Chapter 11: The Decisive Battle in the State of Wei - Section 8: The Sword Saint of the Soul Sect (Part I)

Section 8: The Sword Saint of the Divine Soul Sect (Part I)

Li Qing was already well aware of his character. Hearing this, she sighed, "A minor martial sect like ours possesses no great abilities. We lack the power to serve the country by assassinating high-ranking officials and generals of the Zheng state, and we can do nothing. All we can do is sit back and watch the shifting tides of the situation. Though our hearts are cold and disillusioned, we could never do anything to harm the Wei state. Today, the wealthy merchant Chen sent someone to say that our sect owes him many favors, yet we cannot bring ourselves to agree to help him instigate a rebellion. Some disciples in the sect are deeply dissatisfied, believing our sect to be overly rigid and inflexible. What does Young Hero Li think?"

"It is not rigidity; it is blind loyalty. In my opinion, allowing the Zheng state to conquer such a country sooner rather than later is an act of benevolence toward the common people. Practicing blind loyalty only serves to bring disaster upon the innocent."

Li Yijian's casual remark struck a chord within Li Qing, plunging her involuntarily into self-reflection...

Seeing her distracted and assuming she was pondering some momentous matter, Li Yijian said, "I will not disturb the Sect Leader. I am going to the Pastoral Cottage to visit the Hero Wang and seek his guidance on the Dao of the sword."

Li Qing hurriedly rose to see him off, and as she watched him walk away, she could not help but smile and sigh inwardly.

Hero Wang was only in his thirties and held no fame in Border City, yet ever since her father was alive, he had always treated him with the utmost respect. The honorific title of "Hero" was merely a habit Li Qing retained from her father, as no one else addressed him thus. However, Li Yijian had hit it off remarkably well with Hero Wang, and after a single meeting, he made it a point to visit him frequently.

Li Qing knew that the camaraderie between men was not something she should intrude upon. Seeing that Li Yijian was always in high spirits upon his return each time, she simply let him be.

When Li Yijian rode his horse to the pastoral dwelling, he saw Hero Wang sitting right outside the house.

It was winter, and though the snow on this day was light, it drifted down in scattered flakes from the sky, carrying a sharp chill.

The man sitting straight in the courtyard had his clothes and hair covered in a layer of white snow. His long hair was not tied up in the usual manner, but hung loose and unconstrained, cascading past the stone stool he sat upon and brushing lightly against the icy, snowy ground.

This man was in his early thirties, yet he looked scarcely more than twenty. His features were refined and scholarly, and his expression was profoundly tranquil.

In this snowy weather, rather than warming himself by a fire indoors, he chose to brave the freezing cold out in the courtyard.

Li Yijian cupped his fists in greeting, placed his sword upon the snow-covered stone table, and seated himself uninvited. Ever since his bout with Wu Fei, Li Yijian had engaged in profound introspection, realizing that apart from sheer speed, his sword possessed nothing else worthy of praise. Relying entirely on his exceptional lightness kung fu, he had always been able to defeat every opponent he encountered with a single strike.

When he lost to Bu Jingxian at the Divine Martial Arena, he had not suffered too severe a blow, for the divine valor of the Northern Monarch was a rarity in this world, compounded by the Ninefold Divine Kung Fu. However, his defeat at the hands of Wu Fei made him realize that if he ever encountered an adversary whose lightness kung fu surpassed his own, his sword would be utterly useless; no matter how swift his strikes, he would never be able to get close.

Having met Li Qing in Border City and coincidentally befriended this Hero Wang, Li Yijian had sensed, from their very first meeting, the profound cultivation hidden beneath Hero Wang's stillness—a quality of sword intent that defied verbal description. He had immediately revered him as a master and frequently came to seek his counsel.

"Senior, last night I comprehended a few new stances. I humbly request your guidance, Senior."

"I have stated before, if you have doubts, I shall not conceal anything I know. However, I am still cultivating myself; how can I presume to instruct you? The martial arts of the Poisonous Dragon Swordsman are unique unto themselves and do not belong to the same path as what I practice, so I am utterly incapable of guiding you."

Hero Wang's reply was flat. While it sounded like an evasion, his tone carried no evasive intent.

"Very well, then I ask Senior to observe these few moves and share your thoughts!"

With that, Li Yijian picked up the precious sword from the table and began to execute the forms in the courtyard.

