Chapter 94 Absolute Blade

Chapter 94: Chapter 4: Absolute Blade

The western outskirts of Coastal City.

Carrying a sword box on his back and a protective gear case in his left hand, Feng Yin stepped out of the car after Xie Jingyuan and Xiao Yu.

"Look, First Junior Brother! This is Coastal City’s Songqing Lake. Isn’t it huge?"

Feng Yin looked down. A vast depression stretched out in his field of vision, cradling a sizable lake in its lush, verdant center. The water’s surface shimmered under the gentle breeze. Three small boats dotted the lake, their occupants visible only as faint silhouettes.

Xiao Yu tugged at his arm, pointing toward an elegant courtyard compound near the shore. "That building is the Absolute Blade Sect’s arena." She tilted her small chin up. "Picturesque mountains and clear waters... The Absolute Blade Sect sure knows how to pick a location. They have way better taste than Master, who just plunked us right next to our corporate headquarters."

Beside them, Xie Jingyuan smiled in amusement. "Xiao Yu, it isn’t very nice to badmouth your master right in front of him."

Xiao Yu quickly laughed it off. "I was just joking! Master has excellent taste. If you didn’t, how could you have taken in two amazing disciples like Feng Yin and me?"

"The scenery here really is beautiful..." Feng Yin replied casually, looking up at the surrounding mountains. He mentally calculated how many wild boars might be roaming those peaks.

Truthfully, in the two days since returning from Level 5, he had ventured into other mountains on the outskirts and slaughtered dozens of wild boars, completely restoring his Blood Volume. He was genuinely worried that a few more trips would wipe out the local wild boar population entirely.

"Brother boars, it’s not that I’m targeting you," he thought. "It’s just that hunting any other qualifying wild animal is illegal... If only I could get a job at a slaughterhouse."

However, Feng Yin knew this idea was a pipe dream. After returning to Celestial Essence, he had researched the matter. Let alone a major metropolis like Coastal City, even the slaughterhouses in smaller towns had long since transitioned to fully automated processing. The entire procedure was an assembly line operation, requiring zero bloody, hands-on work from the employees. With his limited knowledge and restricted status, hunting wild boars was genuinely the only viable way he could think of to restore his health in the short term.

"Let’s go, let’s go," Xiao Yu urged, unconcerned with whatever Feng Yin was pondering. She pulled him down the paved stone stairs. "Let’s see what kind of big shot this Nie Fei is."

Watching his two disciples—one energetic, the other stoic—getting along so harmoniously, Xie Jingyuan shook his head with a smile and calmly followed.

As they approached the lakeside compound, Feng Yin realized the facility was actually quite expansive, easily rivaling the grounds of their Gangrou Sect. The entire building was three stories tall, exuding an antique charm. A wooden plaque hung above the main entrance.

[Absolute Blade Hall]

The wide-open doors revealed a formally dressed, beautiful receptionist at the front desk.

"Come on! Let’s go crash their dojo!" Xiao Yu declared triumphantly, tugging Feng Yin toward the entrance.

Feng Yin sighed helplessly. "Even if we’re here to challenge them, do we need to be so arrogant? Aren’t you afraid they’ll beat us so badly we won’t be able to leave?"

"What am I afraid of?" Xiao Yu smirked wickedly. "I am the Third Miss of the Xuan Guang Group. Who in Celestial Essence would dare lay a hand on me? You don’t need to be afraid either..." She beamed with smug satisfaction. "Master said that as long as he’s here, no one will dare bully the weak or gang up on you."

"That’s enough." Beside them, Xie Jingyuan lightly pressed a hand down on his dramatic little disciple while pulling out his phone to dial a number.

The call connected quickly, and a booming, hearty voice rang out from the speaker, "Hey, Old Xie! Are you here?"

Xie Jingyuan smiled faintly. "Old Ding, come out and receive your guests."

"Heh, looks like you really did find yourself a good disciple if you’re in such a rush to show off to me," a burst of teasing laughter came through the line. "Wait right there. I’m coming out."

