Chapter 79: Unfair

Sword Dynasty

Volume 1: Great Rebel

Chapter 79: Unfair

Ding Ning took a step forward. The remnant sword, with tiny white flowers flying around it, slashed towards Ye Ming's wrist.

Because Ding Ning had been pushed back a step earlier, his counterattack was not swift. However, due to his shock, Ye Ming's movements were even slower.

He wanted to pull his sword back. But at this moment, he found Ding Ning's sword tip slashing towards his finger. He did not have time to make any further changes at such a close distance.

He could only let go of his sword.

The edge of Ding Ning's sword stuck into Ye Ming's sword hilt, causing it to be thrown to the side and completely out of Ye Ming's reach. Ding Ning stopped advancing. He looked at Ye Ming apologetically and said, “Elder Sect Brother Ye Ming, I apologize.”

Due to his extreme shock, Ye Ming did not even mind that Ding Ning had defeated him while he was off guard. He stared at Ding Ning with wide eyes and asked again, “Youngest Sect Brother Ding Ning, you just had a breakthrough, why is your cultivation approaching Energy Refinement first-class?”

Ding Ning could understand the man in front of him. He explained calmly, “Nangong Caishu gave me a pill medicine, which I consumed when I fought He Zhaoxi. That's why I've made this kind of progress in my cultivation.”

Did he really defeat He Zhaoxi?

Nangong Caishu and Ding Ning had only met while studying in the Library Cave of White Goat Cave, but they already had a relationship where Nangong Caishu would give Ding Ning a pill medicine that would increase cultivation progress?

Ye Ming began to believe that what Ding Ning had said earlier was true. He stared at Ding Ning in a daze. He could not help but say, “No wonder you didn't hesitate when you rejected Xie Rou. So you have this kind of relationship with Nangong Caishu.”

Hearing this, Ding Ning suddenly frowned and said, “Elder Sect Brother Ye Ming, your thoughts and considerations have gone too far. If you're like this, I can't have a proper conversation with you.”

“Only now do I understand what you mean by your words.” Shi Xia walked beside Ding Ning and bowed solemnly to him. He said softly, “Before I fought you, I said I would try my best to control my strength below Energy Refinement third-class. You said that if I did that, I would have more opportunities to gain experience. Your true cultivation has already surpassed mine. If we both used our full strength, you could easily and quickly defeat me. But you deliberately kept your strength below Energy Refinement third-class to fight me using pure swordsmanship. You've allowed me to learn a lot, so I must thank you.”

Ding Ning said calmly, “I made such a choice because you made the choice first. You don't need to thank me.”

Shi Xia bowed again and turned to leave without a word.

“You defeated him with your swordsmanship skills?” Ye Ming looked at Shi Xia as he walked away in disbelief. “Youngest Sect Brother Ding Ning, it's only been a month. How did you cultivate?”

“Elder Sect Brother, you ask too many questions. I can't explain it to you now. Why don't you go to the observation platform and ask me what happened there.” Ding Ning really could not stand it any longer. He reached out a hand to Ye Ming. “Give me the token!”

 

Not far from where Ding Ning and Ye Ming were fighting, Zhang Yi and Su Qin stood atop two ancient pine trees covered in vines.

Watching Ye Ming leave after handing over his token, Zhang Yi turned around and sincerely advised Su Qin, who had a cold expression.

“Younger Sect Brother, Youngest Sect Brother Ding Ning is truly a rare genius, one in ten thousand. As his seniors, we should help him as best we can. How could you do otherwise and plot against him?”

Su Qin glanced at him coldly. His body moved, and he jumped down from the old pine tree and was about to leave.

Zhang Yi finally got a little irritated. He stomped his foot, and the old pine tree beneath him scattered into a mass of dry needles.

“Younger Sect Brother Su Qin! What are you thinking?” he said angrily.

Su Qin turned to look at him and sneered. “You’ve known me long before today. You know that I, Su Qin, never give up halfway.”

“Don’t even think about encouraging others to fight Youngest Sect Brother Ding Ning.” Zhang Yi floated down from the top of the old pine tree and landed near Su Qin. He said, emphasizing each word, “I won’t let you do this.”

Su Qin’s eyebrow rose.

Zhang Yi stared at him and said with a determined expression, “If you do something like that, I will take action.”

“You want to protect him even though you might not win in the end?” Su Qin said with slight disdain after a moment of silence, “If that's the case, then I'll let him go for another day.”

Sensing the firmness in Su Qin's tone, Zhang Yi's eyebrows furrowed deeply.

Su Qin turned and left.

Su Qin stared expressionlessly at the fallen leaves beneath his boots. He watched as the leaves sank deep into the mud from his steps. They were about to mix with the mud, becoming part of it. A cold smile appeared at the corners of his lips.

