Chapter 15: One Sword!

“You are merely an ordinary disciple; do you not know how to kneel and pay your respects upon seeing your Martial Uncle?” Ling Feng stood with an air of pride, his presence imposing, like a soaring sword piercing through the nine heavens.

As soon as these words were uttered, the surroundings fell into immediate silence.

Martial Uncle?

Ling Feng was a disciple of Duanmu Qingshan's lineage. In terms of seniority, he indeed belonged to the generation of Martial Uncles to Shi Tailong and the others.

However, in the face of strength, such seniority meant absolutely nothing. Furthermore, Duanmu Qingshan's lineage had long since become a laughingstock, and for Ling Feng to foolishly use such a ridiculous seniority to make a point was nothing short of utter stupidity.

After a brief silence, a burst of boisterous laughter erupted.

“Hahaha, what an idiot!”

“What a fool! Does he actually think he’s joined some great master and can sit as an equal to the Peak Masters?”

“Pfft... I, Zhao Ritian, have been in the inner sect for seven or eight years, and I’ve never seen anyone this stupid. I’ll be the first to salute you!”

“Kneel and pay respects?” Shi Tailong and the surrounding disciples of Feixing Peak could not help but burst into laughter. “Kid, you’ve reached a new height of stupidity. You almost made me laugh out loud!”

“It is only natural for a father to tease his son. Laugh all you want,” Ling Feng said indifferently, his eyes narrowing.

“Bastard!” The laughter ceased instantly. Shi Tailong’s expression turned icy as he said coldly, “Stop your wagging tongue. The debt from last time should be settled properly today!”

“It is indeed time to settle it!” A cold glint flashed in Ling Feng's eyes. If Duanmu Qingshan hadn't intervened in time last time, he might have been gravely injured by Shi Tailong, or even lost his life.

For those who sought to take his life, Ling Feng would never show the slightest mercy.

“It’s over, this kid is too stubborn! By provoking Shi Tailong like this, he’s likely on a path to certain death!” Wang Danfeng clenched his fists, unable to bear watching any longer.

*Zheng!*

The sword hummed. Shi Tailong instantly drew the saber from his waist. Having already formed the intent to kill, he did not hold back in the slightest.

“Kill!”

With a violent roar, Shi Tailong stepped forward, approaching Ling Feng from a subtle and tricky angle, charging toward him like a gale.

“It’s the killing move of the Thirteen Gale Swords! I didn't expect Senior Brother Shi to have mastered this technique to such a profound level!”

“This kid is finished!”

“With that strike, someone is going to die!”

The surrounding disciples shook their heads, expecting a scene of blood being splattered within five paces.

“Sigh... it’s my fault!” A look of self-reproach crossed Wang Danfeng's face. If he had known, he would have kept Ling Feng in the outer sect under his own care, rather than letting him lose his life only days after joining the Wenxian Sect.

“Full of openings! You call this swordsmanship?”

A cold sneer curled on the corner of Ling Feng's mouth.

Over the past few days, he had been practicing the "Star-Shattering Sword Manual" taught by Duanmu Qingshan; his vision was no longer what it once was.

In a flash!

The crowd heard only the clashing of metal and the spark of a blinding light. Immediately after, a dazzling sword light bloomed as if a Sword God had descended from the west. Amidst the momentary dazzle, Ling Feng struck!

*Shua! Shua! Shua!*

With several rapid thrusts, as if directing the very landscape, a bizarre scene unfolded. No matter where Shi Tailong attacked, Ling Feng seemed to possess foresight, intercepting every blow with his sword. His blade moved like a spiritual snake flicking its tongue, counterattacking with such speed that Shi Tailong was caught completely off guard.

“Shatter!”

Ling Feng gave a low shout. His three-foot blade vibrated, sending a streak of sword qi slicing through the air, aimed directly at Shi Tailong's right eye.

“No! Ahhh...”