Soon, a towering figure appeared at the main entrance. He was a middle-aged man standing around 1.9 meters tall. He possessed a burly physique, with a panther-like head, wide round eyes, a strong jawline, and a bristling tiger-like beard. The moment Feng Yin saw him, he was instantly reminded of a fierce general from the *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*.

Spotting Xie Jingyuan at the door, the man immediately strode over with a tiger-like gait. Before he even reached them, he let out a hearty laugh that rumbled like thunder, "Old Xie! Long time no see!"

He spread his arms wide as he approached.

Xie Jingyuan matched his smile, opening his arms to embrace the fierce warrior. "Old Ding, why does it feel like you’ve gotten even bulkier?"

"I eat well and sleep soundly. I don’t worry as much as you do, so naturally, I pack on the meat." Ding Qi gave Xie Jingyuan a forceful squeeze, but failed to budge him in the slightest.

Xie Jingyuan shot him a sidelong glance, a half-smile playing on his lips. "Ding Qi, you’re an old man now. Still playing these childish games to try and embarrass me?"

"Hahaha, you old monster. Your internal energy has grown!" Ding Qi released his grip with a boisterous laugh. He then turned his attention to Feng Yin and Xiao Yu. "I recognize the little lady, the young miss of Xuan Guang. So, this unfamiliar kid must be your new disciple?"

He scrutinized Feng Yin for a moment. "A handsome lad. Not any worse than that kid from last year." Scratching his head, he thought for a second. "Was that kid named Ren Bai, as in ’one hundred’?"

Xiao Yu stifled a giggle and corrected him, "Uncle Ding, it’s Ren Bai, as in ’white.’ He was last year’s Rising Star Champion."

Ding Qi nodded repeatedly. "Right, Ren Bai. His mastery of the Penglai Marvelous Sword was quite impressive. He should have already been accepted into the Penglai Martial Pavilion by now, right?"

Ren Bai, Penglai Martial Pavilion...

Feng Yin recalled this information. The Penglai Martial Pavilion was an entity on the exact same level as the Yin Yang Sword Sect, which was the superior organization of the Gangrou Sect. It was one of the four supreme sects of Celestial Essence Country, headquartered right here in the East Ascending District, where Coastal City was located.

Ding Qi looked back at Feng Yin. "Kid, what style do you practice?"

Feng Yin glanced at Xie Jingyuan, who returned a reassuring smile. He then answered Ding Qi, "Uncle Ding, I am Feng Yin. I study the Cyan Dragon Secret Sword lineage under my master."

"Feng Yin. Bit of a tongue-twister." Ding Qi smacked his lips. "You seem a bit dull, too."

Xiao Yu instantly jumped to Feng Yin’s defense like a mother hen. "Uncle Ding, Feng Yin isn’t dull! He only speaks less because he lost his memory!"

Ding Qi watched Xiao Yu’s fiercely protective display and suddenly chuckled. "I get it. You two are a couple."

That single sentence caused Xiao Yu’s face to flush beet red.

Xie Jingyuan shook his head with a light laugh, interrupting Ding Qi’s teasing. "Alright, you disrespectful old coot. Are you just going to keep us standing outside like this? Don’t tell me you’re scared?"

Ding Qi’s tiger-like eyes instantly widened in indignation. "Me, scared? You have no idea how ferocious my disciple is! Come on, get in here! We’re gonna beat the crap out of this disciple of yours!" He quickly turned to Feng Yin. "Haha, I’m just trash-talking Old Xie, no offense to you, kid."

Feng Yin’s mouth twitched. Unsure of how to respond, he opted for silence. Meanwhile, Ding Qi had already turned around, leading the way into the Absolute Blade Hall.

Xie Jingyuan patted Feng Yin’s shoulder. "Alright, let’s go. Ding Qi is just a blunt guy. Don’t take his words to heart; just knock his disciple flat later."

Xiao Yu followed, huffing angrily. "That’s right, First Junior Brother! You need to completely flatten his disciple to get even!"

Up ahead, Ding Qi’s ears twitched. Unwilling to yield, he turned his head and hollered back, "Not a chance! If you want to beat my beloved disciple Nie Fei, even bringing that Ren Bai kid wouldn’t be enough!"

