Immortal and Martial Dual Cultivation
chapter-954

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The might of the perfected Spring and Winter Sabers of the Flawless Four Seasons was over twenty percent greater than before.

The Flawless Four Seasons was incomparably stronger than Ouyang Feng’s Purple Night Sword Formation. This time, Xiao Chen did not intend to let him off easy; he used eighty percent of his strength.

The moment he chopped with the sheathed saber, a boundless saber intent surged out and moved about continuously, directly knocking down Ouyang Feng, who was hacking down with his sword from overhead.

The eighty-one small Purple Night Sword Formations all shattered into countless sword Qi flying about in the air.

The old man with the family name Diao caught Ouyang Feng’s body. After checking him, he could not help but become angry.

Four different kinds of energy were swimming about in Ouyang Feng’s body, damaging his meridians and internal organs. He would not be able to recover without half a year of rest and miraculous Medicinal Pills.

Xiao Chen looked like he did not have much of a temper, retreating over and over again. However, when he was truly angered, he was actually so ruthless. Without any warning, he nearly crippled Ouyang Feng.

“Little friend, don’t you think that you were too ruthless with your move?” the old man with the family name Diao asked coldly as he looked at Xiao Chen. Murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

“This fellow is finished. Diao Jintao and Ouyang Feng’s father are sworn brothers. Now that this white-robed bladesman injured Ouyang Feng, there is no way for him to reconcile this anymore.”

“I wonder, how badly injured is Ouyang Feng for Diao Jintao to be so upset?”

“No one can save him now. Diao Jintao is a great grandmaster-level Martial Sage swordsman. He will be able to kill him in ten moves.”

“What a bladesman! What is he doing, running over to Sword Forging Peak? Does he really think that the Master will see him? He truly deserves such a conclusion.”

Seeing Diao Jintao become so angry, everyone started discussing it. The group of swordsmen did not look kindly on Xiao Chen in the first place. This was how deep the conflict between bladesmen and swordsmen was.

Xiao Chen did not feel that he had done anything wrong. There was always a limit to a person’s patience. It was impossible for him to remain amicable when the other party kept attacking him.

However, this was unfortunate. Xiao Chen would no longer be able to remain on this Sword Forging Peak and would have to search for another forger.

“I was too ruthless? Senior, are you blind? If you want to make a move, just go ahead and do your best. However, it will be impossible for you to keep me here.”

The Freedom Wings on Xiao Chen’s back unfurled. He looked calmly at the other party, confronting him without backing down.

Wrong was wrong, and right was right. How could Xiao Chen not distinguish right from wrong? There was no need to show the old man any face, even if he was a great grandmaster-level Martial Sage.

Diao Jintao was so angry that he ended up smiling. “I have not seen such an arrogant junior for such a long time. Today, if I do not keep you here, then there is no need for me to continue staying in the Profound Domain.”

Sword intent surged out from every corner of Diao Jintao’s body. Dense blue rings of light appeared behind him—about three thousand complete Heavenly Sage Laws.

Diao Jintao’s cultivation made everyone feel enormous pressure. Endless sword hums came from every ring.

“Creak…!”

Just as Diao Jintao’s aura reached its peak, the tightly shut main gates of the mountain manor suddenly opened. A bellboy walked out and cried out in a clear and loud voice, “Who is Xiao Chen? The Manor Lord invites you in!”

Instantly, everyone’s attention shifted to the open main gates. The sight caused an uproar as word spread down the queue of swordsmen, all the way to the bottom of the mountain.

“The Sword Forging Peak Manor’s main gates are open!”

“This main gate has not opened for more than a hundred years already, right? The last time it was opened seems to be when the Sword Sovereign of the Profound Domain was arriving personally. Only then did Master Situ open the gates to welcome him.”

“Who is this Xiao Chen? Why does he sound so familiar?”

Even Diao Jintao, who was preparing to make a move, and the heavily injured Ouyang Feng were extremely astonished, casting their gazes over.

“Is Xiao Chen here or not? Is the Supreme Sky Sect’s White Robed King Xiao Chen here or not? The Manor Lord invites you in!” the bellboy called out once again.

