Volume Two: Snow over the Qin River Chapter Eleven: Swordplay Debates Among the Peaks (V)

Although anyone with a discerning eye could see that Wan Jiang’s desperate efforts were certainly not just for the sake of the Sword Discourse, no one expected him to point it out so directly on such an occasion.

Xue Qianzhang and Yuan Yulong acted as if they had not heard the remark, offering no response and showing not even the slightest shift in expression.

The Peak Master of Qianren Peak glanced at Xue Wuji, a trace of mockery on his face.

The Peak Master of Zhuyue Peak bit into the fruit in her hand and muttered to herself, "To make a mountain out of a molehill during the Sword Discourse... today’s youngsters really are quite dull."

Naturally, the various Peak Masters would not stoop to answering the question themselves.

Guan Men sighed, thinking that if Mou Linhan could be established as the Sword Heir, it would have been done long ago. Some of his juniors were truly clueless, daring to incite third-generation disciples to stir up trouble at such a critical juncture.

Thinking this, he sighed inwardly, but his face remained composed as he spoke: "This matter is unrelated to the Sword Discourse and will not be answered."

After a pause, he continued, "Let this be the only time. If anyone else commits such an error, they can go spend time at Sword Peak."

No disciple spoke, not even Wan Jiang, though his posture and gaze remained clearly defiant.

To everyone’s surprise, the one who broke the stalemate was Feng Qi.

He raised his hand and asked aloud, "Truth is only clarified through debate. Since Senior Brother Wan Jiang, as the second-in-command of Wuhen Peak, has this doubt, there are surely many others who share his thoughts... and besides, I, too, would like to know why."

The Peak Master of Zhuyue Peak looked at Feng Qi and chuckled softly, "I’ve said before that I like this kid; he really suits my taste."

Xue Wuji thought to himself, *Isn't that a bit of a double standard? When Wan Jiang brings it up, it’s a nuisance, but when Feng Qi does, it’s to your liking?*

Before he could speak, Yuan Yulong suddenly said in a low voice, "The law prioritizes strictness and clarity. I admire him."

With that, he glanced at Xue Wuji. "Judging by this attitude, he is more suitable to be the Law Sword than you."

Xue Wuji, who had never gotten along with Yuan Yulong, retorted angrily, "If I could appoint Linhan, I would have done it long ago. Wasn't it you who wouldn't allow it?"

Yuan Yulong replied, "I forbade it because it conflicted with the law, just as your failure to make the truth public also conflicts with the law. Besides, if my opinion is truly so vital to you, why do you insist on appointing Feng Qi?"

Xue Wuji knew he was in the wrong and sullenly turned his head away, offering no further rebuttal.

Xue Qianzhang sighed, looked at Yuan Yulong, and said, "The Sword Law speaks truly, but Linhan is a child of both fine character and talent; there is no reason to drive him to despair."

Yuan Yulong’s gaze grew colder. "Then he should never have committed such a sordid act in the first place!"

The dispute between the Peak Masters could not continue, as the deacon responsible for maintaining order at the Sword Discourse, unable to withstand the pressure, had reported the matter to Lin Yi. The elders, unable to reach a decision, had no choice but to escalate it to the Wen Dao Hall.

The atmosphere within the hall, seemingly calm but actually fraught with undercurrents, made Lin Yi wish he could throttle the deacon; likewise, he wanted to throttle Feng Qi.

*Always causing trouble for me.*

No one answered his query, and he could not simply leave. Just as he was sweating with anxiety, he suddenly heard Yuan Yulong’s voice.

"Let it be."

Four words.

It was unclear what exactly he meant.

Lin Yi did not understand either, but he dared not ask further. He had no choice but to depart with those four words and relay them to the deacon.

Zhou Shuai, hearing the message relayed by Lin Yi, was near tears. What exactly did the Sword Law Master mean? If he misinterpreted it, how severe would the consequences be?

With these thoughts, he left the platform where the elders were observing the swords, his expression pained, only to instantly switch to a look of stern authority upon reaching Xijian Creek.

"The matter you requested is unrelated to the Sword Discourse and will not be answered. The Sword Discourse shall continue. No one is to disrupt the order of the discourse for any reason; violators will be fined three months' salary and confined to Sword Peak to reflect on their mistakes."

The disciples found it hard to accept this conclusion, yet they had no choice.

Wan Jiang suppressed the resentment on his face, bowed to Wu Fan, and turned to leave.

Wu Fan did not.

His unpopularity stemmed from his arrogance. His arrogance, in turn, had led to his current state. And so, he was deeply indignant.

Indignant for Mou Linhan.

He fixed his gaze on Mou Linhan, then shifted it to the right.

"I know you, Feng Qi, the Heir of Yanbei."

Feng Qi didn’t understand why this guy was suddenly singling him out, so he remained silent.

Zhou Shuai frowned and asked coldly, "Do you wish to test the law with your own body?"

After a pause, he added, "I have already spent several months at Sword Peak. You can punish me for as long as you like; there is no need to be polite."

Zhou Shuai was furious.

Feng Qi suddenly realized a possibility, finding it rather interesting.

Sure enough, after saying that, Wu Fan immediately followed up, "Now, do you want to come down and spar with me, under the same conditions I had with Junior Sister Zihan?"

Feng Qi thought for a moment, deciding that although this was troublesome, it might prevent further complications.

Mou Linhan suddenly spoke up to stop him: "No. There are still two bouts left in the Sword Discourse. Wu Fan is a stubborn scoundrel, but you are not."

Just then, a voice rang out from Fenglei Peak: "Yang Lu of Fenglei Peak wishes to forfeit."

