Chapter 4 - Unsheathing the Sword

Chapter 4: Unsheathing the Sword
Translator: 
Atlas Studios 
 Editor: 
Atlas Studios
The entire arena was still, with all eyes focused on the injured person in front of Meng Fuyao. This made it difficult for Meng Fuyao to even move. She tried to move her feet discreetly, but the cold gaze of the man in black in the center of the field shot towards her. He remained expressionless as if he was wearing a mask, but his gaze was chilling and penetrating. It felt as sharp as the edge of a steel nail, cutting deep into Meng Fuyao’s eyes.
The look in his eyes was deep and profound, as though one was sinking into a deep bottomless sea. And right at the bottom was a strange flame, swaying and inextinguishable.
Under Meng Fuyao’s puzzled gaze, the flame wandered, bounced and burned brighter continuously. Next, it exploded under Meng Fuyao’s eyes.
It was as if a loud sound echoed in her head, exploding into dazzling fireworks.
Meng Fuyao felt dizzy immediately, staggering backward and bumping against the pillar against her back. The cold touch cleared her mind, and she was dumbstruck as she lifted her eyes to stare at the person.
That was one of the top bewildering techniques, Nether Eyes!
What was that person’s background?
From the profound hatred at the bottom of his eyes, he was definitely not here to merely spar and learn martial arts!
Meng Fuyao turned, wanting to leave.
However, the White Mountain Sect Master’s piercing voice sounded from her back.
Mystic Essence Sword Sect, don’t you still have Yan Jingchen?

Lin Xuanyuan was startled. He answered,
Jingchen went back to the capital last night.


He must have heard that we were coming and fled in fear, right?
The Sect Masters laughed together heartily.

And this person?
Cai Yun Sword Sect Master laughed and pointed to Meng Fuyao, who was trying to slip away.
How about this person? I remember that she hasn’t competed yet. Is she trying to be like Yan Jingchen, who ran away?

Lin Xuanyuan was rendered speechless, and his expression changed. The disciple at his side immediately went out and pushed Meng Fuyao.

What are you doing here? If you don’t have the ability, then don’t appear in front of others. You’re making it even more difficult for Master!


Get lost and go back to your room!

Meng Fuyao’s eyebrows shot up, the fury in her eyes raging. After a while, she inhaled sharply, clenched her fist and walked away silently.
No point to bother with snobbish people, it would only bring down her own character.
After living in this strange world for many years and enduring through many hardships, all the superficial temper and flamboyant attitude that belonged to the Red-Haired Demoness of that era had not completely disappeared. However, she now could restrain herself.
When she took a step, a delicate voice that sounded like jade pearls dropping into a silver platter was heard behind her back.

This person, even in our own sect is just a helper girl. Do not compare her with Senior Brother Yan. Otherwise, the Pei family in the capital and the Yan family from He Yuan will treat it as an insult.

The Pei family in the capital and the Yan family from He Yuan represented the royal family and the government in Tai Yuan. The Leaders of the various Sects understood the meaning and implication behind this sentence and fell silent.
Meng Fuyao turned back and stared at the girl in red robes near the back. She was a year older than Fuyao, but her body had already matured. Her curves, unlike Fuyao’s, whose curves were exquisite, had a touch of immaturity. The parts of her body that were full were gushing with desire, and the areas that were thin were delicate and gentle. She favored wearing tight red robes that made her figure even more enchanting and graceful. However, her looks were dignified with the corners of her eyes slightly lifted, appearing lustrous and elegant. She was Pei Yuan.
When Pei Yuan saw Meng Fuyao looking at her, she threw a cold gaze filled with scorn. Then, she looked away indifferently.

If the Sect Masters wish to, next time the Leaders can travel to Heaven Demon Dynasty’s capital, at the True Martial Arts Meet. Senior Brother Yan will naturally show the demeanor of the Mystic Essence Sword Sect’s top disciple.

She glanced at Meng Fuyao and then turned her head to smile at the Sect Masters.

