581 Subduing Power (2/2)

”Hide in the dark, and watch my back.”

Liman's kung fu wasn't bad, but he was not a killer. So the one Gu Shenwei was truly relying on was still Wild Horse.

”Where's Lotus?” Wild Horse gestured.

”She has other duties.”

Liman finally accepted the Dragon King's style and didn't ask more. He knew it was a test, and that he and Wild Horse had to use the opportunity to gain the Dragon King's real trust.

So he could only keep his doubts to himself and carry out the Dragon King's orders.

The 'Dual Wielder' had come again to the slums to challenge people. As soon as the news spread, someone rushed to accept it. Chu Nanping didn't have to run around this time. He found an open space and patiently waited for his opponents.

Gu Shenwei stood in the dark to watch. After each competition he would call Chu Nanping over and whispered a few words, pointing out some mistakes and flaws.

Liman and Wild Horse stood guard about ten steps behind the Dragon King, back to back, each watching different directions. To prevent them from being recognized, the two of them were wearing long cloaks.

To Liman's surprise, although the competition had no rewards, there were many participants. And as time went by, the challengers that showed up grew more and more powerful. They were not here to make a name for themselves because the names they announced were all fake. Some of them even made a move as soon as they entered the field and left just as quickly after being defeated, all without saying even a word.

The boy's sword techniques surprised him even more. Liman had heard about what happened last night, and he thought that Chu Nanping's sword techniques would be extremely fierce and swift, but what he saw was rather bland and obvious. The teenager randomly waved his sword out of order, but he could still win every time.

Within two hours, Chu Nanping had fought eight rounds and won all of them, but he didn't kill even one person.

More and more people started to gather. From the pointing and whispering of the onlookers, Liman found that the others had the same doubts as him. Just after one day, why would the teenage swordsman who had fought so ruthlessly yesterday become so polite today?

Chu Nanping was following the Dragon King's suggestion.

Gu Shenwei had long since given up the Emotionless Swordsmanship. He was instead teaching Chu Nanping a fundamental truth that to really master a power, one must be able to control and use it at will. Chu Nanping had released his power last night to feel its strength, and now he wanted to bring it under control.

This was why he had held it back for each sword move so that he could choose to kill or not kill. Chu Nanping chose to not kill because the Emotionless Swordsmanship required the practitioner to sever all emotions, even the murderous heart.

As Liman's doubts rose, he almost forgot his duty as a guard. He focused on watching the competition and listening to the crowd, and then asked himself again and again what was so peculiar about the teenager's swordsmanship? Did the Dragon King have other motivations behind this besides training the swordsman? Among the onlookers, there were many experts who didn't intend to compete; why they were standing there and wasting time?

Actually, Liman wasn't able to tell who were real kung fu experts, but he had recognized over a dozen people from the crowd, who were all 'warriors' recruited by the kings. Those people didn't live in the slums. They had come all the way here to watch the fight but didn't join it.

'The Dragon King is preparing bait.' Liman finally came to his senses. But as for the target, he was still confused.

As he looked at the Dragon King who was of a similar age to him, Liman was filled with both curiosity and admiration. He suddenly felt a chill in his heart and regretted every disrespectful gesture he had made before. He had to warn his father and King Rizhu that the Dragon King was not that easy to deal with.

Gu Shenwei wasn't able to catch the target. There were many people there who harbored ill intentions, but most of them were just watching without acting. The effect caused by Chu Nanping was not big enough.

He called the boy to his side and murmured a few words.

Chu Nanping didn't say anything, but after the Dragon King left, he went straight to the crowd and pointed to one of them and said, ”I want to fight with you.”

The crowd quickly stepped aside, revealing the ninth participant of the evening.

The man, also in a cloak, stood awkwardly where he was. Surprised by his exposure, he coughed and seemed to have no intention of accepting the fight.

Chu Nanping had got the hint from the Dragon King, so he loudly added, ”Essence Pavilion Swordsman Chu Nanping would like to challenge Gu Feng of the Qingcheng Sect of the Central Plains. Please enlighten me.”

Gu Feng was a kung fu master invited by King Riyao, and he called himself Gu Da. Several days ago, he had followed the son of King Riyao to challenge the Dragon King's men under the pretense of avenging the royal prince Kuo Zhen. It was also this Gu Feng who had defeated Long Fanyun and then suggested for the son of King Riyao to admit defeat after watching Chu Nanping's swordsmanship.

The Qingcheng Sect was one of the most famous sects in the Central Plains, and Gu Feng had earned great fame and was known as the 'Universal Edict Finger.' Amongst the spectators, there were many kung fu practitioners from the Central Plains. Upon hearing this name being called out, they all gasped in surprise.

The two countries were on the verge of war, but as a man of the Central Plains, he had actually come to the Norland to fight for a prize. No matter what his purpose was, it wasn't something pleasant to be known. Gu Feng felt more and more embarrassed and in the end, he steeled himself and untied his cloak, saying, ”Let's have some fun then.”

Amongst the audience, there were several people who were Gu Feng's acquaintances. They now all quietly retreated to the back of the crowd, fearing that they too would be recognized.

Gu Feng was good at striking acupoints, and his swordsmanship was also superb. He drew out his sword and flicked the body of the sword several times. As the ringing sound of the metal propagated, he said, ”The soft can overcome the hard.”

As these strange words finished, he attacked, not with the sword in his hand but rather with a narrow saber appearing out of nowhere. Meanwhile, another person jumped out of the crowd and launched an attack from Chu Nanping's back.

Those who knew the saber technique exclaimed in unison, ”Golden Roc Castle!”

The targets he was expecting had finally shown up. Gripping the saber hilt, Gu Shenwei was fully on guard.

Ten steps away, Liman didn't find anything abnormal. But he suddenly felt Wild Horse tightening his muscles, which told him that danger was nearby.