Chapter 113: I May Look Weak But I’m Pretty Strong

The heavy rain continued to fall, drenching each corner of the dense forest unceasingly.

Flora infected by demonic energy could gently wiggle their tree vines. At that moment, it seemed like they had suffered a huge fright as they were all curled up tightly, looking as though they did not dare to relax.

In the dense forest, there were three large trees, each with a human figure on top.

Huang Ying brandished her sword. Her entire body was drenched by the rain but her killing intent was blazing. She was undeniably the leader of the Dark Pavilion in the Sword Guild.

Lin Muzhe did not intend to kill Huang Ying. Her plan was to delay Huang Ying and allow the demon swarm to kill Fang Lang and the others. In this manner, her aim would be achieved.

However, Lin Muzhe was frowning deeply at that moment. She saw Fang Lang, dressed in blood-stained robes, standing in the distance.

The demon swarm had retreated, yet Fang Lang was not dead.

Not only was he still alive but he had also somehow managed to appear before her. He told her to be not in such a rush to leave!

This was extremely laughable. Even if the demon swarm had not killed Fang Lang this round, how could a small fry who had just entered the third class sword wave realm speak to her in such an arrogant manner!?

As soon as Huang Ying saw Fang Lang, a look of joy flashed across her eyes but it was quickly replaced by worry.

Lin Muzhe was a nine-grade sword master in the sword intent realm!

She had almost surpassed the fourth-class realm and had a power that was no match for Fang Lang.

Besides that, Huang Ying knew Lin Muzhe still had an ace up her sleeve.

Rumors had it Lin Muzhe had inherited the skills of a deceased blade lord of the Donglu’s Sword League. This meant her sword skills were not ordinary.

Huang Ying was fairly certain she was able to withstand an attack from Lin Muzhe. However, Fang Lang definitely would not survive it. He might even die from a single blow!

Lin Muzhe smiled.

Under the bamboo hat, her gorgeous face had a menacing smile. However, she remained wary. Since Fang Lang had come to stop her, he might have some reason to be this bold.

Whoosh!

Lin Muzhe crouched down, coiling her body like a prawn and with a spring, she launched herself high into the sky.

Instantly, the aura on her body began to increase gradually. Countless raindrops spun along with the movements of her body.

The demon swarm had retreated. Hence, she should not continue to waste time here—she needed to leave. It seemed she had failed the mission given by that nobleman and regret filled her.

“The sect leader has allowed me to enter the Youzhou Demon Portal in order to kill you, Fang Lang. I guess you’ve served yourself up on a platter,” said Lin Muzhe coolly.

Within her core, her sword intent grew rapidly. Instantly, countless raindrops appeared to be sliced in half by a surge of sword intent.

“You’re merely a third-class, your efforts are as pitiful as a praying mantis against a carriage. You must have a death wish.”

Lin Muzhe looked at Fang Lang as she descended.

In the next moment, the sword intent deep inside her rushed out. She appeared as though she had transformed into a brilliant blade herself, spinning among the countless rain blades. She charged at Fang Lang like a Burmese python.

A wave seemed to ripple through the forest instantly. The tree trunks were covered in multiple gashes, sliced by the blade energy. Scenes of devastation appeared as far as the eye could see.

Huang Ying paled.

Despite all this, she had not made a single attack. She saw Fang Lang smile brightly in his blood-drenched clothes.

He lifted the sword in his hand—the Blooming Lotus Sword flickered.

When she saw Fang Lang calmly brandishing his sword, all of a sudden, a flurry of raindrops exploded as the Burmese python zoomed toward him. At the same time, a lotus flower made of rainwater manifested.

The Burmese python and the sword lotus clashed, sending an immense blade energy rippling in all directions, agitating all corners of the forest.

Huang Ying casually wielded her blade energy and shattered several bolts of the energy ripples that rushed toward her. Her eyes sparkled and there was even a fervor in her eyes as she stared at the Blooming Lotus Sword in Fang Lang’s hand.

“That’s Sect Leader Taihua’s Blooming Lotus Sword… Fang Lang must have relied on the power of the Blooming Lotus Sword to defeat the demon swarm!”

Huang Ying’s brain instantly pieced everything together.

