Chapter Thirty-Five: Nan Jiyun

Nan Jiyun showed no courtesy, launching an attack at the weakest among the six.

This approach was not without reason—the strength of the sword formation lay in its enduring power, and with enough attrition, even the most stubborn opponent could be worn down. If he could shatter the weakest link swiftly and disrupt the cohesion of the formation, his victory would come easily.

Yet these six wielded the Daoist Heavenly Gang Northern Dipper Sword Formation. The weakest link, fortified by the internal energy of the others, became the tip of a sword—sharpest and most dangerous.

Nan Jiyun, unable to break through after repeated assaults, lost his edge. Attempting to shift his attack elsewhere, he failed to pull back in time and was forced to face a barrage of blades thrust at him from cunning angles.

This was dire. Nan Jiyun seemed trapped in a mire; if this dragged on, exhaustion would soon bring defeat. Yu Lang felt anxious for him.

Nan Jiyun swept his sword and uttered a command to withdraw. Instantly, the swords in the hands of the six were pulled by a great force, drawn toward the mighty Jueque blade. The six poured all their internal energy into resisting, barely holding their weapons against the immense pull of the Jueque sword.

Even the swords of the idle onlookers, the young noblemen, were pulled toward Jueque, embedding themselves awkwardly in the earth, their blades bent as if bowing in submission to the supreme sword.

With the balance shifting, Nan Jiyun turned defense into offense, striking east and west with ease. The six, struggling with all their might, could only resist the tide of defeat, unable to mount any effective attack.

Yu Lang cheered inwardly, but was startled to find his own short blade unaffected by Jueque’s pressure. Did this mean Jueque only suppressed sword-type weapons? Or perhaps the Grindstone Blade was itself a treasure of equal rank. The thought excited him; his palm dampened with sweat. If his Grindstone Blade could one day wield such power, it would be truly formidable.

The nobleman was furious at the loss of his sword. He took out a talisman, bit his thumb, and let a drop of blood fall upon it, muttering incantations.

“You must not, young master! That sword talisman was gifted by the ancestor for your protection. Using it would endanger that man’s life!” The leader among the six guards shouted. He cared not for Nan Jiyun’s life, but feared violating the rules of the Moonwashing Academy’s contest—if the young master truly killed Nan Jiyun, he could never withstand the wrath of the Academy’s headmaster, whom even the ancestor could not affront.

But the young noble, spoiled and accustomed to getting his way, could not tolerate even the slightest humiliation. Seeing his beloved sword toyed with, his rage boiled over and he activated the sword talisman.

The talisman tore in the wind, unleashing an overwhelming sword intent that poured across the heavens.

The six guards hurried to dodge, lest the sword energy strike them by mistake.

Nan Jiyun roared, his internal energy surging within his sea of qi. The Jueque sword rang out, and he leapt to face the boundless sword intent head-on.

The barrier silencing sound was torn like brittle paper. The clash of two tremendous forces shook the entire wasteland, making the heavens and earth tremble.

At the entrance, Old Huang, the instructor, turned pale. “Who dares such audacity, to use a killing blow against their own? This… how can the sword intent of this strike be so powerful? Our new disciples at Moonwashing Academy could not possibly possess such strength.”

Du Fu frowned. “It must be a sword talisman. The ancestor’s grandson is on the mountain, so it’s not strange for him to carry a talisman crafted by the ancestor himself.”

“Headmaster, should we intervene?” Du Fu asked.

The old headmaster smiled. “No need. You sense it too, Nan Jiyun has broken through. Let’s watch a little longer.”

The other disciples deep in the wasteland noticed the commotion but none dared approach; instead, they fled farther away. Having witnessed such fierce sword energy, no one was foolish enough to stick their hand in the tiger’s mouth.

Nan Jiyun struggled to stand upright, only realizing after a while that he was still alive. He felt a profound weakness—his sea of qi was empty. Yet he laughed, weary but joyful. Since reaching the peak of Wandering Sea at twenty, he had dreamed day and night of the unattainable Void-breaking realm. Unexpectedly, the pressure of the ancestor’s sword talisman shattered the bottleneck that had plagued him for years.