Scattered white snowflakes drifted down as sword lights flashed incessantly. The snowflakes falling within a radius of ten feet around Li Yijian were actually sliced into four pieces by his long sword. Moments later, sword qi surged and flew across the space, transforming the entire courtyard into a dance of black radiance, as terrifying as demons and ghosts.

Li Yijian sheathed his sword and asked for guidance with high expectations, "How does Senior find these few moves? Can they suppress internal kung fu masters with superior lightness kung fu?"

"Practicing the sword of assassination as a sword for duels lacks sharpness and fails to achieve true might."

In truth, Li Yijian already knew these moves were flawed. Falling to his knees and kowtowing, he pleaded, "Please, Senior, take me as your disciple and impart the sword of duels to me!"

"I cannot take you as a disciple."

Hero Wang remained unmoved by his grand kowtow, his response cold and indifferent.

"Could it be that Senior looks down upon my aptitude?" Li Yijian was utterly bewildered.

"Your aptitude is exceptional and exceedingly rare."

"Then why?"

"To be frank, and to advise you to abandon this vain hope, my martial arts shall never be passed on to *outsiders*."

Li Yijian's eyes widened in disbelief. He looked up and down at Hero Wang for a long moment before muttering in dismay, "Is Senior a member of the Undying Divine Soul...?" At that moment, his heart turned to ash. He knew that every single member of the Undying Divine Soul was stubborn to the core, inwardly viewing outsiders as alien beings. No matter how he pleaded, it was utterly impossible to make the man before him change his mind.

Watching the despair etched across Li Yijian's face, Hero Wang's calm eyes gradually took on a hint of pity.

"The martial arts of the Poisonous Dragon Swordsman are peerless under heaven. Why torment yourself by abandoning them to seek elsewhere?"

"The swordplay I wish to learn is not meant for plotting and assassination; what I want to learn is the Dao of the sword that can stand upon the Divine Martial Arena and claim the crown of the Martial Sovereign!" Having been adopted by the Poisonous Dragon Swordsman since childhood, Li Yijian had rarely heard his master speak of the past and had originally had no idea that the Poisonous Dragon Swordsman's martial arts belonged to the pinnacle of assassination. Realizing at this moment that the martial arts he had painstakingly trained in ran counter to his dreams, he was filled with both grief and despair. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he kowtowed, asking, "Please guide me, Senior! I am willing to become a member of the Undying Divine Soul!"

"Let things follow their natural course. To carry the nominal affiliation of the Undying Divine Soul merely for the sake of learning martial arts does not befit one of my path."

Li Yijian was gripped by a sudden surge of anxiety and helplessness.

At that very moment, the sound of hoofbeats rang out from outside the courtyard, quickly stopping at the front gate.

A gaunt man led a group of disheveled, raggedly dressed men and women into the courtyard, filling the greater part of it in an instant.

"You may return."

Helpless, Li Yijian stood up, cupped his fists in salute to the group, and bid his farewells.

After he left, Hero Wang glared at Chen Shui with an unfriendly expression and sternly demanded, "What are you doing here!"

"I have come to invite you out of seclusion." The newcomer was Chen Shui, and those accompanying him were entirely members of the Undying Divine Soul.

"Hmph!" Hero Wang let out a cold snort of disdain. "Although you have accomplished many things over the years and your daily life has never been luxurious—meaning you have not completely lost the soul's will—that does not mean I am willing to associate with you."

"I have come for the sake of the Divine Soul Will State, for the glorification of the Divine Soul Will, and so that fellow travelers across the realm may behold a clear direction for the realization of the Divine Soul Will."

"Oh? Do go on." Hero Wang slightly withdrew his stance of showing guests the door, listening quietly as Chen Shui explained the full matter, and finally fell into deep contemplation.

When Chen Shui finished speaking and saw that he could not reach a decision immediately, he took his leave, saying, "The Divine Soul Will requires the strength of a Sword Saint among the undying divine souls. The instructions of the Divine Soul Immortal need someone to put them into practice, and now the qualified leader has appeared. We cannot force your decision upon you, but I believe that the shared heart and shared conviction we possess will surely lead you to make the very same decision as us."

Long after Chen Shui and his entourage had departed, Hero Wang finally snapped out of his contemplation. He gently pressed his palm against the stone table. The next moment, as a cold wind blew past, the stone table billowed with powdered particles that drifted higher and higher with the wind, until the table itself gradually lost its shape as the dust flew away. With a single gentle palm strike, he had pulverized the stone table into fine dust that scattered with the wind in mere moments.