He and Zhang Yi had inherently different perspectives on Ding Ning and the other disciples of the White Goat Cave.

Zhang Yi said they should help each other… but in his eyes, and in this world of cultivators, there were only two possibilities: step on others, or be stepped on.

If one could not step on others to rise, they would be like fallen leaves stuck in the mud. They would slowly rot and become ordinary and mediocre.

Extraordinary and outstanding individuals like Zhang Yi and Ding Ning should be stepped on as soon as possible.

He envied talent but was not afraid of becoming enemies with them.

If he was afraid of his opponent's talent, how would he have the courage to win against the strongest opponent and overcome dangerous obstacles on the path of cultivation?

Four pillars of smoke lit up.

Su Qin slowly walked toward the area marked by the smoke.

 

At the same time, an inconspicuous and ordinary-looking disciple of the Green Vine Sword School slowly walked toward the area marked by the pillars of smoke.

His right hand occasionally reached into his robes to touch a small sword wrapped in cloth.

The presence of the sword caused a surge of heat within his body. He even forgot his thirst and hunger.

He was Mo Chen.

Suddenly, he stopped. Another disciple in the uniform of the Green Grape Sword School appeared from the light mist in front of him. This was a tall young man who carried two golden longswords on his back.

“Elder Sect Brother Mo, please forgive me.” The young man bowed apologetically as he faced Mo Chen. He took out the two swords he had been carrying. “I haven't fought today. Elder Sect Brother Mo, you surely know that there are fewer and fewer opponents, and it's not easy to find one.”

Mo Chen recognized this young man. This young man was Li Danxia. He had the highest chance of making the top three besides He Zhaoxi. His cultivation was not as high as He Zhaoxi and Zhang Yi, but he was in the Vital Energy Realm.

Knowing that this was an opponent he could not face with his true strength, Mo Chen took a deep breath. His right hand reached into his clothes to tightly grip the hilt of the small sword. Then he bowed to Li Danxia and said softly, “Younger Sect Brother Li, please forgive me.”

Li Danxia stilled slightly. He thought Mo Chen had misspoken because he was experiencing such great disappointment. He coughed awkwardly and did not answer. He raised his two swords, and made a gesture of invitation.

Mo Chen raised his head.

His heart was pounding. His eyes shone with a light he had never seen before.

Li Danxia suddenly felt a strong sense of anxiety at that strange gaze.

Mo Chen took a deep breath. A surge of physical energy flowed out of his energy sea. He channeled it out through his hand without hesitation!

Li Danxia’s pupils contracted violently.

The cloth wrapping the small sword was torn to pieces by Mo Chen’s physical energy. The moment the small silver sword appeared in the air, the physical energy surrounding the sword was consumed by the dense seal inscriptions.

There was a light explosion.

The small silver sword emitted a radiant light. Strands of light floated upward like snow-white dandelions. The rapidly expanding presence even loosened the hair tie that Mo Chen was wearing and caused his long hair to fly behind him.

At this moment, this square-faced disciple of the Green Vine Sword School, who was usually quiet and unobtrusive, exuded an intimidating aura.

Li Danxia instinctively swallowed. Sensing the terrifying presence emanating from his opponent's sword, he channeled all of his vital energy into the two longswords in his hands without hesitation.

Li Danxia's swords' hilts were golden, but their blades were crimson. As his vital energy poured into the swords, the golden and red lights on the swords mingled. The two swords looked like a blazing sunset.

Mo Chen flew upward and swung his sword towards the two swords, which resembled the setting sun.

As he swung his sword, many scenes flashed through his mind.

He saw the people from the Mo Marquessate Establishment completely ignoring him as they walked past him. He saw the Mo Family of An City living frugally. He saw the expectant gazes of countless people as he left An City for Changling. He remembered how he kept encountering dead ends in Changling and how he could not pass the exams at many of his desired schools. He saw the shadow of the Mo Establishment above him. He saw himself writing desperate letters to send to his family in An City. He saw his family members begging for dried medicinal herbs that could be used to increase the longevity of the family elders. He saw them placing the herbs in jade boxes to be sent to the homes of important figures in Changling. He saw himself finally entering the Green Vine Sword School, but he still achieved nothing.

In the end, he saw this small sword that was giving off countless white dandelions.

He was filled with rage.

He wanted to destroy this unfair scene.

The fluttering white dandelions and the two blazing sunsets finally met.

In Li Danxia’s eyes, the color of the sunsets immediately disappeared. He saw countless white dandelions flying toward him.

His breathing stopped completely.

A powerful force struck. His two swords split in two. The spinning blades turned and slashed towards him.

Two spurts of blood erupted from his body.

In the next moment, he involuntarily took a few steps back and collapsed to the ground.

 

Notes:

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

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