A scream pierced the clouds. With a loud *clatter*, the longsword fell from Shi Tailong's hand. A tiny, almost imperceptible hole appeared over his right eye; the sword qi had directly shattered his eyeball, robbing him of half his vision.

This was merely a warning. If there were a next time, it would be his head that split open!

“Ah!” Shi Tailong clutched his right eye, rolling on the ground in agony, blood spraying as he trembled from the pain.

“What... what happened?”

“Shi Tailong actually lost? I didn't even see how Ling Feng moved his sword!”

The surrounding disciples were stunned, swallowing hard. They never expected that the Xiaozhu Peak lineage would produce such a monstrous disciple.

“Senior Brother Shi!” The two disciples following Shi Tailong were shaken to their cores. They rushed to help the rolling Shi Tailong up, glaring at Ling Feng with trembling voices. “Ling Feng, you madman! How dare you strike Senior Brother Shi so viciously?”

“Viciously?” Ling Feng’s gaze turned cold as he glared at the disciple. “If you don't get lost right now, I will be even more vicious to you!”

“You!” The disciple shuddered under Ling Feng's glare. Not daring to stay a moment longer, he and his fellow disciple hurried Shi Tailong back toward Feixing Peak.

Ling Feng gave a light snort. He had merely dealt with a few pieces of trash; he didn't care at all.

With Duanmu Qingshan backing him, he wasn't afraid of trouble. If anyone dared to provoke him, he would simply fight back!

“Though I was delayed by that Shi Tailong, I should first head to the Scripture Pavilion to see if there are any cultivation methods or martial techniques worth learning.”

Ling Feng sheathed his sword and ignored the onlookers, walking away with an air of indifference, seemingly unconcerned about the consequences of injuring a disciple of Feixing Peak.

“Is... is this really the youth I brought here?”

Watching Ling Feng's retreating figure, Wang Danfeng stood frozen. He had thought Ling Feng was doomed, only to witness such a staggering reversal.

That strike was too fast, and far too brilliant!

***

Feixing Peak.

“Presumptuous! Utterly presumptuous!” Yang Wei was fuming with rage. “That brat is so audacious, he actually dares to run wild in the Martial Arts Square!”

“Master, that boy claimed to be Duanmu Qingshan's disciple and said that by seniority, he is equal to the Sect Leader! He doesn't even respect you!” Shi Tailong wailed, clutching his blinded right eye. “Master, you must avenge me! You cannot let that boy continue to be so arrogant!”

“Damnable! He thinks he can stand equal to the Sect Leader? What does he think he is?” Yang Wei was incensed. “The little brat thinks he can act lawlessly in the Wenxian Sect just because he has that old ghost Duanmu backing him?”

“Very well. I want to see exactly what he is made of, daring to touch my people!”

“Brother Yang, please do not lose your temper.” Li Liang narrowed his eyes. “Have you forgotten that we need that boy to obtain the *Sword Scripture* from old ghost Duanmu? The more powerful this boy becomes, doesn't it mean that Duanmu has begun to pass all his knowledge to him? It won't be too late to strike once he has mastered the *Sword Scripture*!”

Yang Wei clenched his fists. “But that boy struck my disciple. If I don't show my face, others will think I, Yang Wei, am afraid of that old man Duanmu Qingshan.”

“To lose patience is to ruin a great plan. Dealing with that boy will be as easy as crushing an ant. Endure for a moment; obtaining the *Sword Scripture* hidden by Duanmu is the most important thing.”

“Hmph!” A chill flashed in Yang Wei's eyes, but remembering that even the former Sect Leader had perished seeking the *Sword Scripture*, he could only endure.

“The boy still has some utility for now, so I will let him keep his wretched life. But don't think he will have an easy time in the Lingxian Sect!” Yang Wei snorted coldly. “Pass down the order: all supplies to Ling Feng are to be cut off. The Scripture Pavilion, the Pill Pavilion, the Divine Weapon Pavilion, and any other cultivation sites are forbidden to him!”