Chapter 48 Mountains and Rivers As A Painting

“Speaking of the sword is life, I have learned much from helping the army kill enemies near the border of Yuezhi Country for two years.”

Zhou Xieyi looked coldly at Ding Ning and grabbed the other unsharpened iron sword. He said, “How can a common youths like you, who has never left Changling and seen a true battle, be fit to lecture me?”

Ding Ning looked at this youth with the Taoist hair knot that gave off a bloodthirsty presence as he gripped the sword in one hand. Ding Ning said seriously, “I only hope you have such spirit after this fight. You should understand, without defeat, there is no victory.”

Zhou Xieyi’s brows furrowed. Coldness flashed across his face.

“You want to use speech to throw my mental state into disorder? This is something only gangsters will do when they fight.” He held his sword across his chest and vented all the restlessness he felt inside. Then he said coldly, “Start.”

As he held his chest horizontally, all the spectators on the two shores became extremely attentive.

“In reality, this is not an absolutely fair battle,” a voice spoke from the shore.

The speaker was a delicate youth dressed in a grand fox fur robe.

“Even he has come!”

Many people recognized this delicate youth as the genius ranked seventh on the Book of Talents, Yi Xin of Mind Chamber Sect.

Then many people remembered that Yi Xin’s father was a powerful position of high status in the Hongyang Academy. However, no one felt there was any problem that Yi Xin ranked seventh on the Book of Talents.

In one of the competitions last year in Heart Chamber Sect, Yi Xin had publicly displayed realm four strength. He was the fastest student in Heart Chamber Sect. The Heart Thought Sword of Heart Chamber Sect was extremely unique. Even before reaching realm five when one could use flying swords, the unique Heart Thought Sword could allow the cultivators to use their mental power to form sword energy to stab and wound their opponents.

Words from someone like this was weighty.

“You only notice the ranking on the Book of Talents but neglected the fact that Ding Ning only started cultivating last year. Also, while his ranking is near the front, the Book of Talents says clearly he only has realm three third class cultivation while Zhou Xieyi has realm three first class. In terms of cultivation time and power, this battle is not as fair as you imagine.” Feeling the gazes from those around him, Yi Xin said unconcernedly, “So even if he loses, this does not prove anything.”

Many people frowned and felt that they had missed this problem.

Zhang Yi was filled with respect. He bowed to Yi Xin and said, “This person is a gentleman.”

Xie Changsheng curled his lips. While he had blind confidence in Ding Ning and felt that Yi Xin’s actions were unnecessary, he knew that Yi Xin had good intentions. This way, even if Ding Ning lost, he would not be embarrassed like Fang Wuque had been.

“But will Ding Ning lose?” He snorted coldly.

“We naturally do not think so,” Nangong Caishu said softly, “but most people here probably think the opposite.”

Xie Changsheng stilled. He turned to look at the surrounding expressions and immediately felt indignant. If there was time, he might have caused some other trouble. But Ding Ning did not give him enough time.

On the stone platform, Ding Ning held his sword across his chest and said, “Please.”

The cool voice broke the air in front of him and clearly passed into the ears of everyone watching.

In the next moment, there was a sharp sword cry.

Ding Ning’s figure did not move but his sword drew out more than a dozen sword strike in the air in front of him. The white sword energy flowing off the black blade criss-crossed and formed a white sword seal in front of him.

“White Goat Sword Seal Manual!”

“So fast!”

All the noise disappeared and turned into exclamations of shock!

Shen Yi’s breathing stopped and his eyes were wide. He also recognized that this was a sword move of the White Goat Sword Seal Manual. Unlike the sword seal that had been used against him, it was not two mountains rising, but a great river.

“How can it be so fast …” Zhang Yi was shocked.

A moment ago, he had been worried that Ding Ning would be unused to this kind of unsharpened iron sword. But now it appeared that Ding Ning used the sword even more easily and the move was even faster!

Zhou Xieyi had not expected Ding Ning to be so decisive when acting and that his sword seal would be so fierce.

He could not see Ding Ning’s figure in his sight, only a large river surging towards him.

Ding Ning was truly strong!

Just from this move, his ranking on the Book of Talents was not false. This thought flashed through his mind as he gave a sharp scream.

His sword had originally been held across his chest. This was the traditional courtesy of the Qin when starting a fight. He pushed this horizontally held sword forward.

His right arm trembled, and then so did his fingers. Vast and pure vital energy surged into this black sword at astounding speed before turning into bright yellow light.

A yellow dam seemed to appear in front of him and stopped the crashing river. His vital energy cultivation was two classes higher than Ding Ning so he did not need to use any tricks. He just had to fight in the most reliable method.

Seeing him use a sword move like this, Luo Duofeng and Xin Jianli showed happy expressions from their position near Xie Changsheng and the others. In their view, in a battle of sword essence, this fight was already half won.

Boom!

The river dissipated but the great yellow dam did not stop and continued to press forward.

With this blow, Zhou Xieyi displayed power surpassing Ding Ning.

The stone platform was wide, but the power of Zhou Xieyi’s sword seemed to cover half of the stone platform.It appeared slow and strong like a mountain but was already reaching Ding Ning.