Xiao Yu stuck her tongue out and made a face at him. "Bleh! Bickering with a kid like me—have you no shame?"

Choked by Xiao Yu’s retort, Ding Qi momentarily faltered before firing back defensively, "Haha, I guess beauty really is in the eye of the beholder!"

Xiao Yu’s small face immediately flushed red once more.

"This crude old man is so annoying with his lack of a filter!" she thought. She stole a secret glance at Feng Yin, only to find him looking right back at her, a gentle smile gracing his features. Xiao Yu’s eyes darted away, but she couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from curling upward. "Hmm... I suppose this Uncle Ding isn’t so bad after all," she thought.

The group bypassed the front desk and walked down a rather long wooden corridor before arriving at a spacious arena. They could already hear the shouts and the clatter of metal striking protective gear echoing from within. Feng Yin looked up to see a horizontal plaque above the entrance, inscribed with the words [Martial Arts Arena].

"Come on in. My disciple is currently guiding the other students in live combat." Ding Qi chuckled and yanked the heavy wooden doors open.

The scene inside instantly unfolded before Feng Yin’s eyes. Shouts, the clash of weapons, the thud of running footsteps—a wave of chaotic noise washed over him. The crowd surged dynamically. At a glance, there were at least thirty or forty people present.

The majority were burly, thick-waisted men, all clad in matching, sturdy protective gear and wielding narrow, long curved sabers. They formed a wide encirclement, roaring continuously to boost their collective courage as they charged in unison toward the center. From the heart of the ring came the rapid, continuous sound of a blade slashing against armor. The strikes blurred into a high-speed cacophony, punctuated by synchronized, muffled grunts of pain.

With his excellent eyesight, Feng Yin could spot a lithe blur of Red Armor flashing through the gaps between the crisscrossing figures. His gaze narrowed, momentarily stunned.

The next moment, as if sensing their arrival, the red-armored figure let out an explosive shout. The curved saber in their hands danced, weaving a torrent of silver light that splashed out like water. With a single surging dash, the figure knocked the weapons out of every attacker’s hands. In the very instant their weapons were sent flying, the figure’s sharp blade gracefully grazed each of their vital points. Everyone in the path collapsed, clearing a thoroughfare that spread outward like falling dominoes.

Having broken out of the siege, the red figure charged forward and arrived right in front of Ding Qi in the blink of an eye. The next second, silver light exploded outward as the red figure unleashed a brutal vertical slash aimed directly at Ding Qi.

Ding Qi simply laughed. His left hand, seemingly moving without effort, extended to meet the strike. His thumb and index finger casually snapped shut, like a trap waiting for a hare.

CLANG.

The curved saber stopped dead in its tracks, clamped immovably between his fingertips. The Martial Arts Arena plunged into dead silence.

Only Ding Qi spoke, nodding in satisfaction. "Not bad, not bad at all, my good disciple. Your blade has gotten even faster."

From beneath the faceplate of the red armor came a voice. "The gap between us remains as vast as an impassable chasm, Master."

The tone was as frigid as frost, yet as crystal-clear and melodic as a mountain spring. Feng Yin paused slightly. Beside him, Xiao Yu’s eyes widened drastically, and she couldn’t stop herself from crying out, "A woman? Nie Fei is a woman?!"

Feng Yin looked at Xie Jingyuan, his eyes filled with confusion.

Xie Jingyuan offered a slight smile. "I don’t recall ever mentioning that Nie Fei was a man."

At that moment, the figure in red armor removed their helmet, revealing their true face. It was an impressively androgynous beauty with skin as pale as paper, features sharply chiseled as if carved by a knife and axe, and a gaze as piercing as a blade. She was exceptionally tall, easily standing around 1.8 meters. Her figure was completely obscured by the red armor, making it nearly impossible to discern any curves. If it weren’t for the dark red high ponytail tied behind her head, anyone could have easily believed she was a man of peerless beauty.

The young woman turned her head, her blade-like gaze stabbing directly into Feng Yin’s eyes as she asked coolly, "Are you my opponent?"