Chapter 376: Seeing Cheng Tianyang Again

Chapter 376: Chapter 183: Seeing Cheng Tianyang Again

He saw five words written in large script on the manual: Qianjun Jin Unbreakable Seven-Star Saber.

Jiang Ran’s expression was a little odd.

“This really does sound like a name he’d come up with.”

“This disciple of yours is something else. Usually, it’s the master who teaches the disciple martial arts, but in your case, the disciple is teaching the master.”

Tang Huayi said with a mischievous smile:

“From the looks of it, his intentions aren’t so pure. He claims to be your disciple, but in the end, he’s trying to make you inherit his legacy.”

“It is a bit interesting.”

Jiang Ran raised an eyebrow.

“Still, he found a good excuse. Since I’ve become his master and he’s asked me to help refine a martial art he created himself, how could I possibly refuse?

“But if he wants me to inherit his legacy… we’ll have to see if he’s got what it takes.”

Tang Huayi gave Jiang Ran an amused look.

“Well, you go on and compete with your disciple, then. I’m going back to rest.”

Jiang Ran nodded and returned to his own room.

He walked over to his bed and casually opened the manual for the Qianjun Jin Unbreakable Seven-Star Saber.

First, he read it from beginning to end.

It gave Jiang Ran a sliver of insight into the saber style.

The style was deceptively simple, containing only seven forms.

They corresponded to the seven stars of the Big Dipper.

The “Qianjun” part of the name referred to the style’s immense weight, while “Unbreakable” signified its impregnable defense.

Combined with the concept of the turning stars, it was truly brilliant.

After reading it through once, Jiang Ran began to study it in detail.

His current insight and experience were far beyond what they once were.

He had already mastered four moves of the Nine Shocking God Sabers, a truly peerless saber art ranked among the very best in the world.

Although the Qianjun Jin Unbreakable Seven-Star Saber was formidable, it was far inferior to the Nine Shocking God Sabers.

With various other divine arts at his disposal, his understanding of martial arts surpassed that of many top-tier masters.

After some research, he managed to find a few flaws. Furthermore, Jiang Ran felt that there was still something missing from the seven saber forms.

It felt incomplete… Yet, given Xuanyuan One Slash’s talent, it was odd that he hadn’t been able to take it a step further.

It was stuck in a nebulous, frustrating state.

With this in mind, Jiang Ran drew his Shattered Gold Saber and began practicing the Qianjun Jin Unbreakable Seven-Star Saber inside his room.

He practiced until the middle of the night.

He even had his dinner sent directly to his room.

Normally, for their first visit to Qifeng Manor, especially with an eminent martial artist like Xuanyuan One Slash among them, Qifeng Manor should have held a grand banquet to welcome them.

But Jiang Ran wasn’t some tyrannical King Yan. With their son in such a state, how could he ask them to force a smile for his sake?

So, when Feng Xianzhi invited them to a banquet, Jiang Ran declined. He told them to focus on taking care of Feng Wu and just have dinner sent to their respective rooms.

Grateful for Jiang Ran’s consideration, Feng Xianzhi came by personally to thank him.

Jiang Ran, engrossed in the saber style, offered a few brief replies before closing the door to continue his study.

By midnight, the room was filled with flickering candlelight. Layers of saber shadows, whipping up a heavy gale, enveloped every corner of the room.

Suddenly, Jiang Ran’s figure shifted through seven positions in succession, finally stopping in the Alkaid position.

He pressed down with his saber. In an instant, with his position as the focal point, afterimages carrying saber glints shot out toward the other six positions: Mizar, Alioth, Megrez, Phecda, Merak, and Dubhe.

They formed the shape of the Big Dipper!

With a mere thought, the afterimages and saber intent within the seven-star formation intertwined, flowing without end.

It lasted for a full three breaths before stopping!

Only then did Jiang Ran’s true form reappear. He flicked his saber and let out a light breath.

‘So this is the eighth form…’

‘The Qianjun Jin Unbreakable Seven-Star Saber is named after the seven stars, with one form for each star.

‘This eighth form is the union of all seven.

‘Its power far surpasses the first seven forms, but to execute it, you must first merge the saber intent of the previous seven to ‘build upon their momentum’.

‘Scholar Jingtan said Xuanyuan One Slash’s use of an Array was far-fetched, but that’s not entirely true.

‘Using the seven stars in the sky to correspond with seven saber forms and seven positions on the ground… it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call this style a peerless art.’

Thinking of this, he slowly sheathed his Shattered Gold Saber.

He considered that when he saw Xuanyuan One Slash tomorrow, he could teach him the eighth form he had just comprehended.

‘That way, we’d truly have a master-disciple relationship, not just one in name only.’

After tidying up a bit, he was about to lie down on the bed when his brow suddenly furrowed, and he looked up at the roof.

The next moment, a loud RATTLE echoed as someone seemed to tumble off the roof.

They landed right in the courtyard in front of his door.

Jiang Ran paused, stunned for a moment. With a sweep of his sleeve, the door flew open.

He saw two people scrambling up from the ground, about to leap away. But when one of them got a clear look at Jiang Ran’s face, he hurriedly exclaimed:

“Young Hero Jiang, so you’re here!”

“Huh?”

The other person was quite surprised. “He’s the one you were talking about?”

Jiang Ran, however, was surprised to see who it was.

“Chief Cheng, are you alright?”

Looking at the other person, he saw a young man in his twenties.

His white clothes were covered in dirt and stained with blood; he looked to be in a wretched state.

He was supporting Cheng Tianyang as he ducked into Jiang Ran’s room.

“An emergency, an emergency!

“This old man said you’re a great benefactor, so I figure you won’t turn us away.”

‘???’

Jiang Ran’s brow twitched. ‘Why does that turn of phrase sound so familiar?’

As he was pondering this, a voice called out from outside Qifeng Manor:

“Yan Wushuang of the Hundred Treasures Association has come to visit Qifeng Manor! I request an audience with Manor Lord Feng!”

Hearing this, a thought flashed through Jiang Ran’s mind. Seeing Cheng Tianyang and the young man brushing past him, he flicked a finger, striking the young man on the Jianjing acupoint on his shoulder.

However, that was only the beginning. In the space of an instant, Jiang Ran struck a total of eight acupoints on the young man’s chest and back.

The man was completely immobilized, his eyes darting about frantically.

“Wh-what’s the meaning of this? Aren’t you supposed to be a great benefactor?”

Cheng Tianyang was also stunned.

“Young Hero Jiang…”

Jiang Ran didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Chief Cheng, after all this, you’ve gone and brought a thief back with you?”