Chapter 553

Chapter 553: The Unbelievable Enlightenment of a Prodigy

The sword cultivators rejoiced at the sight of a figure floating down from the mountain peak, quickly controlling their flying swords to rush over.

“Senior Sister Gu has returned.”

“What a disappointment! Those light-minded suitors actually followed her back to the sect.”

“Li Bugui, that person just called you arrogant and challenged you to a duel. Senior Sister should choose her partner from within the sect.”

Gu Xuanji had returned from her travels, and nearly a thousand disciples gathered to pay their respects. The sect master intended to pass on the great position to her, which is why she is known as the young sect master.

This female cultivator practices the Willow Leaf Sword, emphasizing the principle of using softness to overcome hardness. Unlike other female sword cultivators who are straightforward, she does not simply cut down suitors she doesn’t like, but rather manages situations with finesse.

By using softness to tackle the hard, Gu Xuanji avoided being direct, resulting in a flock of suitors gathering around her, all of whom secretly despised each other while vying for her attention, creating a lively scene!

Li Hui glanced over with little interest; he had entered the Zhijian Sect to seek enlightenment, contemplating how to resolve cultivating the heart of Dao into demons, or finding a way for Dao and demons to coexist—not to admire beautiful women.

While he stayed out of trouble, some sought to make a name for themselves.

“I am the legitimate son of Xiongzhou’s governor. Today, I accompany Xuanji to the sect and must clarify this with you all: do not harbor thoughts about her. She is destined to marry into my family as the young mistress,” declared the man in the battle robe, standing in the air, gesturing around. “Who previously claimed they wanted to become her partner? Step forward and retract your words. Let’s settle this today. If you don’t, then don’t blame me for being rude.”

“Who said that?” a sword cultivator quietly asked.

“It was Li Bugui who said it while drunk—a careless joke he made. He often brags when drinking; no one ever takes it seriously, not even he remembers it afterward. This governor’s son only wants to make a show of authority.”

“Hmph, he’s using a chicken to scare the monkeys. Li Bugui is in trouble this time.”

People murmured, and sword cultivator Li Bugui squeezed into the crowd, raising his voice, “I didn’t say that; my junior brothers were joking. Since someone took it seriously, I had to step forward. By the way, if you want to scare the monkeys, you’d better make it look good. Why not suppress your cultivation to mid-Condense Essence? Then your victory would look impressive.”

The sword sects on the Geng Gold Continent operate on a two-hundred-year generation system. This means all disciples within two hundred years consider each other as brothers and sisters, regardless of their cultivation. Although Gu Xuanji is at the late-stage Bosa, almost reaching the All-Manifestation Realm, everyone still calls her Senior Sister.

The son in the battle robe threw his head back and laughed loudly, “Hahaha! What a little schemer! Do you need your enemies to suppress their cultivation before you dare to fight? I have cultivated to mid-stage Bosa and have a strong foundation. Don’t say I should suppress my cultivation to the Initial Condense Essence Stage; even if I suppressed it to the Initial Condense Essence Stage, I can still waste you with three swords.”

Gu Xuanji frowned and was about to speak when Li Bugui interjected, “You don’t need to suppress your cultivation to the Initial Condense Essence Stage; just be around my level. Fighting like this is dull. Let’s add a little wager. If I win, you must treat all the brothers and sisters in the sect to food and drinks for three days.”

“Rest assured, there won’t be such luck,” the battle robe man said as he immediately suppressed his cultivation to mid-Condense Essence and unleashed his attack, with blue-green sword aura sweeping across like a fierce wind, easily destroying everything in its path.

“Clang…” The sword aura erupted with a rumbling sound, creating gusts of wind that pushed the nearby crowd away. A mass of sword shadows rose into the sky, shining as brightly as the sun, and with a “whoosh whoosh,” thousands of swords shot out to envelop the man in the battle robe.

The sword cultivators were in an uproar. “Is that the East Rising Sword Technique? How did it change into this form in Li Bugui’s hands? It’s as if… it’s like the blazing sun.”