Immediately after, three more voices came from other directions:

"Ximen Jian of Fenglei Peak wishes to forfeit."

"Peng Dandan of Zhuyue Peak wishes to forfeit."

"Duan Jia of Qianren Peak wishes to forfeit."

Mou Linhan’s expression turned ugly, but Feng Qi had already stood up.

Mou Linhan said, "Junior Brother..."

Feng Qi interrupted him, saying earnestly, "It is no matter."

He drifted out. "Senior Brother, I forgot to tell you one thing... of all the things I have decided to do, from childhood until now, there hasn't been a single one I failed to accomplish."

He had dared to trick Steward Fei into entering the grasslands when he was only six; what was there that he dared not do?

A mere Sword Discourse.

What if he won? What if he lost?

Of course, Feng Qi did not believe he would lose.

Since he was a child, he had only lost twice. Once was against Feng Yue, when he was trapped and had no strength to fight back. The second time was against Zhou Zihan, when he was bound by his own hesitation and unable to exert his full strength.

While thinking of this, Feng Qi had reached the spot opposite Wu Fan.

"You won that last fight with difficulty; do you want to rest?" Feng Qi asked, appearing quite relaxed. "When you fought Zhou Zihan, you surely weren't in this state."

Wu Fan shook his head. "No need, because you cannot possibly be stronger than Junior Sister Zihan."

Feng Qi raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you lose to her?"

Wu Fan frowned.

Feng Qi continued, "You are in poor condition. Why not follow my suggestion? Otherwise, calling me down here serves no purpose other than to embarrass yourself."

The remark was arrogant, and Wu Fan was naturally provoked.

Before he could explode, the cool, clear voice of Zhou Zihan suddenly drifted down from Qianren Peak: "Accept his terms, otherwise you truly have no chance of winning."

The voice was so cold, the words so stinging.

Wu Fan became even angrier. A sharp aura radiated from him, and in Feng Qi’s perception, he seemed to transform into a sword himself!

The second form of the Qianren Scene, *Jian Jing*?

He didn't expect that after so long, he could still execute *Jian Jing* with such fluid ease. He was indeed a former Sword Heir.

With a slight shift in his thoughts, Qingshuang was already in his hand.

Although he deliberately concealed the aura of Qingshuang, its appearance was far too refined, and the Xueyun disciples were all connoisseurs of the sword; naturally, they could recognize its extraordinary nature.

"Wasn't his sword destroyed by Senior Sister Zihan? How does he have another one?"

"Could it be the natal sword he obtained by jumping into the Sword Pool? Although I can't sense its aura, it looks to be of very high grade."

There was much discussion, but aside from the Sword Heirs of each peak, few disciples could discern the true grade of the blade.

Mou Linhan shook his head, thinking it was unnecessary.

Qiu Yue’s eyes widened, thinking it was outrageous.

Zhang Chen licked his lips, thinking it was a waste of a treasure.

Sheng Yun let out a long sigh, thinking it was truly impressive.

On Qianren Peak, Zhou Zihan stood up abruptly upon seeing the sword, her face filled with disbelief.

*Didn't the Master say that Immortal-grade items were extinct?*

*What is going on?*

*Could the Master have miscalculated?*

*That's impossible, isn't it?*

She had followed the Master for years and had learned some geomancy and divination. Given the terrain of the Sinking Sword Pool, four Immortal-grade flying swords were the limit. How could there be a fifth?

She had never heard of anyone sinking an Immortal-grade flying sword. The person from the Qixue Pavilion had claimed they would do it, but hadn't that ended in nothing?

She could no longer sit still and rose to head toward Xijian Creek.

This battle was something she had to see with her own eyes.

More and more disciples began to guess the truth, and the senior disciples of the various peaks could no longer sit still either, rushing toward Xijian Creek. By the time they arrived, *Jian Jing* was fully formed.

The completed *Jian Jing* was not much different from the initial scene—it was still a simultaneous volley of ten thousand swords, and it still took the form of a cylinder. The difference was that its range was much wider, resembling a large coliseum.

Feng Qi’s eyes flashed, a glimmer of silver flowing through his pupils.

That was the Wuhen Sword Eye.

Immediately after, he took half a step back with his right leg, crossed his left arm over his chest, let his right arm hang slightly, and a hazy mist began to form behind him.

That was the Wusheng Sword Vault.

He hadn't even used this stance when fighting Zhou Zihan. There were many reasons, but primarily because the Wusheng Sword Vault was not the optimal solution in that situation.

This was not enough; a sense of Zen suddenly rose from his body.

That was the Immovable Zen.

The spectating disciples let out low gasps.

Although the Wuhen Sword Eye was subtle, how could it escape the eyes of Mou Linhan and Wan Jiang? Although the Wusheng Sword Vault was hazy, how could it evade the perception of Zhang Chen and Mei Qinghan?

Few people knew of the Immovable Zen, but could something that stood alongside the Wuhen Sword Eye and the Wusheng Sword Vault be anything less than another supreme technique?

"Junior Brother, are you sure he isn't a monk from the Chan Sect’s Tao Hongchen?" Yuan Yulong asked slowly after a moment of silence.

Xue Wuji said, "The Chan Sect has been extinct in Yanbei for ages, so how could he be one of those bald donkeys?"

After a pause, he scratched his hair. "Anyway, I don't think he is."

Xue Qianzhang suppressed their argument and said, "Whether it’s the Chan Sect or the Ji Palace, neither are our enemies. Since he is now a disciple of our Xueyun Sect, why worry so much?"