Xuanyuan Taihua was like a god to every Sword Guild disciple—she was the ultimate goal of every disciple. The disciples worked hard in their cultivation in pursuit of that goal.

The gigantic python shattered. Lin Muzhe stepped on the scattered pieces of raindrops as she returned to the tree. She stared at Fang Lang with vigilant eyes.

“Sect Leader Taihua’s Blooming Lotus Sword!” Lin Muzhe’s voice was extremely solemn.

“That’s right. Are you scared now?” Fang Lang held the Blooming Lotus Sword and smiled affably. However, his expression contrasted by his bloody clothes and made for an extremely hair-raising sight.

“The legendary Sect Leader Tai Hua has four legendary swords. The Blooming Lotus, the Withering Lotus, the Circling Lotus, and the Reincarnating Lotus… Each sword contains remarkably immense power.

“The Blooming Lotus Sword ended up with the Sword Guild for thousands of years. The Withering Lotus Sword stayed with the Meridian Guild. The Meridian Guild have spent a decade studying it but I have no idea if they’ve made any discoveries. The Circling Lotus Sword stayed with the All-Seeing Buddha, demonstrating the tyranny of the blade lords. The unreasonable Reincarnating Lotus is embedded in the Main Path Mausoleum of the Main Path Guild.”

Lin Muzhe glared at the Blooming Lotus Sword in Fang Lang’s hand with fear in her heart.

“However, you wield the Blooming Lotus Sword. That’s a sign that Xuanyuan Taihua is missing. Her power and prestige have terrorized the lands for a dozen years, but now, many can no longer hold back their thirst.”

Lin Muzhe exhaled the stale air from her lungs as she gripped the sword in her hand once more.

“It is an honor to cross swords with the Blooming Lotus Sword.”

Lin Muzhe’s words stunned Fang Lang. So the Blooming Lotus Sword had three other companions? The Blooming Lotus, Withering Lotus, Circling Lotus and Reincarnating Lotus… When combined, the overall meaning was, ‘The rebirth cycle of the lotus flower.’

Was this Sect Leader Tai Hua’s sword mastery?

Fang Lang shook his head. At his current state, the sword mastery was too advanced for him to comprehend.

“Who sent you here? Was it the third prince, Li Liancheng?” asked Fang Lang as straightened up and ran his finger across the blade. He brushed his finger gently across the blade of the Blooming Lotus, emitting a clear ring. He swiped away the water on the sword body.

It was most likely to be the third prince. The tyrannical person who possessed royal blood. Was this revenge for stabbing His Royal Highness three times previously?

Lin Muzhe remained silent. There were some things she could not speak about.

“So you’re not going to tell me… In that case, let me give you a big present.”

Fang Lang smiled warmly. “I was the one who killed Lin Yun. Let me send you to meet Lin Yun and you can have a family reunion. That should be a good enough present, right?” said Fang Lang.

As soon as he finished speaking, the power within him exploded as he moved. In an instant, Fang Lang disappeared from where he stood.

With the Power Loan Card, he was currently borrowing the strength and power of Wen Ting and his unparalleled ninth-grade sword intent realm.

Wen Ting was the first person who remained in the fourth-class realm when he could clearly advance beyond the fourth-class realm with his core and innate talent.

He remained at the peak of the fourth-class sword intent realm because of some unknown reason. To Fang Lang, this was not a big deal as long as he was able to borrow the man’s power.

His finger lightly brushed against the Blooming Lotus Sword. Fang Lang could feel the Innate Sword Intent Seed rejoicing happily inside his body. He could vaguely feel an illusion of Wen Ting appear behind him.

The illusion gripped the sword and it appeared as though that sword had come to life. The sword seemed to devour the sword intent whole as though it had a mouth.

Lin Muzhe looked cold and solemn.

According to the descriptions of Sect Leader Nan, among the four swords left behind by Taihua First Sword, the Blooming Lotus Sword was the least rebellious. This was because the Blooming Lotus Sword did not suppress the Sword Guild. The other three swords suppressed the powerful existence of the various sects.

However, it was not necessarily so.

If Fang Lang could rely on the power of the Blooming Lotus Sword to unleash such a powerful force, the Blooming Lotus Sword must hold a deeper power!

