166 Chapter 1324: A Strand of Hair (1/2)

Completely wrong? Shui Qianrou was stunned for an instant before her face swiftly warped in horror.

It felt like she had received enough shocks for a lifetime that day.

She had already told the young man in advance to mind his words, and the latter had responded positively to her words.

Is this what you mean by being careful with your words?

Her teacher's swordsmanship was number one in the Sanctum of Sages. In fact, even when taking the entire Master Teacher Continent into account, he was definitely ranked amid those who stood at the zenith. In face of such a master, an ordinary man would not even dare breathe loudly, fearing that his actions would incur her teacher's wrath. Yet, this fellow actually said that his swordsmanship was completely wrong!

Are you incapable of speaking properly?

At the same time, Senior Xie's face also turned livid with anger. ”What did you say?”

Those words could be taken as a clear insult toward his teacher.

He still had some respect for the young man in view of how he was able to discover and subdue the sword qi at the entrance, but who would have thought that he was just a person with his head in the clouds?

”Let him finish his words.” The elder, Jian Qinsheng, waved his hand before turning his gaze to Zhang Xuan. ”This sword art was passed down to me from my ancestor, and it was with this sword art that he rose to the very peak of the Master Teacher Continent. It would be an exaggeration to say that he was infallible, but there was hardly anyone who was a match for him then… So, why would you say that this sword art is completely wrong?”

”Well…” Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment, but he soon realized that there were so many flaws that he did not know where he should start from. If he were to start listing all of them, he was afraid that the elder might just lose all confidence in his swordsmanship. Thus, he could only sigh and say, ”There are simply too many of them. I don't know how I should put it…”

You don't know how you should put it?

Shui Qianrou's fists were so tightly clenched together that her fingernails were sinking into her flesh.

If you don't know how you should put it, why don't you consider not speaking at all?

Are you really not afraid of death, or are you just tired of living?

Overwhelmed with rage, Senior Xie stepped forward and bellowed, ”Arrogant fellow! Do you really think that you will be able to impress my teacher by spouting such nonsense over here?”

On the other hand, Jian Qinsheng frowned upon hearing Zhang Xuan's words.

As one of the most esteemed swordmasters throughout the Master Teacher Continent, there were countless young talents who wished to come under his tutelage. However, due to his severe demands when selecting his disciples, only a rare few were accepted. Perhaps in an attempt to stand out from the others, there were those who would utter arrogant words before him each year in hopes of catching his attention.

It was a pity that their arrogance would be proven empty after a quick test.

However, on top of wielding top-notch swordsmanship, Jian Qinsheng was an 8-star high-tier master teacher as well, possessing a superior eye of discernment.

When the young man before him spoke those words earlier, there were no unnatural fluctuations in his voice, and his aura remained steady throughout. This was a sign of conviction, meaning to say that he had confidence in what he was saying. This was in stark contrast to the hint of anxiety and apprehension he had sensed from the previous students who had dared speak arrogantly before him.

For this, rather than being angered by the young man's words, he was intrigued. He wanted to get to the bottom of the matter.

Senior Xie clasped his fist and said, ”Teacher, please permit me to challenge that arrogant fellow to a duel and assess his swordsmanship! If his words prove to be empty, I wish to teach him a lesson so that he will learn some humility!”

How could he stand idly when someone was doubting his own teacher? As a student, it was his obligation to uphold his teacher's reputation and honor!

Instead of replying to Senior Xie's request, Jian Qinsheng turned to Zhang Xuan and asked, ”You are a freshman, right?”

”Yes, I am,” Zhang Xuan replied with an attitude that appeared neither subservient nor arrogant.

”Un. Among the freshmen, there's a student who possesses exceptional swordsmanship. His name is Zhang Jiuxiao. Could you be him?” Jian Qinsheng asked.

He had watched the entrance examination, and he had seen that Zhang Jiuxiao had achieved the level of Half-Quintessence in swordsmanship despite his young age. There was no doubt that he harnessed boundless potential within him. Could the young man before him possibly be Zhang Jiuxiao?

”Jiuxiao is a friend of mine.” At this point, Zhang Xuan bowed slightly before continuing. ”I am Zhang Xuan.”

”Zhang Xuan?” Jian Qinsheng pondered for a moment before shaking his head.

Throughout the entrance examination, he had only been keeping an eye out for those who possessed exceptional talent in swordsmanship. While Zhang Xuan did cause a huge commotion when he rose to the top fifty in the final moment, to Jian Qinsheng, that was nothing worthy of note at all.

”You said that my sword art is completely wrong, but when I asked you about it, you aren't able to say anything either. Since that's the case, why don't you have a duel with my student? I'll have him suppress his cultivation to your level. Of course, the both of you will compete only in terms of swordsmanship, and it'll be a friendly duel,” Jian Qinsheng proposed.

Since the other party was not Zhang Jiuxiao, it was likely that his comprehension of swordsmanship was not too deep either. Thus, he decided to have his student try the other party out so as to see just what gave him the confidence to utter such brazen words.

”Sure, I'm fine with it.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Since he was unable to voice the flaws, it would be good if he could demonstrate it to the other party instead. Perhaps, he might be able to give the other party some insights regarding it.

”Follow me!” Hearing that the young man had agreed to the duel, Senior Xie harrumphed coldly before leading the way forward.

A moment later, they arrived at an empty clearing not too far away from the gazebo. It was around twenty meters in diameter, a decent size to hold a battle.

Huala!

After taking his position in the clearing, Senior Xie slowly drew his sword.

The instant that his sword left its sheath, the air around him immediately changed. It felt sharp and dangerous, reminiscent of a dagger that would plunge right into one's body at any moment.

Geji! Geji!

Even though he had suppressed his cultivation down to Primordial Spirit realm primary stage, Senior Xie still carried an imposing presence that made him tower over others.

Upper Sword Heart?

With just a look, Zhang Xuan was able to tell that Senior Xie had already achieved the level of Upper Sword Heart, just a step away from achieving a breakthrough.

To be able to achieve such a level of mastery in his swordsmanship at his age, even if he was still slightly lacking compared to Zhang Jiuxiao, he could already be considered an expert.

Channeling his spirit and mind to the peak, Senior Xie gazed at Zhang Xuan coldly. ”Where's your sword? Make your move!”

”My sword?” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Considering that he was dealing with someone of his cultivation realm, and his comprehension of swordsmanship had already reached Sword Quintessence… he would really be bullying the other party if he wielded a sword.

Thus, he quickly took a look at the surroundings before his eyes finally fell upon Shui Qianrou. ”If it's not too much trouble, I would like to borrow something from you, Senior Shui!”

”You want to borrow something from me?” Shui Qianrou was bewildered by that abrupt request for a moment before realization struck her. She flicked her wrist and passed her sword over. ”Here!”

Given how the young man had examined her sword previously, he must have been thinking of borrowing it from her.