The Villain's Counterattack

Wuyazi (Duanlang) commented on Jianchen and added, "I'm a man of many talents. I'm obsessed with medicine, divination, astrology, music, chess, calligraphy, painting, mechanical work, trade, farming, drinking and singing, riddles, the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, Qimen Dunjia, farmland irrigation, economics, and military strategy. As a result, I'm not proficient in many of my skills, wasting my time with little success. It wasn't until recently that I felt the limitations of working in isolation, so I left the mountain gate and traveled far and wide."

"I came across this lonely, helpless kid while traveling. Seeing his pity and his decent physique and decent looks, I took him in as my disciple and have been keeping him with me for over half a year. He's obsessed with swordsmanship, and has only average skills in various other arts. He finally chose swordsmithing, but his level is only average. He's a bit smug about his decent family swordsmanship."

At this point, Wuyazi (Duanlang) glanced at his young disciple, who chuckled and scratched his head pretending to be foolish. He did not refute, but instead seemed vaguely proud, which was quite consistent with his youth.

"May I know who this young man is?" Although Jian Chen was full of high spirits at this moment, he was not a bastard after turning evil. In addition, Wuyazi (Duanlang)'s deception gave him a feeling of being unfathomable. In addition, Duanlang (the stand-in) himself had a good appearance and temperament, so he was not looked down upon by him.

"Boy Duanlang, greetings to the heir of the Heavenly Sword!" Duanlang bowed magnanimously, his eyes full of curiosity but without a trace of negativity. Jianchen clasped his fists in return, "Greetings, Brother Duan. You can call me Jianchen. Although I am the master's successor, I haven't even learned one tenth or twelve of his knowledge. I am truly ashamed of his kindness and teachings. Could it be that Brother Duan is the son of the Nanlin Sword Master, the one who decided the fate of the Tianxia Association for me? Brother Duanlang, Duanchen?"

Duan Lang (the stand-in) glanced at his master, then chuckled, "Feng and I have known each other since childhood. We joined the Tianxia Society together. Thanks to his care, even though we were oppressed by that tyrant Xiongba and had an extremely uncomfortable life, I was able to survive by feeding the horses and cleaning. The Tianxia Society is also a chaotic place, with extremely strict rules of rank. The leader Xiongba's word is law, and the three hall masters, although of noble status, do not have much real power. At most, they are just high-level thugs."

"I wasn't comfortable in the Tianxia Association. When I was young, I had nowhere to go, so I could only stay there temporarily. In order to live a better life, I even gave up my martial arts and did stupid things like giving up my family's sword skills. But he was a tyrant and a hero, and he didn't care what others did. No matter how much I did, if he didn't like it, he wouldn't like it. In the end..."

Duan Lang (the stand-in) shrugged and briefly recounted the story of Xiong Ba, Yu Jing Fei, and Yu San Lang. Jian Chen, unaware of the dangers of the martial arts world, marveled at the situation, his eyes sparkling. Finally, Duan Lang (the stand-in) continued, "Xiong Ba wanted to kill me and suppress Feng at the same time, but by some strange coincidence, he actually found the right person. It was indeed me who hid Yu San Lang and sent him out of the Tian Xia Society."

Upon hearing this, Jian Chen clapped his hands in admiration, "What a trick to disguise a true enemy, what a trick to hide the truth beneath the lamp. Qin Shuang is a shrewd man, and when he heard you were pretending to harbor an assassin, he was using this opportunity to test the ulterior motives of the head coach, Qin. Even if he discovered some clues, he would simply treat them as a trap set by you, giving you the opportunity to send out the righteous assassin. Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant! Brother Duan is truly amazing!"

"Brother Jianchen, you're too kind. Duan Lang is unworthy of it. I simply took advantage of Brother Qin's trust. He's the head of the Tianxia Association and Feng's senior apprentice. Feng and I have been friends through thick and thin, and our friendship is deep. It's precisely because of this relationship that Brother Qin wasn't on guard against me." Duan Lang (his stand-in) said quietly, "Some things can only be done, not spoken. To make up for my guilt towards Brother Qin, I'll travel the martial arts world. If I come across a suitable boxing technique, I'll pass it on to him through the Tianxia Association disciples. No matter what, at least I'll feel better."

