Chapter 301: Son of a Bitch! Let's Try Again!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The spirit in the stone wall kept cursing him, but Xu Que ignored him and walked swiftly on. At the same time, his mind was preoccupied with the Way of the Sword.
He was basically ignorant on the subject, but one skill he did have was bullshitting. He could probably hoodwink the Sword Spirit without much difficulty.
Even if he failed… well, he could always just run away again. Nothing difficult about that.
It was wisest to have an escape route prepared at all times, in case he needed to dash immediately after acting tough!
Unfortunately, the moment he entered the lava cave, he met the group of swordsmen who were about to flee from the Sword Catacomb. The moment both sides noticed each other, everyone stopped running at once.
"Fu… Fujiwara, why are you back here?"
"Look! It's Fujiwara! He's back!"
"Didn't he run away? What's he doing coming back?"
The swordsmen were all shocked at the sight of Xu Que returning to Sword Catacomb.
They just couldn't understand why he'd be back.
Could it be that he was just pretending to run away?
Xu Que smiled and calmly said, "Yes, I've come back. I've said it before–when in the face of danger, one must be brave and try to overcome it. One mustn't be bowed by the problems one encounters! I, Takumi Fujiwara, am the god of cars in Akihabara, how could I let a little danger scare me away? I was also afraid that you might be in danger, so I've come back to rescue you."
"Huh?"
The crowd was too confused to respond.
He was worried that we might be in danger, so he came back to save us?
Wait, wait… that's not right!
This Fujiwara isn't that kind, honest and innocent young man that the Sword Spirit once praised!
We'll be fools if we believed him! No wonder his words sound really fake!
If they hadn't seen the cold and cruel side of Xu Que, the group would have still believed Xu Que's words. They might have even been moved to tears by them.
But now that they had seen Xu Que's true shameless self, the group just couldn't believe that he had come back to save anyone!
Boom!
Suddenly, there was a loud explosion in the lava cave's passageway and the ground rumbled once again.
Obviously, the Sword Spirit had detected the remnant of his soul on Xu Que and had come back to find him again.
The group of cultivators turned pale.
"This sounds bad, let's get out of here!"
"Wait!" shouted Xue Que, waving his hand at the cultivators.
"Don't be afraid. You don't have to leave. I can handle this!"
The group was stunned.
He could handle it? Could they trust him? The black fog looked immensely powerful, could this idiot actually even stand against it once it arrived, let alone handle it?
Xu Que stayed calm and placed his hands behind his back as he stood his ground. His clothes fluttered in the gentle breeze and he was full of confidence!
Whoosh!
At that moment, the Sword Spirit turned into a black fog with the outline of a ferocious beast. It rushed out of the passageway and appeared before everyone's eyes.
It had a thick, murderous aura and an imposing manner, and the black fog charged directly at Xu Que.
Xu Que glared at it and shouted, "Dao can be spoken, but it may not be the eternal Dao! Sword Spirit, do you know what the Way of the Sword is?"
Xu Que's voice was full of strength and power, it was as domineering as booming thunder. Everyone was shocked.
Even Xu Que was quite proud of himself. Ha! He had given himself 99 points out of a hundred, with that one point symbolizing room for improvement.
He was sure that by reciting words from the Book of Taoism, he would surely impress the Sword Spirit. Now, surely, it must be rushing to Xu Que to ask for his guidance and make him read out more passages, right?
In Xu Que's view, the most compelling and impressive words were certainly those that were hard to pronounce and indecipherable. There always seemed to be great universal truths hiding in simple lines of the book. In fact, those suave protagonists from the novels he'd read had always used those lines to appear wise and imposing…
Roarrrr!
The Sword Spirit didn't even pause, it rushed on like mad and headed towards Xu Que at top speed.
"What the fuck? It didn't work? Those novels have been filled with fucking lies! My friends, I must excuse myself now. Please don't forget to have courage!"
So Xu Que's big plan hadn't worked. His eyes opened wide in shock for a moment and soon enough, he bolted.
If you failed to act tough, then you had to run immediately. Otherwise… you would be dead!
Xu Que then used the teleportation spell and focused on making his escape!
After a while, he managed to escape again!
Boommm!
The Sword Spirit burst out of the ground, leaving a giant pit in his trail.
Everyone was so frightened that their faces had turned deathly pale. They were all frozen to the spot, so scared that they couldn't even move!
Fuck you, Fujiwara!
Didn't you say that you knew how to handle the dark fog?
Now you're running away again! What was going to happen to us now?
...…
At the same time, Xu Que reappeared outside of Sword Catacomb.
This time he was furious. Who would've imagined that his big plan wouldn't work?
Fine, then, Sword Spirit! At the end of the day, you're just a kind of soul, anyway! This time I'll go back and attack you with my ultimate move!
After serious contemplation about how to counterattack the Sword Spirit, Xu Que once again made up his mind… to complete this tough acting!
He activated the Three Thousand Volts Lightning and headed back towards Sword Catacomb once again.
The people outside the Sword Catacomb saw him and rushed towards him. They all fixed their eyes upon him.
Xu Que stayed calm and expressionless.
"Eh? Why are there so many people here? Has anyone seen my two brothers Takumi Fujiwara and Naruto Fujiwara enter the Sword Catacomb? I'm Pooper Fujiwara…"
The crowd outside the Sword Catacomb was speechless for a while. They were seeing Xu Que outside the Sword Catacomb again, and he had even made up such a ridiculous name for himself. They couldn't believe how shameless he was.
Pooper Fujiwara? Pooper your ass! What idiot would give their child a name like that?
At that moment, no one bothered to say a word anymore, they just resorted to using force instead!
"The bastard's out here again, there must be another way to exit the Sword Catacomb!"
"Quick! Grab him! We must interrogate him!"
"Charge!"
Then the whole crowd all rushed towards Xu Que.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey… you barbarians! You fucking savage animals! Don't blame me if I, Pooper Fujiwara, use my powers on you!"
Xu Que then shook his head and didn't look at anyone at all. He just unleashed a lightning bolt out of his hand and compressed it into a ball of lightning.
"I'll fry you all with this lightning ball!" he yelled.
The giant lightning ball flashed into the crowd, then instantly hurtled towards the entrance of the Sword Catacomb, taking Xu Que with it. He surpassed the restrictive law as he had an ancient sword with him.