As for this person, just by standing beside us makes it feel as if she’s dirtying the floor. How can she be worthy of being mentioned by the various Sect Masters?

The group burst into roaring laughter.
Even Lin Xuanyuan stroke his beard and smiled in approval, feeling that this female disciple was sensible, tactful and eloquent. She was not only able to evade the obstacles but was also able to maintain the face of the Sect.
Amidst the roaring laughter, Meng Fuyao stood still, unmoving.
The flickering lights and flashes of scenes before her eyes were that of a stormy day when a kind hand had been extended to her; of the mountains in spring where a game of catching had been played amidst joyful laughter; of sitting under the moonlight and smiling at each other between glances; of a snowing day when the fur coat had been unfolded, wrapping her cold legs snugly.
It was a head knocking hard onto the mud floor. It was concealing her martial arts, always finishing last and getting expelled from the martial arts arena. It was dragging the clothes of the entire sect to wash them in icy river water during bitter winter. It was finishing her chores in the middle of the night and going to the kitchen to gnaw down the cold steamed bun.
These memories were filled with laughter and sorrow…
The sound of laughter continued. Nobody knew that their unbridled laughter had finally ignited the girl’s resentment, which had been deeply buried in her heart, and made it slowly transform into a blazing fire.
Meng Fuyao inhaled again. Suddenly, a cold smile flashed across her face.
‘Enough!’

