Chapter 30: Jealousy

Seeing Ning Qi remain silent, the little fatty, Zhuang Chen, switched into chatterbox mode.

"Ning Qi, seriously, just step down."

"Ning Qi, that wasn't even my full strength just now."

"Ning Qi, why are you ignoring me?"

"Ning Qi, are you not very smart? Sigh, if you won't step down, I'll go easier on you."

When Zhuang Chen finally couldn't help but say this, everyone present wore strange expressions.

The Eldest Senior Brother of the Divine Sword Sect and the Old Divine Sword Expert's mouths twitched.

Daoist Longshan gave a knowing smile.

This little fatty was quite interesting.

Ning Qi gave Zhuang Chen a speechless look and finally spoke

"If you keep talking, your master is going to beat you."

Zhuang Chen looked back, saw the Old Divine Sword Expert's face darkening, and couldn't help but sniffle loudly.

He reached out, drew the pitch-black wooden sword from his back, and his entire aura began to shift.

An aura of sharpness rose and coiled around him, which slightly surprised Ning Qi. It was only through facing him personally that he realized how massive a person's transformation could be.

If the previous Zhuang Chen was merely a silly, gluttonous little fatty, the current him possessed the nascent qualities of a peerless swordsman.

"Ning Qi, are you unarmed?"

Zhuang Chen's voice lacked the previous solemnity; in this state, he seemed to have realized that Ning Qi was not simple.

Ning Qi raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I use a sword as well."

He had not specialized in the Way of the Sword, but he had studied no small number of sword manuals. With his comprehension, what he acquired casually surpassed the bitter cultivation of others. Furthermore, mastery of one law leads to mastery of all; the Myriad Phenomena Fist was essentially the Myriad Phenomena Sword. The little fatty could be called a peerless genius in the Way of the Sword, but in front of Ning Qi, he was still a bit green.

A fighting spirit rose in Zhuang Chen's eyes.

"Then why aren't you holding a sword?"

As his voice fell, Ye Qinghe's voice rang out from the Zhenwu Sect side

"Junior Brother, catch the sword."

A wooden sword suited to Ning Qi's height flew toward him. Ning Qi did not turn around; he simply reached out and grasped it, and the wooden sword landed perfectly in his palm as if it possessed a soul.

To an ordinary observer, it seemed unremarkable, but the Old Divine Sword Expert's eyes narrowed instantly.

He was filled with suspicion and uncertainty.

Sensing that Ning Qi was not simple, Zhuang Chen couldn't help but smile. Practicing the sword was his greatest hobby; being able to spar with different sword masters made him very happy. However, there were no peers within the Divine Sword Sect who could fight him, nor even those a few years older.

"Ning Qi, watch out!"

His chubby body possessed an unexpected agility; he had clearly reached the Tendon Tempering stage. The Tendon Tempering realm involved tempering the tendons to obtain superhuman toughness and flexibility, allowing the body to perform all sorts of incredible movements.

For instance, at this moment.

Zhuang Chen thrust his sword forward, and with a flick of his wrist, over a dozen "sword flowers" flashed, drawing waves of gasps and admiration from the crowd.

Zhuang Chen's expression was solemn, different from his previous silliness, exuding a sharp edge.

Those sword flowers seemed light as air, yet they carried a sense of heaviness, like great cauldrons or massive boulders.

"Lifting the light as if it were heavy!"

Qin Yun spoke word by word.

His gaze tightened.

Previously, Zhuang Chen had demonstrated the profound realm of lifting the heavy as if it were light, controlling it with ease. Now, he had casually unleashed over a dozen strikes that felt like lifting the light as if it were heavy. It was unimaginable that such a level of swordsmanship appeared in an eight-year-old child.

"Is this a natural Sword Bone?"

Qin Yun thought silently.

Originally, he had been somewhat dismissive of the Old Divine Sword Expert's words, but now, he was silent.

Ning Qi held the wooden sword casually in his hand.

Currently, his physical body was flawless, and a single swing of his arm could exert a hundred thousand catties of force. If he went all out, he could flatten the little fatty with a casual strike; even Daoist Longshan did not know his foundation was this exaggerated.

Not to mention, Ning Qi's level of swordsmanship far surpassed Zhuang Chen's; the two were simply not on the same level.

But there was no need to be so flashy.

Ning Qi made his move.

Firstly, he had some interest in that Long Xiao Sword—after all, it was the weapon of a Gangyuan Realm expert; secondly, he was merely fighting for his sect's honor. When the master has matters to attend to, the disciple takes on the labor; Ning Qi had to win this face back. As for whether Daoist Longshan wanted it or not was his own business.