This time he was a man on a mission and he didn't want to waste any time. When he passed the stone wall, he didn't wait for the spirit to open its mouth, he just slashed his sword at the tongue.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow… fuck you, you little piece of scum! I'll curse you! Ow! That really hurt!" shouted the spirit.
But Xu Que was already gone.
He went back to the lava cave. Those cultivators were still inside, not daring to move.
Boommmm!
The Sword Spirit once again sensed Xu Que, and in an instant, he went mad again and the dark fog rushed towards him.
"Son of a bitch! Let's try again! This time you'll fall for my trick!" Xu Que shouted.
Then he smiled and pulled out a zither from his storage in the system and placed it on his legs. His ten fingers gleamed brightly with his true strength, and they then went on to dance on the strings of the instrument!
Chapter 302: Let's Have A Spar
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Zing! Zing!
Loud sounds of a zither suddenly reverberated through the Sword Catacomb, breaking the silence of the quiet tunnels!
The group of elite cultivators heard the sounds and turned towards Xu Que, their eyes glazed over.
Brother Fujiwara… why did he come back? And was he just playing the zither as well?
"Way of Humanity!"
Xu Que shouted the three words all of a sudden.
The captivating sounds of the zither, together with his voice, shook the hearts of the crowd, entrancing them.
Even the Sword Spirit, who was charging towards Xu Que, was affected by the music. A slight tremor shook its body.
Xu Que saw the reaction of the Sword Spirit and became motivated. His fingers were now playing the zither more swiftly, followed by him half-speaking and half-singing the lyrics…
"Dao, Dao, Dao, Dao, Dao, Dao… Dao, Dao, Dao, Dao, Dao, Dao, Dao, Dao, Dao ..."
Although it was a simple word, 'Dao', Xu Que managed to sing each and every one of them with a powerful rhythm that echoed throughout the catacombs.
What is Dao?
Under the influence of the Xu Que's music, all of the cultivators were thinking of that same question that had popped up in all their minds subconsciously!
The black fog had stopped charging towards Xu Que and had transformed into its human form. A hint of confusion flashed through his icy cold stare towards Xu Que.
Xu Que directed Qi into his dantian and continued to sing.
"Dao can be spoken, but it may not be the eternal Dao one seeks.
Way of Heaven, Way of Earth, Way of Human, Way of Sword.
Black Dao, White Dao, Yellow Dao, Red Dao, Unorthodox and Orthodox Dao,
Whether Dao or no Dao, everyone say that's an extraordinary Dao ..."
The heroic and fast reciting of the lyrics was half-sung and half-spoken, like a Daoist reciting the Sanskrit. Everyone was greatly affected.
There's actually so many types of Dao—Dao is everything!
Just as the crowd thought they had come to a realisation about it, Xu Que continued singing again!
"Bah, bah, bah, bah, nonsense.
Being a sage has its Dao, being a robber has its own Dao as well,
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha …"
Xu Que's loud reciting of the lyrics followed by his laughter instantly resonated in the hearts of everyone. They felt as if their brains had been struck by lightning and they felt goose bumps all over their bodies!
Everyone was moved by the song. They had never heard of it before.
A song could even be performed in a half-singing and half-spoken manner. Not only that, but every word in the lyrics contained deep meanings about Dao that could cause one to think deeply about it!
The song that Xu Que had just sung was the creation of the famous master, Huang Zhan, back on Earth. That song was 'Dao', which was a song on the renowned soundtrack of the movie A Chinese Ghost Story.
Everyone was full of admiration for Xu Que, who was a four-star musician!
The Sword Spirit was considered a soul. Therefore, music had a greater impact to him. As the song contained such profound lyrics that could give rise to numerous meanings, he fell into a state of deep thinking and forgot that he had originally wanted to kill Xu Que earlier.
"Hey, I want to seek my own Dao… I want to seek my own Dao…"
As Xu Que sang the last of the lyrics, the melodic sounds of the zither stopped as well.
The whole area fell silent once again.
All of the elite cultivators seemed to be deep in thought as well, as if the song was still playing in their minds.
The Sword Spirit was however, awakened from his deep thoughts much faster than any other cultivator. However, he stopped in his pursuit of Xu Que, but looked at him coldly and stayed where he was.
Xu Que eyeballed the Sword Spirit and was secretly delighted. His expression remained solemn and he started to spout nonsense. "What is Dao? Actually everything is Dao. As long as I have a sword in my heart, everything can be the sword! If there is no sword in my heart, there will be no sword even if I am holding one…"
He used all the phrases that would induce the effect in his listeners of their admiration for him increasing despite the fact that they would have no idea what he had just said. He had read about this in novels and heard about it in dramas.
The more the Sword Spirit listened, the greater his bewilderment was.
With that, Xu Que blurted out more of those phrases.
At the end, with a wave of his sword, he carved two lines of writing on the stone wall.
"The Way, The Sword, are unable to change all,
but the Way of the Sword can change all!"
The Sword Spirit's eyes flashed. It was trying to comprehend the sentence.
When the elite cultivators saw the sentence, they were astounded as well.
A cultivator could not suppress his curiosity. He pointed at the lines and asked, "brother Fujiwara, what is the meaning of this sentence? Does the word 'of' change everything?"
"Wrong!" Xu Que answered in a nonchalant manner. "But young man, you're good. You actually know about grammar…"
"Why am I wrong?" asked the cultivator. "The difference between the first and the second half is just the word 'of' being added. Isn't it just that which changed everything?"
All the cultivators looked at Xu Que with puzzled faces and hoped he could answer them.
Even the Sword Spirit looked towards Xu Que. It seemed very eager to hear the answer as well.
Xu Que smiled mysteriously and shook his head. "All of you are only looking at this from the surface. If you look carefully, you'll realise that the difference is not just the addition of the word 'of'!"
"Then what is it?" The elite cultivators inquired.
Xu Que gave a smile and said nothing more.
The group of cultivators grew anxious as Xu Que left their questions unanswered.
The Sword Spirit squinted his eyes, then moved to make a slash on the stone wall!
Swish!
A flash of light passed by and a sentence appeared on the stone wall—'What is it exactly?'