The Void-breaking realm—his sea of qi dispersed, spread throughout his body, so that every part became a sea of qi. Not only could he refine the world’s spiritual energy into internal force as usual, but in battle he could directly channel the ambient energy for combat.

Panting, Nan Jiyun said to the others, “Leave your sources behind, don’t make me rough. Though I’m nearly spent, you know the means of the Void-breaking realm—without internal force, I can still subdue you by guiding the world’s energy.”

The leader among the guards showed no fear. “Nan Jiyun, try—can you still channel the world’s energy?”

“What do you mean?”

The nobleman sneered. “How could a mere mortal grasp my ancestor’s sword talisman? Though its sword intent is but half his strength and cannot take your life, it carries a sealing restriction. For at least two hours, you can only swing your sword about like a fool. Tsk tsk, judging by your state, you may not even have the strength for that. Take him!”

Though they trusted the ancestor’s talisman, the six guards remained cautious, reforming their sword formation and pressing in.

Nan Jiyun sighed, tossing out a wooden box holding thirteen ‘sources.’ “Here, take it. Since I broke through Wandering Sea and entered Void-breaking, the quota for marrow cleansing means little to me.” Those seeking marrow cleansing were either born lacking, like Yu Lang, unable to clear his dantian, or stuck at a realm for too long like Nan Jiyun.

Yet the nobleman was unwilling to let him go. “His rescue flare was destroyed by sword energy; he cannot call for help. Give him a proper beating! As long as no one dies, who can dare blame me?”

“You wretch! How dare you!” Nan Jiyun, depleted, could not even lift the Jueque sword; it fell with a clang.

“Understood!” The guards dropped their swords, about to bind Nan Jiyun for their young master’s vengeance.

Suddenly, a light whistle sounded behind the six guards. Turning, they saw the young master’s arrogance vanish.

Yu Lang had his short blade pressed against the nobleman’s throat, whistling idly—he had waited so long for this moment to make his entrance.

The six guards froze.

“You reminded me just now—as long as I don’t kill you, I can do whatever I want to your face and it’s not against the rules, right?”

The nobleman was vexed. “Name your price—anything but my source; I’ll give you whatever you want.”

“Sorry, but that’s exactly what I want.” Yu Lang plucked the source from the nobleman’s chest and almost simultaneously set off his rescue flare.

He withdrew his blade and spread his hands nonchalantly. “The senior in charge of reception will arrive soon, so, are you going to hit me?”

The nobleman raged and fretted. The ancestor had made many preparations to secure this quota for him, yet it was snatched by a nobody. Seeing the senior about to arrive, any rash action might get him expelled; he swallowed his anger. “Fine, fine… I, Zhu Yiming, will remember you, and we’ll settle this later!”

He was still speaking when the reception senior arrived. Zhu Yiming dared not threaten, only spat out the word ‘friend’ through gritted teeth, with no hint of goodwill.

Nan Jiyun patted Yu Lang’s shoulder. “I’ve heard Brother Lei Wanchun speak of you—he praised your unmatched cunning. Meeting you today proves it true. I’ll leave my source box to you.”

His gaze lingered on the Grindstone Blade in Yu Lang’s hand, and he whispered, “We failed to spot you because of your short blade. A man’s treasure invites trouble; your strength is lacking, so keep a low profile. You’ll be plagued if they notice. Ah, to protect Jueque, I’ve skirted death so many times over the years.”

With the nobleman defeated, the guards’ duty ended. Unwilling to let Yu Lang profit, they crushed their own sources and escorted the young master down the mountain.

From afar, Yu Lang saw Zhu Yiming berating the guards, perhaps blaming them for forfeiting and not venting his anger for him. But to those guards, their young master’s safety mattered most.

Yu Lang dared not linger, quickly gathering Nan Jiyun’s source box and hurrying to his hidden cave. Fortunately, the commotion had scared off many students, and the journey back was peaceful.

Inside the cave, Yu Lang felt something was off. Looking up, he was shocked to see a person hanging from the ceiling!