"I'll just use a physical strength similar to the little fatty's, shall I?"

This was no difficult task for Ning Qi.

The sword light approached.

Ning Qi remained motionless for a long time.

This left the members of the Divine Sword Sect confused.

But Zhuang Chen felt an unprecedented pressure. Ning Qi had not yet drawn his sword and was clearly just standing there loosely, yet it felt as if he were facing ten thousand invisible blades. Beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.

He had never encountered such an opponent.

Zhuang Chen let out a loud shout.

He finally could not withstand the pressure.

He went all out. The dozen sword flowers vanished, and the wooden sword thrust forward plainly, but the whistling of the sword through the air was incredibly clear and resonant.

Even Daoist Longshan couldn't help but exclaim in shock

"Is this... the Unity of Man and Sword?"

Although it seemed Zhuang Chen had only just glimpsed this realm, it was still utterly astonishing.

This time, the Old Divine Sword Expert did not feel proud, because he saw something even more startling in Ning Qi. A look of horror gradually rose in his eyes.

Ning Qi finally moved.

He looked at Zhuang Chen calmly, raised his hand casually, and slashed with his sword, like a gentle breeze brushing through willow branches.

The speed and power were not startling—they were even slightly inferior to Zhuang Chen's—but there was an intoxicating beauty and artistic conception to it.

In Zhuang Chen's eyes.

The sword in Ning Qi's hand was like a wisp of wind, a drifting cloud; it was light and airy, yet it was everywhere and nowhere to hide.

Zhuang Chen's eyes widened, nearly turning blank.

By the time he regained his senses.

He realized that his sword had fallen to the ground at some unknown point, and Ning Qi's sword was resting against his chubby belly.

Ning Qi smiled and tapped the little fatty's stomach with his sword

"The sword must be used like this."

Looking at the stunned little fatty, he felt a mixture of the guilt of bullying a child and a sense of satisfaction.

At this moment.

The martial arena had fallen into complete silence.

The surrounding people stared blankly at this scene. The members of the Divine Sword Sect found it hard to believe, unable to accept that Zhuang Chen had been instantly defeated.

Within the Zhenwu Sect, the disciples who had never seen Ning Qi fight were incredibly excited.

"So Ninth Uncle (Ninth Senior Brother) is this powerful!"

Ye Qinghe secretly stuck out her tongue.

"Little Jiu is a true monster; I can't even fully comprehend his level of swordsmanship."

She had originally thought Ning Qi would defeat the little fatty through overwhelming brute force, but she hadn't expected him to suppress him through the Way of the Sword.

In an instant, Ning Qi had become the focus of everyone's attention.

Watching this scene, Qin Yun's expression was complex.

There was joy, but also a hint of bitterness.

The Old Divine Sword Expert felt waves of shock in his heart.

At this moment.

He finally understood why Daoist Longshan had only expressed amazement rather than envy before.

With a disciple like this, who would ever envy someone else's disciple!!

He suppressed the envy and jealousy in his heart, his tone sounding incredibly sour

"To realize sword intent at such a young age and carve out his own path in the Way of the Sword... the poise of a Sword Saint... You old nose, Longshan, what kind of dog shit luck did you step on..."

Daoist Longshan laughed heartily, feigning ease.

"Brother Divine Sword overpraises me, overpraises me."

In reality, he was also somewhat stunned.

He only knew that Ning Qi's progress in body tempering was exaggerated, but he had never seen Ning Qi display his swordsmanship. Today's single strike had similarly refreshed his understanding.

"Such a sword prodigy... it's a bit of a waste to keep him in your Zhenwu Sect..."

Hearing the envy and covetousness in the Old Divine Sword Expert's words.

Daoist Longshan grew wary; this man was eyeing his precious treasure!

"I'm warning you, don't you dare harbor any wicked ideas!"

The Old Divine Sword Expert curled his lip slightly; he was just saying it.

He looked toward the arena.

Ning Qi was calm and composed, and then he looked at his silly disciple.

He couldn't help but feel a surge of sourness once again.

By now.

Zhuang Chen had snapped out of his stupor. An intense passion surged in his eyes, and he suddenly lunged forward to grab Ning Qi's pant leg

"Ning Qi, what was that sword strike just now? Please teach me! I can make you my master!"

The Old Divine Sword Expert's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

This rebellious disciple!

(End of Chapter)