Xu Que gave a laugh. "If I tell you, will you be willing to follow me? Of course, I will return that wisp of soul to you as well. Thereafter, you'll learn Dao from me, how's that?"
The Sword Spirit made no movement.
The crowd could not make sense from the exchange and was puzzled. Their eyelids were twitching as well.
What is this black fog? It's so incredibly powerful!
Is brother Fujiwara crazy again? He dared to make such a request to the black fog man.
Brother Fujiwara, that entity should be your Master, yet you actually want him to follow you and learn Dao?
Swish!
The Sword Spirit made a movement again. His arm waved towards the stone wall and another sentence appeared—'Beat this Sword Spirit with sword techniques!'
"Beat you with sword techniques? Are you kidding me?" said Xu Que, frowning. "My level of cultivation is so much lower than yours. If I could beat you, do you think I would still need to talk so much?"
The group of cultivators were dumbfounded:
The Sword Spirit?
This black fog man, is actually a Sword Spirit?
But, the white light earlier, what was it then?
Can it be that there are actually two Sword Spirits?
Everyone was baffled and stupefied.
Swish!
Then, another flash of light zoomed past, the Sword Spirit left another sentence on the stone wall –'We'll have a spar strictly judged on moves!'
Xu Que was elated when he saw that.
That meant they would spar using swordplay without using their Core Strength, just like the time Xu Que had been in the Imperial Palace of the Fire Nation, where they had had to seal their core energy before competing with each other.
Haha, in this situation, I have the Lone Nine Swords, who am I afraid of? he thought.
"Alright, come, I'll compete with you!" Xu Que laughed cheerfully. "If I win, you need to follow me."
The Sword Spirit nodded slightly without any expression.
Swish!
Without delay, the black fog on the Sword Spirit materialised into a sharp sword brandished in his hands, pointing towards the ground. All this was done in sophistication!
Xu Que twitched his mouth, and pulled out a six-star sword from his system storage!
Facing such a strong opponent, he had to choose a good sword.
"Eh?"
When Xu Que took out this sword, the elite cultivators were startled.
Isn't this the same damn six-star sword that Lin Guan from Spirit Treasures Pavilion was holding earlier?
Wasn't this presented to Lord Sword Spirit?
Why the hell is it in your hands?
"Could it be that Senior Fujiwara has already met Lord Sword Spirit?"
"It must be, and Lord Sword Spirit must have given that sword to him."
Everyone immediately decided on their conclusion.
The real Sword Spirit heard that and seemed perplexed, he could not understand what the group of cultivators meant.
But nonetheless, he was not bothered with that. The sword in its hand slowly lifted and pointed at Xu Que.
This meant that he was ready to spar!
Chapter 303: Hoodwinking Techniques
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Come, although I've reached the stage where I can use anything as my sword. However, the highest attainment of sword cultivation is the stage where the one who has no sword can still defeat the one with a sword. But, in order to show my utmost respect for you, I have decided to use a sword, although reluctantly!" Xu Que wore an inscrutable expression.
The crowd twitched their mouths uncontrollably.
Brother, your guts must be big and fat for you to say that! You dare to boast in front of the Sword Spirit!
Are you asking to die by sparring with the Sword Spirit?
Even if both of you don't use your True Core Strength and fight each other purely with swordplay, you can't be a match against the Sword Spirit.
This is because the one who understands the most about the sword is not any member of the human race, but the Sword Spirit!
The Sword Spirit was born in the sword and will die in the sword. The Sword is his world!
How can you win against an entity like this?
The Sword Spirit has the greatest advantage for any competition on sword will and swordsmanship!
...
Nobody expected Xu Que to win against the Sword Spirit!
Everyone looked at Xu Que as if he was dead, all of them sighing with regret.
Xu Que, however, was indifferent.
From his point of view, humans could and should be the master of their own swords, and not the other way round. One should look at a problem objectively rather than subjectively. Only then could one be the strongest.
In addition, the Broken Sword Technique of the Lone Nine Swords could counter and nullify any swordplay it encountered.
This set of swordplay focused on the philosophy 'no strokes will beat the other with strokes'.
"You first!" said Xu Que proudly, lifting his sword slowly as he looked at the Sword Spirit.
It was not that he didn't want to strike first, but was because the Lone Nine Swords focused on counterattacks. Therefore, he had to let the other party strike first before countering the attack.
And when he did that, system notifications rang in his mind that he had gained Acting Tough Points.
Of course, sometimes, one needed to pay a price for acting tough.
Swish!
The Sword Spirit didn't waste any more time and started sparring. A sword was formed with the black fog. It looked real, and piercingly sharp. Cold light gleamed on its shiny surface.
Xu Que was taken aback as the sword stroke was too fast!
It was lucky that he had mastered the Lone Nine Swords and he instinctively reacted against the attack by being faster in order to nullify or counter the attack!
Any swordplay in the world would have its shortcomings. Once a set of moves was executed, it was destined not to be perfect.
The moves of the Lone Nine Swords focused on using the shortcomings of the other's swordplay as the basis for the counterattack, and the idea that attacking was defending at the same time. This thinking was deeply etched in Xu Que's mind.
The moment Xu Que reacted to counter, the Sword Spirit's expression turned grim as he executed another set of moves.
Clang!
Sounds of metal hitting each other were heard. A series of sparks flew between the swords.
After the Sword Spirit changed a set of moves, Xu Que still continued to pick up on his flaws and attacked in a frenzy, for he had the upper hand.
As long as the Sword Spirit had moves, Xu Que could maintain his advantage, as long as the cycle continued.
However, the Sword Spirit's understanding of the sword obviously surpassed that of many humans!
When the Sword Spirit realised this fact, he started to slow down on his moves and began to imitate the moves of Xu Que's Lone Nine Swords, learning his technique move by move.
Everyone felt a quiver of shock in their heart. It was the same for Xu Que as well. The Sword Spirit's talent was too terrifying!
The Lone Nine Swords was the strongest type of swordplay—it had the best moves and could emanate the most sword will. Ordinary people would have trouble learning it even if they spent their entire lives trying to understand it. But alas! The Sword Spirit could actually start to emulate him just by watching him execute several sets of moves.
This feels dreadful!
Too horrendous!
The Sword Spirit truly lives up to his name!
His talent is so good that it spells trouble!
But so what if his talent is good?
Xu Que had already started acting tough earlier, and he had to continue his act.
"Not bad, I learned this swordplay 100 years ago and have never taught anyone else. I didn't think that you could learn it in such a short time. You're very good with the sword indeed."
Xu Que glanced at the Sword Spirit with an expression of appreciation.
Everyone felt shameful for Xu Que, stunned speechless.
Brother, can you even boast more outrageously than that?
You weren't even born 100 years ago, alright?
Hats off to you for having the guts to boast in the face of the Sword Spirit, you're basically acting tough with your life on the line!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Crisp sounds of swords colliding with each other could be heard in the lava cave. Sparks from the swords could be seen from time to time.
As time passed, the Sword Spirit gradually started to master the Broken Sword Technique. The two of them started to fight faster and their bodies gradually became a blur to the naked eye!
The cultivators were astounded by the fight. They never knew that sparring with only swordplay and without True Core Strength could ever be so powerful!
It was most fortunate or Xu Que that True Core Strength could not be used. With the Sword Spirit's understanding of sword will and swordplay and its unfathomable True Core Strength, Xu Que would have been taken down within a second.
But even so, with the Sword Spirit learning and comprehend Xu Que's Lone Nine Swords by imitating his moves steadily, Xu Que slowly started to lose his advantage. His calm and composed manner began to dissipate as well.
Fuck! The Sword Spirit is so fucking sinister, thought Xu Que. He can clearly speed up to gain the upper hand, yet he intentionally dragged this on so he could continue learning my Lone Nine Swords … Bastard! I'm supposed to be sparring with you! Who gave you the permission to learn my moves? And you fucking didn't pay me for the teaching fees…
Xu Que was flustered.
If he couldn't beat the Sword Spirit now, he expected to lose very soon. The Sword Spirit really had a scary talent, so he would have to change tactics.
"System, I want to exchange for Godly Six Swordstrokes. Will it be against the rules if I use sword Qi to fight him?" Xu Que asked the System.
Ding! "This System does not advise the host to do so!" System responded directly.
Apparently, that meant that even if Xu Que used the sword Qi, he still would not be able to defeat the Sword Spirit.
Xu Que was anxious now. As he fed the Sword Spirit the moves, he continued to consult the System. "Tell me, is there any swordplay that can beat him? Or what is the probability of me winning this?"
Ding! "After calculation, if the host use swordplay to fight, the probability of winning is zero!"
"What?"
Xu Que was instantly dumbstruck when he heard System's reply.
Originally, he had thought that it would be fifty-fifty. But, in the end, the probability had actually been zero!
This scheming System doesn't even want to give some hope?
Since I can't win, why didn't you remind me earlier? I've wasted so much time acting tough on this sparring.
But on second thought, he knew what was going on.
The Lone Nine Swords were already top-notch swordplay. And in the fight with the Sword Spirit, he was barely hanging on—but currently he still had the upper hand.
Nonetheless, this upper hand would only be temporary, as the Sword Spirit was constantly learning all the moves of the Lone Nine Swords and would soon move from imitation to total mastery of the swordplay.
Presumably it would not be long before the Sword Spirit could completely master the Broken Sword Technique of the Lone Nine Swords. And then, no matter what type of swordplay that Xu Que used, it would be countered by the Sword Spirit.
He felt he had dug a hole for himself!
Not only was he not able to win the Sword Spirit, but the Sword Spirit had actually gained the skills of the most powerful type of swordplay from him.
This is so not worth it!
Really not worth it!
Need to find a way out of this!
Damn it, this is called failing to act tough and getting fucked instead! Xu Que was swearing in his mind.
Suddenly, an idea popped out in his head as if he thought of something. "Seems like I need to use my Hoodwinking Techniques!"
Chapter 304: Watch Out For My Ultimate Move!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Swoosh!
The two swords fell from mid-air, followed by a sudden retreat from Xu Que.
The Sword Spirit paused for a moment and seemed puzzled. He had been enjoying the fight but suddenly it seemed that this human didn't want to continue any longer!
Could it be that he has conceded defeat? he thought.
The crowd was baffled as well. They even thought that perhaps Fujiwara was thinking of running away again!
Brother Fujiwara, why are you so troublesome?
The sparring was so intriguing! We haven't gotten enough of it!
Why did you stop all of a sudden?
You're not really going to run away, are you?
Don't do the same thing more than three times! You've already run away twice!
Everyone's line of sight was fixed religiously on Xu Que.
Fortunately, Xu Que didn't let everyone down this time—he didn't run away.
"Sword Spirit, fighting on like this is a waste of time," Xu Que smiled coolly. "This Sword God has decided to go out of the way and execute my ultimate move. But this move is so powerful that I'm worried that if I use it, you might get killed!"
At the same time, he called out the System Store and exchanged for a swordplay without any hesitation!
The crowd heard his bragging once again and nearly blacked out.
Ultimate move?
Brother, even if you have your ultimate move, it will just be a physical sword technique as you can't use your True Core Strength. How would you be able to kill even a cultivator?
Furthermore, the Sword Spirit is such a formidable presence. Even if he stayed still for you to attack, you wouldn't be able to kill him anyway!
There are so many things to brag about, yet you choose to brag about this? This is too awful!
Didn't you just tell Ye Chang Feng to quickly execute his ultimate move? Now what are you waiting for?
You are wasting time as well by bragging so much. Do you know that the time you just spent boasting, the Sword Spirit could have stabbed you seven or eight times already?
The crowd had already developed immunity towards Xu Que's shamelessness.
The most powerful aspect of Xu Que was not his sword, but his mouth.
His mouth was invincible!
...
The Sword Spirit was very cautious; although he was convinced that this human teenager would not be able to kill him, he was very interested in the swordplay that Xu Que had used just now.
The one who had created the swordplay set had to have been extremely devoted to swordplay. That person must have possessed a deep and profound understanding of the sword.
Hence, when Xu Que said he wanted to use another swordplay set that had even greater power, the Sword Spirit was actually more excited than cautious.
For the first time in many years, he felt excitement and anticipation. His icy cold eyes became brighter.
The Sword Spirit was known as the Sword Spirit for a reason.
Because he had an obsession with the sword!
To feel the Way of the Sword!
To comprehend the Way of the Sword!
...
When a totally new understanding of the Way of the Sword was presented to the Sword Spirit, everything else would become secondary.
Therefore, when Xu Que said he wanted to execute an ultimate move, the Sword Spirit was excited by this. He began to accumulate energy to prepare to take on the ultimate move that Xu Que had spoken of.
Swoosh!
He lifted the sword again and pointed it at Xu Que.
The meaning of that was obvious—he was asking Xu Que to continue.
By then, Xu Que had just finished exchanging the new swordplay from the System Store. He looked calm and wore a confident smile.
It was not that Xu Que was really confident about this, but rather, because this swordplay required a lot of self-confidence to execute.
He lifted his sword slowly and started to exude a sharp and out-of-the-world aura!
"This swordplay… has not been used in several hundred years. Sigh, I didn't expect you to force me to use a swordplay set that makes the heavens shake and deities cry. Oh well, I'll grant your wish!"
Xu Que looked grim and solemn.
That made everyone feel intimidated as well.
Although they did not believe what Xu Que had said about the swordplay not being used for several hundred years, the aura he had with him now gave them second thoughts. Maybe what he had said was true.
"Celestial!"
Suddenly, Xu Que shouted out the first word. His sharp sword cut through the air!
"Beings!" He waved his sword even faster!
"From!" The image of his sword had become blurry.
"Heaven!"
As the last word was uttered, Xu Que made a sudden leap. His sword seemed to have disappeared and transformed into lightning beams, all shooting towards the Sword Spirit.
The whole crowd was in uproar as well.
"'Celestial Beings From Heaven'? There are actually people who dare to use the word 'Celestial' to name a swordplay set?"
"This is only a type of swordplay, how can it be fitting to use the word 'Celestial'?"
"No, quick, look, brother Fujiwara has not used any core energy but this single stroke of swordplay is so fast! If an ordinary human were to execute this, he might be able to kill a Qi Refining Stage cultivator!"
"Tsk, now that you have said so, this swordplay is really fearsome!"
When the group of cultivators realised this fact, they gulped in several mouthfuls of cold air!
A pure physical skill that could reach such a godly state was certainly rare… no one should have been able to do this!
If one had such talent, they would have been a cultivator focusing on sword art and not physical swordplay. Yet, their brother Fujiwara had been able to execute powerful physical swordplay to this extent.
Perhaps he was the only one in the whole world!
Swish!
At this moment, the Sword Spirit looked on with a hint of surprise and amazement.
Obviously, he hadn't expected a physical swordplay set to have such results. This was the first time he had ever seen such skill in swordplay!
What kind of person was this teenager? That he could be so crazed about swordplay, that he could have dedicated so much effort to it?
What was his reason? Was it true that he also possessed an extraordinary obsession for the sword?
The Sword Spirit had numerous doubts as he raised his sharp sword and used the Lone Nine Swords to try and nullify Xu Que's Celestial Beings From Heaven!
Everyone held their breaths!
And focused!
Everyone at the scene was watching with their full attention.
Xu Que had an imposing aura that was turned up to the maximum, and it seemed that his sword and body were almost fusing together to become one.
Such aura!
Such a Way of the Sword!
It was totally shocking! Totally unseen and unheard of…
Would the Sword Spirit be able to nullify the attack?
Everyone was looking forward to the showdown.
But suddenly…
Clang!
A crisp sound was heard. Xu Que had only executed half of his swordplay when his sword fell abruptly onto the ground!
Silence suddenly covered the area!
The Sword Spirit was dazed!
The elite cultivators were dumbfounded as well!
This... what the hell is this? Your hand slipped?
Impossible right? You're able to execute such great swordplay, but how can you not even hold a sword properly?
This situation is somewhat strange!
But the truth was, Xu Que's hand had really slipped.
Originally, he had wanted to use this swordplay to fool the Sword Spirit so that he would not focus on Lone Nine Swords, but instead, imitate Celestial Beings From Heaven.
And if the Sword Spirit executed Celestial Being From Heaven, he would change back to using the Broken Sword Technique, followed by the Killer Sword in order to stack power. That would totally take the Sword Spirit unawares!
That was really a good idea. However, Xu Que had never thought that his hand would actually slip!
This was really… too embarrassing!
Chapter 305: Accepting the Sword Spirit as a Sworn Brother!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The sword had slipped out of his hand!
This kind of setback would embarrass any average person enough to make them want to burrow a hole in the ground and hide in there for years.
But Xu Que was no average person! He was the most shameless and thick-skinned man in the universe, so shameless that the second most shameless person would still be miles and miles behind him!
After his sword fell, he maintained his indifferent look, and slowly lowered himself to the ground while keeping his cool with his hand behind his back. That special air of arrogance never left him.
Under everyone's gaze, he looked at the Sword Spirit and asked, "do you know why I did this?"
The Sword Spirit stayed calm and didn't move. He just stared at Xu Que.
But everyone there was already worried!
Dude, please don't say you did it on purpose! Everyone saw how it slipped pathetically out of your hands!
If you use that sorry excuse, then your skin may just be thicker than the crust of the earth!
"I did it on purpose!"
Sure enough, Xu Que gave that answer with the most nonchalant expression on his face.
The crowd almost choked at his shameless act. They could barely stop themselves from coughing up blood!
What a dirty, shameless liar!
They'd just never met anyone who could lie through their teeth so calmly!
...…
The next moment, Xu Que's face assumed an expression of deep focus, and he placed his hands behind his back to give himself an air of dignity and wisdom.
"The Way of the Sword," he began in a deep, solemn voice, "on the first level, requires the sword and the man to become one. The sword becomes the man, and the man becomes the sword. Once that happens, a blade of grass could become the sharpest sword!"
The crowd was stunned.
Xu Que continued.
"On the second level, it requires the sword to be absent in the hand, for the sword must be in the heart. Even with an empty hand, one can still kill enemies with one's intention." He nodded sagely. "And the highest level of the way of the sword, requires the sword to be absent from the hand, and absent from the heart, to have an empty heart and soul, free from any killing intent, free from violence, but full of peace! So… the sword slipped out of my hand just now because I had accidentally entered into the highest level of the way of the sword—with no sword in the hand and no sword in the heart!"
...…
The whole crowd was astounded.
Some of them were fooled by Xu Que's bullshit and even seemed moved by his words.