Usually, this sword cultivator, Li Bugui, who loved to drink and boast, had transformed. His posture was sharp and unparalleled, as he raised a hand to summon his green-patterned flying sword, scratching its blade with his fingernail to create dazzling sparks.

“Whirr whirr…”

The moment the sparks emerged, they produced a ringing sound, accompanying the sword’s body with a clear melodic ringing, suddenly diffusing into strands of sword silk.

“Is that Listening to the Sound of Refining the Sword? Why is it producing such a sword sound, creating this phenomenon?” The sword cultivators present had keen eyes, yet they couldn’t keep up with Li Bugui’s moves. The Zhijian Sect’s East Rising Sword Technique and Listening to the Sound of Refining the Sword extended from his mastery, with power that was unbelievable, striking faster than anyone could imagine, overpowering the man in the battle robe, leaving him unable to retaliate.

“East Rising Listening to the Sword Technique!” At this moment, sword cultivator Li Bugui astonishingly fused the East Rising Sword Technique with Listening to the Sound of Refining the Sword, tossing the flying sword into the air as it began to spin.

The sound of the sword erupted, and the sword body rubbed against the air, generating an immense amount of glaring sparks that burst forth in the sky like the brilliant sun punishing all creatures.

“No…” The man in the battle robe realized that he was completely outmatched and quickly recovered his cultivation to release his protective magical treasure while also summoning his spirit treasure flying sword.

A line of sword light shot straight toward the sun, fierce and unstoppable.

Li Hui changed the sword technique in hand, seemingly whispering, “East Rising Sound Technique!”

“Dong dong, dong dong, dong dong…”

The sound of the sword transformed into a bell sound, each strike quaking and reverberating, completely ignoring the spirit treasure flying sword as it attacked the man in the battle robe with sound attacks.

“Poof…” This governor’s son sprayed reverse blood, unable to believe he had been harmed, especially under the protective coverage of his prized battle robe. How could he be injured when the other’s cultivation was clearly not at the Bosa stage? Why…

Li Hui stepped back a few paces with his sword, prepared for the possibility that if this guy got too bold and Gu Xuanji didn’t intervene, he wouldn’t hold back. To him, killing a cultivator like this was no different than slaughtering thousands.

“Junior Brother Li, you have an incredible level of insight,” Gu Xuanji stepped forward, positioning herself between Li Bugui and the man in the battle robe, smiling, “It’s just a friendly spar, let’s not damage our camaraderie!”

Truly, the traveled female sword cultivator had reached the level of seamless deception—how could it still not disturb their harmony? Was she fooling ghosts?

“Hmph, good Zhijian Sect, just you wait…” The man in the battle robe called back his flying sword and turned to leave. Why would he stay? He had no face to remain!

“Loser pays up; where’s my drinking money?” Li Bugui called out, causing the man to hasten away, disappearing in an instant to the sound of mocking laughter.

Gu Xuanji kept a cheerful demeanor, thanking the nearby disciples, “Thank you all for your fondness toward Xuanji. I didn’t expect my Junior Brother Li Bugui to have made so much progress in swordsmanship, upsetting Lord Lin. I will need to properly discipline my Junior Brother later. We sword cultivators should be careful against pride and impatience; causing trouble will ultimately lead to no good.”

“Hahaha! I find this Li Bugui quite appealing! I didn’t expect someone could combine the Zhijian Sect’s Listening to the Sound of Refining the Sword and East Rising Sword Technique to such an astonishing degree. Such insight can be described as prodigious, no wonder he claims he wants to become paired with Xuanji,” a boisterous laugh emerged. It seemed simple-minded but actually aimed at stirring things up.

The sword cultivators’ eyes brightened, regarding Li Bugui with newfound respect.

Everyone knew that in the sect, Listening to the Sound of Refining the Sword and East Rising Sword Technique weren’t seen as anything special; but if Junior Brother Li mastered those profound sword techniques, what level could he achieve? Wouldn’t that be comparable to the Dao seeds of the powerful sword sects?