Rebirth of the Revered Sword Sovereign

Chapter 7

The disappointment in Rong Tianxuan’s eyes vanished almost instantly.

It was replaced by shock.

Only moments ago, Cang Wuyin’s sword had barely left its scabbard.

Yet somehow, it was now his blade that had knocked Rong Tianxuan’s thrust aside.

‘At what moment!’

Rong Tianxuan’s eyes widened as he stared at the unbelievable scene.

His expression betrayed his surprise, but the hand gripping his sword remained quick and steady.

The instant his attack was deflected, he twisted his wrist and redirected the blade, stabbing toward Cang Wuyin again.

Clang!

Once again, Cang Wuyin’s sword met his.

Just as before, he used the tip of his own blade to brush Rong Tianxuan’s sword tip aside.

The movement looked almost painfully slow, yet its precision was frightening.

What shocked Rong Tianxuan most was not that his attack had been blocked, but how perfectly it had been done.

‘D-does he see my sword?’

He could hardly believe it.

The Thirteen Lightning Sword Thunders was not the Rong Family’s strongest sword technique, but it was still a supreme art forbidden to the collateral branches.

Apart from the Emperor’s Sword Form and the Azure Vault Unfettered Sword Technique, it stood above every other sword technique possessed by the Rong Family.

Yet Cang Wuyin was casually turning aside the Thirteen Lightning Sword Thunders, a technique renowned throughout the Central Plains for its speed.

‘So it wasn’t just an empty rumor.’

The surprise soon gave way to a satisfied smile.

Cang Wuyin’s skill was certainly greater than he had expected, but it had not reached the point where Rong Tianxuan felt threatened.

His opponent had shown incredible precision, but Rong Tianxuan was not being forced backward.

More importantly, he still had not shown his full strength.

‘From now on, it’ll be different!’

Rong Tianxuan’s expression became serious.

Until now, he had secretly underestimated Cang Wuyin.

Because the young man had shown none of the presence he associated with a true master, Rong Tianxuan had chosen the Thirteen Lightning Sword Thunders instead of the Azure Vault Unfettered Sword Technique.

He had thought there was no need to use his family’s superior sword art against someone of this level.

Wooooong!

That assumption changed.

Having recognized that Cang Wuyin’s ability was far beyond what he had expected, Rong Tianxuan finally began treating the spar seriously.

Cang Wuyin noticed immediately.

“Hoho.”

Even as Rong Tianxuan’s energy rose to a completely different level, Cang Wuyin only smiled.

He could already tell what the young man was thinking.

He did not even need to read his expression. Rong Tianxuan’s stance had already given him the answer.

He was preparing to use the Azure Vault Unfettered Sword.

Shaaeeek!

As expected, Rong Tianxuan’s sword momentum expanded and rushed toward Cang Wuyin.

It was the Azure Vault Unfettered Sword, a technique Cang Wuyin had seen countless times in his previous life.

Aside from the Emperor’s Sword Form, it was arguably the Rong Family’s greatest sword art.

Unfortunately, Rong Tianxuan’s mastery was still far from complete.

Cang Wuyin might not have understood every profound principle or grasped the complete sword intent behind the technique at this age, but the paths of the sword itself were already deeply familiar to him.

Clang! Clacka-gang! Clang!

So, just as he had at the beginning, Cang Wuyin remained completely relaxed.

In fact, his sword moved so casually that it almost looked as though he were not taking the match seriously.

Yet none of Rong Tianxuan’s attacks managed to get through.

Grit!

Despite the seemingly careless movements, every sword path was intercepted with frightening accuracy.

Rong Tianxuan gritted his teeth.

His expression had changed completely.

This was no longer a spar that felt comfortable or manageable.

It was suffocating.

‘How could this be!’

Rong Tianxuan’s pupils trembled.

At first, he had approached Cang Wuyin out of curiosity.

There had also been another reason. He wanted to test the long-standing belief that the martial arts of the world ultimately originated from Shaolin.

