"Facing the opponent with a sword,and using the sword to confront the enemy.Observing the chess game and gazing at the atmosphere,clear as if watching a fire.The swordplay and atmosphere observation of the Yijianmen are indeed extraordinary,"a deep voice came from outside the door.
Su Xin turned around to see that the one speaking at the entrance was unexpectedly Jiang Ling,the leader of the Nian Bang Lixia Hall,and He Tian from the Iron Knife Club.
Jiang Ling,over thirty years old,had a tall stature and a handsome,masculine appearance,with a very pleasing appearance.
Fang Dongting's expression turned cold,"Jiang Ling,what are you doing here?"
It was embarrassing enough to lose to a woman,and now being seen by others made it even more shameful.
Jiang Ling chuckled,"Master Fang,your words are interesting.Changning Mansion is not owned by your family,so why can't I come if you can?"
"Alright,alright!Let's leave it at that for today.When we find the treasure in the future,we can settle our accounts then!"Fang Dongting snorted and turned to leave,leaving behind a sinister look at Su Xin and Xie Zhiyan before leaving.
He wasn't a fool.Now,if he conflicted with Xie Zhiyan or Jiang Ling,he would be the one at a disadvantage.At the moment,all four factions held keys,and when they found the fifth key,there would definitely be a showdown.
After Fang Dongting left,Jiang Ling smiled at Xie Zhiyan,"Indeed,you are Xie Zhiyan,the celestial lady of Yijianmen.You probably didn't use your full strength just now,right?Yijianmen's swordplay and atmosphere observation are just the basic techniques.The real killer moves are the four major sword principles of life,death,illusion,and annihilation.I wonder which one Miss Xie inherited."
Xie Zhiyan whispered,"Does Master Jiang want to inquire about my background?We are not in a cooperative relationship now."
Jiang Ling grinned,"Alright,I won't disturb you.However,although we are not in a partnership now,who knows about the future?If Miss Xie wants to form an alliance,feel free to find me anytime."
With that,Jiang Ling left directly without insisting on forming an alliance with Xie Zhiyan.However,Su Xin felt that Jiang Ling was quite boring.It seemed like he came to deliberately taunt Fang Dongting,enjoying the spectacle.
What could be achieved by stimulating Fang Dongting like this?
After they left,Xie Zhiyan apologized,"I'm sorry,I've implicated you.Fang Dongting actually came for me."
"I know,but taking someone's money is akin to helping them relieve their troubles.I've taken your medicine,so encountering this kind of situation,I can't back down."
He didn't need Xie Zhiyan to say it;he could see it himself.There's no love without a reason,and likewise,there's no hatred without a cause.
Fang Dongting was arrogant,but he wouldn't be so idle as to trouble him,a minor gang leader.Making things difficult for Su Xin was just to embarrass Xie Zhiyan behind him.
When gods fight,mortals suffer.That's how it goes.
Unfortunately,Su Xin wasn't easy to manipulate.Since he chose to help Xie Zhiyan,he wouldn't change his stance.
"By the way,any clues?"Xie Zhiyan asked.
Su Xin shook his head,"My people have almost gone door to door to investigate,but so far,we haven't found any useful clues."
"That's fine;take your time to search.No need to rush,"Xie Zhiyan seemed relaxed,as if she didn't care much about these priceless treasures.
Su Xin was puzzled,"This is the treasure left by the legendary Du Yuansheng.You mentioned the immense value of these treasures,yet you seem so casual."
Xie Zhiyan calmly said,"Fortune favors the lucky,and misfortune follows those who are unlucky.Whether I get it or not doesn't affect my fate.Besides,I came this time mainly to let Xiaoqi and the others experience the real martial world.Regarding this so-called treasure,neither I nor Yijianmen take it too seriously.Du Yuansheng's treasure is indeed tempting,but it's too elusive.No one knows whether Du Yuansheng is alive or dead.If he's alive,would he leave the treasure behind?Moreover,the key has been in the hands of Yijianmen for more than ten years,and we've investigated before but found nothing.Although there are some rumors now,the major sects don't seem to take it seriously,sending only disciples like us."
Su Xin nodded;Iron Heart had also mentioned this.These major sects were cautious in their actions.
Since Xie Zhiyan wasn't in a hurry,Su Xin had his subordinates who had searched for clues overnight to rest and brought in another group to continue the search.
With nothing to do during the day,Xie Zhiyan asked Su Xin about his family's location and expressed her intention to teach Xinhui some basic sword techniques.
Of course,even if Xie Zhiyan liked Xinhui,she wouldn't teach her Yijianmen's sword techniques.She would only impart some basic swordsmanship.
These things Su Xin couldn't teach Xinhui,but being self-taught,he had a 5%inherent proficiency in anything he learned.However,Xinhui lacked that.