The somewhat confused Xiao Chen quickly stepped forward and showed his identity medallion to the bellboy, saying, “I am Xiao Chen. This is my identity medallion.”

The bellboy received the identity medallion and checked it. He nodded and said, “Hehe! It is indeed you. The Manor Lord has not opened the gates for a hundred years. I didn’t expect that when the gates are opened a hundred years later, the guest would be a bladesman. Come in.”

These words stunned all the swordsmen on the mountain. The one that Situ Leihong opened the gates to receive was actually this bladesman. This was too shocking.

Diao Jintao looked at the main gates, which had closed once again. Then he muttered, “The last few times I came, I wanted Situ Leihong to customize a sword for me. However, he refused even to see me. He kept leaving the message that I have no fate with swords and sending me on my way.”

“The White Robed King Xiao Chen. So, it is him. It is the person who kicked down Di Wuque at the Sage Mark Monument three years ago.”

“No wonder. It is someone who even dares to kick down Di Wuque. How could he show any face to a great grandmaster-level Martial Sage? Ouyang Feng really failed to recognize whom he was dealing with.”

“I heard that he even killed the Medicine God Valley’s Mister Qin in the Primal Chaos Domain.”

“However, why did the Master open the gates for him? Isn’t he a bladesman? There have been Martial Emperors who came to ask for swords, but the Master rejected them at the gates. The Master keeps talking about a fate with swords. Without this fate, regardless of the backing or reward, he will not forge a sword for them.”

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The interior of the mountain manor had special scenery. The first thing that met the eye was a courtyard packed with a thousand ancient swords stuck into the ground.

The swordsmen that came in through the wicket gate frowned as they walked into the courtyard studded with ancient swords. Occasionally, someone would try to pull up an ancient sword.

The ancient swords buzzed as these cultivators held the sword hilts. It felt like all the ancient swords in the courtyard were connected to one another. A flying sword Qi moved about in the air, forming a huge and surging sword intent as vast as a sea of smoke.

What the swordsmen grasped was not just a single ancient sword. Instead, it was all the one thousand ancient swords in the courtyard. In the end, even after exhausting their Vital Qi or Law Energy, they could not pull out even a single sword.

The swordsmen who walked among the swords all had unsightly expressions. They all frowned, their eyes blank and perplexed.

Xiao Chen walked together with the bellboy to the corridor. As he looked at these swordsmen, he entered deep thought.

“This is the Manor Lord’s test. A swordsman who can pull out an ancient sword is one that has a fate with swords. Only then will the Manor Lord forge a sword for him.” When the bellboy saw Xiao Chen’s gaze, he explained everything.

“However, since the Manor Lord is interested enough to invite you in, you don’t need to take this test.”

Xiao Chen smiled. His First Senior Sister’s words were right. As long as he showed his identity medallion, he could gain entry.

After passing the large courtyard with ancient swords stuck into the ground, Xiao Chen never saw another sword in the manor. Instead, it was lavish with flowers, grass, and trees. As they walked along the path, they saw fake mountains and pavilions. The scenery was beautiful, the vistas so many, they were uncountable.

When Xiao Chen and the bellboy arrived before a large hall, they stopped. “Wait for a while. There was a girl from the Fiend Race who proved to have a fate with swords. The Manor Lord is currently entertaining her.”

Holding the Lunar Shadow Saber, Xiao Chen nodded, making no objection.

While waiting outside the hall, he chatted softly with the bellboy and got to know many of Situ Leihong’s stories.

Only then did Xiao Chen learn that this particular Master’s status in the eyes of the swordsmen of the Profound Domain had reached an incredible level.

Without exception, all the famous swordsmen in the Profound Domain had their swords forged by the Master.

What the two discussed with the most enthusiasm was Situ Leihong’s masterpiece, the Divine Weapon Scarlet Heaven, which was in the possession of the Profound Domain’s Sword Sovereign. The creation of the famous Divine Weapon had made Situ Leihong a household name throughout the entire Kunlun Realm.