Of course, this was to be expected of the great Xuanyuan Taihua! The Tang Dynasty’s First Sword! The Blooming Lotus was undeniably the weapon of the Tang Dynasty’s First Sword!

Thankfully Fang Lang had only managed to obtain the Blooming Lotus. If he had the other three swords, that would mean he… might become the second Xuanyuan Taihua!

Lin Muzhe slowly let out a breath. An ancient blade energy had awakened inside her energy center. It was the inheritance she received from the deceased blade lord of the Donglu’s Sword League.

Today, she would lean on his sword and take down the grand champion!

Lin Muzhe’s gaze went cold as countless blade energy shot out of her body, sending the falling rain back up into the sky. It seemed as though the raindrops were frozen in place.

Huang Ying waved the sword in her hand. Her expression was serious. She suddenly looked in Fang Lang’s direction in a trance because at that moment, Fang Lang’s body seemed to be gradually overlapping with the body of that man all those years ago.

Did Wen Ting teach this sword skill to Fang Lang!?

Hang Ying felt inexplicably sad.

Lin Muzhe sensed a constantly surging force and she borrowed this thousand-year blade energy to instantly allow her power to surpass the shackles of the fourth class, launching an explosive attack with the power of the upper fourth-class realm.

Lin Muzhe seemed to come to the realization that after this, with the experience of the upper fourth-class realm, she might easily transcend it.

This was possibly the greatest advantage she would get from this skill.

“Die!”

The world instantly became silent.

The raindrops were sliced. At that point in time, Lin Muzhe’s robes were billowing freely while her expression under the bamboo hat remained unchanged. It was like she had transformed into a peerless immortal.

The sword in her hand was encircled by a stream of blade energy. That stream of blade energy rippled powerfully between the skies and the earth, spreading a brilliant, oppressive force!

The blade energy of the blade lord.

Lin Muzhe floated as her body glowed with extremely radiant light. The blade energy was like a light illuminating the dark, quiet world.

On the other side, as Fang Lang stood in his bloody clothes, the powerful aura coming from his body began to dissipate. It kept weakening until it completely disappeared and he became an ordinary person.

An ordinary person who was holding a legendary sword.

This match looked like it would be one that offered no surprises.

…

Youzhou Demon Portal.

At the Six Thousand Mile Resource Station, the heavy downpour continued. However, it was nearly impossible to wash away the heavy scent.

Over here, flags fluttered in the rain while soldiers stood in strict formation. One after another, the warriors in armor stood in position.

The Minister of Rites, Zhou Yiyuan, was clad in golden armor. He wore an indifferent expression. Standing beside him were the team leaders of the warriors from the various sects. All of them were cultivators of beyond the fourth-class realm.

Wen Ting who was of the fourth-class sword intent realm appeared slightly out of place. He stood out among them.

Wen Ting drank some wolfberry tea from a gourd canteen then gazed off into the deep end of the dense forest. He seemed to sense a wisp of resonance.

That sense of resonance made him feel as though his soul was stirring. Who was it? Also, what was happening in the forest!?

On the other side, Minister of Rites, Zhou Yiyuan, cast a look at Wen Ting. A light flashed across his eyes.

“Wen Ting, you were the famous Scholarly Sword Master in Changan all those years ago. It was a shame you missed the highest distinction in that year’s Imperial Examination. You have a great reputation in Changan even now. Do you have any regrets now that thirteen years have passed and your cultivation has stagnated?

“You turned down the first prince when he tried to recruit you back then. You even brandished your sword against the first prince and crushed your sword drive. If it weren’t for that, you might have advanced to the seventh-class realm.”

Zhou Yiyuan said, “Don’t you regret anything?”

Wen Ting did not expect Zhou Yiyuan to chat with him. He put down the gourd canteen in his hand and shook his head, “No, I have no regrets.”

“Something good came out of the bad. After that happened, I caught Sect Leader Taihua’s attention and was given a special sword tactic.

“The trauma the first prince gave me is still present but I’m not fearful. In fact, I’m always anticipating the next opportunity to wield my sword.”

Wen Ting smiled goodnaturedly, “I may look weak but I’m pretty strong.”

Wen Ting’s declaration made the others burst into laughter. How strong would a fourth-class realm cultivator be?