Some of them found them incomprehensible and looked confused. Maybe it was too profound for them to understand!
However, most people were hot with anger, yet at the same time they were impressed by his shamelessness.
Who was he kidding?
His sword had slipped out of his hand because he had accidentally entered the highest level of the way of the sword?
Then wouldn't all cultivators who had just started practicing with their swords have 'entered the highest level' as well?
Fujiwara was probably the only person in the world able to turn the embarrassing mistake of losing his grip on his sword into something that sounded so profound.
Impressive, really impressive!
...…
However, the Sword Spirit felt differently.
Xu Que's words might just be a jumble of nonsense, but they did in fact contain the essence of the Way of the Sword!
Xu Que might not have understood it himself, but to the Sword Spirit, what he had said was full of profound truth and poetic wisdom!
A swordsman's life pursuit was indeed the kind of process that Xu Que had described. From 'being one with the sword' to 'sword absent from the hand and from the heart'—these were all enlightening truths!
In fact, the Sword Spirit himself was entering the level of the absent sword.
But for many years, he hadn't been able to reach that higher level. After thousands of years of slumber, his level had decreased and now he was further away than ever from the highest level.
As a result, Xu Que's phrase 'no sword in the hands and no sword in the heart' had been a great inspiration to him. Now, suddenly, there was hope!
It was as if Xu Que had opened the last door that would take him to the highest level of swordsmanship!
This shocked the Sword Spirit, but it also made him immensely happy!
He looked at Xu Que thoughtfully.
He never thought that such a young human being would have such profound insights into swordsmanship. He might be a bit weak, but he was definitely a great genius that he should consider guidance from.
He reminded the Sword Spirit of the Immortal Emperor back in those years… perhaps, one day, this young man would also rise and become an Immortal Emperor as well!
...…
It was quiet in the lava cave, and the atmosphere had become tense. No one said a word after Xu Que.
The swordsmen were frightened of the Sword Spirit, so they didn't dare to make a sound.
The Sword Spirit was deep in thought, silent.
Needless to say, Xu Que had succeeded in this episode of acting tough.
He obviously knew nothing about the Way of the Sword, but he had remembered those random words about swordsmanship, so he had just spoken them with his usual acting tough air of nonchalance. He coupled that with his Oscar-worthy acting skills, and voila! Even the Sword Spirit was stunned!
The sound of notifications ringing filled Xu Que's head. He saw his Acting Tough Points were rising and it pleased him very much.
Whoosh!
The Sword Spirit suddenly moved. He struck the sword on the stone wall and carved out these words: You win this round. If you answer the previous question, I will follow you!"
Gasp!
Everyone was shocked to see this.
So this Sword Spirit was going to accept Fujiwara too?
Then what about the other Sword Spirit?
Would he still accept Fujiwara as his disciple?
Would they fight over him?
Holy shit, things might get complicated!
These swordsmen had been so well deceived by Xu Que that they still thought there were more than one Sword Spirit.
Xu Que was now very happy. These words by the Sword Spirit showed that not only had he successfully acted tough, he had also successfully tricked these people!
What was most important when you wanted to act tough? That's right, apart from being strong and powerful, one must also be very good at tricking people!
Now that he had a sworn brother who had served the Immortal Emperor before, his reputation would surely shoot up now!
Xu Que suppressed the joy in his heart and pretended to be calm and indifferent.
"Haven't you realized what the answer to the previous question was?" he asked.
Everyone looked at the question again—The Way, The Sword are unable change all, but the Way of the Sword can change all!"
No matter how they looked at it, they still thought it was just the addition of the word 'of' in the middle of the sentence that had changed the meaning.
Someone said, "The meaning of this sentence is that the way can't change all, the sword alone can't change all either. But the Way of the Sword can change everything. Meaning that 'of' can change the meaning of a sentence."
"Wrong," said Xu Que haughtily. "You're looking at it in a superficial manner."
Everyone got really curious again.
The Sword Spirit looked at Xu Que and waited for his answer.
"Acutally… you're all so close to the answer. But the closer you are to the truth, the more easily you get distracted. I do appreciate your tireless efforts to pursue the truth. But you know… you must learn to be like me… you must see from the subtlest details the profound truth that no one else can see. The real answer you've been looking for is actually very simple, and it's right before your eyes, yet you just can't see it yet…"
These few words from Xu Que had really tricked the whole crowd!
Some swordsman seemed to have stumbled upon an answer, yet they still doubted themselves.
At that moment, they all thought that if only they could know this answer, then it would dispel their confusion and help them break through the barrier and reach the higher level!
Suddenly, several swordsmen knelt before Xu Que and pleaded, please guide us, Fujiwara! Help us break through the barrier!"
Xu Que smiled and pointed to the stone wall.
"Look, the capitalization of the letters is also different!"
Chapter 306: Awesome!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
What?
The capitalisation of the letters?
The crowd turned to look once again. They paused for a moment, looked carefully again and nearly fainted.
Brother, you are too good at fooling people!
The change in capitalisation is essentially meaningless, isn't it?
The Sword Spirit was clueless as well. He looked towards Xu Que, as if he wanted an explanation as well!
Xu Que behaved like a wise and mysterious man. He waved his hand and replied indifferently, "if Life is like the first sight, regardless of human or object, the first impression is very important. One needs to have a meticulous eye. It's the same for the Way of Sword. If you are able to thoroughly understand something in one glance; that is invincible!"
...
Everyone was dumbfounded:
It can actually be explained in this way?
This sure sounded like nonsense but yet it seemed to make a lot of sense as well!
Brother Fujiwara, you sure are difficult to understand!
Sometimes what he said could sound like a load of bullshit, but at the same time those words could invoke deeper thoughts that could bring new understanding.
"Brother Fujiwara, will you be able to tell us what is the first thing that comes to mind when you attack?" One of the elite cultivators humbly consulted Xu Que.
"It's acting tough!"
"Ah?"
"Sorry, no, actually when I attack, the first thing that came to mind is a world, a vast world. Because… there is a world in a wild flower, and a bodhi in a leaf. When all of you reach my level of attainment and able to see a world in every little thing, you have become a creator. You are God, you are electricity, you are light, you are the only myth!"
Silence filled the area again.
Everyone opened their mouths wide and looked bowled over!
