Chapter 52: Hu Wan, Sikong Jue
Xuu Shaoying was panting heavily.
It wasn’t from exhaustion.
It was the psychological pressure.
The power Lu Changfeng had displayed in that moment was something he was completely unable to match.
’Perhaps only that guy, Hu Wan, could defeat this terrifying Swordsman.’
Lu Changfeng sheathed his longsword.
He clasped his hands in a salute and turned to leave with a flourish.
In the audience, the disciples from Changle Martial Arts Hall, including Hei Niu, Lin Yan, and Cui Tianyu, were already flushed with excitement.
Some audience members around them learned that they were Lu Changfeng’s disciples.
One after another, they began asking for the Martial Arts Hall’s location.
If all went as expected, a large group of new disciples would be coming to the Martial Arts Hall to sign up tomorrow.
"We can arrange for Lu Changfeng to be ranked in the top three on the Five Horses Street Swordsman rankings."
"I estimate that even the top two aren’t Lu Changfeng’s match." Inside a private room on the second floor, the venue’s upper management was in a heated discussion. Gongsun Wu was direct in his high opinion of Lu Changfeng.
"Gongsun Wu, don’t forget, Sikong Jue hasn’t fought in a long time. Who’s to say he hasn’t already advanced to the Blood Forging Seventh Layer!"
"If they really fight, Lu Changfeng won’t necessarily be his match!"
Sikong Jue was the current number one Swordsman of Five Horses Street in the Blood Forging Realm.
He had not fought in over a year.
This was because no other Swordsman could get past the second-ranked Swordsman.
They never even had the chance to face Sikong Jue.
The second-ranked Swordsman had once fought against Xuu Shaoying. The two were evenly matched, and with no victor decided within five minutes, the match was declared a draw.
But now that Lu Changfeng had crushed Xuu Shaoying, he could naturally bypass the second-ranked Swordsman and directly challenge the number one, Sikong Jue!
Gongsun Wu stood up and clapped his hands. "Then do your best to arrange it! I want to see this match too. I’ll go speak to both of them myself!"
Gongsun Wu left the venue in a great hurry.
He couldn’t be bothered to watch the remaining ordinary Tendon Transformation Realm matches.
To be frank, a Saber Master of Xuu Shaoying’s caliber could already fight opponents in a higher realm.
Let alone a terrifying Swordsman like Lu Changfeng, who had condensed corporeal Sword Intent. Most Low-Grade Martial Artists in the Tendon Transformation Realm would be no match for him.
Lu Changfeng had won.
This time, he had used his corporeal Sword Intent.
If nothing unexpected happened, Lu Changfeng’s fame was sure to soar once again.
Condensing corporeal Sword Intent while still in the Blood Forging Realm—it would be hard not to attract the attention of various powers.
Changle Martial Arts Hall would surely be receiving many visitors soon.
With this level of strength, it was already difficult to arrange a suitable opponent, unless Lu Changfeng chose to fight someone from a higher realm.
Or unless he proactively challenged the top-ranked Saber Masters and Swordsmen.
However, he had already made enough of a splash for one day.
Lu Changfeng spoke briefly with the venue staff.
Then, he left through a side door.
Just as he stepped out of the side door and onto the street, Lu Changfeng stopped and turned around. "Brother Xuu, is there something I can help you with?"
As it turned out, Xuu Shaoying had been following Lu Changfeng ever since he left the main hall, leaving with him through the same side door.
"Ahem, Brother Lu, it’s nothing like that. I was just hoping to treat you to a drink, if you would do me the honor," Xuu Shaoying said.
Xuu Shaoying was a proud man by nature; there were not many people he would willingly concede to.
Lu Changfeng’s performance had already convinced Xuu Shaoying that he was a genius even more formidable than himself, which was why he took the initiative to befriend him.
Xuu Shaoying had fought other experts before.
Lu Changfeng also wanted to learn some information about other experts and powers from Xuu Shaoying, so he nodded and agreed.
"An invitation from Brother Xuu is not something I can refuse. After you!"
The two of them chose a nearby restaurant.