If he could defeat someone close to his own age who was rumored to be the greatest talent in Shaolin’s history, perhaps he could prove that the old saying was not absolute.

Claaang!

But Shaolin was still Shaolin.

And the rumors had not been exaggerated.

Cang Wuyin’s talent was real.

This was no longer a matter of simply responding after Rong Tianxuan attacked. Cang Wuyin’s swordsmanship was operating on an entirely different level.

Clang!

Dozens of exchanges had already passed.

Cang Wuyin had not missed a single sword tip.

Every time Rong Tianxuan attacked, Cang Wuyin met the incoming blade with his own, always striking precisely at the tip and forcing it away.

It did not matter where Rong Tianxuan’s sword came from or where he intended to strike. Cang Wuyin always seemed to know where it would arrive.

That did not mean he had mastered the Azure Vault Unfettered Sword.

‘……He’s predicting it. It makes no sense, but.’

Rong Tianxuan bit his lower lip until blood appeared.

He did not want to accept that conclusion.

He did not even understand how it could be possible.

But there was no other explanation.

For someone Cang Wuyin’s age, this level of perception simply made no sense.

Clench!

Once the thought took root, Rong Tianxuan’s concentration began to suffer.

One distracting thought led to another, and before long, his swordsmanship was being affected by the questions filling his mind.

Even then, he had not given up.

“Shall we?”

“Yes?”

“Aren’t you thinking about sword force?”

“H-how did you know?”

“I’ll give you time. Since we’re doing this anyway, we should do it without regrets.”

Rong Tianxuan’s eyes widened.

Cang Wuyin had seen straight through him.

Without even realizing it, Rong Tianxuan stopped moving.

“……Thank you for your consideration.”

His hesitation did not last long.

If he ended the spar now, he knew he would regret it.

Even if he lost, he wanted to fight after giving everything he had. Then, at least, he could accept the result without wondering what might have happened if he had tried harder.

Rong Jin formed a half-palm salute instead of the usual palms-joined salute and settled into his stance.

Then he gathered every bit of power within his dantian.

“I-it’s Sword Thread Force!”

A strand of Sword Thread Force burst from Rong Tianxuan’s blade, and the surrounding rising juniors immediately cried out.

Sword Thread Force was regarded as the gateway to Sword Energy Becoming Force.

To the young martial artists gathered here, it was almost synonymous with reaching the level of a peak master.

Rong Tianxuan had apparently only just entered that realm, but achieving it at his age was already astonishing.

“Indeed, the Heavenly Dragon!”

“He’s not the head seat of the Four Dragons for nothing!”

Even among martial artists who had reached the Peak Realm, differences in strength could be enormous. Still, anyone who had stepped into the realm of a peak master deserved respect.

A peak master could slaughter dozens of first-rate warriors alone.

Naturally, many of the rising juniors looked at Rong Tianxuan with envy and admiration.

Several of the women nearby also gazed at him with undisguised fascination.

None of it reached Rong Tianxuan.

Gulp!

Every bit of his attention was focused on his sword and the man standing before him.

He swallowed once, so focused that he barely seemed to breathe.

Yet even after he released Sword Thread Force, Cang Wuyin’s expression remained unchanged.

From beginning to end, he looked completely at ease.

“……I’m coming.”

“Come.”

“Haaap!”

The positions of the two had completely reversed from the beginning of the spar.

Rong Tianxuan had started as the confident challenger, while Cang Wuyin had barely seemed interested.

Now, however, Rong Tianxuan had no choice but to acknowledge what stood before him.

His pride would not allow him to deny another person’s strength simply because he disliked the result.

Cang Wuyin was not an ordinary rising junior.

Perhaps he was the kind of opponent Rong Tianxuan would continue competing against for the rest of his life.

Shaaeeek!

That realization pushed him to give everything he had.

Unlike his earlier attacks, this sword contained his entire strength.

And Rong Tianxuan wanted to see it.

He wanted to see Cang Wuyin’s calm expression finally disappear.

Kuuung!

Unfortunately, it seemed that day had not yet arrived.