A world in a wild flower, and a bodhi in a leaf!
This sentence … is totally profound, so esoteric. It encompasses such powerful teachings of Zen!
Awesome! That's so wonderful!
So …
Brother Fujiwara is really not what we see on the surface.
Shamelessness and insolence is only pretense. In reality, he is a genius who possesses profound knowledge and thoughts!
"Elegant, that's really elegant!"
"We didn't expect … brother Fujiwara to be so knowledgeable and brilliant!"
"We've misunderstood brother Fujiwara. Brother Fujiwara is a real gentleman!"
"We owe Brother Fujiwara an apology. Today, all of us are sinners!"
Everyone sighed at their own short-sightedness.
The sentence 'a world in a wild flower, and a bodhi in a leaf' from Xu Que had deeply touched their hearts.
Ordinary people might feel nothing from these words but cultivators were able to sense and understand something more from the sentence.
This single sentence was equivalent to giving them the concept of thinking objectively and subjectively, so that when they faced a problem, they would be able to see the problem from new, different angles!
And so, science and blowing smoke—they matched up perfectly!
Or to put it simply… the most terrifying rogues were the ones with culture!
Ding! "Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough. The reward is 210 Acting Tough Points!"
Ding! "Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for successfully acting tough. The reward is 240 Acting Tough Points!"
Ding! "Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for acting as a good man again. The reward is 800 Acting Tough Points!"
Ding! "Congratulations to host 'Xu Que' for gaining the trust of the Sword Spirit and successfully gaining his respect!"
As the system notifications rang in Xu Que's head, Xu Que looked towards the Sword Spirit.
The Sword Spirit's eyes were flashing as he gazed at Xu Que. He seemed to have made a decision.
He waved his sword again and a sentence appeared on the stone wall—'My name is You Hun. I admit defeat and will be your follower!'
Xu Que was extremely happy to see that!
Damn, I've finally managed to win over the Sword Spirit! I'm on cloud nine now!
With such a formidable Sword Spirit as my sidekick, who in the Cultivation World would dare provoke me? Hahahaha ...
"You will surely be proud with your decision in future," said an excited and impassioned Xu Que. "Let's go, we'll go rob … ah, no, we'll uphold justice and righteousness, and save mankind!"
Subsequently, using the power of the System, Xu Que made contact with the soul of the Sword Spirit using his Soul Strength and successfully completed a contract!
Ding! "Congratulations to host for successfully subduing the Sword Spirit!"
The system notification rang again. This meant that the Sword Spirit had acknowledged Xu Que as his master and would not betray him ever, or he would perish!
The crowd was full of envy. But there were also some who felt numbness on their heads. Their eyelids were twitching.
"Uh… just now I thought I heard brother Fujiwara mentioned the word 'rob'. Would brother Fujiwara really do that?" An elite cultivator asked in worry.
"It can't be. That's impossible. You must have heard wrongly!"
"Precisely, brother Fujiwara said to uphold justice and righteousness, and save mankind!"
"Correct, how can anyone who can utter profound words like 'a world in a wild flower, and a bodhi in a leaf', be going around robbing others? You are being unreasonable here, that's equivalent to slandering brother Fujiwara!"
"Our brother Fujiwara is a real gentleman!"
The group of cultivators criticised the elite cultivator in an attempt to correct his thinking!
At the same time, Xu Que was chatting with the Sword Spirit. He asked him why he had named himself as You Hun? Had the Immortal Emperor he had followed been a man or a lady? Had he ever seen the color of the Immortal Emperor's undies?
The Sword Spirit was expressionless. He chose to ignore all these questions. He even felt that he could have misjudged and actually felt uneasy!
But it was too late for regrets!
Swish!
Finally, he raised his sharp sword and wrote on the stone wall—'I've been in deep slumber for tens of thousands of years so my memories are incomplete. The wisp of soul you have is very important to me!"
"Oh right, the wisp of soul. Come, come, come, I'll return to you. You know, when I entered this place, I fought with a terrible presence out there for more than 300 rounds. I risked death to snatch this back. You owe me a favour, ha!"
Xu Que started to brag again as he pulled out the piece of broken iron from his system storage.
When the piece of broken iron appeared on his palm, bright lights appeared and immense sword will started to gather around him!
Xu Que was once again enveloped by the bright light and the surrounding Spiritual Qi moulded into invisible swords!
...
The crowd of cultivators were stunned by that sight!
What … What's happening?
Isn't this the Sword Spirit we saw earlier?
But, this is brother Fujiwara. So the Lord Sword Spirit just now … is a fake?
Dong!
In an instant, as if everyone had been dealt a blow on their chest, they nearly spat a mouthful of blood.
Shameless!
So fucking shameless!
Brother Fujiwara? Go to hell!
Gentleman? That's crap!
You disguised yourself as the Sword Spirit and boasted that you are innocent, naïve, simple, honest, respectful of elders and doting on the young!
I must have been possessed by an evil spirit because I believed you. All of us are fools!
This is bullying! You treated us like idiots and you played us around for so long!
Damn it, this is so infuriating. Even Buddha would be angry!
A man can be killed but not humiliated!
Fujiwara, we're going to fight till one of us … ugh, forget it!
Chapter 307: The Eight-Star Sword
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Now that all the cultivators knew what had happened, they could only bottle up their outrage within themselves. Nobody would dare to challenge Xu Que after having personally witnessed his horrific abilities. Not to mention the fact that he had successfully subdued the legendary Sword Spirit!
Thus, the group of cultivators felt like crying internally after having learnt the truth!
That day, their presumptions about the world had changed. That a man could actually be so brazen—it was unprecedented and heinous!
This was too terrible!
But that wasn't all, the worst thing was that this shameless person had managed to deceive the Sword Spirit in front of everyone, and in such a grand manner.
These elite cultivators were hoping to find a six-star sword in the Sword Catacomb. They had never thought that they would actually run into the Sword Spirit.
When they had encountered the fake Sword Spirit that had really been Xu Que in disguise, their hopes had changed to becoming the disciples of the Sword Spirit. Even if the Sword Spirit only taught them a stroke or half a set of sword techniques, they would be eternally grateful, as those would already be considered great skills.
But this fellow did not think like them!
With his brazen attitude, he had been able to make the Sword Spirit recognize him as his master.