"To engage in swordplay with people,and to confront enemies with a sword.Watch the chess game,observe the atmosphere,as clear as watching fire.The Yijianmen's Yijian Observation Technique is indeed extraordinary,"a low voice came from outside the door.
As a disciple of Yijianmen,one of the five major sword factions,Xie Zhiyan wanted to teach sword techniques to Xinhui,and Su Xin was very welcoming.He immediately called a disciple to escort Xie Zhiyan.
In truth,if Su Xin could bear to lower his face,he would even want to witness it himself.Since Su Xin started practicing martial arts,he had encountered many people with higher realms than him,but those with exquisite martial skills were very few.
Today,Fang Dongting's battle with Xie Zhiyan opened Su Xin's eyes,allowing him to see what truly powerful martial skills in this world looked like.Xie Zhiyan's Yijian Observation Technique was similar to the high-level Korean swordsmanship master Cai Lin's Yijian Technique in"The Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty."Both were sword techniques that anticipated the opponent's moves,integrating the essence of swordsmanship to the extreme.
However,what Xie Zhiyan used couldn't be considered genuine swordsmanship;it could only be described as a way of using a sword.
After sending someone with Xie Zhiyan,a gang member suddenly approached,saying,"Boss,Iron Merciless Iron Lord from the East Twelfth District wants to see you."
Su Xin nodded and asked,"Where is Iron Lord?"
"He's waiting for you at the back door."
Su Xin dismissed the gang member and walked straight to the back door,where Iron Merciless was indeed waiting for him.
Seeing Su Xin approaching,Iron Merciless smiled,"How does it feel sandwiched between those disciples of the major sects?"
Su Xin smiled bitterly,"I'm like a fish on the chopping block,powerless against both strength and influence.I can only lower my head for now."
Iron Merciless raised an eyebrow,"I thought you,kid,would never bow down.Inside Changning Mansion,your style of doing things is quite fierce."
Su Xin said calmly,"It's not that I'll never bow down,just that I won't bow down forever."
Iron Merciless clapped his hands,"Well said.Although you're not currently a match for Fang Dongting and have to rely on a woman for help,you'll definitely be better than that useless young master in the future."
"Despite being on the list of outstanding young talents,there's no need to belittle him so much for my sake,"Su Xin chuckled.
Iron Merciless laughed,"I'm not belittling him;I'm just stating facts.Don't be fooled by Fang Dongting's ranking.In reality,he's just a waste.If it weren't for his background in the Qingcheng Sword Sect,he wouldn't even qualify for the list."
Su Xin was surprised,"Isn't the list based on achievements?"
Iron Merciless casually waved his hand,"The top thirty on the list,I guarantee,have no tricks.But after that,it's uncertain.Various sects want their young disciples to shine on the list,and if their disciples don't have the strength,they're not willing to accept it.So,many people use connections or even bribe officials from the Six Ministries to add their disciples'names.Generally speaking,as long as the disciples of major sects have passable skills,even if they lack corresponding achievements,they can still make it to the list.Take Fang Dongting,for example.Even if his strength is lacking,he comes from the Qingcheng Sword Sect,with numerous powerful sword techniques.This alone makes him much better than some self-taught martial artists or those from smaller sects.Of course,this is only a small part.The majority of the outstanding talents on the list have earned their positions through their own strength,just like Xie Zhiyan from Yijianmen.She earned the title of'Celestial Lady'and rose from the bottom of the list to seventy-eighth in just one year.This level of skill is truly earned through hard work."
Su Xin nodded;Xie Zhiyan's strength was indeed formidable,especially her Yijian Observation Technique.Jiang Ling even claimed that it wasn't her true strength.
"Alright,enough chit-chat.I came to ask you when Yijianmen got the key to the treasure and their attitude towards it."
Although Su Xin was curious why Iron Merciless asked such a strange question,he answered truthfully,allowing Iron Merciless to leave with a contemplative expression.
Su Xin didn't inquire further.Instead,he called people to search the streets for clues about the fifth key.The chances were still slim,but Su Xin didn't know that as he left the gate,several people at the street corner were watching him.Among them was Meng Changhe from the Three Heroes Society and three young men from the Ruan,Zhang,and Jiang families of the Three Great Worlds.
Although these three were outstanding disciples within their families,they hadn't broken through to the innate realm.The difference between the martial arts circles in Xiangnan and the Central Plains was like night and day,evident from the disciples alone.
The three had known about Fang Dongting's visit to Feiying Gang early on,thinking he had found some clues.However,they didn't expect to witness such a dramatic scene of backfiring.
But these three knew their strength was far inferior to the others.Unlike Jiang Ling,they didn't dare to attract hatred openly.They were hoping for a real fight to break out,so they could take advantage of the chaos.
Otherwise,with their innate perfection level of strength,even if they joined forces,they would still be a level below their opponents.
