Why do I have so many masters?-Chapter 606 - 228: Sword Discussion (Two-in-One)_2

Although it was a mechanized body, its material was neither gold nor jade and similar to that of a human. When his consciousness attached to it, the difference from his true body was not very far; in fact, it bore a certain resemblance to the Taoist Sect's method of creating an illusory body.

The elderly gentleman at the dinner table had not inquired about the origins or identities of Wang Anfeng and the others, as he seemed to have great trust in his grandson and did not believe that anyone Mei Wangsheng associated with would pose any problems, simply urging them to eat more and drink more.

He spoke extremely kindly, using a gentle Jiangnan-accented voice to introduce the dishes on the table to Wang Anfeng and the others, and his occasional questions pertained only to matters of book learning, such as whether they had read certain books or had any areas of confusion.

Wang Anfeng himself had not abandoned his studies over the past several years.

It was only in these last few years that he had realized, although he had not spent a very long time at the Fufeng Academy's Wind Character Tower, Master Ying had not been idle. He had long since employed other means to replicate the complete collection of treasured texts for which the Fufeng Academy's Wind Character Tower was renowned. Over the years, Wang Anfeng read these texts daily and responded with ease.

Lin Qiaofu had been reading books since a young age and was no worse off than he was, but Wang Anfeng had not expected the ever-serene Gong Yu to have astonishing insights into the Taoist Scriptures, and Yuchi Jie had a good understanding of military treatises and geographies. Perhaps the old man had not dined with so many young people in a long time, and he often smiled, nodding continuously.

After dinner, it was not yet completely dark, and the Jiangnan scenery at dusk held an additional allure. Lv Baiping accompanied Lin Qiaofu to admire it outdoors, while Yuchi Jie ran off to Mei Wangsheng's study, requesting to borrow some military and geography books.

Books in a noble clan like the Mei Family, annotated by who knows how many generations, were invaluable. Nobody knew how Yuchi Jie had managed it or whether Mei Wangsheng, out of respect for his ancestor, had generously agreed to his request.

He was permitted to take three to five antique and solitary books back to his own courtyard.

Wang Anfeng sat under the pavilion in the courtyard, discussing with Gong Yu their thoughts on swordsmanship as usual. When it came to the flow of Sword Intent, Gong Yu shared everything without reserve, minutely analyzing the content of the Sword Sutra taught to disciples in Qingfeng Edge, which referred to a part of the "Feathered Robe Sword."

The two moves it detailed, one called "Welcoming Wind Dusting off," and the other, "Approaching Crane Cleansing Spring," were both supreme methods of swordsmanship, each with a different artistic conception yet the moves were diametrically opposed. The Sword Intents, however, were similar. They discussed how a myriad of moves were merely external, like flesh and bones, but only a thread of Sword Intent that touched the soul could make a sword truly spirited.

Wang Anfeng was contemplating the flow of Sword Intent when, upon hearing this, he countered, saying that, although Sword Intent was top-notch, it still required the execution of sword moves. Otherwise, it was nothing more than a castle in the air. If sword techniques were neutralized and one was unable to use them, Sword Intent would be as futile as possessing a treasure one cannot use. Then what was the point of calling it supreme?

Gong Yu frowned.

Wang Anfeng stood his ground just as firmly.

Move by move, they sought victory through words alone.

Taishu Jian listened with rapt attention as if he saw thousands of swords crossing and weaving before him, showering down thirty thousand zhang of Sword Qi like a waterfall. Hong Luoyu, however, found it boring and thought that if the two continued like this, they would argue for a long time without reaching any conclusion.

Before another round of debate began, Hong Luoyu finally couldn't help but hold his forehead, sighing and flicking out the flower petals in his hand. They struck precisely in the middle of the stone table between the two, embedding halfway in and drawing both of their attention.

Wang Anfeng turned his head to look.

Hong Luoyu was leaning against the pavilion railing, sighing and saying,

"If you really want to know that badly, why not just have a sparring match here?

"You don't have to use your weapons, don't rely too much on Inner Strength, Anfeng. You just use pure sword moves to fight, while you, Miss Gong Yu, rely on Sword Intent. What do you say? You are both martial artists; there's no need to act like those scholarly literati who play the hero with words."

His voice paused slightly, and Hong Luoyu continued,

"Besides, we have seen many things on our journey.

"After several ambushes and encounters, you two discuss swordsmanship and Sword Intent every day, and we are indeed curious whether you have made any progress during this period."

We?

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Wang Anfeng blinked and his expression subtly changed.

Taishu Jian, thinking that Hong Luoyu included him in this "we," also looked surprised, then eagerness rose within him. For him, witnessing these two spar was a rare opportunity.

