Chapter 105: The World’s Number Two

More than twenty years ago, when Hulugu fought against Qi Fengge, they had both used swords. However, Hulugu did not hold a sword today. Perhaps he’d decided to tread a new martial path since then, or maybe he no longer liked to use swords. Now he faced Shen Qiao, who raised his sword against the wind, his robes rustling. Sword qi arced like a rainbow piercing the clouds, and like a crane soaring into the sky, it surged straight toward Hulugu. The crowd only heard a thunderous noise exploding in their ears, like the sound of a thousand horses galloping or the endless crashing waves of the boundless sea. They couldn’t help but stare in shock. The mediocre practitioners even felt their ears throb—some couldn’t withstand it and had to quickly circulate their energy in resistance.

During the Sword Trial Conference, Shen Qiao had first only watched from the sidelines. Everyone knew that he was an exceptional martial artist, but he looked like a handsome Daoist priest through and through, cultured and elegant. There had seemed nothing formidable about him. It wasn’t until he’d confronted Yuan Xiuxiu that everyone realized the meaning of “don’t judge a book by its cover.” But only now was the audience truly shaken.

Shen Qiao’s slash was imperious and fierce as it stole the initiative, surging forth like a mighty torrent. Shanhe Tongbei was true to its name: it indeed evoked the image of mountains and rivers, all grieving as one.

Though the onlookers were frightened and awed, Shen Qiao knew very well that while this move of his, using nine-tenths of his full power, might have given him a chance against Yi Pichen, it was still no match for Hulugu.

It might not be clear to onlookers, but when experts dueled, they only needed one exchange of blows for both parties to understand the eventual outcome.

By assessing someone’s qi, you could determine how profound their internal energy was by perceiving the atmosphere around them. Perhaps Shen Qiao hadn’t made blistering progress even after cultivating the Zhuyang Strategy’s true qi and rebuilding his foundations, but he was still on an entirely different level compared to before. Given enough time, he might have been able to match Hulugu in strength.

However, Hulugu had several decades’ worth of martial training over Shen Qiao, and he was someone who’d been able to vie with Qi Fengge for supremacy. Furthermore, Shen Qiao didn’t know what sort of opportunities Hulugu might have had in the past two decades, or what echelons he’d managed to break through to. Now that he’d left seclusion and returned to the jianghu, the title of the world’s number one martial artist could only be his. In the entire jianghu, there seemed to be no one who could be his opponent—even Yi Pichen had fallen beneath his hands. If Shen Qiao wanted to win, the chances for that were slim.

But just because the chances were slim didn’t mean that he’d roll over and await capture.

The battlefield could change multiple times in an instant; if he could grab at even the smallest of lifelines, he might be able to escape the jaws of death and transform defeat into victory. Shen Qiao acknowledged that there was a gap between himself and Hulugu, but this gap wasn’t large enough to make him sit and resign himself to death.

His sword qi was boundless, surging toward Hulugu like waves crashing against the shore. In an instant, it was right before him, and Duan Wenyang couldn’t withstand it and took a few steps back. However, Hulugu remained utterly motionless, though a faint layer of solemn dignity now tinted his eyes, a slight change from their previous nonchalance.

Hulugu suddenly raised his sleeves, then slammed them downward, crushing that surging, imperious sword qi. Then his entire person soared into the air, seemingly spontaneously, and flew toward Shen Qiao while his right hand sent out a palm strike.

It was an ordinary palm strike, not flashy at all, but Shen Qiao felt the sword qi from his swing suddenly slam into something akin to an indestructible stone wall. Instead of crumbling the stone, it rebounded off it, returning to Shen Qiao with several times the power of his own true qi.

Shen Qiao had already anticipated this, so he showed no shock. He didn’t take this attack head-on but instead avoided its keen edge—he used his opponent’s true qi to soar several feet into the air, then merged into one with his sword as he swept straight down toward Hulugu.

The onlookers couldn’t tell where the sword ended and the man began. Shen Qiao’s speed was far beyond an arrow in flight, and more like a thundering storm. Yet his figure was light and agile, with a momentum that had nothing in common with thunder, closer to a wisp of smoke or mist. It appeared entirely effortless—the greatest of music was silent, and the greatest of phenomena were formless.

On the sidelines, Duan Wenyang saw everything clearly and couldn’t help but startle. Shen Qiao’s progress was both rapid and frightening. Just this move itself was far more formidable than anything Duan Wenyang could do.

In truth, Shen Qiao’s martial arts were still a little inferior to what he’d possessed before his poisoning. It was only because he’d been cultivating the Zhuyang Strategy’s true qi that he appeared to have made astonishing progress. If Duan Wenyang had seen Shen Qiao at his previous level, he wouldn’t have been so surprised now.

However, ultimately, Hulugu was still Hulugu. This move of Shen Qiao’s still couldn’t do anything to him. The man stepped lightly with his foot, and the dark tiles all around it splintered, then burst out of the ground, drawn by the true qi around his body. The shards all transformed into sharp blades and shot straight toward Shen Qiao.

Tiles and stones collided with sword qi, crumbling into even finer fragments and spraying everywhere. The two streams of true qi combined and exploded with an even stronger force. Many people could neither dodge nor block with their qi in time—or perhaps their martial abilities were simply insufficient, so they couldn’t block it at all. Terrified, they tried to evade anyway, and some even screamed in horror. Debris scratched faces and necks, causing blood to stream down—a wretched sight.

As for Duan Wenyang, Yi Pichen, and others, the debris simply fell to the ground when it came within half a foot of their bodies. They were completely unscathed but frowned in unison.

Duan Wenyang frowned because he’d originally thought that his shifu would be able to deal with Shen Qiao easily. After all, Yuan Zixiao had ranked the man even lower than Yi Pichen. He hadn’t expected that his master would grow serious and stop holding back after exchanging several blows.

Yi Pichen had naturally realized this too, and he furrowed his brow hard. Based on his own experience of fighting Hulugu earlier, he knew Shen Qiao must be having a difficult time at the moment, and, more importantly, his chances of victory were slim.

Within the circle of battle, Shen Qiao was feeling a crushing, mountainous pressure. His swordsmanship had achieved the realm of sword heart, which allowed him to look down on all things from above. However, his internal energy was still an unchanging flaw; it couldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath as that of a monster like Hulugu.

His sword’s edge was swift as lighting as it swung down on Hulugu, but, surrounded by true qi capable of overturning the oceans, he felt like he was trying to paddle upstream. Standing amid this, Shen Qiao found that it only grew more arduous, to the point he couldn’t advance an inch.

At the same time, Hulugu’s entire body was radiating with boundless energy. His robes billowed high as his true qi swirled in a vortex of layers. He leapt into the air and struck downward at Shen Qiao. Wherever the wind from his palm reached, it was like a fierce, ravenous beast, overwhelming all of Shen Qiao’s sword qi and sword glares as it devoured them all.

The stars and the firmament, the churning of clouds and rain—all of it was happening within this very instant.

Shen Qiao closed his eyes and pushed his internal energy to the limit while clearing his mind of all distractions. Only one thought remained: he must defeat Hulugu!

This battle wasn’t only for himself but also for his shizun Qi Fengge. He couldn’t let others say that Qi Fengge had been blind, taking in disciples unfit to inherit his aspirations, who even lost to his former opponent.

Shen Qiao didn’t care about something as vain as fame, but he couldn’t afford to ignore Qi Fengge’s legacy!

The sword heart was clear and single-minded; thus, it understood the key. One must strive for victory, but they must not be too eager. At the same time, this was a fight, so it was inevitable that there’d be a superior and an inferior. No one in this world would choose defeat over victory.

Even if one claimed they were seeking defeat, that wasn’t truly seeking defeat, but rather that they were so conceited that they believed that few could match them as their opponent.

Shen Qiao suddenly opened his eyes, and his sword was so swift, it’d already transformed into an afterimage.

His opponent had also raised his palms to receive the strike. The true qi around their bodies swept forth like wild tempests above the great sea. Heaven and earth churned the waves in their rage, as if they wanted to destroy all of creation within the dark ocean depths. Like enemies on a narrow bridge, it was an inevitable encounter, and the victor would be crowned king.

Shen Qiao felt a gargantuan force rush in his direction, immense enough to engulf him. His blood and qi roiled within his heart, as if they were desperately trying to escape his very body. As internal and external energy intersected, his body felt like it was about to be crushed as flat as paper, and his meridians and bones screamed in pain.

He was a person of incredible forbearance. In the past, Shen Qiao had endured the severe injuries from the cliff’s fall, the intense pain from his meridians being reshaped. And now, though Hulugu’s palm strike caused him horrendous agony, Shen Qiao bore it without a sound. Only after he struck out with his sword did he withdraw and land back on the ground.

But after enduring and enduring, he couldn’t suppress it anymore. He coughed up a huge mouthful of blood, which splattered all over his robes and the ground.

Hulugu’s face remained impassive. He only took a few steps back without spitting up any blood.

Shen Qiao had put all his strength into that one sword strike, and he knew that he’d finally injured Hulugu. Of course, his opponent’s injuries weren’t as severe as his own, but it was nonetheless true that he was now wounded.

Zhao Chiying and Gu Hengbo had been waiting for the two to stop, and now that they finally had, they rushed forward to support Shen Qiao.

Yu Shengyan had intended to carry out his shifu’s orders, but based on his own martial arts, he knew he was no match for Hulugu—rashly challenging him would only mean his death. As he watched the two of them fight, he had grown increasingly anxious. Now he saw his chance and intervened. “I have long heard of Hulugu of the Göktürks. Watching him fight two great experts, one after another, I see that his reputation is well deserved.”

Hulugu had never looked at him directly, and even now he only glanced at him. His filial disciple Duan Wenyang came forward to explain who Yu Shengyan was. After listening, Hulugu said, “I heard that Yan Wushi is in the Central Plains and is considered an expert. They say that his strength isn’t far from Qi Fengge’s in the past.”

“‘Not far’ is an understatement,” said Sang Jingxing with a smile, deliberately adding fuel to the fire. “I heard that Liuli Palace has just ranked the entire jianghu and that Yan Wushi is in second place!”

