The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

Standing in the open space in front of the restaurant, Fang Bai looked around smugly. “I wonder who else can give me some guidance.”

Just as someone among the legendary figures on the first floor was about to teach Fang Bai a lesson and advance his own reputation, a green shadow emerged from the crowd and stepped into the open space. The newcomer cupped his hand in the other in a salute.

“I’m Qi Zhengyan from the Huanhua Swords Sect. Please show me some guidance, Brother Fang.”

“A Huanhua Swords Sect disciple? Why isn’t he famous?” That downstairs were stunned. The outstanding disciples of the Huanhua Swords Sect were well-known even if they didn’t make the ranking list. But this was the first time they had heard of Qi Zhengyan’s name.

The crowd burst into a heated discussion about Qi Zhengyan. Though the Huanhua Swords Sect was famous, but it wasn’t to the extent that a random nobody could come and challenge a listed master.

Just then, a clear voice sounded among the crowd, loud enough to rise above all the noise. “The Huanhua Swords Sect is a world-renowned sect and hide many of its talented disciples. We can’t possibly know them all. Since he dares to challenge Fang Bai, then I’m sure he definitely strong enough to do so. I’m looking forward to witness the Sword Art of Bright Moon Rising with Tide and the Sword Art of Afterglow and Autumn Water.”

Everyone turned to the person who spoke and saw that it was a young man in black attire. His appearance was dashing and he had a particular way of speaking. His voice was also loud and clear.

“Young man, have you seen the Sword Art of Bright Moon Rising with Tide and the Sword Art of Afterglow and Autumn Water?” One of the onlookers immediately asked.

Meng Qi put on airs. “Of course. I’ve just returned from Ying city. Master Lotus is truly distinguished in sword art and alcohol!”

“I see!” Everyone instantly became enthusiastic after hearing Master Lotus’ name. Even if they couldn’t see the true master himself, they still wanted to witness this two sword art with really redundant names.

Fang Bai, who didn’t want to fight a nobody, suddenly smiled. “I’ve been wanting to witness your sect’s sword art for a long time. Now that I’m blessed with this opportunity, how can I let it pass?”

Master Lotus was famed throughout the River East and there was no shortage of masters who wanted to challenge him, including Fang Bai. But he knew the extent of his capabilities. As a young master, he had just consummated his Inner World. After defeating a famous nine-acupores master with one Exterior claw, he barely managed to squeeze into the ranking list. Master Lotus, on the other hand, was said to have reached the Oneness of Heaven and Men realm. Besides, there were so many Exterior tricks up his sleeve. Fang Bai was inherently inferior to him and thus wouldn’t issue him any challenge until he opened his nine acupores. Doing otherwise would just embarrass himself.

Since that was the case, he should take every chance he got to apprehend the sword art of the Huanhua Swords Sect. Besides knowing himself, he should also know his opponent.

If not for this, he would have long died of exhaustion if he accepted all challenges issued to him.

His first impression of Qi Zhengyan was a young man dressed in green. Tall and strong, neither ugly nor good-looking. He was expressionless like a dead man. He didn’t look very strong.

Qi Zhengyan bowed again without a word. He held the hilt of his sword with his hand, his action so elegant like he was writing. It carried a hint of the ethereal quality of the Huanhua Swords Sect.

Fang Bai’s eyes brightened. He forgot any contempt he had for his opponent and activated his genuine Qi. He waited for Qi Zhengyan to make the first move.

“Nice!” Someone cheered. It was none other than Meng Qi.

“What’s nice?” Someone beside him asked.

Qi Zhengyan unsheathed his long sword, revealing the faint outline of the dragon strip and giving off a hint of grandeur. The legendary figures downstairs instantly stopped viewing him with contempt.

Meng Qi pursed his lips. “When Qi Zhengyan grabbed the sword hilt, his action secretly included four shifts and each change hid a way to unsheathe his sword. If Fang Bai attacked him while he was unsheathing his sword, he’d definitely block him. What’s more, the changes in his movements were profound. His behavior was elegant and casual, showing a hint of the ethereal quality of the Huanhua Swords Sect.”

“Outstanding indeed!” The crowd didn’t have the ability to recognize all this at all. They only realized this after hearing Meng Qi’s description. They then cheered in unison.

The legendary figures downstairs wore mixed expressions. Some were twitching. Some were trying to control their laughter. Some wore a scornful look. Qi Zhengyan’s movement was good but it wasn’t as great as described. Where did this guy come from? He seemed to have a good eyesight yet shallow insight.

“It’s a good sword with the dragon momentum. It’s at least an upper-grade refined weapon.” Meng Qi didn’t care for anyone’s opinion and continued to comment on the battle. The crowd hung onto his every word, feeling stunned and excited.