Affairs of life were so disappointing.
Compelling one to unsheathe one’s sword and bathe the world in blood.
She originally had her back to the arena but suddenly turned around. And then, Meng Fuyao casually picked up the sword that Eldest Senior Brother had dropped to the ground, striding to the man in black.
The entire field suddenly went still.
The wind blew from the chained mountain range, struggling free from the bonds of the trees, howling and whistling in the gigantic white stone arena. With the fierceness of stone, the mountain wind struck against the twelve giant bronze pillars in the martial arts arena with a large clunking sound, causing the vision of the bystanders to tilt and sway. It seemed that the vicious and ferocious four-legged beast sculptures on the pillars would surge forward at any moment to kill and devour.
Under the giant pillars, Meng Fuyao’s thin and firm figure stood with her back ramrod straight.
Although she looked frail, as if the wind would blow her away at any moment, at the same time, she gave the feeling of someone who was calm, collected and brazen. She was like the bronze pillars behind her back, strong and immovable.
Multiple burning gazes shot towards her, their meaning unclear. However, Meng Fuyao looked at none of them. She pursed her lips and tore off a strip of cloth from her robes, bounding it across her eyes.
The sword in her palm shone brilliantly, like a pool of clear autumn water. Under a hundred gazes that were filled with shock, amazement, and disbelief, reflecting the burning light of the midday sun, the sword slowly pointed towards the man in black.
The martial arts arena was strangely quiet. In the center of the arena, the man in black robes had his eyes closed while waiting. Suddenly he lifted his head, staring at Meng Fuyao deeply.
He had not even retracted his stare when at the next moment, the umber black shadow flashed before his eyes. A figure charged at him at an electrifying speed. As the movement and strength were both extremely fast and big, sounds of crackling and booming in the air could be heard indistinctively.
Her figure had not even arrived when a snow-white finger pierced the air and shot forward. The umber, black short sword at the tip of her finger glinted, a swift and fierce wind swept past, attacking straight at his eyes!
The single move encompassed swiftness, fierceness, and accuracy, while the angle of the movement was crafty, vicious and difficult to predict. It was normal to the opponent, but the entire Mystic Essence Sword Sect gasped in surprise, stunned.
The strength, angle, and speed of the move were perfectly balanced. In the whole Sect, apart from Teacher, it seemed that no one was able to execute it.
The young man in the center of the field smirked. He only needed to slightly move his heel and take three steps back. At the same time, he turned his palm, withdrawing his hands. A green steel longsword shot out from his underarms like a nimble snake, shooting straight at Meng Fuyao’s chest.
Both swords struck against each other, letting out a loud clang. The impact of the collision caused the crowd to tremble, even the fierce winds ceased.
The Sword Qi caused her hair to be loosened from the bun, and her black strands descended like mist. With a flick of her head, a strand of Meng Fuyao’s hair was caught between her red lips and white teeth. It was an astonishingly bright and beautiful sight.
The gaze of the young man in black, who was standing opposite Meng Fuyao, glittered. The longsword was held tilted, and within a split second, countless snow-colored arcs flashed. For Meng Fuyao that was charging forward, the strands of hair on her head were unexpectedly pulled straight and silently descended.
The descending hair strands formed a soft arc in the air before they disappeared in midair.
Everyone cried out in alarm, but the Leaders of the various Sects had understanding, yet amazed looks. It seemed like Meng Fuyao, who was charging forward unyieldingly, had used the Qi in her body to shatter the hair strands instantly, causing them to disappear. All along, firm and unyielding objects were destroyed easily while the soft and supple matter was difficult to break. What kind of internal martial arts did this girl practice that she was actually able to release the Qi in her body to virtually destroy matter?
The White Mountain Sect Master finally looked at the thin girl in the center of the arena. However, there was not much worry in his eyes. It could be seen that although the girl possessed outstanding sword techniques, her skills were still slightly inadequate. Being able to achieve this amount of skill at this age was a feat that would make others shocked and blush in shame. But everyone met exceptions. Compared to the Scarless Swordsman that had ample experience and an established name in the Jianghu, Meng Fuyao was still lacking.
Thinking of winning? Dream on.
He comfortably adjusted his position in his seat, smiling and stroking his beard.
In the field, after the first round where both were on par, with a blink of an eye, the two shadows were entangled in battle, one black and one umber black. Their movements were extremely swift, and the bystanders only felt that the powerful breeze was suffocating. The two figures resembled a pair of confused butterflies, black and umber black tossing and turning. On the spacious white stone floor, they left streaks of brightly colored light in a whirling dance. Wherever they passed, fine cracks would appear on the finished smooth floor, overlapping and extending, like a strange painting.
Looking at Meng Fuyao’s sword technique that was obviously more ingenious and powerful than that of the Mystic Essence Sword Sect, the members of the other Sects gradually felt confused. Not that the Mystic Essence Sword Sect’s members were any better as their jaw had dropped.
Was that the same Meng Fuyao that had always been ranked last in their sect’s competitions? Was she really the same Meng Fuyao that due to her lack of talent, had not even been allowed to practice the internal martial arts of the Mystic Essence Sword Sect? From where could she possibly have learned that agile and ingenious sword technique which was superior to any of the Mystic Essence Sword Sect’s techniques?
The Seventh Senior Brother, who had scolded Meng Fuyao earlier, inhaled deeply, mumbling,
The 100th move, even Eldest Senior Brother was not able to receive 10 moves earlier…

The Sixth Senior Brother beside him swallowed, the loud sound scaring even himself.
Within the commotion and cries, Pei Yuan’s expression changed erratically. She had just bullied Meng Fuyao into the ground, and at the next second, Meng Fuyao had demonstrated skills that not even she could match. Her face involuntarily turned a shade of green.
In comparison, only Lin Xuanyuan’s expression was the calmest and collected. His fingers lightly struck against the arm of the chair, pondering deeply.
The competition in the arena had already reached the end.
The green steel longsword abruptly broke through the umber black light, silently creeping close to Meng Fuyao’s wrist. Sliding smoothly like water, it struck straight for Meng Fuyao’s heart.
The strong winds were like string, with the desire to end a life.
However, Meng Fuyao suddenly faced the young man dressed in black that was charging at her and smiled.
She had been waiting for this moment. Her white teeth suddenly bit on the red lips and a pearl of blood as bright as coral burst out. Meng Fuyao circulated her Qi and blew out. The round drop of blood fused with the third skill level of the Cleaving Nine Heavens technique, shooting out electric fast.
The air in the surroundings became damp and heavy, condensing into a puff of white mist, before being dyed pink by the drop of fresh blood. The mist covered the eyes of the young man dressed in black, twisting and turning like a net, blocking his vision.