The world of martial arts, the immortal swordsman in the mortal realm.

Chapter 76, page 91: That Lu Chen must be an unparalleled genius of the Demonic Sect! [Requesting monthly votes!]

Liu Zhengfeng had a wide circle of friends and connections in the martial arts world.

As his retirement from martial arts was approaching, his friends from all walks of life came to witness the ceremony, and martial arts figures from all walks of life could be seen everywhere in Hengshan City, carrying knives and swords.

With so many martial arts practitioners, conflicts are inevitable.

Although we were all here to attend Liu Zhengfeng's retirement ceremony, a friend of a friend is not necessarily my friend.

Martial arts practitioners, skilled in martial arts and possessing sharp weapons, are inevitably short-tempered, and it is common for them to fight in the street over a mere disagreement.

Fortunately, Liu Zhengfeng had anticipated this situation and sent his disciples to patrol the streets, intervening in fights whenever they encountered them.

Out of respect for Master Liu of Hengshan, martial artists who had only quarreled and had no deep-seated hatred for each other would often listen to advice and stop fighting, so nothing serious happened.

However, in the past few days, a strange fellow has appeared in Hengshan City.

He was a young man dressed in black, always wandering the streets with a long sword in an old leather sheath, accompanied by a stunningly beautiful girl who seemed to have descended from heaven.

Whenever the young man in black encountered an older martial artist carrying a sword, he would step forward to greet them, first politely asking their name, and then saying:
"Senior's swordsmanship is superb. I have long admired your name. Now that we have the opportunity to meet, please forgive my impertinence in asking for your guidance. Senior, rest assured, our sparring will stop when we have reached our limit."

After finishing, without waiting for the other party's reply, he drew his sword and charged.

At first, the martial arts community thought he was just a naive young man who had just started out.

After practicing martial arts for a few days and learning a few sword techniques, he thought himself a master and went around challenging people to duels, trying to make a name for himself.

Therefore, many of the older swordsmen who initially faced his challenge did not take him seriously, and onlookers also watched him as a laughing stock.

But in just two days...

That simpleton became famous.

He fought against more than ten skilled swordsmen over two days without suffering a single defeat.

However, they did not win.

No matter which skilled swordsman he encountered, he always fought to a standstill, exchanging two or three hundred blows, before suddenly sheathing his sword, withdrawing, clasping his hands in a fist and saying:
"Senior's swordsmanship is superb, I admire it greatly. Thank you for your guidance."

Then he turned and left.

The onlookers genuinely didn't understand who won or lost.

Ask the person being challenged, and they'll often look confused.

When pressed for answers, I could only give a vague reply:
"Equally matched, neither can gain the upper hand..."

The problem is that although those dozen or so swordsmen are all quite well-known and skilled, their martial arts skills vary greatly.

How did that young man manage to fight to a draw regardless of skill level, and maintain a seemingly evenly matched situation, so that no matter how sharp the eyesight of the onlookers was, they could not discern the slightest difference in skill level?

Furthermore, the boy's swordsmanship was also outrageous. He fought more than a dozen matches, yet no one could discern the origin of his swordsmanship.

Gradually, the boy in black and the stunningly beautiful girl beside him became a unique sight in Hengshan City.

Whenever a young man takes a young woman out in the street, martial arts practitioners always greet them:
"Young Master Lu, are you going to challenge someone to a sword duel again today?"

"Young Master Lu, when will you finally win a match?"

"Young Master Lu, I see the disciples of the Huashan Sect! Senior Brother Linghu Chong and Second Senior Brother Lao Denuo are both here! Why don't you go and give them a challenge?"

"Hmph, what are the disciples of the Huashan Sect? Who doesn't know that Young Hero Lu never challenges swordsmen under the age of thirty? Linghu Chong may have a big reputation, but he's not even thirty yet. How could he be worthy of Young Hero Lu's challenge?"

"Lauderno is an old man!"

"That guy surnamed Lao is quite old, and his reputation isn't even as good as Linghu Chong's. His martial arts skills are limited; he's not qualified! Young Master Lu, I've seen a master from the Mount Tai Sect. The one leading him seems to be Master Tiansong, a member of the 'Tian' generation of the Mount Tai Sect..."

Some greeted him warmly, but others, including some swordsmen, felt their scalp tingle at the mere sight of him.

Some even hid their swords behind their backs as soon as they saw him.

That's overthinking it. Lu Chen is selective about his opponents when it comes to sword duels; he never challenges young people.

After all, the world of Swordsman is essentially a world of old men.

Every top-tier master is at least somewhat old.

Therefore, upon hearing that a master of the "Tian" generation from the Taishan Sect had arrived, Lu Chen immediately, without hesitation, followed the lead of enthusiastic onlookers, found Daoist Tiansong, who was strolling through the streets with his disciples, and bowed respectfully before him.

"I have long admired the swordsmanship of Master Tiansong of the Taishan Sect. I am honored to have the opportunity to meet you today. Please forgive my impertinence in asking for your guidance. Please rest assured, senior, our sparring will be conducted in a measured manner."

As he spoke, amidst the astonished expression on Master Tiansong's face, he drew his long sword, performed a sword salute, and then slowly thrust the sword towards Tiansong.

This first sword strike was exactly the same as the one used when he fought against Master Dingyi. It was just a ceremonial strike, and the speed of the sword was quite slow. Even the younger disciples of the Five Mountains Sword Sect could react to it.

Although the sword was slow, its force was extremely heavy, as if it were stabbing out a large iron cone weighing tens of kilograms.

Before the sword arrived, a sharp gust of wind had already hit Daoist Tiansong, causing his long beard to fly wildly, his breath to catch in his throat, and his expression to change.

Even though Master Tiansong didn't want to rashly fight with the younger generation, he had no choice but to draw his sword.

After parrying Lu Chen's polite sword strike, he had no choice but to brace himself and unleash all his skills to fight Lu Chen.

The result was as expected: after about three hundred moves, Lu Chen suddenly stopped, stepped back, and bowed respectfully.
"Senior Tiansong's swordsmanship is superb; I admire it greatly. Thank you for your guidance!"

Then he turned and left.

The martial artists watching nearby all laughed and sighed:

"As expected, it's another draw!"

"Hey, when do you guys think Young Master Lu will finally win a match?"

"God knows..."

"I think we can give Young Hero Lu the title of 'Drawn Swordsman'."

"What do you mean, a level hand sword? That's a divine sword from beyond the heavens!"

"A divine sword from beyond the heavens?"

"You don't know, do you? Recently, news spread from Master Liu's mansion that the infamous lecherous 'Wanli Duxing' Tian Boguang killed Young Hero Lu with a single sword strike, without even a chance to fight back! So don't think that Young Hero Lu can only fight to a draw. That's just because he hasn't met a villain worth killing yet. If he really wanted to kill, who could stop him with a single sword strike?"

As Buddhist disciples, Abbess Dingyi and others would not spread the news all over the streets.

However, Lu Chen's killing of Tian Boguang was a righteous act, and Abbess Dingyi did not want his achievements to be buried, so she mentioned it to Liu Zhengfeng.

At the time, Liu Zhengfeng's disciples were also serving nearby. Upon hearing the news, they discussed the matter with their fellow disciples.

The news spread like wildfire, gradually reaching Hengshan City from Liu Zhengfeng's residence, and even Lu Chen's nickname, "Heavenly Divine Sword," became known. Master Tiansong, who had just fought Lu Chen to a draw and was still savoring his brilliant performance in the battle, was taken aback upon hearing this. He called over a Hengshan disciple who was patrolling the streets and asked:
"That young man just now killed Tian Boguang, the Lone Wanderer?"

The Hengshan disciple nodded and said:

"Yes. Master Dingyi said that he killed Tian Boguang with just one sword strike. This was witnessed by Yilin, a disciple of Master Dingyi. Several senior and junior sisters from the Hengshan Sect, including Yihe, also saw Tian Boguang's body. It was indeed a single sword strike to the throat."