Jian Chen couldn't help but burst out laughing when he heard this, pointing at Duan Lang (the stand-in), not knowing what to say. You, a traitor wanted by the Tianxiahui, actually wanted to send gifts to the leader of the Tianxiahui through the Tianxiahui disciples, and this is not the first or second time you've listened to his words. It's really interesting.

Seeing the two enjoying their conversation, Wuyazi (Duanlang) didn't rush to interrupt. Instead, he leaned against a bamboo, watching the two little guys chatting and gossiping with a smile. It wasn't until Jian Chen realized that he had neglected this senior and stepped forward to apologize that he waved his hand nonchalantly, saying, "This child has a miserable life. He was captured and taken to the cruel Tianxia Society at such a young age. Although Nie Feng is kind, he is a simple-minded child. How much protection can Xiongba provide him under his pressure? After escaping the Tianxia Society, he wandered around. The Tianxia Society has ordered him to kill him, so he has no chance to make friends. It's not easy to meet a like-minded person of the same generation, so naturally he can't help but get close to them. I understand."

Hearing this, Jian Chen felt even more sympathetic towards Duan Lang (his stand-in). Wuyazi (Duan Lang) said with a smile, "My dear Jian Chen, although I learn swordsmanship, I am not obsessed with it. You practice swordsmanship, and this kid is also devoted to it. It's just that he has only been my disciple for a short time, so he is still far from being a master. However, he practices swordsmanship diligently and has some talent. He can barely show off his sword skills. Even if his cultivation is not as good as yours, he can still be of some use as a sparring partner."

Wuyazi (Duanlang) suggested a duel between the two boys, and even gave Duanlang (his stand-in) some pointers in front of Jianchen, saying, "You haven't passed my test, so I can't give you the Fire Scale Sword. So, I'll use the scabbard in your hand to ask for some advice from my friend Jianchen. Your cultivation level, swordsmanship, and Qi power are all inferior to mine, so I'll give you some pointers."

"You are most proficient in the Eclipse Sword Technique, a first-class sword technique that has been passed down through the generations of the Duan family and continuously refined. You will begin the competition with friend Jian Chen using the first move, White Sun Breaking Dawn, and then move on to Sitting in Sorrow City, and then perform..."

Wuyazi (Duanlang) recited a total of twelve moves in one breath, of which half were the Eclipse Sun Sword Technique, three were the Shadow Sword Technique, and the other three were advanced sword moves that were learned along the way and improved by Wuyazi (Duanlang). Jian Chen, who was listening carefully, found that he had only heard the moves but had never seen most of them before, and he couldn't help but become very interested.

Duan Lang (the stand-in) is also a meticulous person. When he saw that his master did not choose the Holy Spirit Sword Technique, he immediately reacted, but why are there only twelve moves?

Hearing his doubts, Wuyazi (Duanlang) chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "Twelve moves are enough. Go ahead. The result will be clear after twelve moves."

Jian Chen was equally surprised when he heard this, but he was even more curious about whether these pre-set moves were actually useful. Masters' battles were ever-changing, so flexibility was paramount. Could a rigid execution of swordsmanship really work?

As if intending to test him, Jian Chen suppressed his true Qi to the peak of the Grandmaster level, on the same level as Duan Lang (his substitute). The two of them fought together, but after the battle began, Jian Chen immediately discovered that the swordsmanship of this new brother he had met was actually quite good. His sword moves were agile and smooth, without any awkwardness or stiffness.

One move, two moves, three moves, five moves...

Ten moves, eleven moves, twelve moves!

With a light "clang" sound, the scabbard in Duan Lang's (substitute) hand finally broke into two pieces under the heavy weight. Jian Chen's sword spun around, and he turned around and took two steps back, creating some distance between them. The two men looked at each other in disbelief.