Such skill!
No…
This was not chance or skill…
This was an epic example of 'when a man has no sense of shame, he becomes invincible'!
...
Swoosh!
The piece of broken iron on Xu Que's hand suddenly darted to the Sword Spirit, floating in mid-air before him.
The white light started to converge and soon condensed into the size of a rice grain that shot directly towards the point between the Sword Spirit's eyebrows.
Chi! The grain of light had instantly combined with the Sword Spirit!
In no time, the black fog of the Sword Spirit became more opaque. His features were clearer as well. He had become a cold and stern-looking young man.
But his eyes were as cold as a sword, which was very intimidating. Nobody dared to look him in the eye.
Tsk, tsk, tsk!
Xu Que tutted as he looked at the Sword Spirit from top to bottom, as if he was appreciating a piece of art.
The crowd was worried and disturbed by Xu Que's behavior:
Brother, this entity is the great Sword Spirit who had once served the Immortal Emperor, not a piece of art. Even though he has pledged his allegiance, shouldn't you respect him and stop staring at him?
What if he flares up due to your disrespectful behavior and everyone here becomes implicated? That would be disastrous!
Many cultivators were so worried that their eyelids kept twitching. They stayed quietly on the sidelines and did not even dare to move.
Finally, Xu Que finished studying the Sword Spirit and came to a conclusion. He pointed at the Sword Spirit. "Hey, you didn't wear your underpants either!"
The crowd couldn't help but inhale a mouthful of cold air. They nearly fainted, with no one daring to say anything!
Brother! What's with your obsession with the underpants!
Why does the Sword Spirit need a pair of underpants? You keep saying that people aren't wearing underpants. Do you dare to pull out your own underpants and let us have a look at what they are exactly?
Now that the Sword Spirit had completely merged with the wisp of soul, he raised his sword at the stone wall and a sentence appeared. 'My other remnants of soul have not been assembled and I am therefore unable to recover many memories. But in order to leave this place, you need to prepare a vessel!'
"A vessel? Hmm, Spirit Prison Pagoda… no, wrong, how about a Soul Pagoda?" Xu Que was troubled, a Soul Pagoda was very expensive too.
The Sword Spirit immediately waved and another sentence appeared. 'Please prepare a sword of at least eight-star or above!'
"What? Eight-star?" Xu Que jumped.
A sword of the eight-star grade! This fucking System doesn't have such an item for sale yet, he thought. Where can I find such a sword?
Everyone gasped when they saw that sentence:
Finding an eight-star sword within the five nations is close to impossible!
Even if there is one, it must have been kept safely somewhere. If such news gets out, it will lead to a bloody battle!
This would be because of the high grade of the weapon. Not only was it difficult to refine, it required too many rare materials as well. More importantly, most of the rare materials had become extinct long ago!
"You're being unreasonable. Must it really be eight-star?" Xu Que said earnestly shaking his head. "How about this? I'll give you eight one-star swords? Or four two-star swords?"
Suddenly, everyone trembled:
Damn, this is the ancient Sword Spirit, who has a distinguished reputation. Even our most esteemed ancestors would be respectful and hold the Sword Spirit in high regard.
And you dare to fucking tell him that he is being unreasonable? Brother, are you asking for death?
Furthermore, the grade of the weapons is not calculated this way!
Do you really think that eight one-star swords can be equivalent to one eight-star sword?
Even 8,000 or 80,000 one-star weapons will not be able to hold a candle to an eight-star weapon!
However, the Sword Spirit was not angry. With a wave of his hand, he calmly wrote on the stone wall. 'I can feel the presence of an eight-star sword within this place!'
When everyone saw this, they were startled for a moment. In no time, their eyes lit up with great excitement.
There is actually an eight-star sword within the Sword Catacomb?
Fuck, this is great news. I need to find it before anyone else does.
However, as soon as everyone had this thought, it was thrown out the window when they remembered that Xu Que and the Sword Spirit were now on the same team.
Everyone lowered their heads and cut off their greedy thoughts. They did not want to think about the eight-star weapon anymore.
They knew very well that even if they found the eight-star sword, they would not be able to walk out from the Sword Catacomb alive.
Nobody dared to incur the wrath of Xu Que and the Sword Spirit.
They were too fucking scary, too fucking terrifying!
Provoking these two would be asking for death!
The cultivators could do nothing in such a situation. Any step they took could land them in danger, so they didn't dare to do anything at all.
Xu Que looked at the Sword Spirit and asked excitedly, "where's that sword?"
Swish!
With a wave of the sword he was holding, another sentence appeared. 'Please come with me!'
At that moment, the Sword Spirit's fog-like body suddenly dissolved and like a whirlwind, the fog swept towards a tunnel that led to the exit of the Sword Catacomb.
Xu Que was puzzled. What's going on? he thought.
Can it be that the eight-star sword is actually with the group of cultivators standing guard outside?
Immediately, with a quirk of his eyebrow, he turned towards the elite cultivators who were in a daze, and pointed at the stone wall where he had carved the two sentences on the Way of the Sword. "Circle the two phrases, it is the focus of the exam. Have a good time pondering over it. It will definitely appear in your exam. Goodbye."
Swoosh!
He talked very fast and he ran very fast as well. With a gust of wind, he chased after the Sword Spirit, leaving behind a group of bewildered elite cultivators.
These elite cultivators did not know whether to cry or laugh. It had been their first time entering the Sword Catacomb and their experience had been really… really weird.
Although they had seen the Legendary Sword Spirit, that encounter was not even considered weird. The weird part was meeting the shameless and brazen Xu Que, and having to witness how he had managed to hoodwink the Sword Spirit into becoming his sidekick.
As for Xu Que, he had thought that the eight-star sword might be with one of those old fogeys outside the entrance. But soon, he realised that he was wrong.
It had never occurred to him that the Sword Spirit would stop at the centre of the tunnel, directly beside that tongue.
Xu Que's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Did this mean that the eight-star sword… was in the hands of the creature within the stone wall?
However, he was not sure if the creature within the stone wall was asleep or so frightened by the presence of the Sword Spirit that it dared not to speak a word.
"The eight-star sword you speak of, is it in here?" Xu Que looked towards the Sword Spirit.
The Sword Spirit pointed to the tongue and gave a slight nod, face completely expressionless.