Upon confirming the news, Daoist Tiansong's expression became quite interesting.

A master swordsman capable of killing Tian Boguang with a single strike...

They fought to a standstill, exchanging three hundred blows, and he even felt he had performed exceptionally well, with his swordsmanship even showing signs of improvement...

"Where did this freak come from? So young, yet possessing such terrifying swordsmanship... Is it a celestial divine sword?"

When one's emotions are complicated.

Then someone called out from ahead:

"Young Master Lu has challenged the old man selling wontons!"

"What? The old man selling wontons? Is Young Master Lu really that indiscriminate?"

"What are you yelling about? That's no ordinary old man selling wontons, that's Senior He Sanqi, a renowned master of the Yandang School, whose Yandang swordsmanship is truly superb..."

Hearing the commotion, the martial arts practitioners who had been watching Lu Chen and Tian Song Dao Ren's duel flocked to watch Lu Chen challenge He San Qi, a renowned master from Yandang Mountain. Tian Song Dao Ren also couldn't resist leading his disciples to watch.

Several Hengshan disciples patrolling the streets wore wry smiles, but there was nothing they could do.

Lu Chen never hurt anyone when he fought in the city, and the fights always ended in a draw.

Given that Senior Dingyi himself confirmed his reputation for killing Tian Boguang with a single sword strike, how could the Hengshan disciples dare to dissuade him?
All they could do was follow the crowd and watch the game.

As the reputation of "Flat-Handed Sword"... well, "Heavenly Divine Sword" gradually began to spread among martial arts practitioners from all walks of life in Hengshan City, the reputation of which was growing.

In a manor on the outskirts of Hengshan City.

Ding Mian, known as "Pagoda-Bearing Hand," Lu Bai, known as "Crane Hand," and Fei Bin, known as "Great Songyang Hand," three of the Thirteen Protectors of the Songshan Sect, were sitting together in the hall, listening to a Songshan disciple dressed as an ordinary martial arts person report.

"Lu Chen challenged Master Tiansong of the Taishan Sect, He Sanqi, a renowned scholar from Yandang Mountain, and a swordsman from the Diancang Sect today, all of which ended in a draw after three hundred moves..."

"Some people say that Lu Chen once killed Tian Boguang, the Lone Swordsman of Ten Thousand Miles, with just one sword strike. Abbess Dingyi of the Hengshan Sect said that his swordsmanship was unfathomable, and several young nuns of the Hengshan Sect even called him the 'Divine Sword from Beyond the Heavens'..."

Fei Bin asked:

"Do you know the lineage of that Lu fellow's teacher?"

"I don't know. His swordsmanship is unpredictable; even Daoist Tiansong and He Sanqi, who fought him, couldn't discern his style. However, Master Dingyi of the Hengshan Sect and others hold him in high regard, suggesting they have a close relationship..."

Ding Mian waved his hand, signaling the disciple to leave. Once only the three of them remained in the hall, Ding Mian's expression turned solemn, and he said in a low voice:

"With just one sword strike, he killed Tian Boguang... He fought against many skilled swordsmen, including Taishan Tiansong and Yandang He Sanqi, and the fights were always evenly matched. He could fight whenever he wanted and stop whenever he wanted, which shows that his martial arts skills were far superior to He Sanqi's... I never expected that such a skilled swordsman would emerge in Hengshan City... What do you think of this matter?"

Fei Bin said, "Taishan Tiansong is alright, his martial arts are mediocre, far inferior to his senior brother Tianmen Daoren, and he might not even be able to beat Tian Boguang. He Sanqi, on the other hand, is a renowned master of Yandang Mountain, with superb martial arts. As for Tian Boguang... although you and I can kill him with our palms, we can't stop him if he wants to run away. That kid surnamed Lu, his martial arts are truly extraordinary."

"That young man surnamed Lu is a variable!"

Lu Bai said decisively:
"If his martial arts skills were just average, it wouldn't be a problem, but his skills are extremely high and his origins are unknown, which could very well cause unexpected setbacks to our plans!"

Zuo Lengchan of the Songshan Sect was plotting to unify the Five Sacred Mountains Sects and had been waiting for an opportunity to establish his authority.

This time, Liu Zhengfeng's retirement from criminal activities presented Zuo Lengchan with a golden opportunity.

This was the first step in unifying the Five Sacred Mountains, so Zuo Lengchan specially dispatched Ding Mian, Lu Bai, and Fei Bin, the three top-ranked masters among the Thirteen Protectors of Songshan, along with dozens of elite disciples to accompany him.

Ding Mian and his group had already broken up into smaller groups, disguised themselves, and infiltrated the outskirts of Hengshan City several days earlier.

Although he has not made a public appearance so far, he has been secretly gathering intelligence and keeping an eye on the situation in Hengshan City.

They were just waiting for the day they would retire from the martial arts world to launch a sudden attack, establishing the absolute authority of the Songshan Sect as the leader of the Five Mountains Alliance in front of the heroes of the Three Mountains and Five Peaks.

Everything was originally under control.

But this unexpected variable suddenly appeared.

Entrusted with a heavy responsibility by their senior brother, the sect leader, Ding Mian and his two companions placed great importance on this mission and instinctively rejected any variables.

And that boy was undoubtedly the biggest variable.

Fei Bin said, "Given Ding Yi's temper, she might cause trouble the day she retires from martial arts. But her martial arts skills are average, so she won't ruin our plans. However, that young man surnamed Lu has quite a good relationship with the nuns of Hengshan. If he jumps out then..."

Lu Bai said coldly, "Even if we have no connection with Ding Yi, if he participates in the Golden Basin Washing Hands event and sees us Songshan masters, he might be tempted and jump out to say, 'I have long admired your reputation, senior...' Even if we are not afraid of him, what kind of decorum would it be if we were to fight him on the spot?"

Ding Mian asked, "So, what do you two junior brothers mean?"

Lu Bai's eyes hardened: "This concerns the sect leader's grand plan. On the day he retires from the martial arts world, there must be absolutely no setbacks, not even the slightest possibility!"

Fei Bin seemed to be deep in thought: "That young man surnamed Lu is said to be under twenty years old... So young, yet he has such remarkable swordsmanship. His background is probably not simple."

Lu Bai said, "His swordsmanship is extremely well hidden, and no one can see the origin of his swordsmanship. He might be a peerless genius carefully cultivated by the Demonic Sect! He was recruited by Qu Yang to cover for Liu Zhengfeng!"

Ding Mian frowned, pondering Lu Bai's words, and suddenly felt that his guess made a lot of sense.

There are no masters in this world who have no origins whatsoever.

Given Lu Chen's age and martial arts skills, he must have an extremely powerful background. It's not impossible that he could be considered a genius of the Demonic Cult.
but……

"He was on good terms with the Hengshan Sect..."

"The demonic cultists are adept at bewitching people. Didn't Qu Yang bewitch Liu Zhengfeng, giving us this great opportunity? That kid probably used some kind of demonic trick to bewitch Old Nun Dingyi."

"His martial arts skills..."

"No matter how high his martial arts skills are, how could he possibly defeat the three great protectors of our Songshan Sect and dozens of elite disciples who would surround him?"

"So... before the retirement ceremony, let's eliminate this variable?"

“Excellent, eliminate any variables! On the day he retires from the cult, we absolutely cannot allow any possible changes. We can capture him in advance and interrogate him to find out his background. If he is indeed a genius of the Demonic Cult, we will not only eliminate a powerful future enemy, but Liu Zhengfeng will also have another crime to commit! We can even use Lu Chen's relationship with the old nun Dingyi to control Hengshan!”

"That kid is highly skilled in martial arts and should not be underestimated. We must come up with a foolproof plan. We also cannot make a move in the city."

"Doesn't he like to challenge people to sword duels? Have someone send him a letter saying that a famous swordsman has invited him to come out of the city for a duel..."

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(End of this chapter)