Fang Bai stood with his left foot forward and right foot backward. His body was bowed. His two hands turned into claws as if he was a real dragon that was about to attack. His momentum was introverted and deeply hidden.

“Fang Bai truly deserves his reputation. His claws are really like those of a real dragon. His momentum is deeply hidden inside, but he’ll unleash the thunderous force as long as he launches an attack.” Meng Qi intentionally made Fang Bai out to be extremely powerful. He knew that defeating a powerful rival would make Qi Zhengyan even more famous.

But he didn’t do anything despicable. Using Heart-reflecting, he came to know how Fang Bai’s genuine Qi operated. He also knew Fang Bai’s changes in the movements and backhands as well. If he mentioned these, Fang Bai would have to change his strategy and Qi Zhengyan wouldn’t feel happy even if he defeated Fang Bai.

Fang Bai’s genuine Qi changed drastically once it reached his fingers. No one would be able to guess which finger would play a prominent role until he struck. That was his true opinion. If he said this out loud, however, he would be provoking Fang Bai.

Fang Bai sneered, thinking what an ignorant man Meng Qi was.

It was only right for Qi Zhengyan, as the challenger, to make the first attack. He thrust his sword and demonstrated the Sword Art of Afterglow and Autumn Water, creating a desolated atmosphere where wild ducks were flying everywhere.

Fang Bai used his right claw to grab it with his fingertips fearlessly, emitting a strong wind. He only used his left claw when his right claw had control of the long sword like a fierce dragon rushing out of its cave.

They were so fast that Meng Qi couldn’t commentate on their movements one by one, so he became quiet for now.

Loud collision sounds rang as the sword and the claw continued to hit each other. Qi Zhengyan demonstrated his sword art in its entirety in the heated battle against Fang Bai.

Meng Qi inhaled and said, “Qi Zhengyan from the Huanhua Swords Sect is really good at his sword art, but not as so good as Fang Bai, the Cloud-rubbing Dragon. He’s at a disadvantage. He’ll absolutely lose if he doesn’t make any changes to his movements.”

The crowd knew that Qi Zhengyan had been maintaining a passive stance but Meng Qi’s explanation helped them realize that he was going to be defeated.

The legendary figures turned a deaf ear to such a shallow judgment. It was talking about pointing out the obvious!

Fang Bai looked excited and happy as he gathered his five fingers, fashioning his hand into the mouth of a dragon before hitting Qi Zhengyan’s sword and pushing it away. Simultaneously, he thrust his left claw at Qi Zhengyan’s chest.

The legendary figures immediately thought Qi Zhengyan was going to lose.

At that moment, Qi Zhengyan’s body glowed crimson. The glow was like dancing lotuses that instantly blocked Fang Bai’s claw.

“This…!” Meng Qi feigned “surprise”.

“What?” The legendary figures and the onlookers wore the same expressions. The only difference was that one was fake, and the other genuine.

Fang Bai was startled. But thanks to his rich battle experience, he didn’t panic. He merely stumbled a little and slanted to Qi Zhengyan’s side.

The afterglow that enveloped Qi Zhengyan made him look like an immortal. He thrust his long sword that was encased with a layer of ice and ushered in a snowfall.

The sword gleamed with sword light as it pierced the air, freezing everything nearby.

The scene was so splendid that it looked like something out of a myth.

Exterior? Half-step Exterior Scenery? Fang Bai was stunned and instantly felt that he had made a move with the wrong force. He plucked up his courage to use his right thumb to grab the sword light.

Snap! The bright sword light was broken but his right hand was frozen. He couldn’t help shivering when the cold seeped into his body.

He drove his genuine Qi and the sudden coldness disappeared instantly.

Everyone watched open-mouthed. How did Qi Zhengyan’s strength exceed the enlightenment level out of nowhere?

Just then, Meng Qi appeared “very excited” as he said, “His strength seems to be only at the enlightenment level. He didn’t show any signs of his Inner World being able to interconnect with his Outer World. It must be his extraordinary kung fu.”

“The Huanhua Swords Sect didn’t have such a Divine Skill. Could he have picked this skill up in his travels?”

“In ancient times, there were a few unique methods that could be used to affect heaven and earth in one’s enlightenment period. Could this be one of them?”

Hearing Meng Qi’s shocked and perplexed voice, realization dawned on the legendary figures. They were impressed by his knowledge.

But why had they never heard of such a Divine Skill?

“Does such a Divine Skill really exist?” The crowd was exhilarated. They never thought that existed a kung fu that could enable a master to affect heaven and earth in his enlightenment period.

Meng Qi replied confidently, “Of course! The Noble Spirit of the Wang family from Zhou County is an example. With the Noble Spirit inside his body, an enlightened master can affect the vast Noble Spirit of heaven and earth. If he uses it to improve self-cultivation, it will benefit him forever.”

The reason why he was explaining this wasn’t just because he wanted to have fun. He also wanted to explain that Qi Zhengyan’s Book of the Chaos wasn’t that mysterious. The Wang family from Zhou County had a similar kung fu, so did the ancient times. Rare as it was, it was at most an outstanding adventure.

Basically, he wouldn’t allow the crowd to make any assumptions and suspect Senior Brother Qi. If a lie was spread, it would be believed by the world.

His explanation would drastically reduce the likelihood of Qi Zhengyan being suspected. He could also introduce the Book of the Chaos to the world.

The legendary figures heaved a sigh after hearing the Noble Spirit. They actually forgot such a kung fu. They all envied Qi Zhengyan who had such a Divine Skill. If he was a disciple of other small sects, countless masters here would snatch his method at any cost. However, they could only lament that the Huanhua Swords Sect had obtained yet another Divine Skill.

Qi Zhengyan, on the other hand, didn’t plan on returning to his sect. He would only think about it when he becomes an Exterior master. By then, he would have a greater say. He could say that he could only practice using the crystal. That would allow him to avoid handing his Book of the Chaos over in exchange for other items. Besides, if the sect wanted to get such a crystal, they could look for another one. Or they could wait to get his condensed crystal after his death.

While Meng Qi was giving his explanation excitedly, Fang Bai had been forced into a dangerous situation. As the Icysnow Genuine Qi turned into flying lights, they were dancing to Qi Zhengyan’s sword art. Consequently, they made their ways to keep him away from Qi Zhengyan.

Fang Bai’s lips turned blue-black after blocking several attacks. His body was enveloped by the coldness and his movements slowed. Under the influence of the Book of the Chaos, he lost the ability to countermeasure.

He knew he couldn’t allow this continue. With his genuine Qi in full gear, his footsteps became subtle and light. On the surface, he appeared to be moving away from his opponent but he bypassed the bright flying lights to charge at him.

He lifted his hand and clenched it, his five fingers making five distinguished shapes: the flexible little finger, the simple ring finger, the forceful middle finger, the inexplicable forefinger, and the strong thumb. Together, they were like five real dragons. Though he didn’t trust them, the crowd felt like those fingers had pinched their rival’s lethal parts.

The fierce wind was like a sharp wind, piercing with the majestic might of a dragon.

This was his Exterior trump card, the Five Dragons Stretching Their Claws!

Qi Zhengyan remained calm as ever in the face of Fang Bai’s dragon-like momentum. He wielded his long sword and intensified the coldness around him. A layer of ice appeared beside Fang Bai, turning the ground slippery right away.

He used his Icysnow Genuine Qi to consolidate “The Thousand-mile Freeze”.

As the five dragons broke the ice, Fang Bai’s blood lineage became rigid and his actions stunted again. Qi Zhengyan knew that he had lost his forces, so he launched another attack to force him to admit to his defeat.

“Qi Zhengyan is using an Exterior ace card as well!” Meng Qi pretended to be shocked. “The Huanhua Swords Sect disciples are really exceptional!”

The legendary figures sighed internally. Disciples of the major sects were really strong. Even adventures were likely to befall them…

The crowd was in a heated discussion. They didn’t expect to witness yet another young man enter the Ranking List of Young Masters.

Fang Bai smiled bitterly. “Brother Qi, I don’t want to fight with you ever again. Your kung fu is such a bully.”

Qi Zhengyan struggled to return the smile. After a brief chat with Fang Bai, he turned down the invitations from the legendary figures with the excuse of seeing Doctor Zhong.

The legendary figures couldn’t stop twitching their lips when they see the black-attired young man leave with Qi Zhengyan. Two words came to their minds: how despicable!

“Very good! Based on your strength, you can enter the top 35 at the very least,” Meng Qi said excitedly. “Senior Brother Qi, what nickname do you want?”

Any nickname was possible now that he had the right to record confidential information!

But why didn’t such a nice thing happen to him back then?

Qi Zhengyan was momentarily quiet. “Junior Brother Meng, you’re better off not praising me when I’m fighting in the future.”

Meng Qi was surprised. “Huh? Why?”

Qi Zhengyan exhaled. “You were too exaggerated and so were your praises. And you’re someone I know too. I felt ashamed and couldn’t concentrate…”

Meng Qi sighed, reflecting upon himself. He still wasn’t comparable to Brother Wang Zai…

Soon, the two of them arrived at the Zhong family mansion and handed their visiting request to a servant.

The servant didn’t report to his master, refusing them directly by saying, “Please return. Our Master has been in a bad mood lately.”