Spirit Weapons and Secret Treasures were two different kinds of items. The latter had many forms—sabers, swords, pagodas, mirrors, fans, bronze bangles, palaces, and many more could all be Secret Treasures.

On the other hand, Spirit Weapons could only be weapons. The best ones were the Divine Weapons. They were distinctly different from Secret Treasures. Secret Treasures were derivatives of Magic Treasures. However, Spirit Weapons were unique to the Martial Epoch.

The creators of Secret Treasures and of Spirit Weapons had different identities as well. Those who made the former were called refiners, while those who made the latter were known as forgers.

This chat ensured that Xiao Chen did not feel bored. In fact, it even broadened his horizons.

He suddenly recalled something and said, “I come from the Sky Dome Realm. I once heard that the heavens only permit the existence of ten Divine Weapons. However, my Heavenly Saber Pavilion held on to a Divine Weapon all the while, the Heavenly Universe Saber.”

The bellboy smiled and explained, “That is not exactly correct. It is not that there can be only ten Divine Weapons. Instead, there are only ten Divine Weapons on the Divine Weapon Ranking. The Heavenly Universe Saber was once on the Divine Weapon Ranking. However, it was pushed off long ago.

“Spirit Weapons that are not on the Divine Weapon Ranking will not contain Divine Might. At best, their might will just be equal to that of regular Emperor Grade Secret Treasures. However, when facing the powerful Emperor Grade Secret Treasures, they will not be sufficient.”

Just when Xiao Chen was about to ask about the Divine Weapon Ranking, the bellboy stopped speaking and revealed an expression of attention. Someone was probably projecting his voice to the bellboy.

After a while, the bellboy said, “That Fiend Race girl already left. Please, come in.”

Xiao Chen tidied his clothes and looked at the Lunar Shadow Saber, which he could not draw, in his hand. He calmed himself and pushed open the door before entering.

“Sit!”

Upon entering, Xiao Chen heard a strong voice inviting him to sit.

A middle-aged man in a blue buttoned jacket, long gown, and a scholarly aura sat in the middle of the hall. He radiated power like an intense fire blazing in his body, stored up and waiting to be released.

However, his eyes looked as calm as autumn water, which easily suppressed that intense berserk fire. This combination gave off an elegant feeling.

Concluding that this person was Situ Leihong, Xiao Chen felt astonished. He could not see through this person’s cultivation. Was he a great grandmaster-level Martial Sage? A quasi-Emperor? Or something even more powerful?

However, this person did not leak any of this aura that would give Xiao Chen great pressure. He just had an air that surpassed a grandmaster’s on him, looking very natural.

The most important thing was that this demeanor was a stark difference from the burly and bold temperament of the sword casting grandmaster that Xiao Chen imagined.

After Xiao Chen sat down, a maidservant served him tea to enjoy slowly.

Situ Leihong sized up Xiao Chen with a few glances. Then he said, “Ying Zongtian took in a really good student. At such a young age, you already possess some air of a grandmaster. Your saber soul has also reached Small Perfection, comparable to the disciples of the Profound Domain’s Wu Xiaotian.”

[TL Note: The Ying (应) in Ying Zongtian is different from the Ying (赢) in Ying Qiong.]

Lord Jiu once mentioned two peak experts of the Profound Domain, the Saber Sword Two Sovereigns. They were Sovereign Martial Emperors only weaker than the Thunder Sovereign, the Spirit Fox King, the East Mountain Ghost Monarch, the Heaven Punishing Corpse God, and the Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign—the five Sovereign Martial Emperors at the peak of the Kunlun Realm.

The Ying Tianzong that Situ Leihong mentioned was the Supreme Sky Emperor. As for Wu Xiaotian, that was the Saber Sovereign of the Saber Sword Two Sovereigns.

Only someone of his status could call these two people by name.

However, Xiao Chen was good at observing people, at watching the minute details. Although the Master’s words sounded like praise, his tone was very calm. In other words, what he meant was that Xiao Chen could be considered a genius, barely enough to catch his attention.

Xiao Chen took a sip of tea and did not reply immediately. He could make out some clues from this person’s broad worldview and the rules this person set.