Chapter 49: One Person, One Knife Eighteen Years Old

A year had passed since the downfall of the East Ning Branch of the Sky Demon Sect.

At the Meng Residence's training ground by Mirror Lake.

Yan Jin, clad in white, held a sword in each hand. A chilling aura permeated the area within several yards of him, creating a misty haze. He stared intently at Meng Chuan, who stood some distance away.

Now eighteen years old, Yan Jin had also reached the Seamless Realm! He had long challenged many masters in East Ning Prefecture who had grasped momentum, and even defeated East Ning Prefecture's three great Core Condensation masters — Yun Fucheng, Zhang Yong, and Bai Shuxuan. In terms of swordsmanship alone, he ranked among the top few mortals in East Ning Prefecture. Coupled with his formidable Godfiend foundation, which granted him strength and speed far exceeding that of ordinary Core Condensation masters, he naturally defeated the three great masters one after another.

Yet...

There was one person he couldn't defeat.

That was Meng Chuan!

“Yan Jin, this is the final move of our spar today.” Meng Chuan, dressed in a dark blue robe, stood a distance away with his blade held in one hand. As soon as he spoke, he moved.

Meng Chuan's figure blurred as he entered the range of the chilling aura. This icy coldness, though somewhat affecting his speed and vision, was minor. Lightning flashed within Meng Chuan's body, making his speed unbelievably fast. Even with the slight hindrance, he remained far swifter than Yan Jin.

“Whoosh.” A flash of a blade appeared, utterly silent, with no wind noise, indicating that his blade technique had reached a level where even air offered no resistance.

Yan Jin exerted all his might, defending with both swords.

In a blink.

Eight ‘Meng Chuans’ seemingly appeared around him, unleashing eight different slashes, each aimed at a flaw in Yan Jin's dual-sword technique. Of course, Meng Chuan didn't truly possess a doppelganger technique; it was his footwork that created this illusion. These eight slashes were also delivered in rapid succession.

Yan Jin, using his frost domain to suppress the surroundings, clearly perceived Meng Chuan's eight consecutive slashes. His dual swords met each attack in succession. He felt Meng Chuan's blade 'tearing' at his twin swords, trying to rip open a weakness. However, Yan Jin, with full effort, parried all eight slashes, leaving Meng Chuan's attempts fruitless.

“Swish.”

Meng Chuan flashed and reappeared dozens of yards away, a speed that made Yan Jin's eyelids twitch.

This speed was truly terrifying. Everyone said those who cultivated the Lightning Godfiend Body were fast, but Meng Chuan was an unparalleled genius among them!

“Yan Jin, your tortoise-style swordsmanship is getting stronger and stronger. Even my blade techniques can't break through it anymore,” Meng Chuan said with a smile. “Alright, alright, there's no need to spar further.”

“Thank you,” Yan Jin said, sheathing his swords and looking at Meng Chuan earnestly. “I know you're helping me hone my swordsmanship.”

“Haha, I'm also honing my blade techniques,” Meng Chuan laughed, walking to a nearby stone table, pouring himself a cup of tea, and drinking it down in a few gulps.

Liu Qiyue, sitting at the stone table reading a book, had also matured somewhat. However, she was now half a head shorter than Meng Chuan, mainly because Meng Chuan, at eighteen, had grown considerably taller than before.

“Yan Jin, A'Chuan's footwork and blade techniques are so fast. He can attack whenever he wants and leave whenever he wants. You can't possibly harm him. Just give up,” Liu Qiyue said, pouting.

“I know, but as long as my swordsmanship can entangle him, there's hope of defeating him,” Yan Jin replied very seriously.

“Qiyue, Yan Jin's Yin-Yang Ice-Fire Swordsmanship is very threatening. I wouldn't dare get entangled with him,” Meng Chuan said.

Meng Chuan's Godfiend foundation was formidable, and Yan Jin's was no less so.

Meng Chuan, following the 'Nine Cultivation Principles' he had set, pursued the extreme, pushing 'speed' to its utmost. Yan Jin, on the other hand, employed dual swordsmanship, using his mind for two purposes, and was better suited for direct combat.

Meng Chuan had merely progressed a step faster in his cultivation.