Hulugu stilled for a moment, then asked, “Who’s in first?”

Sang Jingxing smiled at Yuan Zixiao. “You must ask the Liuli Palace’s Young Mistress Yuan.”

Yuan Zixiao was once again the focus of the whole audience, but her face remained impassive, without a trace of panic. She said to Hulugu, “Originally, first place wasn’t you.”

“Originally?” asked Hulugu.

“Even now, it seems you are still a level below Qi Fengge.”

Hulugu’s eyes narrowed slightly. It’d been over twenty years, yet the three characters “Qi Fengge” had never faded from his heart, becoming a complex knot he could never unravel. Unfortunately, the man was dead—even if Hulugu wished to fight him, he could no longer be found.

Duan Wenyang sneered. “Qi Fengge is already dead. Is the world’s first place available to even the dead? If that’s so, then shouldn’t Tao Hongjing and Cui Youwang be ranked as well?”

Yuan Zixiao nodded and said coolly, “So I said that it wasn’t you originally. Since Qi Fengge is dead, first place is now yours, probably.”

She’d even added a “probably” at the end. Even though her tone was completely flat, it was enough to send someone to their grave from rage.

But Hulugu hadn’t fallen so low that he’d argue with a little girl. Duan Wenyang’s face darkened, and he looked like he wanted to speak. But Hulugu only swept a glance at Yuan Zixiao’s face, then turned his gaze back to Shen Qiao.

“You’re really quite good,” he said.

“Qianbei is too kind,” said Shen Qiao, “but it was only a stroke of luck. Your distinguished self just fought Abbot Yi, so in truth, this humble Daoist had an advantage.”

Hulugu revealed a faint smile. His eyes and brows were razor-sharp, like they’d been carved with a knife, and he looked terribly unapproachable when he didn’t smile. But within this smile was a faint gentleness, contrasting his words which grew even colder: “Normally, I’d disdain attacking the defeated and would stop here today. But you killed Kunye. If I let you live, my disciple might feel lonely deep down in the underworld. You should go keep him company!”

As he spoke, he slowly stalked toward Shen Qiao. Even a normal strolling speed would have been faster, yet he emanated an invisible chill that made others tremble.

Though Zhao Chiying and Gu Hengbo were no match for Hulugu, they thought to themselves that it wouldn’t be too hard to hold him off, just long enough to give Shen Qiao a chance to escape. They turned back to Shen Qiao and said lowly, “Hurry up and go!”

At the same time, they drew their swords.

As a demonic practitioner, Yu Shengyan had never been a selfless hero who could sacrifice himself for others, but Yan Wushi’s words still lingered in his ears. He gritted his teeth, then also ran in front of Shen Qiao.

Li Qingyu, Su Qiao, Fan Yuanbai, and Zhou Yexue all came over as well, and they stood in front of Shen Qiao.

At this moment, one could see the good karma that Shen Qiao had accumulated.

Yi Pichen was seriously injured, but he couldn’t stand by and let Hulugu kill Shen Qiao here and now; otherwise Chunyang Monastery could forget about their standing in the jianghu. He immediately raised his sword and rushed over, his voice stern. “Stop at once! The Sword Trial Conference is only a competition, not a place for fighting and revenge!”

But why would Hulugu take him seriously? Without him having to do anything, Duan Wenyang and Sang Jingxing had already stepped forward to stop Yi Pichen. The disciples of Chunyang Monastery all rushed forward to help, but the members of Hehuan Sect didn’t lag behind either. The scene instantly descended into chaos.

As for the people from the other sects, some couldn’t resist intervening to help while the rest looked at each other, at a loss and unsure what they should do.

Thinking of how Gu Hengbo had stepped in to protect him earlier, not to mention his admiration for her beauty, Wang-sanlang too rolled up his sleeves and ran over to help. His brother stomped his foot at this but ultimately could only follow him.

Yet Hulugu didn’t pause. He continued to stalk over to Shen Qiao, one step at a time. His expression was indifferent and placid, devoid of any ripples. In his eyes, these people were no more than dead or withered objects, unworthy of his attention.

Shen Qiao said softly, “Thank you, everyone, for your earnest support, but this matter is between him and me. Don’t intervene.”

So saying, he used a light wind from his palm to push the crowd aside.

“Shixiong!” cried Gu Hengbo anxiously.

Hulugu was already slowly lifting his palm. Shen Qiao clutched tightly at the sword hilt in his hand.

At this moment, a sneer exploded in everyone’s ears. “This is someone who belongs to my venerable self, and you think you can kill him as you please?”

Shocked, Yu Shengyan yelled, “Shizun!”

As soon as he said this, everyone knew the identity of the newcomer. But they only saw a phantom appear out of thin air, like an immortal descending from the heavens; untethered and unrestrained, elegant and carefree.

He didn’t meet Hulugu head-on as everyone expected, though. Instead, he grabbed Shen Qiao’s waist and simply swept him away.

He did it with such swiftness that even Hulugu couldn’t stop him in time.

Everyone was dumbfounded.