Ding Ning’s expression was like usual. He pushed out with his sword. A wild fire seemed to burn in front of him. This patch of wild fire looked thin but perfectly fended off the remaining momentum of Zhou Xieyi’s strike.

Zhou Xieyi stilled slightly.

Ding Ning’s blunted sword tip passed through the spreading energies to hit the advancing sword.

Light and skillfully, using the push of the sword, Ding Ning’s body nimbly floated backwards.

Zhou Xieyi narrowed his eyes slightly. He took a deep breath. His chest expanded. The vital energy in his body was going to use the pressure of this breath to surge faster into his sword as he mounted a counterattack. But at this time, his breathing paused slightly.

Flying through the air, Ding Ning had swung his sword again. His sword move carried an inexplicable beauty and rhythm. A white sword seal had formed.

The white sword seal disappeared into countless burning lines of light. This was sunrise, but a setting sun appeared in the air.

Almost unconsciously Zhou Xieyi swung his sword up. The vital energy that flooded into his sword turned into a rising yellow cloud that seemed to fly over the horizon.

Boom.

The setting sun manifested by the seal could not endure the power of this strike and completely shattered. The fragmented red light and the yellow cloud mixed to form a bright cloud of sunlight many meters wide on the stone platform. The sunlight shone over the two shores and the dim ice surface in the middle. The splashing color was beautiful.

Yet no cultivator’s gaze lingered on the sunlight. They looked in front of Zhou Xieyi.

There, Ding Ning had landed.

Ding Ning’s body was only several steps away from the border of the stone platform. But his expression was still calm and he was moving his sword forward.

Zhou Xieyi felt extremely pleased right now. His move just now was called “Yellow Cloud Slicing Sunlight.” Ding Ning’s sword seal had seemed to come to him and cooperated with his sword. Never before had he performed it so well and comfortable. This was worthy of looking back.

But at this time, he suddenly felt something was wrong.

His move was finished, and his sword was still held high up.

But Ding Ning was already attacking.

A simple sword seal appeared in front of Ding Ning.

His pupils contracted and he reacted. Ding Ning had purposefully used a move like that to lure him to use the “Yellow Sword Slicing Sunlight” sword move!

He gave an even louder shout. His sword sliced downwards at a speed he usually could not reach!

“Still too slow,” someone sighed on the shore.

“He uses his power too ferociously, and does not achieve his goals” Yi Xin shook his head. He looked at Ding Ning with admiration.

“Junior … Junior … Junior …” Zhang Yi was so happy he couldn’t speak in complete sentences.

In the carriage, Gu Xichun’s expression grew ugly.

Many people did not have the same emotions they did, but in their eyes, victory was determined.

Crack!

Zhou Xieyi’s sword cut at a tree of ice barrelling at him. Scraps of ice flew out. His furious shout was crushed by the fragmented ice in his chest. He could not control his body and had to retreat.

The other people who were watching finally reacted and gasped.

Ding Ning attacked again.

Another great river vented towards Zhou Xieyi.

“So fast!”

“How can he be so fast!” When just discussing the sword move, Zhang Yi could speak in complete sentences.

This was one of the fastest moves in White Goat Sword Seal Manual. Ding Ning using it as a follow-up attack was perfect but this move was one of the three most complicated sword seals in White Goat Sword Seal Manual. Zhang Yi found it hard to believe that Ding Ning was able to use it.

Hearing Zhang Yi’s gasp, Xue Wangxu smiled slightly and tapped him on the head with his knuckles. “Silly you. He is fast with the remnant sword, wouldn’t he be faster with a good sword?”

Zhang Yi suddenly understood.

The seals on the Last Flower remnant sword were incomplete and the movement of the sword energy was harder to master. While the unsharpened iron sword was unfamiliar to Ding Ning, at least it was whole.

“He was able to use the remnant sword so quickly. Junior Sect Brother Ding Ning is really a genius among geniuses.” With this thought, he sank into even greater shock.

Unable to control his figure due to the heavy blow he received, even if he attacked hurriedly, the other’s sword move would be a mess.

Ding Ning’s strike only cared about speed. Even Luo Duofeng paled and felt that Zhou Xieyi would definitely lose.

“I will not lose to you!” Zhou Xieyi shouted angrily at this time.

The fingers on his left hand caressed the black blade. Like playing an instrument, five waves of vital energy furiously charged into the seals of the blade.

A patch of black light appeared in front of him, looking like an ink drawing of mountains and waters.

Nangong Caishu’s expression grew grim as she said, “Painting Sword Move!”

“Mountains and Rivers as a Painting! The first move of the Painting Remnant Scrolls!”

There were naturally those more knowledgeable among the spectators that gasped out the name of this sword form.

The surging river collided into the inky light as though it was frozen in a painting and unable to advance.

Taking this opportunity, Zhou Xieyi pushed off with his feet. The stone tiles under his feet suddenly bloomed into dust. He gave another loud shout as his body charged forward. Both of his hands gripped the sword as he attacked.

Yellow clouds spread along the sword and white light shone. This was the Yellow Cloud White Crane sword essence.

While this move had been hurried and not completely performed, it cut through the middle and had a presence vaster than any of the sword moves that Ding Ning had used previously.

The two shores were completely silent.

Ding Ning was only a few steps away from the edge behind him. With absolute power pressing towards him, what solution did he have?

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