Meng Chuan had comprehended 'blade momentum' over half a year before Yan Jin, which was why he had the upper hand during spars, yet still couldn't defeat him.

Unless he used his 'soul power,' which needed to be kept secret and wouldn't be used until a critical moment. During ordinary spars, he only used 'soul power' when training with his grand-aunt.

“Meng Chuan, you'll be going to Yuanchu Mountain this year, won't you?” Yan Jin asked.

“Of course,” Meng Chuan nodded.

Yan Jin nodded slightly, then said, “Let's spar again in a month.”

With that, he turned and left.

“That Yan Jin is so arrogant, completely oblivious to social etiquette. He often comes here, but never brings any gifts. He also speaks so coldly. And A'Chuan, you even saved his life,” Liu Qiyue grumbled after Yan Jin had left.

“That's just his temperament. He's already being very polite to us; otherwise, he wouldn't even acknowledge you. Besides, I spar with him because his swordsmanship truly helps hone my blade techniques,” Meng Chuan explained.

Now, if he were to encounter Murong You again, he could easily crush and kill him, even without using his soul power.

Yet Meng Chuan felt no pride.

After reviewing much of the intelligence gathered from the East Ning Branch, he understood how intense the current situation was between humanity and the demon race. His own strength still needed to improve significantly. Even in this era, without using his soul power, he wouldn't rank among the top twenty geniuses in the entire world. For instance, the Fifth Young Master of the Anhai Wang family, whom his grand-aunt had mentioned, comprehended 'momentum' at thirteen and became a Godfiend at fifteen. There were many others superior to him. Of course, most of these renowned geniuses had already successively entered Yuanchu Mountain.

“What?! The demon race invaded our human territory 129 times the year before last?” Liu Qiyue exclaimed, looking at a book. “A'Chuan, is what's written in these books in your study really true?”

Meng Chuan glanced over.

It was one of the many books his grand-aunt had sent earlier.

“It's true,” Meng Chuan nodded. “The war between humans and demons is indeed at a disadvantage for us! The demon race is stronger. However, this is ultimately the human world; demons live in the demon realm and can only enter through world entrances. At the locations of those permanently stable 'world entrances,' humanity has built large fortresses, each garrisoned by powerful Godfiends.”

“The 129 demon invasions the year before last all occurred through world entrances that appeared without warning, allowing the demons to infiltrate. Most of these world entrances, however, are unstable; some last only half a day, others ten days to half a month, but they all eventually disappear. Those that are truly eternal are very few.”

“For example, Qinyang Pass in our East Ning Prefecture is the only eternal world entrance in East Ning Prefecture for the past eight hundred years,” Meng Chuan stated.

Liu Qiyue closed the book.

The information in the book sent shivers down her spine.

“So many people have died, truly. Many die in each invasion,” Liu Qiyue's voice was subdued.

“I saw it with my own eyes when I was six,” Meng Chuan said calmly. “On that occasion, an entire county town fell, and over a hundred thousand humans were massacred. Fortunately, Godfiends arrived in time. Otherwise, I would have died in that demon invasion as well.”

This is why every prefectural city has a Jade Sun Palace to guard it.

It is to protect these populous large cities, and, in critical moments, to deploy Godfiends to swiftly support county towns and other areas nearby.

“Oh, by the way, A'Chuan, are you going to this year's Jade Sun Palace Demon Slaying Assembly?” Liu Qiyue asked. “The assembly is in half a month.”

“I've already promised the Dean that I'll go,” Meng Chuan said with a smile. “You've also comprehended a secret technique. You must be the only divine archer among the Eight Great Academies to have done so, right?”

Liu Qiyue raised an eyebrow. “Of course! But compared to A'Chuan and that Yan Jin, I'm still far behind.”

Meng Chuan smiled.

Time was passing quickly. In a few more days, it would have been three months since he reached the Seamless Realm, and his true qi would soon be completely perfected, allowing him to attempt 'Core Condensation'.

“I wonder if I'll succeed on my first attempt at Core Condensation,” Meng Chuan mused inwardly.

In the entire East Ning Prefecture, among those below the Godfiend realm, only three had successfully condensed their cores.