the storyteller.

I never expected that after just a few whispers behind their backs, they would come knocking on my door. The odds of that happening are incredibly low.

However, the young man who offered his comments was indifferent and spoke frankly and fairly, which enraged Ning Xingzhou.

In the world of martial arts, reputation is more important than strength for Zhenwei Escort Agency.

The bandits from the seventy-two outposts of the Green Forest and the thirty-six marshes of Taihu Lake were all let go after paying a toll, out of respect for Zhenwei's reputation.

Otherwise, with each shipment involving fighting, no amount of镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) could sustain the business.

However, once a stain is placed on one's reputation, it will quickly spread and become difficult to repair.

Ning Xingzhou remembered his grandfather's teachings, which is why he reacted so excessively.

"So this swordsmanship originated from Zhenwei Escort Agency—then I'll reassess it: besides the poor swordsmanship, the people at Zhenwei Escort Agency are also incompetent!"

Lu Li put down his wine cup; there were so many interesting things happening in the martial world.

The old man had only given the storyteller a few silver dollars because he thought the story was so captivating, and then he came to the table to thank him and offer a toast.

After a casual chat, seeing that he was sensible and had a thorough understanding of the power dynamics in the nearby cities and the recent events, they simply invited him to sit down and have a drink together.

Later in the conversation, they were drawn to the martial arts competition on the stage outside the window, so they offered two jugs of wine as a wager and commented on the martial arts school disciples.

When the three people walked downstairs, Lu Li heard their footsteps and knew that they were martial artists with considerable cultivation.

But he certainly didn't expect it to be the grandson of the founder of the Demon-Subduing Sword Technique, which he had just commented on.

"Even the two temples and three monasteries aren't this domineering, forbidding the world from commenting on their martial arts, are they?"

Ning Xingzhou was speechless with shock. He raised his sword to step forward, but was stopped by Senior Brother Lin.

"Brother, calm down—this person should also have Foundation Establishment cultivation. Acting rashly will only bring trouble upon yourself!"

The power of the bandit-catching office to deter martial artists in the southeast is clearly greater than that in other regions.

Like a sword hanging over one's head, one must consider the consequences before making a move in public in the city.

"You described the Demon-Subduing Sword Technique so poorly, yet you didn't consider that the person's training was inadequate—dare you withstand a few of my sword strikes before offering your critique?"

Ning Xingzhou quickly changed his tune.

"Looks like you think you've practiced quite well? Or are you holding back some skills from the martial arts school downstairs?"

During this period, Lu Li was either fighting repeatedly in the Crimson Fire Secret Realm or diligently cultivating in the Floating Island World. Only now did he begin to feel the flavor of a young man traveling the world.

Young and chivalrous, he befriended heroes from five capitals, riding swiftly on the spring breeze.

"Take this!"

Ning Xingzhou's noodles turned bright red as he brandished his sword, striking several acupoints on his chest with wide, sweeping movements.

Compared to the disciples of Zhenwei Martial Arts School, their skills are naturally countless times more refined.

Leaving aside the difference between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment, at least the obvious flaws in the Demon Subduing Sword Technique itself are gone.

With each slash, smash, swing, and collision, the sword strikes possess immense power, accompanied by howling winds.

The way he wielded the sword made it seem as if he held not a five-foot-long sword, but a demon-subduing pestle.

The sword strike was so powerful that it caused the table in front of it to tremble violently, as if it were about to fall apart at any moment.

"Only this Demon-Subduing Treasure Image, with its solemn Zen spirit, is worth seeing. The rest is no different from a set of Chaotic Cloak Sword Techniques."

Lu Li didn't draw his sword. Instead, he grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the table. Although they were much shorter than the sword, he intended to stab Ning Xingzhou's wrist first.

Forced to quickly withdraw his sword, he changed his move and swung it back.

But Lu Li flicked his finger, and the two chopsticks hit his knuckles. A tingling sensation ran through him, and he couldn't even hold his sword, standing there dumbfounded with his hands empty.