Zhou Yiyuan looked at Wen Ting and seemed to notice the deep, meaningful look within his smile. If Wen Ting’s sword attack was very strong, how strong was it?

…

‘He nurtures the sword with his body,’ that was the System’s remark regarding Wen Ting.

Fang Lang did not know what situation entailed using one’s body to cultivate the sword. However, he knew Mentor Wen was a man who had been through a traumatic period.

Fang Lang had used the Power Loan Card to borrow Wen Ting’s power and could experience a little of the force from ‘nurturing the sword using the body’.

Fang Lang felt his blade energy in his energy center flow unceasingly into the Blooming Lotus Sword.

His blood, sweat and tears spent cultivating to achieve the sword wave realm was being used up rapidly—his cultivation dropped back to the ninth-grade sword master level. Even then, it continued to drop further and further.

In the end, once he had descended to the ninth-grade sword disciple, only did the downward spiral stop.

However, the Blooming Lotus Sword in his hand remained absolutely ordinary. Fang Lang instantly felt a little weak. He suddenly understood something about Mentor Wen.

Even though Fang Lang had dropped grades, he could sense that he had become stronger. He had used his realms to nurture the sword.

This was Wen Ting’s sword skill!

The Sword Nurturing Spell! Using one’s cultivation to nurture one’s sword! The further down the grades one fell, the stronger the sword would become! The weaker you became, the stronger the sword!

Lin Muzhe glittered splendidly with her sword. As she wielded the thousand-year blade energy of the blade lord, she sliced and chopped up countless trees.

The muddy ground in the forest exploded.

Lin Muzhe aimed a swing at Fang Lang. Fang Lang’s complexion was pale and pasty. As he faced off Lin Muzhe’s strong attack, he only managed to raise his sword to hip level. It was as though the gesture exhausted all the strength in his body.

In the distance, Huang Ying watched the clash of the swords. It was like watching the vast ocean crash onto a single rock!

Bang!

Lin Muzhe’s expression changed!

She saw the ordinary-looking sword in Fang Lang’s hand transform. It was filled with a sense of rebelliousness and the want to right the wrongs of the world. It was unstoppable! In fact, she did not dare to stop it!

Whoosh!

The blade energy of the blade lord seemed to become a wisp of a shadow. The shadowy figure raised its hand and took a strand of blade energy as if he wanted to challenge Fang Lang’s sword!

Fang Lang looked undaunted!

He possessed a sword that was nurtured with ten years worth of cultivation, why would he be scared of a blade lord?

Of course, this was not Fang Lang—it was Wen Ting.

Fang Lang was merely borrowing the man’s mindset.

The two of them were at a stalemate. The blade lord’s blade energy turned out to be just that in the end! With a moan, it was destroyed!

The magnificent versus the ordinary. In the end, the ordinary completely annihilated the magnificent.

After that, Lin Muzhe narrowed her eyes and watched the Blooming Lotus Sword grow before her eyes. The bamboo hat on her head was abruptly sliced in half by the blade energy. The hat fell onto both sides of her head.

This exposed Lin Muzhe’s beautiful yet cold face. Her delicate, silky hair stuck to her fair cheeks. Everyone who saw her would inexplicably find themselves pitying her.

Her expression was tinged with surprise as she watched the ridiculously ordinary and unadorned sword sink into her chest.

It was an ordinary sword but it possessed immense power.

In an instant, she felt the spiritual energy and blade energy that had been passed on to her splinter into multiple pieces.

Fang Lang wore an affable smile and looked at Lin Muzhe calmly.

The falling raindrops that had been forced to retreat into the sky were released from the power that was holding them in place. They fell to the ground in a thunderous roar. The world was in an uproar as the gushing downpour swept through the remaining leaves of the uncountable trees in the forest.

Lin Muzhe slowly lowered her head to look at the sword that was stabbed one inch into her chest. Snow drifted over the sword and the bloodstain looked just like a blood lotus.

Fang Lang raised his arms, looking extremely weak as he did so. All of a sudden, he thrust the sword lengthwise, pressing it against Lin Muzhe’s neck. He forced her down from the large tree!

As they fell from the large tree, Fang Lang pulled out the Blooming Lotus Sword in his hand and twisted the sword and plunged it over and over, stab after stab. He continued thrusting his sword into her body.