Chapter 1343: One Strand of Hair

"All wrong?" Shui Qianrou's face twitched. The shock she experienced today surpassed everything in her entire life previously. She had specifically told him earlier not to waste words, and he had claimed to understand... Was this his understanding? Her teacher's swordplay was ranked first in the Saint Son Hall and was renowned across the entire continent. When ordinary people met a grandmaster of this caliber for the first time, they wouldn't even dare to breathe too loudly, fearing they might say something to displease him. Yet, this fellow... just flat out declared it was all wrong! Does he even know how to talk?

"What did you say?" Senior Brother Xie's face darkened, and anger flashed in his eyes. This was a blatant insult to their teacher. Upon entering, he had sensed sword qi and thought it was an expert. He never expected it to be a delusional fool!

"Let him finish!" The old man, Jian Qinsheng, waved his hand, cutting off Senior Brother Xie, and looked over. "This sword technique was passed down from my ancestors. With these moves, they swept across the continent, not necessarily winning every battle, but certainly reigning supreme and rarely meeting an opponent... All of it is wrong, you say? I'd like to know where to begin."

"This..." Zhang Xuan hesitated. He wanted to speak but found there were too many errors; he simply didn't know where to begin. If he were to list them all, he estimated the other party would be utterly devastated. So, he could only sigh, "There are too many; I can't even articulate them..."

"Can't articulate them?" Shui Qianrou's fingernails dug into her flesh. You dare to speak up if you can't articulate them? Is he truly not afraid of death, or has he just grown tired of living?

"Teacher, don't listen to this fellow's baseless claims. I think he's just deliberately spouting nonsense to attract your attention!" Furious to the point of explosion, Senior Brother Xie stepped forward.

Jian Qinsheng frowned. He was a renowned grandmaster of the sword, famous throughout the continent. Countless young people desired to become his disciples, but due to his strict acceptance criteria and high attrition rate, some individuals each year would deliberately utter shocking and arrogant remarks to attract his attention. Unfortunately, upon investigation, these arrogant claims proved to be nothing more than empty boasts, devoid of any meaning.

However, his sword techniques were profound, and as an eight-star high-grade master teacher, his discerning eye was extraordinary. The young man before him, when he spoke those words, had a steady demeanor and a calm voice, clearly possessing full confidence, utterly different from those who made baseless claims before. That was why he wasn't angry; instead, he wanted to understand the situation clearly.

"Teacher, please allow me to spar with him. I want to see how good his swordplay is, given such arrogance! If he's just a deluded fool, I wish to teach him a lesson and make him understand his place!" Senior Brother Xie said, cupping his fist. As a student, if he didn't act when someone questioned his teacher, where would their dignity as disciples be?

"You must be one of this year's new students, correct?" Without answering Senior Brother Xie, Jian Qinsheng looked at Zhang Xuan.

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Hmm, among the new students, there's a Zhang Jiuxiao whose sword art is quite strong. Could that be you?" Jian Qinsheng asked. He had also attended this year's new student assessment. This Zhang Jiuxiao, despite his young age, had already grasped a half-step true insight, with limitless talent. Could this possibly be the person standing before him?

"Jiuxiao is a friend of mine..." Zhang Xuan bowed. "My name is Zhang Xuan!"

"Zhang Xuan?" Jian Qinsheng shook his head. He only paid attention to juniors with exceptional sword skills. Although Zhang Xuan had created quite a stir by rapidly reaching the top fifty, it meant little to him.

"How about this: you say my sword technique is all wrong, and I want to ask you about it, but you can't articulate it... Why don't you spar with one of my students? I'll have him suppress his cultivation to match yours, and the two of you can simply exchange sword techniques, stopping before any harm is done!" Jian Qinsheng waved his hand. Since he wasn't Zhang Jiuxiao, his understanding of the Sword Dao was likely not outstanding. It would be better to let his student test him and see what kind of confidence allowed him to speak so unrestrainedly.

"Very well!" Zhang Xuan nodded. If he couldn't articulate it, perhaps demonstrating it would provide insight.

"This way, please!" Seeing his agreement, Senior Brother Xie snorted coldly and led the way. A short while later, they arrived at an open space not far from the pavilion, about twenty meters in diameter, perfectly suited for a spar.

*Shing!* Standing firm in the open space, Senior Brother Xie slowly drew his longsword. As the blade left the scabbard, his entire aura transformed, becoming sharp and formidable, as if ready to pierce the air and slay anyone at any moment.

Despite suppressing his cultivation to the early Nascent Divinity realm, he still exuded a fierce aura, as if he himself were a longsword.

"Peak Sword Heart?" With just a glance, Zhang Xuan knew that the opponent's comprehension of the Sword Dao had reached the peak of Sword Heart, just a step away from a breakthrough. To possess such ability at such a young age, even if not comparable to Zhang Jiuxiao, he was still considered an expert.

"Where's your sword? Make your move!" Pointing his longsword straight, Senior Brother Xie gathered his essence, qi, and spirit to their peak, casting a cold gaze at Zhang Xuan.

"Mine?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. At the same cultivation level, and with his comprehension of the Sword Dao having reached the level of true insight... using a sword would simply be too much of an advantage. He looked around, his gaze falling on Shui Qianrou. "I might have to trouble you, Senior Sister Shui, to borrow something!"

"Borrow something?" Shui Qianrou was startled for a moment, then realized. With a flick of her wrist, she offered her longsword. "Here!" This person had previously observed her swordplay, so he probably wanted to borrow her sword. However, using someone else's longsword could be troublesome due to issues involving its spirit.

