Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Although the Net of Intrigue is hidden in the shadows, it still contains some people who are famous throughout the land.

If Xu Qing becomes famous, it would be a good thing.

If he were to join the Net, it would further demonstrate the Net's strength.

More people came to the open space on the street after hearing the news.

Some were simply there to join the fun, wanting to see what kind of madman dared to cause such a thing in Xianyang; they were truly ignorant of their own limitations.

Some, however, want to spar with experts.

With just a wooden sword, Xu Qing easily defeated many martial arts practitioners, a feat that commands respect.

Please enlighten me!

Another figure appeared in front of Xu Qing. The other party was humble and polite, a stark contrast to the previous martial arts figures who had directly attacked.

Xu Qing sensed a unique and extraordinary aura emanating from the person before him.

Why are Taoists, who don't usually live in seclusion in the mountains, coming here to join in this kind of fun?

Judging from the other person's clothing and unique aura, Xu Qing guessed their identity and asked with some curiosity.

When he first came into this world, he always had a great interest in Taoism and Yin-Yang philosophy.

In the years that followed, he had many dealings with the Yin-Yang School, but he never encountered the Daoist School, perhaps because he was not destined to be with them.

This is the first time I've encountered a Taoist.

"The Way of Heaven and the Way of Man complement each other. To cultivate the Way of Heaven, one must first cultivate the Way of Man. Of course, Taoists can also appear in the mortal world."

Seeing that Xu Qing had revealed his identity, the young Taoist was not surprised. Instead, he patiently explained to Xu Qing.

"So you're from the Human Sect!"

Xu Qing immediately understood.

The Dao is divided into Heaven and Man. People keep talking about "the Way of Man," but apart from the Human Clan, who else is there?

"In that case, let's begin!"

Xu Qing then said something to the young man in front of him.

The other party nodded and then slowly drew his sword.

In the next instant, an incredibly swift sword thrust towards Xu Qing.

A bright light flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. Although Taoism and Yin-Yang School share the same origin, they have focused on completely different aspects in their subsequent development.

The Yin-Yang School emphasizes "techniques," while the Daoist School emphasizes "tools." Although they also have many mysterious Daoist methods, they value the compatibility of Daoist methods and swordsmanship, and the unity of tools and techniques.

Within Taoism, the sword holds an extraordinary position.

That's why the Miaotai Sword Viewing Ceremony is held every five years.

Seeing the sword thrust at him by the Taoist, Xu Qing remained expressionless. With a casual swing of his wooden sword, he forced the originally incredibly swift sword to change its trajectory.

This scene filled the Daoist with dread.

He flicked his wrist rapidly, and the sword in his hand was propelled forward. In an instant, three streaks of light shot out, evolving into the Three Powers Form. As the three streaks of light approached Xu Qing, they suddenly merged into one, and the surrounding air currents seemed to be drawn in, condensing into a sharp energy that shot straight toward Xu Qing's face.

It wasn't that there were no other people nearby; in fact, Xu Qing's flamboyant behavior attracted many people from the martial arts world.

The young Taoist was just one of many; there were many others who chose to observe rather than act.

Those watching were all taken aback by what they saw. This kind of skill, which integrates Taoist magic into sword moves, was beyond the scope of ordinary martial artists. Many people even subconsciously held their breath and stared intently at the movements of the two people in the arena.

Xu Qing remained calm and composed, his wooden sword moving without any fancy movements. With a slight twist of his wrist, the blade of the wooden sword precisely struck the unified energy.

With a soft "hiss," the seemingly invincible energy dissipated like a bubble, the aftershocks causing dust to rise slightly from the ground.

The young Taoist's pupils constricted sharply, clearly not expecting his signature sword move to be so easily countered.

He dared not be negligent in the slightest. With a light tap of his toes, his figure floated back several feet like a willow catkin. His long sword twirled in several sword flowers, and his sword moves suddenly changed. He no longer pursued sharpness, but instead revealed a sense of cyclical and endless vitality.

The sword's movements were so fluid and graceful, they seemed to resemble the landscape, making their trajectory unpredictable.

"That's interesting."

A hint of approval flashed in Xu Qing's eyes, but it was only a hint.

Faced with these unpredictable sword moves, he remained unmoved and did not dodge or evade. With his wooden sword in hand, he seemed to wield it casually, but he could always accurately block the sword's shadow at the last moment before it reached his vital points.

No matter how the opponent's sword moves change, whether they are as gentle as a stream or as majestic as a mountain, his wooden sword is like a key to breaking the deadlock, always able to easily tear through the shadows of the sword and directly attack the core weakness of the sword moves.

In the blink of an eye, they exchanged several more blows. The young Taoist became increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed. The strength of the man before him had exceeded his comprehension. The man's weapon was clearly just an ordinary wooden sword, yet it seemed to contain the power to shatter all laws.

No wonder they dared to put up such a sign, no wonder they dared to be so arrogant!

Another collision occurred, and the young Taoist could no longer hold onto his longsword. With a clang, the sword slipped from his hand and embedded itself in the ground not far away, its blade still trembling slightly.

He staggered back two steps, his breathing already somewhat disordered. His eyes, as he looked at Xu Qing, were filled with shock and resentment, yet also with a hint of relief.

"I have lost." The young Taoist bowed in defeat, his tone tinged with admiration. "Your swordsmanship is truly superb!"

"You are no less impressive. You must be quite a figure even within the Taoist sect. May I ask your name?" Xu Qing asked the young Taoist.

Since this was the first Taoist he had encountered, he was naturally somewhat special, so Xu Qing didn't mind exchanging a few more words with him.

"Human Sect, Pure Mystery!"

Upon hearing the name, a strange light flashed in Xu Qing's eyes, but he quickly concealed it, nodded slightly, and said nothing more.