Something stirred in Wang Anfeng's heart. After reaching the Sixth Rank as a martial artist, one's strength was increasingly dependent on the comprehension of Martial Arts and the Martial Dao, and the role of cultivating Inner Strength based on one's constitution was greatly diminished.

The Middle Third Rank was divided into three levels—Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth. The deeper the comprehension, the faster the martial skills progressed. Recently, Wang Anfeng had conversations about swordsmanship with Gong Yu every day. She had been completely open about the secrets of the Sword Dao in Qingfeng Edge, and Wang Anfeng felt he had learned a great deal but had no way to test his knowledge.

Glancing at Gong Yu, he caught a glimpse of readiness in her eyes and asked,

"Miss Gong Yu... what do you think?"

Gong Yu pondered briefly and then nodded, saying:

"Sure, but the weapons..."

Hong Luoyu patted his hands and laughed, "The matter of weapons is easy to discuss, very easy. You two just wait here, I'll be right back."

With a flick of his palm, he had already produced two swords, as if he had never been away at all. Gong Yu and Taishu Jian were more or less filled with astonishment; such lightheartedness was something they had never seen before and could be considered unmatched in the world.

Wang Anfeng, however, only felt a throbbing at his temples, and for a moment, he actually had the urge to pick up a teacup from the stone table and smash it hard against that smiling face.

Only he knew that Hong Luoyu, who appeared not to have left just now, had in fact never left; a flick of his palm was simply a ruse to pull out two longswords from the Shaolin Temple, the most rudimentary blinding technique in Jianghu.

But because Hong Luoyu had previously demonstrated extremely amazing Qinggong skills when dealing with the master of a famous sword, Gong Yu and Taishu Jian were preconceived to believe it was due to Hong Luoyu's movement being too fast for their eyes to catch, without giving it further thought.

Wang Anfeng walked up and took the two longswords from Hong Luoyu's hands, lowered his voice, and said through gritted teeth, "Third Master, you are being too bold..."

Aren't you afraid of being discovered by others?

Hong Luoyu was unconcerned, waving his hand dismissively, "No one has discovered anything, hey, what are you worried about?"

"Let's talk about it when we are discovered."

Wang Anfeng's face was somewhat blackened, but before he could continue speaking, Hong Luoyu had already tossed the other sword to Gong Yu, clapped his hands, and raised his voice with a laugh:

"All right, these two swords are what I got from a cold-hearted guy; they are as tough as stubborn iron, with inner strength hardly flowing through them, which can remind you not to rely too much on your Inner Strength. Remember, one of you uses sword moves, and the other uses Sword Intent."

"This courtyard looks good, so let's spar here."

Wang Anfeng frowned and said, "Here?"

"Isn't it better to go out of the city? After all, this is Mister Mei San's residence. Mister Mei San has allowed us to stay, and if we damage his courtyard, it would be far too impolite."

Hong Luoyu curled his lips and said:

"You really have a lot of concerns. Fine, fine, don't glare at me with those big eyes, it will be as you wish, alright? I, as your master, will go call that scholar… You have really picked up a lot of annoying habits from that monk."

"You two get familiar with the swords in your hands first; I'll be right back."

Hong Luoyu patted the hem of his garment, flipped over the railing of the pavilion and landed on the ground. His figure paused for a moment, then slowly vanished before everyone's eyes.

This time, he had truly left, leaving behind only an afterimage created by his excessive speed.

Wang Anfeng withdrew his gaze, held the sword grip in his right hand, and gently caressed the blade while softly chanting.

The sword had eight sides, wide and heavy, obviously the kind of sword weaponry he was accustomed to using; however, the material used seemed somewhat special. Indeed, as Hong Luoyu had said, the flow of Inner Strength was extremely sluggish, hardly retaining a tenth of its normal efficiency.

Glancing at Gong Yu, the sword in her hand was nearly identical to the one she usually used; the sword blade was slightly narrower, but it made the longsword appear lengthier.

Gong Yu looked up when she noticed Wang Anfeng's gaze.

Wang Anfeng gave a slight smile and nodded, lifting the sword in his hand and saying softly:

"I never thought there would be such a day."

He held the longsword upside down with his right hand.

His left hand indicated Sword Finger, resting on the grip, slightly leaning forward.

The longsword hummed softly, its tone clear and piercing.

"Miss Gong Yu, please enlighten me..."

PS: Today I'm offering two parts in one; the writing was a bit stuck, so there are fewer words. Please bear with me... It turns out that from June 2nd to June 6th means there will be a catch-up day, and June 6th is included. It seems that the commenting function for this chapter will be activated tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock...