Chapter 77: A Battle of Pure Swordsmanship

Sword Dynasty

Volume 1: Great Rebel

Chapter 77: A Battle of Pure Swordsmanship

Shi Xia felt that the pure white flower blooming on Ding Ning's remnant sword possessed an incredibly tragic beauty.

Seeing Ding Ning's composure, he temporarily forgot that he was being coerced by Su Qin. Gradually, he began to believe that this was a fair fight.

“Please!”

He attacked earnestly.

A clear, air-splitting sound rang out. The blue sword light struck Ding Ning's chest and abdomen.

Ding Ning simply held his sword horizontally instead of swinging it down to parry.

The blue sword was not as straight as most sword moves in the Qin Dynasty. As Shi Xia’s body and wrist moved slightly, this blue light seemed to twist in the air like a curved green vine. When the sword tip was close to Ding Ning, it stabbed towards Ding Ning's neck.

“This is the famous Vine Binding Sword of the Green Vine Sword School.”

Xie Rou explained softly to her brother as she watched Shi Xia attack. “The sword moves in this sword manual are unique, and as intricate as the sugar churning you played with as a child. When someone masters sword moves and reaches realm five, their flying swords will also be like this, and their opponents will have difficulty determining the true target from the tip and side of the sword.”

Xie Changsheng nodded solemnly.

Just like this attack, it appeared to be stabbing towards the abdomen, but then twisted to move upwards. If the other attempted to block the lower part, they would be too slow to detect something amiss. If this were a battle of flying swords, a mere moment of thought could determine life and death.

He knew that Xie Rou had deliberately said this so that he would not only focus on the outcome of the battle, but also on the sword moves.

Xu Heshan, beside them, raised his eyebrows slightly. His eyes lit up.

While the two of them were speaking, Ding Ning had already blocked this sword strike.

Ding Ning’s Last Flower Sword was raised to block in front of his throat. He precisely used the back of his sword to block the tip of the Blue Frost Sword.

Then, he counterattacked.

He leaped past Shi Xia, the remnant sword swiftly stabbing towards Shi Xia's throat as he swung his arm.

Shi Xia did not panic. He did not have time to retract his sword, but instead moved his entire arm. The Blue Frost Sword drew an arc and slashed back towards Ding Ning's arm. Ding Ning's arm drew back slightly, and the tip of his sword touched the tip of the Blue Frost Sword.

A spark flew.

Shi Xia took a half step back, and his maneuvers intensified. He began swinging and slashing in front of himself. It seemed as if countless twisting green vines had appeared before him.

The space in front of Ding Ning was immediately filled with inky green sword shadows as well. This expanse of sword shadows stretched a foot away from him. Because the observation platform could not hear the relatively quiet clashing sounds of the swords, it made them feel like the two had not truly come into contact in the past few minutes.

However, they knew; the layers of sparks rising into the air like dandelions told them otherwise.

Xie Changsheng frowned slightly and whispered, “Shi Xia seems to be suppressing his cultivation. He doesn’t want to take advantage of his strength. Both of them are fighting purely based on skill.”

Xu Heshan spoke with admiration. “Ding Ning is quite impressive. The Vine Binding Sword of the Green Vine Sword School focuses on binding. If one sword touches another, it's easy for the opponent to become entangled and lose their grip on their sword. This is especially true when Shi Xia's Blue Frost Sword has a freezing effect and even stronger adhesion capabilities. Ding Ning uses sword tip against sword tip, or blade against sword tip. Even facing Shi Xia's slashes, he doesn't let his opponent's sword stick to him.”

“His sword is also very good.” Xie Rou nodded and said softly. “Even though it's broken, the sword isn't weak once physical energy is channeled into it. The sword is short, but it's suitable for the intricate sword moves of the Wildfire Sword, where one must switch quickly over short distances.”

“I take back my words that this is a broken sword.” Xie Changsheng intently watched Ding Ning fight and said, “But Ding Ning is completely on the defensive. How can he win?”

“If he's patient enough and doesn't make a mistake, his opponent might make one.” Xu Heshan said humbly.

Shi Xia’s respect grew.

Watching Ding Ning's calm gaze and his increasingly precise and skillful sword moves, he felt like he was practicing with a sparring partner. He knew he had to use more powerful tactics to win against Ding Ning. He took a deep breath. When he attacked again, his left hand, which had been secretly gathering strength, struck the hilt of the Blue Frost Sword with great speed.

A force flowed along the hilt of the sword and exploded along the blade.

The frost on the Blue Frost Sword had become thicker and thicker and over time became a hard shell of frost.

Then, the frost shell split open, and like sharp fragments of a sword, they flew out.

These frost shells were sharp and thin, unlike the fallen leaves He Zhaoxi had swept away earlier. If one were to be struck by a shard of frost shell, it would be no different from being stabbed by a real thin sword.

The pupils of many on the observation platform constricted. This sword was clearly the key to victory.

Ding Ning's expression remained calm.

Pew pew pew pew… several soft sounds rang out rapidly.

The Last Flower Sword in his hand swiftly swept away these frost shells. He did not use much force, swinging the sword solely for speed. Although these light and thin frost shells were sharp, they were extremely fragile and easily shattered. All the frost shells that shot towards him were instantly shattered.

A moment later, he let out a low roar. His sword slashed horizontally and struck the Blue Frost Sword that was being thrust toward him.

Shi Xia was slightly speechless. Previously, it was he who had forced Ding Ning to cross swords with him. He had not expected Ding Ning to use such a sword move against him. He sensed something was amiss. He also let out a cry as he hurriedly channeled physical energy into his sword. Another layer of frost formed on the Blue Frost Sword.

With a loud bang, the physical energy from the two swords collided. A wave of air mixed with countless thin frost flakes exploded. Shi Xia turned around with a great familiarity, twisting his wrist to wrap around Ding Ning's sword and pulling it out of his hand.

But at this moment, Ding Ning took another half step forward. His body tensed, and he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, then put all his weight forward.

Shi Xia felt as though there was a large rock pressing down on his sword, so he could not turn it.

With a hiss like shaved ice, Ding Ning's sword slashed rapidly along his sword. The thick layer of frost that had just formed on his sword instantly scattered.

Blue frost sprayed onto Shi Xia's clothes and face. Instantly, Shi Xia's eyebrows and hair turned blue. Feeling a wave of cold, Shi Xia pulled his sword back and leaped back.

Ding Ning’s sword left his sword, but it immediately vibrated and slashed. Delicate white flowers formed from physical energy and blue frost accelerated with this vibration, rushing towards Shi Xia's face like a wave of water.

Shi Xia could not help but close his eyes. At this moment, he felt a cold sword essence rapidly invading his lower abdomen. He screamed and swung his sword towards the cold sword essence.

But the cold sword essence quickly retreated and moved to his left side in an instant.

Shi Xia forced his eyes open and swung his sword again. But all he saw was a patch of white flowers moving towards his left ribcage.

The inky green sword Ding Ning held had restrained all his physical energy. It moved silently through the air, like a shadow, now heading towards his right ribcage.

His pupils contracted violently and his body suddenly froze.

A soft tapping sound was heard.

Ding Ning’s small inky green sword tapped his shoulder. He then pulled the sword away, took a step back and held the sword still.

 

On the observation platform, many people finally breathed a sigh of relief.

A wave of cheers rang out from where the disciples of the White Goat Cave were gathered.

“I never imagined a victory like this!” Xie Changsheng took a deep breath. He was certain that if it were him, he probably would not have been able to dodge Shi Xia’s attack, let alone display such a delightful counterattack to win.

Xu Heshan and Xie Rou were silent.

Although they had hoped Ding Ning would win, when Ding Ning won with such a flawless performance in this battle of pure swordsmanship, they were still deeply shocked.

 

Shi Xia’s mind was slightly blank. The disbelief of being defeated by Ding Ning was profound. A moment later, he recovered.

He looked down at his right arm. He knew better than anyone that if Ding Ning continued his attack, even without physical energy, it would be enough to sever his right arm.

“I lost.” He bowed sincerely to Ding Ning. “Younger Sect Brother Ding Ning, your swordsmanship is refined and extraordinary.”

 

“Headmaster Di, are you satisfied with Ding Ning’s performance?” Xue Wangxu asked of Di Qingmei. He was sitting on the observation platform, wrapped in a thin blanket, smiling as he stroked his beard.

Di Qingmei wanted to remain calm, but his eyebrows trembled uncontrollably. In the end, his expression darkened.

“Don’t put on such an ugly expression.” Xue Wangxu looked serenely at him and softly added. “Regardless of your opinion of me, White Goat and Green Vine have already merged. In the future, perhaps, you and I will gain face because we have a disciple like him.”

Di Qingmei’s eyebrows suddenly trembled. He abruptly turned to look at Xue Wangxu.

Xue Wangxu smiled faintly and looked up at the white clouds in the sky. His voice was filled with sadness. “The White Goat Cave is destined to cease to exist. The more you care about this sect rivalry, the more you remind others that the White Goat Cave still exists. You should change your perspective. Ding Ning is my disciple, but he can also be your disciple.”

“If you aren’t open-minded enough to rule this part of the world, how can you rule these mountains and move mountains from farther away?” Xue Wangxu said indifferently after a pause.

Di Qingmei’s heart suddenly beat rapidly. His hands trembled uncontrollably.

 

Notes:

This novel is not my work... I just translated it from a Chinese web novel written by Wu Zui

Previously

Next