"Heh heh!" Without taking the sword, Zhang Xuan took two steps forward. With a gentle squeeze of his palm, a single strand of the girl's hair fell into his hand. "No need for the sword; I'll just borrow a strand of hair!" After saying this, he pinched the root of the hair between his middle and index fingers, and true qi flowed directly into it. With a *hum*, the delicate strand of hair straightened, resembling a longsword.

"Let's begin!" Returning to the open space, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly.

"You're going to spar with me using *that*?" Senior Brother Xie's eyes reddened, and his body trembled with rage. He was an elite student skilled in swordplay from the Saint Son Hall, and moreover, a student of the grandmaster of the sword, Jian Qinsheng. He had lowered his status to spar, and this fellow actually stepped into the arena with just a single strand of hair... It was an absolute insult to him!

"Indeed, I don't want to bully you!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"You're asking for death!" Feeling as though he was about to explode, Senior Brother Xie flicked his wrist. The longsword in his hand emitted a sharp hum as it thrust straight forward. An expert's first move reveals their skill. Though Senior Brother Xie appeared furious, his sword technique was completely unaffected. With his first strike, his sword qi aimed directly at seven or eight of Zhang Xuan's vital points, blocking all possible paths for a counter-attack.

"Is this guy faking his anger?" Zhang Xuan secretly nodded. As expected of a genius from the Saint Son Hall; none of them were easy to deal with. This fellow appeared utterly enraged, as if he could explode at any moment, yet he was actually exceptionally calm internally. He had studied Zhang Xuan's stance, potential sword moves, and retreat paths, completely blocking them with a single strike. If it were any other peak Sword Heart practitioner, even Zhang Jiuxiao, they would surely be flustered immediately and engage with a direct sword clash. But if he were to do that, the hair would snap instantly, and there would be no need for the spar to continue; he would lose in one move. Forced to defend by a single strike, he was indeed a master swordsman not to be underestimated. Unfortunately... his opponent was a powerful individual who had comprehended the true insight of the Sword Dao!

With a faint smile, Zhang Xuan neither retreated nor moved sideways. The hair at his fingertip suddenly struck diagonally, slowly forming an arc and pointing towards Senior Brother Xie's Jianjing acupoint. The opponent's fierce, rapid thrust was not met with a parry; instead, Zhang Xuan aimed for the Jianjing acupoint. This seemed perplexing, but when Jian Qinsheng saw this move, he frowned, and an expression of disbelief appeared in his eyes. It was none other than one of the moves he had just demonstrated in the pavilion. However, in Zhang Xuan's hands, it was far more refined, more fluid, giving a sense of being in harmony with nature and directly pointing to the Grand Dao.

"Though only a slight alteration, the power is completely different..." His fist tightened. As a grandmaster of the sword renowned throughout the continent, his discerning eye was beyond doubt. This move of Zhang Xuan's looked simple, yet it involved a precise grasp of timing and a deep understanding of the opponent's sword technique. Once executed, its power was so immense that a single strand of hair was no less effective than a longsword!

"Hmm?" Jian Qinsheng saw the power behind it, and Senior Brother Xie, who was sparring with him, also changed his expression. Although the opponent didn't seem old, with his first move, Senior Brother Xie immediately felt his entire true qi circulation path abruptly severed, and his chest felt as if it were being torn apart on the spot, causing intense pain.

"Damn it!" His eyes reddened, and he began to move agilely around the area. Earlier, he had launched a strong offensive, intending to meet force with force, leveraging the advantage of his weapon to snap the hair strand in Zhang Xuan's hand. Now, however, he was moving evasively, searching for an opportunity to launch a decisive counter-attack. Though it was only a brief exchange of one move, his contempt vanished, and he realized that the opponent's understanding of the Sword Dao was no less than his own.

"This..." The several junior brothers and sisters who had followed them into the courtyard saw Senior Brother Xie adopt a defensive posture after just one move, and they all exchanged bewildered glances, completely puzzled. Even Shui Qianrou was completely bewildered. While Jian Qinsheng could perceive the power of Zhang Xuan's move, they, limited by their strength, couldn't detect it at all. At first glance, they even thought Senior Brother Xie was going easy, deliberately letting Zhang Xuan have a fair chance.

"Senior Brother Xie is still too merciful!""Indeed, if it were me, I would have split him with a single sword stroke long ago!""Don't worry, when Senior Brother Xie makes his move, he'll definitely teach him a lesson..."They all whispered among themselves.

"Heh heh!" Hearing their whispers, Zhang Xuan smiled again. It had to be said that Senior Brother Xie was indeed very clever. Realizing that Zhang Xuan's sword move was not a simple thrust to the Jianjing acupoint but involved countless variations, he immediately and decisively stopped his attack and opted for evasive movement instead. However, if the Heavenly Dao Sword Art could be evaded merely by defensive maneuvering, it wouldn't be so formidable. Clenching the strand of hair, Zhang Xuan executed the same move from the same angle, thrusting into the air again.

This time, the target was no longer the Jianjing acupoint, but the throat. The move appeared unassuming, yet it stirred his internal true qi, akin to a vortex appearing in flowing water. No matter how Senior Brother Xie tried to dodge or maneuver, he would inevitably be drawn in; there was simply no escaping it. The same move, from the same direction, yet because of slight differences in angle and timing, its power was many times greater! Witnessing it firsthand made it almost impossible to believe.

"This move... it has such a variation?" On the side, Jian Qinsheng's eyes widened once more, and his face immediately filled with utter disbelief.