After witnessing Qingxuan and Xu Qing's fight, no one stepped forward to challenge Xu Qing for a short period of time.

They were truly amazed by the exquisite sword techniques Qingxuan had previously displayed.

In particular, Qingxuan revealed his background.

Taoist Family Sect!

Taoism has a long history in the Qin state, and its ancestral temple is the "South Mountain" not far from Xianyang. Although the Tianzong sect rarely interferes in worldly affairs, disciples of the Renzong sect can still be seen frequently in Xianyang.

Both the Taoist Heavenly Sect and the Human Sect were incredibly mysterious in the hearts of the people of the Qin Kingdom.

Their disciples are all highly skilled.

Even the Taoist masters lost, so they certainly couldn't go up and humiliate themselves. Therefore, they could only continue to watch Xu Qing be arrogant.

On a pavilion not far away, a figure dressed in a blue and white dress stood quietly; it was the Moon Goddess of the Yin-Yang School.

Her figure was ethereal, and a white cloth covered her eyes. However, the white cloth did not affect her vision. At this moment, she was staring intently at Xu Qing in the open space below, or more accurately, at the two figures behind Xu Qing holding up signs—Shao ​​Siming Hei and Bai!

While in the State of Zhao, she unexpectedly encountered Shao Siming Hei and Bai. She originally intended to bring these two "traitors" back with her, but she was defeated and forced to flee due to Xu Qing's strength.

Unexpectedly, I met the same people from before in Xianyang today.

The other party arrived in Xianyang without any attempt to conceal their presence, swaggering around openly.

"Your Majesty the Eastern Emperor would likely find this matter very interesting!"

Thinking this through, the Moon Goddess ultimately decided against stepping forward to compete with Xu Qing.

In the following hours, several more experts from Xianyang, who were confident in their abilities, arrived after hearing the news. Among them were some well-known figures in the Qin Kingdom's martial arts world.

But the result was still without any suspense. No matter what exquisite martial arts they used or what sharp weapons they used, they could not last more than a few rounds against Xu Qing's wooden sword and were all defeated.

More and more people were defeated, but Xu Qing remained calm and composed, as if he had only done something insignificant.

He looked up at the sky, then at the tightly packed crowd, and finally spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears: "This is all there is to the world of martial arts in Qin."

Upon hearing this, many defeated martial arts practitioners blushed, yet were powerless to refute it.

Xu Qing's strength is undeniable, leaving them no choice but to accept it.

Xu Qing paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and said slowly with a hint of anticipation in his voice, "Before I came to Xianyang, I had heard that there was a top swordsman in Xianyang, known as the Sword Saint, named Gai Nie. During my trial of swordsmanship across the land, I have traveled to various countries, but I have not yet encountered a true opponent. I wonder if Gai Nie dares to come and fight me, so that I can see just how much this so-called Sword Saint is worth?"

Sword Saint Gai Nie?

Upon hearing this title, especially the claim that he was the Saint of Swords, many swordsmen were immediately filled with doubt.

Did their Qin state have such a person?

If he's known as the Sword Saint, why haven't they heard of him?

Well, although Gai Nie came to Qin State early on and became the chief swordsmanship instructor in the Qin Palace, his reputation is more known in the palace than among the common people.

Chapter 267 The Sword Saint's Fame Spreads, Battle on the Long Street!

Not long after Xu Qing finished speaking, the onlookers began to whisper among themselves, most of them looking blank, clearly unfamiliar with the title of Sword Saint.

However, this confusion did not last long. In less than half an hour, rumors about Gai Nie spread like wildfire throughout Xianyang City.

"Have you heard? Xu Qing challenged Gai Nie, who is one of the top swordsmen in our Qin Kingdom!"

"A top-tier swordsman? I've never heard of such a person before."

"Hey, he's no ordinary martial arts practitioner; he's the chief swordsmanship instructor in the Qin Palace, serving the King of Qin year-round! Someone who can teach the King of Qin swordsmanship must be incredibly skilled, right?"

"So that's how it is! No wonder he wasn't well-known; he was actually a master hidden deep within the palace!"

These widely circulated rumors were secretly fueled by the Luo Wang organization.

When Zhao Gao received the news that Xu Qing was challenging Gai Nie, a sly glint flashed in his eyes.

He had intended to further enhance Xu Qing's reputation, but now that Xu Qing had turned his attention to Gai Nie, it saved him a lot of trouble.

As a close advisor to the King of Qin, Gai Nie is the most prominent swordsman in the Qin Palace. If Xu Qing were to fight Gai Nie, regardless of the outcome, it would push this "testing the swords of the world" controversy to its peak.

Of course, to be fair, he actually hoped that Gai Nie would lose.

This is because, strictly speaking, Gai Nie is his rival.

He was the Chief of the Imperial Carriage Office, responsible for driving the chariot for the King of Qin.

As the chief swordsmanship instructor in the palace, Gai Nie was the King of Qin's personal bodyguard. Both of them were close advisors to the King of Qin, and in terms of closeness, Gai Nie was more valued by the King of Qin.

He only allied himself with the King of Qin after the Lao Ai Rebellion.

Gai Nie, however, was different. He had been by the side of the King of Qin even before the King of Qin had come of age.

It's also because Gai Nie didn't have much of a desire for power. If one day he suddenly changed his mind and started pursuing power, it wouldn't be a good thing for Zhao Gao.

The King of Qin might very well hand over the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) to Gai Nie for management.

According to the inside information Zhao Gao had learned, when the King of Qin first regained control of the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven), his first thought was to hand it over to Gai Nie. However, Gai Nie was not interested, so the Luo Wang eventually fell into Zhao Gao's hands.