They went to a private room on the third floor, ordered some side dishes to go with their drinks, and began sipping wine while enjoying the night view of the area near the venue.
"Brother Lu, your comprehension of the Sword Dao is truly something I admire!" Xuu Shaoying began.
Coming from the proud Xuu Shaoying, these ordinary words of flattery, spoken with genuine feeling, had a unique charm.
Lu Changfeng smiled. "Brother Xuu’s Saber Dao is also quite impressive."
Xuu Shaoying shook his head. "I am not that skilled. There are two others whose cultivation in the Saber Dao is above mine. Now that you’ve made a name for yourself today, they might come looking for you in the future."
"Actually, I’ve only just arrived in Jiangnan Prefecture and am not very familiar with the situation here. I’d be glad to hear the details," Lu Changfeng said.
"It would be my pleasure." Xuu Shaoying nodded and began to explain slowly.
"The second-ranked Saber Master, who is above me, is named Lei Ming. He created his own Thunderous Saber Intent. Although it’s just an ordinary Saber Intent, I am no match for him. Besides, the guy improves incredibly fast. His Saber Intent might have undergone another transformation by now."
After a pause, Xuu Shaoying continued, "The First Saber Master is Hu Wan. He’s from the same Martial Arts Hall as me—he’s the grandson of our hall master. His strength..."
"How should I put it... It’s the same Hu Family Saber Technique and Saber Intent, but in his hands, it unleashes an extremely formidable power."
"Ever since we were young in the Martial Arts Hall, Hu Wan has always been someone who completely crushed me."
’The same Saber Technique is especially powerful in Hu Wan’s hands? Could it be that the Hu Family also possesses a Bloodline Talent like the Giant Elephant Woman? Or perhaps there’s some other special Secret Technique that isn’t taught to the disciples, but only to direct descendants like Hu Wan?’
If it really was a Bloodline Talent, Lu Changfeng thought he might just have to go and copy it for himself.
He wanted to see just what was so amazing about this Bloodline Talent.
"Brother Lu, let’s not talk about Hu Wan. You’re a Swordsman. Have you ever heard of Sikong Jue, the number one Swordsman on Five Horses Street?"
Lu Changfeng shook his head.
"Sikong Jue is from the Sikong Family, one of the Eight Great Martial Arts Families of Jiangnan Prefecture."
"However, Sikong Jue doesn’t seem to be well-regarded in the Sikong Family. He left the family when he was young and joined the Taizhen Martial Arts Hall, one of the three great Bone Refining Martial Arts Halls in Five Horses Street."
"Sikong Jue’s own Martial Arts Root Bone and Martial Talent are both extremely strong, and he quickly demonstrated a terrifying Sword Dao Talent."
"At the age of twenty, he became the number one Swordsman of Five Horses Street and has held that title to this day. He’s probably only in his early twenties this year."
"Originally, Sikong Jue, the number one Swordsman in the Blood Forging Realm, and Hu Wan, the number one Saber Master in the Blood Forging Realm, were supposed to have a match."
"But now that you’ve burst onto the scene, Brother Lu, it looks like it’ll be your turn to face Sikong Jue first."
"Oh, right. Sikong Jue’s Sword Intent has also reached the corporeal stage."
"This person has a perverse and violent temperament and doesn’t know when to hold back. Many people have been injured by him in the ring. If you face him, you must be extremely careful!"
Lu Changfeng nodded thoughtfully.
It seemed this Sikong Jue was truly a formidable opponent.
However, even if a match between them for the title of Five Horses Street’s number one Swordsman in the Blood Forging Realm were to happen, it definitely wouldn’t be so soon.
The venue would schedule such a crucial title match as a key headlining event.
At that time, it wouldn’t just be people from around Five Horses Street; many from the other major powers in Jiangzhou would probably come to watch as well.
After all, Five Horses Street had been established for so many years, and the power of its Martial Arts Halls was now extraordinary. The title of the number one Swordsman of Five Horses Street in the Blood Forging Realm was enough to make even the Top Ten Sects of Jiangnan and the Eight Great Families take notice.